Afraid of God

04.30.14

2 Samuel 6.9 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” (NIV)

As emergent as I wannabe these days, I know my more emergent friends may squirm a bit at what I have to say (blog). David was afraid and had every reason to be – HE SCREWED UP!!! You don’t put the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart – I don’t care how good a deal you got on the lumber at Home Depot. You don’t pull the cart with oxen. And you don’t allow your buddies to be bodyguards of the Ark – that’s the Priest’s job. And David was afraid.

There have been times in my life where I have been called into question for my actions and had that devastating pang of fear in my gut over the mistake I’ve made and what the consequences of those actions were going to bring. It is almost a knee-knocking-diarrhea-causing pang. I screwed up and I was going to get it (or so I thought). I think that might describe David’s fear of the Lord that day. It was terror.

We are to fear the Lord – and that fear is all about respect. God is not mean, nor is He into using clubs or weaponry against His kids; but we must never use the kid-card to excuse disrespect and irreverence (see 2 Samuel 6.7). Uzzah done did a bad thing, and David allowed it to happen. The Law was very specific about how the Ark was to be transported and who was to transport it – the king isn’t mentioned in the Law regarding portage of the Ark (See: Exodus 25.14; Deuteronomy 10:8; 31.25)

And when others suffer because of our own stupidity, disrespect, and irreverence, we, like David, need to take that very seriously. We just might need to be afraid too...

A time or two I’ve been afraid of God – sheer terror of His awesome majesty and power. I have realized the like the spider in Edward’s sermon, I’m hanging by a thread over the flames of His wrath, that I have nothing but grace to protect me and save me because I sure don’t deserve it, and, after all the effort and energy I’ve put into this faith thing, it may be for naught – that I’ve somehow missed it. I don’t feel good in those moments. I feel very afraid.

God is not a fear-broker but there are those moments in life when I think we need to look down the barrels of faith and ask ourselves why that Ark is so far away and if it’ll never come any closer. David was for the most part comfortable and confident in his faith, but I can think of at least three times when he was downright terrified, and this event was one of them.

My faith in God is never to be taken for granted nor taken advantage of; David learned that firsthand. Fear, sheer terror of God, is part of the package and probably deserves some attention in our lives – I sure know it exists in mine from time to time.

Father, I am so weak and so small and yet, at the same time, so profoundly wicked and arrogant. I have made some terrible mistakes that have caused me more than discomfort – they have caused me seismic terror that I am irreparably irreparable. I am grateful for grace and scared crapless that I might drive the bus of my faith off the cliff. Save me. Forgive me. And help me to walk as I ought: acting justly, loving mercy and humbly with You – Amen.

Mere Human Concerns

04.29.14

Matthew 16.23 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (NIV)

Can you imagine the look on Peter’s face? I’m thinking open mouth, big eyes, and very red – what’d You call me!? This is day Two in my observation of Jesus’ second comment: merely human. (I didn’t know it was day Two until I read this morning’s reading. Yesterday, Jesus accused the Pharisees and Sadducees of following mere human rules (Matthew 15), and now in this morning’s word (Matthew 16), Jesus accused Peter of harboring mere human concerns.)

And Jesus said there are really only two concerns: those of God and those of men.

The stumbling block (which Jesus also accused Saint Pete of) is that one, or those ones, who cannot concern him/themselves with God’s concerns or they relegate them to a place somewhere behind human concerns. There has been an argument for decades as to which the Church should follow: the Gospel, or the Social Gospel. Making that choice can be tricky.

From my perspective, the Gospel and the Social Gospel are very close to the same thing – they both have concerns for mankind. Merely human concerns – or concerns? We need to make the choice but to do so carefully.

The Gospel is all about God’s treatment of man; His offer of salvation and the atoning work of Christ on the cross, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3.16 KJV) The Social Gospel is all about man’s treatment of man: Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7.12 KJV) We cannot truly love God without loving people.

So, what do we do about human concerns? How are those played out in the Church? What are the merely human concerns which are a stumbling block to the Gospel? Is there any harmony between the Gospel and the Social Gospel? Is it better to study theology, or serve soup and clothe the poor? Is homosexuality in the Church merely a human concern? In missions are we trying to replicate Americanism or are we making disciples? What are merely human concerns? Is it building a church or building authentic Biblical community? (See Acts 2)

Whenever the Gospel is relegated to a place behind: be it politics, policies, preferences, perspectives, or personalities; those things, then, become stumbling blocks to the Gospel. Peter’s words to Jesus were not about advancing the Kingdom of God but about saving face; Peter didn’t want to be on what he saw as a losing team. C’mon Jesus, what’s all this dying crap!?

We can share the Gospel, and serve the Lord by socially serving men. We’re called to do that. But it is always about building (or, if you will) or partnering with God in building the Kingdom. If it’s other than that, it may fall under the Lord’s rebuke of merely human concerns… Father, Your concerns are for the salvation and redemption of mankind – all of us. Help me to partner with You and be free of my own slant of merely humans concerns… There’s much to be done.

Mere Human Rules

04.28.14

Matthew 15.8-9 8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” (NIV)

In Matthew 15 Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 29.13). In the context, the Pharisees had criticized Jesus for allowing His men to pick heads of grain and eat them without washing their hands first, according to Jewish tradition. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their “traditions” and tells them that Isaiah was right when he prophesied that the people would honor God with their words, but not their hearts. And Isaiah nailed them when he said: [Your] teachings are merely human rules.

Much of religion amounts to nothing more than mere human rules. (I’m sorry, I misspoke: All of religion amounts to nothing more than mere human rules.) Religion is used to club men into line. Religion is just religious sounding words that disguise the power of mere human rules.

In Genesis 1.27 it says, So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. I don’t think we appreciate how important this is but suffice it to say that without God, we are mere humans. Without God we are limited to our own pitiful and pathetic attempts at life which amounts to mere human rules. Man without God is merely human. Man with God, is creation founded in the Image of God. Big difference.

Religion sounds like God but it isn’t. Religion is a sophisticated attempt of man to prove to God that without Him, everything is still going to be okay. (I’m good and good enough!) But religion is merely a human attempt to find value and worth with God apart from relationship with God. That’s why it is comprised of mere human rules. Mere human stuff doesn’t amount to poop. (And that’s not to denigrate poop – it is very important in its own smelly way; but once it’s done, it’s done; who needs it after that?)

The point of this is either man with God, doing things God’s way – caring for one another, helping one another, and loving one another – or finding some kind of feel good but living according to useless poopy rules that in truth, don’t even amount to the necessity and importance of poop. And yet man insists on living his poopy little life trying hard to impress God with just how important a poop he really is by living according to mere human rules. Cow crap is better than that.

And what got me is this: I find I worship God with my words but often my heart is far from Him. I try to impress God with my own poop and declare myself acceptable as a result. Jesus told me today: it ain’t worth S#it! And every time I engage in such effort, all I’m saying to God is His creating me isn’t worth it either because my poopy rules are good enough to get me by…how tragic.

Father, I need You! I cannot go along trying to impress You with my pathetic efforts to keep the mere human rules. Free me all over again today to walk with You, fleeing the temptation to prove my worth by presenting You with my piles of poop. Father, may I walk in Your ways, amen.

Questioning

04.27.14

Matthew 14.28 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (NIV)

I have been told that Peter walked on water twice: once to Jesus on the water, and again with Jesus back to the boat. (I’ve never walked on water at all so Peter is two up on me…) What stood out to me today in the re-read of this account is Peter’s words to the Lord: Lord, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water. That is for one, is so Peter; and for another, so human: God if this is You, send me some kind of sign. Peter didn’t ask a question but he questioned his faith.

I wonder what Abraham thought when he took Isaac up Moriah to sacrifice him. I don’t recall any, “Lord, if this is You…” in that story; and it’s written in Hebrews that Abraham believed God would somehow raise Isaac from the dead. Isaac was the child of promise. (Hebrews 11.19) So he made his way up the mountain to slit Isaac’s throat.

I have on numerous occasions played the God-if-this-is-You card. I’m playing it currently. I have an opportunity I’m exploring and I’ve said to God, Lord, if this isn’t You, then I want nothing to do with it – but if it is You, then I’m going to keep going until the door slams in my face. Why does there even have to be a question in the first place?

If it’s God, it’s going to happen. God knew Peter would get out of the boat, walk for a ways, get frightened by the reality of what was happening, and begin to sink. Peter was a fisherman for crying out loud – he knew about the water for heaven’s sake! I’ll bet he was a pretty good swimmer as well. He just wasn’t all that good at water walking…but he tried. With God’s permission.

I think the question is asked because we all would readily admit our limitations in approaching what we call the future and our lack of control over it. We want to succeed. We want to be prosperous and happy and feel we’ve made the right decision. And we want God’s stamp of approval on our decision. I think we think that is the Hall Pass to go ahead and do; our guarantee that all will be well. What do we think Peter’s memory of that event was: I walked on water, or, I sank?

Faith makes us ask the question; our humanness makes us question God’s involvement. I’m going forward with this thought: God, I’m going forward until I can’t go forward anymore. Then I’ll ask You what to do and where to go after that. For right now though, I’m going to trust You’re in this; or better, I’m in this with You. I do pray for success, but I don’t need Your approval – I already have that. I simply ask for Your guidance is all I do that it may bring glory to You. (And God, if this is You, I want Your help, and Your blessing. Win or lose, I want to go with You.)

Questioning is not a lack of faith. Watching the wind and the waves only proves how much we need Him when we walk back to the boat – or in any other endeavor we find ourselves in…

Weeds and Seeds

04.26.14

Matthew 13.10 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” (NIV)

This is one of those statements in the Scripture that gets my attention: “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Jesus answered: This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. (V. 13)

I always thought of this as punitive: though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear understand. I’ve just realized how poorly I view truth at times. Jesus came to them, not to beat them over the head, but to free them and to love them and to help them. Jesus is the same way to you and me – because though seeing we do not see; though hearing we don’t hear or understand. I know I’m this way.

Parables were not Jesus’ attempt to hide things but to reveal them. When we try to get someone to understand something we’re saying and they don’t seem to get it we analogize in an attempt to help them understand. We say things like: It’s like this… And then we use a word picture or analogy to describe what we mean. Sometimes them even go: Oh! I get it!

The people in Jesus’ day were really in the dark – they were like mushrooms: fed crap and kept in the dark. ( J ) Their religion and their religious leaders had led them away from the truth and the heart of God. They were all so caught up in performance and rewards that they lost sight of God and Jesus used examples of weeds, seeds, properties and pearls; and fishing nets, to help them see what God was really like: as believable and accessible as normal, natural stuff.

I am sorry for my misunderstanding of these things and having taught them out of a heart of Pharisaism: you have what you have because you’re too stupid to get it, and the only way I can get you to get it, is to use parables to club you to death! How wrong! How mean! How cruel!

I needed today’s reading to help me reset my thinking about the love and goodness of God. I needed to see what lengths Jesus went to, to help people see just how believable and accessible God really is – even to me, one who has held His actions in a poor light and completely opposed to His righteous and loving intent.

Lord, today it isn’t the parables but the fact that You said it real slow so they could get it. And even then, they really struggled. I really struggle. Thank You for the parables and for taking what I have held to this point as mystery, away. It wasn’t mysterious – it was Your loving attempt to help the people You loved and cared for to get it, and live up to their true potential in You. You’ve helped me today. Thanks. Help me from now on to interact with others by understanding that we’re all broken and needy and we’ll only be helped by You; and You are infinitely able and willing to help – what a Gift! Amen.

The Presence of the Lord

04.24.14

Psalm 109.31 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Matthew 11.28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)

The truth is where we have trouble, pain, sorrow, and affliction – right there is where we’ll find the Lord: For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them. In the midst of life’s myriad difficulties is where we find our Lord.

My perspective is that most look for the Lord somewhere else – they look for Him in places far, far away. Those people think Heaven is out there somewhere; the truth is heaven is right next door, and the King of Heaven likes to hang out in the slums: that place we call our heart. Psalm 109 reminds us of His presence when we admit how needy we really are. He stands right at our right hand.

Psalm 109 is echoed in Matthew 11. Jesus said to the sorrowful, the confused, the hurting, the afflicted, the distraught: Come to Me all you who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and I will give you what you need: relief from trying to be the god of your own life; the master of your own destiny. Put My lifestyle upon yourselves and let Me show you how it is done: God’s way, not my own. My lifestyle is gentleness and humility and you’ll be surprised when you accept these things how wonderfully performance-less  life becomes. For My lifestyle is easier than yours, and the bags I carry have handles and shoulder straps.

Life is full of stuff that comes at us without our permission or consultation. That’s life. Who ever asked for cancer? Who ever asked for death? Who ever asked for trouble – willingly, purposefully, eagerly? No one. Stuff happens, and Jesus knows that. It did to Him, and He dealt with it in the way we should learn to: gently and humbly trusting and resting in the presence of God in the midst of all that can and will go wrong.

And to the ones who learn this, He is right there coaching, cheering, encouraging at their right hand.

Where I fall down so often is ignoring the imploring of Jesus to simply come to Him, take up His lifestyle and walk the way He does: gently, humbly, trusting God and gratefully accepting His presence in the midst of whatever life throws at me. God never promises me no troubles. He does promise me to be with me in the midst of them. And yes, He routinely throws things at me that are way beyond my ability to bear – that is when and where He does His finest work.

Father in Heaven, as Jesus did, may I walk this day with His yoke, may I live this day as He did, gently and humbly trusting You with all that is swirling around me. I trust You God. I accept Your presence even when my senses scream RUN!!. I submit myself to You this day, You’re the only place I’ll find rest and today is the only day I have – Amen.

The Conversations We Have

04.23.14

1 Samuel 27.1 1 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

1 Samuel 27.12 12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.” (NIV)

For the person on this earth, even the person who believes in Christ, not every day is a day of victory. That’s not to say they aren’t saved and the promises of heaven aren’t theirs – it’s just that we all are human and we all are subject to the way life is on this planet and not every day is a day of victory.

1 Samuel 27 is one of those passages that shows David taking action based on reaction. David said, “…The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” That wasn’t the best thing he could do, but that’s what he thought – that’s the conversation he had. And so he did what he decided he should do and he went to Philistia and served Achish.

In verse 12 of 1 Samuel 27 it also says: Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.” Achish had a conversation with himself and concluded he owned David. Permanently.

The problem with our conversations is they come from within us, and mostly reveal what is in our heart. In this case David, anointed of the Lord; the next king, mighty warrior and all, had his doubts. Saul was such a pain in the ### and David, human that he was, was beginning to wear down. And David’s conversation reveals that to us.

Achish thought he had a trump-card in David; he thought he had a lifelong asset. Achish thought David was just like him. Achish had heard all the reports and knew David was on the ropes politically so Achish appears to maybe exploit this to his own advantage – just a bit. So Achish tells himself, “David is mine!”

What do the conversations we have with ourselves tell us about who we really are and what we really think? We have the conversations all the time. And where in those conversations do we stop and ask, “God, what do You think; how should I handle this?” Conversations without God usually always lead to conversations with just ourselves and that usually always spells deceived, disappointed or worse, disastrous.

I think God had this recorded in His word to help me to check my self-conversations. I think God would have me talk out loud to Him and let Him tell me what the real issues are and what’s the best direction to go.

Father, help me to be brave enough and wise enough to include You in my conversations and in my decision making. I need You and I cannot continue to say that and then go and do as I please. Lead me Lord and help me to always have all of my conversations with You. Amen.

A New Day

04.22.14

Matthew 9.9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

*9.12 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

*9.16 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. (NIV)

It took the context of this chapter for me to get it this morning: I’ve never completely understood the whole thing about patches and cloth and wineskins – at least not fully – until today.

Jesus called a guy named Matthew to “follow” Him. And Matthew did. Now, Matthew was a tax-collector, and tax-collectors then were no more welcome than tax-collectors today – they were corrupt, cruel, and made their living by overcharging everyone; for when they got what was expected, they got to keep whatever over and above they could; and they were very good at they could. Jesus reached out to this man and offered him life in the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees howled in protest. Jesus knew Matthew needed saved.

So, Jesus responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…” (Yes, Matthew is sick, but he is also miserable and needs to be saved, not thrown out, or kept out, of the Kingdom of God.) “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Yes, Matthew is a sinner and he needs Me to save him from his sins.)

And then Jesus said: “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.” Meaning: You cannot approach the new with the old and have it work – this is a new day and calls for a new approach. Jesus was there in a new day – the day God came to town – and to accept God according to the old norms doesn’t work: it’s sinners who need saved; not the righteous. A friend of mine quips: If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always be where you’ve always been.

The Kingdom of God invites us to do something different; something new – like save sinning tax collectors, and adulterers, and the dirtiest, filthiest, rotten-est among us because it is they who need the salvation of God – and they know it. The biggest hurdle to the rest of us is admitting that everyone of us is no better than the dirtiest, filthiest, rotten-est among us, and we all need saved! Follow God. Admit my sickness. New patches, new cloth.

Father, it is indeed a new day. Not just because the sun came up this morning but because the Kingdom of God is here. As I approach this day may I: follow. Not just in my mind but in my heart as well. May I admit I am no better than the ones we love to shun who deserve to be saved by Your Son. And may I quit trying to sew new patches on the old cloth – it hasn’t ever worked. New wine needs to be poured into new wineskins and I pray You help me to do that. The righteous don’t need saved, the sinners do – it’s a new day. Amen.

So Save Them

04.19.14

Psalm 17.1-2 1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips. 2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. (NIV)

I love the connectivity of the Scriptures. I love the honesty of David. I love this prayer especially as it appears in my daily reading guide on the heels of the account of the slaughter of the priests at Nob. Saul’s men wouldn’t even kill the priests at Saul’s command, but Doeg the Edomite had no trouble exacting retribution on these eighty-five men and their families at Nob. And David, in 1 Samuel 22, took responsibility for their demise. I love that.

David prayed in worship and holy remorse: Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. It means a lot to me that a leader would stand up and do what he could to make things right.

There is no record I’m aware of, that Doeg ever got what was coming to him during his earthly life for his deeds at Nob, at the behest of Saul. But according to David’s prayer, Doeg had far worse coming to him: Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked. By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones. (Psalm 17.13-14 NIV) Being confronted by God doesn’t sound pleasant.

Imprecatory psalms are hard to square with our modern philosophies and theosophies. We tend to judge God and His people as no better than other hysterical religions when we read them. We tend to make excuses for Biblical imprecation that: that was then, and this is now. The imprecatory Psalms are not in vogue today. They are typically viewed as savage un-enlightenment. But that is not what they are for, nor are they a personal plea for the someone’s demise at the hand of God; what they really are is an impassioned plea for the Kingdom of God to prevail. The harsh reality is that those who reject God are in for immeasurably worse than they can ever think or imagine – and our prayer ought to be: Lord, as You saved an unworthy like me, so save them! For further info and insight see this link:

http://www.theopedia.com/Imprecatory_Psalms

Today. I saw the holy sadness in David’s heart for his sorrow that he was, perhaps, the cause of this heinous action. And what he did is what I should do if I have been, not the cause, but the reason for someone else’s hurt at the hands of someone who can’t assail me but assail those around me in an attempt to punish them for their association with me. This is serious stuff and it requires turning it over to God for Him to ultimately make is all right – that’s His promise to us.

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right and may Your hands act. Amen

Your Own Version of WWIII

04.18.14

Matthew 5.25-26 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” – Jesus Christ

Talk it over. Negotiate. Have a cuppa coffee for crying out loud; but do what is necessary to settle things. That’s what Jesus was saying. I think the issue is not so much by the time it gets to this level, lawsuits and such; but long before it comes to that. Settle things. Live a life of settle. Don’t live a life of settling for less than you are and less that what you have – but a life of I’m-not-gonna-let-things-get–to-this-point.

Because, sayeth He, the consequences of letting it go too far is, “…you may be thrown into prison …you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The rules may not apply but the consequences do. I think this might be called a call to live a life of consideration and a life of being quick to apologize if necessary. I think this might be a call to live graciously and forgiving. I think this might be a call to live with thick skin and take the world as Jesus did – not as I think it should be.

Several years ago we lived in a very small and poorly planned subdivision. Our property was land-locked on all four sides: the neighbors to the north, the neighbors to the south, the right of way on the west and the interstate on the east. Great house, great view – crappy location. The neighbor to the north was one of those kinds of people who thought the rest of us who had moved in were intruders because we came to the subdivision after he did.

At the time it so happened we had teenagers in the home and teenagers have friends and friends do stuff and well, when the neighbor found cigarette butts on his property, well he went a little ballistic. He marched up the stairs to the front door, interrupted our evening meal and demanded I do something about the butts. (I wanted to butt him…just saying.) I told him I didn’t put the cigarette butts there and was busy at the moment. And closed the door. I might as well have butted him right in the head – the fight was beginning to be on.

After dinner, I went down stairs and out to the battle front and inspected the offending matter. (Did I mention there was also a condom wrapper? Oops. Teenagers…) I walked over to the neighbor’s and found he and his son in the garage fomenting (I’m sure) some sort of coordinated attack – not excluding litigation (I’m sure) and I said, “Hey, (So and so) can I talk to you privately?” We walked back to my property and I explained to him that I wasn’t responsible for the butts or the wrapper but I was sorry and would clean it up and not let it happen again. The heat dissipated magically and quickly, and he and I became very cordial to one another ever since. Nary another incident ever happened after that I might add…

Jesus said, “Settle matters (and do it quickly) lest they blow up into your own version of WWIII. And you lose…” And I submit: Yes, Lord, I will. And thank You for helping me to see this and giving me the wherewithal to live it! Amen.

Be Different

04.17.14

Matthew 4.17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

The world to the unknowing is not what it seems. The unknowing think this is all there is: sunrise, sunset, and another monotonous day. Browne sang:

And when the evening rolls around

I'll go home and lay my body down

And when the morning light comes streaming in

I'll get up and do it again - Amen. *

The world to the unknowing is just one step in front of another each day until one day the steps cease, and maybe a dream of peace.

But into that world (the one that continues to this day) Jesus spoke: Be different, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. His hearers were unknowers – they only knew that when the evening came rolling around, they’d go home and lay their weary bodies down; and when the morning light came streaming in, they’d get up and do it again. Amen. And here’s this Guy proclaiming: Be different! Different than what, Jesus?

To be different is to believe there is something beyond the unknowing. To be different is to march to the beat, not of one’s own drum, but God’s. To be different than the unknowing is to say, there is a God and He is not me. To be different is to live each moment of each day in a Kingdom not from here, but from there. Repent – be different – for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. It has moved toward us so that we can move toward It.

The unknowers of Jesus day had long forgotten about being different; the world and its ways have a tendency to do that to the unknowing. So, when Jesus offers this command, this challenge, it comes as no surprise that some saw a gleam of light: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4.15-16) Some said, “I want to be free from the unknowing!”

Today, that light still shines. Today the clarion call is still to be different and to walk in the light as He is in the light that we may have fellowship with one another… Him with us, and us with us and Him.  The call to be different has never changed.

To answer the call is to say yes to God and see this life and this world for what it is: the opportunity to learn about the next and to prepare diligently for its complete arrival. But in order to do that one has to be different. One has to be filled with difference and to be saved by difference. I hear His voice and I am called to be different that I may make a difference in a world filled with the unknowing whose need will be met by heeding the call: Come, be different for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near…

Lord Jesus, You are the Difference Maker. Make me different today that I, in You, may make a difference in this monotonous world of the unknowing that simply get up and do it again – Amen.

*The Pretender, Clyde Jackson Browne, November 10, 1976 Asylum/Elektra Records

That One Attitude

04.15.14

1 Samuel 17.47 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (NIV)

Armies gathered for war – it’s such an earthly theme. Since 1978 there are 10 national and international conflicts (current) where nearly three million people have perished. That’s not to mention the 21 others that have popped up since 1980. War is (a) hell*, and war happens all the time.

In Saul’s time there was continual war – an ongoing jihad of sorts. Israel was engaged in a conflict of survival against their perennially oppressive enemy, the Philistines. It was a turf war, and it should’ve been dealt with long before had Israel's ancestors done what they were supposed to have done.

So, during the days of Saul’s troubled kingship, there was only war, war, war. And into this war is introduced a significant character in Israel’s history: David of Bethlehem, the son of Jesse, the next anointed king of Israel. David is new to the scene but David brought to the battle what no one else seemed to have: a significant relationship with the Living God. God was David’s belief and David’s belief was his weapon.

Through a series of circumstances (read: 1 Samuel 17) David meets up on the battlefield with the Philistine champion, Goliath. And David sees Goliath (a giant of a man and a fierce opponent) as nothing more than a lion or a bear trying to steal one of his family’s sheep. To David, Goliath is just one more bear needing to be dealt with. But David saw what no one else seemed to see: God is the Winner of battles, not men. Men who believe are to go to war with this one attitude: We’ve already won because the battle is the Lord’s.

Of the many battles fought in this world today, I would say that none are fought with that one attitude. There may be belief that “’God’ is on our side”, but there isn’t the belief that the battle is the Lord’s, nor is there the belief that the battle is already won. Our God is too small for our fights today. (Or He isn’t welcome in those fights).

Our fights, our troubles, our conflicts – as weird, awkward, confusing, difficult, and untimely as they may seem – are opportunities to us from our gracious God to develop that one attitude; the sooner the better. It doesn’t mean the fights, conflicts and troubles will go away but it does mean if we see them as David saw them – in faith, confidence, and courage – we’ll see what they are, and what they are for: the development of our character on earth and our character in eternity.

It is letting God have the control He is entitled to, and it allows me to learn from Him in the only way I can: watching Him work mightily, marvelously, mysteriously, and majestically on my behalf in the midst of my difficulties, fights, conflicts, and troubles.

Father, may You find me a good and eager student in Your classroom – Amen.

*William Tecumseh Sherman - from his address to the graduating class of the Michigan Military Academy (19 June 1879)

Ignoble I Am

04.14.14

Matthew 1.20 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

There is a very important fragment in this sentence that we would be wise to heed: Joseph, son of David. This reminds of us the royalty of the tribe of Judah and from whom the true King would come.

Now, not everybody in the family is noble. Joseph was ignoble. I looked up ignoble and found its alternate meaning is: of humble origin or social status. Joseph was of humble origin and social status. If what we know of him is correct, he was a carpenter (an ancient version of the modern handy-man) not a shepherd, or involved in the agronomy of the day. Nobody in those days looked up Joseph’s name on the registry of Who’s Who of the Tribe of Judah; it just wasn’t there.

But the angel of God called him for what he really was: Joseph, son of David. David, of course, was the great king of Israel. David was the called king on the heels of Saul’s disastrous monarchy. David was the healer of the nation. David was the uniter of his people. And David was from the Tribe chosen for the dynasty of God (See Genesis 49.8-12). And Joseph was a descendant of David.

But Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ father. Jesus was born of God. But Jesus was born into a family whose lineage was from the Judaic tribe. Mary’s lineage was also from the tribe of David; the tribe of Judah. Mary, too, was ignoble – but Mary was also of royalty.

Much is made today of celebrity. Much is made of who’s who. and who has. and who does. Our world has no shortage of movers and shakers; the rich, the famous, and the pretty. Tons of money is spent on entertainment, sports, and other venues for showing off who’s in and who does. But all of that isn’t royalty – it’s an industry of pop culture. All of that comes from man’s doing, not the throne of grace which looked upon an ignoble couple whose marriage was held in suspicion and whose Child was the True King of Heaven and earth. They didn’t look like royalty; they didn’t act like royalty – they just loved God the best way they knew how: ignobly.

I think that’s where I’m called to today: just to be me, and to love God the best I know how. There are many in this world who are smarter, prettier, and certainly more favorable in the world’s scheme of things; but I am called by grace to live as a member of a royal people whose belief is in the Living God and in Jesus Christ Whom He has sent. Ignoble I am, but chosen by God for His glory. I’ll take it!

Lord God, the beauty of Who You are is that You’ve chosen the weak things of this world to show where Your favor truly is: upon the sons and daughters who are not recognized by the world, but known by You, and called by Your grace. May I live today not as what the world thinks I am or should be, but as who You’ve called me to be: Your son. And may I reflect the light of Your Chosen Son, my Savior, this day in all I do for You – amen.

Let’s Kick Some Butt!

04.13.14

1 Samuel 14.6 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” (NIV)

What Jonathan said was true: nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or few. That is true. It might not be wise; but it certainly is true.I wonder why certain stories found their way into Scripture. This is one of them. I’d like to know what was on Jonathan’s mind when he said to his armor-bearer: Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf…

Maybe Jonathan was bored. Maybe he was just a brash, adventurous man and simply wanted to get some action. Whatever the reason, he made the decision to go. The story seems to spring up from, and end, in nowhere. I wonder why it is in Scripture. It got my attention today.

Sometimes we credit people with praise for taking action. Sometimes we call them into judgment for doing what appears foolhardy. I don’t know Jonathan’s mind and I don’t know if he was just being stupid or if he was being strong and courageous. (He was the king’s son, so he might’ve just been acting as a member of royalty: instead of playing polo he decided to kick some butt.)

I want to say that Jonathan was just being courageous. I want to say he was fiercely opposed to the presence of foreign troops in his homeland. I want to say he took wise action. But I can’t because I just don’t know. His decision seems to be almost impetuous. But his decision started a battle that maybe needed some motivating and from this story we get a clear picture of just how fragmented Saul’s leadership was. Let’s kick some butt! may have been on everyone’s mind but out of the then political correctness of it all they remained actionless. Sometimes someone has to stand up and lead.

I am exploring a future decision that is going to require: Let’s kick some butt! I can listen to the voice of reason and remain where I am or I can throw caution to the wind and proclaim: “Perhaps the Lord will act in [my] behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” All I know is doing nothing is not what I am called to, or created for. Jonathan’s motivation was the defense of his God and country from the tyranny of unbelievers. May I act in like manner.

Father in Heaven, You know the story – You made sure it was included in the accounts of the saints of old. This, seeming, small and random account tells me about leadership, taking action, and depending upon You. It teaches me about risk and about depending upon You. Help me in the days ahead to take action and to do all for Your sake, thanking You every day for Your being my motivation to live and to do. Help me God for nothing can hinder You from saving by many or by few… Amen.

The Strength of Utter Weakness

04.12.14

2 Corinthians 12.9-10 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I just got back from “working out” at our local YMCA. My doctor took me off of a blood pressure medicine that I have been taking since 1974. He’s always told me that the best way to control blood pressure is with regular vigorous exercise. So, I do it and it works. The other reason I’ve been “working out” is to get rid of the middle-age spare tire (if you know what I mean) and to “get in shape”. So far that is working with mixed results, but my pants do fit better (if you know what I mean).

Americans, at least at my YMCA, seem to be interested in making themselves look better and take better care of themselves. They also seem to want to be stronger, healthier, and to live longer. They seem to want to take charge of, and be happy with, their strengths and to overcome their weaknesses. You can sure tell the difference between the committed and the wannabes.

The Apostle Paul discovered in his day that his truest strength was found in utter weakness. Well, what’s that all about? Paul said he looked at himself as he really was: absolutely powerless to do anything about himself, his life, or his eternal destiny. Paul readily admitted there was nothing good in and of himself; and so he found his truest strength came when he admitted what he knew: he knew any strength he had to do anything at all, came from God, not by virtue of any of his own achievements.

Paul understood the magnitude of God’s grace and presence in his life and he was horrified to trust in anything else than those two things. And he boasted about his weaknesses in order that Christ’s strength would rest upon him. And that’s why he delighted in his weaknesses because they proved to him how great his need was for the Savior. He said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” True strength is revealed in utter weakness. That’s the power of a Savior.

I am tragically kidding myself if I find any strength in me. (I do that all the time.) But when I find strength in me I need to remember that I am simply saying to myself: in this area of life, I don’t need God. What a foolish, naïve thought, and yet, I embrace it all the time. Sigh.

Lord, today there is something calling to me from beyond myself. Today, I am called to true strength and that is found only in confessing, and believing in, my utter weakness. I pray for courage to embrace that confession and belief. I pray for strength to be who I really am: a pathetic, powerless wretch that You have reached out to in love, to find to the ends of my being, Your power and presence – not one shred of my own. Save me Lord! amen. 

Getting God’s Attention

04.08.14

2 Corinthians 8.12 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. NIV

I have always equated giving in terms of the American way: bigger is better. We Americans tend to think if we give more it means we are more. We tend to think that if we’re told one coat of paint ought to do it, then we’ll do two; or if 8d nails will get the job done, let’s use 16d. It’s as American as apple pie. Bigger to us is always better.

I see it in my own life, and I see it in the lives of others: bigger is better. But that’s not what the Bible teaches and it’s not what the Apostle was trying to get the Corinthians to understand. Paul said, “For if the willingness is there…” Willingness is a function of the heart of a person – they give because they’re willing to give. And Paul said the gift is blessed or accepted because the heart was in it, not because it was a big gift.

Currently I’m raising funds to get to Africa. Currently I’m blown away by the kindness and generosity of people who’ve given because their heart was in it. They’ve taken an interest in my missions trip and they’ve given generously. Some have given, extravagantly, a gift of $20. I’m blessed when they do only because I know their heart’s in it.

I want to give. I want to give more. But I think the Lord is telling me, Paul, it’s not the size of the gift that matters, it’s that you give. I want to impress God like the people did in Luke’s Gospel: As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21.1-4) The rich thought they were impressing God by their piles of cash. What got God’s attention was a poor woman giving all she had: two cents.

Size matters when it comes to matters of the heart. The heart reveals whether the gift is acceptable or not. My response is to be to give joyfully AND willingly. That is what God cares about. It’s not the size of the gift even though my ego howls when I can’t give as much as I want to. It’s the size of the heart that matters to God.

Father, You know. You know my heart and my seemingly unrelenting desire to impress (You and others) and show myself to be the big shot giving out of big resources. Help me to truly embrace giving the way it supposed to be: freely, joyfully, and willingly. May my heart be fully present in every gift I give; and increase my heart to give properly: with all of my heart not even looking at the amount. One woman’s two cents meant a lot to You and You know because You looked. Thank You God for growing my heart today – amen.

What I Will

04.06.14

2 Corinthians 6.1-2 1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (NIV)

Yesterday, my daughter and I had a conversation about grace. We first talked about our lives as believers, and how we both struggled with the churchy-ness of church life. We talked about rules and other’s expectations. We talked about trying to impress others and getting God to love us more if we did what was expected within the community of faith. And then we talked about grace.

Grace is a marvelous thing. It is a marvelous truth. It is something we talk about but have such a difficult time truly embracing because both man and the devil don’t want us to believe in the unconditional love of God. Man wants to earn his way into heaven. Satan tells him he can. But God says it’s not about earning one’s way but about love. And love is built upon the foundation of limitless, un-earned favor. God loves us because He does, not because we act in a certain manner.

Love is a marvelous thing. It, too, is a marvelous truth. It is something we talk about but have such a difficult time truly embracing because both man and the devil don’t want us to believe in the true love of God; the forces of unbelief would rather us buy into sex and selfishness and immorality and call that love.

St. Augustine once said, “Love God, and do what you will!”* Man and religion think that is simply too dangerous a concept. Man and religion claim men are too fickle, faulty, and faithless to live like that. How can we trust sinful, stupid men not to abuse that!? But it’s true – to truly love God from the midst of His endless ocean of grace, is to do good, unimaginably, immeasurably beyond what man and religion (and the devil) can ever concoct.

Grace in vain is saying it works for some but not for me. Grace in vain means I cannot be trusted to love God and do whatever I choose. Grace in vain is proclaiming the goodness and mercy of God while bound in the rules and regulations of men and religion. Grace in vain is attempting to earn my way into heaven – making God love and accept me because of what I do. Doing the right things. Saying the right things. Associating with the right people.

My daughter and I talked about grace and how wonderful and marvelous it truly is. And we talked about how astoundingly freeing it is when we accept in from the heart of God by His unconditional love for each of us. Have I lived a sinless, perfect life? No! Do I fail all the time? Yes! Will I ever make it on my own? No! But I know Someone who is perfect and flawless and loves me will all of His heart despite all that I do. I want to love Him and do what I will.

Lord Jesus, today is another day of Your infinite marvelous grace. Today is another day of Your unconditional love. It isn’t just for the sinner; it’s also for the child and You have called me Yours and You have given me these things not to be accepted in vain but to grow by forever – thank You! Amen.

*Thank you, Jim Stephens, for turning me onto that quote!

Something More

04.05.14

2 Corinthians 5.4 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (NIV)

This week I’m groaning – I worked hard and this old body keeps asking: Dude! How long you gonna keep doing this to me!? I unloaded about 50 bags of cement and sand on Thursday and turned right around on Friday and helped move a very large, very heavy work bench. My arms groaned and twitched all night last night. And with each passing day it ain’t gettin’ any easier.

Life on the planet is what we know, but life in heaven is what we long for. Life on the planet is short, temporal, physical, and rife with sin, sickness, pain, confusion, disappointment and all kinds of other less than pleasant things. And in all of these things we groan. How long we ask. What’s the use?, we sigh.

There is, within all of us, (because God put it there) a longing to be different than what we are, and free from what we are subjected to. It’s God’s design that we long for such things because there is within all of us the touch of God’s hand and His design. Just because life on earth is groan-worthy it doesn’t mean it’s without God’s presence and purpose. And that’s why Paul said, “…we try to persuade others.” (V. 11)

For most, I think we groan without knowing. We live, we work, we survive – and when the morning light comes creeping in, we get up and do it again. Amen (Jackson Browne). It’s an everyday of everyday. But there are things in our lives that transcend the everyday-ness of everyday – it’s a groaning in the hopefulness of tomorrow and the freedom from what I term the “friction” or the retardation in which we exist. I think this applies to all humans because all of us, regardless of the lives we live and the beliefs we hold, are a gift from God to this planet and to the rest of humanity. And within each of us is His design, and the natural inclination to groan, for something more.

And God gives each one the something more for one simple exchange: belief there is Something more only from Him.

Today, sore and tired, I groan because my body longs for the youth and vitality it once had. But today also my life and being groans for the completeness of what has been started in me and will only be finished in eternity with Him. The hourglass is running out on what I call life here on earth. But the moment is coming when all moments will be eternities upon eternities in His presence for ever and ever… that, is something more worth groaning for…

Father, You have called me heavenward in Jesus and whether I recognize it or not I groan for that because You’ve placed in me a longing for something more. Thank You for the gift of groaning and the reminder that as marvelous as this life can be at times, it is nothing compared to what You have in store for us in our eternal home present with You. May I live today in hope and gratitude that all along You have made provision to quench my thirst for something more. Amen.

A Missing King and a Mutilated Corpse

04.04.14

Judges 19.29-30 29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!” (NIV)

Call me morbidly fascinated, but this story always gets my attention. It is weird, tragic and gruesome – and it’s right there in black and white for everyone to read. It’s in the Bible.

The book of Judges is a tragic, weird, and gruesome narrative of a nation that turned its back on the Lord. Now, they didn’t completely fall away because there is some indication that they still believed in God; but there is every indication that they just didn’t accept Him as their “Final Answer”. God to the nation of Israel in Judges is much like God to Americans today – we need Him when we’re in trouble but forget Him when times are good.

Now that’s not to say that everyone in Israel rejected or neglected God. Surely some were faithful. But mostly, God was a non-issue as far as practice and belief to those people. (Sounds an awful lot like us!) And so, it took a maggot-infested, putrid, mutilated corpse to get their attention. They were shocked. Who wouldn’t be? (I wonder who got what parts…)

Well, what’s the point? What does it matter that some 3300 years ago, this event took place? As far as my salvation is concerned, what does it matter? Why even write about such a thing? Holy Spirit, what are You communicating? I don’t have that answer; but I’ll bet you aren’t surprised that I have some opinions.

I think this story speaks of the depths we can plunge to when we decide we like God but don’t want to be like God. I think this is no different than the (nice, polite, churchgoing) ‘Christian’ family that is emotionally brutalized by divorce, adultery, or child abuse. I think this is no different than when we (culturally) are more interested in our pleasures instead of our passions. (Or, our passions are our pleasures.) I think this is no different than the person who is plagued by this or that, but rather than call out to the Lord, decides: I can handle this on my own! I'll do as I see fit.

The reality is we are doomed to whatever whenever we marginalize God. Ancient Israel did it, and it took a mutilated corpse to put their deadly marginalization into clear focus. What ensued was a bloody civil war. What resulted was the last sentence of Judges: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. The King they were missing was God.

I am learning (albeit ever so slowly) that when I marginalize God I simply attempt to raise my throne above His. I’m learning that to ignore God and then do as I see fit is uncomfortable at best, and deadly at worst. I’m learning that as I let go and let God that I don’t let go of God lest I place my pathetic butt on a throne that is impotent to assure my deepest satisfaction in life.

And so, Father, I pray these words and ask grace to live them – honoring You as my Present King as I do:

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain:

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee;

Oh, bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;

Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

Annie S. Hawks, 1872

Confusing Freeing Truth

04.03.14

2 Corinthians 3.17 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

I really had to think about this statement today – I mean really think. My brain is tired from such an early morning mental workout. Paul does that to me sometimes – well, all the time. It’s no wonder Peter said, “…just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3.15b-16)

Paul has to be followed carefully; 1 and 2 Corinthians are prime examples of that. I’ve heard that Paul possibly wrote more than two letters to Corinth, and what we have today may be actually 2 Corinthians (what we call: 1) and 4 Corinthians (what we call: 2). It sure would explain things. But for me this morning, what matters is this: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

I’m not trying to dodge the issue but sometimes I just have to raise my hands and say, “Jesus!”

Paul faced many issues with his church plant in Corinth. It seems they were mostly Greeks but there might’ve been some Jews in the mix as well. Paul keeps making reference to Old Testament themes – e.g. the Law, Moses, the Exodus – so I think in my mind he must’ve spent time with them teaching them from the Jewish Scriptures.

But mostly it appears that Paul’s authority and apostleship were being called into question and there is a faint stench of Judaism wafting in the air. Some in Corinth decided Paul wasn’t all that and a bag of chips. Paul’s rebuttal was simply: Well, you believed didn’t you? And since you believed what I shared with you, doesn’t that point to something in me and about me that proves I am a minister for Christ? In other words, belief ought to prove something has changed. The Corinthians (at least some of them) seemed to have missed that point.

Freedom is what Jesus is all about: freedom from sin, freedom from death, freedom from performance, freedom from fear; freedom to life. And the only way that freedom shows up is when God shows up. And it seems the only way God shows up these days is through (and by) His people proclaiming His presence and truth; the preaching of the Good News by God’s people is what sets other people free. (Put that in your pipe and smoke it…)

I still fumble around in the glory of Paul’s defense of the Gospel, his defense of his ministry and in his defense of God (Who was present in the wildly confusing narrative of the Old Testament). But I know that, the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The freedom is mine even if I don’t quite understand how Paul stated it. And Paul’s hearers in those days seemed to fumble around as well but they were God’s chosen people.

Father, as a chosen one, I confess it is sometimes all too much for this chosen little brain and heart to grasp. The reality in the midst of it is, without the freedom You give, I’d still be fumbling around in darkness, sin, death, performance, and everything else that stands against You. Thank You for Your word (as hard as it is to understand sometimes). And thank You that You love me and gave it to me in the first place. Help me to live it and to share its freedom with someone today. Amen.

The Sentence of Death

04.01.14

2 Corinthians 1. 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead… (NAS)

The above is a fragment of a larger statement. Paul had previously written a very weighty letter to the Corinthian Church addressing a host of issues ranging from his credentials, to immorality, to abuses, to just the normal ebb and flow of church life. The Church at Corinth, like churches today, was made up of people, and wherever one finds people, one finds fallenness, incompletion, selfishness, ambition, and on and on. Paul wanted to help that church to learn to deal with these things and become effective in their witness for Christ.

So, Paul wrote a second letter at some point later, and in that letter he began to share how he was dealing with some of the things they were dealing with. And he said, it hurt. He said it was frustrating. He said it was painful. But here in this little verse fragment, he said, he gave it all over to God, “… indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead…” If Paul had his way he would’ve swooped in, saved them, fixed them, and restored them to spiritual health and vitality. All on his own. All without God.

But here is a lesson for us, and especially a lesson for me: kill all of those feelings and thoughts in me that would have me attempt to take the place of God in another’s life – or even in my own, for that matter; sentence them to death. Accept God’s sentence of death on all of those things for they rob us of true dependence and fill us with the false hope of independence: God, I can handle this! The brutal death of foolishness isn’t a bad thing…

Yesterday, a younger member of our pack had to eat some humble pie: he flunked the driving test of the Oregon Driver License process. He flunked big time: speeding in a school-zone; nearly hitting two pedestrians; improper left turns into oncoming traffic. The DMV person who rode with him was very pale when they returned. The younger member of the pack was embarrassed and crestfallen at his performance. The reality hit him: you’re not ready.

When I try to intervene in someone else’s life I need to have this printed on my eyelids, or tattooed on the back of my hand, or wherever and however I can get the message: You’re not ready; you’re not equipped. But God who raises the dead is… Thankfully, God doesn’t get pale at my attempts to right wrongs, but He does want me to learn the lesson of the sentence of death. On myself; in my own attempts; at my foolishly rushing in where angels dare not tread.

Paul didn’t give up on this Church. He came to their aid but he only did it with God’s help, presence, and instruction. I’m no different; I’m accountable to the same protocols.

Father, for me, I need to know in my overly sympathetic, eager, and hasty empathetic heart, that I am incapable of coming to somone’s rescue without You leading the way. I routinely ignore my sentence of death. I foolishly think, aw, this ain’t no big thing. But every time I substitute me for You, it’s a big deal. Forgive me. Help me. Humble me. I need to live under the sentence of death within me so that I would not trust in me, but in You, who raises the dead. Amen.