The Incense of Heaven

12.28.14

Revelation 5.8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. St. John (ESV)

The Revelation given to the apostle John is a marvelous thing. In it, Jesus gave it to John to help him (and us) know the things that must soon take place. (Rev. 1.1) Two thousand years ago Jesus showed John the things that must soon take place. If they were soon back then, what are they today? There's a thought for you...

John's revelation (which is really Jesus' revelation) is oft misunderstood and thought to be strange and/or confusing. It is full of heavenly meaning and imagery which we mortals are not used to in our everyday lives. But why would we expect it to be any different? It's all about things in heaven and in the future... things which must soon take place.

So, not to get into some commentary about the revelation, here’s something you and I can take interest in: the incense of heaven. John recorded that our prayers are the incense of Heaven. What is offered up to God Almighty in worship in Heaven is what is offered up to God in worship on earth: our prayers; on earth as it is in Heaven.

Do we know a worship service is going on in Heaven right now? Is it of any interest to us at all that our prayers are the incense in that service at this very moment? Does it mean anything at all that our prayers are the sweet aroma of Heaven's worship service? Well according to John they are.

So, now that we know, what we do with do with what we know? I think the correct answer is: pray. Paul said, pray without ceasing. He also said pray for rulers and authorities, and for kings and those in power. He also said, when we’ve done everything else, stand. Stand in steadfast prayer.

Sometimes we pray in desperation. Sometimes we pray in perspiration. And sometimes we pray in adoration. Whatever the case, our prayers are the incense that fill the throne room of Heaven. That ought to cause us to celebrate that we participate in the never ending worship service lauding our King.

Father, even with words on computer screens are a sweet smelling sacrifice to You! Thank You that You hear my prayers, and use my prayers. Thank You for showing me anew, that I am part of Your Kingdom no matter where I am, and that I also participate in the worship of Heaven when I pray! Fill me with prayer and praise O Lord! Amen!

In Asking

12.25.14

1 John 5.14-15 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. St. John in letter One

What did you ask for, for Christmas? Did you ask? It seems this time of year there is a whole bunch of asking; a whole lot of list making, checking them twice, finding out who’s naughty or nice. I’m sure there was some coal delivered. And some disappointment. And a bunch of: I didn’t get as much as he got! Oh, the joys of Christmas…and the asking.

The apostle John wrote that we have confidence (in asking) that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And then, if we know He hears us, we’ll also know that we have (from Him) the requests we have asked of Him. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. But what, methinks, is asking according to His will? Is it like a blank check?

I think it’s partly a trust issue and partly a fellowship, or relationship issue. The one who knows God and walks with God is empowered by God to ask God for things he knows that the Lord is willing to give (according to God’s will).

When I pray for others, I like to include asking for God’s peace and presence. I think that’s in line with God’s will for us. When facing difficult things, I tend to ask God for peace, power, and presence – the power part being that of keeping on keeping on. The difficult things in life are hard to deal with but they seem to be better when I ask God for the power to trust Him in and throughout whatever it is I’m facing.

Asking God for things means – I think – asking honestly for what it is I think I need or want. As a friend of mine would say, God may answer, yes, no, wait, or, if you insist. But I think this is secondary to what the Lord is really working out in our lives, asking according to His will. So, I suppose, in order to do that we must know what it is His will is – right?

Or it may be simply asking with a heartfelt expectation that my Father knows my needs and delivers before I even mouth the words. And then seeking Him first – His Kingdom and righteousness – knowing that all my needs will be supplied.

So, what about that person I’m praying for to be saved and to come to know Jesus in spirit and truth? And the more I pray the worse they get. Isn’t that praying according to God’s will – God who is not willing that any should perish but all come to know and believe? Sooner or later something will happen.

Father, praying is talking to You, in conversation with You. It’s two-way communication. Father, when I ask that Your will be done and Your Kingdom come (on earth as it is in Heaven), I must have the confidence that You hear and grant. Your granting may not look the way I ask, but it will for-sure be because my words and yearnings line up with Your plan and purpose in this world. Today, Father I ask for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men that they may come to see You in all Your glory and goodness – Amen. 

The Voice

12.24.14

John 20.16 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus and St. Mary M. (ESV)

Mary was fraught. Mary was beset. Mary was desperate – or at worst, naïve. But Mary was the only one with courage enough to go down to the tomb that day first. The disciples were fraught, beset, and in hiding not knowing what to do next. Mary made up her mind she was going to go see what happened.

When she arrived at the tomb and found the heavy stone had been rolled away, she was saddened and grieved. “What has happened!? What have they done with Him!?” Two angels engaged her in conversation: “Woman, why are you weeping?” (v. 13) And turning to go she saw Jesus but thought He was the gardener: “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” And then miracle of miracles, Jesus said to her, “Mary.” (V. 16) And hearing her name, Mary almost exploded in unspeakable joy.

In John 10 Jesus said, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (10.3) Mary heard her name. She heard her name by the Voice who spoke life into her. Mary was dazed and confused by the events of the past several days and the only thing that really got her attention was the sound of her name, spoken by the Voice she knew.

We mustn’t forget that Jesus speaks our name. We mustn’t get all fraught, beset, and distracted – we must listen for our name, spoken by the Voice we know. And Jesus speaks it all the time. The sheep know His voice and they follow the voice.

Much of life is confusing. Much of life is downright demanding. Much of life has bullying tendencies. It is in the midst of confusion, demand, and intimidation that we attune our ears to the Voice calling out our name. In the beginning it’s, “Sinner, come home!” After that it is, “Child, where are you going? Follow Me!” Jesus called out her name and in the midst of all she was suffering from, she heard it and came back to reality.

I think this is the last time in Scripture Mary is mentioned by name. But I firmly believe St. Mary was present on the day the Helper arrived and the tongues of fire landed on the disciples and the Church was born in glory with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. God speaks to those who will listen and in the midst of the turmoil of life, whatever it is, wherever we are: are we listening for His voice to call us by name?

Jesus, You know my name. You speak my name. And You call me back, asking, Paul, will you come and follow Me? I am glad Lord, You know Your sheep by name and they hear Your voice and follow You. May I have ears to hear today? May I have eyes to see today? And may I, when life’s billows roll, listen for Your voice calling out my name, finding peace like a river attending my way? I love You Great Shepherd of the sheep – Amen.

To Keep You

12.23.14

John 16.1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” Jesus (ESV)

It is interesting to me how many us lack so much confidence in part, or in all of our lives. I would bet the statistics, if we could measure them, would approach the 100% mark. Now, of course we’d have to factor out small children, the mentally disabled, and the developmentally disabled. (Our first child fell into that last category and I’m not sure he thought about anything or even if he could think at all – but that’s a story for another day and something I’ll have to wait until heaven to find out.)

The mind is a fascinating thing. We cannot quantify it and I would also bet we can’t truly qualify it. We might say someone is bright, or they are dull; but putting a true measurement on the mind seems –to me – impossible. Most of the measuring we do, whether clinically or subjectively, is our best guess.

Jesus knew how much the mind played out in the lives of His men – His twelve closest followers. I think that may be why He said, “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” What they were faced with mentally, with all they’d been through, was enough for them to lose heart because of enormous doubts. Maybe they’d made the wrong decision to follow this Guy, or maybe the Kingdom of God was just a fairy tale. Why was Jesus telling them what He told them and throwing in just for good measure: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”? He knew. He knew they were struggling and couldn’t fully handle what He was saying and what they were facing.

With what are you struggling today? With what are you dealing that you can’t seem to handle? What nagging questions in life are hounding you and don’t seem to have an answer? What is causing you to doubt? Where is it you want to run and hide from what is so mentally overwhelming? Enter Jesus: “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” Jesus knows. Jesus cares. And Jesus has said what He has said to keep us from falling away as well. The last place Jesus would ever want you or me to be is away.

Father, You know where I struggle and want to lose it. You know how much I lack in confidence and You also know how much I try to depend on myself. Help me Father to hear Jesus words when I am weak and scared and tempted to do something foolish – like walk away from my faith and all I believe. You have said all these things to keep me from falling away and Lord, I need them now. Thank You for Your word! Amen.

My Very Own Holiday

12.21.14

John 9.40-41 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.  – Jesus to the Pharisees (ESV)

It seems interesting to me that my Bible reading plan has me read John’s writings during the Christmas holidays, and not Matthew, or perhaps Luke where the account of the Messiah’s birth is so aptly narrated. John starts out his narrative in by describing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And it seems most of the rest of the narrative of John is centered in Jerusalem and during the last few weeks and months before the crucifixion.

In the reading today in John 9, a man is healed of blindness he’d had from birth. As was His penchant, Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath. Well of course the Pharisees were all hacked off over this move and sought to destroy Jesus. They were more concerned about the Sabbath than they were about the welfare of a man. Religion does that. But Jesus said God ordained the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath.

At the end of the verbal altercation between Jesus and the Jews (as John called them) Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” And the Pharisees, said something like: Who you callin’ blind, Foo!? And Jesus said, Careful boys, if you were blind you wouldn’t be guilty; but now that you say you can see, well, you’re in a very rough spot! (Or something like that.)

Which brings me to Christmas. Innumerable people celebrate the Christmas holiday; but they don’t celebrate the Christ for Whom the holiday stands. The simple question: Why do you celebrate Christmas but not the Savior? The Savior was not made for Christmas, Christmas was made for the Savior. The holiday celebrates the advent of Jesus. Not Santa, reindeer, snowmen, or as I saw in the mega-mart the other day: an inflatable tyrannosaurus rex with a wrapped gift in its mouth. (Although, when you think about the commercialized cultural absurdity of the holiday, why not have a ten foot inflatable tyrannosaurus rex with a wrapped package in its mouth?)

The blind cannot see and therefore, aren’t guilty. Those who claim to see yet cave to the commercialism of the holiday have some ‘splaining’ to do.

Father, I think the biggest miracle I could ask for this year would be peace on earth. But I think a contending miracle for the top spot would be the realization of what Christmas is really about, and a global repentance for the way we’ve twisted the meaning of Christmas into reindeer, snowmen, Santa, and a green reptile with a bright red Christmas gift in its gaping maw. Use me this year to share the beauty of the mystery of Christmas and the Christ-child whose advent was not in glory but squalor; and whose return will be that of a Glorious King. Amen.

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It’s Off to…

12.19.14

John 6.27-28-29 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” – Jesus and the crowd (ESV)

In a very interesting dialogue found in John 6, Jesus explains what it is we humans are supposed to do. We seem to have this undying need to contribute (in almost everything we do). It’s no wonder, when Jesus told the people that day not to work for food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life that they could only get from Him, that they responded: Well then, tell us – what must we do to be doing the works of God!?

And Jesus answered: Believe in [Me] whom [God] has sent.

If you want to know the true definition of work then read and re-read the above; it is work to believe in Jesus Whom God has sent.  

The difficulty of belief is that it is so counter to everything we know (and believe to be) as humans. When we’re unemployed and keep running into the walls of rejection at every turn, it’s hard to believe that God has promised to provide. If we are sick with some illness and it goes from bad to worse, it’s hard to believe that it’s going to get better and “by His stripes we are healed.” When we fall richly in love only to end poorly in divorce – when we start something new, believing God has made it so, only to find difficulty and defeat at every turn, it’s hard to believe that we’ve done the right thing. Belief without work...is dead.

That’s why it is work. It’s hard, and trying, and exhausting – and we have to work at it!

A friend of mine says we must allow God to expand our mind and our understanding. He says that process is often painful because everything around us screams we’re doing the wrong thing, the impossible, or the unthinkable. This isn’t name it and claim it – it’s learning to believe God and not to work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.

Today, I am willing to believe. It’s looking different than I thought, but I am willing to believe. And I’m not willing to believe for just fish and bread (see John 6) but for the food that endures to eternal life which Jesus has promised to give me. I’m willing to stare down my unbelief and put all of my ‘belief eggs’ in God’s basket.

Father in Heaven, my work today is not for a paycheck, but for food that endures to eternal life. Help me in my belief – make it strong and change my heart and my thinking that I may truly, eternally believe You. Amen.

Reminders

12.17.14

2 Peter 1.13-15 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. – St. Peter to those who have obtained a faith… (ESV)

In Peter’s words here I hear echoes of Jesus and echoes of Paul. And I hear the present of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples the Holy Spirit would bring to mind the things He had told them. And Paul said that as long as he was in the body he would struggle and strive to share the gospel. Peter wanted to remind his followers to cling to what they knew and had been told.

Today, as I reflect on these thoughts and words and Scriptures, I realize how much I need to be reminded of how to live, what to think, and how to represent Christ in this increasingly difficult world we currently call, home.

I tend to go inward. I tend to think it’s all about me. I tend to think I’m the only one who’s ever faced such things. But I forget how wrong I am in such thinking. I am not on this earth to dwell upon myself, but to dwell within Him who has saved me…from my-self. I need to be reminded of what has been done on my behalf so that I don’t have to dwell in the realm of selfishness.

Because of my tendencies I need to be regularly reminded of what life is all about so that, truly, I can keep the Main thing the main thing. I believe there is a word in Scripture that reminds me: Lift up your eyes your redemption draws near (Luke 21.28). And Peter says, So, dude, with all this in mind, what sort of person ought you to be? Certainly not one who dwells amidst the swells of his experience.

I read a brief devotional this morning which closed with these words: Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly…and leave the rest up to God. I needed to be reminded of that today. I needed, through Peter’s words, to be reminded, that I need to be reminded. I don’t know what it is about daily living with all of its ups and downs, but I needed to be reminded that my life’s solutions, while not found in people, need to include the people among whom God has placed me and I need to live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest up to God. I need to be reminded that it’s all about Him.

Father in Heaven, thank You for the reminders today that it’s not about me because You have me covered. Thank You that You’re all about living simply, loving generously, caring deeply, and speaking kindly. You know that when I focus on these things I quit dwelling on me and begin to notice others whose struggles wear them down as well. Father, I leave the rest up to You only asking: help me to remember what it is I’m to truly do and leave the rest up to truly You. Amen.

Born Again to a Living Hope

12.16.14

1 Peter 1.3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. – St. Peter to the Dispersed (ESV)

This morning, perhaps, it was a lack of sleep, too much sleep, or maybe just some unrest of the soul – y’ever get that? Seems to be the story of my life these days. It’s not unhappiness – I have much to be happy about and much to be thankful for (yes, I know, that was the last holiday…). But around 4am each day what I’ve been trying to hold back all night seems to come crashing in –thoughts and the concerns for the day. Jesus said, the concerns of today are enough: don’t let the concerns of tomorrow in as well.

This morning, perhaps, it was a good thing to read 1 Peter and to see that he celebrated the new birth. Peter mentions it twice in the opening portions of his letter. Peter was writing to a persecuted people who’d been chased from the homes and heritage because of their beliefs. It seems like that is the preferred method in this world of dealing with those who don’t believe correctly – they need to be chased off…or killed off…

It’s one thing to be chased off, but it’s another to have to relocate to somewhere where you don’t know anyone, don’t speak the language, don’t understand the customs, and you live as an oddity to those among whom you’ve moved; and they ain’t too keen on your being there. So Peter reminded them: it’s not what you don’t have – but what you do: [He] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. You have new birth.

In today’s unsettledness there may be much that you and I may not have. But what we do have more than makes up for what we don’t: we’ve been born again. God caused that. God allowed that, and God has been in the Born-Again business since before the world was formed – it has always been His plan.

As we celebrate this Christmas season with all it offers (including stand-offs in cafes Australia, and the slaughter of school-kids in Pakistan) let’s remember what Peter told us: [You have] a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. That’s good stuff!

Father, as I embark on this day I’m reminded that what I have is a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Thank You for filling my heart and mind with this precious truth today to remind me that though there is much in this world that is good, there is also much that is not so good. And I’m to focus on the best: that which is kept in heaven for me, who by Your great power is guarded through faith for salvation that will be revealed in the last time. Thank You God! Amen.

How Can I Help Today

12.15.14

James 1.25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. - St. James (ESV)

Today, the thought that crossed my mind as I read was: God, how can I help today – what will You have me do? The answer simply: do the word; be a doer of the word.

My problem mostly is being a hearer of the Word. I read, I go to church, I blog; and I won’t say, I won’t do; but I will say I don’t do. I’m not consistent in doing the Word. I think there’s a fine line between living as God beckons we ought, and trying to perform to make ourselves feel better.

We hear sermon after sermon after sermon about what we’re supposed to do and be and the difficulty is simply doing whatever we do from the heart. That’s difficult!? Well, yes it’s difficult because it’s done from rote, not from the heart. The heart is where we live. The heart will either commend us or condemn us. The heart is who we really are and what’s really going on inside. The telltale is the outcome of our life: hearing or doing.

A hearer hears. He listens. He agrees. He nods his head and speaks his amen’s. But a doer does and asks: God, how can I help today? In my world we have a saying that goes: See the people. It is no different in the life of the believer: see the people and with God’s direction: help them, encourage them, comfort them, care for them, bless them with a cup of coffee, or take them to lunch or something like that. Our life in Christ is to be about others – as His life was for us.

Father, today may my life be that of doing – may I see with spiritual eyes and with a loving heart and do as You enable. It is not about my performance – it’s about my heart. And may my heart be the Seat of Your love for others. Help me to help today. How can I, as a doer, help today? Amen.

Crap for a Reason

12.14.14

Hebrews 12.7 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? The Author of Hebrews (ESV)

Yesterday, in Walmart in Ontario, I said to my wife (in a moment of understanding): I cannot let this thing (which will remain unnamed) steal my joy. She masterfully responded, Why would you!? I think she also meant: Why do you!? And then this morning I read Hebrews 12 and 13. And I read, It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (12.7) And I thought, Hmmm…

Why does life happen the way it does? Why is much of life – as Yancey says – confusing and incomplete? The writer of Hebrews, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, says: It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you [as a son]. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Good question! Great question!

The issue is not our trials but God’s involvement in our trials. The writer calls them discipline. The writer assumes we all know that the crap we endure is crap for a reason. The writer assumes we all can find hope and comfort in the knowledge that God is allowing us to go through what we’re going through in order to grow us up, and grow up in us. (For many, God is simply too far away, or too small, to help them, understand them, or even care about them.) We endure because God is dealing with us about the things we won’t deal with and prevent us from experiencing Him fully. Many who suffer will tell us that God is far closer and real in their suffering than He is in their good times…

My joy was restored yesterday because in the flash of a moment, I understood how selfish and small I was being (in the unnamed). My joy was affirmed this morning when I read: It is for discipline (little Paul) that you have to endure. God is treating you as [His son]. [And] what son is there whom his father does not [or did not] discipline? Even if their discipline was only for a moment and far short of its goal – at least it was present! God is infinitely better at discipline that any human father could ever be… although, perhaps, some are certainly better than others.

Father in Heaven and True Father of my life, thank You that things are the way they are and I can bank on Your being present in all I say, do, or think. Thank You that You love me so much that You discipline me and cause me to endure it – it does do one thing for sure: it causes me to cry out to You. Forgive me for complaining and praying desperate and selfish prayers. Grow me up into the man You’ve created me to be – Amen!

The Pitch

12.11.14

Hebrews 4.14-16 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)

These days I draw a lot of inspiration for my life from a series of photographs with Zig Ziglar quotes imprinted on them. I suppose that’s the life of a salesman; always looking for inspiration, motivation, and all the other ‘ations’ indigenous to the career. They are sometimes a display of a PGO (a profound grasp of the Obvious) but they help. Any sales person will tell you that you are only as good as your last sale and the need for the next client is endless.

Currently, I’m reading a book entitled, To Sell is Human, by Daniel H. Pink. I’m looking for motivation and inspiration. It’s a good read and it basically states that all of us (all 7.something billion) are involved in the selling process all the time. We are either trying to sell our need, or our wants, or our perspective to our clients, which just happen to be all of the rest of the humans on the planet.

When we need, we sell. When we want, we sell. And when we attempt to influence – we sell. And almost 99.9% of us do this – every single day of our earthly existence. Some of us actually do this for a living. Or an attempt at a living…

Today, I read a sales pitch: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I just happened to read this pitch in the Bible in Hebrews 4.

What does it take to convince us? Are we convinced when the writer of Hebrews says: Since then … let us …For we … Let us then … that we may receive … in time of need.? Features and benefits. Or do we continue to scheme and dream so that we don’t have to rely on this High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because He’s faced the same struggles, trials, and temptations and knows to dispense grace to help in time of need? How do we feel about that? What are our thoughts when it comes to overcoming the daily grind?

Father God, You are blessed and a blessing. You love Your people and have made a way to meet their every need in Jesus who has suffered the same sufferings Your people have. You give us grace, which is a way of saying You love us and favor us to succeed in the way You’ve ordained that we will in the Savior – thank You! Amen.

Think it Over

12.10.14

2 Timothy 2.7 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. – St. Paul to Timothy (ESV)

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is his swan song to his protégé before his execution. Paul reminded Timothy to be strong and to depend on the Spirit of God as he continued to preach and teach in Paul’s place. And Paul had written to him to consider or think over what he has said to Timothy before his imminent exodus from earth.

It may have been natural for Timothy to have lost heart or had some doubts over what was transpiring, and perhaps he had been tempted to think that because of Paul’s imprisonment and condemnation that there might’ve been something Paul hadn’t told him; that there might’ve been some other reason for Paul to have been put in prison and condemned to death. So Paul here in this letter said, “Think over what I say Timothy, the Lord will give you understanding.”

Isn’t that what we need as we struggle with life’s issues and relationships? Isn’t that what we need when we hit a hard spot and need the assurance of the real reason we live to get us through? More often than not we should allow the counsel of Scripture to remind us that the Lord will give us understanding in everything – we’re to have that expectation. If God doesn’t help us, who will?

I see Paul’s letter to Timothy as an encouragement to keep on keeping on; to trust God in the circumstances and to believe. The work of the gospel is never finished.

I think most a lot of us struggle with what to do next. I think most of us struggle with thinking God has charged us to do it all. I think most of us have had experiences with people that have caused us to wonder: am I doing the right thing; am I in this for the right reason? It is good for us to stop and think over the why of what we’re doing to remember the what for doing it.

And in the midst of all of what we do with all of the outcomes – good or bad, comfortable or uncomfortable – we need to remember Who is in control and how He uses what we go through to grow us into His own glory and grace. The message here is: think over what was said and the Lord will provide understanding.

Father, how often I get consumed with the wrong thoughts about my circumstances and what is going on around me. Thank You for the reminder to think over all that is going on – the good and the bad – that I may realize You are present in all I do and You are there to help me and to grow Your Kingdom. Father, may I learn to accept this life the way it is, not the way I think it should be. And may I find Your comfort as I think over my times and days and remember Your presence in it all – amen.

WIIFM Radio

12.08.14

1 Timothy 4.7b-8 Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. St. Paul in his first letter to Timothy (ESV)

In my journeys I have discovered in life there is a famous radio station that almost everyone everywhere listens to: WIIFM – What’s-in-it-for-me. Everybody everywhere wants to know: what’s in it for them. Their decisions are largely based on the query whether it is spoken or not. If they see value, they’ll move; if they don’t, they won’t.

The apostle Paul, writing from prison to his protégé Timothy, made this statement: Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. What’s in it for me? Value in every way – and promise; both in the present life, and in the life to come.

What is value? Value is very intangible yet we all seem to understand it and seek it. If it benefits us in some way, we consider it to be valuable and we want it. Value can be placed on people, places, or things. However not everyone sees value the same way so while it is intangible it is also subjective. And here is where taking Paul’s comment on value requires faith.

Growing in God; growing in faith, requires looking at life and looking at value completely differently than most humans do. And so there is hope. But faith is required to accept value from God. The biggest value with God and godliness is relationship with God forever. What could be bigger than that? The power bill certainly isn’t. Unemployment certainly isn’t. But hope for a plan and a future certainly is – and God is incomparable in the plans for our lives with hope and a future.

Today, I look at godliness in my own life and see the need for training in godliness. I see that being strategic in how I live must be all about walking humbly with God through every season and situation of life. It must be all about walking humbly with God looking to Him in every aspect of who I am, and who I hope to be. What’s in it for me? God.

Father in Heaven, as I approach this day and consider all the things I think I must do today, may I be careful and strategic to include training in godliness – may I see everything I do through that filter. If it’s not training in godliness then I probably shouldn’t be giving it much attention. Father, help me today and to see that what’s in it for me is life with You for all eternity, and value in that life and in Your presence both now, and forevermore – Amen.

The Righteousness from God

12.06.14

Philippians 3.8b-9 For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith... – St. Paul to the Church at Philippi (ESV)

Oh the draw of self-satisfaction; the allure of I did it; the pleasure of I’ve made it. We humans love to be successful – it’s the way we are wired. We want to accomplish. We want to achieve. We want to contribute. We want to be noticed. We want to be lauded. And we want to do all of this without God because we want to be found blameless.

Well gee Paul, that sure seems like a big statement. Yes, I agree, but it’s true. Mankind, whether or not he acknowledges God, isn’t without the strains of God within himself – God made him. However, we cannot discount what the result of the fall is in humanity globally and throughout all generations. The relationship was broken and only, as Paul points out here, is it restored through faith in God through Christ.

Faith is a funny thing. Faith requires belief, and belief in God sometimes defies reason. It’s not that it’s unreasonable, it just defies logic. How can I find righteousness by believing in Someone I’ve never met, and in something as intangible as belief? Short answer: I don’t know. But it also defies logic that I find myself to be somehow acceptable if I live by a certain code displayed by a certain conduct. The question is whose code and what conduct?

Right and wrong seem to be a starting place but if there are differing opinions of what is right and what is wrong then, to quote a famous politician: what difference does it make? It makes a lot of difference who is holding the bag when it comes to sorting out our definitions of right and wrong. Somebody is always going to be left holding the bag.

God simply asks that all men, regardless of race, color, gender or any of that stuff, believe in Him and what He has done for us in Christ. Then our definitions are measured by a standard beyond ourselves and everyone is judged equally accordingly. It is no longer up to me or you or anybody else to set the standard; we all find our righteousness at the same Source. Our righteousness is no longer dependent on what we can do, but in Whom who has done it all for us – without our help or input.

Sadly, for mankind that is a threshold either too high, or too low. We want to be the masters of our own destiny. That is what freewill gives us. The other sadness is it is true: we do control our destinies based upon what we believe and in Whom we believe. The righteous one will find himself in Him, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on his faith.

O Father, may we believe. It is not in government or heroes or effort or cleverness – it is in the finished work of Christ that we are saved and by believing in that we are found righteous. Equip me Lord to be a herald of such belief and to be eternally grateful to be found in Him wherein my righteousness comes… Amen.

The Strength I Need

12.04.14

Ephesians 3.18-19 18 …may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. St. Paul to the Ephesian Church (ESV)

I have walked with the Lord for thirty plus years now. I have heard the prayers of saints asking God for power and strength. I know, or at least I think I know, why they/we pray such prayers: they/we hate the battle with sin and ineffectiveness in their/our lives and they/we want – sometimes desperately – to overcome their/our shortcomings to live more effectively, holy, and more in line with what they/we believe. That seems to be what I have seen.

The problem with power is our perception of what it is and what it can to for us (and regrettably, to us). Power and strength are somewhat synonymous and our quest for it – either overt or not – is sometimes misguided: we think it’s up to us to do something. And so, we want power because we think we know how our lives will be different with it, rather than without it. Enter the Apostle Paul, and his letter to the Ephesian Church.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. That is the kind of strength or power we need. We don’t need the strength or power to handle it on our own; we need the strength and power to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge in order to be filled with all the fullness of God. If any of us need anything in life at all: it’s this!

Personally, I have prayed for strength and power; God told this imminent apostle, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12.8) Who am I to think that I could handle what was denied to Paul? I need to take a lesson from what he shared with the Corinthian and Ephesian churches: it is far better to be weak in Christ than strong in myself. I’m learning that if I want strength and power it’s only found in knowing Jesus’ love more and more and more.

The strength I need is trusting in and knowing the love of Christ in the midst of life with all its ups and downs. I don’t need strength to change anything; I need strength to know all of Him I can, and to expect in the midst of that knowing: to be filled with all the fullness of God. The fullness of God can withstand anything this life can throw at me.

Father, in my desperate attempts to change my circumstances and situations, may I have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of You. That sounds like a worthy prayer. Amen.

Unwise Gods

12.03.14

Romans 16.27 27 …to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. – St. Paul to the Roman church

The above is the last sentence in the Epistle to the Romans. I have to admit Romans is a weighty book with grand theological arguments and masterful common sense. I think the Church in every age has needed both. Theological arguments without love however lead to self-righteousness. Love without theological arguments leads to license. We need both theology and love and we need a wise God, the only wise God, to lead us into both.

Why I S.O.A.P. (my personal choice of Bible reading and exploration) is because of the meanings of the initials. S – is for Scripture. I need to read scripture every day. I need to look for wisdom and meaning in God’s word every day. The Bible’s wisdom, although misunderstood and maligned has withstood the test of time.

O – is for observation. What did I see in God’s word today that stands out to me and affects my life, my personality, my worldview, and my preferences (among other things)? What did I observe in the reading of God’s book today that will make a difference in my faith and my relationship with God and others?

A – is for application. How can I apply what I just observed and make it a part of my everyday practice? Theology without love leads to self-righteousness; love without theology is license.

And P – is for prayer. Can I stop long enough to talk with God about what just I saw and how it impacts me; perhaps asking for His strength and guidance to make it real to me, and move it beyond words on a page? To that, I bow before the only wise God for His leadership in my life.

So, if He is the only wise God, could there be unwise gods? Not sure I want to go there but I think I bow down to some unwise gods in my life.

The unwise gods in life make me ignore the only wise God. Unwise gods encourage me to lean on my own understanding, cleverness, energy and effort. Unwise gods bid that I ask God to bless my plans without seeking Him first for His wisdom available to me. (Unwise gods are not real, but the results in my life of ignoring the only wise God makes it seem that they are…)

I saw this saying today: Every choice you make has an end result. Choosing to ignore the only wise God has an end result. The other side is true too: choosing to seek the presence, power, and person of the only wise God has an end result. That’s the result I want. Unwise gods, however they may be – real or perceived – lie to me and tell me that my choices and the results thereof can be manipulated to my own preferred future. S.O.A.P. showed me otherwise that I need the only wise God in all I am and do…

Father, lead me in the way everlasting and help me to make wise choices today. Help me to live according to the reality of Your presence within me, and to seek You in all I do. Amen.

Always

11/29/2014

1 Thessalonians 4.17 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  – St. Paul to the Church at Thessalonica (ESV)

So what does it mean to be always with the Lord? Where will we be? What will we do? How along is always? I thought about this as I read this morning and I realized that Heaven, or the Lord’s presence is probably going to be vastly different than what we imagine it to be: exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine (Cf. Ephesians 3) It will be different and it will take all of eternity and more to experience it.

I prayed about my work today. I prayed that I would learn to get out of the way and let God do what He is doing. That, I think, is the best place any of us could be vocationally: out of His way. Maybe though, there is one place better: alongside Him in His way. I would rather be alongside God in all I do rather than crossways with Him in all I attempt to accomplish.

I thought about what we might do in eternity as we will be always with the Lord. I thought about the mission we will be on and the possibility that somewhere along the line in our journey with Him we will be called to do something exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine. What if, as Jesus did, we are called upon by God to go to someplace in the Universe (or in some other universe) to become as the creatures are in that place, and share the gospel to them? Just a thought?

What if we are called to go to someplace to represent God to ones who’ve never heard, who were created specifically for such a time as our coming? What if, for all eternity, we represent God in fractals of faith, hope, and love so that for all eternity from then, the Story of salvation and redemption continue forever and ever and ever? It sure beats the thought of laying around on clouds with chubby cherubs playing harps…

To be always with the Lord means to be always away from this partial life we live here. It means there will truly be no more sin, sorrow, or sickness. It means we will be freed at last to be all that God has created us to be – and to spend eternity with Him creating our relationship with Him beyond our wildest dreams and imaginations…the furthest reaches of the Universe will see small in comparison.

Father, today, perhaps in an attempt to quiet my heart and mind over the present, I’ve wandered off into thinking about tomorrow – with You there is a tomorrow. And that tomorrow is to be always – or forever – with You. My prayer is that it will be all it’s supposed to be, and that Your creation, Your love, Your presence will be my inheritance as I serve alongside You however, and wherever our adventures take me with You eternally. I can hardly wait! Amen.

How We See

11.26.14

Matthew 25.37-39 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ – Jesus, describing the righteous (ESV)

Like many, I came to Christ in a moment of crisis – I was at my wits end (that’s how I felt) and I didn’t know what to do, so I sought out this guy who seemed to know how to help. He was a crusty former Air Force sergeant with a tough exterior but a wise interior. And he could see. He could see that what I thought I wanted was not what I needed and one day he asked me: how’s your spiritual life? I had been raised in church and couldn’t answer the question. I finally muttered: I don’t have one. To which he replied: would you like one? I said I did.

From that moment on things changed. I fell in love with Jesus but I also became quite attracted to religion and all I knew of religion was: you work hard to impress God at how hard you work. Enter Matthew 25 – the sheep and the goats. I was terrified by this place in the Scripture; I wasn’t able to see the hungry, the strangers, the sick, or the prisoners. I couldn’t see them. All I knew was I had to, in order to impress Jesus. I wasn’t doing a very good job of impressing and to this day I’ve never been in a prison to visit prisoners. Sorry Jesus, it’s true.

The point of the parable is not works. I get that now. Thirty-one years ago I didn’t get it. All those years ago all I knew was Jesus was keeping score and my scorecard was blank. But His teaching is not about works – it’s about how we see.

Four times in this brief passage Jesus focuses on seeing. He points out that those who see and respond are the ones who are blessed by God. How we see, means seeing beyond myself. Seeing properly, means seeing through God’s eyes the needs of people all around me and recognizing that everyone has needs. And then meeting the needs of those I see. No score, just responding. When I see how I’m supposed to see, with God’s eyes, then my natural response is how can I help you? Or better: here bud, here’s 10 bucks, let’s get you some lunch.

The needs are everywhere and the righteous see and attempt to meet those needs. The righteous see how to help and attempt to do so. It isn’t welfare, it’s worship. Sickness, hunger, imprisonment, loneliness come in a vast array of different shapes and sizes. Imprisonment may mean literally in jail…or it may mean being caught up in a mindset that prevents one from coming to the Ultimate Help: God Himself. I can meet people’s needs but if it’s only to fill some divine scorecard, then I think the meaning and the effectiveness are lost.

Father, the man sang it in my office last night: Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart; I want to see You! I want to see You. To see You high and lifted up shining in the light of Your glory, and shining through the sick, the imprisoned, the lonely, the rejected, and the hungry. Through their needs a light shines that should move me to act in love. Lord, open the eyes of my heart; may I see properly. Amen.

A Lunkhead Like Me

11.25.14

Matthew 20.15-16 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.” – Jesus, recounting the Parable of the Laborers (ESV)

Sometimes, the Bible is a book of riddles to me. This morning was such a time as I read the parable of the laborers. It says the Kingdom of Heaven is like… it resembles in some manner a man who went out every morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. So, Jesus was saying: So, when you think about God’s Kingdom think about it like this…

The difficulty for me, a modern reader, is the lack of context for such a story. It may have been fitting for first century Palestine, but I have a bit of a problem putting the story into my everyday life. It's harder for me to say that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner that goes out every day to hire workers to work his fields - who does that?

So, I read this and I think: what is this all about – and why does it matter? Well it matters because regardless of then or now, I need to have some understanding of what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about and how it affects me. I may not understand a third-world agricultural setting but I do understand my need for knowing what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about.

The Kingdom of Heaven in one sense is no different than everyday life. With all of its majesty and mystery, the Kingdom of Heaven is as ordinary as getting up and going to work every day – it’s accessible. So, to avoid the paralysis of analysis, I quit trying to understand what the hidden meaning might be of a man and his vineyard and his workers, and accept that this is the metaphor that Jesus chose to describe (along with other such stories) what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. It isn’t in a place far, far away; it’s like: going to work at the grocery store, or selling insurance, or changing tires, or herding cattle.

Now, the invitation is for everyone to partake in the Kingdom. Not everyone wants to. And the rules are the same for everybody all the time – when you’re in, you’re in – there’s no seniority. And one cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven and begin to dictate how it operates. But one can participate freely and expect to be treated fairly as a result. No favoritism there.

So, Jesus used simple analogies for lunkheads like me so I can understand that the Kingdom of Heaven is not of my own making, but of His; and it isn’t all that hard to understand. So everyone who comes into the Kingdom whether then, now, or later, is in, and is welcome.

Father, Sometimes, I just have to think about what I do understand and see, and leave what I don’t alone. Your Kingdom – as vast and intricate as it may be, is a safe and welcome place for someone like me who may have a hard time relating to ancient landowners and their workers. Help me not to read the parables and develop complicated theologies over them, but to simply take them as they are: simple stories about everyday life that I can mold and shape to my life in this day and age. So simple even a lunkhead like me can find some understanding and truth – amen.

The Miracle of Trust

11.24.14

Matthew 17.27 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” – Jesus (ESV)

I like miracles – I think. Miracles are often hard to understand and sometimes the outcome of the miracle is harder to deal with than the miracle itself. If someone is healed by some means other than modern medicine, we might categorize it as a miracle. Some would gladly accept it as such, and others may view it with suspicion: he wasn’t really sick in the first place… like I said, sometimes the outcome of a miracle is harder to deal with than the miracle itself.

In this passage in Matthew 17 we see what appears not so much to be a miracle, but an unusual occurrence regarding a mundane thing. The Temple Tax collectors came along to get the tax from Jesus. Peter happened to intercept them and when questioned as to whether or not his Teacher gave, Peter assured them He did.

I don’t know if there was just no money in the coffers, but apparently a half-shekel was needed to pay the tax bill and apparently, no one in the group had any money to pay. The story really raises a lot of questions. Bottom line: somebody needed to come up with some cash to take care of Jesus and this tax. So, Peter goes to Jesus to see what to do. Jesus tells him to go fishing and all that was needed would be supplied; some fish had a stash of cash.

As I said, I like miracles – I think. The rest of the story (we assume) is that Peter did indeed go fishing and did indeed find the coin and did indeed pay the tax for himself and for Jesus. Was it a miracle that the coin was in the fish’s mouth? Not necessarily. Was it a miracle that Jesus knew the coin would be there and it would be the first fish Peter caught? (If it was me Jesus sent to fish it would be a miracle that I caught anything at all…)

I think about what this did to Peter and his faith. I wonder why this story isn’t shared in Mark, the gospel that Peter allegedly dictated. I wonder what would happen to me if this happened to me today. I’m just glad that when I humble myself and ask God for help, I always seem to locate my car keys, or my wallet, or my glasses…

The miracle is this: God can be trusted to provide whatever we need. God owns the cattle on earth (and the cattle on a thousand hills). And God cares for you and me. Today, I need to remember this account and remember that even in the smallest things, God is there and He cares about us. Sometimes He uses miracles to help us and sometimes it’s simply a coin caught in the mouth of a fish that a fisherman knew how to catch.

Father in Heaven, You know my needs today and one of the biggest is my need to trust You for what I need. I have bills to pay and food to buy and, and, and… You know it all. May I trust You today to supply all I need. Thank You for Your wonderful care over Your child – he really does appreciate it. Amen.

The Second Oldest Profession

11.23.14

Matthew 14.6 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

One of the dangers of reading Scripture is to read something (like the above), mentally process it, and go away thinking, Got it! And we really don’t get it. I’m not really sure how old the human concept of news is, but I suspect it’s been around since there’ve been people who want to know what’s going on – or what happened, or who got hurt, or who won. I think we humans have an innate need to know. I think news is the second oldest profession…

Jesus warned His men about their need to know and about the influence that happened to them when they felt they needed to know. Specifically, Jesus was referring to the religious leaders of the day who seemed to dispense all of what anyone, who was, needed to know. If one wasn’t, then one didn’t need to know. Jesus was warning His men about influence.

It’s one thing to find out what’s going on. (It is absolutely maddening when someone posts on Facebook of something dramatic and won’t divulge any details but instructs: you just need to pray!) What!? Pray what!? Pray that they will die? Pray that they will live? Pray that the divorce doesn’t happen? Pray that they will wisely spend their lottery earnings? Beware the leaven of Facebook.

Or we turn on the news because we think we need news and we need to know what’s happening around us so that we can know. The residual effect of news is we know what someone else needs to know and what someone else wants us to believe about what it is we just found out we needed to know. Do we stop and consider what we just found out we needed to know, or did we just find out what someone else wanted us to know? Beware the leaven of the news media.

You see, the stumbling block is simply taking in the information and then not taking the time to consider whether the information is necessary, or useful, or not. How does what we just found out help us in our devotion to Jesus? If Jesus told His men to beware of the leaven of leaders, is that something I ought to pay attention to as well, or am I somehow immune to the leaven all around me because I live in such an enlightened age? And, am I immune to the leaven of what I learn in my safe places (church, friends, home)?

Jesus, there is leaven all around me every day. There is the overwhelming leaven of simply listening only to what it is I want to hear. I pray for wisdom. I pray for guidance as I float about in this ocean called the Information Age. I need to know what is right and I need to know how it is I can help my fellow creatures come to know You better and rise about the leaven around us all. Lord, give me words to say and actions to take that will help me help others who may suspect the leaven yet feel powerless to do anything about it. Amen. 

I Love a Parade

11.15.14

1 Corinthians 2.14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. St. Paul to the Corinthian Church (ESV)

To me it always seems warmer when the temperature is -2º when it is at +15º. Today it is -2º here in Baker, and I can just imagine what -2º is doing in our fair little community: heaters not working, pipes frozen, space heaters selling out, bags upon bags upon bags of ice melt being purchased. And in the midst of it all, with soaring heat bills and plummeting temperatures: Jesus Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.

On my trip to Kenya this past June, this was the verse that stood out in my mind as a planned 36 hour trip turned into a six-day ordeal. Then as I began a new career in July, this verse continues to lead me wherever and however I go. Triumphal procession.

This morning my thoughts have turned to a friend of mine who languishes at his home with advancing stages of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. ALS attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. This morning, in his increasingly debilitative condition, Jesus Christ leads him in triumphal procession. Another friend posted on Facebook yesterday of the passing of his older brother – he too is being led in triumphal procession through his grief at the loss of his sibling.

Well, what’s the big deal Paul? The big deal is no matter the stuff that life throws at us, the Lord Christ always leads us in triumphal procession – whether or not we understand it, there is a plan and a purpose for everything in our lives and Jesus Christ leads us through it all. The only catch is this: we have to believe He does.

Pain and suffering are a part of life and if we allow pain and suffering to do their work, we’ll be better off for it. Well, Paul, do you mean that ALS or death are things God uses to changes us!? How fair is that!? No matter our pain, no matter our suffering, God is with us in our circumstances – He never uses them against us. Stuff happens, and life is what life is; and life includes pain, suffering, and death. But if we’ll believe it, God is with us in the midst of our pain in order to give us gain. And that means in the midst of pain we don’t want, don’t accept, and cannot understand. Triumphal procession.

God wants us to believe and focus on His leading us through, rather than our momentary issues. He doesn’t promise to take our pain away, He promises to be with us in it; and to lead us through it: triumphal procession.

Father God – one of the mysteries of life is the presence of pain. But the truth is that through our pain You lead us; You guide the way. Pain helps us to focus on You and to grow in ways we never dreamed possible. My prayer is for comfort for those who grieve in their present pain. I pray that Your mercy and grace find a place of sufficiency in their lives and that their difficulties lead them to praise You for leading them – always leading them – in triumphal procession to that place where pain and suffering are no more… Amen.

Insert Your Name

11.12.14

Job 37.14 “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God." – Elihu (ESV)

There is a voice calling from heaven into the heart and life of every human on earth: “Hear this, O __________________ (insert your name); stop and consider the wondrous works of God.”

As I am wont to do most mornings I get on the computer (actually, I just turn it on and go to my favorite sites and read and think and, well, basically waste time) it’s my way of waking up. And when I read I try to think about things and come up with some kind of mental response like: hmmm…, or: yeah, or: that’s bizarre!

Here are a couple tid-bits from today:

“But those fat cat CEOs on Wall Street make more than $500 billion in a single day right? Let’s just raise taxes on them a little bit.”

“Had fun playing homemaker today. Rearranging things, scrubbing and dusting, did so much laundry washer is acting up now. Cooked sweet potato waffles, an elk roast, and zucchini brownies. So much time to soak and pray. Bethel music on Spotify blessed me immensely.”

I could go on and on. But then I remembered what I’m really supposed to do in the morning: and I read Job 37 and 38, and 1 Corinthians 12. Elihu’s narrative, once again, caught my attention and it seemed to be a fitting response to all I read about this morning and I thought, what a difference it would make in this world of ours if everyone stopped doing what they do and did what they should: stop and consider the works of God.

That got my attention. That made me think and I felt as if the Lord had spoken to me: O Paul, stop all your worrying and fretting and consider My wondrous works. Quit fearing the unknown and rejoice in the known! Be assured child, I am in control and I have never failed. I don’t fail. And I won’t fail you.

I feel I am called today to stop and consider the wondrous works of God and rejoice that I have a life to enjoy because of them.

I don’t know the answers; I never have and probably never will. But I do know this: God does and He has promised to lead me to the answers I need. Today I will stop thinking He won’t and start trusting He will.

Father, thank You for Your word today and for Elihu’s comment to Job: O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. It made me come back to reality and I will walk and delight in it today – You are the Wondrous God who loves me! Amen.

Mr. Deeds

11.10.14

Job 35.6-7 6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? – Elihu (ESV)

I don’t understand the book of Job. I don’t understand why what happened to Job happened. I can guess, but I don’t know. I can read commentaries, but I still don’t know. I don’t understand the characters in the book, but I do know this: men have opinions. Men have opinions about everything – and men have opinions about God.

I do know this: the book of Job for its complexities says some amazing things. The book speaks of nature and science and knowledge and wisdom, and some things I am familiar with: like the above: If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against [Him]? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to [Him]? If you are righteous, what do you give to [Him]? Or what does [He] receive from your hand? Nothing.

I know about this because I have lived it. I have tried to retaliate against God and done things as if to say: In Your face, Almighty! I have also conducted myself in such a manner as to say, See God, I get it! Elihu, as I’ve read today, for all his incomprehensibility to me, said something that resonated with me. I may not understand the book of Job, but I do understand trying to hurt God or to win His favor. I’ve done it.

The point is I can do neither; I cannot hurt God, nor can I win His favor. I am impotent to harm Him or help Him. God isn’t afraid of my harm, nor is He helped by my ‘goodness’. God is completely complete without me. I don’t invite God into my world, He invites me into His. And the issues of help or hurt only affect me – and diminish my relationship with Him.

Hurting God only hurts me. Hurting God only distances me from what He offers. Helping God – or more appropriately, attempting to impress Him – only insulates me from what I really need: Him! Elihu was right: If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand?

Father, all I have ever needed is You. And the longer I live the more I realize all I want is You. I have done the deeds – good and bad – and have received the reward: remorse. All I want is You. Today Lord, I remember the song and the words:

Jesus – all for Jesus

All I am and have

And ever hope to be

All of my ambitions

Hopes and plans

I surrender these

Into Your hands

Amen.

Temples

11.09.14

1 Corinthians 6.19-20 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – St. Paul (ESV)

It would have been interesting to be with St. Paul as he traveled from town to town and taught Jesus in the communities he visited. Paul was changed people’s minds and changed the world. Paul taught in a way that challenged people to choose: the status quo, or Christ. Paul didn’t travel with style; he traveled with passion; he wanted to share the truth about Jesus. And he did, and it challenged people.

Paul made bold statements that he fully expected people to hear and believe – not because he said them, but because they were life-changing and truth. In chapter 4 of his 1^st letter to the Corinthians he said, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” (4.16) Paul was in essence telling them: do as I say and do as I do. Later on in the letter he said, “Whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.” (10.31). Huge statement!

And then, here in chapter 6 of this letter, he said the above: So glorify God in your body. That means glorifying God in what you do, what you say, what you think, what you hear, what you touch, and in what you put into your body. Hmmm…

We humans have been allowed the freedom of will. We can do whatever we think we can, and so, we do what we think. Americans have unbelievable freedoms and so, we do what we think and more. We smoke, we drink, and we eat – and eat, and eat… There is more medicine available to us than to any society on earth. We have books upon books upon books of self-help, exercise, diet, health, wealth, and prosperity – and yet we are a very unhealthy society. We are sleek. The biblical definition of sleek is: fat. And we Americans try so hard to flee fat, but we are enslaved to our lifestyles: we don’t glorify God with our bodies.

Christianity is not about bodies or body worship. Our bodies are, as Paul said, temples to God; temples of the Holy Spirit. We aren’t to worship the temple – we’re to worship the Dweller of the Temple: the Holy Spirit. And we’re to use the temple to honor the One whom we worship. Worship, among other things, means paying attention to – we’re to pay attention to the One who indwells the temple: this marvelous and mysterious vessel we call our body. And we’re to take care – good care – of the body; without it, we’re toast.

Father, You know I struggle with what I put into my body and what I expose it to. I know I’m to rule over it; but I also know often it rules over me. The fruit of Your presence in self-control but self-control can only be real in Your presence and strength. Help me to see it. Help me to accept it, and Lord, above all, help me to glorify You with my body – Paul was right, it’s not my own… Amen.

In My Defense

11.02.14

Job 23.7 There an upright man could argue with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge. – Job (ESV)

Adam tried it. David tried it. And so did Job. And so do we: we all try to acquit ourselves before God. Adam blamed the woman who blamed the serpent, who blamed God. David blamed weariness. And Job – Job blamed God because Job was quite sure God had made a mistake. And if only Job could stand before the Almighty, he was sure he could make his defense: I didn’t deserve this; surely, God, see, You have made some kind of mistake.

Again, we all do it. I’m not so bad. It’s my parents fault. If I just had (or didn’t have…). We all feel pretty confident we could stand before God and make our case.

Fortunately, the story of Job has a beginning to which we are privy to a conversation of which Job wasn’t. Why we are privy and why Job wasn’t is something we aren’t privy to; only God has that knowledge. Friday, I consoled a friend who was feeling the bite of criticism and judgment, that the cheap seats are always full. We can sit in the cheap seats when we read Job’s story, or David’s or Adam’s, or Peter’s and claim we would’ve done it differently. (Personally, part of me is truly relieved that it was them who were chosen, not me…)

Philip Yancey says of Job: All of us go through the same struggles as Job, the difference is ours are spread out over a lifetime.* It’s true. Job had to deal with all of it all at once. We get to deal with ours over the ebbs and flows and seasons of our entire life. And we aren’t privy to the heavenly conversations about us – but we do get to read Job’s story and we do get to think.

Job said, If I could just stand before God, I could get this all taken care of – I would stand in my defense, argue my case, and win God over. If only.

I’ve recently taken this stance: If God is allowing me to do this so that I can go flying down the interstate of live at 80 mph and slam into a brick wall, then so be it. I am tempted to think that at times. And really, I have no access – no privy – to the divine conversations of which I am the topic. But, I do know this: my Savior loves me and sits at our Father’s right hand and intercedes for me. I do know God doesn’t make mistakes, and His love never fails, despite brick walls that pop up here and there.

I have no self-defense save this: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.

Jesus, in my defense, all I can claim is You. You are my defense, my fortress, my shield, my strong tower. I trust that the brick walls I fear will be dealt with mightily in Your infinite power, wisdom, and mercy. And I trust You Lord. In my defense, I only ask for Your presence in all I do – privy or not. And Lord, I leave it there with You. Thank You, amen.

The Call

10.22.14

Acts 15.9-10 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – St. Luke's Narrative (ESV)

We had missionaries at Church on Sunday – two of them felt called to go to a foreign country and minister amidst an un-churched people group. The had visited several times and had sought God for direction on where, when, and if to go. Enter the Hazelnut (or as it is called in Oregon: the Filbert).

It seems one half of the couple had been raised on a filbert farm in western Oregon and had taken extensive college studies in one of our universities in horticulture. He knows nuts and how to grow them. (You don’t have to be nuts to be in the Kingdom of God, but it helps.) It seems the area where they want to go and live produces about 70% of the filberts (Hazelnuts) in the world – go figure. He says he can help them double their yield… Wow.

The apostle Paul was having a dream one night while sleeping in Troas. He dreamed of a man in Macedonia who appeared to be asking him: Can you come and help us? Help was what Paul was all about, and the next day he packed his bags for Macedon, concluding that God had called [them] to preach the gospel to them. Had any visions lately? Filberts?

The challenge from the missionary was to use what we have and offer it up to God. Lord take what I have and use it to help others somewhere in the world and let me be Jesus to them while I’m at it. I have a filbert on my desk to remind me to ask God for just that: Lord, use what You’ve given me to help others.

Filberts attract filberts. The need attracts helpers. An God will use whatever I have if I just ask Him to – and keep asking. He’s looking to see where my heart is and how serious I am about going to Macedonia, somewhere else, or perhaps, just across the street to my neighbor. All I have to do is devotedly offer what I have to God.

What the missionaries we had in church and the Apostle Paul had in common was this: they offered themselves to God and expected His call to go wherever, whenever. The call can be literally a call – like on a phone. It can be a call in a dream: Come over to where we are and help us. Or it can be as simple as a stinkin’ filbert – and the knowledge of how to care for those trees so they grow much fruit… The call is the call.

Father, You called Paul because he was constantly thinking about You and how to introduce you to others who hadn’t met You. Our friends are going to a foreign place because they know nuts and how to grow them; and they constantly think about You and how to introduce You to others who don’t know You yet. They’ll share Jesus along the way. Help me to see what I can offer and then use it to help others come to know You – I ask in Jesus’ Name, amen.