This morning I was thinking that it is appropriate to meditate on the day after Jesus death on the cross, the day his physical body laid in the tomb! I went back to my post from Last Holy Saturday and realized it was pretty much exactly what I was thinking this morning. So here is my post from lat Holy Saturday - it certainly resonated with me again this morning.
This morning , I thought it would be interesting to meditate on the Sabbath day following Jesus’ death on the cross. This is a day that we know nothing about, as it begins shortly after Jesus’ burial, with the Jewish Sabbath starting at Sunset, and proceeding to the following sunset.
In Matthew’s Gospel, we actually have some verses pertaining to this day, but nothing that talks about the followers of Jesus. Matthew 27:62-66 describes the fact that the Chief Priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked him to have a guard stationed at the tomb, to make sure that Jesus’ followers didn’t steal His body to try and fake the resurrection. In Mark’s Gospel this day is found between the last verse of chapter 15 and the first verse of chapter 16, “When the Sabbath was over”. In Luke, we are told specifically that His followers, especially the “women who had come with Jesus from Galilee” (Luke 23:55-56) had rested on the Sabbath day, in accordance with the commandment. Luke then moves right to the beginning of the first day of the week, following the Sabbath, and again, other than the fact that they rested, we know nothing. Finally John’s Gospel, as well, is silent about this day.
So, why my meditation? I personally think that the silence of God in certain situations reveals much to us about our own situation and beliefs. It is in the silence of God, that our faith and trust is tested. In my life, there have been times of transition, times of change, times of difficulty and what I want more than anything in those times is a sense of purpose, direction and a ‘word from the Lord’. The thing that I have found, is more often than not, God is quiet in these times. I don’t believe it is some cruel streak in God, where He holds back the very thing I think I need more than anything. Instead I have learned that His love and faithfulness are every bit as active in those quiet moments as any other times.
In retrospect, He has always been at work in the background, and that I was too unaware to realize it. God is a perfect, and so is His timing. What I want is advanced notice, what God wants is for me to trust in His faithfulness. My tendency is to slide immediately into unbelief, He wants me to learn to have faith, and stand (Eph 6:13-16). Thus, I have opportunity to grow.
When I think about the disciples and Apostles of Jesus, resting on the Sabbath following His death and burial, I imagine it was the darkest of days for them. Just earlier in the previous week, Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, being heralded as the coming King, riding along on the back of a donkey, and now he was dead and buried, and all of their ideas of their future at His side were shattered. It is clear from the Gospel’s that despite Jesus repeatedly warning them of His impending death that they just didn’t get it. They continued to believe that as the Messiah He was going to be seated on David’s former throne and restore Israel as God’s people, complete with their national pride, freedom and identity restored.
It is my belief that Instead of glory, they were experiencing the depths of despair. They were likely gathered together, as would have been their custom on the Sabbath, and they were probably all just shell-shocked from the last 2 days. I am sure there were tears, and sorrow, real grieving for the loss of the most important person in their lives. They had committed somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 years of their life to Jesus, following Him everywhere, living together and always His was the direction they followed, and now there was only silence, dead silence.
I think that they might have been racking their brains, trying to remember what Jesus had told them concerning His death and rising from the dead. I think they probably bounced back in forth from wild hope in remembered words, to stunning silence and despair as they remembered his beaten and bloody body. I think they were probably all dealing with His death individually as we all do when a loved one passes. I am sure everything they said or did reminded them of Him, and that would just revisit the pain of their loss.
I think this was one of the darkest days of all time, for the Light of the World had come, and was lost. The long awaited Messiah had been revealed, and now He was dead. Their hope for restoration and revival, God’s blessing and visitation was lying dead in a tomb. We like to say “its Friday, but Sunday is coming” as a reminder that the joy of His resurrection is following close on the heels of the loss of His death, but the Apostles and disciples didn’t know this, didn’t understand it, and didn’t believe it. The Gospels recount several times where Jesus told them exactly what was going to happen, and in every one of those times, the writers make a very specific note that His followers didn’t understand what He meant. I believe this is indicative of the fact that they were all remembering that dark day, that day of shattered dreams and ideas.
So for us, what can we gain from meditating on this dark day? I think for me the important thing is to look to God, to His word, to His character, to His promises regardless of the circumstances. I believe that His desire for me is to learn to entrust myself to Him, taking His guidance and direction, and trusting that He has a bigger perspective that I am not seeing.
I am learning to trust in Him, regardless of how difficult and confusing the circumstances are at present. I am learning that He knows my circumstances, my weaknesses, my struggles, and He has made a way in spite of them all. I am learning that He tries to prepare me, although most of the time I don’t understand Him, or mis-interpret what He means. He loves me, desires the best for me, and knows the exact time, the exact place and the exact reason for each and every encounter and experience.
Like His followers, I can choose to move forward, even as the Ladies did the next morning. They weren’t expecting His miraculous resurrection, but they were taking the next logical steps which put them right in the Lord’s path, and into the glory of His resurrection. Sometimes, all we need to do is to just get through the day, look to Him, and trust that tomorrow will be a better day, and one that we will encounter Him!
I know it is somewhat of a cliché, but there is truth in the saying, ‘Friday might be here, but Sunday is coming’! God’s provision and purpose are true, and He is faithful! Let us trust in Him, press through this dark day, and believe that we will encounter Him anew, and fresh!
Amen and Amen! Come Lord Jesus!
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
The Foolishness of the Cross?
This morning, as it is Good Friday, I felt it was appropriate to reflect on the Cross and the Crucifixion of Jesus. To start, here are some verses from Paul's letter to the 1 Corinthians 1:17-18,22-25 NIV:
[17] "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel---not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. [18] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
[22] "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
As I think about the cross, and what it must sound like to the non-Christian, I think Paul is accurate, it must sound like foolishness. Why would God, if He is all powerful, and all knowing, the creator of everything, put in motion a plan where He sends His beloved Son to earth to become human, and in His humanity, suffer and die at the hands of the ones He created? Why would this be the path of salvation? Why the humiliation of death on a cross, like a heinous criminal?
We have our mythological stories of heroes who die in epic battles, defeating overwhelming odds! We have stories from the Old Testament of God intervening in miraculous ways to save His people. We have our own ideas of what we would do if we were all-powerful, able to create or destroy galaxies with just a word. We can imagine all sorts of glorious ways to save, or rescue people we love, yet it is hard to imagine it involving complete humiliation, suffering, and tortuous death.
Yet, Paul calls the cross the power of God. I think he rightly describes it as a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles, yet to those of us who believe it is wisdom and power of God! It is hard to describe it all in a few short paragraphs, as there are whole books dedicated to this subject, but I will endeavor to express the heart of what I understand.
First, we as humans, are generally limited in our worldviews, especially those of us who have a Western-trained mind. We don't recognize the spiritual aspects, for they are generally unseen and considered lightly in our understandings. Yet it is precisely in the spiritual realm that Jesus' death was glorious, so we must consider that realm in our understanding of the cross. Secondly, I think it safe to say that we clearly don't understand the fullness of all that was accomplished on the Cross, or in the Resurrection, for these had eternal consequences, and we cannot grasp or comprehend eternity fully. Lastly, in our humanness, would have chosen a different path, for we do understand pain, suffering and humiliation in some small way, and thus we are forced to look at a reality that we just wouldn't choose on our own, and we are thus limited in what we can understand.
In scripture we are given hints of the foundational truths, the sin of man the result of free will, free-will a requirement for a real relationship of love. We somewhat understand the idea of sin causing a loss, and ultimately separation, from the originally intended relational intimacy God desired between Himself and all humans. After the original sin, humans lost almost all knowledge of God and His character as they proceeded to follow their own path.
As scripture tells us, the rest of history of the Jews, from Abraham to Jesus, was God slowly laying the groundwork for undoing all that was done in that first instance of sin. God reveals Himself again, establishes a covenant relationship with Abraham, always allowing for free-will and bad choices, and God never relents of His love and commitment. God reveals His nature and character to the Jews, slowly over time, allowing them to encounter Him differently so that they start to understand He is nothing like us! Rather in some small way, we are like Him.
He establishes the Law as foundational truth and framework for holiness and sanctification. He establishes a sacrificial system that is a foreshadowing of what He intends to do to restore that which was lost. Most of this is hidden from the world, for God's word is planted like a seed in Israel, and over the ensuing years it grows in understanding and revelation, but i mostly hidden in the walled garden that was the Jewish Faith. Within the context of this continual revelation of Himself, through the Prophets and authors of the Old Testament, God lays out His plans, describing the Messiah, and alluding to His purpose and plans, yet as humans the Jews don't fully grasp the reality of what God was really about. They, like us, couldn't fully comprehend God's radical plan. As God says through Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways ,” (Is 55:8 NIV).
Finally, after hundreds of years of waiting Jesus, the Messiah, is born with a spiritually spectacular birth, if you are a shepherd in the hills outside of Bethlehem. The next thirty years, Jesus lives in relative obscurity, and this just messes with our minds! Why would God, send His Son to live a quiet and hidden life? Wouldn't he at least be like David and slay a couple of giants, or lead his people to victory over their enemies? (Sorry back to my human thinking!). The point is that Jesus is fully a man, having emptied Himself somehow of His divinity (Phil 2:6-8), that He might live just like you or me. In that human state, He learned to walk in perfect obedience to His heavenly Father, not as the divine son, but as a human. He learned to establish an intimate relationship with His Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In His hiddenness we recognize His humility and likeness to ourselves. He came to establish a way back to the Father, back to that intimacy originally intended but lost through sin. He came to earth to show us the way, to make a way, and to eradicate the effects of that original sin. He came to reveal perfectly the nature of the Father (Hebrews 1:2) and to fulfill the promise and plans of God!
The passion and crucifixion is where the reality of God's intent became evident! He didn't require us to make our way to Him, instead He came to us, and through His suffering and death took upon Himself the punishment for all sin, forever cancelling sin's power to separate us from the Father! He, in one humble act of obedience, set billions of us free from the curse of sin, spiritual blindness and separation.
In the spiritual realm, He defeated the powers of the cast out angelic hosts who had rebelled against God originally and had been working to maintain the relational separation between God and man. He defeated their best plan to steal for themselves God's children. They thought they had accomplished the ultimate defeat of God, killing His Son in His most vulnerable state. Instead, in the spiritual realm His death on the cross was the equivalent of a black-hole for all sin, for He took all sin (past, present and future) upon Himself, and its debt was cancelled as it died with Him on the cross! I can just imagine the enemies' horrified looks as all sins were cancelled and the debt was paid! What they thought was the final victory instead become their major defeat!
The impact on our lives from that single moment in history is unfathomable, for it opened to us the way to the Father! The path to real intimate relationship was restored! The veil that separated God and His children was torn asunder! All of our sins were paid for and we were once more able to enter into Eternal Life, life united with God! It is in becoming like us that God was able to restore all that was lost! He never faltered in His faithfulness to His original intent and plan! He has always loved us and always desired relationship with us, and proved that love by coming to us and setting us free. His power over sin is complete!
Moreover, in His death on the cross, He also took us all with Him, that our old nature might be put to death (Rom 6:6). God's plan didn't end on the cross. In fact one could say that is where we actually get our first understanding of His ultimate plan, for in taking all of us to the cross with him, He killed the old man, that we might become new creations in Him. Paul writes - 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" So, on the cross, Jesus in the Power of God, humbled Himself, taking our old nature, all our sin and all the separation it caused and killed it all! He saved us all!
I know in no way have I covered even the smallest portion of all God accomplished on the cross, but in my small way I am reminded of His infinite love, His incredible patience and faithfulness and His unbelievable ways. I am grateful for my salvation! I am grateful that He doesn't think like me or act like me! I am grateful for the opportunity to relate to the Father! I am grateful that my sin has been paid for! I am grateful that I am a new creation! I am grateful that He defeated the best plans of the enemy! I am grateful that today I can celebrate the salvation that He purchased with His own blood! I am grateful for the "foolishness" of the cross, for I celebrate it as God's victory over sin!
Amen!
[17] "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel---not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. [18] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
[22] "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, [24] but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
As I think about the cross, and what it must sound like to the non-Christian, I think Paul is accurate, it must sound like foolishness. Why would God, if He is all powerful, and all knowing, the creator of everything, put in motion a plan where He sends His beloved Son to earth to become human, and in His humanity, suffer and die at the hands of the ones He created? Why would this be the path of salvation? Why the humiliation of death on a cross, like a heinous criminal?
We have our mythological stories of heroes who die in epic battles, defeating overwhelming odds! We have stories from the Old Testament of God intervening in miraculous ways to save His people. We have our own ideas of what we would do if we were all-powerful, able to create or destroy galaxies with just a word. We can imagine all sorts of glorious ways to save, or rescue people we love, yet it is hard to imagine it involving complete humiliation, suffering, and tortuous death.
Yet, Paul calls the cross the power of God. I think he rightly describes it as a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles, yet to those of us who believe it is wisdom and power of God! It is hard to describe it all in a few short paragraphs, as there are whole books dedicated to this subject, but I will endeavor to express the heart of what I understand.
First, we as humans, are generally limited in our worldviews, especially those of us who have a Western-trained mind. We don't recognize the spiritual aspects, for they are generally unseen and considered lightly in our understandings. Yet it is precisely in the spiritual realm that Jesus' death was glorious, so we must consider that realm in our understanding of the cross. Secondly, I think it safe to say that we clearly don't understand the fullness of all that was accomplished on the Cross, or in the Resurrection, for these had eternal consequences, and we cannot grasp or comprehend eternity fully. Lastly, in our humanness, would have chosen a different path, for we do understand pain, suffering and humiliation in some small way, and thus we are forced to look at a reality that we just wouldn't choose on our own, and we are thus limited in what we can understand.
In scripture we are given hints of the foundational truths, the sin of man the result of free will, free-will a requirement for a real relationship of love. We somewhat understand the idea of sin causing a loss, and ultimately separation, from the originally intended relational intimacy God desired between Himself and all humans. After the original sin, humans lost almost all knowledge of God and His character as they proceeded to follow their own path.
As scripture tells us, the rest of history of the Jews, from Abraham to Jesus, was God slowly laying the groundwork for undoing all that was done in that first instance of sin. God reveals Himself again, establishes a covenant relationship with Abraham, always allowing for free-will and bad choices, and God never relents of His love and commitment. God reveals His nature and character to the Jews, slowly over time, allowing them to encounter Him differently so that they start to understand He is nothing like us! Rather in some small way, we are like Him.
He establishes the Law as foundational truth and framework for holiness and sanctification. He establishes a sacrificial system that is a foreshadowing of what He intends to do to restore that which was lost. Most of this is hidden from the world, for God's word is planted like a seed in Israel, and over the ensuing years it grows in understanding and revelation, but i mostly hidden in the walled garden that was the Jewish Faith. Within the context of this continual revelation of Himself, through the Prophets and authors of the Old Testament, God lays out His plans, describing the Messiah, and alluding to His purpose and plans, yet as humans the Jews don't fully grasp the reality of what God was really about. They, like us, couldn't fully comprehend God's radical plan. As God says through Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways ,” (Is 55:8 NIV).
Finally, after hundreds of years of waiting Jesus, the Messiah, is born with a spiritually spectacular birth, if you are a shepherd in the hills outside of Bethlehem. The next thirty years, Jesus lives in relative obscurity, and this just messes with our minds! Why would God, send His Son to live a quiet and hidden life? Wouldn't he at least be like David and slay a couple of giants, or lead his people to victory over their enemies? (Sorry back to my human thinking!). The point is that Jesus is fully a man, having emptied Himself somehow of His divinity (Phil 2:6-8), that He might live just like you or me. In that human state, He learned to walk in perfect obedience to His heavenly Father, not as the divine son, but as a human. He learned to establish an intimate relationship with His Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In His hiddenness we recognize His humility and likeness to ourselves. He came to establish a way back to the Father, back to that intimacy originally intended but lost through sin. He came to earth to show us the way, to make a way, and to eradicate the effects of that original sin. He came to reveal perfectly the nature of the Father (Hebrews 1:2) and to fulfill the promise and plans of God!
The passion and crucifixion is where the reality of God's intent became evident! He didn't require us to make our way to Him, instead He came to us, and through His suffering and death took upon Himself the punishment for all sin, forever cancelling sin's power to separate us from the Father! He, in one humble act of obedience, set billions of us free from the curse of sin, spiritual blindness and separation.
In the spiritual realm, He defeated the powers of the cast out angelic hosts who had rebelled against God originally and had been working to maintain the relational separation between God and man. He defeated their best plan to steal for themselves God's children. They thought they had accomplished the ultimate defeat of God, killing His Son in His most vulnerable state. Instead, in the spiritual realm His death on the cross was the equivalent of a black-hole for all sin, for He took all sin (past, present and future) upon Himself, and its debt was cancelled as it died with Him on the cross! I can just imagine the enemies' horrified looks as all sins were cancelled and the debt was paid! What they thought was the final victory instead become their major defeat!
The impact on our lives from that single moment in history is unfathomable, for it opened to us the way to the Father! The path to real intimate relationship was restored! The veil that separated God and His children was torn asunder! All of our sins were paid for and we were once more able to enter into Eternal Life, life united with God! It is in becoming like us that God was able to restore all that was lost! He never faltered in His faithfulness to His original intent and plan! He has always loved us and always desired relationship with us, and proved that love by coming to us and setting us free. His power over sin is complete!
Moreover, in His death on the cross, He also took us all with Him, that our old nature might be put to death (Rom 6:6). God's plan didn't end on the cross. In fact one could say that is where we actually get our first understanding of His ultimate plan, for in taking all of us to the cross with him, He killed the old man, that we might become new creations in Him. Paul writes - 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" So, on the cross, Jesus in the Power of God, humbled Himself, taking our old nature, all our sin and all the separation it caused and killed it all! He saved us all!
I know in no way have I covered even the smallest portion of all God accomplished on the cross, but in my small way I am reminded of His infinite love, His incredible patience and faithfulness and His unbelievable ways. I am grateful for my salvation! I am grateful that He doesn't think like me or act like me! I am grateful for the opportunity to relate to the Father! I am grateful that my sin has been paid for! I am grateful that I am a new creation! I am grateful that He defeated the best plans of the enemy! I am grateful that today I can celebrate the salvation that He purchased with His own blood! I am grateful for the "foolishness" of the cross, for I celebrate it as God's victory over sin!
Amen!
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Forever Fatihful, Forever Forgiving
This morning I am reflecting on the last chapter of the Prophet Hosea. In it we see God's heart for His people, and His faithfulness, love and forgiveness. Here are the verses - Hosea 14:1-9 NIV:
[1] "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
[3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses.
We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
[5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
[6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
[7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
[8] Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”
[9] "Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."
I love how the first few verses are God calling to the people of Israel to return to God, to repent and to change their minds. God is constantly inviting every one of us to this same path. We have all sinned, and continue to sin, and yet the path back to God is always the same and always available. He desires our relationships, desires to bless, desires to lead us! He calls us to look at our lives and reflect on what we are focused on, what we rely on, where our hope is, and if it isn't Him, to change our ways.
Even in the Old Testament, the Law starts with the invitation to relationship. God chooses Israel as His nation, and invites them to live in relationship with Him, as their God. The whole of the Old Testament is basically the invitation of God, the rejection of God over and over, and the reissuing of the invitation by God once again. We see this same thematic flow in these verses, and it represents the amazing faithfulness of God, in spite of Israel's constantly sinful ways.
I am reminded of a couple of verses from Paul's second letter to Timothy. Here are the verses - 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV:
[11] Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
[12] if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
[13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
These verses from Paul represent the flow I am talking about above. As I was reading them, I was thinking about the second statement in verses 12, and how that seems so harsh. I was immediately reminded of the Story of the Prodigal Son, as recounted by Luke. In this story Jesus describes the son disowning the Father, and the Father granting the son his inheritance, recognizing that in doing so, the son is basically saying he wishes the Father was dead. Here are the verses - Luke 15:11-13 NIV:
[11] "Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living."
The Father, even though He gives the son his inheritance, accepting the son's desire to end their relationship, never gives up on the son, and remains faithful to His love for this son. The son finally comes to his senses and returns to the Father, not as a son, but hoping just to be a lowly servant, and the Father in His faithfulness welcomes him back as His son! Here are the verses describing this - Luke 15:20-24 NIV:
[20] "So he (the son) got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
The father was ever faithful in his love and willingness to receive the son back into relationship. In the same way, in Hosea, God is ready to welcome Israel back, if they would just come to their senses and return to Him! In the same way, the Father is ever faithful in His love to us! The invitation to restored relationship always stands!
Verse Twelve from from 2 Timothy 2, can sometimes be read as a final judgment, that if you disown God, He washes His hands of you forever, and that is just not the case, as described by Jesus in the story from Luke. God is always waiting for us to turn back to Him, to recognize the error of our ways! He is ready to welcome us immediately! He is always faithful, forgiving, compassionate and merciful! Oh, what a great God!
Thank You Lord! Amen!
[1] "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord.
Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
[3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses.
We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
[5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;
[6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
[7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.
[8] Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”
[9] "Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them."
I love how the first few verses are God calling to the people of Israel to return to God, to repent and to change their minds. God is constantly inviting every one of us to this same path. We have all sinned, and continue to sin, and yet the path back to God is always the same and always available. He desires our relationships, desires to bless, desires to lead us! He calls us to look at our lives and reflect on what we are focused on, what we rely on, where our hope is, and if it isn't Him, to change our ways.
Even in the Old Testament, the Law starts with the invitation to relationship. God chooses Israel as His nation, and invites them to live in relationship with Him, as their God. The whole of the Old Testament is basically the invitation of God, the rejection of God over and over, and the reissuing of the invitation by God once again. We see this same thematic flow in these verses, and it represents the amazing faithfulness of God, in spite of Israel's constantly sinful ways.
I am reminded of a couple of verses from Paul's second letter to Timothy. Here are the verses - 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NIV:
[11] Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
[12] if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
[13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
These verses from Paul represent the flow I am talking about above. As I was reading them, I was thinking about the second statement in verses 12, and how that seems so harsh. I was immediately reminded of the Story of the Prodigal Son, as recounted by Luke. In this story Jesus describes the son disowning the Father, and the Father granting the son his inheritance, recognizing that in doing so, the son is basically saying he wishes the Father was dead. Here are the verses - Luke 15:11-13 NIV:
[11] "Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. [12] The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
[13] “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living."
The Father, even though He gives the son his inheritance, accepting the son's desire to end their relationship, never gives up on the son, and remains faithful to His love for this son. The son finally comes to his senses and returns to the Father, not as a son, but hoping just to be a lowly servant, and the Father in His faithfulness welcomes him back as His son! Here are the verses describing this - Luke 15:20-24 NIV:
[20] "So he (the son) got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
[22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."
The father was ever faithful in his love and willingness to receive the son back into relationship. In the same way, in Hosea, God is ready to welcome Israel back, if they would just come to their senses and return to Him! In the same way, the Father is ever faithful in His love to us! The invitation to restored relationship always stands!
Verse Twelve from from 2 Timothy 2, can sometimes be read as a final judgment, that if you disown God, He washes His hands of you forever, and that is just not the case, as described by Jesus in the story from Luke. God is always waiting for us to turn back to Him, to recognize the error of our ways! He is ready to welcome us immediately! He is always faithful, forgiving, compassionate and merciful! Oh, what a great God!
Thank You Lord! Amen!
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Prayer, Faith, Sin and Sickness
This morning I felt like reflecting on James' letter. I often read these verses, but haven't spent much time reflecting on them as they are often quoted, but today felt drawn to spend some time on them. Here are the verses - James 5:13-16 NIV:
[13] "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
This is an interesting list of encouragements, and solutions:
1) Are you in trouble? Pray!
2) Are you happy? Sing Praises to God!
3) Are you sick? Send for the elders and have them pray over you, and anoint you with oil in Jesus name!
Note: Their prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, and the Lord will raise them up.
Note 2: If they have sinned, forgiveness is available and assured.
Note 3: Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other that you might be healed.
4) An observation and encouragement - the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective!
The first two are very simple and easy to follow. The third can so easily become some religious prescription, yet it apparently has several conditions. If we look at it closely there are possible conditions, not guarantees, e.g. if they have sinned. However, because of these seeming conditions, this is one of the verses that can be taken to extremes, and used to judge those who struggle with sickness. I have seen it used as condemnation over a sick person who doesn't get healed when they are prayed for, as they clearly have unconfessed sin! I know that in some places, especially prosperity gospel focused, that sickness is seen as a sign of God's displeasure, and the root of His displeasure is likely the persons sin. This kind of thinking and religion can heap burning coals of shame and condemnation on one who is already suffering.
So how to better embrace these words? First, I would start at the bottom. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. The point we should reiterate here is that we all have sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23) and that our only righteousness is from Jesus (Romans 3:22, Philippians 3:9), through faith. We don't achieve righteousness in God's eyes, we are given righteousness through Jesus.
Second, if you note, it is the elders' prayer in faith that will make the sick person well, as Jesus raises them up. It is faith that leads to righteousness, through Jesus, and it is faith that is the key element outlined by James here. It is the faith of the elders, not the sick person, to be specific.
Thirdly, apparently the Greek for verse 16 contains two separate thoughts - confess your sins AND pray for each other. Is it possible that these are not necessarily related directly, as we would often read? If that were the case then the first half of the sentence relates to verse 15, the second half relates to verse 14. That would surely be beneficial in clarifying these sentences.
Finally, as in all scripture, we must resist the temptation of making a foundational theological statement based on one verse. We must read scripture in light of all the other revelation on a particular subject. In this case, we have many times that Jesus (The Only Righteous Man) healed people who were sick without ever mentioning their sin. We have the specific story of the man born blind being healed by Jesus (John 9:1-38), and in this case the Apostles asked whose sin was the cause, and Jesus clearly answered that it wasn't an issue of sin. So, we must weigh these particular verses against the rest of the revelation provided and realize that they cannot be a firm foundational teaching on sin and sickness.
Lastly, I am encouraged to pursue greater faith. I am encouraged to look at my own life and my sinfulness, not as a cause of sickness, but because I love the Lord and want to please Him. Obedience follows relationship, and is motivated by love. The more I am united to Christ in love, the more I will be like Him, the more His righteousness will be evident in my life.
Amen!
[13] "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
This is an interesting list of encouragements, and solutions:
1) Are you in trouble? Pray!
2) Are you happy? Sing Praises to God!
3) Are you sick? Send for the elders and have them pray over you, and anoint you with oil in Jesus name!
Note: Their prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, and the Lord will raise them up.
Note 2: If they have sinned, forgiveness is available and assured.
Note 3: Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other that you might be healed.
4) An observation and encouragement - the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective!
The first two are very simple and easy to follow. The third can so easily become some religious prescription, yet it apparently has several conditions. If we look at it closely there are possible conditions, not guarantees, e.g. if they have sinned. However, because of these seeming conditions, this is one of the verses that can be taken to extremes, and used to judge those who struggle with sickness. I have seen it used as condemnation over a sick person who doesn't get healed when they are prayed for, as they clearly have unconfessed sin! I know that in some places, especially prosperity gospel focused, that sickness is seen as a sign of God's displeasure, and the root of His displeasure is likely the persons sin. This kind of thinking and religion can heap burning coals of shame and condemnation on one who is already suffering.
So how to better embrace these words? First, I would start at the bottom. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. The point we should reiterate here is that we all have sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23) and that our only righteousness is from Jesus (Romans 3:22, Philippians 3:9), through faith. We don't achieve righteousness in God's eyes, we are given righteousness through Jesus.
Second, if you note, it is the elders' prayer in faith that will make the sick person well, as Jesus raises them up. It is faith that leads to righteousness, through Jesus, and it is faith that is the key element outlined by James here. It is the faith of the elders, not the sick person, to be specific.
Thirdly, apparently the Greek for verse 16 contains two separate thoughts - confess your sins AND pray for each other. Is it possible that these are not necessarily related directly, as we would often read? If that were the case then the first half of the sentence relates to verse 15, the second half relates to verse 14. That would surely be beneficial in clarifying these sentences.
Finally, as in all scripture, we must resist the temptation of making a foundational theological statement based on one verse. We must read scripture in light of all the other revelation on a particular subject. In this case, we have many times that Jesus (The Only Righteous Man) healed people who were sick without ever mentioning their sin. We have the specific story of the man born blind being healed by Jesus (John 9:1-38), and in this case the Apostles asked whose sin was the cause, and Jesus clearly answered that it wasn't an issue of sin. So, we must weigh these particular verses against the rest of the revelation provided and realize that they cannot be a firm foundational teaching on sin and sickness.
Lastly, I am encouraged to pursue greater faith. I am encouraged to look at my own life and my sinfulness, not as a cause of sickness, but because I love the Lord and want to please Him. Obedience follows relationship, and is motivated by love. The more I am united to Christ in love, the more I will be like Him, the more His righteousness will be evident in my life.
Amen!
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
...Of Seasons, and Planting and Growing in God
This morning I am reflecting on Psalm 97:1-2,6,8-12 NIV:
[1] "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
[2] Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne."
[6] "The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory."
[8] "Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord.
[9] For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
[10] Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
[11] Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
[12] Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."
This is true, whether we feel like it is or not! He reigns over all things! He reigns over the earth, over every situation! His kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice! He is the perfect embodiment of those truths. His glory is not hidden, it is on display for all the world to see, for nature and creation is full of Your glory!
I was doing some original language research, and saw the NASB translation of verse 11, which I really like. It reads - Psalm 97:11 NASB: "Light is sown like seed for the righteous And gladness for the upright in heart."
I like the image of light and gladness being sown into our lives. This allows for a season of hiddenness before the fruit is recognized! It allows for a season of growing and maturing before the fruit that was sown is seen once again! This seems to fit into my experience of the way the Lord works, in my life anyway. Jesus spoke many times of the word being sown like seed. I understand that imagery, but I would rather have instant fruit. However God in His infinite and eternal wisdom, knows that we need the planting, sprouting, growing and then harvest.
I was just reflecting on how the seasons affect the fruit. Depending on the crop, you need rain or dryness, heat or coolness. There are certain crops you can't grow in certain areas, for instance Bananas don't grow in Minnesota. They say that grapes are sweeter after a hotter and dryer summer. Here is an excerpt from a vineyard talking about grapes:
"We certainly haven’t had much rain this summer so far, but thankfully, vines tend to like hot and dry weather! It can actually be a great thing for vines to experience a dry season. Why? Well, it forces the roots of older vines to dig deeper to find water, further establishing them for future growth.
There are, however, some key times when the vines need water: just before flowering, just after the berries fill out and when they hit bench closure stage. Once you have veraison, though and the berries start changing colour, not much rain is needed. That being said, the newly planted vines require regular water, and we’ve been watering weekly so that the roots don’t dry out.
How else is a lack of rain great news? Well, it helps to keep down the disease and helps out with weed management (less weeds means less competition with the vines)." ( https://adamoestate.com/dry-summer-effect-grapes/)
Is it possible that there is some spiritual truth here? Do dry seasons cause us to sink our roots (heart, mind and understanding) deeper into the word? For me, absolutely. Do I need water (Grace from the Holy Spirit)? Absolutely! In my life it seems there are seasons of regular encounters with the Holy Spirit, other times it is drier, and yet the blessings of my encounters remain. When I was young in the Lord, it seemed like I had a season of rapid growth and encouragement. It seemed that I was being bathed in the Spirit, and using the analogy of the vine, that is required to keep the roots moist and growing, so they don't dry out. Finally, spiritual dryness is a time where I see more of the things that are not of God. In Missouri late in a dry summer, it seems the only things that are green are the weeds. Is it possible the Lord, enables us to walk through dry seasons so that we can clearly see the weeds in our own lives?
Going back to the verses, we are called to praise God, period. In seasons, out of season, in dryness, in rain, in blessing, in struggling, whatever our frame of mind, it is good for us to remind ourselves of God's sovereignty! It is good to sing songs and proclaim God's goodness, righteousness and justice, even if we don't feel it, for maybe that helps us send our roots deeper! It certainly does my heart good to remind myself of the character of God!
Amen, The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name." (Ps 97:1,12)
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Choosing the RIGHT "ISM"
This morning I was rereading the first chapter of John's Gospel. He does such a good job of summarizing the Gospel's foundation. Here are the verses I am considering this morning - John 1:9-14,16-18 NIV:
[9] "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. [11] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. [12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--- [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
[14] "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
[16] "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. [17] For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."
The verse that stood out to me this morning was verse twelve, specifically that He gave to us who believe "the RIGHT to become children of God". The Greek word used here is Exousia and it is most commonly translated power or authority. Here is the basic definition:
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
a) leave or permission
2) physical and mental power
a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises
3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
This right is given to us by God, as we are born of God. It is His power and authority, His choice, and His gift. Our single requirement is to believe. We are invited to believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He revealed the Father to us, as the one who knows Him best, and that He came to bring us a new Grace and Truth from the Father.
It is interesting the way John rights about the Gospel of grace, saying it was grace received in place of grace (The Law) already given. The Greek reads charis (grace) anti charis (grace), so the key word here is anti. In Greek the definition of anti is very similar to the English and this word is defined as follows:
1) over against, opposite to, before
2) for, instead of, in place of (something)
As we look at the meaning John is desiring, it clearly can't be the first definition, as Jesus didn't come to reveal something opposite or against the Law, so he clearly meant the second definition to be used. The Gospel of Grace is given in place of, or instead of the Law.
I was just thinking that this could be likened to wanting to replace our first form of locomotion (a bike for most of us) with a car. When I got my first car, I pretty much didn't ride my bike any more. When I needed to go somewhere, I could choose to bike or in place off the bike, I could take my car. At some point, I no longer rode my bike at all and I sold it.
This is very similar to what we find in the Letter to the Hebrews 8:13 NIV: "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." Just as John wrote, the author of Hebrews wrote that the Gospel of Grace, brought to us by Jesus, is meant to replace the Law.
So instead of legalism (Law), we should have in our hearts and lives, charisms (Grace). The Greek word charis is defined:
1) grace
a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls,
turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith,
knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
3) what is due to grace
a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
I know which "ism" I want in my life! What a great Gospel we are meant to live under! Let us encourage one another to embrace the Truth and Grace brought by Jesus, as He represented the Father! He gave us the "RIGHT" to be His children, by His power, His authority, and His choice! All we need to do is believe! Let us step into this right, and embrace all that He has for us as His children!
Amen!
[9] "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. [11] He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. [12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--- [13] children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
[14] "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
[16] "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. [17] For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. [18] No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."
The verse that stood out to me this morning was verse twelve, specifically that He gave to us who believe "the RIGHT to become children of God". The Greek word used here is Exousia and it is most commonly translated power or authority. Here is the basic definition:
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
a) leave or permission
2) physical and mental power
a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises
3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
This right is given to us by God, as we are born of God. It is His power and authority, His choice, and His gift. Our single requirement is to believe. We are invited to believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He revealed the Father to us, as the one who knows Him best, and that He came to bring us a new Grace and Truth from the Father.
It is interesting the way John rights about the Gospel of grace, saying it was grace received in place of grace (The Law) already given. The Greek reads charis (grace) anti charis (grace), so the key word here is anti. In Greek the definition of anti is very similar to the English and this word is defined as follows:
1) over against, opposite to, before
2) for, instead of, in place of (something)
As we look at the meaning John is desiring, it clearly can't be the first definition, as Jesus didn't come to reveal something opposite or against the Law, so he clearly meant the second definition to be used. The Gospel of Grace is given in place of, or instead of the Law.
I was just thinking that this could be likened to wanting to replace our first form of locomotion (a bike for most of us) with a car. When I got my first car, I pretty much didn't ride my bike any more. When I needed to go somewhere, I could choose to bike or in place off the bike, I could take my car. At some point, I no longer rode my bike at all and I sold it.
This is very similar to what we find in the Letter to the Hebrews 8:13 NIV: "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." Just as John wrote, the author of Hebrews wrote that the Gospel of Grace, brought to us by Jesus, is meant to replace the Law.
So instead of legalism (Law), we should have in our hearts and lives, charisms (Grace). The Greek word charis is defined:
1) grace
a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls,
turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith,
knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
3) what is due to grace
a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
I know which "ism" I want in my life! What a great Gospel we are meant to live under! Let us encourage one another to embrace the Truth and Grace brought by Jesus, as He represented the Father! He gave us the "RIGHT" to be His children, by His power, His authority, and His choice! All we need to do is believe! Let us step into this right, and embrace all that He has for us as His children!
Amen!
Friday, March 23, 2018
Sent to the Lost and Sinners
This morning my heart is drawn back to a few verses from Matthew's Gospel that have been pivotal in my understanding of the role of the church. HEre are the verses - Matthew 9:11-13 NIV:
[11] "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[12] On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
These verses are so helpful to me in helping me understand the difference between legalism and the love and motivation of the Father, as represented by Jesus. Jesus, in His actions and His words was representing the Father (See Hebrews 1:3, John 14:9-11). His whole life is representing the Father's heart, doing what the Father tells Him and saying what He hears the Father saying. It was not accidental, or good manners that He was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, this was the Father's will and heart. It can be seen in no other light.
The Pharisees were taking a legalistic approach, applying the law without understanding the character and heart of God. They were more concerned with their own acts of righteousness, as they saw them, then they were the lost and wayward fellow Jews.
In His reply to the Pharisees, Jesus was quoting from the prophet Hosea, which they would have known well. It is a book where God calls Israel back, over and over again, despite their unfaithfulness. He has Hosea marry a Prostitute, and then go redeem her again even after she leaves him and commits adultery. It was a prophetic image of God's love for an unfaithful and sinful people. Here are some verses from the last chapter, where God is describing His love and desire for Israel - Hosea 14:1-7 NIV:
[1] Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. [3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. [5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; [6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. [7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon."
His desire was to be merciful to them, to love them, to provide for them. He desired that they would rekindle their relationship with Him, their God, and in that place experience His blessing and compassion and mercy. Almost the whole of the Old Testament is this same theme, God calling to the Jews to return to Him, because of His love and desire to bless them. God wanted to lead them and guide them and protect them, but they wanted a king like other nations (See 1 Sam 6:6-8). God's desire was for them to walk as a people in relationship with Him, and He constantly sent His prophets to call them back. Jesus, in going to the sinners and tax-collectors is continuing that ministry and call. The Father doesn't want anyone to be lost (See the parable of the lost sheep - Luke 15:4-6) and sent Jesus to them. Jesus actually says this was His call in Matthew 15:24 NIV: "He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The Pharisees in their legalism, would have rejected the sinners and tax-collectors, refusing to talk to them or have fellowship with them for fear of making themselves unclean. Their thought was that God only wanted fellowship with the righteous, and this is where they were completely wrong. They were afraid that their speaking or interacting with the sinners would cause their righteousness to be stained. They didn't understand that God's heart was to lift the sinners out of their sin, chains and bondage, and that He was able to do that without becoming stained or marred.
Our call is to follow Jesus' example. Our call is to the sick, to the lost, to the prisoners. Our righteousness isn't affected when we reach out to those who are not, because opur righteousness isn't dependent on our actions but rather on Jesus! Our call is to bring light into the darkness. Darkness cannot overwhelm the light (See John 1:4-5). We are called to represent Jesus, even as He represented the Father. His ministry is our ministry. His call is our call! His words should be our words! His actions should be our actions. In going to the lost, to the sinners, to the prisoners and having fellowship with them, being in relationship with them, the light that is within us, shines into their lives.
So today, I am encouraged to love and to extend mercy, not to focus on acts that maintain my own righteousness (sacrifice). I am encouraged to let the Light of Christ, that burns in me, shine to those who have none! I am encouraged to go to the sick, to the lost, to the prisoners of the spirit of this age and show them God's heart for them!
Amen!
[11] "When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[12] On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. [13] But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
These verses are so helpful to me in helping me understand the difference between legalism and the love and motivation of the Father, as represented by Jesus. Jesus, in His actions and His words was representing the Father (See Hebrews 1:3, John 14:9-11). His whole life is representing the Father's heart, doing what the Father tells Him and saying what He hears the Father saying. It was not accidental, or good manners that He was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, this was the Father's will and heart. It can be seen in no other light.
The Pharisees were taking a legalistic approach, applying the law without understanding the character and heart of God. They were more concerned with their own acts of righteousness, as they saw them, then they were the lost and wayward fellow Jews.
In His reply to the Pharisees, Jesus was quoting from the prophet Hosea, which they would have known well. It is a book where God calls Israel back, over and over again, despite their unfaithfulness. He has Hosea marry a Prostitute, and then go redeem her again even after she leaves him and commits adultery. It was a prophetic image of God's love for an unfaithful and sinful people. Here are some verses from the last chapter, where God is describing His love and desire for Israel - Hosea 14:1-7 NIV:
[1] Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
[2] Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. [3] Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
[4] “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. [5] I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; [6] his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. [7] People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine---Israel's fame will be like the wine of Lebanon."
His desire was to be merciful to them, to love them, to provide for them. He desired that they would rekindle their relationship with Him, their God, and in that place experience His blessing and compassion and mercy. Almost the whole of the Old Testament is this same theme, God calling to the Jews to return to Him, because of His love and desire to bless them. God wanted to lead them and guide them and protect them, but they wanted a king like other nations (See 1 Sam 6:6-8). God's desire was for them to walk as a people in relationship with Him, and He constantly sent His prophets to call them back. Jesus, in going to the sinners and tax-collectors is continuing that ministry and call. The Father doesn't want anyone to be lost (See the parable of the lost sheep - Luke 15:4-6) and sent Jesus to them. Jesus actually says this was His call in Matthew 15:24 NIV: "He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The Pharisees in their legalism, would have rejected the sinners and tax-collectors, refusing to talk to them or have fellowship with them for fear of making themselves unclean. Their thought was that God only wanted fellowship with the righteous, and this is where they were completely wrong. They were afraid that their speaking or interacting with the sinners would cause their righteousness to be stained. They didn't understand that God's heart was to lift the sinners out of their sin, chains and bondage, and that He was able to do that without becoming stained or marred.
Our call is to follow Jesus' example. Our call is to the sick, to the lost, to the prisoners. Our righteousness isn't affected when we reach out to those who are not, because opur righteousness isn't dependent on our actions but rather on Jesus! Our call is to bring light into the darkness. Darkness cannot overwhelm the light (See John 1:4-5). We are called to represent Jesus, even as He represented the Father. His ministry is our ministry. His call is our call! His words should be our words! His actions should be our actions. In going to the lost, to the sinners, to the prisoners and having fellowship with them, being in relationship with them, the light that is within us, shines into their lives.
So today, I am encouraged to love and to extend mercy, not to focus on acts that maintain my own righteousness (sacrifice). I am encouraged to let the Light of Christ, that burns in me, shine to those who have none! I am encouraged to go to the sick, to the lost, to the prisoners of the spirit of this age and show them God's heart for them!
Amen!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
The Good Shepherd, the Sheep Gate and the Lamb
This morning I felt like I should read from John's Gospel, and specifically the ninth chapter. This is the story of the man-born blind, that Jesus heals and then the ensuing conversations with the Pharisees and the formerly blind man. I love the interaction and find it so amazing how the Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus was from God (See John 9:13-34 for the whole interaction). What I am focused on this morning are the last two verses from chapter nine and then the first several verses from chapter ten, for they are directly related. Here are the verses - John 9:40-41 NIV:
[40] "Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
[41] Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
Continuing on to John 10:1-18 NIV:
[1] “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. [2] The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. [3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. [5] But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” [6] Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
[7] Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. [8] All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. [9] I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. [10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
[11] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. [12] The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. [13] The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
[14] “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--- [15] just as the Father knows me and I know the Father---and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. [17] The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life---only to take it up again. [18] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Now when we read these last verses of Jesus saying He is the good shepherd, we generally don't read it with the exhaustive knowledge of the Old Testament that the Pharisees had, so we don't necessarily correlate Jesus' claims with old testament names for God, but the image of God as the Shepherd of Israel was spoken by Jacob (Gen 48:15). Moses asked God to choose his successor and called him a shepherd for the people (Num 27:15-17) Saul was called to shepherd the people of Israel (2 Sam 5:2). David called himself the Shepherd and the people the sheep (2 Sam 24:17). In Psalms 23, 28 and 80 God is referred to as the Shepherd over Israel, and in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zecharaiah God speaks of himself as the Shepherd over them. This was no agricultural image, it was Jesus claiming to be one with God and the Shepherd of the Jews (King). We like to think of the shepherd and sheep imagery as a nice analogy, but Jesus was using the language that the Pharisees understood to clear up any questions they had about who He was or where He came from.
Finally, they would have also known that the Sheep Gate (in the wall around Jerusalem) was the responsibility of the High Priests (See Neh 3:1). Jesus appears to be talking about their priestly duty, of leading the people, speaking to the people and leading them correctly to God. The people were responding to His voice and as such He was being shown as a proper shepherd (king) and they should have been opening the gate for Him, as their responsibility was to the sheep gate, which also had to do with their priestly duty of offering the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. Instead, they were trying to bar the gate. He takes that imagery one step further and says He is the gate, which I guess could be Him saying He was fulfilling their priestly duty, fulfilling the sacrifice and the way to the Father. Taking the imagery a bit further I found this next bit online describing the verses in Nehemiah as a foreshadowing of Jesus at http://www.kotipetripaavola.com/Jerusalemgatesspiritualmeaning.html
"The high priest Eliashib with his brethren, and priests built the Sheep Gate and set up its doors. This is first gate mentioned. The spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is that the high priest was building it and that through the Sheep Gate lambs and sheep were brought to the temple, in which they were offered. The Lord and the Messiah (Christ) Jesus (Yeshua) is the High Priest of New Covenant, who is the Lamb, who was offered for the sake of our sins. Spiritual meaning of Sheep Gate is death and offering the Lamb (the Lord Jesus), which death, blood and resurrection bring us forgiveness of sins and redemption. The high priest was setting up the doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that He is the Door of the sheep. Through the Lord Jesus a man will be saved from the power of death-, sin and eternal damnation to eternal life."
"Building of the wall and gates begins from the Sheep Gate in Nehemiah 3, because everything begins from the offering of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus). This is a spiritual meaning, because of salvation and God's kingdom a man will enter through the offering and blood of the Lamb (The Lord Jesus). It is very significant that Eliashib means in Hebrew God restores. All things in the Bible are accurate in their places and have important meanings. It is not an accident that the high priest whose name was Eliashib was building up the Sheep Gate. Jerusalem and the wall and gates were destroyed, so needed Eliashib (HaKohen HaGadol) the high priest who sets up the doors of the Sheep Gate. Same also satan and sin has destroyed the heart of a man and so there is a need for New Covenant High Priest, Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah), who is the Door of the sheep and who can save and restore men back towards the image of God. When men from the grace of God, repent their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus, then a man can receive the salvation. The Sheep Gate proclaims forgiveness of sins through the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ). The Sheep Gate proclaims grace of redemption (grace of God), which a man can encounter through the blood of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus). The Sheep Gate has been clear exemplary in the redemption of the Lord Jesus, who is the Door of the sheep."
Wow, talk about deeper meaning! I certainly didn't expect my reflection on Jesus saying he was the Good Shepherd to include all this. Lastly, as I was thinking about this whole exchange, I was realizing that Jesus was actually having mercy on the Pharisees. I have often read the exchange about the man born-blind and Jesus' response to them as a rebuke, but the truth is that He takes that opportunity to reveal Himself and His role more clearly. He uses language that they can understand, in the hopes that their ears will hear! He doesn't condemn them for their close-mindedness, instead He spends time opening their eyes (to hopefully cure their spritual blindness), speaking to them in imagery that should lead them to understanding exactly who He is. It seems to me that He was providing them every opportunity to understand, He was truly being the Good Shepherd!
So, this morning I am encouraged that Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd, and He is the sheep gate, and He is the Lamb of God! I am encouraged by the deep and beautiful meaning and intricate ways God provided the fulfilment of His word, and ties the Old Testament and Prophets together in Jesus! Finally I am encouraged that the Lord speaks and enables me to hear His voice! He is my Good Shepherd, and I can entrust myself to Him!
Thank You Lord for Your promise and blessing and provision in my life! Amen!
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Divine Appointments and God's Plans
This morning I felt like reading from the First Book of Samuel, and came across the story of the Saul's selection. It is an interesting story for the detail that is included and the round-about way that God moves. Here are some select verses from the story - 1 Samuel 9:3,5-6,11-12,14-19 NIV:
[3] "Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”
[5] "When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” [6] But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
11] "As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
[12] “He is,” they answered. “He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place."
[14] "They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place. [15] Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: [16] “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”
[17] When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
[18] Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?”
[19] “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart."
As I read this story this morning I was reflecting on the divine appointment that God had arranged in the life of Saul. Saul was unaware of the change that was coming, and to him it just seemed like another day or another trip, but God was arranging circumstances to have him meet Samuel. The trip seemed to have been 20-30 miles, from what I can tell, and this was all on foot, passing through a few different districts and tribal regions in search of these donkeys, which apparently were wandering quite far afield. In the natural, one wouldn't think that wandering donkeys would have anything to do with God, but these certainly did, for it was used by God to get Saul to Samuel's town.
Secondly, the timing of the journey was such that Saul arrived at the town when Samuel was there. Samuel maintained a traveling circuit between 4 destinations (See 1 Sam 7:15-17) and was on the road apparently quite often. It just so happened that when Saul was wandering looking for the far wandering donkeys, they came to Samuel's town on the day Samuel was going to offer a sacrifice. Saul got to this town because of the servant's encouragement, as if he had followed his own thoughts He would have already turned around. Again, looking in the natural, none of this seems unusual, yet God is at work bringing His plan to fruition.
We know God is at work because of the interactions of Samuel and God. God specifically told Samuel the day before Saul wandered into town, that He was going to meet a young man the next day, around the same time, and that He was to anoint him ruler. Saul was completely unaware, but Samuel was apprised of the situation and was expectant. Samuel caught sight of Saul and the Lord confirmed at that moment that he was the one He had told Samuel about previously.
Again, looking in the natural, we wouldn't see or be aware of this divine interaction or arranging of circumstances, it would just look like a young man wandering into town with his servant, meeting an old man on his way. Saul certainly had no idea what was about to unfold, and was only there for totally normal reasons. All the work in the background by God was completely hidden to him, and he was just being an obedient son.
My encouragement today is the Lord is every bit as aware of each of our lives, and is directing us and connecting us, arranging our schedules, our travels, our walking, our meetings, our day to day efforts. He is doing this so that we might have encounters and appointments of significance in our lives. If we are willing, He will also use us to affect the lives of those we meet with timely words and meetings that are God ordained. I am encouraged to pay more attention to my circumstances and situations, to chance meetings or even to thoughts of people in my life, as opportunities to change my life and other's lives as directed by the Lord. I have had several very significant "chance" meetings while traveling, and in retrospect one can see God arranging circumstances to enable me to meet someone. I have met my new future boss by sitting next to him on a plane from NJ to Chicago (I live in KC) and another time met and old friend that I hadn't seen in 25 years, in the Atlanta airport (He lives in Minnesota, I live in KC) and had a very specific word of encouragement for him. I love when I have significant meetings like these, but I am also aware that even the servant girls Saul met were part of God's plan to connect Saul and Samuel, even though neither they, nor Saul were aware of their part. God uses those around us, those we encounter to guide us and direct us through circumstance and situations to get us to His appointments!
I am reminded of the many ways God speaks and directs my life, and I am so grateful, for left to my own thoughts and ways, I would miss it all! I am grateful for the way God has used me to speak timely words, directive words and used me to speak to into someone else's life. I am grateful for all the times He has used others to do the same for me!
I am encouraged today, to just be more aware of the Lord and His word to me! I am encouraged to listen and then obey what He tells me to do, that I might receive or be part of a divine appointment! I am encouraged today, that even though it might seem like I am wandering around, wondering what is going on in my life, God has a plan and appointment for me, and His plan is well underway!
Amen!
[3] "Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”
[5] "When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” [6] But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
11] "As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
[12] “He is,” they answered. “He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place."
[14] "They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place. [15] Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: [16] “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”
[17] When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
[18] Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?”
[19] “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart."
As I read this story this morning I was reflecting on the divine appointment that God had arranged in the life of Saul. Saul was unaware of the change that was coming, and to him it just seemed like another day or another trip, but God was arranging circumstances to have him meet Samuel. The trip seemed to have been 20-30 miles, from what I can tell, and this was all on foot, passing through a few different districts and tribal regions in search of these donkeys, which apparently were wandering quite far afield. In the natural, one wouldn't think that wandering donkeys would have anything to do with God, but these certainly did, for it was used by God to get Saul to Samuel's town.
Secondly, the timing of the journey was such that Saul arrived at the town when Samuel was there. Samuel maintained a traveling circuit between 4 destinations (See 1 Sam 7:15-17) and was on the road apparently quite often. It just so happened that when Saul was wandering looking for the far wandering donkeys, they came to Samuel's town on the day Samuel was going to offer a sacrifice. Saul got to this town because of the servant's encouragement, as if he had followed his own thoughts He would have already turned around. Again, looking in the natural, none of this seems unusual, yet God is at work bringing His plan to fruition.
We know God is at work because of the interactions of Samuel and God. God specifically told Samuel the day before Saul wandered into town, that He was going to meet a young man the next day, around the same time, and that He was to anoint him ruler. Saul was completely unaware, but Samuel was apprised of the situation and was expectant. Samuel caught sight of Saul and the Lord confirmed at that moment that he was the one He had told Samuel about previously.
Again, looking in the natural, we wouldn't see or be aware of this divine interaction or arranging of circumstances, it would just look like a young man wandering into town with his servant, meeting an old man on his way. Saul certainly had no idea what was about to unfold, and was only there for totally normal reasons. All the work in the background by God was completely hidden to him, and he was just being an obedient son.
My encouragement today is the Lord is every bit as aware of each of our lives, and is directing us and connecting us, arranging our schedules, our travels, our walking, our meetings, our day to day efforts. He is doing this so that we might have encounters and appointments of significance in our lives. If we are willing, He will also use us to affect the lives of those we meet with timely words and meetings that are God ordained. I am encouraged to pay more attention to my circumstances and situations, to chance meetings or even to thoughts of people in my life, as opportunities to change my life and other's lives as directed by the Lord. I have had several very significant "chance" meetings while traveling, and in retrospect one can see God arranging circumstances to enable me to meet someone. I have met my new future boss by sitting next to him on a plane from NJ to Chicago (I live in KC) and another time met and old friend that I hadn't seen in 25 years, in the Atlanta airport (He lives in Minnesota, I live in KC) and had a very specific word of encouragement for him. I love when I have significant meetings like these, but I am also aware that even the servant girls Saul met were part of God's plan to connect Saul and Samuel, even though neither they, nor Saul were aware of their part. God uses those around us, those we encounter to guide us and direct us through circumstance and situations to get us to His appointments!
I am reminded of the many ways God speaks and directs my life, and I am so grateful, for left to my own thoughts and ways, I would miss it all! I am grateful for the way God has used me to speak timely words, directive words and used me to speak to into someone else's life. I am grateful for all the times He has used others to do the same for me!
I am encouraged today, to just be more aware of the Lord and His word to me! I am encouraged to listen and then obey what He tells me to do, that I might receive or be part of a divine appointment! I am encouraged today, that even though it might seem like I am wandering around, wondering what is going on in my life, God has a plan and appointment for me, and His plan is well underway!
Amen!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The Seed and Being Good Soil
This morning for my reflection I am going back to one of the famous parables of Jesus, the parable of the seed and soil. I was just looking at Jesus' revelation of the meaning of the parable, focused on the good soil. Here are the excerpted verses - Luke 8:10-11,15 NIV:
[10] "He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “ 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' [11] “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God."
[15] "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
I am reflecting these days on my reception to the Word of the Lord, yesterday looking at my self-focus as one of the areas I need to work on. Today, I am thinking about how I respond to God's word in my life. In verse 10 above, Jesus was quoting out of the prophet Isaiah when speaking about the eyes and ears of the people. In my opinion, He was once again describing the spirit of the generation, hearing but not understanding, seeing but not really able to see. I know I operate in this mode quite often, allowing God's word to basically bounce off my life, or in some cases giving it a good two day try before completely forgetting about it. Other times I am all excited about a word, and then lose patience when it doesn't immediately produce fruit in my life. Jesus describes what good soil looks like in one's life - receptiveness (good and noble heart), listening and repenting, steadfast and persevering.
I was thinking about the commitment to planting seed and waiting for fruit to be born out by that seed, and the reality is that it takes a time commitment and attention to bear good fruit. Even if we plant a bean seed in a styrofoam cup, it takes time for the plant to grow. It won't grow to maturity and fruit bearing stage unless it is cared for, watered, fertilized and transplanted into deeper soil. It might sprout quickly, but the bearing of fruit still takes a significant amount of time and effort. The assumed point in my example is that the cup actually has soil in it, and that represents a receptiveness to God's word. You could spill a bunch of beans into a bunch of styrofoam cups and pretty much none of them will sprout, unless there is water (Holy Spirit) and soil (Receptiveness to hear the word).
So the question for me this morning is how to become more receptive, more diligent, more willing to listen, more steadfast and persevering? In other words, how do I cultivate good soil in my life? First, I need to recognize my need for the word of God in my life! I am pretty self-reliant (I think) and sometimes I tink I can figure this all out on my own. The truth is that I am very limited in my perspective, my understanding and quite selfish. I need God's word to direct me, to bring revelation and to help me mature and grow to be a better person overall. Secondly, I need to spend time listening to His Word. I do a pretty good job of getting up in the morning and taking time to meditate on His word. However, I have a huge need to learn how to be constantly listening to Him throughout the day. I guess I tend to compartmentalize my life, and listening to God during prayer is fine, but when I am working it is like I shut off my listening to Him. I need to learn to listen and perceive all day long. Third, I need to be willing to allow His word to penetrate my selfish worldview, and inaccurate self-image. I can read plenty, but it is in the self-application and self-analysis, when compared to His Word, that allows me to receive His Word. Forth, I need to be willing to change! Oftentimes my comfort overrides His Word, other times its fear. I need to be committed to allowing His word to change me, to change the way I think and then change the way I act, which is simply repentance. Lastly, I need to be committed to consistently applying what I learn, what I hear and what I see in His word into my life. This is where the rubber meets the road, application! I can have all sorts of ideas, and beliefs, and intentions, but until I plant them in my life, water them daily through prayer and attention, they won't bear any fruit. I am the king of good intentions, I have heaps of things I belief, but limited fruit, and that is because I haven't really applied them to my life.
For a real life example, I have the intention of working out. In fact, I have had this intention for about 10 years. It is healthy, it is good, it is important to maintain my blood pressure, my weight and even my cholesterol levels. However, I can almost count on my two hands how many times I have actually worked out. It is God's blessing that my genetics favor my slothful lifestyle, and I am not significantly overweight, or out of shape, but I am not seeing any fruit from working out because I am not working out. Its like I have plenty of working out seeds, still in the seed package, that have never been planted. A couple of times I might throw a few of them out into my life, but within a few weeks I forget all about them. I might start to work out, but within a few weeks my life becomes too busy, or I just don't feel like getting out of my recliner to go work out. Thus, I have no fruit to enjoy.
In the same way, I have many intentions concerning God's call and purpose in my life! I have ample opportunity to apply them in my daily life, and yet I find that most days, I haven't watered or tended these opportunities, and thus see limited fruit. Jesus, in His introduction to His explanation said He was sharing the knowledge of secrets of the Kingdom, and then He goes into a lesson in farming. I want to make everything super spiritual and revelatory, and the truth seems to be that the secrets of the Kingdom are all around us, we just need to see them and apply them to our lives! I just need to hear and understand, and apply them to my life!
Lord, I am hungry for some fruit in my life! Help me to hear and understand, and apply what You show me and speak to me! Help me to move past intentions to application and perseverance! Help me to make real changes in my life, that bear real fruit! Thank You for Your patience and Holy Spirit that provides water to my spiritual soil!
Amen!
[10] "He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “ 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' [11] “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God."
[15] "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
I am reflecting these days on my reception to the Word of the Lord, yesterday looking at my self-focus as one of the areas I need to work on. Today, I am thinking about how I respond to God's word in my life. In verse 10 above, Jesus was quoting out of the prophet Isaiah when speaking about the eyes and ears of the people. In my opinion, He was once again describing the spirit of the generation, hearing but not understanding, seeing but not really able to see. I know I operate in this mode quite often, allowing God's word to basically bounce off my life, or in some cases giving it a good two day try before completely forgetting about it. Other times I am all excited about a word, and then lose patience when it doesn't immediately produce fruit in my life. Jesus describes what good soil looks like in one's life - receptiveness (good and noble heart), listening and repenting, steadfast and persevering.
I was thinking about the commitment to planting seed and waiting for fruit to be born out by that seed, and the reality is that it takes a time commitment and attention to bear good fruit. Even if we plant a bean seed in a styrofoam cup, it takes time for the plant to grow. It won't grow to maturity and fruit bearing stage unless it is cared for, watered, fertilized and transplanted into deeper soil. It might sprout quickly, but the bearing of fruit still takes a significant amount of time and effort. The assumed point in my example is that the cup actually has soil in it, and that represents a receptiveness to God's word. You could spill a bunch of beans into a bunch of styrofoam cups and pretty much none of them will sprout, unless there is water (Holy Spirit) and soil (Receptiveness to hear the word).
So the question for me this morning is how to become more receptive, more diligent, more willing to listen, more steadfast and persevering? In other words, how do I cultivate good soil in my life? First, I need to recognize my need for the word of God in my life! I am pretty self-reliant (I think) and sometimes I tink I can figure this all out on my own. The truth is that I am very limited in my perspective, my understanding and quite selfish. I need God's word to direct me, to bring revelation and to help me mature and grow to be a better person overall. Secondly, I need to spend time listening to His Word. I do a pretty good job of getting up in the morning and taking time to meditate on His word. However, I have a huge need to learn how to be constantly listening to Him throughout the day. I guess I tend to compartmentalize my life, and listening to God during prayer is fine, but when I am working it is like I shut off my listening to Him. I need to learn to listen and perceive all day long. Third, I need to be willing to allow His word to penetrate my selfish worldview, and inaccurate self-image. I can read plenty, but it is in the self-application and self-analysis, when compared to His Word, that allows me to receive His Word. Forth, I need to be willing to change! Oftentimes my comfort overrides His Word, other times its fear. I need to be committed to allowing His word to change me, to change the way I think and then change the way I act, which is simply repentance. Lastly, I need to be committed to consistently applying what I learn, what I hear and what I see in His word into my life. This is where the rubber meets the road, application! I can have all sorts of ideas, and beliefs, and intentions, but until I plant them in my life, water them daily through prayer and attention, they won't bear any fruit. I am the king of good intentions, I have heaps of things I belief, but limited fruit, and that is because I haven't really applied them to my life.
For a real life example, I have the intention of working out. In fact, I have had this intention for about 10 years. It is healthy, it is good, it is important to maintain my blood pressure, my weight and even my cholesterol levels. However, I can almost count on my two hands how many times I have actually worked out. It is God's blessing that my genetics favor my slothful lifestyle, and I am not significantly overweight, or out of shape, but I am not seeing any fruit from working out because I am not working out. Its like I have plenty of working out seeds, still in the seed package, that have never been planted. A couple of times I might throw a few of them out into my life, but within a few weeks I forget all about them. I might start to work out, but within a few weeks my life becomes too busy, or I just don't feel like getting out of my recliner to go work out. Thus, I have no fruit to enjoy.
In the same way, I have many intentions concerning God's call and purpose in my life! I have ample opportunity to apply them in my daily life, and yet I find that most days, I haven't watered or tended these opportunities, and thus see limited fruit. Jesus, in His introduction to His explanation said He was sharing the knowledge of secrets of the Kingdom, and then He goes into a lesson in farming. I want to make everything super spiritual and revelatory, and the truth seems to be that the secrets of the Kingdom are all around us, we just need to see them and apply them to our lives! I just need to hear and understand, and apply them to my life!
Lord, I am hungry for some fruit in my life! Help me to hear and understand, and apply what You show me and speak to me! Help me to move past intentions to application and perseverance! Help me to make real changes in my life, that bear real fruit! Thank You for Your patience and Holy Spirit that provides water to my spiritual soil!
Amen!
Monday, March 12, 2018
Breaking Away From The Spirit of This Generation
This morning my reflection is on an interesting set of verses found in the Gospels where Jesus was speaking about the generation of people, and their general dissatisfaction. Here are the verses - Luke 7:31-35 NIV:
[31] "Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “
'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
[33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' [34] The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' [35] But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Normally this is a set of verses I read quickly and move on, but this morning my heart was drawn to them, and I saw something I haven't seen before, so I thought I would reflect some more on what Jesus was saying here. Jesus uses an analogy to describe the generation, and it was one of children being dissatisfied with every response from others. The played a pipe and the others wouldn't dance, they played a dirge and they wouldn't mourn, in other words they couldn't get the others to do what they wanted! It is actually a pretty normal behavior in children, wanting to have things their way, and in this case Jesus said this childish and selfish attitude represented the people of that generation.
As I was thinking about this, many of the marketing messages we have today came to mind, as we are constantly told that we can have things our way! We have fast food chains whose marketing jingles have reflected this emphasis, coffee vendors who specialize in individual orders, clothing and apparel companies who focus on our desire to have exactly what we want to celebrate our uniqueness, even car companies telling us how their cars will set us free, and enable us to do what we want when we want. Again, this is not that unusual, and seems to be one of the outstanding features of this generation, celebrating our uniqueness and ability to have things the way we want them.
Jesus, though, was directing their gaze through their worldview into faith, and that was my real insight this morning. I recently went through a season of looking for a new church, and found that I was very picky about what I was looking for! I know many who struggle with this same thing and this morning I felt like the Lord just shed some insight. While in the process, I found myself focused on the things I didn't like. I didn't like the worship in one place, the preaching in another, the way people treated us in another, or how worship was so choreographed in another. I was so busy picking apart the experience looking at the things I didn't like, that it took me a while to start asking the right questions, like where God wanted me to connect, or what was the Lord doing in the place and what I might add? I was so concerned about wanting church to be my way, I forgot that church is about being connected to His body so that I might be a part of what the Lord is doing! Our individualized, selfish perspective does not serve us well in seeking the Lord nor in seeking where the Lord would have us connect to His body.
In the case cited by Jesus, John came calling them to repentance, but people rejected his message because they didn't like his radical life-style, and passed him off as having a demon. It was easier to cast judgment on him than it was to look into their own lives and recognize the need for repentance. Jesus came, embracing sinners, loving them and extending relationship and salvation to them, and people rejected Him because he didn't seem holy enough! He actually hung out with bad people, and He also said things that challenged the status-quo. Again, it was easier to reject Him than it was to allow His teaching and example to lead them to change. In both cases, God was moving and the people wanted nothing to do with His movement as it required change, and maybe repentance (changing our thinking and actions) and that clearly wasn't what they wanted.
The question in my mind this morning, is how often I have rejected the invitation of the Lord to step into the things He is doing, because I didn't want to change, or was too judgmental in my attitude or self-focus? Have I allowed my desire for comfort and my desire to have things my way derail me from the very move of God? Have I rejected God's word for me because I didn't like the messenger? Have I been so focused on what I want, that I forgot to ask what God wanted of me?
Oh Lord, forgive me of my selfish focus and my judgmental ways! Help me to embrace Your move in my life, and help me to embrace the change that might be required. Help us all to accept Your invitation to join You in Your ways and actions all around us! Help me to see anyway in which I allowing my self-focus to cause me to miss out on what You are desiring to do! Help me ot break away from the spirit of this generation!
Amen!
[31] "Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? [32] They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “
'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'
[33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' [34] The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' [35] But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
Normally this is a set of verses I read quickly and move on, but this morning my heart was drawn to them, and I saw something I haven't seen before, so I thought I would reflect some more on what Jesus was saying here. Jesus uses an analogy to describe the generation, and it was one of children being dissatisfied with every response from others. The played a pipe and the others wouldn't dance, they played a dirge and they wouldn't mourn, in other words they couldn't get the others to do what they wanted! It is actually a pretty normal behavior in children, wanting to have things their way, and in this case Jesus said this childish and selfish attitude represented the people of that generation.
As I was thinking about this, many of the marketing messages we have today came to mind, as we are constantly told that we can have things our way! We have fast food chains whose marketing jingles have reflected this emphasis, coffee vendors who specialize in individual orders, clothing and apparel companies who focus on our desire to have exactly what we want to celebrate our uniqueness, even car companies telling us how their cars will set us free, and enable us to do what we want when we want. Again, this is not that unusual, and seems to be one of the outstanding features of this generation, celebrating our uniqueness and ability to have things the way we want them.
Jesus, though, was directing their gaze through their worldview into faith, and that was my real insight this morning. I recently went through a season of looking for a new church, and found that I was very picky about what I was looking for! I know many who struggle with this same thing and this morning I felt like the Lord just shed some insight. While in the process, I found myself focused on the things I didn't like. I didn't like the worship in one place, the preaching in another, the way people treated us in another, or how worship was so choreographed in another. I was so busy picking apart the experience looking at the things I didn't like, that it took me a while to start asking the right questions, like where God wanted me to connect, or what was the Lord doing in the place and what I might add? I was so concerned about wanting church to be my way, I forgot that church is about being connected to His body so that I might be a part of what the Lord is doing! Our individualized, selfish perspective does not serve us well in seeking the Lord nor in seeking where the Lord would have us connect to His body.
In the case cited by Jesus, John came calling them to repentance, but people rejected his message because they didn't like his radical life-style, and passed him off as having a demon. It was easier to cast judgment on him than it was to look into their own lives and recognize the need for repentance. Jesus came, embracing sinners, loving them and extending relationship and salvation to them, and people rejected Him because he didn't seem holy enough! He actually hung out with bad people, and He also said things that challenged the status-quo. Again, it was easier to reject Him than it was to allow His teaching and example to lead them to change. In both cases, God was moving and the people wanted nothing to do with His movement as it required change, and maybe repentance (changing our thinking and actions) and that clearly wasn't what they wanted.
The question in my mind this morning, is how often I have rejected the invitation of the Lord to step into the things He is doing, because I didn't want to change, or was too judgmental in my attitude or self-focus? Have I allowed my desire for comfort and my desire to have things my way derail me from the very move of God? Have I rejected God's word for me because I didn't like the messenger? Have I been so focused on what I want, that I forgot to ask what God wanted of me?
Oh Lord, forgive me of my selfish focus and my judgmental ways! Help me to embrace Your move in my life, and help me to embrace the change that might be required. Help us all to accept Your invitation to join You in Your ways and actions all around us! Help me to see anyway in which I allowing my self-focus to cause me to miss out on what You are desiring to do! Help me ot break away from the spirit of this generation!
Amen!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Eternal Life - Now!
This morning as I am praying I was just reflecting on Jesus' prayer at the beginning of the seventeenth chapter of John - John 17:1-3 NIV:
[1] "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
As in John's letters, he reiterates the fact that Eternal life is equivalent to knowing the Lord (Father and Son, and implied Holy Spirit). The word translated knowing is the Greek Word, ginosko and it defined as follows:
1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
a) to understand
b) to know
3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know
In other words, eternal life is being relationally connected intimately with Jesus and the Father. If this is possible for us to experience today, in our life as we know it then we don't need to have a future eternal life mindset, but rather can have a present eternal life mindset. We can experience eternal life here on Earth! It seems to that this is exactly what Jesus was talking about in John 14: 10-14 where He said we could do the same things that He had been doing, and even greater, and it was all based on relationship.
Oh, that we would start to grasp the reality that Jesus describes. He wants us to live in Him, and He wants to live in us! He wants us to experience this eternal life now!! Oh Lord, I want to know You more, understand You, perceive Your thoughts, Your heart and to be able to walk in this depth of relationship with You! I want to walk in eternal life here and now!
Amen!
[1] "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
As in John's letters, he reiterates the fact that Eternal life is equivalent to knowing the Lord (Father and Son, and implied Holy Spirit). The word translated knowing is the Greek Word, ginosko and it defined as follows:
1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
a) to become known
2) to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
a) to understand
b) to know
3) Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4) to become acquainted with, to know
In other words, eternal life is being relationally connected intimately with Jesus and the Father. If this is possible for us to experience today, in our life as we know it then we don't need to have a future eternal life mindset, but rather can have a present eternal life mindset. We can experience eternal life here on Earth! It seems to that this is exactly what Jesus was talking about in John 14: 10-14 where He said we could do the same things that He had been doing, and even greater, and it was all based on relationship.
Oh, that we would start to grasp the reality that Jesus describes. He wants us to live in Him, and He wants to live in us! He wants us to experience this eternal life now!! Oh Lord, I want to know You more, understand You, perceive Your thoughts, Your heart and to be able to walk in this depth of relationship with You! I want to walk in eternal life here and now!
Amen!
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
The Promise of Continuous Revelation
This morning my reflection is on the last words of Jesus in his discourse to the Apostles at the Last Supper, as recorded by John 17:26 NIV: "I have made you (Father) known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
I was thinking about and reflecting on relationship with the Lord this morning, desirous of a deeper walk, of a more conscious daily conversation. I was feeling like there was an invitation to a deeper walk and knowledge of the Lord, and this was the verse that rang true with those themes. I am going to grab hold of this promise for continuous revelation!
Earlier in John's account, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was being sent to teach us all truth, as Jesus had more things to share than He had time to impart (John 16:12-13). This is part of the planned continuous revelation Jesus promised. We have Jesus speaking to us, the Holy Spirit teaching us and reminding us, all three of them making their home in us! Our lives are supposed to be full of continuous revelation and intimacy. That is the Lord's desire for us! That is His desire for me!
Lord, I am a bit of dunderhead, and need Your help in realizing my potential and recognizing Your invitation throughout my day! I tend to walk around oblivious to Your invitation and desire to reveal more of Yourself! Lord, help me to open my ears, my eyes, my heart and my mind to You! I want to encounter Your continuing to make Yourself known! I want to be drawn deeper, to know Your heart more! I want to be aware of Your indwelling! I want to experience intimacy with You!
Amen Lord! Help me, as I can only gain head knowledge of you on my own!
I was thinking about and reflecting on relationship with the Lord this morning, desirous of a deeper walk, of a more conscious daily conversation. I was feeling like there was an invitation to a deeper walk and knowledge of the Lord, and this was the verse that rang true with those themes. I am going to grab hold of this promise for continuous revelation!
Earlier in John's account, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was being sent to teach us all truth, as Jesus had more things to share than He had time to impart (John 16:12-13). This is part of the planned continuous revelation Jesus promised. We have Jesus speaking to us, the Holy Spirit teaching us and reminding us, all three of them making their home in us! Our lives are supposed to be full of continuous revelation and intimacy. That is the Lord's desire for us! That is His desire for me!
Lord, I am a bit of dunderhead, and need Your help in realizing my potential and recognizing Your invitation throughout my day! I tend to walk around oblivious to Your invitation and desire to reveal more of Yourself! Lord, help me to open my ears, my eyes, my heart and my mind to You! I want to encounter Your continuing to make Yourself known! I want to be drawn deeper, to know Your heart more! I want to be aware of Your indwelling! I want to experience intimacy with You!
Amen Lord! Help me, as I can only gain head knowledge of you on my own!
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Alignment With Jesus
This morning I am just reflecting on Paul's opening lines in Chapter 2 of His letter to the Philippians 2:1-4 NIV:
[1]"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
I like the first line, as Paul is basically calling us to reflect on and awareness of that which we have received in Christ Jesus! Sometimes, I can forget all that I have received, and Paul is encouraging the church to reflect on their unity with Jesus, His love for them, their empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and the tenderness and compassion that flow out of Jesus' heart towards us! What great things to think about in our daily walk! Oh, that we allow these to change our perception and align us with Jesus.
The natural outflow of alignment with Jesus, is as Paul described, unity, like-mindedness, loving the same things, flowing in the same Spirit! If we allow the heart and mind of Jesus to become ours then we should naturally flow into these desired states. As we embrace this reality, our perception of others takes on Jesus' perspective, and we see our brothers and sisters as He sees them. We become more concerned for them, seeing their need and value to Him. We learn how Jesus operates, and it is always in tenderness, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement.
As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of skits I have seen where two individuals pretend they are a mirror reflection of each other. They move exactly the same way, and try to do exactly what they see the other person doing. This is how I want to be with Jesus, so intent on what He is doing that I try to mirror His movements, try to do exactly what He is doing!
I know I need more of Jesus' tenderness, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and encouragement in my life! I also need to be better at allowing those to flow out of my life! Oh Lord, remind me of my position in You, of Your tenderness and compassion, and help me to align myself with You in my heart and mind!
[1]"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
I like the first line, as Paul is basically calling us to reflect on and awareness of that which we have received in Christ Jesus! Sometimes, I can forget all that I have received, and Paul is encouraging the church to reflect on their unity with Jesus, His love for them, their empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and the tenderness and compassion that flow out of Jesus' heart towards us! What great things to think about in our daily walk! Oh, that we allow these to change our perception and align us with Jesus.
The natural outflow of alignment with Jesus, is as Paul described, unity, like-mindedness, loving the same things, flowing in the same Spirit! If we allow the heart and mind of Jesus to become ours then we should naturally flow into these desired states. As we embrace this reality, our perception of others takes on Jesus' perspective, and we see our brothers and sisters as He sees them. We become more concerned for them, seeing their need and value to Him. We learn how Jesus operates, and it is always in tenderness, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and encouragement.
As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of skits I have seen where two individuals pretend they are a mirror reflection of each other. They move exactly the same way, and try to do exactly what they see the other person doing. This is how I want to be with Jesus, so intent on what He is doing that I try to mirror His movements, try to do exactly what He is doing!
I know I need more of Jesus' tenderness, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and encouragement in my life! I also need to be better at allowing those to flow out of my life! Oh Lord, remind me of my position in You, of Your tenderness and compassion, and help me to align myself with You in my heart and mind!
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