The Deadly Drug

8.19.2010

Jeremiah 45:5 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.” ESV

I’m okay with that – my life as a prize of war wherever I may go. War robs; it’s a colossal distraction, a terrible waste of money, and resources; causing unspeakable pain and mental toil on those who suffer from it. Sadly, it’s all about having control. We all crave the deadly drug of control.

Jeremiah’s words to Baruch are, this day I believe, words to me from God; I’m not to seek after great things in this world – I’m to seek God and all that He has for me. I’m to seek Him to garner peace, joy, love, and such as those. I’m to focus on heaven while attending to my ways here on earth. I see no times of great economic recovery, I see no times of our economy reviving. I see times of great loss and difficulty for us and our children and their children.

But I am not to seek great things for myself. I so want to solve the house mess we find ourselves in but that doesn’t seem to be happening and the Lord gently reminds me through this verse today that owning a house, or losing a house, is not the sum total of life (as we Americans would have it to be); but my life in Him is…as He would have it to be…

Father in Heaven,

Today Lord, I’m offering it all and piling it up high,

On Your altar where the flames send it up to the sky;

And into heaven’s gates surrounding Your throne;

Laying it all at Your feet, because You are God Alone.

My life in Christ is my prize wherever I go

And my comfort in life – that’s all I need know.

Your way is best no matter what I want to think.

You plans will cause me to float when my mind says I’ll sink.

Worry and fear are both familiar to me,

But I’ll kill them by faith going where You lead and I cannot see.

Help me in faith to set it all aflame

And to rest in Your providence for that is Your Name.

Amen.

Looking At Jesus

8.18.2010

John 20:29 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ESV

What disarray the disciples and the women were in after the crucifixion of our Lord – they were an emotional train-wreck. Emotions can make messes. When emotions take over sometimes reason goes out the window; that’s why we need faith. But even with faith our intellect struggles trying to figure it out.

Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” It’s not that Thomas wasn’t blessed, it was just that Jesus wasn’t going to show Himself to others the same way He’d shown Himself to Thomas. Thomas was blessed; he got to see what we all want to see – or at least what we say we want to see…

Seeing forces us to come to terms with all of what Jesus said and did and acknowledge it to be true; and with that truth come to terms with all we’ve done and how all of that lines up to what He said. That’s when we get uncomfortable. Looking at Jesus and accepting all of who He is, is a lot like sticking our faces into the sun; we’re gonna see what nobody else sees, but it’s gonna burn like heck. Will the sight be worth the pain? (Correct answer: YES)

But, it isn’t really about seeing, it’s about believing; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. My believing is not based on sight but on the reality that invisible and unseen, Jesus is always with me – and because of that I am always with Him. I believe because He’s enabled me to believe and see the evidence of His presence in my world, my experiences, and in others. And that fact, in itself, forces me to come to terms with all of who He is, and all of who I am in Him. It’s about believing and responding according to my belief.

Jesus,

May the life You’ve given me be the life that blesses others who cannot see You, but see the evidence of You in me. It’s not about my behavior but about Your presence in me that causes me to say and do what You tell me to; and blesses others because I do what I do. May I do in Your Name today, amen.

When They Really Need a King

8.17.2010

John 19:19 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ESV

In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel came to Samuel the prophet demanding a king to rule over them. They said, “Behold, you are old [and no longer useful] and your sons do not walk in your ways [like it was really working anyway]. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations [because it's working so well for them].” Samuel was devastated because they weren’t just asking for a king but were in effect rejecting God. They really wanted things their way. And God never stopped trying to get them to see things His way.

Roughly 1200 years later God once again attempted to woo His people back by sending His Son to represent Him to the people of Israel – the Jews. And now, when they really needed a King, they rejected Him . Funny, it took a despotic Roman ruler named Pilate, with enough sense to make an inscription and put it on the very cross the Jews used to reject their King that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” God never stopped telling them.

Jesus is still their King because not even death could stop His rulership and lordship over them. But Jesus doesn’t rule over unwilling hearts – at least not yet. When life serves us up dread, disaster, disease and death; and we see that we really need a King, Jesus is there to take His rightful place as our Savior and our Lord. Death could not stop Him and eternal love motivates Him to keep after us because we really need a King. God never quits.

I need a King. I need my King. I lay my life down in order to take up His because He is my King; and I am His subject. King Jesus takes care of His subjects and promises all the resources of Heaven in return. We may suffer death but even death, according to Him, cannot stop us because eternal life is something that just won’t go away.

Father in Heaven,

You have provided Help for me when I really needed a King. Your ways are not my ways but Your love is just what I need and carries me all of my days. Help me today my Sovereign; help me to live subjected to Your rule living safe in relationship with You no matter what happens because You’ve promised eternal life to me – amen.

The Tipping Point

08/16/10

2 Kings 24.3 3Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon.

ESV

You know, sometimes you just reach a point. Maybe it's the straw that breaks the camel's back – or maybe you've just had enough; the faucet's dripped one too many times. And so when you reach the point you make a decision – I'm gonna break off the relationship; I'm gonna fix that stupid faucet; I'm gonna tell my boss how I really feel...

Interestingly, the point God gets to in this narrative in Jeremiah 24 is the result of someone who’s not even around anymore; his name was Manasseh, and he was the king two kings before the current one. They say the sins of the father's are passed along to the third and fourth generation. Manasseh was a bad dude who acted tyrannically, irresponsibly and brutally; and managed, without a whole lot of effort, to garner God's displeasure. Manasseh was the tipping point in the history of the southern kingdom.

However, Manasseh repented before he died but his repentance was (I think) a little too late and the damage he did reached a point where it was irreparable, irreversible, and the kingdom was by then, irredeemable. Manasseh's son Josiah was a remarkably godly king who did much good for the nation but again, because of Manasseh, the damage was already done. Sometimes what's done is done and the wheels of fortune are unstoppable. That's why Jeremiah had to deliver this message to the current king – Jehoiakim.

So what about the tipping point in my life – is there one; am I aware of it; and what is (or could) God (be) saying to me? I must be aware of the love of God but I also must be aware of His heart and His discipline. He loves me enough to forgive me but He loves me too much to let me continue in sin and rebellion. Additionally I must remember that my sins have a ripple-effect that spill over into the lives of the third and fourth generation.

Father in Heaven,

You are loving and forgiving but You are serious about godliness in my life. I don't know if I've reached the tipping point but I trust You to let me know if I have. Help me in the meantime to focus on Your heart and Your love that I may avoid a message like Jehoiakim got from Jeremiah – in Jesus' Name, amen.

Asking Questions Like Jeremiah Did

8.15.2010

Jeremiah 20:18 18 Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame? ESV

Hmmm, good question Jeremiah! Why did you? Sometimes it feels like that – that our days are all toil and sorrow and filled with shame. Sometimes it feels like we ought to give up and just go get plastered and live out the rest of our days in debauchery. Sometimes…

Jeremiah lived with the burden of sharing the Lord’s heart with his countrymen and they didn’t want to listen. The time was growing short and the Lord was executing justice against them and they just didn’t seem to care; sounds a lot like our day. Recently, a friend asked me if we should speak up and speak out against the evil in our day. My response: if God tells you to. But if He does, don’t be surprised that only a scant few will listen – our culture owns us. And don’t be surprised if you then start asking questions like Jeremiah did – Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?

You and I, if we are called in Christ, are to make our ways and our days filled with this: “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26) the only way to kill hate in this world is with the love of God and even then not everyone will make that choice. Politics ain’t gonna get’r done; neither is commerce, religion, or regulation. The only true power in this world is the love of God in us, which builds and protects our hearts.

Father in Heaven,

You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You are the Solution and our only Hope. I pray for myself and my friend and for others in the family who frequently get overwhelmed by the stuff that we would find courage and hope in Your love and that we would set about to use our days to share the message of Your love with people who are too deceived into thinking there is some other way to find peace and fulfillment in this life. May we know that we know that we know Your Name – GOD – and then may our lives be lived out accordingly. To Your glory I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.

The Divine Mystery Shopper

8.13.2010

John 15:2 2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ESV

There is a divine expectation that the believer bears fruit; that is what he’s created for in Christ, to bear fruit. The fruit he’s to bear looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5.23) the fruit he bears is fellowship, obedience, steadfastness, endurance, and community. The fruit he bears is what the world is starving for and does not often see. The fruit he bears is the fruit that nourishes and sustains souls in a world that is bleak and black, and bound for destruction. God is looking to give fruit to the world so that people may live to know Him.

So God takes a divinely keen interest in our lives as we profess to know Him and as we live out our lives before Him. God is like the Divine Mystery Shopper who looks at our lives and sees if we do what we say we do. And when He sees little or no fruit, He takes divine action in our circumstances to see to it that we do what we say we do. And sometimes, like ancient Israel, He cuts off persistent fruitlessness because He won’t waste His divine energy on persistent fruitlessness. God is looking for lasting fruit that will make a lasting difference.

And the ONLY WAY I can bear fruit is to live with Him – always. I must live with Him at work and in leisure. I must live with Him in peace and confrontation. I must attend to His word and serve others. My life – in order to bear fruit – must be all about Him – period. Too narrow, maybe. Too strict, maybe. Either way, it sure beats being cut off…

Father in Heaven,

You know that when I read John 15 I decide that I am going to bear more fruit – but Father, I can only do that as I abide in You; and I ask You to help me, empower me, and assist me, to do just that. May my life bear the fruit You choose and may I surrender my time (which is really the only resource I have) to You, for Your glory and the benefit of those around me – in Christ, amen.

Loving is Doing

8.12.2010

John 14:31 "...but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." ESV

He will never steer me wrong; He will never lead me in a false direction. He will always lead me right to where I’m supposed to be and He will always direct me to do exactly as I am to do. That is God and that is His way. The upshot of all this is that people will ‘see’ that He is and that I love Him.

Following God may not look logical or, to us, even correct. But people are looking for what’s best for them. It may not be the best, but it’s the best for them. That’s where the rub comes in because God wants the best for us and knows the best for us but often His best (which is the best) is at odds with our own selfishness. But over and above what is best is the visible love for God that is shown when one obeys Him. It really doesn’t matter whether people love God or not; what really matters is that I demonstrate my love for God by doing as He has commanded me. That’s what’s important.

God desires that all men come to know Him and obey Him but He’s not so naïve as to believe that they will all do it – that’s why Jesus came to show us how it’s done. What’s important is to see the love Jesus had for the Father in doing all that He commanded and that love is to be evident in me by my obedience to God. Therefore I must say ‘no’ to everything in me that is opposed to God.

Father in Heaven,

Like attempting to get into shape, obeying You is a practice that I must practice every moment of every day of my brief life. And what is important is that You get the glory, and others see that, like Jesus, I love You. Father, may my love for You be demonstrated by all I do and may others see that I love You by doing what You say – I pray in Jesus’ Name, amen.