Treasure in Your Sacks

1/17/2017

Genesis 43.23 “It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in you sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out.

It’s not what the servant did, it’s what they thought God did. Now, miracles come in all kinds, shapes, and sizes but one thing always remains the same: God’s love for His people.

Joseph’s brothers were in a strange place. Things were happening to them that were beyond their control. They went to Egypt because their father Jacob had sent them. They left Simeon behind because the governor of Egypt demanded that they would. And the silver in their sacks had been put back in them because Joseph told his servants to do it without his brothers knowing it. Things were happening that they couldn’t explain and they had no control over.

I think God deals with us that way; things happen to us that are beyond our control and God says, trust Me. Joseph’s brothers had grown quite content doing things all by themselves and on their own. But that wasn’t God’s heart for them – God wanted them humble and submissive. I think God desires the same for you and me.

The silver was in their sacks and they had no idea how it had got there. When they asked, the servant said, “I already have your silver, God must’ve done that for you. God must’ve put the silver in your sacks.” I think God was trying to get their attention: I am in control of this: not you.

I look at my own circumstances and I see that I too, have no control over things like the weather; or my clients and what they think is important. Their time is their time. I have no control, ah, but I do have the grace to pray. I heard a man say, that mercy is not getting what I deserve; and grace is getting what I don't deserve. I had to stop and think about that.

God was not toying with these men; He was demonstrating His grace and mercy to them. He had called them. He had made promises to their ancestors, and He wasn’t about to leave them in the lurch…but they, like us, had to learn that.

Like many, I could use some treasure in my sack today, but I’d rather make do without and learn the lessons God is teaching me than take the silver and run from His mercy and grace.

Father in Heaven, Thank You for Your promises. Thank You for Joseph – Your chosen instrument to bring mercy and grace to those who’d perhaps, forgotten that You always have promised to take care of Your own. Thank You that You haven’t forgotten about Your own and as the Psalmist said in Psalm 5: In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Amen

What It Takes

1/16/2017

Luke 16.27-31 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” – St. Luke

In a curious dialog in Luke 16, is the narrative of a rich man and Abraham. Now, of course this is a parable of sorts and Jesus used these words because He knew what the Jews thought of Abraham. The curious part is He used the name, Lazarus to describe the third person in the narrative.  Lazarus is the name of the guy He raised from the dead in John 11.

The man, Lazarus is a beggar who is laid by the front gate of the rich man’s house. Lazarus is wretchedly poor and sickly (body sores), and the rich man ignores him. And so, one day, Lazarus dies. Remarkably, at about the same time, the rich man dies as well. In his death the rich man sees Lazarus being taken to Abraham’s side where he is cared for, and the rich man (from hell) he can view Abraham and Lazarus.

After some discussion, the rich man sees his fate is sealed and he appeals to Abraham, “…send Lazarus to my family…let him warn them so that they won’t have to come to this place of torment”. And Abraham replies: They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. And here is where the story gets really interesting: the rich man says, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ In other words, Lazarus, rising/returning from the dead will be enough to convince them. Abraham says, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

Funny, the real Lazarus came back from the dead and all that got him was a death warrant by the religious leaders to kill him. The very religious leaders who cited “Moses, and the Prophets”. My question is: what will it take for men to believe? What it takes is faith, not stupendous miracles.

What it takes is a perspective that sees, in this life, there has to be something more; something else. Our lives, while varied and remarkable, all boil down to the same thing: Do we believe and seek God?

Just after September 11, 2001 there was a dramatic rise in church attendance throughout the United States. But by the first part of the following year, attendance had slipped to less that it was before the terrorist attack on September 11. It won’t take a miracle, it won’t take a tragedy; it only takes faith.

Church attendance isn’t the goal – faith is. In every area of life, I am faced with faith. And my faith, while (perhaps) incomprehensible to some, is completely acceptable to God. I don’t need miracles, I don’t need tragedies, I need God and I need Him today. So, I look to Him in faith, and seek His interaction in my life. All it takes is faith.

Father God, thank You for the gift of faith. I don’t have to explain it, all I have to do is live in it. Help me in my walk today, for You are the faithful God. Ame

Shameless Audacity

1/11/2017

Luke 11.8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. – Jesus

Sometimes, even a friend can push the limits; sometimes a friend can be a downright pain in the… There is a proverb that says, “Blessing you neighbor loudly in the middle of the night will be taken as a curse!” (Proverbs 27.14) Not only is blessing important, but the administration of such blessing is important as well.

I can imagine the friend demanding: Do you know what time it is!? I can imagine him grumbling and murmuring, rattling around in the kitchen to find the bread, oh, and the jam (or ham), pickles, olives, and mayo; and now that he’s gone this far, he also reaches for the milk. Sheesh! But after a day or two all is well and he asks the asker, so did everything go okay?  What are friends for?

Well, friends are for friends, and audacity (as the verse sells itself) is sometimes what is needed to move things forward and get things done.

There is a time and place for audacity and I’m thinking it works better with friends than it does with strangers – that is, unless, the audacity is for the benefit of said strangers. Audacity is a tall order and knowing one’s audience is important for audacity to have its way. The one who is audaciously visited by another, and finds there are no Graham Crackers in the cupboard, nor milk in the fridge is looking for a way to be hospitable and therefore springs audaciously into action knowing the apologies will come later.

Audacity is risk taking. I think Jesus is asking us to be audacious with God in our asking. Whatever our need, God knows we are where we are and why we are, so there’s no sense in trying to cover it up with a thin coat of paint: just ask! And ask because regardless of the response, there should be an expectation that something is going to happen for everyone’s benefit. That’s audacity.

God is not offended by our audacity – He’s probably more concerned that we’re not audacious enough. I often think, God just wants to see what it is we’re made of and what we’ll do with our faith. Are we willing, perceiving ourselves as beggars and peons, to summon the faith to proclaim ourselves, as the children of God we are, and go to God with our requests no matter how big or small? Audacity is needed.

That I think is what is truly meant by the audacity of Hope. Hope isn’t wishful thinking, hope is action based on a belief that God is who He is, and He does as He says. Do I have faith audacious enough to believe that? The friend had hope – a fixed belief – his needs would be met. He went not believing that his friend could, but that he would...

Father, fill me with audacity today to do what is expected of me and to be fearless in asking You for the things I need – even if it’s my own fault for needing them. You are God, and I believe You care more about my coming to the throne of Grace than You do of my asking for Your help. Perhaps Lord, today, my audacity is just what is needed. Amen

Become Being

1/10/2017

Luke 10.37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” – St. Luke

This exchange between Jesus and a Jewish lawyer Luke 10, comes at the end of a discussion between the two after the lawyer asked Jesus, What must I do to inherit eternal life? The man had asked Jesus to define what a neighbor was and Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan.

A couple things: the lawyer wanted to know what to do. The lawyer wanted to know who a neighbor was. Jesus helped him by pointing back to a principle He had shared in Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the merciful because they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5.7) One doesn’t do merciful but one can be merciful. Neighbors need mercy – especially the ones that irritate us…

The Jews were always stumbling over what to do rather than who to be. Mercy is the outgrowth of a heart of mercy. Mercy is giving someone, not what they deserve, but what they don’t deserve. Mercy gives someone second chances in the hope that they too will become merciful. We don’t do mercy; we are merciful.

So, the lawyer was confronted with the condition of his heart; and that is always what God is looking at when it comes to showing His mercy to mankind: what’s the condition of your own heart; as I have been merciful to you, are you merciful to others?

Back in Micah 6. Are these words:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly with your God.

Mercy plays a huge part in our relationship with God because mercy demonstrates our consideration of our fellow man. Capital One asks, What’s in your wallet? God asks, What’s in your heart?

To the merciful there will be shown mercy.

And in our lives, it is not a matter of do, or accomplishment; it is a matter of be, or personality. Who are we? What naturally comes out of our heart? Do we have a heart of mercy, or do we make our enemy live up to his own rules? (Alinsky #4)

Now then, a heart of mercy is a heart that knows God and understands (or is grateful for) His mercy. A heart that knows God and lives according to God’s ways is a heart that inherits eternal life. One cannot do eternal; one must be eternal, and to be eternal one must be God’s own child.

Father, there are so many rules – what to do, how to do, what not to do. These things are the result of the human production mentality. You don’t ask me to do, You ask me to be. Lord, guide me this day to be. Guide me this day to treat others as I want to be treated and to help them transcend doing and become being. Amen

Act Accordingly

1/7/2017

Genesis 18.14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” – God

The ancient Book of Genesis is full of life and all that comes with it; Abraham experienced that. One day while he was minding his own business, three visitors showed up, and it spun Abraham into action. (Obviously these three appeared different, and Abraham was astute enough to see that these three weren’t the usual suspects he ran across in his part of the world.) Abraham was hospitable and gracious. He recognized difference when he saw it.

Now, the interesting part, is one of the visitors, apparently the leader, said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” (V. 10) Abraham, who was used to talking with God, probably knew these three were other-worldly. He probably realized that there was more to the visit than the weather and who was going to win the NCAA National Championship game. (By the way, the weather here is colder than blue blazes, and I think someone is going to win the game.)

Now, Sarah was listening from inside the tent and she laughed, Yeah, right! Oft times our attitude toward things is revealed in what we say and how we act about those things. Sarah had been told she was going to have a child and it hadn’t happened according to her timetable, and I suspect she’d gotten a bit cynical about it. Her laugh was that of bitter cynicism.

Now, the other thing to remember, is that our attitude toward things, is visible and audible to others. What we say and how we act toward things is noticeable to others. I’m not really sure what Sarah’s attitude was toward the visitors but it might’ve been along the line of “Now what!?” And when one of them said she was going to have a baby the following year, she laughed, but there was no humor…

How we act and what we say reveals a lot about how we feel about God. In many ways, we are just like Sarah: God, You said, and lots of time has passed, and ain’t nuthin’s happ’nin! What’s going on!? Our faith needs some adjusting. I always wonder just what went through Sarah’s mind the day she discovered she was, heavy with child… I wonder what she thought every time she and Abraham set out to make a baby… Is this the one?

Our attitude toward God’s promises needs to be carefully guarded against our limited timeline and expectation. Either God is going to come through and He’s not in a hurry, therefore we needn’t be either; or He’s not going to come through at all, and our faith is vanity toward an impotent, uncaring God. We really need to be careful what we think and how we think…and how we act.

I am asking God for a particular thing and He is asking me to wait. The other day I reminded Him of what He did for the widow of Nain in raising her boy from the dead; and I just happened to read that today I  Luke’s gospel. God reminded me: Nothing is too hard for the Lord. I just need to believe that, and say, and act, accordingly…

Father God, You are always faithful and nothing is too hard for You. I will say with my mouth and believe in my heart that is true. And I will seek to help others believe that as well. Thank You for what You are doing and how You are providing for me and countless others, because You are God! Amen

Stay

1/4/2017

Luke 4.42-43 42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

At the end of His earthly ministry Jesus told His men He was leaving. They were bummed out over the news. He reassured them that when He left, He would leave His Spirit with them, but I’m not real sure if they understood what that meant. The lesson is a lesson of faith. They wanted: Stay Jesus stay! He said, I will; but just not in the way you think…

Jesus did ascend. He left them physically, but He said He stay with them by His Spirit. He left, but He stayed. Jesus did what He said and His Spirit is here ever since.

The people in Luke’s gospel were looking for someone to care for them and meet their needs. Funny, that is the very business God is in. Those people in Luke, wanted someone to be their benevolent king. They weren’t looking for a Savior they were looking for a welfare check. And an endless one at that. No work, just preaching, teaching, and partying. Sounds like a cool gig. Sounds like a lot of people in church…

Our lives were not made for ease, we were made for work. Now that’s not that we were made to be machines, but we were made to work and produce and conduct ourselves in this world in a manner befitting our calling and our God. We were made for work and we were made for worship, but we confuse the two. We worship when we should be working and we work when we should be humble at God’s feet.

I think the Father prefers we worship in our work, and we work at our worship. I think life would be easier if we could keep the two in proper perspective, but not mutually exclusive. Jesus came to set us free, not to build dependency: He does all the work, and we party.

Yes, we are to be dependent upon Him (apart from Him we can do nothing) but we are also to do our part and that is cooperate with Him. Cooperating with Jesus is both work and worship. I don’t need another Jesus-led feeding of the five thousand, what I need is Jesus, in me, leading me to do the same; trusting He is with me and in me, and expressing His heart of love to others through me. When people look at me they ought to see Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t sent as a babysitter to a small group of people; He was sent as a Savior to all people. And He was sent as an Equipper to all who would receive Him. And He was sent as a Freer teaching all of us, that in all we do, He is with us. And that ought to be evident to others around us.

Lord Jesus, it’s not about me. Help me to quit thinking that way and learn to cooperate with You in what You are doing in the whole wide world, not just my little sphere. Like You Lord, may I know why I was sent, and then may I go and do because I am sent. In You, with You, and for You, amen

How

1/1/2017

Luke 1.18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” – St. Luke

How is a big question; I’d say it’s only dwarfed by why. (Just listen to a 3-year old…) But in the story told by Luke about Zechariah the priest, ‘how’ is the question; how can what you are saying to me be true!? I’m an old man! Zech, we got it, you’re an old man, but you’re also a priest, and you’ve just been visited by an angel. You’re supposed to believe because, as a leader, you’ve just heard from God’s emissary…)

Mary, some eight verses later, was approached by the same angel. Mary, you’re going to have a baby! “How can this be, I’m a virgin!?” God’s spirit is going to overshadow you and you will become pregnant by the Author of life! Whatever…

The difference in how, is Mary was just a peasant girl. Mary was not faithless, but she was just a peasant, girl, an unknown: faceless in the crowd. Peasants aren’t unimportant to God, it’s just that they’re culturally less believable than God’s chosen leaders – priests, like Zechariah. It’s not supposed to work that way, but in society, peasants don’t hold as much verbal clout as priests. Mary believed; Zechariah didn’t.

Zechariah got what was promised (and I think it was more because of his wife than him) despite his reluctance to accept his angelic visit. How does one get messages from God anyway? Is there a special way God is supposed to show up? You’d think an angel showing up in church would get some attention. And you would think an angel showing up in church and talking to the pastor would get some more attention – it’s the way we think: the leaders always get the good stuff…

God isn’t intimidated by pastors, priests, politicians, or the popular. Those who come to God must believe that He is and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11). But God will also do what He says He will do. God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: [has] he said, and shall he not do it? or [has] he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23.19 KJV)

Zechariah, perhaps, had become cynical. Ministry can do that. Mary on the other hand, minding her own business, had found grace. And in that grace, she later found her espoused, Joseph, was looking into divorce. God calls us to believe whether anyone else does or not…

And what am I supposed to believe God for? His presence, His power, His passion, and patience for me as His creature. When God speaks, I am to listen, and obey; no matter. That’s what I am trying to do…

Father, in all that I am asking you for, may I listen for the answer like an old man wishing for a son, or the young peasant-girl who found out she garnered Your favor. May I be quick to listen, quick to believe, and quick to obey the things You say to me, and the things You tell me to do. It’s not the how, it’s not the why; it’s I need You God! Amen