Tasting Salt

9/30/2016

Luke 14.34-35 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” – Jesus

I recently was invited to preach at a local church. Now, don’t get all excited, Turk gets rare invitations these days. And because the Great Salt Lick contest happened here in Baker the night before, I shared the word. I shared about salt. Specifically, this verse. What happens to salt which loses its taste?

It may be the Jesus version of “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear, does it still make a sound?” Except, Jesus wasn’t being cute, nor was He joking. He asked them, point blank: “…if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” Good question.

I have never tasted un-salty salt; I wouldn’t even have known it if I had; salt’s taste is why we call it salt.  The reality is: there is no such thing as un-salty salt. Salt only tastes salty because it is salt. And Jesus is right – if said salt becomes un-salty, then it’s worthless. An un-salty Christian is worthless. He cannot be the salt of the earth one moment, and not be so the next. Un-salty salt is impossible. It is not salt.

The point is: being the real deal because one claims to be the real deal. One cannot claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and not be salty. If he does and isn’t (salty), then he’s a fraud. His motivation for saltiness is other than allegiance and devotion to the Lord of lords and King of kings.

What, in Biblical, spiritual, salvation are we saved from? And what are we saved to? These are huge questions because without the answer to them we might become tasteless salt. And if we become salty, what makes us un-salty? Can salt be mixed with other compounds to be made less salty?

The question is not what people think about our saltiness; the question is what does God think about our saltiness. People can be fooled. People can be snookered and deceived. Not God. God knows the heart. God knows the one who claims to be His but is tasteless as sand. If we claim to be His, we better be His, because He knows whether or not we are His. If He doesn’t give us life, then there ain’t no life.

Jesus shared His salty thoughts in the context of explaining to His hearers that there is an actual cost to discipleship; and one ought to carefully consider that cost before signing on the dotted line. That means knowing what the expectations are going to be.

I don’t make myself salty. That might be a natural reaction to my words: to think that one has control over his saltiness. Saltiness is. Or isn’t. A less than salty salt is no salt at all. Do I flavor and preserve people’s lives because of my saltiness? Or so people refer a low-sodium diet when I’m around? If God has indeed made me salty, then do I make a difference in my daily living for the benefit of others on God’s behalf?

Father, on that Great Day, You alone with be the Judge of Salt. You will reveal to each one, his measure of saltiness. That is something to remember, and something to often consider. May that be said of me – that I considered the cost… Amen

Getting Through It

9/21/2016

Luke 4.4 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’

I can only imagine what was going on when Satan came to tempt the Lord. We must remember that Jesus was hungry after forty days and nights of not eating. Physical weakness is a powerful thing. Defenses mean little in the presence of physical weakness.

The first of the three attacks was low-hanging fruit: the adversary knew Jesus was hungry and weak. So offer food. Make a physical appeal to a physical weakness. But what the devil didn’t realize was in His physical weakness Jesus had become enormously spiritually strong. Physical weakness directed in the right way produces spiritual strength.

I don’t think this conversation was as short as it appears, but the attack on the Lord was real, and it was timely, and it was powerfully directed. It just fell short of the power and presence of God with Jesus.

Jesus didn’t play the God-card while on earth. He understood who He was and what He had, but He didn’t flip the God-switch on and off at will; He purposely laid His God-hood aside and carried Himself not as God, but as a man. He did this on purpose to show us the only way to live: dependent on God, not on ourselves. Jesus didn’t go fasting because He just wanted to see if He could do it; He fasted because God told Him to; Jesus never did anything apart from the Father’s command. And in spite of this, the devil attacked.

I think the lesson for me is simply this: do what God tells me to do. It isn’t rocket-science, it’s simply obeying. It is realizing that life is not necessarily predictable, but with God, it is always purposeful. And clinging to God in times of weakness and temptation is a sure way of getting through it.

In the face of temptation, Jesus resolutely clung to what He knew to be true: God, the Word, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Noticeably Jesus kept His answers short and to the point. Satan was lobbing every bomb he could to get the Lord to weaken. And Jesus didn’t try to outsmart him; Jesus didn’t try to out-argue him; Jesus simply responded with the simple truth. I don’t think Jesus even looked at him.

So, you and I must emulate Jesus in troubling times or times of weakness. That doesn’t mean every time something goes wrong in our lives that it is Satan lobbing bombs at us; it just means that when the bombs come (from wherever they come) we defuse them with God, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.

Father, may I keep my focus on You, Your word, and the presence of Your eternal Holy Spirit – Who is not just floating around, but is constantly at home in my heart. May I remember the resources I have and like Jesus, use them. The battle is Yours, not mine. Help me to remember that. Thank You for Your presence, Your power, and Your word. Help me keep my focus on You! Amen

The God of Daniel

9/20/2016

Daniel 6.26-27 26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” – Darius, the King

Apparently a lions’ den was fairly effective or they wouldn’t have used it. And apparently a lions’ den was fairly fool-proof or the lions would simply have climbed out of it. I don’t know how you get lions to be vicious, but apparently they did, the end of the story reveals that.

Contempt, envy, and jealousy make people do weird things. Daniel’s enemies were up to weirdness when the conspired to have him killed for simply praying to someone other than the king, Darius. But Daniel was the real deal. I know he was just a man, but he was a very wise man and Daniel, who stood up to Nebuchadnezzar knew how to handle himself in front of sovereigns. Darius was no different.

The point of the lions’ den is not Daniel’s salvation from this pride of flea-bitten monsters; the point is what came out of Darius’ mouth when he realized God had spared Daniel from the lions. Miracles are for the unbelieving. Miracles are for those who need to see God in a different way than they’re used to; miracles open the eyes of those who cannot see God.

I’m pretty sure Darius liked Daniel, but I’m also pretty sure Darius thought Daniel a bit quirky and very religious. I’m also pretty sure Darius suspected the Satraps were up to no good when they presented him with a decree – that could not be altered – that no one pray to any deity but him or be thrown into the lions’ den, for his signature. I’m also pretty sure when Darius found that Daniel had defied his decree, that his attitude toward the decree soured. I think Darius suspected he’d been had.

The next day when the king came a-runnin’, Daniel, bless his heart, gave God the credit He deserved: “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” (Daniel 6.21,22) Darius was overjoyed… and then subsequently angered that others had conspired to kill his number one Gun. This time the lions did not hold back.

King Darius did the natural thing when the unbelieving sees a bona-fide miracle: he praised God. And Darius praised God like this: read the above.

What are the lions we face? Will we give them over to the God of Daniel and watch Him save us? Or do we conspire and manipulate to get our way? I, for one, want to be on the side of Him who stops the mouths of lions in whatever form they appear, so that others may see and praise Him who does the stopping…

Lord, You are both the Stopper and the Starter. You stop men from stupidity and start them praising You! Earthly kings and their decrees are no match for Your divine intervention. You intervene in our lives to show us You care and that we may believe. Lord, help me believe. Amen.

Indicators

9/19/2016

Luke 2 34-35 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

When God moves, there are usually indicators along the way; Simeon was such an indicator. God’s indicators are usually actually seen by few; and downplayed by most as insignificant or explainable. Simeon got it; he was faithfully waiting for God’s movement in Israel, the land whose foundations he loved which had wandered so far from the Lord.

When we ‘norms’ watch for God, we need to be careful to really watch. Simeon, an ‘abnorm’, was an indicator, and he was also a watcher. God doesn’t usually move in a way that is noticed by all. Those who are watching for God will see. It was shepherds who saw the heavenly host – not the news media. The Messiah was born in Bethlehem – not a glitzy, glamorous metropolitan area. (When you think of Bethlehem, you need to think of Haines, or North Powder…)

Simeon was probably viewed as a kindly, but sort of kooky, old man. He was always hanging around the temple and thought he was some sort of prophet. You might say hello to him, but keep moving fast or he’ll corner you, and you won’t get away any time soon. But despite his ‘kooky’ exterior, Simeon heard from God, though few took him seriously. But the watchers knew.

And Mary was a watcher. She too had had her encounter with the divine; she knew something was up. So when kindly (kooky) old Simeon came up to her and started, with tears, to say what he said, Mary got it. And Mary knew right then, a sword had pierced her own soul. She knew.

To watch for God, one has to have a tremendous hunger and thirst for God; not everyone does. God will be sought by those who mean business. And God knows who they are. I think we tend to shy away from them at church. I think we tend to think they’re a bit kooky. (Sometimes we even view them as a bit spooky.) But what is missed and really only meant to be seen by God, is their faithful heart for Him.

Those who hunger and thirst for God may be weepy. They may be passively intense. They may concern us or even rattle us a bit. But it is their heart for the Lord that seems to repel most. They may seem too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. But oh, how we need them. And we all need to be more like them: kooky, spooky, weepy, and hungering and thirsting for God.

The true seeker is rather rare which is ironic, because we’re all called to be true seekers. But most of us are cluelessly concerned with the cares of this world. We might be good people or even noble, but we think more about life on the rock rather than the Rock that is higher than we. Not an indictment, just a reality. Being a Simeon is harder than we think (for us.) But to be a Simeon is a calling that few ever even know. Being called of God to be an indicator, a watcher, a true seeker is a bitter calling that opens the doors of Heaven and allows God’s perfect light to shine in… (misunderstood mostly…)

Father, Your greatest calling is for someone, or someones, to look for You. We’re all called to do it, but few of us ever take the time. Help me to be better at it only because someone has to be an indicator, and someone needs to be watching. Like Simeon, somebody needs to point the way for the rest of us who are so concerned about other things. Help me God. Amen.

The Victorious

9/16/2016

Revelation 21.7 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. – God

Of late, I have been part of numerous conversations about salvation: From what are we saved? To what are we saved? What is the point? I think the answer may be closer than we think: Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be My children. God is about two things: relationship and victory.

The victorious are not necessarily conquering heroes; more likely, they are the faithful. They are the ones who hang in there, and hang on for dear life. The victorious are at battle continually with the world, the flesh, and the devil; no small adversaries. The victorious see this life only as a war-zone. They are not looking for rest and relaxation at present, but believe the promise above: [the] victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

The victorious are true to God and His promises, and they are true to themselves.

Billions of people never consider the promise of God to the victorious. Part of the victory is simply submitting to God and His desires. That’s more than a lot of people want to do. God still strikes fear in many merely because they feel as if God is going to ask them to do something they don’t want to do; or take from them something they don’t want to give. All God asks of the victorious is their heart (that deep inner part of them which eagerly submits to His will, way, and wisdom).

I must carefully consider my place in the victorious. Am I a victor or a victim? Do I implicitly trust God and accept His promise that if I stick with Him throughout this life, I will inherit all He has for me in the next? I am called to victory; I was created for victory. That means living life differently than the average Joe who views God more as a genie, than a Friend.

God is my Greatest Cheerleader. If there is anyone in the universe crying out for my success, it’s God. I get a little uncomfortable saying He has created all of this for me; but it’s true! He has! The duty of the believer is to walk in victory not allowing the pull of this life to keep him away from the promise of the next. The duty of the believer is to keep God’s promise in their heart that this world, with all it has to offer, is a wretched shadow of the next where all will be as it was truly meant to be: with God! “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Ver. 4)

Father, thank You for the promise. Thank You for the inheritance. Thank You that there is a place for the victorious. May Your promise be my guide and may my life be an example to others that You have made a new place for those who keep Your word and believe in Your promise. Amen.

I Will Look After Them

9/13/2016

Ezekiel 34.11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I Myself will search for My sheep and look after them." – God

Somebody has to do it – somebody has to be the leader. Today, our nation is involved in one of the most brutal political campaigns in our history – the stakes have never been higher. Somebody needs to come as a leader and shepherd of this nation. That doesn’t mean a king. That doesn’t mean a ruling class, but somebody needs to lead. Somebody. Anybody?

In Israel’s early days God stood with them every day. God loved them and cared for them, but they wouldn’t return the favor. The appointed leaders became more interested in power and influence than caring for the people. And can you blame them; caring for people is abysmally hard work. Somebody has to do it.

But people need to be cared for and it takes more than a king to do it. Ezekiel prophesied of the Lord’s leadership and Jesus came and announced He was the Good Shepherd. He was the Shepherd who cared about the sheep and would go to dramatic lengths to prove it. God did what He said.

Most leaders nowadays are more interested in perks, than people. I think that tendency is centuries old. Human leadership, for the most part, is not servant leadership. But like raising sheep (or small children) the necessity of servant leadership is desperately needed in our day. When God said we are like sheep without a shepherd He knew how desperately we need to be led. The pinnacle of His creation was designed for leadership.

God sent Jesus to serve. God sent Jesus to be a ransom for many. God sent Jesus to shepherd His people back to Him. And God is looking for leaders to lead with the spirit of Jesus in them. God will shepherd His people by using His people, to shepherd His people.

Tonight, I get to hang out with a bunch of kids. Part of my M.O. is to teach them how to be servant leaders. Part of my calling is to raise them up to be the leaders they are called to be when we “olders” pass off the scene. Servant-leadership is all about mentoring the young to grow up and become servant leaders. God will help, and God will assist, but the calling never stops, and the need for servant leadership will only end when Jesus comes back to gather His own.

Father, lead and guide me to serve the children I will be with this year. Help me to remember that they are just kids, but they are called to be the servant-leaders of tomorrow. May I lead by example and may I be successful in helping them see why you have placed them on earth – to lead and guide Your people. Amen

Able to Humble

9/12/2016

Daniel 4.37 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Nebuchadnezzar truly was: all that, and a bag of chips. He was one of the greatest kings of the earth. But like every other earthly king, Nebuchadnezzar had his limits; he proved to be a man just like everybody else. But one thing Ol’ Neb did, was to bow his heart in worship to the “King of Heaven” (because everything He does is right, and all His ways are just – and, those who walk in pride, He is able to humble.) Be careful what you ask God for…

God loves people. Even the worst of them. And God loved Nebuchadnezzar. This pagan king was a terror and for many years he did just about whatever he wanted. He invaded kingdoms and took people and possessions for his own. He strutted about his palace one day and proclaimed: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Be careful what you proclaim.

And Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with insanity for a season. So stricken, that he crawled around naked on all fours as if he was a beast. And there he remained until he did the best thing any person can do: “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.” Be careful what you praise.

The Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity was restored and his view of God was elevated.

I think that is what God desires of us – that our view of Him be elevated. But I also think that means our view of ourselves must be lessened. When I get into trouble is when I think: I am all that and, a bag of chips. When I get into trouble it’s because I tend to think I have made myself into some figment of my own creating. Pride is pervasive. Be careful how you see yourself.

One thing is for sure, and Nebuchadnezzar said it: “And those who walk in pride [God] is able to humble.” God is able to humble those He loves. I think God loved His exiled people, and God loved Nebuchadnezzar to the point that he, Nebuchadnezzar became a benefactor to His (God’s) people. God never forgets His own. Be careful in your calling.

Sometimes, (most of the time) I have trouble humbling myself. But God is faithful and He knows how to get my attention, and to help me to see my need. I am needy. I need God. Be careful how you think.

In salvation (a true and valid term) I am saved from myself, and saved into Him. God is the greatest Resource known to man, but man chooses to be a resource unto himself. God knows how to correct that. God loves people and works to get them to consider His ways above their own. Be careful what you prize.

Father, You are able to humble the proud. Some accept that as a good thing. Others require many lessons. And some never get there. No one is immune to You although some think they are. Thank You for what You are doing in my life and for what You are bringing about in my view of myself; and You. Lord, keep me humble and use me to bring about good in this world. Amen.

Repentant Refusal

9/11/2016

Revelation 16.10,11 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done. – St. John

We don’t know a tiny fraction of what is coming, but one thing is for sure, it is going to be cataclysmic on all accounts. In the seven plagues described in Revelation 16 we see physical disaster – people suffer a global plague of bodily sores. We see ecological disaster; the oceans turn to bloody putrescence. We see economic disaster; the rivers and streams become undrinkable blood. We see astronomic disaster: the sun becomes unbearably hot. We see intellectual disaster: all mankind collapses into confusion. We see political disaster: the nations gather to make war against Christ and all who follow Him. And lastly, there is geologic disaster: a global earthquake so severe that the mountains fall flat, and the islands sink into the sea.

And the outcome of all this: “… and [they] cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” Wow. Such is the power and tenacity of man’s pride; when tough times come, blame God…

A lesson in all of this may be: God may give us what we want. God may not give us what we want. God may make us wait for what we want; or God may ultimately say: have it your way. It appears the fourth option is the case here in Revelation 16, God gives a demonstration of His wrath so severe that people ought to repent, but they don’t; they won’t.

In our lives God will attempt over and over to bring us to that place of friendship. Sometimes that means not responding to our stupidity except to allow us to feel the pain and humiliation of our stupidity. It’s not that God uses pain to get us to do His bidding; but He allows us pain in hope that we see our responsibility for our actions and change. The human condition is way worse than we imagine.

But God is faithful to teach us to live differently if we will let Him. Mostly, we won’t allow Him to teach us until things become severe enough to get our attention. But even then, some refuse God’s aid in the transformative process. One of the saddest verses in all of Scripture is above: People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Do we ever question the things in life that plague us? Do we consider that though God is a merciful God of love, He won’t spare any expense in attempting to save all of His creation? Or does mankind devolve into this place where even the worst of circumstances will only bring about more enmity toward Him? Is God merciful and just in giving us what we want?

Father, I am grateful that Your justice lasts but a moment, but Your love lasts forever. I hate the thought of the consequences of Revelation 16, but I love the thought that You are merciful and kind, and You desire everyone to come to the saving knowledge of Who You are and what You’ve done for us in Christ. Thank You for the truth. Amen.

Wrath Has Its Limits

9/10/2016

Revelation 15.1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. – St. John

Yesterday, whilst on the road visiting clients, I listened to the radio and heard a message being given about the wrath of God. The speaker said that we need to be as aware of the wrath of God as we are the love of God. I think he was a Baptist.

But wrath is no laughing matter. Wrath is something the people of God experienced whether they were righteous or not.

To be righteous and experience the wrath of God is a mystery to me. But you have to couple that with the worldview I’ve been taught. To experience the wrath of God is one thing. To come through the wrath of God unscathed, is another. Jeremiah, the prophet came through the wrath of God. Jeremiah watched as it unfolded before him. We here in ‘Merica, may well be experiencing the wrath of God as well. When one rejects God, the wrath of God is his only option (John 3.36).

It is good to know, however, that the wrath of God has its limits. John said, “…last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.” Jeremiah witnessed the wrath of the Babylonians, but it too, came to an end. However, it is pretty clear to me, that wrath, whether ongoing (as it is presently) or final, as it will be, ultimately includes everyone.

I have heard that God will protect His Church and not permit her to suffer wrath (or at least the tribulation). But God has already permitted His people to suffer untold misery and persecution. My question is this: do the endurers of wrath suffer eternal separation or are they welcomed home as heroes for enduring and remaining faithful? We probably need to ask John and Jeremiah.

Is wrath strategic, or does God just lose His cool and start throwing things? (If He does, duck.) Does wrath serve a purpose? Are we supposed to acknowledge wrath and then live looking over our shoulder to see when it’s coming? Is/was John correct in saying: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them”? (John 3.36) If that’s the case, then those we know who reject Him are in serious trouble.

It is relieving to know that even God has His limits. It’s relieving to know that God will destroy whom He will destroy and will spare whom He spares. Wrath is momentary in one sense, but His love lasts for eternity. God is not happy with the evil stuff mankind does, but He really doesn’t want to see any of us suffer His wrath. But He is who He is, and He does what He does – we can take that to the bank…

Father, You are forever faithful and kind – even in Your wrath. You will not let man get away with it, but You are gracious in giving us all opportunities to repent. And, like Jeremiah and John, if some of Your children die in the meting out of Your wrath, we will still be welcomed Home as heroes in Heaven. And we will sing the song of Moses, and the Lamb! Amen

The Little Path

9/9/2016

Psalm 9.10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. – David

This morning in my waking moments my thoughts turned to God and I said within me: Lord, I trust You. I do that more and more these days because I see my need to trust Him, and trust in Him, more and more. And as I thought of that trust and in Whom is that trust, I thought about walking down a little path in my mind from where I am to Him, the One in Whom I trust.

That little path is becoming more and more well-worn. The things that surround me and cause me concern seem to be piling up higher and higher; and if anyone is going to see me through, it is God, my Father.

I look for that kind of stuff in the Bible as I read, and this morning as I read Lamentations, I realized that God doesn’t prevent the worst, but He does promise to see us through it. Whether the worst is because of us, or beyond us, it doesn’t matter – God has never forsaken those who seek Him, and seeking Him starts with the little path: Lord, I trust You.

Because of who I am and how I think, I do certain things in certain ways for certain outcomes. Today was my little prayer, down that little path to that place of reality: His presence, and my trust in His presence.

So, my normal habit is to read the selected passages from Scripture according to a reading plan that I have now followed since 2002. I try really hard to find my inspiration in those words for this day (whatever day it is…). And when the selected passages don’t seem to ring a bell, I go to a couple alternate sources for inspiration. And in one of those selected resources I found the above: Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

And what I read both surprised me, and confirmed to me that the little path is the right path. What I read led me to Psalm 9, which according to my thinking is fitting because today is September 9^th. I wouldn’t read Psalm 10 and look for inspiration on September 9^th. (I live in a complex world…)

I know it was the right thing because having had my thought about the little path previous to all this and then, later, reading what I read, I smiled and relaxed: God has never forsaken those who seek Him.

The little path starts with this thought: Lord, I trust You. It’s a very short distance from where I am to that place of trust in Him. All I have to do is go there. I don’t have to swim oceans, or climb tall mountains; all I have to do is walk down the little path of speaking these words: Lord, I trust You.

The response from heaven for me today was simply: Those who know My name trust in Me, for I, the Lord, have never forsaken those who seek Me. Friends, He is there; we just need to trust Him.

Lord, thank You for the confirmation of Your peace and presence in all I fret about today. Thank You that I may trust in You and know that You have never forsaken those who seek You. I give my fretting to You. I know You have me in the palm of Your hand. Thank You. Amen.

Too Good to Believe

9/8/2016

Jeremiah 42.10-12 10 ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’ – God

I am fascinated with the concept of being counter-intuitive, or going against conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom, more often than not, is purely going with the flow – right, wrong, indifferent, it is just going along with what is always done because it has always been done.

From the very beginning of the Bible God demonstrates that He is counter to what everyone else in creation thinks as normal or conventional. God’s creation of man was, at some point, somewhere, shocking to the realms in which God rules. Aghast, with an enormous intake of breath, might be the descriptor for the reaction to what God unveiled to the heavenly host who wondered what He was up to.

Even man, wonder that he is, has wondered: God, who are we that You even think of us? (Psalm 8.4) Kramer calls nature a mad scientist; I don’t think nature holds a candle to what God is up to… Man wants predictable; God creates unconventional. I think that is why God is called, Holy; He is not like the other gods, the gods of man’s creating. God is other.

The people of Jeremiah’s day had made up their minds that they knew what is best for them. That sounds a lot like us – we’ve pretty much decided that we know what to do and how to do it. We come up with things like earth-speak and insist that all of us use it and know what it means. We come up with earth-culture and expect everyone, regardless of race or creed, to kowtow. I read an article last night about this thing called, Burning Man. I just shook my head in amazement.

God told Jeremiah to tell the Jews, to stay put. They came to Jeremiah and asked him to intercede for them and when he did, they didn’t like what he said – it wasn’t good enough for them. It was goodness and kindness from the Lord, but it wasn’t good enough. The narrative says, So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes. (Jeremiah 43.7)

Sometimes unconventional is uncomfortable. I think that is man’s biggest problem: he can’t predict unconventional. I think that is largely one of the biggest reasons for unbelief: an unconventional God.

The God who says, stay put, when everything inside you screams, RUN! is an unconventional God. He says things that are too good to believe to the conventional thinker. I imagine Jeremiah wanted to scream. I imagine he wanted to rip his hair out. I think he wept bitterly that this unconventional God sent him to say unconventional things to conventional thinkers who knew (in their own thinking) that they knew what was best. Their move to Egypt (Jeremiah 42-44) didn’t end well.

Father God, You are my God and You are unconventional. You are counter-intuitive. Your word says Your thoughts are not my thoughts, and Your ways are not my ways. Help me to trust You and to learn to be a bit more unconventional myself. Help me to trust You that if I stay with You, You will build me up and not tear me down. I believe You have created me to be like You: unconventional. May it be – amen.

Arrested Development

9/4/2016

Ezekiel 24.21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword’. – God

Sometimes one just has to stop and think: What is the stronghold in which I take pride, the delight of my eyes, the object of my affection? And then: what would happen to me if it were taken away? Or, perhaps: what would happen to me if it were proven false? As one considers questions like that, one might question how one really feels about life, and experience, and affections.

In life, most of us experience love and affections. We may or may not express them, but we for sure have them. Most everyone has had a crush or two (or more). Most everyone falls in love and there is a marriage. Or we experience pride, a sense of accomplishment, or a place to put our affections: race, creed, sexuality, patriotism. We look for winning and winners and want to be a part of what we feel as right. We want to feel included.

So, what happens when these things are taken away, perverted, or found to be less than worthy? It makes us (or ought to) question why we put such emotional energy into them in the first place. Or it makes us question our true feelings having put such emotional energy into such affections.

In Ezekiel 24, the prophet was told that his wife was going to die suddenly; with one blow (Ezekiel 21.16). Ezekiel was instructed to witness his wife’s passing and arrest his emotions as he witnessed that event. As a man, a married man, I mentally put myself into that moment and considered the emotional ties I have with my own spouse, (someone I have known on a level I have never shared with any other human being.)

As I write this I think about my own affections and the things into which I have placed my emotional energy. I began to really think about my relationships with my church, my vocation, my country, my political leanings. What would happen if they all were taken away, or proven false?

God allowed His Temple (and Jerusalem) to be desecrated. God, I think, invested emotionally in these things only to watch as the pinnacle of His creation, His people urinated (figuratively) on them. He had to watch, arresting His emotions, as His people made a mockery of what He had ordained for them.

So, God told His people they had to arrest their own emotions as they witnessed the destruction of all they put their pride and affections into: their culture, their race, and their religion; all of it was going to be wiped away and proven false.

It makes me think of what I hold near and dear, and why; and what would my heart become if the objects of my affections and pride were desecrated, and/or destroyed?

Father, help me to carefully hold the things I hold dear. Help me to faithfully hold these things in the light of Your love and instruction, and always to be careful that they don’t become some kind of substitute for You. Thank You for Your gifts, but thank You for You: the Stronghold in which I take pride, the Delight of my eyes, the Object of my affection. Amen

What Do You Mean

9/2/2016

Ezekiel 18.1-2 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: “‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?”

You know there’s a problem when God asks you: What do you people mean by quoting this proverb…? When God asks you, ‘What do you mean?’ There’s some serious ‘splainin’ to do.

God, of course, is omniscient – there is nothing He doesn’t know, and nothing surprises Him. But He does ask some strange questions once in a while; this is one of them: What do you people mean when you say…? It’s almost like when He asked Adam and Eve: Where are you? (Genesis 3)

I love the line from the Princess Bride, when Inigo says to Vizzini: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means...” I can almost hear God saying the same thing to Ezekiel.

Several things cross my mind:

One: it is the duty of a prophet to know and to ask and to question the ones to whom he is prophesying. A prophet is a leader and he is to know what people mean, or he is to correct them.

Two: God listens to us when we pray for things we already have; when we ask Him for things He’s already given to us.
Three: God knows what we mean – He’s asking us if we know what we mean.
Four: Honesty is a good policy with God – just say what you mean, and mean what you say, and you’ll find God to be very helpful in the process. He knows everything – He really wants to know what we know…
Five: Speak the truth. Know the truth. Know the difference. Their proverb was a false statement based on a false understanding of how things work. We’re good at making false things true: I’m just a sinner, saved by grace. God helps those who help themselves. If you have enough faith, God will heal you… (to name a few).

God called Ezekiel to teach and shepherd His people exiled in a pagan land – it was a serious business because they were really good at screwing things up, and now they were in a pagan place where their screwed-uppedness would be sorely tested by others who were more screwed up than they were. It is amazing the power of what is said, thought, and just accepted as true, when we don’t even know where such stuff comes from.

What does God want you and me to know and live by? What is He asking us about? Do we accept that God listens to us and perhaps wants to ask us: What do you mean by that? It’s worth thinking about.

Father, You know and hear my heart. There is nothing You don’t know. I pray to be a better student of the truth, and to be faithful and courageous enough to question my thoughts, isms, and worldview if they come into conflict with Your truth. You word is Truth. Thank You for leading me into Truth. Amen