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".
Thursday, July 25, 2013
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.
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