Psalm 119 is an amazing Psalm with certain themes repeating themselves over and over. One of the themes is the wonder of the law and our need for salvation. Verses 129 - 136 are the section titled "Pe". It begins "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul observes them." and it ends "My eyes shed streams of water because they do not keep Your law."
This is such wonderful clarity to the soul saved by grace. We want to do love the Lord and do all He has commanded us and yet we mourn our sin, knowing that we fall so short of His standard. God is making us into new creations, yet the old seems lurking just under the surface, ready to spring out and cause our feet to falter at any moment. I can think of no better example of our fallen condition than our own children. They start out babies, innocent and pure. Yet, as soon as they know what we want, they begin testing boundaries and the punishment phase begins. We use correction to teach right behavior - to try to train them to know the difference between right and wrong. Proverbs 22:15 says "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him." and in verse 6 "Train up a child n the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." But scripture also teaches us that the goal for each of us is not a checkbox of rules, but a heart condition. Micah 6:8 says "He has shown you oh man what is good and what the Lord requires of you; but to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." True obedience stems from the heart, not the hand. Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have heglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." (Matt 23:23)
Selecting certain rules to follow with the up most of discipline is not the same as loving the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind. The one who love the Lord that way actually sees how fallen they are and how grateful they are for God's grace. The true experience of salvation is infinitely humbling and freeing all at the same time. I am perfectly saved and loved - so I am confident in my identity as a child of God and do not have to beat myself up over every little mistake and shortcoming in my life. I am perfectly saved and loved - so I know this is nothing I received on my own, but a gift and I cannot be proud and look down on others - we are all sinners pleading for mercy.
True salvation causes us to want to obey - we want to please the one who saved us and we know that we cannot save ourselves. I'm not trying to be good to earn my salvation - I try to be holy because God saved me.
My kids have really been pushing the limits in some areas and my husband and I found ourselves at a loss. Punishment wasn't seeming to help. These kids that could seem so great at times could also seem like they never heard a word we said. I was becoming more and more frustrated, drawing up new extreme punishments in my mind (like selling their Wii and giving away every TV in the house). But I didn't do that. For one, I knew it was extreme, but I also knew that my issue was not with Tv and video games. I wanted to see a heart in them that desired to obey. Am I any different before God? Do I not have areas of constant struggle, failing again and again and going back to God in confession? Do I not echo the Psalmist both stating my love for the law and crying tears lamenting my sin?
So my next step was not more severe punishment, but a long conversation with them about sin and forgiveness and grace. We discussed scripture together and talked about what our goals for them were, as children growing up in their own faith. I told them that this time, their sin had a consequence, but not for them. Their sin caused great sadness for David and I and for the Lord. And we talked about the price Jesus paid to bring salvation to us all.
For believers, we sin much like the Pharisees. We know all the major "Thou shall" and "Thou shall not", but our heart still rebels, revealing anger, pride, doubt and selfishness. I want my children to learn to have a heart that follows Jesus, not just a set of rules. And I'm still learning how to do that myself.
This blog is titled "I Need a Savior", because the more I learn about the Lord, the more I see how far I am from following His will. And the more I see the difference between my sin and His glory, the more beautiful the cross of Christ becomes. Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou, my God, would die for me!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
7 times 7 - Remember me
After nearly two weeks, since my last post, I am happy to report that the Word is speaking and I no longer feel deaf to it. After being so moved months ago by this passage, it had seemed cold and distant - depressing and hopeless. I was moving through the Psalms, reading this passage as it recounted much of Numbers and studying Deuteronomy and the whole world just seemed lost in rebellion and despair. If God's people were in such a state, what hope did we have for a fallen world? But this morning I heard a sweet word of hope, a promise of faithfulness and a source of provision which pointed me back to the over-arching theme that had filled me with such joy the first time I read this passage. To summarize in one word - remember.
As I have been finishing Deuteronomy, I approached the death of Moses, where God speaks to him explaining the upcoming fall of Israel. God tells Moses that the people of Israel will forget the Lord and follow the idols of the neighboring lands and reject the word Moses had so faithfully preached. They would lose the promise land to opposing kingdoms as they suffered the consequence of their sin and rejection of God. This probably wasn't hard for Moses to imagine, given the great number of times the people had rejected God and Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. But I always felt bad for Moses. His life work was a waste. He brought a nation to the promise land and God's word to him before he dies basically tells him that everything he tried to teach the nation of Israel will be forgotten. How depressing!
But then you read past this final word God speaks to Moses and you see the final word Moses speaks to Israel - he blesses them. Immediately before his death in Deut 33, Moses blesses each tribe with peace, prosperity and great power. How could he say this knowing their fate? Because Moses knew something greater than the sin of Israel - he knew the great faithfulness of God.
Moses did not need to rely on the people being obedient and remembering all he had taught them. They would forget, they would sin and they would fall away. But God is God forever. Moses says "There is none like the God of Israel, who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty...Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty." (Deut 33:26,29)
Psalm 106 ends with the same theme Moses ends his blessing - by turning from the wayward hearts of men to the faithfulness of God. "Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake ad relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors." (vs 44-46)
What is the answer to the pain and despair we feel when we see the fallen world or our own fallen hearts? What do we do when we hear the whisper of the enemy telling us again how we have failed? Where do we go when we know that everything we offer is still not enough?
We remember - we remember that we are saved by grace, not by our own deeds (Eph2:8). We remember that we are a chosen people - and God Himself chose us (1 Pet 2:9-10). We remember that we can overcome what we experience in this world, because we are from God and the One in us is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4). We remember that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place, to offer us eternal life (John 3:16) We remember His word - His eternal and perfect Word, which revives us, no matter what our affliction. (Psalm 119:89-94)
We remember the weight of the world is not on our shoulders - but we rest securely in His hands. Ephesians 6 teaches us that to stand firm in this world, overcoming both trials and temptation and the schemes of the devil himself, we are to put on the armor of God. We don't defend ourselves by trying harder or doing better. We wrap ourselves up in the Lord. His Word is our defense. (Eph 6:10-17)
When Jesus is tempted in the desert, his answer to Satan is simple "it is written". Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, does not crush the devil in the might of His power (even though he does 3 years later when he conquers sin and death and hell). Jesus doesn't call on the heavenly host, although they were His to command, as we read in Matt 26:53. Jesus chooses to use the most powerful weapon under all of heaven and earth - the Word. Jesus speaks "it is written" and the devil leaves Him.
Our salvation is based on the grace of God alone - but the Lord does not leave us ill-equipped to face the world in these trying times. We have the same power Jesus used - we have the Word. We are called to remember His word and abide in His word.
Paul writes amazing words to the people in Corinth saying "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed....Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:7-8, 16-18)
We have all we need to overcome in this life and praise the Lord, it isn't on us! It is His word - which He has graciously given to us. Soak in it, abide in it, meditate on it, delight in it - this is our gift - this is our defense - this is our joy - this is our strength.
As I have been finishing Deuteronomy, I approached the death of Moses, where God speaks to him explaining the upcoming fall of Israel. God tells Moses that the people of Israel will forget the Lord and follow the idols of the neighboring lands and reject the word Moses had so faithfully preached. They would lose the promise land to opposing kingdoms as they suffered the consequence of their sin and rejection of God. This probably wasn't hard for Moses to imagine, given the great number of times the people had rejected God and Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. But I always felt bad for Moses. His life work was a waste. He brought a nation to the promise land and God's word to him before he dies basically tells him that everything he tried to teach the nation of Israel will be forgotten. How depressing!
But then you read past this final word God speaks to Moses and you see the final word Moses speaks to Israel - he blesses them. Immediately before his death in Deut 33, Moses blesses each tribe with peace, prosperity and great power. How could he say this knowing their fate? Because Moses knew something greater than the sin of Israel - he knew the great faithfulness of God.
Moses did not need to rely on the people being obedient and remembering all he had taught them. They would forget, they would sin and they would fall away. But God is God forever. Moses says "There is none like the God of Israel, who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty...Blessed are you, O Israel; who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty." (Deut 33:26,29)
Psalm 106 ends with the same theme Moses ends his blessing - by turning from the wayward hearts of men to the faithfulness of God. "Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake ad relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors." (vs 44-46)
What is the answer to the pain and despair we feel when we see the fallen world or our own fallen hearts? What do we do when we hear the whisper of the enemy telling us again how we have failed? Where do we go when we know that everything we offer is still not enough?
We remember - we remember that we are saved by grace, not by our own deeds (Eph2:8). We remember that we are a chosen people - and God Himself chose us (1 Pet 2:9-10). We remember that we can overcome what we experience in this world, because we are from God and the One in us is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4). We remember that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in our place, to offer us eternal life (John 3:16) We remember His word - His eternal and perfect Word, which revives us, no matter what our affliction. (Psalm 119:89-94)
We remember the weight of the world is not on our shoulders - but we rest securely in His hands. Ephesians 6 teaches us that to stand firm in this world, overcoming both trials and temptation and the schemes of the devil himself, we are to put on the armor of God. We don't defend ourselves by trying harder or doing better. We wrap ourselves up in the Lord. His Word is our defense. (Eph 6:10-17)
When Jesus is tempted in the desert, his answer to Satan is simple "it is written". Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, does not crush the devil in the might of His power (even though he does 3 years later when he conquers sin and death and hell). Jesus doesn't call on the heavenly host, although they were His to command, as we read in Matt 26:53. Jesus chooses to use the most powerful weapon under all of heaven and earth - the Word. Jesus speaks "it is written" and the devil leaves Him.
Our salvation is based on the grace of God alone - but the Lord does not leave us ill-equipped to face the world in these trying times. We have the same power Jesus used - we have the Word. We are called to remember His word and abide in His word.
Paul writes amazing words to the people in Corinth saying "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed....Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:7-8, 16-18)
We have all we need to overcome in this life and praise the Lord, it isn't on us! It is His word - which He has graciously given to us. Soak in it, abide in it, meditate on it, delight in it - this is our gift - this is our defense - this is our joy - this is our strength.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
7 times 7 - the hardship of holiness
Psalm 106:32-33 "They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, so that it went hard with Moses on their account; because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips."
This refers to one of the most difficult passages for me, because I still see the Christian walk as a works based-merit driven path. Honestly, I respond very well to affirmations that are tangible (a star on my chart, a certificate of appreciation, a gift of love, etc) and works are very tangible. I can do well on something and then see the fruit of my work. While I may speak of the glorious riches of grace, in my heart I constantly question "am I doing it right?" or "am I doing enough?". I look to the very end of scripture in Revelation where it says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Rev 22:12) and I think "see - what they have done - it is based on works." But we know that isn't true. Just a few verses down we see the beautiful invitation "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come'. And let the one who hears say, 'Come'. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes to take the water of life without cost." (Rev 22:17)
Obedience is step 2 - the response of a heart who has experienced the grace and love of their Lord and Savior. Step 1 is accepting the grace of God in faith. Step 1 receives the gift with open, empty hands. Step 1 is to come.
Coming to the Lord empty handed does not mean we put down our good works, but rather put down our pride. See, our pride is what fools us into thinking that our works are any good at all. Romans 8 says that we were in bondage to sin and that our flesh is hostile to God - incapable of following the law. Hebrews 11 also states that without faith it is impossible to please God. It is easy for us to think about God rejecting us for our sin, but much harder to imagine God rejecting what we think are our good works. And yet the first step in approaching God is the humility to see we have nothing to bring. We are empty vessels, asking to be filled with His grace.
So back to Moses - in Numbers 20, at the waters of Meribah, Israel is once again complaining that they should have stayed in wonderful Egypt where everything was great instead of being dragged out into the wilderness to die. As we have seen, this seems to be the only thing they think about as they wander and anyone could understand Moses getting a little fed up with them. God commands Moses and Aaron to "speak to the rock before their very eyes, that it may yield its water" (Numbers 20:8) Moses stands up and says "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" and then he strikes the rock twice with Aaron's rod. Now way back in Exodus 17, the people got mad at Moses for bringing them out of Egypt to die without any water (sound familiar?) and so God commands Moses to stand on the rock at Horeb and strike it with his staff, so water comes from the rock for the people and their livestock. Moses had followed God's command before in bringing the water from the rock by striking it, so what changed?
Back in Numbers 20:12 God says to Moses and Aaron "Because you have not believed Me, to treat me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." And that was that. The years of wandering the desert, the parting the Red Sea, the confrontations with Pharaoh and every other act of obedience was now gone. The gift of the promise land was no longer theirs. Pretty harsh, right?
But this is the basic problem of sin. We are all sinful, but we don't really view our sin as a problem. We feel that the scales are balanced when our good deeds outweigh the bad. If you flip to Deuteronomy 34, when Moses dies, you find what I consider to be one of the most moving passages in all of Scripture. God tenderly takes Moses up to the top of a mountain to see the promises land, right before the people enter under Joshua's leadership. Moses dies there, 120 years old, a man still strong, despite the age and hard life. Scripture records "Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Mose, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel." (Deut. 34:10-12)
Moses was used by God to do amazing things. Moses faithful obedience gave him an audience with God that no other man would ever understand. He saw the glory of God from the cliff in the mountain. He spoke to God face to face. He had intimate communication with the Holy Lord and lived. Yet, he was just a man. A sinful man, whose pride and anger got the best of him. In Meribah, he forgot his role of obeying the Lord, exactly as commanded, for the glory of God. Instead he calls the people rebels and strikes the rock.
All of us need the grace of God. All of us need the blood of Christ to forgive our sins. Moses made the tabernacle just as God commanded, but Jesus is the Temple. Moses led the people to the promise land, but Jesus has prepared our heavenly home. The people of Israel hardened their hearts again and again, dying by plague and by fire and falling in the wilderness. Jesus takes our hearts of stone and causes us to be born again of the Spirit.
This is the hardship of holiness - we are called to be holy as God is holy (Matt 5:48, Lev 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16). But we are not holy or righteous. We cannot stand before God on our own merit. We are called to approach the Lord empty handed and ask for His grace. He invites us to come.
I struggle with this story of Moses because it reveals too much of my own heart. While I know I am completely dependent on grace, I still want to believe that I bring something to the table. That God chose me because I had value on my own. But there is a greater gift to be received. To know that God chose me because He loved me - not because I deserve it. And if I can't earn it - then I can't lose it either. God isn't going to change His mind. He won't see an example of my sin and say "Oh, I didn't see how angry you can get - oops, my bad, you aren't really saved after all." He won't say "wow, that was your last chance to get it right. Sorry, but no more heaven for you." Instead He is patiently forgiving me, disciplining me and calling me back to the throne of grace - inviting me to confess my sin and then removing my sin as far as the east is from the west. Until I reach glory, I will fall, I will fail and I will wander. But praise be to God - He made a way for me to come to the table in Jesus Christ.
I still bring imperfect offerings of my attempts at obedience - but when I offer them with a humble heart, as a love offering and response of my gratitude for His salvation, He graciously accepts my gifts and encourages me in His love. Like when my daughter brings me a fistful of dandelions, I smile and hug her tightly and tell her they are beautiful and put them in a vase. They are not roses, but they are an offering of love.
God delights in our humbled and thankful hearts. He chose you because He loves you. Leave the scales behind - they will never balance in your favor.
Instead accept His invitation, "Come".
This refers to one of the most difficult passages for me, because I still see the Christian walk as a works based-merit driven path. Honestly, I respond very well to affirmations that are tangible (a star on my chart, a certificate of appreciation, a gift of love, etc) and works are very tangible. I can do well on something and then see the fruit of my work. While I may speak of the glorious riches of grace, in my heart I constantly question "am I doing it right?" or "am I doing enough?". I look to the very end of scripture in Revelation where it says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Rev 22:12) and I think "see - what they have done - it is based on works." But we know that isn't true. Just a few verses down we see the beautiful invitation "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come'. And let the one who hears say, 'Come'. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes to take the water of life without cost." (Rev 22:17)
Obedience is step 2 - the response of a heart who has experienced the grace and love of their Lord and Savior. Step 1 is accepting the grace of God in faith. Step 1 receives the gift with open, empty hands. Step 1 is to come.
Coming to the Lord empty handed does not mean we put down our good works, but rather put down our pride. See, our pride is what fools us into thinking that our works are any good at all. Romans 8 says that we were in bondage to sin and that our flesh is hostile to God - incapable of following the law. Hebrews 11 also states that without faith it is impossible to please God. It is easy for us to think about God rejecting us for our sin, but much harder to imagine God rejecting what we think are our good works. And yet the first step in approaching God is the humility to see we have nothing to bring. We are empty vessels, asking to be filled with His grace.
So back to Moses - in Numbers 20, at the waters of Meribah, Israel is once again complaining that they should have stayed in wonderful Egypt where everything was great instead of being dragged out into the wilderness to die. As we have seen, this seems to be the only thing they think about as they wander and anyone could understand Moses getting a little fed up with them. God commands Moses and Aaron to "speak to the rock before their very eyes, that it may yield its water" (Numbers 20:8) Moses stands up and says "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" and then he strikes the rock twice with Aaron's rod. Now way back in Exodus 17, the people got mad at Moses for bringing them out of Egypt to die without any water (sound familiar?) and so God commands Moses to stand on the rock at Horeb and strike it with his staff, so water comes from the rock for the people and their livestock. Moses had followed God's command before in bringing the water from the rock by striking it, so what changed?
Back in Numbers 20:12 God says to Moses and Aaron "Because you have not believed Me, to treat me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." And that was that. The years of wandering the desert, the parting the Red Sea, the confrontations with Pharaoh and every other act of obedience was now gone. The gift of the promise land was no longer theirs. Pretty harsh, right?
But this is the basic problem of sin. We are all sinful, but we don't really view our sin as a problem. We feel that the scales are balanced when our good deeds outweigh the bad. If you flip to Deuteronomy 34, when Moses dies, you find what I consider to be one of the most moving passages in all of Scripture. God tenderly takes Moses up to the top of a mountain to see the promises land, right before the people enter under Joshua's leadership. Moses dies there, 120 years old, a man still strong, despite the age and hard life. Scripture records "Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Mose, whom the Lord knew face to face, for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, and for all the mighty power for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel." (Deut. 34:10-12)
Moses was used by God to do amazing things. Moses faithful obedience gave him an audience with God that no other man would ever understand. He saw the glory of God from the cliff in the mountain. He spoke to God face to face. He had intimate communication with the Holy Lord and lived. Yet, he was just a man. A sinful man, whose pride and anger got the best of him. In Meribah, he forgot his role of obeying the Lord, exactly as commanded, for the glory of God. Instead he calls the people rebels and strikes the rock.
All of us need the grace of God. All of us need the blood of Christ to forgive our sins. Moses made the tabernacle just as God commanded, but Jesus is the Temple. Moses led the people to the promise land, but Jesus has prepared our heavenly home. The people of Israel hardened their hearts again and again, dying by plague and by fire and falling in the wilderness. Jesus takes our hearts of stone and causes us to be born again of the Spirit.
This is the hardship of holiness - we are called to be holy as God is holy (Matt 5:48, Lev 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16). But we are not holy or righteous. We cannot stand before God on our own merit. We are called to approach the Lord empty handed and ask for His grace. He invites us to come.
I struggle with this story of Moses because it reveals too much of my own heart. While I know I am completely dependent on grace, I still want to believe that I bring something to the table. That God chose me because I had value on my own. But there is a greater gift to be received. To know that God chose me because He loved me - not because I deserve it. And if I can't earn it - then I can't lose it either. God isn't going to change His mind. He won't see an example of my sin and say "Oh, I didn't see how angry you can get - oops, my bad, you aren't really saved after all." He won't say "wow, that was your last chance to get it right. Sorry, but no more heaven for you." Instead He is patiently forgiving me, disciplining me and calling me back to the throne of grace - inviting me to confess my sin and then removing my sin as far as the east is from the west. Until I reach glory, I will fall, I will fail and I will wander. But praise be to God - He made a way for me to come to the table in Jesus Christ.
I still bring imperfect offerings of my attempts at obedience - but when I offer them with a humble heart, as a love offering and response of my gratitude for His salvation, He graciously accepts my gifts and encourages me in His love. Like when my daughter brings me a fistful of dandelions, I smile and hug her tightly and tell her they are beautiful and put them in a vase. They are not roses, but they are an offering of love.
God delights in our humbled and thankful hearts. He chose you because He loves you. Leave the scales behind - they will never balance in your favor.
Instead accept His invitation, "Come".
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
7 times 7 - the right kind of weakness
Psalm 106:28-31 "They joined themselves also to Baal-peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them. The Phinehas stood up and interposed, and so they plague was stayed. And it was reckoned to him for righteousness to all generations forever."
Chapter 25 of Numbers describes the scene recounted above, where the Israelites are taking Midianite women as harlots and then sacrificing the their god "Baal of Peor." The Israelites participate in their worship and bow down to their idols. God commands Moses and the people of Israel to execute all of those who had joined themselves to Baal and Phinehas executes a Israelite man and Midianite woman. God blesses him and makes a covenant with his family as a perpetual priesthood, "because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel." (Num 25:13)
The judgement Phinehas executes is actually considered making atonement, because he is obeying the Lord and has a heart only for Him. It is a small picture of Jesus, our great high priest, who has an eternal priesthood, not just through a family line, but in His eternal life, and "is able to save forever those who draw near through Him, for He always lives to make intercession for them". (Heb 7:25)
Our need for intercession comes from the fundamental issue of our sin. I have become more and more convinced that there is no great enemy to our walk of faith than our own fallen nature inside of us. Jesus cautions His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; for the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt 26:41) Within us is a flesh that continually needs to be put to death, to be surrendered to the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because in our strength we will fail. But our weakness does not surprise or bother the Lord. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power in perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
This is not a call to be weak, but rather to be dependent. We see a continual pattern of the Israelites called to wander, but rather than stay in step with the Lord in dependence, they wander not only physically, but spiritually as well. They become distracted by their circumstance, own desires for comfort, and the disconnect between their will and God's will for them. They worship the physical - be it water, meat, or even a tangible idol worship instead of the Almighty God.
We all suffer in this struggle and as saved in the blood of Christ, once for all time, we do not bear the weight of guilt and the stain of sin. Our sins have been wiped clean - even those we have yet to commit. But in humble dependence and obedience to the one who saved us, we are to invite Christ to reign in our hearts. Romans 6 says "Even so, considers yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourself to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (vs 11-14)
We are not under a law, which condemns our wandering heart and wayward flesh - but rather we are under grace which invites us to be led by the hand through the wilderness, dependent on His provision and His perfect plan for us. This is the right kind of weakness - not one which results giving into our urges and temptations, but the weakness who says "God, please help me. I'm not enough in my own strength.
The Psalmist says it well in Psalm 118:5-6 "From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
The Lord is for us - we do not need to fear the things of this earth - even the fallenness of our own hearts. I feel often times like the Lord will save me from the things surrounding me, but what about the heart within? He saves me from myself. That was what happened at Calvary. God said to Cain, before he murdered Abel "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Gen 4:7) Satan's desire is for us to be overwhelmed by our own flesh and fall into sin and despair. God's desire is for us to be surrounded by His love and fall into His protective arms.
Live under the shadow of the cross - be needy for Him - cling to Him - embrace your dependence - for He is gracious and He longs to give us rest for our souls. (Matt 11:28-30)
Chapter 25 of Numbers describes the scene recounted above, where the Israelites are taking Midianite women as harlots and then sacrificing the their god "Baal of Peor." The Israelites participate in their worship and bow down to their idols. God commands Moses and the people of Israel to execute all of those who had joined themselves to Baal and Phinehas executes a Israelite man and Midianite woman. God blesses him and makes a covenant with his family as a perpetual priesthood, "because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel." (Num 25:13)
The judgement Phinehas executes is actually considered making atonement, because he is obeying the Lord and has a heart only for Him. It is a small picture of Jesus, our great high priest, who has an eternal priesthood, not just through a family line, but in His eternal life, and "is able to save forever those who draw near through Him, for He always lives to make intercession for them". (Heb 7:25)
Our need for intercession comes from the fundamental issue of our sin. I have become more and more convinced that there is no great enemy to our walk of faith than our own fallen nature inside of us. Jesus cautions His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; for the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt 26:41) Within us is a flesh that continually needs to be put to death, to be surrendered to the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because in our strength we will fail. But our weakness does not surprise or bother the Lord. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power in perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
This is not a call to be weak, but rather to be dependent. We see a continual pattern of the Israelites called to wander, but rather than stay in step with the Lord in dependence, they wander not only physically, but spiritually as well. They become distracted by their circumstance, own desires for comfort, and the disconnect between their will and God's will for them. They worship the physical - be it water, meat, or even a tangible idol worship instead of the Almighty God.
We all suffer in this struggle and as saved in the blood of Christ, once for all time, we do not bear the weight of guilt and the stain of sin. Our sins have been wiped clean - even those we have yet to commit. But in humble dependence and obedience to the one who saved us, we are to invite Christ to reign in our hearts. Romans 6 says "Even so, considers yourself to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourself to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (vs 11-14)
We are not under a law, which condemns our wandering heart and wayward flesh - but rather we are under grace which invites us to be led by the hand through the wilderness, dependent on His provision and His perfect plan for us. This is the right kind of weakness - not one which results giving into our urges and temptations, but the weakness who says "God, please help me. I'm not enough in my own strength.
The Psalmist says it well in Psalm 118:5-6 "From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"
The Lord is for us - we do not need to fear the things of this earth - even the fallenness of our own hearts. I feel often times like the Lord will save me from the things surrounding me, but what about the heart within? He saves me from myself. That was what happened at Calvary. God said to Cain, before he murdered Abel "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Gen 4:7) Satan's desire is for us to be overwhelmed by our own flesh and fall into sin and despair. God's desire is for us to be surrounded by His love and fall into His protective arms.
Live under the shadow of the cross - be needy for Him - cling to Him - embrace your dependence - for He is gracious and He longs to give us rest for our souls. (Matt 11:28-30)
Thursday, July 18, 2013
7 times 7 - the difference of a life well lived
Psalm 106: 24-27 "Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word, but they grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. Therefore He swore to them that He would cast them down in the wilderness, and that He would cast their seed among the nations and scatter them in the lands."
I went to a funeral this past Tuesday for a very godly man who had gone on to glory. His grandchildren took turns speaking about their memories of growing up with him and then watching him with their children (his great grandkids). The theme was so easy to pick out - here was a godly man who loved his family and invested in deep relationships with each of them. A pastor for 53 years, one might expect to hear that he lived what this world would deem a good life. He was a man of humor and of hobbies. He came from a generation that sat on porches at night so he could talk to each of his neighbors. He gave generously to others, whether he had much or little. But these were not the comments that jumped out at me. His pastor and his grandchildren all said two things that stirred a deep passion in my heart. They said:
"He loved His Lord Jesus more than anything else." and "His greatest desire was to share the Good News with everyone he met."
This man had a great giftedness in athletics and was offered a full scholarship to a major university, filling his life long dream. But before he accepted that scholarship, he felt a call to be a pastor, and went to a small seminary (with no sport programs!) instead. From an early age he felt a distinctive call on who he was and what God wanted him to do and he submitted his life to the Lord's plan.
I have friends that got married two years ago and the night before the ceremony, the bride-to-be was talking to the pastor. She was looking at her future husband across the room with a look of love and the pastor noted how much she loved him. She said, "You know what I love best about him? He loves Jesus even more than he loves me." While she was a fairly young bride, she had already identified the best characteristic a person could have and she rejoiced seeing that in her husband. His identity was first in Christ and that is the single most important aspect of his life. Out of that identity, she was confident that he would love her as Christ calls a husband to love a wife - which is far beyond a love this world can understand.
These two examples are people who have set aside the ideas of the world and claimed the promises of Christ as the most important foundation for their lives. These are people who know that the "good" this world can promise is temporary treasure and meaningless next to the holy, perfect plan God has for us, which extends to all eternity.
The Israelites had been called to be a great nation, holy and set apart for the Lord. He wanted to be in their presence. Right before they enter the promise land God says "You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord an dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel." (Num 35:34)
Does this sound familiar? What happened in Eden? God walked and talked with Adam and Eve, until they rejected His will and sinned. Their punishment - banishment from His presence. (Gen 2 -3) And what is the promise of heaven? Revelation 21:3 says "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them." God's desire is to be with His people and to provide good things for them. But when we reject Him and we get exactly what we ask for - separation from His presence.
When the Israelites grumble against Him and don't believe His word or obey His voice, their punishment is to never enter that land where He wanted to dwell with them. They choose not to follow Him and the result is to wander in the wilderness.
We have choices everyday to choose whether or not we follow the Lord. The world will say our identity should be in things or people or money or power. The world will tell you to worry about your possessions and your bank account. The world will tell you that love doesn't last and the only one you can count on is yourself. But that is not the way of the Lord. The way of the Lord is to have your identity as His child, believing His perfect plan and trusting in His perfect provision.
This pastor trust God to use his athletic gifts somewhere else in life and trusted the call to follow Him beyond what he could see or understand. But how many athletes are injured early in life and have nothing left to call their own? God led him to a life of fullness and blessing, where his legacy was glorifying the name of the Lord and living for Him.
It would be easy to try to find our identity and fullness in love through our spouse or children or grandchildren. But people are just as fallen as we are, and despite their best intentions will let us down, or leave or die. But God wants to be our first love - and He will never leave us or forsake us.
His plan is always for us to have the blessing of His presence and His provision. At the end of all things, that is the mark of a life well lived. The world may see your life as small or poor or a failure - but more likely than that - the world will see a person whose life glowed with the light of the love of Christ. More likely than not, the world will see a grace and peace and love that they cannot understand, but they desperately long for.
Don't wait until it is too late - start living in His blessing today!
I went to a funeral this past Tuesday for a very godly man who had gone on to glory. His grandchildren took turns speaking about their memories of growing up with him and then watching him with their children (his great grandkids). The theme was so easy to pick out - here was a godly man who loved his family and invested in deep relationships with each of them. A pastor for 53 years, one might expect to hear that he lived what this world would deem a good life. He was a man of humor and of hobbies. He came from a generation that sat on porches at night so he could talk to each of his neighbors. He gave generously to others, whether he had much or little. But these were not the comments that jumped out at me. His pastor and his grandchildren all said two things that stirred a deep passion in my heart. They said:
"He loved His Lord Jesus more than anything else." and "His greatest desire was to share the Good News with everyone he met."
This man had a great giftedness in athletics and was offered a full scholarship to a major university, filling his life long dream. But before he accepted that scholarship, he felt a call to be a pastor, and went to a small seminary (with no sport programs!) instead. From an early age he felt a distinctive call on who he was and what God wanted him to do and he submitted his life to the Lord's plan.
I have friends that got married two years ago and the night before the ceremony, the bride-to-be was talking to the pastor. She was looking at her future husband across the room with a look of love and the pastor noted how much she loved him. She said, "You know what I love best about him? He loves Jesus even more than he loves me." While she was a fairly young bride, she had already identified the best characteristic a person could have and she rejoiced seeing that in her husband. His identity was first in Christ and that is the single most important aspect of his life. Out of that identity, she was confident that he would love her as Christ calls a husband to love a wife - which is far beyond a love this world can understand.
These two examples are people who have set aside the ideas of the world and claimed the promises of Christ as the most important foundation for their lives. These are people who know that the "good" this world can promise is temporary treasure and meaningless next to the holy, perfect plan God has for us, which extends to all eternity.
The Israelites had been called to be a great nation, holy and set apart for the Lord. He wanted to be in their presence. Right before they enter the promise land God says "You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord an dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel." (Num 35:34)
Does this sound familiar? What happened in Eden? God walked and talked with Adam and Eve, until they rejected His will and sinned. Their punishment - banishment from His presence. (Gen 2 -3) And what is the promise of heaven? Revelation 21:3 says "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them." God's desire is to be with His people and to provide good things for them. But when we reject Him and we get exactly what we ask for - separation from His presence.
When the Israelites grumble against Him and don't believe His word or obey His voice, their punishment is to never enter that land where He wanted to dwell with them. They choose not to follow Him and the result is to wander in the wilderness.
We have choices everyday to choose whether or not we follow the Lord. The world will say our identity should be in things or people or money or power. The world will tell you to worry about your possessions and your bank account. The world will tell you that love doesn't last and the only one you can count on is yourself. But that is not the way of the Lord. The way of the Lord is to have your identity as His child, believing His perfect plan and trusting in His perfect provision.
This pastor trust God to use his athletic gifts somewhere else in life and trusted the call to follow Him beyond what he could see or understand. But how many athletes are injured early in life and have nothing left to call their own? God led him to a life of fullness and blessing, where his legacy was glorifying the name of the Lord and living for Him.
It would be easy to try to find our identity and fullness in love through our spouse or children or grandchildren. But people are just as fallen as we are, and despite their best intentions will let us down, or leave or die. But God wants to be our first love - and He will never leave us or forsake us.
His plan is always for us to have the blessing of His presence and His provision. At the end of all things, that is the mark of a life well lived. The world may see your life as small or poor or a failure - but more likely than that - the world will see a person whose life glowed with the light of the love of Christ. More likely than not, the world will see a grace and peace and love that they cannot understand, but they desperately long for.
Don't wait until it is too late - start living in His blessing today!
Monday, July 15, 2013
7 times 7 - Most humble
Psalm 106:23 "Therefore, He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them."
This section of Israel's history fascinates me, like none other, because it is one of the clearest examples on what leadership in ministry (and in life) looks like. There is a statement in Numbers 12:3 saying "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.", which could seem not very humble of a thing to say, unless you read the context. Right before this statement, Moses complains to God, stating that he isn't capable of leading this people on his own. Then Miriam speaks against Moses, jealous of the position God has placed him in. Moses intercedes on Miriam's account, when God punishes her. Then we continue to see a pattern of Israel complaining to Moses about the difficulty of the journey and God intends to punish the people and then Moses intercedes on their behalf, even though most of the complaints are against Moses too.
We often complain against the circumstances God has put us in, even when they are a direct result of our own sin and rebellion. God would be completely justified in His anger against us and in His judgement. But we have an intercession even greater than Moses. We have Jesus Christ Himself, completely obedient to the Father, standing in the breach before Him and turning away God's wrath. The book of Hebrews describes how Jesus, our perfect High Priest, forever saves us, because He always lives to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25) and that His perfect obedience becomes our source of eternal salvation (Heb 5:7-10). Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus humbles Himself to death on a cross, despite being fully God and fully man (Phil 2:5-8).
Moses, a forerunner of Christ, shows obedience in putting the call of the Lord higher than his own pride, personal preference or comfort. How do we live like this? Peter tells us "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1Peter 2:9-10) This great passage explains what we are to do and how we are to do it. Now that we have received mercy and are part of the people of God, we are to live as His own possession, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who has called us. When we recognize that we received mercy and were chosen by God to be His, there is no room for pride. There is no room to think that we deserve salvation more than anyone else. ("For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-9)
Once we receive this gift from God, we can then live telling other about what He has done for us. We live a life of praising God's gift of salvation - living for the One who has given us life. Our call, whether it seems important or not, is a call to obedience. Our call is to direct everyone's eyes towards the excellencies of God, not ourselves. We see each day as an opportunity to live for Him.
The world has all sorts of ways of judging success - money, power, authority, material possessions, beauty. Each of these can quickly be changed by circumstance and the world would question our worth. But God says that we are His people - regardless of what the world thinks. God may have called you into a position of power or influence or wealth. But He doesn't see that as being any more important than the one He called into positions the world would look down upon. When our identity is in Him, we can be humble, whether the world tries to exalt us or not. We can point to Him and give Him the glory, whether people are applauding us or not.
Moses was going to obey God's call on his life to lead the people of Israel, regardless of what the Israelites thought. He didn't take their praise or their criticism personally. He was secure in his identity in God, so obedience was his primary concern. Sure there were good days and bad. There were days of listening to non-stop complaints and days of amazing worship. There were days sitting on Mt Sinai, in the presence of God Almighty and there were days of resolving petty conflict. But Moses' identity was not based on whether or not the people thought he was doing a good job - his success was measured by his obedience to God.
If you believe in Him, you are a prince or princess in the kingdom of heaven. Your inheritance is immeasurable wealth for all of eternity. There is nothing on this earth that can compare to that. But our call is the same, both here and in heaven - to glorify God for all He has done. If we live for His glory, nothing on this earth can shake us.
This section of Israel's history fascinates me, like none other, because it is one of the clearest examples on what leadership in ministry (and in life) looks like. There is a statement in Numbers 12:3 saying "Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.", which could seem not very humble of a thing to say, unless you read the context. Right before this statement, Moses complains to God, stating that he isn't capable of leading this people on his own. Then Miriam speaks against Moses, jealous of the position God has placed him in. Moses intercedes on Miriam's account, when God punishes her. Then we continue to see a pattern of Israel complaining to Moses about the difficulty of the journey and God intends to punish the people and then Moses intercedes on their behalf, even though most of the complaints are against Moses too.
We often complain against the circumstances God has put us in, even when they are a direct result of our own sin and rebellion. God would be completely justified in His anger against us and in His judgement. But we have an intercession even greater than Moses. We have Jesus Christ Himself, completely obedient to the Father, standing in the breach before Him and turning away God's wrath. The book of Hebrews describes how Jesus, our perfect High Priest, forever saves us, because He always lives to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25) and that His perfect obedience becomes our source of eternal salvation (Heb 5:7-10). Paul tells us in Philippians that Jesus humbles Himself to death on a cross, despite being fully God and fully man (Phil 2:5-8).
Moses, a forerunner of Christ, shows obedience in putting the call of the Lord higher than his own pride, personal preference or comfort. How do we live like this? Peter tells us "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1Peter 2:9-10) This great passage explains what we are to do and how we are to do it. Now that we have received mercy and are part of the people of God, we are to live as His own possession, proclaiming the excellencies of Him who has called us. When we recognize that we received mercy and were chosen by God to be His, there is no room for pride. There is no room to think that we deserve salvation more than anyone else. ("For by grace you have been saved through faith; and not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-9)
Once we receive this gift from God, we can then live telling other about what He has done for us. We live a life of praising God's gift of salvation - living for the One who has given us life. Our call, whether it seems important or not, is a call to obedience. Our call is to direct everyone's eyes towards the excellencies of God, not ourselves. We see each day as an opportunity to live for Him.
The world has all sorts of ways of judging success - money, power, authority, material possessions, beauty. Each of these can quickly be changed by circumstance and the world would question our worth. But God says that we are His people - regardless of what the world thinks. God may have called you into a position of power or influence or wealth. But He doesn't see that as being any more important than the one He called into positions the world would look down upon. When our identity is in Him, we can be humble, whether the world tries to exalt us or not. We can point to Him and give Him the glory, whether people are applauding us or not.
Moses was going to obey God's call on his life to lead the people of Israel, regardless of what the Israelites thought. He didn't take their praise or their criticism personally. He was secure in his identity in God, so obedience was his primary concern. Sure there were good days and bad. There were days of listening to non-stop complaints and days of amazing worship. There were days sitting on Mt Sinai, in the presence of God Almighty and there were days of resolving petty conflict. But Moses' identity was not based on whether or not the people thought he was doing a good job - his success was measured by his obedience to God.
If you believe in Him, you are a prince or princess in the kingdom of heaven. Your inheritance is immeasurable wealth for all of eternity. There is nothing on this earth that can compare to that. But our call is the same, both here and in heaven - to glorify God for all He has done. If we live for His glory, nothing on this earth can shake us.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
7 times 7 - what is real?
Psalm 106:16-22 "In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to The Lord. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abriam. Fire blazes among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked. At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. They exchanges their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt, miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea."
This passage in the Psalms is reciting Israel's history recorded in Numbers 16 and Exodus 32. In Exodus, the Israelites approach Aaron while Moses is receiving God's word up on Mt. Sinai and say to Aaron "come, make us gods who will go before us." Later in Numbers, some Israelites rise up against Moses saying "isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you want to lord it over us?"
These episodes capture our hearts just as much as they teach us about the Israelites. The key issue, whether it is envy or idolatry or any other sin, is a rejection of Glory in exchange for other things. Every time we put something before God, we will tend to a life of questioning God's goodness, doubting His plan or looking to provide for ourselves. It may be our health, our money, our families, our stuff or any other number of idols we create for ourselves - we look to our own hands to fulfill us and ignore the gaping whole in our hearts, which only God can fill.
This begs the question, what is real? When we turn to material possessions, efforts to control our own lives, pursuing our will above His, we often are convinced that what we see and what we feel is real. We think that having life going according to our plan proves we are in control. We think that when our bank accounts are healthy, we can meet our needs on our own.
But think about your breath right now. Can you guarantee your next one? Do you truly know what will tomorrow will bring? If lightning were to strike right now, could you lift your hand to stop it? Do you know you are truly healthy - free of cancer or illness or failing systems? Can you really control a single element of your life? The writer of Proverbs says "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." (Prov. 27:1)
And what about how you feel - do you truly control how you feel? How many times have you felt a sudden surge of anger or envy or jealousy? Did you want to feel that way?
Paul writes in Romans 7:18b -19 "For I have the desire to do what it's good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do, this I keep doing." And later he writes "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Jesus does not want us living in fear, when we start to realize that we are not in control. Rather, He wants us to trust Him. Jesus says "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" But His point is not to despair, but rather rejoice. He says "So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 7:31-34)
What is real? God has a plan of good provision for us, that is being accomplished in us and through us, even when we don't understand. When He called Moses, Moses tried numerous times to get out of it. Moses wasn't looking for his own acclaim and yet those people called to follow him were envious of his call. While the Israelites had seen His glory displayed in countless ways, God ways were harder to understand and follow. It was easier to look to something they could create, control and even melt down again, than to trust a God who could part the sea or swallow people into the earth.
The real living God is bigger than we want to admit and makes us feel small. But in Him is the only true comfort and rest that will give us peace. In Him is the only fulfillment that will make us whole. Trust Him and find real peace and rest. He wants to give us good gifts - lets open our hands to receive it.
7 times 7 - Be careful what you wish for
Psalm 106:14-15 "But they craved intensely in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them."
In Numbers 11, the people complain against The Lord, weeping about how great the food was in Egypt and wishing they had meat again, instead of just manna. The Lord gives them their request, sending enough meat for a month (quail from heaven) but also sends a plague because they grumbled against Him. They name the place "Kibroth-hattaavah" which means "graves of craving" and those who had craved the meat died with it still in their mouths.
There is a lot in life that we don't understand and opportunities for questioning God's plan for our lives, but this example here really speaks to a fundamental heart issue of pride - do we know what's best for us or does God? This truly is the root of all sin, as we saw in the garden when Satan tempted Eve saying "Did God actually say...." and then "You will not surely die. For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3) What happens next? Shame - Adam and Eve cover themselves and then hide from God. It is true - they did know good from evil and they now understood that they were evil - and they tried to hide from God. They now knew they were not worthy of His presence. They understood they shouldn't be able to walk with Him and talk with Him as they had been. In just a few moments, they give into the sin of pride and simultaneously saw their true selves. They got what they wanted and the result was their death. They too now had graves of craving.
When we reject God rightful rule of our lives, we lose the protection He had planned for our good. People often cling to the famous verses in Jeremiah saying "For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11)
But these verses are not an empty promise for life to go however we want it to. It says that God's plan is for our good. He knows what He is leading us to. He sees our current state in the wilderness and every step we are taking on our journey to the promise land. He's got it covered. But He doesn't ever promise to show us the reasons for why or when or how. As we question the unknown or convince ourselves that we know better, we begin to ask God "where's that future and hope You promised me" without acknowledging that we don't always understand His plan.
Israel didn't know it at the time, but while they were camped out in the wilderness, the King of Moab was trying to destroy them. He calls on Balaam to curse the people, not knowing they are the people of God. In Numbers 23, Balaam explains to the king he cannot curse God's people, because he can only speak what The Lord allows him to. Instead he says "God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has he said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it? Behold, I have received a command to bless: He has blessed, and I cannot revoke it."
The Lord was interceding for Israel in so many ways,that they would never see or understand - in addition to what they did see - the cloud and pillar of fire, the manna from heaven, the water from the rock, the armies fleeing before them, the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea, His glory at Mount Sinai. This was a blessed people and everyone knew it but them. All the kings of the world around them were terrified of the God who fought on their behalf, but Israel complained and grumbled and questioned His goodness.
Our cravings may be food or money or possessions or comfort or what the world would consider good fortune. We find so many distractions that make us question if God's plan really is for our good or not. But to set our heart against Him is our death and His good for us is eternal life.
O Lord, give us eyes to see Your goodness and hearts thankful for Your mercy.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
7 times 7 - waiting here for You
Psalm 106:13 "But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel."
Honestly, I feel like a hypocrite typing this post, no matter what I say, because patience is one of my personal biggest areas of struggle. This image is is two fold - forgetting His works (like we talked about yesterday) and not waiting for His counsel. The waiting part is probably one of the most difficult of all types of obedience because we often spend our time waiting in confusion.
I think the big calls like "follow Me" or circling the walls of Jericho or even Abraham's call to go to a land that God would show him are a little easier to swallow than the call to wait. One of the greatest examples that sticks out in my head is when David is fasting for the life of his son, born out of his sin with Bathsheba. In 2 Samuel 12, we have an interesting story of God's punishment for David's sin. The prophet Nathan tells David that his child will die due to his sin, so David goes to seek The Lord and for seven days lies before The Lord in prayer and fasting. No one can get him to get up or convince him to eat. At the end of seven days, his child dies and his servants are afraid to tell him because he was already in such a distressed state. But instead, when he learns of his sons death, he rises, bathes and gets dressed, worships before The Lord and eats. Everyone is baffled. But David understood something better than almost anyone else - in the time while he was waiting for The Lord to act, he could pray and fast and remain before The Lord. There was nothing he could do to heal the child or change God's mind: all David could do was wait. But David waited with expectation of an answer, which God gave him when the child died. God's answer was no. And David's response was to worship.
Pause for just a minute and think about how you normally respond when God tells us no. For me - I know the answer. I complain - I try to bargain or convince Him that my way was better - I cry out in despair or anger. But David submits to God's will and instead of complaining, he worships.
My husband, who had already been deployed to Korea and then directly to Iraq, was being sent to Iraq again, with our newborn daughter only 3 months old, me having a terrible health condition as a result complication from her birth and twin 2.5 year old boys. My husband COULD NOT leave me again. I prayed every day. I fasted. I begged. I cried. I told The Lord that I needed a miracle right then - He had the power to change what the Army had ordered, so He must fix this.
His answer was no. My husband left anyway (safely to return 15 months later) and it was time to move on. The answer was given, which meant there was a plan, different from my own, that I was being called to follow. It was so much easier once I had an answer, than when I was waiting to see if He might intercede. My relationship felt restored with The Lord, once my husband was gone again, compared to the distance I felt when I was waiting for my miracle. Waiting is so much harder than walking.
I have since had many more opportunities to wait and I wish I could report that I handle them better. Most of the time, I spend the time feeling like time is creeping along and experiencing a great chasm between myself and The Lord. But this step of faith - waiting on The Lord - is critical to a successful walk. When Israel got tired of waiting for Moses to come down from Mt. Sinai, the made a golden calf to worship. When Saul was tired of waiting for Samuel to come to him in battle, he offers the sacrifice himself and loses his kingdom. When Jesus' disciples are supposed to be waiting up with Him in the garden to pray, they fall asleep. We all struggle with waiting.
But waiting can be an active state as well. In Christy Knockles song "Waiting Here For You", she gives a wonderful description of what waiting can be, when we approach God with a humble heart of expectation. The chorus says "Waiting here for You, with our hands, lifted high in praise. And it's You, we adore, singing alleluia." Waiting can be an act of worship, because it is a sign of our faith. When we actively wait for The Lord, expecting Him to move in our lives and in our hearts, humbled to His will,we find that God has a rich time of worship and the experience of His presence. Waiting is not passive. It is not punishment. It is obedience. It is love. And it is good.
"Wait for The Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for The Lord!" (Psalm 27:14)
Friday, July 5, 2013
7 * 7 - The lesser of two evils
Psalm 106: 9 - 12 "Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise."
I must confess, I have been very distracted in Numbers lately and was not able to bring my focus in on these verses in Psalm 106. Rather than writing something trite or uninspired to meet my little 49 days of praise project, I continued to praise God for what He was speaking through those chapters of Numbers and waited to hear Him speak again in the Psalms. In Numbers, chapters 16 and 17, the people rebel against Moses and Aaron, asking why they had exalted themselves. Jealousy - envy - pride - lust - they are wandering through a wilderness - nothing around them and they are surrounded by sin. The sin that lives within each of us and so easily entangles.
When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, He parted the sea, creating giant walls of water, which they passed through and then drowned the Egyptians. Exodus 15:31 says "When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses." But this habit of believing only after they see some great sign is really a great hindrance to our faith. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego stand before the fiery furnace, they say to King Nebuchadnezzar, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
When Jesus appears to the disciples and Thomas touches His hands and side, Jesus says "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed." (John 20:29) In fact, Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
These Israelites beheld God's power and then believed - but then they forgot....and they grumbled....and they tested Him. They became a people wandering the wilderness asking "but what has God done for us lately?". Free from the chains of bondage in Israel, saved from the forces of Pharaoh's army, the only enemy was the attitude of malcontent dwelling deep within their hearts. Pharaoh's army may seem fierce, but God could drown them all in the sea. Their hardened hearts was a different story. When Stephen speaks about Israel's history before the High Priest,he says of Moses "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt." (Acts 7:38-39)
While they could physically run from Egypt and Pharaoh and the slavery that was killing them there, their hearts were continually turning from God and from His chosen leaders and trying to return to the land that would have been their tomb. When Israel demands a king to rule over Samuel, he replies "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered your from the hand of the Egyptians and the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses." (1 Sam 10:18b-19a)
When we need to first see that God will deliver us, before we believe, we set a dangerous precedent of questioning God in the times we do not understand. When we forget His graciousness and kindness from the past and see only our present distress, we make choices based on what we can see and what we can control. Believing after you see limits our view to hindsight.
The real danger for Israel was not the army behind, but the enemy within. This history of doubting, disbelief and ungratefulness led to the death of a generation who had walked through the Red Sea - who had seen the first Passover with their own eyes. Their hearts were not awakened to the power of God, but rather hardened. As we learn in Hebrews 3, there was no rest for those who didn't believe.
Is it any different for us? When we refuse to take God at His word and we try to live by sight or by feelings - there is no rest for us. We are filled with anxiety and doubt. We spend our days in fear and toss and turn all night. There is no peace for the one who must first see before they can trust.
God is gracious and patient with our doubting hearts. And yet, when we live fearfully we miss the blessing He has for us. As the Psalmist says "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence." (Psalm 42:5)
Experiencing His presence is all we need to quiet the chaos in our hearts and mind - but that experience is not one we will behold with our eyes in this lifetime. Oh to have an enemy that I could see and engage in battle. No - the enemy is within my own heart - and it wages war through fear and doubt and anger and hurt. But there is healing for my brokenness. There is rest for my soul. There is peace which He has stored up for me. "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)
Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 6:23)
I must confess, I have been very distracted in Numbers lately and was not able to bring my focus in on these verses in Psalm 106. Rather than writing something trite or uninspired to meet my little 49 days of praise project, I continued to praise God for what He was speaking through those chapters of Numbers and waited to hear Him speak again in the Psalms. In Numbers, chapters 16 and 17, the people rebel against Moses and Aaron, asking why they had exalted themselves. Jealousy - envy - pride - lust - they are wandering through a wilderness - nothing around them and they are surrounded by sin. The sin that lives within each of us and so easily entangles.
When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, He parted the sea, creating giant walls of water, which they passed through and then drowned the Egyptians. Exodus 15:31 says "When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses." But this habit of believing only after they see some great sign is really a great hindrance to our faith. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego stand before the fiery furnace, they say to King Nebuchadnezzar, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
When Jesus appears to the disciples and Thomas touches His hands and side, Jesus says "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed." (John 20:29) In fact, Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
These Israelites beheld God's power and then believed - but then they forgot....and they grumbled....and they tested Him. They became a people wandering the wilderness asking "but what has God done for us lately?". Free from the chains of bondage in Israel, saved from the forces of Pharaoh's army, the only enemy was the attitude of malcontent dwelling deep within their hearts. Pharaoh's army may seem fierce, but God could drown them all in the sea. Their hardened hearts was a different story. When Stephen speaks about Israel's history before the High Priest,he says of Moses "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt." (Acts 7:38-39)
While they could physically run from Egypt and Pharaoh and the slavery that was killing them there, their hearts were continually turning from God and from His chosen leaders and trying to return to the land that would have been their tomb. When Israel demands a king to rule over Samuel, he replies "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered your from the hand of the Egyptians and the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses." (1 Sam 10:18b-19a)
When we need to first see that God will deliver us, before we believe, we set a dangerous precedent of questioning God in the times we do not understand. When we forget His graciousness and kindness from the past and see only our present distress, we make choices based on what we can see and what we can control. Believing after you see limits our view to hindsight.
The real danger for Israel was not the army behind, but the enemy within. This history of doubting, disbelief and ungratefulness led to the death of a generation who had walked through the Red Sea - who had seen the first Passover with their own eyes. Their hearts were not awakened to the power of God, but rather hardened. As we learn in Hebrews 3, there was no rest for those who didn't believe.
Is it any different for us? When we refuse to take God at His word and we try to live by sight or by feelings - there is no rest for us. We are filled with anxiety and doubt. We spend our days in fear and toss and turn all night. There is no peace for the one who must first see before they can trust.
God is gracious and patient with our doubting hearts. And yet, when we live fearfully we miss the blessing He has for us. As the Psalmist says "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence." (Psalm 42:5)
Experiencing His presence is all we need to quiet the chaos in our hearts and mind - but that experience is not one we will behold with our eyes in this lifetime. Oh to have an enemy that I could see and engage in battle. No - the enemy is within my own heart - and it wages war through fear and doubt and anger and hurt. But there is healing for my brokenness. There is rest for my soul. There is peace which He has stored up for me. "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)
Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 6:23)
Monday, July 1, 2013
7 times 7 - for anyone trying to carry their own burdens
Psalm 106:8 "Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known His mighty power."
This is playing catch-up from a few days ago, when I missed an entry. The day got away from me and I just never got it done. I didn't mean to miss. I wasn't intentionally trying to stay away from God's word. But little decisions, snowballing throughout the day, made for the end of the day to look much differently than I imagined.
This can happen all the time. I think I'm going to exercise, but one thing after another gets in the way and by the end of the day I'm just too tired. I can intend to clean the bathroom, or call a friend, or finish a book, or write that note I've been meaning to, or a million other little things that get shifted around my schedule on a near daily basis. All day long, I have little choices to make, which seem inconsequential, but at the end of the day, week, month - I see the impact of them.
We can view this type of behavior two ways - first, I can say, "hey, those were all good intentions. I meant to do it well, so no one can really fault me for dropping the ball." Or I can say, "I'm a failure - lazy - self centered - full of half hearted empty promises" Depending on your societal norms, family upbringing and personality, one of those may resonate really well with you. The truth is, American's tend to excuse those things unsaid and undone, referencing our good natures and good intentions and describing the busy life most of us lead. But biblically, that really isn't true. And frankly, in our hearts, we don't want it to be true.
I think we want to believe the baseline good nature of people, because we have seen the darkness of ourselves and we hope that there is something more. I think we want to optimistically view those good intentions as being "good enough" because we aren't sure we could ever be held to a higher standard. Somewhere we are hoping that no one can fault our flaws, but we know that doesn't make sense. If you can't fault my mistakes, how can I fault yours? And whose scale do we use for judging if my mistake is better or worse than yours? We know deep down in our hearts that a true standard exists and we are all falling short of it - but we don't know how to save ourselves.
That is precisely what makes this verse so powerful - God saves me for His name's sake - to make His power known. He is not judging my worthiness and then weighing my sin on a scale and deciding what to do - He already knows I am unworthy and there is a just result for my sin.
You see, outside of Christ, I have to rely on basically being a good person, with the inner terror that I'm not. I know all of my nasty thoughts and mean ideas and white lies. I know how even when I really, really want to do good, I am still so easily swayed by temptation to serve myself and my desires of the moment. I couldn't carry that burden - so we stay at the surface level of our thoughts and blow it off. "It's not that bad. I'm basically a good person. There are people a lot worse than me." We can't live under that weight of sin if we are actively thinking about it, so we repress those thoughts and captivate our mind with trivial, temporal, happy things. Or focus on the faults of others. Anything to keep me from taking a hard , honest look at myself.
But in Him, I've been saved for His name's sake. In Him, I've been saved as a demonstration of His glory and power. In Him, I'm something beautiful, holy and set apart to be in His kingdom - His family. As long as we think we have to be worthy of being saved, we will either fall into despair or we will reject that need entirely. But once we understand the gift of grace, I can stop running from God and run to Him instead. I can welcome His cleansing power, no longer shamed by sin but rejoicing to see it all wash away.
I still have those things unsaid and undone - and sometimes those things that I shouldn't have said or done but I did anyway. But I don't have to pretend they aren't there or punish myself for failing again. I can confess them and thank God for His mercy and ask Him to help me to turn away completely from the sin that so easily entangles. He wanted to save us - it is His desire that we would be His - and He knows all the baggage we bring. He will carry it to the cross and it will be left there. Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Thank You Lord for saving me. I brought You nothing but sin and stains and You gave me everything in return. Help me to live more for You and let Your glory shine through me, for Your name's sake!
This is playing catch-up from a few days ago, when I missed an entry. The day got away from me and I just never got it done. I didn't mean to miss. I wasn't intentionally trying to stay away from God's word. But little decisions, snowballing throughout the day, made for the end of the day to look much differently than I imagined.
This can happen all the time. I think I'm going to exercise, but one thing after another gets in the way and by the end of the day I'm just too tired. I can intend to clean the bathroom, or call a friend, or finish a book, or write that note I've been meaning to, or a million other little things that get shifted around my schedule on a near daily basis. All day long, I have little choices to make, which seem inconsequential, but at the end of the day, week, month - I see the impact of them.
We can view this type of behavior two ways - first, I can say, "hey, those were all good intentions. I meant to do it well, so no one can really fault me for dropping the ball." Or I can say, "I'm a failure - lazy - self centered - full of half hearted empty promises" Depending on your societal norms, family upbringing and personality, one of those may resonate really well with you. The truth is, American's tend to excuse those things unsaid and undone, referencing our good natures and good intentions and describing the busy life most of us lead. But biblically, that really isn't true. And frankly, in our hearts, we don't want it to be true.
I think we want to believe the baseline good nature of people, because we have seen the darkness of ourselves and we hope that there is something more. I think we want to optimistically view those good intentions as being "good enough" because we aren't sure we could ever be held to a higher standard. Somewhere we are hoping that no one can fault our flaws, but we know that doesn't make sense. If you can't fault my mistakes, how can I fault yours? And whose scale do we use for judging if my mistake is better or worse than yours? We know deep down in our hearts that a true standard exists and we are all falling short of it - but we don't know how to save ourselves.
That is precisely what makes this verse so powerful - God saves me for His name's sake - to make His power known. He is not judging my worthiness and then weighing my sin on a scale and deciding what to do - He already knows I am unworthy and there is a just result for my sin.
You see, outside of Christ, I have to rely on basically being a good person, with the inner terror that I'm not. I know all of my nasty thoughts and mean ideas and white lies. I know how even when I really, really want to do good, I am still so easily swayed by temptation to serve myself and my desires of the moment. I couldn't carry that burden - so we stay at the surface level of our thoughts and blow it off. "It's not that bad. I'm basically a good person. There are people a lot worse than me." We can't live under that weight of sin if we are actively thinking about it, so we repress those thoughts and captivate our mind with trivial, temporal, happy things. Or focus on the faults of others. Anything to keep me from taking a hard , honest look at myself.
But in Him, I've been saved for His name's sake. In Him, I've been saved as a demonstration of His glory and power. In Him, I'm something beautiful, holy and set apart to be in His kingdom - His family. As long as we think we have to be worthy of being saved, we will either fall into despair or we will reject that need entirely. But once we understand the gift of grace, I can stop running from God and run to Him instead. I can welcome His cleansing power, no longer shamed by sin but rejoicing to see it all wash away.
I still have those things unsaid and undone - and sometimes those things that I shouldn't have said or done but I did anyway. But I don't have to pretend they aren't there or punish myself for failing again. I can confess them and thank God for His mercy and ask Him to help me to turn away completely from the sin that so easily entangles. He wanted to save us - it is His desire that we would be His - and He knows all the baggage we bring. He will carry it to the cross and it will be left there. Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Thank You Lord for saving me. I brought You nothing but sin and stains and You gave me everything in return. Help me to live more for You and let Your glory shine through me, for Your name's sake!
7 times 7 - the grace in remembering
Psalm 106:7 "Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea."
Many times our doubt or fear come from the uncertainty of life. The Israelites had left the Egyptians behind, reeling from the plagues and death which came to every first born. Power that had never been seen before had been displayed and the people of God are now in the wilderness, going to a place still not known to them. In Exodus 14 a picture is painted for us - the Red Sea before them, Pharaoh and his armies marching behind them and they panic. They ask a great question "were there not enough graves in Egypt that you take us out to die in the wilderness?". One hardship to another. Slavery and bondage to certain death by the sword.
Despite God having revealed Himself in great wonders, the Israelites had already forgotten His power and moved on to their present, seemingly impossible circumstance. This type of rebellion is probably the easiest for us to commit - because we simply lack the ability to imagine our salvation in the midst of the impossible. Paul writes in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think....." - this is a great prayer because is takes us beyond ourselves. Would the Israelites prayed "Lord dry up this land so we can cross."? Would the military leaders tell Joshua "You know a new strategy to try - let's just march around the walls of Jericho instead of attacking them and see what happens."?
When Lazarus was dying, Jesus said "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." (John 11:4) He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but only in His time.
We don't enjoy waiting because it highlights our limitations. We feel vulnerable and out of control - it is these times that we see ourselves for who we really are - small and needy. For some reason, we equate that as being a bad thing. A child doesn't feel guilty about being a child, but rather asks for help with the expectation that help indeed will come. Jesus says in Matthew 7 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him."
God knows we don't understand His ways, because they are so much higher and great than ours (Isaiah 55:9) but His love is also much deeper and richer than we can comprehend (Eph 3:18). C. S. Lewis writes in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" that Aslan is not tame, but He is good.
We are tempted to want a tame lion- one who will do only what we ask and be predictable and submissive to us. But when we look for that type of God, one we control, we limit Him to our mortal realm, finite imagination and feeble understanding. When instead, we accept the Lion as He is, all powerful, all mighty, infinite and immortal - and good - we find that He has the love to lead us to that future and hope - and the power to part the sea or raise the dead to get us there.
God gives us examples of both His power and love, knowing we will have times of impatience and confusion and even doubt. But He will not give us anything less than His perfect will, because He is good. Remember His kindnesses - even when you do not understand, and you will find yourself carried safely to dry land. He may part the way in front of you or call you to walk on the waves - but He will carry you safely home.
Many times our doubt or fear come from the uncertainty of life. The Israelites had left the Egyptians behind, reeling from the plagues and death which came to every first born. Power that had never been seen before had been displayed and the people of God are now in the wilderness, going to a place still not known to them. In Exodus 14 a picture is painted for us - the Red Sea before them, Pharaoh and his armies marching behind them and they panic. They ask a great question "were there not enough graves in Egypt that you take us out to die in the wilderness?". One hardship to another. Slavery and bondage to certain death by the sword.
Despite God having revealed Himself in great wonders, the Israelites had already forgotten His power and moved on to their present, seemingly impossible circumstance. This type of rebellion is probably the easiest for us to commit - because we simply lack the ability to imagine our salvation in the midst of the impossible. Paul writes in Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we could ask or think....." - this is a great prayer because is takes us beyond ourselves. Would the Israelites prayed "Lord dry up this land so we can cross."? Would the military leaders tell Joshua "You know a new strategy to try - let's just march around the walls of Jericho instead of attacking them and see what happens."?
When Lazarus was dying, Jesus said "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." (John 11:4) He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but only in His time.
We don't enjoy waiting because it highlights our limitations. We feel vulnerable and out of control - it is these times that we see ourselves for who we really are - small and needy. For some reason, we equate that as being a bad thing. A child doesn't feel guilty about being a child, but rather asks for help with the expectation that help indeed will come. Jesus says in Matthew 7 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him."
God knows we don't understand His ways, because they are so much higher and great than ours (Isaiah 55:9) but His love is also much deeper and richer than we can comprehend (Eph 3:18). C. S. Lewis writes in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" that Aslan is not tame, but He is good.
We are tempted to want a tame lion- one who will do only what we ask and be predictable and submissive to us. But when we look for that type of God, one we control, we limit Him to our mortal realm, finite imagination and feeble understanding. When instead, we accept the Lion as He is, all powerful, all mighty, infinite and immortal - and good - we find that He has the love to lead us to that future and hope - and the power to part the sea or raise the dead to get us there.
God gives us examples of both His power and love, knowing we will have times of impatience and confusion and even doubt. But He will not give us anything less than His perfect will, because He is good. Remember His kindnesses - even when you do not understand, and you will find yourself carried safely to dry land. He may part the way in front of you or call you to walk on the waves - but He will carry you safely home.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
7 * 7 - feel the need
Psalm 106:6 "Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong.We have acted wickedly"
I was out with some coworkers and the subject of church came up, when one person was talking about a funeral they had recently been to. None of the people sitting with me regularly go to church or would consider themselves affiliated with any sort of faith. The person reviewed the pastor's summary of the need for being a christian as "if you want to be happy, you need to be a christian." The coworker of mine reviewed his thought process, saying, "I have a good job, I'm a nice person, I have a nice family - we live in a nice house and drive nice cars - my life is good, why would I need to be a christian to be happy?"
I will be the first to admit how clueless I felt in that moment. There was no 60 second response to address his question, which basically could be summarized as "why do I need Jesus?". Now I'm not sure if the pastor actually equated christianity with happiness, but there are plenty of churches in American teaching the "health and wealth gospel". "Good things will happen to good people, so be a christian and your life will turn out right." Not only is this not true, but it is often very much the opposite of what is true. Books have been written lately specifically about how damaging this philosophy has been to the American church. We have equated christianity to karma and focused on our consumer perspective of "what is in it for me?". Whenever we put christianity in terms of "what God can do for us" we run a very narrow line of straying too far the gift of God's salvation and the blessing of His presence to the unbiblical view that God owes us gifts to make us happy. We also run into a danger of having to "sell" christianity to others, feeling like we must convince others that they WANT to be a christian because of all they can receive.
The truth is we NEED God's salvation because we are all lost without it. As the verse here (and many other places) says "we have sinned". We cannot answer the question "why do I need Jesus?" without first examining our own hearts and lives. If I use modern societies definition of happiness and a good life, it is quite possible to argue that I don't need Jesus. If I am accountable only to myself and live to satisfy my desires, I can easily see that I don't need Jesus. If here and now are the only things that matter and there is no judgement than the basic moral code is plenty to guide my life and there is no higher authority or standard to live up to. These basic premises are exactly why we have a nation that 71% will say they believe in God, but 70% of American's also say there are many paths to salvation. (click here for some other very interesting stats on religious views in America) And, with only 30% thinking the bible is true, saying "the bible said so" is not going to be the most convincing argument to most people.
There is a huge disconnect between our actual need and felt need of God, even in believers. Frequently our prayer life goes up in trouble, but down in good times. Our praise of the Lord increases when we are happy but decreases when things are hard. These reactions show the subtle ways that true believers can drift towards the cultural response to God - He is only there to make me happy. But we only need to look right below the surface to see our sin. If I consider just one day - the number of unkind words I thought (but didn't say) or temptations to lie to make myself look better or any other sins that plague my existence, I can see how fallen my heart is and the constant wrestling between my corrupt heart and the Spirit who lives in me. If we simply compared our own lives using the same standard we use to judge everyone else, we would see our sin. And when we start seeing ourselves for who we truly are, our need becomes a lot more apparent.
Now, that still requires me to also believe that there is a higher standard than myself, but that is easy to find - I feel it everyday. Guilt. And there are tons of people walking around that aren't christians who are wrestling with guilt. We all feel the weight of a standard we can't meet. We were created in the image of God and there is an inherent knowledge both of His glory and our sin. But we must be willing to look into our hearts to see it. With the easy cultural philosophy of equating God with Santa Claus and making myself king of my life, I would never have reason to seek and find Him.
But wise men seek Him still. And if I want to grow in my faith, I must seek Him out daily and dare to see His standard and my shortcomings. And then, in that moment when I see my sin, I experience His amazing grace. Then I can say with confidence that I need Jesus - not for a happy life - but for life itself, because I receive every breath from Him - both now and for ever.
Feel the need and experience His grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.
I was out with some coworkers and the subject of church came up, when one person was talking about a funeral they had recently been to. None of the people sitting with me regularly go to church or would consider themselves affiliated with any sort of faith. The person reviewed the pastor's summary of the need for being a christian as "if you want to be happy, you need to be a christian." The coworker of mine reviewed his thought process, saying, "I have a good job, I'm a nice person, I have a nice family - we live in a nice house and drive nice cars - my life is good, why would I need to be a christian to be happy?"
I will be the first to admit how clueless I felt in that moment. There was no 60 second response to address his question, which basically could be summarized as "why do I need Jesus?". Now I'm not sure if the pastor actually equated christianity with happiness, but there are plenty of churches in American teaching the "health and wealth gospel". "Good things will happen to good people, so be a christian and your life will turn out right." Not only is this not true, but it is often very much the opposite of what is true. Books have been written lately specifically about how damaging this philosophy has been to the American church. We have equated christianity to karma and focused on our consumer perspective of "what is in it for me?". Whenever we put christianity in terms of "what God can do for us" we run a very narrow line of straying too far the gift of God's salvation and the blessing of His presence to the unbiblical view that God owes us gifts to make us happy. We also run into a danger of having to "sell" christianity to others, feeling like we must convince others that they WANT to be a christian because of all they can receive.
The truth is we NEED God's salvation because we are all lost without it. As the verse here (and many other places) says "we have sinned". We cannot answer the question "why do I need Jesus?" without first examining our own hearts and lives. If I use modern societies definition of happiness and a good life, it is quite possible to argue that I don't need Jesus. If I am accountable only to myself and live to satisfy my desires, I can easily see that I don't need Jesus. If here and now are the only things that matter and there is no judgement than the basic moral code is plenty to guide my life and there is no higher authority or standard to live up to. These basic premises are exactly why we have a nation that 71% will say they believe in God, but 70% of American's also say there are many paths to salvation. (click here for some other very interesting stats on religious views in America) And, with only 30% thinking the bible is true, saying "the bible said so" is not going to be the most convincing argument to most people.
There is a huge disconnect between our actual need and felt need of God, even in believers. Frequently our prayer life goes up in trouble, but down in good times. Our praise of the Lord increases when we are happy but decreases when things are hard. These reactions show the subtle ways that true believers can drift towards the cultural response to God - He is only there to make me happy. But we only need to look right below the surface to see our sin. If I consider just one day - the number of unkind words I thought (but didn't say) or temptations to lie to make myself look better or any other sins that plague my existence, I can see how fallen my heart is and the constant wrestling between my corrupt heart and the Spirit who lives in me. If we simply compared our own lives using the same standard we use to judge everyone else, we would see our sin. And when we start seeing ourselves for who we truly are, our need becomes a lot more apparent.
Now, that still requires me to also believe that there is a higher standard than myself, but that is easy to find - I feel it everyday. Guilt. And there are tons of people walking around that aren't christians who are wrestling with guilt. We all feel the weight of a standard we can't meet. We were created in the image of God and there is an inherent knowledge both of His glory and our sin. But we must be willing to look into our hearts to see it. With the easy cultural philosophy of equating God with Santa Claus and making myself king of my life, I would never have reason to seek and find Him.
But wise men seek Him still. And if I want to grow in my faith, I must seek Him out daily and dare to see His standard and my shortcomings. And then, in that moment when I see my sin, I experience His amazing grace. Then I can say with confidence that I need Jesus - not for a happy life - but for life itself, because I receive every breath from Him - both now and for ever.
Feel the need and experience His grace. Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
7 times 7 - Rejoice in the gladness
Psalm 106:5 "That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your people."
When I read this Psalm a few days ago and felt convicted, this was the first place I started feeling a twinge in my heart - I wasn't rejoicing with His people. Before I even got to the grumbling Israelites, I knew that something was wrong in my heart. I didn't experience that desire to see the joy and glory of God's nation. I was stuck in a rut of frustration and grumpiness and I didn't necessarily seek to change that. The old saying, "misery loves company" may not always prove true, but misery certainly does not love joy and prosperity. When you are miserable, the last thing you want to experience is the bouncy, cheerful heart of a joyful person. No matter how sincere the happy individual is, it seems like they are rubbing it in your face and your would rather be sullen and somber. People in a bad mood should just wear signs saying "grumpy person approaching - leave me alone".
I have a beautiful wall hanging that reads "live life with joy" and for weeks I felt like it was taunting me. Joy? Really? I might be able to move from bad attitude to despondent and apathetic - but joy? That is asking a little much. Actually, it was asking too little.
Ephesians 5:18-20 says "But be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."
We are called to be with our fellow believers, encouraging one another and joyfully singing to the Lord and giving thanks. There really isn't a category for bad-attitude loners who just want to be left alone to their misery.
I've started to realize that a funny thing happens when you intentionally seek out the people of God - you are filled with joy. When you seek out those who are filled with His Spirit and you hear what God is doing in their lives, you can't help but rejoice and be glad. When you take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances and open your heart to hear how God is moving in His people - you want to praise Him. This is what God has planned for us. He knows we don't always have it together on our own. He knows we have bad days that can stretch into bad weeks. He knows we wake up some mornings with a scowl on our face. But He gives us great wisdom in His word - He directs us to seek out His people and enjoy the blessing of their company. Before long, the joy of the Lord flows from them, surrounding you and you find your smile again.
Rejoice in the Lord always - and if that is seeming a little strained for you today - find someone who has His joy and bask in the glow.
When I read this Psalm a few days ago and felt convicted, this was the first place I started feeling a twinge in my heart - I wasn't rejoicing with His people. Before I even got to the grumbling Israelites, I knew that something was wrong in my heart. I didn't experience that desire to see the joy and glory of God's nation. I was stuck in a rut of frustration and grumpiness and I didn't necessarily seek to change that. The old saying, "misery loves company" may not always prove true, but misery certainly does not love joy and prosperity. When you are miserable, the last thing you want to experience is the bouncy, cheerful heart of a joyful person. No matter how sincere the happy individual is, it seems like they are rubbing it in your face and your would rather be sullen and somber. People in a bad mood should just wear signs saying "grumpy person approaching - leave me alone".
I have a beautiful wall hanging that reads "live life with joy" and for weeks I felt like it was taunting me. Joy? Really? I might be able to move from bad attitude to despondent and apathetic - but joy? That is asking a little much. Actually, it was asking too little.
Ephesians 5:18-20 says "But be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."
We are called to be with our fellow believers, encouraging one another and joyfully singing to the Lord and giving thanks. There really isn't a category for bad-attitude loners who just want to be left alone to their misery.
I've started to realize that a funny thing happens when you intentionally seek out the people of God - you are filled with joy. When you seek out those who are filled with His Spirit and you hear what God is doing in their lives, you can't help but rejoice and be glad. When you take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances and open your heart to hear how God is moving in His people - you want to praise Him. This is what God has planned for us. He knows we don't always have it together on our own. He knows we have bad days that can stretch into bad weeks. He knows we wake up some mornings with a scowl on our face. But He gives us great wisdom in His word - He directs us to seek out His people and enjoy the blessing of their company. Before long, the joy of the Lord flows from them, surrounding you and you find your smile again.
Rejoice in the Lord always - and if that is seeming a little strained for you today - find someone who has His joy and bask in the glow.
Friday, June 28, 2013
7 * 7 - Remember me....
Psalm 106:4 "Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people; visit me with Your salvation."
It's a funny idea asking God to remember you. At first glance, you think "here is the God who made the universe and right now holds all things in His hand, but I'm going to ask Him to remember me?" And yet, there is a profound mystery and grace in this request.
I pondered this all day yesterday, unable to write this post because I was feeling quite forgotten. I spent a lot of the day feeling isolated and alone. I felt like I had no one to turn to, because everyone else in my life had circumstances and situations much graver than my own. Could I go to my friend recovering from surgery and say how I felt sluggish and just not up to snuff, but I didn't know why? Could I go to my mom and add to her shoulders already bearing the weight of caring for my grandmother dying of cancer? Could I go to my husband, waiting to hear about his first job after graduating nursing school and complain about my long work days? We all have our limits and I looked at the loved ones, so stretched around me, and just didn't want to add to their burdens.
This word, "remember", appears in some odd places. Like in Genesis 8 when the earth has been covered by the flood for 150 and then God "remembers" Noah and the ark and causes the water to subside. Or in Exodus 2 when the people of Israel have lived in bondage and God "remembers" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Does He forget about His people or His promises? Absolutely not! In Isaiah 46 He says "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is no other like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying 'My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure' Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it."
These words help us to remember His infinite might and power. God was not distracted on the other side of the universe and suddenly remembered His people, through whom He was bringing the Savior of all mankind. When scripture says God remembers us, it's like me explaining the point of calculus to my 7 year old. I can give her a general idea of something beyond her comprehension by trying to relate it to things she knows, but she cannot go and find the second derivative of an equation on her own. We can get a picture into the purpose and plan of God in scripture, but by no means have understanding of His greatness and infinite wisdom. When God "remembers" us, scripture gives a picture of an intentional time of waiting that His people endured, during which they felt alone or forgotten or distant from their Lord and Savior. It's an act of humility to say "You are ruling the whole of creation by the word of Your power, and yet for some reason, my insignificant mortal life matters to You as well. There is a galaxy singing Your praises, but You still listen to me when I pray."
The best example I can think of is found in Luke 23 when the dying criminal says to Jesus, while hanging on a cross "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" This cry for mercy is such a moving and desperate statement of faith. The criminal has already confessed his guilt and the justice served by his own death and recognizes Jesus to be the Son of God. He has nothing to offer the King of Kings and Lord of Lords except for his broken heart and public profession of faith. But, as Paul says in Romans 10 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." This dying criminal saw the death of Jesus not as a failed ministry, like all the Pharisees and Roman soldiers - but as a victory and a beginning of His reign on high. Indeed, this criminal confesses his belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Jesus replies "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise."
God understands our feelings of desperation and loneliness. He knows that in the darkest places of our mind, He can feel far away. But praise be to the Lord - that is only a feeling - it isn't truth. He is always with us. When we cry out, Lord, remember me. He kindly answers, "You never were forgotten."
Those people in my life, who I didn't want to burden, all love me and would have gladly been my listening ear. But even more than that, the Maker of heaven and earth, surrounded by the heavenly host singing His praise without end, listened to my cry - and gave me peace.
Cry out to the Lord, He is listening!
It's a funny idea asking God to remember you. At first glance, you think "here is the God who made the universe and right now holds all things in His hand, but I'm going to ask Him to remember me?" And yet, there is a profound mystery and grace in this request.
I pondered this all day yesterday, unable to write this post because I was feeling quite forgotten. I spent a lot of the day feeling isolated and alone. I felt like I had no one to turn to, because everyone else in my life had circumstances and situations much graver than my own. Could I go to my friend recovering from surgery and say how I felt sluggish and just not up to snuff, but I didn't know why? Could I go to my mom and add to her shoulders already bearing the weight of caring for my grandmother dying of cancer? Could I go to my husband, waiting to hear about his first job after graduating nursing school and complain about my long work days? We all have our limits and I looked at the loved ones, so stretched around me, and just didn't want to add to their burdens.
This word, "remember", appears in some odd places. Like in Genesis 8 when the earth has been covered by the flood for 150 and then God "remembers" Noah and the ark and causes the water to subside. Or in Exodus 2 when the people of Israel have lived in bondage and God "remembers" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Does He forget about His people or His promises? Absolutely not! In Isaiah 46 He says "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is no other like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying 'My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure' Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it."
These words help us to remember His infinite might and power. God was not distracted on the other side of the universe and suddenly remembered His people, through whom He was bringing the Savior of all mankind. When scripture says God remembers us, it's like me explaining the point of calculus to my 7 year old. I can give her a general idea of something beyond her comprehension by trying to relate it to things she knows, but she cannot go and find the second derivative of an equation on her own. We can get a picture into the purpose and plan of God in scripture, but by no means have understanding of His greatness and infinite wisdom. When God "remembers" us, scripture gives a picture of an intentional time of waiting that His people endured, during which they felt alone or forgotten or distant from their Lord and Savior. It's an act of humility to say "You are ruling the whole of creation by the word of Your power, and yet for some reason, my insignificant mortal life matters to You as well. There is a galaxy singing Your praises, but You still listen to me when I pray."
The best example I can think of is found in Luke 23 when the dying criminal says to Jesus, while hanging on a cross "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" This cry for mercy is such a moving and desperate statement of faith. The criminal has already confessed his guilt and the justice served by his own death and recognizes Jesus to be the Son of God. He has nothing to offer the King of Kings and Lord of Lords except for his broken heart and public profession of faith. But, as Paul says in Romans 10 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." This dying criminal saw the death of Jesus not as a failed ministry, like all the Pharisees and Roman soldiers - but as a victory and a beginning of His reign on high. Indeed, this criminal confesses his belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Jesus replies "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise."
God understands our feelings of desperation and loneliness. He knows that in the darkest places of our mind, He can feel far away. But praise be to the Lord - that is only a feeling - it isn't truth. He is always with us. When we cry out, Lord, remember me. He kindly answers, "You never were forgotten."
Those people in my life, who I didn't want to burden, all love me and would have gladly been my listening ear. But even more than that, the Maker of heaven and earth, surrounded by the heavenly host singing His praise without end, listened to my cry - and gave me peace.
Cry out to the Lord, He is listening!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
7 times 7 - Practicing Righteousness
Psalm 106:3 "How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!"
Wow - this is basically the same as Jesus telling us in Matthew 5:48 "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Practicing righteousness at all times is impossible for us and yet completely necessary. We have to "practice" righteousness. We aren't actually good at it at all. Paul quotes the Psalms in Romans 3 saying "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks God."
We humans, in our own power, would avoid God altogether and live out our lives as we saw fit, in our pride and carnal lusts and desires. On the first day, we discussed how this Psalm reviews the way the Israelites lived in a perpetual state of rejecting God and then begging for His salvation when He gave them over to their desires. Paul describes the same sort of situation in Romans 1, when he writes "God gave them over in the lists of their hearts to impurity". After all, this is the truest definition of hell - complete and eternal separation from God. At the end of Revelation, John describes the new Jerusalem, where God Himself will eternally dwell with His people. But anyone outside the salvation of Christ will be eternally separated and in hell.
I'm not trying to be a downer, but this reality is something we tend to forget. We drift towards mediocrity and think that our good enough living is okay. We think that if we are better than the next guy, or at least not worse, than God should be pretty happy with us and we are okay. Even as believers, we rest on the laurels of giving our lives to Christ and then spend most of our days in the comfort of our routines. We don't examine too closely or question too deeply. Just don't rock the boat and it is smooth sailing.
Except for the fact that our fallen nature would never pursue God and His righteousness. We would always choose self interest over justice, left to our own natures. That is why we have to practice righteousness. Not just commit random good acts when we think of it. The Hebrew word gives an image of ongoing action that is continuously done - to do something thoroughly - to accomplish completely.
Paul writes to the Galatians (5:16) "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh." Just a few verses before he says "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not let your freedom turn into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
These verses give great insight into how we can practice righteousness. If we walk by the Spirit, following the direction of the Lord and living in dependence of His will, than the freedom we have in salvation will lead us to love and serve one another more than we ever could outside of the Holy Spirit. In my own flesh, I am a slave to my pride and my selfishness. But in the freedom of the Spirit, I can love those around me and pursue justice and goodness and peace and all the other fruit of the Spirit.
This idea of practicing righteousness helps us to remember that if we drift into "auto-pilot" mode, we will walk in our own flesh. But if we live in dependence on the Spirit, we will intentionally choose those things that are pleasing to God. We do not bear the weight of perfection. Jesus bore that weight and paid the price of our sin in His death and resurrection. But in my freedom, I can joyfully follow the unobtainable, each day closer to walking the streets of heaven with my Father.
Pray that the Lord would help you practice each day to walk more aligned to His character, through the power of His Spirit, and you will find yourself pursuing justice, practicing righteousness and being downright joyful about it! That is why the one who does these things is called blessed!
How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!
Wow - this is basically the same as Jesus telling us in Matthew 5:48 "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Practicing righteousness at all times is impossible for us and yet completely necessary. We have to "practice" righteousness. We aren't actually good at it at all. Paul quotes the Psalms in Romans 3 saying "There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks God."
We humans, in our own power, would avoid God altogether and live out our lives as we saw fit, in our pride and carnal lusts and desires. On the first day, we discussed how this Psalm reviews the way the Israelites lived in a perpetual state of rejecting God and then begging for His salvation when He gave them over to their desires. Paul describes the same sort of situation in Romans 1, when he writes "God gave them over in the lists of their hearts to impurity". After all, this is the truest definition of hell - complete and eternal separation from God. At the end of Revelation, John describes the new Jerusalem, where God Himself will eternally dwell with His people. But anyone outside the salvation of Christ will be eternally separated and in hell.
I'm not trying to be a downer, but this reality is something we tend to forget. We drift towards mediocrity and think that our good enough living is okay. We think that if we are better than the next guy, or at least not worse, than God should be pretty happy with us and we are okay. Even as believers, we rest on the laurels of giving our lives to Christ and then spend most of our days in the comfort of our routines. We don't examine too closely or question too deeply. Just don't rock the boat and it is smooth sailing.
Except for the fact that our fallen nature would never pursue God and His righteousness. We would always choose self interest over justice, left to our own natures. That is why we have to practice righteousness. Not just commit random good acts when we think of it. The Hebrew word gives an image of ongoing action that is continuously done - to do something thoroughly - to accomplish completely.
Paul writes to the Galatians (5:16) "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh." Just a few verses before he says "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not let your freedom turn into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
These verses give great insight into how we can practice righteousness. If we walk by the Spirit, following the direction of the Lord and living in dependence of His will, than the freedom we have in salvation will lead us to love and serve one another more than we ever could outside of the Holy Spirit. In my own flesh, I am a slave to my pride and my selfishness. But in the freedom of the Spirit, I can love those around me and pursue justice and goodness and peace and all the other fruit of the Spirit.
This idea of practicing righteousness helps us to remember that if we drift into "auto-pilot" mode, we will walk in our own flesh. But if we live in dependence on the Spirit, we will intentionally choose those things that are pleasing to God. We do not bear the weight of perfection. Jesus bore that weight and paid the price of our sin in His death and resurrection. But in my freedom, I can joyfully follow the unobtainable, each day closer to walking the streets of heaven with my Father.
Pray that the Lord would help you practice each day to walk more aligned to His character, through the power of His Spirit, and you will find yourself pursuing justice, practicing righteousness and being downright joyful about it! That is why the one who does these things is called blessed!
How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!
7 times 7 - who can speak?
Psalm 106:2 "Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, or who can show forth all His praise?"
We human beings are a proud group, often thinking we know everything, that all our thoughts and words are fascinating and assume if we are speaking, someone else should be listening with rapt attention. But the glory of the Lord does not usually lead people to praise Him. In fact, seeing just a bit of His glory leads us to tremble, hide or fall to our face. When the Lord visits Mount Sinai for the first time, after the Israelites are led out of Egypt, the people tremble and stand at a distance and tell Moses "do not let God speak to us or we will die". When Isaiah has a vision of the Lord in His temple, he says "Woe is me, for I am ruined!For I am a man of unclean lips." When the angel of the Lord visits Daniel, after revealing in a vision what would happen to his people, Daniel becomes speechless and turns his face to the ground.
But I think the best example is Job, after God has spoken of His glory Job replies "Behold, I am insignificant, what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth." and later he says "I declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
One of the most glorious pictures painted of heaven comes from Revelation 4, where the 24 elders who were seated on thrones fall before the Lord and cast their crowns before the throne saying "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and because of Your will they existed and were created." The hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" describes it beautifully when it reads "Holy, holy, holy. All the saints adore Thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before Thee. Who were and art and evermore shall be."
This isn't to say that we shouldn't bother to worship because we are insignificant, but rather that we should always be worshipping because He is worthy! We could never speak fully of all His amazing deeds, because we can't comprehend it. We could never give Him all the praise He deserves, because we are mortal and He is eternal. But if we truly meditate on His greatness, our response is to praise Him with all that is in us. We will give Him everything we are, knowing that it is not enough - but it is all we have. This is the "living sacrifice" we are called to be.
Praise Him with all that is in you!
We human beings are a proud group, often thinking we know everything, that all our thoughts and words are fascinating and assume if we are speaking, someone else should be listening with rapt attention. But the glory of the Lord does not usually lead people to praise Him. In fact, seeing just a bit of His glory leads us to tremble, hide or fall to our face. When the Lord visits Mount Sinai for the first time, after the Israelites are led out of Egypt, the people tremble and stand at a distance and tell Moses "do not let God speak to us or we will die". When Isaiah has a vision of the Lord in His temple, he says "Woe is me, for I am ruined!For I am a man of unclean lips." When the angel of the Lord visits Daniel, after revealing in a vision what would happen to his people, Daniel becomes speechless and turns his face to the ground.
But I think the best example is Job, after God has spoken of His glory Job replies "Behold, I am insignificant, what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth." and later he says "I declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
One of the most glorious pictures painted of heaven comes from Revelation 4, where the 24 elders who were seated on thrones fall before the Lord and cast their crowns before the throne saying "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and because of Your will they existed and were created." The hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" describes it beautifully when it reads "Holy, holy, holy. All the saints adore Thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before Thee. Who were and art and evermore shall be."
This isn't to say that we shouldn't bother to worship because we are insignificant, but rather that we should always be worshipping because He is worthy! We could never speak fully of all His amazing deeds, because we can't comprehend it. We could never give Him all the praise He deserves, because we are mortal and He is eternal. But if we truly meditate on His greatness, our response is to praise Him with all that is in us. We will give Him everything we are, knowing that it is not enough - but it is all we have. This is the "living sacrifice" we are called to be.
Praise Him with all that is in you!
Monday, June 24, 2013
7 times 7 - day 2 - time and other funny inventions of God
Psalm 106: 1 "Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm+106/
Day two of trying to focus on being thankful has me thinking a lot about time. Depending on your phase and stage of life, time can generally seem too fast or too slow. For most of us, it is both at once. It leads to a lot of complaining. We both hate being patient and never feel like we have enough time.
You may know that my grandmother is dying. The past 14 months with her battling cancer have seemed both too fast and too slow. The grueling long days watching her decline run into each other and yet if it were up to us, she would never die. But youth is no different! My daughter counted down to her birthday for an entire year and when the day finally came, she started talking about the next one! I too find myself hating being bored and rushed, while feeling both most days.
Yes, our ideas of time are so schizophrenic I sometimes wonder if we will ever get it right. But God does value time and He does value our seasons. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that "for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven".
I'm not sure my ideas of time are the issue or if it is more about my wisdom in how I use the time I'm given. I don't think it is truly a problem of impatience as much as it is my pride refusing to submit to God's schedule. For 49 days I plan to intentionally look at the gifts of God and I begin with the gift of time. Each moment that passes has a memory and emotion that accompany it. For the happy and the sad, they bring me one step further down the road God has marked for me to travel. For the moments that creep and the moments that fly by, I am one step closer to the eternity of His presence. And that is the first description of His goodness in this Psalm. The Psalmist said "His steadfast love endures forever". The Lord knows our frail and wayward hearts. God knows how wishy-washy we are, wanting both to hold on and let go all at the same time. He knows how impulsive we are - we would ask the hard things to pass too quickly for us to ever learn their lesson and keep the good things going so long that they lose their goodness.
Even now, I want to eat all the chocolate in the world, but never have a stomach ache. I want to run a marathon, but never have to get off the couch. I am a cornucopia of opposing ideas and desires, which would spin me in circles if God actually gave me every fleeting desire of my heart.
But He loves me too much to do that. His love is steadfast, not waxing and waning like my own. His love is eternal, not flippant and circumstantial like me. Oh, He is so good.
Give thank to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!
Day two of trying to focus on being thankful has me thinking a lot about time. Depending on your phase and stage of life, time can generally seem too fast or too slow. For most of us, it is both at once. It leads to a lot of complaining. We both hate being patient and never feel like we have enough time.
You may know that my grandmother is dying. The past 14 months with her battling cancer have seemed both too fast and too slow. The grueling long days watching her decline run into each other and yet if it were up to us, she would never die. But youth is no different! My daughter counted down to her birthday for an entire year and when the day finally came, she started talking about the next one! I too find myself hating being bored and rushed, while feeling both most days.
Yes, our ideas of time are so schizophrenic I sometimes wonder if we will ever get it right. But God does value time and He does value our seasons. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that "for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven".
I'm not sure my ideas of time are the issue or if it is more about my wisdom in how I use the time I'm given. I don't think it is truly a problem of impatience as much as it is my pride refusing to submit to God's schedule. For 49 days I plan to intentionally look at the gifts of God and I begin with the gift of time. Each moment that passes has a memory and emotion that accompany it. For the happy and the sad, they bring me one step further down the road God has marked for me to travel. For the moments that creep and the moments that fly by, I am one step closer to the eternity of His presence. And that is the first description of His goodness in this Psalm. The Psalmist said "His steadfast love endures forever". The Lord knows our frail and wayward hearts. God knows how wishy-washy we are, wanting both to hold on and let go all at the same time. He knows how impulsive we are - we would ask the hard things to pass too quickly for us to ever learn their lesson and keep the good things going so long that they lose their goodness.
Even now, I want to eat all the chocolate in the world, but never have a stomach ache. I want to run a marathon, but never have to get off the couch. I am a cornucopia of opposing ideas and desires, which would spin me in circles if God actually gave me every fleeting desire of my heart.
But He loves me too much to do that. His love is steadfast, not waxing and waning like my own. His love is eternal, not flippant and circumstantial like me. Oh, He is so good.
Give thank to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
7 times 7 - A study of Psalm 106
Day 1 - Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
For the next 49 days I will be exploring the 48 verses of Psalm 106, using the ESV version (http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm+106/). I read a Psalm each day in my quiet time and this past week I hit Psalm 106. It was in the middle of me adjusting to regular life after having been gone on vacation for 9 days straight. You'd think I'd be relaxed and reminiscent of how great the vacation was and thankful for the wonderful experience. You'd think I'd be recounting the blessing of God's provision to be able to afford a terrific cruise with my husband. You'd think I'd be expounding on the amazing relationship with our best friends who came with us and the wonderful memories we share with them. That would make sense.
But in fact, if you read my journal, you would see comments regarding the days immediately following my vacation as being "horrible", "exhausting", "so behind at work", "busy every night", "need another vacation". Then I read Psalm 106 and I was convicted immediately. This Psalm explores the loving-kindness of our great God and Israel's continual rejection and complaining attitude. Aren't we all like that sometimes? Don't we all turn to God and say, what have You done for me lately? Don't we all credit ourselves with the good and blame Him for everything that seems bad or doesn't make sense?
I felt an immediate need to repent and focus my heart on His amazing grace. I felt a call for a focused study of His love and intentional effort in thanksgiving and gratitude. So, in thanks of my 7 days cruise, I am spending 7 times 7 days (a biblical symbol for completion) studying this psalm to address my own heart that so quickly turns from the loving provision of my God and tries to live in my own strength or rejects His plan for my life to follow my own will instead.
We are called that give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Before any mention of what He has done, we begin with His character. We praise God for WHO He is. There will be a time when Christ returns and the whole world will see Him and worship, regardless of their nation, language, religion, or ethnicity. They will see He is God and that there is no other. They will see He is holy and know their sin. They will see His majesty and understand their insignificance. They will understand His eternal nature and know their mortality. When we all see Jesus - every knee will bow. Just because of who He is. He will still judge and those outside His forgiveness will be banished for all eternity, separated from His glory. But we, who know now - even though it is only in part, we know His character as it is revealed in His word, through His creation and the innate understanding of our souls. We know He is God and we praise Him, because He is worthy of praise.
This idea really sets the tone for the next 48 days, because it is not thanking God for any particular gift, provision, miracle or blessing. We aren't praising God only because we remember His faithfulness to us (although that is important too). We begin praising Him and giving Him thanks just because of who He is. If we simply meditate for a moment on His power and glory and splendor, we cannot help but begin to sing praises.
On the cruise I looked out and saw the ocean, stretching out in this gorgeous color blue, as far as the eye could see. And then I saw the sky, a different shade of blue, nearly cloudless, stretching out to meet the sea. All I could think of was Genesis and the Lord creating the ocean and earth and sky. He spoke it all into being because it pleased Him to do so. This great expanse of blue - beyond a length or height I could measure or even imagine. And He spoke it into being. I began to sing Amazing Grace, just thinking "when we've been there, ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun." It isn't hard to picture praising God for all of eternity, when you take a moment to look at His creation and realize how great He is. And then imagine seeing Him, instead of just looking at His creation, seeing Him - with our own eyes! We praise Him for who He is!
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
For the next 49 days I will be exploring the 48 verses of Psalm 106, using the ESV version (http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm+106/). I read a Psalm each day in my quiet time and this past week I hit Psalm 106. It was in the middle of me adjusting to regular life after having been gone on vacation for 9 days straight. You'd think I'd be relaxed and reminiscent of how great the vacation was and thankful for the wonderful experience. You'd think I'd be recounting the blessing of God's provision to be able to afford a terrific cruise with my husband. You'd think I'd be expounding on the amazing relationship with our best friends who came with us and the wonderful memories we share with them. That would make sense.
But in fact, if you read my journal, you would see comments regarding the days immediately following my vacation as being "horrible", "exhausting", "so behind at work", "busy every night", "need another vacation". Then I read Psalm 106 and I was convicted immediately. This Psalm explores the loving-kindness of our great God and Israel's continual rejection and complaining attitude. Aren't we all like that sometimes? Don't we all turn to God and say, what have You done for me lately? Don't we all credit ourselves with the good and blame Him for everything that seems bad or doesn't make sense?
I felt an immediate need to repent and focus my heart on His amazing grace. I felt a call for a focused study of His love and intentional effort in thanksgiving and gratitude. So, in thanks of my 7 days cruise, I am spending 7 times 7 days (a biblical symbol for completion) studying this psalm to address my own heart that so quickly turns from the loving provision of my God and tries to live in my own strength or rejects His plan for my life to follow my own will instead.
We are called that give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Before any mention of what He has done, we begin with His character. We praise God for WHO He is. There will be a time when Christ returns and the whole world will see Him and worship, regardless of their nation, language, religion, or ethnicity. They will see He is God and that there is no other. They will see He is holy and know their sin. They will see His majesty and understand their insignificance. They will understand His eternal nature and know their mortality. When we all see Jesus - every knee will bow. Just because of who He is. He will still judge and those outside His forgiveness will be banished for all eternity, separated from His glory. But we, who know now - even though it is only in part, we know His character as it is revealed in His word, through His creation and the innate understanding of our souls. We know He is God and we praise Him, because He is worthy of praise.
This idea really sets the tone for the next 48 days, because it is not thanking God for any particular gift, provision, miracle or blessing. We aren't praising God only because we remember His faithfulness to us (although that is important too). We begin praising Him and giving Him thanks just because of who He is. If we simply meditate for a moment on His power and glory and splendor, we cannot help but begin to sing praises.
On the cruise I looked out and saw the ocean, stretching out in this gorgeous color blue, as far as the eye could see. And then I saw the sky, a different shade of blue, nearly cloudless, stretching out to meet the sea. All I could think of was Genesis and the Lord creating the ocean and earth and sky. He spoke it all into being because it pleased Him to do so. This great expanse of blue - beyond a length or height I could measure or even imagine. And He spoke it into being. I began to sing Amazing Grace, just thinking "when we've been there, ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we've first begun." It isn't hard to picture praising God for all of eternity, when you take a moment to look at His creation and realize how great He is. And then imagine seeing Him, instead of just looking at His creation, seeing Him - with our own eyes! We praise Him for who He is!
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Walking with a limp
"Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until day break. When he saw that he had not prevailed, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." He said "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved." Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed Peniel, and he was limping on his thigh." Genesis 32:24-31
This morning I was reading "Come, Lord Jesus" by Thomas a Kempis, a devotional that our church is using during Lent. Chapter 35, entitled "A Little Sweetness" addresses the quiet whisper of the world saying "You need a little sweetness to help you get through this tough life." It goes on to describe how we use little rewards in our life as comforts and pleasures, when in fact we are keeping ourselves from the depths of God's presence, "the utter sweetness that comes when you are abandoned to God".
I was knocked right between the eyes as I saw a core root of my sin and pride in black and white. If you know me personally, you know that my love language is "gifts" and that my experience and expression of love often best resonates with me when it is in the form of some gift or token or display of affection. I experience people's love for me best when they present me with some tangible item showing they were thinking of me and moved to give me something as an expression of their affection. It could be flowers or chocolates or socks - it really doesn't matter what the item is. Gifts say to me "I saw this, thought of you, and wanted you to have it." I express my love for others this way as well. It may be cooking my kids favorite meal, bringing my mom her favorite Starbucks coffee or buying my husband tickets to the cubs game. Gifts are my way of saying, "I know what you enjoy and I want to increase your pleasure by giving you this." (If you don't know much about the love languages idea, go to: http://www.5lovelanguages.com)
The problem is, this idea of "self-gifting". I am a HUGE self-gifter. I will celebrate myself and comfort myself in disappointment. Actually, I pretty much go through my life asking myself "how can I make this better?". If things have been difficult or stressful, I look to cheer myself up. If things are going well, I see if I can make them even better. My husband and I sit down to a relaxing evening watching a movie together and I say "I have an idea". I jump off the couch, run to the kitchen, whip up a treat and now we have a movie AND a treat. Or I've had a horrible day, so on my way home I console myself by picking up something - maybe a magazine or a movie for distraction, maybe a bottle of wine to share with David over dinner, maybe I get home and make cookies with the kids. Gary Chapman says that the person who thrives on gifts is being shown through gifts "that they are known, cared for and prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you." This self gifting is my deeply rooted pride, loving myself, caring for myself and prizing my own comfort.
In the person of Jesus, the sacrifice of His death on the cross said that we were "known and cared for and prized" beyond His own life. This is the gift we truly long for. This is the expression of love that I need to fill the emptiness of my heart. Everyone and everything in life around me will disappoint. My husband, my kids, my family and friends can never love me perfectly. This world cannot ever satisfy my longings, because I was made for heaven and the presence of God.
My "self-gifting" has been an invisible wall between me and a deeper relationship with the Lord. Whether celebrating the good or consoling the bad, my self gifting rejects the perfect gift God has given me in His presence. I am fostering a posture of self-reliance and discontent. I am saying to the Lord "I am not satisfied with what You have given me. I know better." And I am rejecting His plan for my life, measuring the distance between the expectation of my plan and the reality in which I live.
Thomas a Kempis was right on - this small voice is almost too quiet to hear, but it's presence is devastating to cultivating true awareness of God's presence, submission to His will and thankfulness for all He has done. These little gifts, meaningless distractions, continually turn my eyes from God and towards the fleeting treasures of this world.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with depression and worked really hard to break my negative thought patterns. For this past year, I have been striving to experience God's presence and joy in my life. Despite some really great quiet times and conversations with others, I still felt like I kept hitting a wall in my experience of God. I knew I wasn't joyful. I knew I was wrestling with true submission to His will and with my pride. I just couldn't put my finger on the root of the problem. I tried to deal with the issues I saw in my life, but I couldn't identify the source. After reading this truth, I felt like the scales fell from my eyes and I could truly see the spiritual battle I was facing. I am no longer blind to my enemy, just reacting to his attack. Now, I am on guard and on the offensive - reaching out to destroy all that stands between me and the Lord.
When Jacob wrestled with God, he was blessed. He was made into a great nation and he was blessed with a limp. A permanent reminder to hold onto God and cling to Him. This revelation of my sin is like my own personal limp - a call to remember my frailty and His provision. A call to remember that I am fighting a battle and my own comfort and desires are counted among my enemies.
It is not wrong to make things fun or to enjoy gifts. The sin came from my proud heart, defining what was right for me and making my own adjustments to God's perfect provision. I was telling Him that He wasn't enough. His will wasn't good. I didn't trust Him to satisfy. I wanted to take care of myself. No wonder I felt empty of His presence - I've been turning Him away.
No more....no more settling with temporary trinkets at the cost of eternal glory. No more ungrateful heart to the life He has given me. No more turning my nose down at His gifts, looking for something shiny instead. No more ending each day with my little self-gifts to combat the tough world we live in, choosing small comfort instead of perfect peace.
Instead - I claim the gift of Jesus Christ as my full satisfaction - the perfect solution to this sin-sick world. I claim each day and each breath His good and perfect plan for me, thankful for what has been given. I claim my future to be the road to glory, not just a good-enough tomorrow. And I choose to see my temporary toil in light of the cross at Calvary. The external changes may seem small at first - intentionally closing each day in thanksgiving; stopping myself from those little comforts or rewards - so that I can find my comfort and reward in Him; celebrating Him, instead of me. But I will be running the race set before me with a limp - a limp of dependence. A limp that keeps me clinging and recognizes the blessing and joy from the presence of God.
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, o what needless pain we bear;
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I
Psalm 61:2 has this great phrase "lead me to the rock that is higher than I". I read this yesterday in my quiet time and loved the imagery of looking up beyond myself, and climbing this peak where I come to the Lord. In my head I had my own personal Mt. Sinai. It was wonderful moment.
And then the day began and I went through my own personal hills and valleys of encouragement and frustration. I experienced being energized and exhausted - confident and questions. Life was more than the place in my head and by the end of the day it can feel more like I am trying to climb Mt Everest, than simply connect with the Lord.
And then a deeper frustration comes. I find myself wrestling in the same areas I have wrestled for years and the weariness is beyond the daily grind, but a question of whether or not I will ever truly overcome my own flaws and failings. Will I ever really push through this invisible brick wall that has held me back time and time again? The mountain I'm climbing seems to be growing, making my progress actually feel like I am moving backwards. I question if I should be climbing at all. Maybe it would be better to just sit down where I am. Sure, I'm not at the top but I wouldn't have to climb anymore. The weariness could be over. Accept the mountain for what it is and be thankful that when Christ returns, all these mountains will be made low. The crooked will be straight. The rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4) Can't I just wait for the glory of the Lord?
But these are not the thoughts of one centered on the Lord. Isaiah 26 says "The steadfast mind will You keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock." Paul experienced frustrations. In 2 Corinthians 12 we have an amazing view into Paul's heart and mind as he implores the Lord to remove this "thorn in the flesh", this "messenger of Satan to torment him". God reveals to Paul that the strength found in weakness is stronger than Satan himself. Paul learns that God's great grace had so much more fulfillment than earthly strength.
In Psalm 62, David says "My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken."
My strength is not from myself or anyone else, but God alone. Resting in Him, I can never be shaken, which leads me to ask:
Am I wrestling my weakness or am I really wrestling my pride which doesn't like the idea of being weak?
Is the mountain really growing or is the distance I feel between myself and the Lord the result of my unwillingness to ask Him to come to me?
Could my valleys rise and my hills be brought low, a straight path to the Lord, if I ask Him? Will the One who descended from heaven, into the depths of hell and conquered sin and death for my sake really abandon me in my time of weakness? (Rom 8:37-39) Will the One who "allowed Himself to be tempted in that which He suffered to come to the aid of those who are tempted" reject me in my frailty? (Heb 2:18)
Is the thorn in my flesh not actually something pressing in on the surface, but the very heart inside of me refusing to die to it's selfish pride and ambition?
I rest on the side of the mountain, but not to stop. Rather, I cry out to the Lord, "Carry me, Father. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
And then the day began and I went through my own personal hills and valleys of encouragement and frustration. I experienced being energized and exhausted - confident and questions. Life was more than the place in my head and by the end of the day it can feel more like I am trying to climb Mt Everest, than simply connect with the Lord.
And then a deeper frustration comes. I find myself wrestling in the same areas I have wrestled for years and the weariness is beyond the daily grind, but a question of whether or not I will ever truly overcome my own flaws and failings. Will I ever really push through this invisible brick wall that has held me back time and time again? The mountain I'm climbing seems to be growing, making my progress actually feel like I am moving backwards. I question if I should be climbing at all. Maybe it would be better to just sit down where I am. Sure, I'm not at the top but I wouldn't have to climb anymore. The weariness could be over. Accept the mountain for what it is and be thankful that when Christ returns, all these mountains will be made low. The crooked will be straight. The rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4) Can't I just wait for the glory of the Lord?
But these are not the thoughts of one centered on the Lord. Isaiah 26 says "The steadfast mind will You keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock." Paul experienced frustrations. In 2 Corinthians 12 we have an amazing view into Paul's heart and mind as he implores the Lord to remove this "thorn in the flesh", this "messenger of Satan to torment him". God reveals to Paul that the strength found in weakness is stronger than Satan himself. Paul learns that God's great grace had so much more fulfillment than earthly strength.
In Psalm 62, David says "My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken."
My strength is not from myself or anyone else, but God alone. Resting in Him, I can never be shaken, which leads me to ask:
Am I wrestling my weakness or am I really wrestling my pride which doesn't like the idea of being weak?
Is the mountain really growing or is the distance I feel between myself and the Lord the result of my unwillingness to ask Him to come to me?
Could my valleys rise and my hills be brought low, a straight path to the Lord, if I ask Him? Will the One who descended from heaven, into the depths of hell and conquered sin and death for my sake really abandon me in my time of weakness? (Rom 8:37-39) Will the One who "allowed Himself to be tempted in that which He suffered to come to the aid of those who are tempted" reject me in my frailty? (Heb 2:18)
Is the thorn in my flesh not actually something pressing in on the surface, but the very heart inside of me refusing to die to it's selfish pride and ambition?
I rest on the side of the mountain, but not to stop. Rather, I cry out to the Lord, "Carry me, Father. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)