Boastworthy

11/29/2015

2 Thessalonians 1.3-4 3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. – St. Paul

Did the Thessalonians always do it perfect; as a church? No. Were there issues in Thessalonica that plagued them as there is in every other church of God on the planet; then and now? Yes. But what was special about this church? Paul, the apostle, boasted about them to other churches. Who boasts about your or my church? And why?

Is it because our faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of us for one another is increasing? That would be a church worth boasting about. Are our churches steadfast and faithful? Are we facing persecutions and afflictions? Are we enduring? Why would anyone boast about us?

I have been part of large and small churches in my years as a believer. I can think of a couple churches I’d boast about, and I can think of a couple churches that I’d probably advise staying away from. To boast about a gathering of believers is a high honor. Can you think of a couple of churches in your experience that you’d boast about? And can you offer reasons as to why?

Does every church always do it perfectly? No. Are there issues in the churches you’ve been a part of? Probably. Can you boast about your present church and can you offer some reasons as to why you’re boasting? I know many who boast glowingly about the church they are from.

I boast about our kid’s ministry and the Christian Academy in my church. I think we do a pretty good job with each. I’d invite your kids to be a part of each. I serve on Wednesday nights as we gather our kids for what we call, Royal Rangers. I’d boast about that!

Boasting is a high honor, a high calling, and something that has to do with something. Why else boast? Would others recommend your church or my church, and why would they do that? There are, I think, a million externals that might be considered boastworthy. But are they boastworthy in the sense of Kingdom, discipleship, generosity, faithfulness, and love? These are among the high calling of the church – yours and mine, and theirs.

Lord, You know everything. You know that we are all human, fallen, and faulty. You know that the best churches are the ones that exemplify Your heart and Your Kingdom. I pray that mine and their’s exemplify boastworthyness. I pray that You find us faithful and steadfast. I pray that our love for one another attract those who feel short on love. I pray that in our midst Your Spirit is present and ministering and that the hearts and lives of people are changing eternally. Thank You for the Church. Thank You that it is the way You’ve planned it and the way it should be – amen.

Rejection

11/28/2015

1 Thessalonians 5.9 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… - St. Paul

Wrath is mentioned 209 times in the English Standard Version, 173 in the Old Testament and 36 in the New. The Apostle Paul mentions wrath 3 times in 1 Thessalonians. Paul said, “…Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1.10); he said, “…wrath has come upon them (2.16); and he said, “… God has not destined us for wrath…” (5.9). The ancients understood the concept of wrath.

Biblical wrath is intended to convey anger, or more specifically, indignation. Were we to allow our hands to come in to contact with feces, we would quickly remove and vigorously cleanse our hands in disgust and indignation (probably preceded by the expletive: aaauggghhh!).

I have long struggled with the concept of wrath; not really understanding it. (Wrath isn’t a concept but a reality.) Wrath is real. Wrath is coming, has come, and is not destined for the children of God. I have misunderstood what wrath is until today.

Today, I think I came to the conclusion that wrath, in whatever form it appears, is simply, the rejection of certain people by God. Jesus said, “…but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10.33) This is a picture of wrath: Jesus denying someone before God. If Jesus rejects you, there isn’t a remedy. That’s scary.

Rejection is twofold here: the rejection of God results in the rejection of God. If I reject the Almighty, He rejects me. Simple math. That is wrath. Wrath is being rejected by God and all that comes with it. It’s one thing to not understand God; it’s another thing entirely to slam the door in His face.

Wrath is depicted as anger, but it really is more than that. Yes, our Lord gets angry but He never gets out of control. He is as perfect in His wrath as He is in His love. It’s hard to reconcile the two for us but it’s true. The consequences of wrath are devastating and irrevocable. It one is under the wrath of God, he is without remedy. (That sure makes the election of God appear different, doesn’t it?)

A good friend of mine held this view of God’s answering our prayer: Yes, No, Wait, and, if you insist. The insistence of men toward God that He cave to them is, to me, a good indicator of the invitation of wrath. God is not fooled by our attempts to manipulate Him, nor is He unaware of those who reject Him, His authority, His leadership, and His love.

Lord God, today I have new thoughts about You. I have new thoughts about wrath and its unfortunate but deserved and irrevocable consequences. May I work alongside You as You reach out to men to save them from Your wrath. Thank You for sparing Your children from its reach – Amen.

Called Sent Persecuted Trust Loyalty Life Reward

11/21/2015

Matthew 19.38-39 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. – Jesus, the Christ

In Matthew 10, there are several serious themes introduced to us. First: we are called by the Lord to be with Him, learn from Him, and then go and do like Him. In the midst of all that, we’re to expect persecution by those who don’t seem to want to have anything to do with Him. This persecution is intended to build trust into us because the world hates the Lord and anyone who follows him. And that trust is expressed in obedient loyalty. In the process we learn that true life is not of this world and there is a reward for those who accept the world as it is, not the way they want it to be. Whew!

The above two verses stood out to me today for two reasons: First: taking up my cross means following Jesus, and Second: finding life in this world means missing out on God’s world to come.

Taking up my cross isn’t just the frustration (friction) of daily life – everyone on earth experiences that. Taking up my cross means living faithfully, joyfully, and meaningfully for the Kingdom; life of another, but true world. Taking up my cross means bearing the reproach of my allegiance to God and all He is doing in the world. Taking up my cross means living first for Him, and second, for the sake of others even when it appears to be foolhardy, stubborn, or misguided. The pushback of the world will at times seem horrific but the burden of the cross is: living as if that pushback doesn’t exist.

Life is not just human experience here on the planet. Life is not just a beating heart, breathing lungs, hearing ears, seeing eyes, tasting, touching, and feeling. Life is not just punching a clock or waiting for the next experience to happen. Life is living (experientially) with God and looking for our true home in the future; not settling for the abysmally human concept of: this is as good as it gets.

That’s not to say there isn’t a form of beauty in this world nor times of apparent peace, or seeming fulfillment – there are those things in this world. But. Beauty is fleeting, and peace is temporary, and all of what we consider good is only a shadow of what is to come. I‘ve been awed by the good things we have on earth but in the life to come there is simply no comparison. Foretaste, perhaps. Lasting, no.

The overwhelming difficulty of the cross in this life and the promise of this world is the nagging and incessant appeal to believe that what we have now is only what we have, and this is as good as it gets. This is a purely human consideration. Our limited experience and knowledge allows nothing else to compare our experience with – we only have the invitation from God to believe that there is something else beyond all this which is infinitely better and fulfilling for eternity.

Not bearing our cross means denying its true meaning in the sacrifice of the Savior; and trying desperately to find life here means denying the promise of God for a tomorrow that never ends.

Father, may I learn from You in carrying my cross, and denying the pull of the world to conform to its wishes and culture. You have promised endless abundance to the one who refuses the lie of: this is as good as it gets; and lives instead for: it keeps getting better and better forever. Help me God! Amen.

Immanuel

11/19/2015

Matthew 1.23 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). – St. Isaiah, the prophet

If we spin the tapes back to Isaiah 7, we get some insight into this quote in Matthew 1. The narrative in Isaiah 7 tells us that the Judaic king, Ahaz, was fearing an invasion by the armies of Syria and Samaria. So God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz, Straighten up foo! I am in charge of all of this and neither Syria, nor Samaria are going to prevail in this contest - If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. (If you can’t believe God for this, you can’t believe God for anything!) The issue is faith. Can I trust God?

Matthew said (in effect) that the Messiah would come as the result of the supernatural impregnation of a Virgin. Once a virgin is impregnated, virginity is just something in the rearview mirror – she ain’t a virgin no more. But if we factor God into the picture, then, and only then, can a virgin become pregnant without having had relations with a man. Mary was the virgin who became pregnant without having had sex. If you are not firm in your faith, you will not be firm at all.

The virgin birth is important because it takes the will and work of man out of the equation. Only God can come into this world supernaturally whether it is through nature (in His creation), or through a virgin-birth. When we encounter God, it is always supernaturally. At home. At Church. In the workplace. In the forest. Wherever. Our world is natural to us because God made it that way for us – He, though, is supernatural. If we can’t believe God for this, we can’t believe Him for anything.

We have a tendency (at least in Christendom) to focus this time of year on the Virgin Birth and to make a big deal out of it. And rightly so – we should. But we shouldn’t have Virgin Birth Week only at Christmastime; we must be firm in our faith all-the-time. God isn’t around only at certain times – He is Immanuel – God with us, all the time.

Ahaz was told: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. (Isaiah 7.7-8 ESV) Reading between the lines God was telling Ahaz: have faith in Me! This will not come to pass no matter how much you want to believe it will! And to show you I’m telling the truth, here’s what’s going to happen: the Virgin will have a child. God was going to do the unthinkable to get Ahaz’s attention.

How does God need to get your and my attention these days? What are we fearing that will happen that God is saying: look, if you can’t trust Me in this, you can’t trust Me at all. What are we so afraid of that God can’t handle? Do we need a supernatural encounter with God today? Can we believe Him for that!? If we don’t stand firm in our faith, we won’t stand at all. Or can we at least believe Him for Immanuel: God WITH us?

Lord, for the things I fear today, Immanuel. For the things bigger than me and not even about me, Immanuel. For my friends and family, for my kids and grandchild: Immanuel. Sadly, Jesus, I don’t have as much trouble with the Virgin Birth as I do simply believing Immanuel for my business, my health, my life. Help me this day, having done all I know to do – to stand. Help me to believe that You are with me every step of the way. I accept it. I believe it. I trust You! Amen.

Oh Behave

11/15/2015

2 Corinthians 2.12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. – St. Paul

As weeks go, I would rate last week as less than (<) spectacular for me. I had mountaintop and valley experiences. People and plans encouraged and enriched me and, let me down. The only thing that held me together last week was the presence of the Lord. I owe my life to Him this day.

I think the apostle Paul had his fair share of less than spectacular weeks. I think he had mountaintop and valley experiences, and I think people both encouraged him, and let him down. My view of Paul is that he had his life together more than most of us but he too was susceptible to disappointment. In the midst of all he went through in the days of his earthly ministry, Paul said this: “…we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”

What do you do when you’re immensely tired from lack of sleep and the girl at the airport McDonald’s tells you in her broken, accented English, “No, you order small coffee.”? And you find ire creeping into your voice as you tell her you specifically “no, I order large coffee!” What she needed from me (and didn’t get) was a little more simplicity and godly sincerity by the grace of God. Who cares about the coffee?

My focus and the direction of my life is to behave with simplicity and godly sincerity toward all, no matter the circumstance. No matter the coffee. It seems easier to do when life seems to be clipping along and everything seems to be going your way. But reality is: to behave well when things are falling apart all around you.

Sub-spectacular weeks are necessary for us to differentiate between the weeks – without a sub-spectacular we wouldn’t recognize the spectacular. And God is ever-present in spectacular and sub-spectacular – He’s the God of both.

This morning is my wake up call to a new week – a week that is yet to be rated by me as to its spectacular-isity. But my job, really, isn’t to rate weeks, but to behave in faith and let the weeks be what they’re going to be. God is in control of my weeks; and a sub-spectacular week with God is infinitely better than one without Him – amen? I’m to behave in this world with simplicity, sincere godliness, and by His grace given to me. A week is measured in grace and from God it’s endless.

Lord God, thank You for Your infinite grace. Thank You for every disappointment, every heartache, every part of what I experienced that I wouldn’t give the rating of spectacular; everything, everyday is from You, for You, and by Your grace to me. Help me to behave in simplicity – simply trusting You. Help me to behave in godly sincerity – being genuine and real to people in their need – whatever that may be. And remind me, O God, of Your grace abounding to me in whatever circumstance I find myself. I am in this world to serve You and to help others along their path. Amen.

Making a Difference

11/14/2015

1 Corinthians 15.2,58 2 …and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – St. Paul

In this world there is a thing called belief. Everyone believes something and I would add, they believe in something. Having belief is one thing, doing something with your belief is another.

On September 11, 2012 the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by terrorists and four American citizens, including the Ambassador to Lybia, J. Christopher Stevens, were killed. At one point in the investigation that followed, then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, threw up hers hands in exasperation and exclaimed: What difference does it make!? What difference does belief make?

It appears that belief chooses sides. Sometimes belief of one kind gets in the way of belief of another kind; belief in a cause sometimes conflicts with belief in an agenda. The agenda conflicting the Corinthian Church was: there is no resurrection from the dead. Not surprising, many, many people still have an incredibly difficult time believing that Jesus is alive – a fable, a myth, they surmise. What difference does it make?

When Paul wrote his famous letters to this church he said it makes a great deal of difference. He wrote: Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. It’s all there, it’s all truth, but it’s truth only if you fully believe – unless you’ve believed in vain and thrown up your hands in: What difference does it make!?

Paul went on to write, some 56 verses later, after making his defense of what he wrote 56 verses earlier: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Belief makes all the difference. Belief in vain, is useless, hopeless, and makes no difference in this world at all.

So, the Gospel which Paul preached made a difference, and the abounding in the work of the Lord makes a difference because agendas of the dogmatic kind, don’t make a difference. Dogmatic agendas tend to end up in people getting killed in vain belief, and what is the use in that?

If one is to die, let one die abounding in the work of the Lord because, that death is never in vain. Vain belief is unproductive at the highest level; abounding in the work of the Lord is meaningful, purposeful, and pleasing to the One who did, indeed, rise from the dead: the Righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. Belief, in the right place, makes a difference on earth and for eternity. Jesus rose from the dead.

Lord, as he asked You one day long, long ago: Lord, “I believe; help my unbelief!” In the face of all of the conflicting agendas, the death, and the disappointment today, I ask the same. Amen

Placing Our Faith

11/13/15

Job 39.9-12 9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger?

10 Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?

11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor?

12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?” – God

Last year (2014) I got to go on a mission trip to Kenya. Fascinating. Mysterious. Human. There were many facets to the trip that I will remember as long as I live – the city, the crowds, the markets, the school, the children; the little black fingers touching my hands, my wedding ring, and my pale, honky arms, and feeling the white hair thereupon. The kids were intensely curious about this old white guy. It’s funny, they said, to them, we all looked the same – hah!

At the end of the trip we went to the southern part of Kenya to the famed Maasai Mara. Maasai are the people, and Mara is the trees that dot the vast landscape. Our great God seems to love abundance because the zebra, gazelle, deer, wildebeest, and giraffe were without number – everywhere! The lions, cheetah, and other predators were fat and sassy; no shortage of food there.

Interestingly the most dangerous animal on the Mara is the Cape Buffalo. Not unlike their distant American cousins, the Bison, they are seemingly docile until threatened or provoked: then it hits the fan and the recipient of their ferocity is usually dead within a matter of moments having been flung afar, gored, and trampled. It is this creature that is mentioned above in Job 39. Is the Cape Buffalo willing to serve you? Nope. Is he willing to kill you? Only if you make the mistake of trying to tame him.

The Mara is littered with the skeletal remains of the Cape because even though they are quite able to defend themselves, even they are no match for the big cats. Speaking of which, the cats aren’t into being tamed either. Animals are terrified of mankind and prone to defend themselves to the death (yours included) when around men who are too stupid to understand that looks can indeed, be deceiving.

The problem with the Cape is he promises so much potential yet delivers such deadliness. The problem with men is they are too concerned about production to notice that brawn with no brain is a horrific threat to the one who thinks he can woo the Cape tamely into his corral to be employed in his fields. God says, Fat chance.

Life is much like the Cape Buffalo, seeming to offer one thing, and yet serving up something else. Again, the problem with us is we believe life is one thing, only to find out that like the Cape, it is something else entirely; and the results are often catastrophic. Kinda depends on where we put our trust.

Knowing what I know now, I give the Cape Buffalo a wide birth. To answer the questions above I’d simply have to say, “No.” The one question is: “Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?” My questions is: Where are we putting our faith – in ourselves and our cleverness? Or in the One Who made the Cape Buffalo but then calls us to Himself to be His children and servants forever? The answer is obvious and the results are universes apart.

Lord, the Buffalo is there to teach is a wise or dreadful lesson: where do we put our faith? Help us to choose wisely – amen.

The Way Out

11/11/15

1 Corinthians 10.13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – St. Paul

What this verse does not say is this: that I have any ability at all. What it does say is that I am going to be faced with temptation in this world – that’s just the way it goes: everyone lives with temptation. The question is: what do we do with temptation? Do I give in, or resist?

I struggle with how the concept of temptation is presented in the Scripture. It almost seems that it is presented in such a way as the damage has already been done. (Not true.) It is not a sin to be tempted; it is a sin to give into temptation. And all of us face temptation in one form or another in most of life – that is a result of the pervasiveness of sin.

But what do we do with temptation? Temptation is like a petty criminal who’s not very good at pulling of crime. Temptation is often very obvious; it’s like we can see it coming, even when it is desperately trying to conceal itself. I think, more than anything, the apostle was saying: Lookit! You’re gonna face temptation – deal with it! Just because temptation is there doesn’t mean we have to give into it.

The promise of temptation is that we’re going to find some kind of value in doing what we’re tempted to do. That’s the promise, but it is a hollow promise – which makes it a lie. Funny, how much hollow promises ring true if we let them. Paul, Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit all agree: DON’T!!

What we’re to do with temptation (whether we use it for gratification or as some kind of weapon) is resist it. To me, that is an invitation to not let it get the best of me in its clever, but slimy appeal. The worst part about the sliminess of temptation is that it seems to know the exact place of that sliminess in me – and it works hard to connect there. In Jesus however, I can look away; in Jesus I can think different thoughts; in Jesus I can look for a way out because sure enough, as obvious as temptation is – so is the way out of temptation. I can always change my mind and think about something else – or – I can think it through to its logical conclusion and make up my mind that I don’t want to do what temptation urges me to do…sometimes it is pretty insidious…

Paul isn’t saying I won’t be tempted. What he is saying is that I am not alone in my temptation: the Lord is always very near and He has offered to always lead me away from temptation to salvation.

Lord, today is a new day. Today will be filled with all kinds of stimuli to tempt me to live independently from You – may it not be, but because it is, may I stand strong in Your strength, Your presence, Your peace, and Your power to simply walk away, think away, or pray away those things that would tempt me to try to fight them in my own strength and power – in Your Name, amen.

The Main Thing

11/08/15

1 Corinthians 2. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. – St. Paul

It appears that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in response to some issues (both major and minor) they were having. Paul had already come to Corinth in person and when he did, he decided to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified – the gospel. Because he said, ‘I decided’ I guess he must have had some thoughts about what to say to the Corinthians and how he would say it. He’d made up his mind that the only thing he would present to them was the only thing they needed to hear: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Sometimes in conversation about God, people will present all kinds of the thoughts they have about God. Some are fairly insightful, and some is just downright ridiculous. That’s not to put people down, it’s just to say that when you enter into a conversation about God with people be prepared to hear some pretty wild stuff. People have strange thoughts about God.

Paul knew that – by this time in his ministry he’d probably heard all kinds of weird and wild stuff.

But Paul made up his mind before he even got there that he was going to keep the main thing the main thing. He wasn’t going to allow himself or his hearers to get side-tracked by tradition, religion, or superstition. The gospel is what sets men free, not discussions about what somebody else says about God. And men’s opinions about God are almost endless.

There is something to learn from Paul’s example here in this letter. There is something to be learned in the conversations we have with others about the goodness and nature of God. It is the lesson of keeping the main thing the main thing. It is the lesson of keeping the conversation focused and it is the lesson of letting the Holy Spirit do His work as we present the evidence of His Being. That certainly doesn’t mean being rude, or terse, but it does mean lovingly presenting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – so help us God.

Lord, help me to keep it simple and keep it focused on You and what You’ve done and to avoid the trap of wrangling over words. The Gospel is what sets men free and may my discussions about You cling to the truth about You. Help me God – Amen.

The Metrics of Wisdom

11/05/15

Job 28.12, 23,28 12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

23 “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

28 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.

In my world there is a thing called metrics; it’s a way of measuring or evaluating something. We look at all kinds of data and try to determine what, if anything, can be learned from such information. I say, in my world, but there are metrics in your world as well – you may not specifically call metrics, but they are there nonetheless.

In Job (jōbe) 28, there are metrics: But where shall wisdom be found? Good question. Wisdom, while sharable or learnable is not available for purchase; although it may be available for hire... The first metric is the source of wisdom.

Job, starting at about chapter 3 of the book, is having a conversation with his three friends, Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz. His friends were convinced Job had done something wrong because of the catastrophic turn of events in Job’s life – Job, you musta done somthin’ way wrong… And so, from Job 3 to about Job 31 a discussion ensues with Job’s friends accusing and Job defending.

In my reading of the discussion today, Job asks: But where shall wisdom be found? In other words, If you’re so smart, how’d you get your smartness – what metrics are you using to measure or evaluate your smart-idity? ‘Cause it sounds a lot like stupidity! And the question to us is where do we find wisdom? What metrics do we use?

Well, the first clue is: Go to God. If we want smarts (i.e. wisdom) we need to find a source and Job says that source is God. Now, Job’s three friends claimed to have wisdom and insight but their conclusions were faulty and just spouting the world’s party line: if you screw up there’s payback – that’s how Deity operates! Multiplied millions of people today believe the same thing: I get paid back what I deserve. What kind of a universe is that!? What metrics lead you to that conclusion!?

Job would respond: “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding. Pretty simple equation: go to God, respect Him, turn from evil (everybody knows what that is…) and you’ll find all the wisdom you’ll ever need. God desires friendship, not enmity. But most people’s metrics get in the way; to them, payback seems to be the only answer – who wants to serve a god like that?

Wisdom does not grow on trees. Nor can one find it on the produce aisle in the supermarket. Wisdom is found in relationship, in experience, and first and foremost: in God. St. James once said: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. I believe that to be pretty sound advice: ask God for wisdom, believing He will supply…

Father, I ask – amen.

A Higher Plane

11/4/2015

Mark 16.19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. – St. Peter

I’m not sure why Peter is made out to be the Gatekeeper of Heaven; there must be some tradition that says so… When Peter’s Gospel was written, apparently the last 11 verses seem to be in question as to whether or not they were part of the original text. I don’t know. I’m not sure. But this I do know, gatekeeper or not, Peter saw things in heaven that the rest of us just have to take by faith: Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God… St. Pete must have known something.

I can imagine the eyes of those who witnessed the Great Servant King enter His eternal courts, ascend the throne, and take His seat. I can imagine the awe, the honor, and the cheering as the Overcoming God overcame, and took His place to rule and reign forever. Jesus ascended from His place of servant (Philippians 2) to that of Majesty. Wow.

The very next verse in Mark 16 says: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. (v. 20) The plan was unfolding and the Church had begun. The Church is not a building, It’s a people doing what the Master has commanded, and working with Him to see it done. That’s living at a higher plane.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10.31) That is living at a higher plane: it is living according to the bidding of the King. That would be Jesus, and He commands at this moment from His glorious throne. Peter knew all that and saw all that. Peter, the lowly fisherman, saw the goodness and glory of God.

Again, I’m not sure why Peter has been relegated to the Doorman of Heaven because the Scripture indicates he is one of the 24 elders in the throne room of John’s Revelation. I think Peter has better things to do than guard the gate of Heaven.

God took Peter to a higher plane of living. God took Peter, with all of his faults and failings and turned him into a herald of the Good News. I’m not sure I believe that his reward for all that was standing at the gate. Peter was transformed into a child of the Living God and he now rules in Heaven alongside the Great Servant King. That is the promise for all who believe. That is a higher plane of life for God’s children.

Jesus did what He set out to do and He did it in complete submission to the Father’s leading. As believers, you and I are called to nothing less – we are to do as Jesus did and follow the path to glory listening to, and carrying out, the Father’s wishes. Like Father, like Son, like child. Peter, the fisherman who became the Fisher of Men, saw all this and lives in God’s glorious throne room at this moment.

Our goal is to join him in that higher plane.

Lord, take me higher. Take me to that place of listening intently, and then doing completely. Take me this day to the next step toward that Higher Plane – Amen.

Divine Design

11/1/2015

Mark 10.5-9 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

I wonder today, having read the above, how much ancient culture influenced Moses as he wrote the Mosaic Law. I wonder why Jesus said what He said about Moses’ writing the part about divorce because of their hardness of heart. Does God make allowances for us because of our shortcomings?

Divorce is a hard thing. I know many, many people who’ve divorced. It seems there is no such thing as happy divorce. There is allowable divorce, but I don’t know of any happy ones; somebody always seems to end up holding the bag. But one thing is for sure: divorce happens.

Men and women have always had differing points of view, and those views are brought into marriage. Part of the marriage is learning how to work out those differences and live harmoniously. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work. Sexual infidelity is cause for divorce, but even that – with enough work – can be resolved. There is such a thing as forgiveness. However, divorce happens.

Jesus was simply saying to those attempting to trap Him in His words: Look, Moses wrote what he wrote because he understood human weakness; but that isn’t God’s desire and design for marriage. Jesus knew this is a fallen world and fallen people divorce. God will sort all of that out in the end.

I think about what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about divorce as well: the adultery part and all that. I’m not sure I know what to think about that. Do divorcees who remarry remain adulterers forever? I do know those who’ve divorced and remarried whose subsequent marriages seem to be okay. Maybe the second time around has more effort put into it; the couple tries harder. I’m not sure whether trying harder is always the solution; but the grass is always the greenest where we pour the most water.

So, my initial concern about Moses’ writing is still there for me: Jesus said Moses wrote because of their hardness of heart. I think Jesus may have been pointing out there was a better way than what Moses wrote. I think Jesus was hinting that there was a better way than Judaism: Him. He is the Better Way.

Personally, I don’t have a solution for divorce, but I know Someone who does, the One who said: “Because of your hardness of heart [Moses] wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” God’s divine design is no divorce.

Father, You know and You understand; You desire that we marrieds work it out. Permanently. Divorce happens but it isn’t necessarily the end. Not being saved is the end. To stand before You without salvation is catastrophic. And permanent. Help us to focus on Your divine design and learn to live in harmony with the spouse of our youth. The grass is always greenest where we pour the most water; may our marriages honor You with that effort, amen.