Too Important to Forget

7.31.2010

John 2:22 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (ESV)

The Book of Psalms is divided up into 5 books. The last of these books begins with Psalm 107. This particular psalm speaks of deliverance and the reaction of God’s people under oppression, in prison, and in sin, and in everyday life. In each situation they came to the point where they remembered God, cried out to Him, and experienced His salvation in deliverance.

Later in John’s gospel we read that after Jesus was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered what He’d previously said and it bolstered their faith in Him.

Much of our lives as disciples of Christ simply boils down to us remembering who God is and what He’s doing on our behalf regardless of whose fault it is we’re in the situation we’re in. And sometimes it requires awful tough stuff to get us to remember but God loves us too much to allow us to forget. His salvation is too important to forget. His love and His ways are too important to forget.

John said, “…and they believed in the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” Psalm 107 ends with this: Ps 107:43 "Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord." (v. 43) As I must attend to the shadows in my life I must also remember the good and great things the Lord has done and does – I must call to mind His word and His great acts of deliverance in my life. If I’m wise to remember; I’m a fool to forget…

Father in Heaven,

How great is Your salvation! How wonderful and marvelous are Your deeds to me, a weak minded wandered who routinely forgets who he is and what You’ve called me to be. Fill me with Your Spirit this day to remember how good and kind You’ve been to me, and how many times You’ve rescued me from trouble – self-inflicted or otherwise – In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Sought Out

7.30.2010

John 1:1818 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. ESV

The middle of the name James is the word, me. The epistle of James is about me – not me personally – but the me I’m supposed to be. The middle of the name John is the word, oh. As in, ‘ ‘Oh, so that’s what He meant!’ Today, in reading Isaiah 63, I saw some names given that are what the people of God will someday be called because they will receive the recognition due them by their devotion to and relationship with Him. They are called, The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord, Sought Out, and A City Not Forsaken. In light of these names, today I want to remember one in particular: Sought Out.

John said, No one has ever seen God; the only God who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known. He God, has made Him, Jesus known. He Jesus, has made the Father known. Jesus and the Father are in the business of seeking out those who would know them. Jesus and God, by the Holy Spirit are seeking out the Sought Out; who will one day be recognized globally as, Sought Out.

Since before I was born, I have been sought out by God – He’s loved me since before I was born because He sees me in my future. I have been and will always be, sought out. Makes me want to cry as I think about how terribly I’ve responded to His incessant seeking over all these years.

At this moment I am thinking about a previous moment in my yesterday that I wish I hadn’t had. I was caught red-handed and open-mouthed in the process of bad-mouthing someone. He knew it and so did I. I wish I hadn’t done that because today I read that I am Sought Out; I am called to be Sought Out and because my other name is The Holy People. Because He has made Himself known to me, I am to live as Sought Out and behave as The Holy People. Sought out holy ones don’t bad-mouth…

Lord God,

You have made Jesus known to me because You sought me out to know Him. Jesus, You have made the Father known to me because I am Sought Out to know. Lord, forgive me for acting Resistant when I am called Sought Out. Break me of my stupidity and may my life ever-increasingly be a reflection of You because You have made me The Holy People. In Christ, amen…

Attend to the Shadows

7.29.2010

2 Peter 3:14 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

As I read the Jesuits at Sacred Space, I have been reminded over and over how important it is to attend to the shadows in my life. While it is true that the light of Jesus Christ shines from heaven by His Spirit into my being; it is also true that there are places in me that are dreadfully dark and gloomy and still in need of His light, His life, and His revelation. These dark and gloomy places manifest themselves in my behavior, speech, and attitudes; they manifest themselves in my habits and preferences; and in my thirst for control. These dark places are the shadows to which I must attend so that on that Day when I am found by Him, I’ve been diligent and determined in addressing and eradicating them.

Throughout the New Testament are many commands to get rid of this and/or to avoid that. Those are things I must do. All throughout the New Testament I am told to love, to be holy and such – I am to do them with the Help of the Helpless – the Spirit of Christ within me. That practice is the practice of attending to the shadows; and that I believe is what Peter addressed in the above verse.

How I attend to my shadows speaks of the strength or weakness of my relationship with Christ. If I am needy, hungry, thirsty and tired in my shadowland, then I am driven to do something about my pain or pangs. If I am comfortable, then I am probably complacent.

Lord God,

You are the light of the world and the light in my heart. As I live each new day I realize my need for Your illumination and my transformation and the attention I must daily give to the shadows in my soul, my personality and my perspective. Help me Jesus, I pray in Your Name. Amen.

Note to my readers:

You can visit Sacred Space at: http://sacredspace.ie/ I hope you enjoy your stay…

On Purpose

7.28.2010

Isaiah 56.6 "...everyone who keeps the Sabbath..."

What was the purpose of keeping the Sabbath – what’s the big deal? We might ask the same thing of the marriage ceremony; of the baptismal act; of the sacraments – what’s the big deal? It’s not so much what we do, but what is represented by what we do – i.e. the reason behind what we do – that matters.

The question in Isaiah 56 is that of natural born vs. adopted, and the great equalizer is relationship with God. The foreigner in verses 56.3-5 questions his standing before God because he isn’t a Jew, i.e. one of God’s people. There is a separator in his mind that he can never overcome because of his racial heritage. Equally the enuch sees his physical limitations and decides because of cultural bias there must be spiritual limitations as well. God says in response, “It isn’t those who are born citizens or complete physically who matter – it’s those who keep My Sabbath."

Keeping the Sabbath was the litmus test of one’s devotion to God – it was the willful and intentional ceasing of the pursuit of earth in order to dwell with all of one’s being on the pursuit of heaven – if even for only a day a week. To God that meant everything because it revealed a heart of obedience and a heart of devotion that He would not overlook; that He would honor.

It’s not so much what I do, but what is represented by what I do – i.e. the reason behind what I do – that matters to God. Paul said this: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Co 10:31) My job if you can call it that is to keep at my relationship with God and all that I do in life is for His glory – that’s a pretty good reason for everything…

Father in Heaven,

You’ve called me to be holy in all I do, and to set apart periods of time each week, month, and year to devote all of my being’s resources to concentrate solely and wholly upon You. I am refreshed and You are blessed when I do – it represents a heart that is fully devoted to You. May I practice this, preach this, and by my example teach this to others that my life may be lived on purpose for Your glory – in Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Illumination of You

7.27.2010

2 Peter 1:19 19 And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ESV

The day dawning and the morning star rising in the heart is a perfect picture of salvation – it’s when the sinner begins to see the big picture and says something profound like, “Oh, I get it!” And in the heart of the believer, it’s when he says, “Whoa, I never realized that!” and makes appropriate life-changes. Either way it’s the new beginning of relationship or the new beginning of understanding.

That’s why diligent, thoughtful, and regular Bible reading is so important; that’s why actively listening to expository preaching is so important. That’s why deep discussions about spiritual things with other believers are so important. It is the prophetic word to which we all do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place. The light of the knowledge of God shines in our hearts as we give Him our attention.

But with those things must be a hunger and thirst for action – I will do what I read; I will live as I am directed. I will follow God through His word, with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Reading without doing is dead. Listening without applying is dead. Faith without works is dead. The truth must be making a noticeable difference in my life or something is wrong. I must read and heed or I’m just fooling myself…

Father in Heaven,

Today Your word is like the day dawning and the morningstar rising in my heart, I see again, more of the big picture that only the light of Your word reveals. Lord, may I walk ever toward the light and attend with all diligence to the shadows that I may reflect in all that I am, the illumination of You. Amen.

Return of the Jedi

7.26.2010

1 Peter 5:6 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ESV

To humble oneself, is to calmly and fearlessly entrust control to someone else. We seem so afraid of giving control to God for fear that He’s going to make us do something we don’t want to do. That is the terror of our fallenness.

Peter's case for humility says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble; God gives His divine affection and favor to those who trust Him but makes the way difficult for those who don’t. But we must remember that there is no such thing as a senseless act of kindness nor is there humility without reason because Peter says, ‘…so that at the proper time He may exalt you…’ Humility is not mindless – it has an end in sight; the exaltation of God on those who faithfully, and willingly, submit to His rule and authority; those who will be rewarded with exaltation, and will then understand how to dispense God’s rule and authority. Like the fictional Star Wars’ Jedi that were brought up under discipline and devotion in order to be entrusted with leadership, people who humble themselves under God’s mighty hand are those who will be trained by discipline and devotion and then able to lead accordingly in the new heavenly era.

Humility requires devotion and discipline. Humility requires loving God regardless of cost, and unswerving allegiance to His cause. And to the one who does…exaltation at the proper time. O, let me be in that number, when the saints go marching in…

Father in Heaven,

You have asked for every single area of my life that You may rule and reign therein. May I humble myself under Your mighty hand entrusting all I am and have to You that at the proper time I will be – not be set free from humility – exalted for having given You my all. Amen.

Armed and Suffering

7.25.2010

1 Peter 4:1 4 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ESV

Several years ago I preached through the first epistle of Peter. I have to admit I preached mostly theory, and little practice – at the time I didn’t recognize the magnitude of the mentorship of suffering. I was armed and dangerous with knowledge I had not yet lived out. Today I would preach the letter differently.

Jesus Christ willingly suffered because He saw and understood the true purpose of suffering. Suffering is not for the weak minded or mentally deficient. Suffering is not for the self-centered; one’s suffering is for the benefit of others and is the only sure-fire way to eradicate the nuisance and pestilence of sin and self-centeredness. Suffering with God is supposed to draw us closer to God.

Well, why not be a masochist? It’s because the pain of suffering with God is part of the process of learning to leave the results to God, not just scratching at some internal itch. Like anything else on earth pain can be used as a tool or a toy (or even a weapon) to manipulate and deceive. Suffering at the hands of God (yes, I just said that!) is the truest and most effective way to surrender control to God and walk humbly by His side. If suffering does not drive us to God, either it’s not working or we’re not…

Father in Heaven,

Suffering is not a bad thing – how I must learn that! Suffering is a blessedness that is lost on mankind because mostly our hearts are lost without You! Lord, may I see the true benefit of suffering and embrace its cleansing power on my mind and heart as I deny myself in its midst, take up my cross, and follow You. Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever – amen.