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Thursday, March 31, 2011

"The Heart"

(Today's reading - 1 Samuel 16,17)

Today's reading is filled with great stories, each one worthy of thinking on, so I encourage you to do just that. With that said, I want to think about a couple of verses that you probably just pass over as you are introduced to David and read about his triumph over Goliath.
Let's start at the beginning. Samuel is mourning over the fall of King Saul. God tells him to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future. Samuel is just like us, when someone we believe in fails us, we dwell on the failure and can become very depressed. Samuel was depressed, so God sends him to find a replacement for the King. He sends him to Jesse's house to meet his sons. (Be thankful for Ruth, see earlier post)
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6,7) Something about Eliab made Samuel think he was King material. Samuel liked the way he looked, his physical appearance and his height. He looked at him with human eyes and saw a man that looked the part of a king; but God saw something else. God looked deeper than his physical appearance and saw who he really was and He rejected him as king. Something inside of Eliab was deficient, something in his character was lacking. He was tall and handsome on the outside, but inside he had a heart problem.
I can put on a pretty good show for people. I can act like I have it all together and I can fool the masses. "Man looks at the outward appearance." I can be addicted to pornography or alcohol. I can gossip and tell lies. I can steal and cheat. And until I get caught, I can be thought of as a pillar of the community. I can serve as a leader in my church. I can teach Sunday School. I could even be President of the United States. (although I am not sure that morals have anything to do with the last one any longer) My point is that a fresh coat of paint makes an old barn look pretty good. The timbers may be rotten and the foundation full of cracks, but from the outside, she looks great. But on the inside, she is in need of major repairs.
God sees the inside. The fresh coat of paint does not impress Him at all. He knows the truth about each of us. He knows about the rotten and the cracked. He knows exactly who we are! "The LORD looks at the heart".
Thankfully, God is in the renovation business. Our rotten timbers can be ripped out and replaced and our cracked foundations can be strengthened. Romans 12:2 gives us insight into how God will work on us. The real us! " Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Conforming to the world is the problem and being transformed is the solution. Our old way of thinking is replaced  and we are renewed as we pour God's word into our hearts. We probably look just fine to the world, especially if we look just like it. It will love us and tell us we look great, all the while inside we are rotten.
Transformation, real transformation is not found in Oprah or Dr. Phil. It is not found in the latest self-help book or the trendy motivational speaker. Real transformation is only available through Jesus. His words are the only words that give life. (John 6:68) Take a moment to look in the mirror, deeper than skin deep. What do you see? Who is it that you really see? Who does God really see? May we decide to look inside ourselves and determine to allow the "great renovator" to work in us, to change, to perfect us. God's plan is for Jesus to be fully formed in us, that we look like Him, inside. (Galatians 4:19)

Monday, March 28, 2011

"They Have Rejected Me"

(Today's reading - 1 Samuel 8-12)

Israel approaches the end of the period of the judges and they begin to ask for a king. God's intent was for his people to be ruled by Him as their king, but they wanted to be like those around them. It was not enough for them to have the Creator of the universe as their leader, they wanted a human to rule over them.
Samuel had been their judge for many years and as he grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges. The people were not happy with their leadership and asked Samuel to appoint a king in Israel. But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.” (1 Samuel 8:6-9) Samuel took it personal that they were rejecting him, but God tells Samuel that in reality, the people were rejecting Him.
He tells Samuel to warn them about what a king would require of them. The king would take their sons and daughters, their lands, their money and that they would become his slaves. "But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19,20) Having rejected His warnings, God tells Samuel to give them a king. Saul, a man from the tribe of Benjamin (good thing the tribe was spared, see earlier post) was selected by God to be their king. I find it interesting that even though God did not want them to have a king, when they would not listen, He still worked with them in their bad choices. He didn't reject them, even when they rejected Him.
What can we learn from this reading? About me? About God? What did God have in mind when He left this story for us to read?
First, we need to understand that God's intent is that he have the rule in our lives, he wants to be our King. Just like the Israelites, we can choose otherwise, but God's plan is that Jesus be the King of our lives. Sure, He teaches us to obey those that have authority over us here, our government and Shepherds, but ultimately He is to have the rule in our lives. But when men's rules are in conflict with God's rules, God rules! Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! (Acts 5:29)
Secondly, whenever we try to rule our own lives, or place man's wisdom above God's, we are rejecting Him. Sometimes we get too smart for our own good. We read and study what man has produced and elevate it above God's word. That is rejecting Him! An example of this is homosexuality. God's word teaches that the homosexual lifestyle is sinful, man teaches that it is a genetic trait. No "homosexual gene" has been identified, but it doesn't matter, man is teaching it, so it must be right. While I have many friends that have chosen this lifestyle and I love them all dearly, it is not up to me to decide if it is right or wrong, God already did that. (Romans 1:26,27, Leviticus 18:22,29; 20:13 and many others) While it may be stylish to go with man's wisdom, it is rejecting God to do so.
Lastly, God's warnings about allowing anything or anyone to rule our lives is as true today as it was back then. Whatever or whoever has that rule in my life will demand more and more of my time and resources. Whether it is sports, social clubs, television, a husband or wife, job, boss, girlfriend or boyfriend, whatever it is; it will demand more and more of my time and my treasure. If I am not careful; he, she or it will ultimately squeeze out God as king in my life and I will become a slave.
God is the only one that has the right to claim the top spot in our lives. He made us, He knows us and He has provided everything we need in this life and the one to follow. (2 Peter 1:3) May we learn from Israel's mistakes and make the right choice about who sits on the throne of our lives.

Friday, March 25, 2011

"What They Deserve"

(Today's reading - Judges 19-21)

Today's reading contains one of the Bibles strangest stories. Many of us don't even want to read it or think about it, but hidden in the story are a few lessons that we need to learn.
The "Readers Digest" version goes something like this....A Levite and his concubine are traveling home when they decide to stay in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. They are invited to stay in the home of an elderly gentleman. During the night, men from the town come to the home and demand to have sexual relations with the traveling man. The man sends out his concubine and the men rape and kill her. He takes her body and returns home. He cut her body into twelve pieces and sent one to each of the tribes of Israel. This created a great outrage among the people and they sought to deal with those responsible for the "disgraceful act".
"All the people", after hearing the story, determined to punish the tribe of Benjamin. They sent men throughout the tribe asking that they hand over those responsible, but they refused. Instead, the Benjamites determine to fight the other tribes. So, the battle begins. The Israelites lose two battles and 40,000 men. They go back to God and he promises to give them the victory the next day. God is faithful and the Benjamites are defeated. The tribe is nearly wiped out and the remaining tribes determine to restore the tribe of Benjamin. They provide brides to the remaining men to so that they could "retain their inheritance and rebuild the towns".
The lesson for us to learn is about the seriousness of sin. When the Israelites were confronted with the sin of the Benjamites, they were outraged and sought to cleanse the land of sin. They could have decided that one concubine wasn't that big of a deal,  that there are much worse things going on in the world to be dealt with. Instead, they determined to pay the price to deal with the sin in the land.
In the battles against this sin, nearly 70,000 lives were lost. Sin costs! There is a price to be paid for sin. It cost God His only Son and it cost Jesus His very life. Seventy thousand men die for the murder of one concubine. They understood that it was more than one sin, it was an attitude of sin that must be defeated. Clearly, the morals among the tribe of Benjamin had declined to the point that they saw no issue with rape and murder. Israel knew that if they were to continue to be God's people, the sin had to be dealt with. The price was paid, not only by those that committed the sin, but by the entire family of God. Like an contagious infection, sin will spread and affect those that come in contact with it. If it is not treated, the infection becomes worse and will eventually kill.
The last lesson to be learned is the "clean up". After the Benjamites are defeated, the nation of Israel would seek restoration. One of "theirs" was damaged and might even disappear from among them. Some would say "fine, they deserve what they get". But they determined to restore the tribe of Benjamin so that the twelve tribes would remain. Sometimes we take the attitude that the church would be better without someone because of their past lives. After restoration, we should welcome them back into the community of believers and insure that they can continue as part of the body. The Israelites gave them their daughters as wives to insure that they would have offspring to continue the tribe. Amazing, the sin was rape and murder and they gave the sinners their daughters. I struggle with that. Would I give a loan to someone who had stolen from me? God calls us to a greater forgiveness than the world offers. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven, that changes everything.
May God bless us as we determine to take sin seriously. May He provide the needed courage to confront it in ourselves and in our spiritual families.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Second Chances

(Judges 13-16)

Most Christians know the story of Samson. We might have seen the movie with Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature, directed by Cecile B. DeMille. My first memory of Samson comes from my parents old family Bible. It contained an artist's rendering of Samson at the mill. I spent hours looking at the picture of Samson, eyes plucked out, straining against the weight of the mill, while a soldier with a whip stands ready to strike. It made an impression on a young boy. I remember looking at his muscles and wondering how the chains were holding him. That is my memory, I would love to hear yours.
The story goes something like this. (many details omitted) Samson was gifted by God with physical strength. He used that strength against the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel. Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines plotted with Delilah to find out the secret of his strength so that he could be captured. He tricked her several times before he was honest with her about his strength. She was persistent and eventually he told her that the secret of his strength was in keeping the vow his parents had made. No razor had touched his hair. So while he slept, Delilah called for the barber and his hair was cut and his strength left him. "Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved." (Judges 16: 21,22)
A very sad story! A once proud, strong God fearing man reduced to a mule at the mill. His vision taken from him, he was left in darkness to consider his life's choices. But God had not forgotten Samson. As he toiled,something began to happen. As the days passed, his hair grew back and with it his strength returned. Second chances! His pride had led him to the wrong woman and left him drained of his strength. He made choices that put him in shackles and took away his vision. But God had not forgotten Samson. Second chances!
We all know how the story ends, Samson regains his strength and God uses him to crush the Philistines. God wasn't finished with Samson, he had lessons to learn, strength to regain and pride to lose. Then he was ready to be used by God. He had to lose his own sight to gain God's vision. He had to become weak to rely on God's strength. He had to have his pride crushed to allow God to take the lead in his life.
Samson offers us many lessons, if we will listen. Whatever holds us in shackles, God is able to break the chains. Whenever we are spiritually blind, God can give us a new vision. When our choices give us a bad haircut, our hair will grow back out, eventually. It might take some time and we will have to live with the results, but God isn't finished with us yet. Samson still speaks through the ages, if we will sit at his feet. We need not make the same mistakes that he made. But when we do, he tells us that God is a God of "second chances". May you determine today to allow God to take the lead in your life. He removes the shackles of pain and addiction, He restores our vision to see the world through His eyes, He gets rid of the daily grind and replaces it with a life of purpose and He gives us the strength we need to crush our spiritual adversary. He is the God of "second chances"!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A New Family

(Today's reading - Ruth 1-4)

We get a nice break today from the battles and unfaithfulness of the Israelites and instead get to read an inspiring story of some awesome women! Naomi, her husband, two sons and their wives live in Moab. Her daughters-in-law are Moabite women. Over the years, the husbands die, leaving the three women to fend for themselves. Naomi learns that God is providing for His people in Israel and determines to return home.
She asks Ruth and Orpah (her daughters-in-law) to move back home with their parents and find new husbands. Orpah leaves, but Ruth is determined to stay with Naomi and makes the promise...."Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God". Naomi, obviously touched by Ruth's love for her, allows her to return to Israel with her.
She is commended for her decision by the man she will soon marry, Boaz.
Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.  May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:11,12) Boaz tells her that God will bless her for the decision she made. She will be richly rewarded for taking refuge under His wings.
Sometimes, when we choose God, there is a price to be paid. We might have to give up old friends. We might have to change jobs. We might even lose family. This is difficult! Without a doubt, it was difficult for Ruth to leave her homeland and all her friends and family to start a new life with God's people. Without a doubt, it is difficult for us to lose relationships. But God promises it will be worth it. Whatever we give up, we are promised that He will replace. "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19: 29) When I sit in the congregation of God's people and look around, I see brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers and I know that God has given me family. When I see that they have homes and fields, I know that God has given me homes and fields. When we give up our lives, he restores it to us with His blessings. "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39)
God promises us that when we turn over our lives to Him, we will be blessed, but when we try to hold onto our lives for our own purposes, we will lose life.  Intuitively, this seems  wrong. As a human, I think that if I pursue life, that I will find it. If I go for the gusto, I will be happy. Instead, God calls us to give up what ever is holding us back from a proper relationship with Him; friends, family, jobs, whatever it is that separates us from Him. In return, He promises us a new family, a new life, a new way of thinking, a new purpose in life.
May we determine to follow God, whatever the costs and may we grow to understand that God is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Ruth demonstrated that leaving her homeland and family to find a relationship with God was worth the costs and found her life when she lost it. Because of her faithfulness, God blessed her to become the great-grandmother of King David. Not bad for a Moabite woman.
What about you? How will God reward you for your faithfulness? How will the future of the church be impacted by your faithfulness? God knows and he has placed you in His family to live out your new life in Him.

Monday, March 21, 2011

"Rescue Us Now"

But the Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer. (Judges 10: 15,16)

Gods' people had fallen into a cycle of times of faithfulness followed by seasons of unfaithfulness. During the times of unfaithfulness, God would deliver them into the hands of oppressors and they would call out to the LORD for assistance. He would allow them to suffer for a time, but then would step in to rescue them. Lesson learned, right? Maybe a temporary lesson, but soon they would submit to the influence of those around them and fall back into their old sinful lives, only to call out for help again.
A few things come through loud and clear. Gods' faithfulness and man's unfaithfulness. He is a patient God. He keeps His promises and goes beyond what humans would consider reasonable. People, on the other hand are slow to learn lessons and repeat the same mistakes, over and over again. People need to be rescued!
Rescue. That word brings many pictures to my mind. It is the person, trapped beneath the rubble after an earthquake waiting for the outstretched hand of the firefighter. It is the man, stranded on his capsized boat in the middle of the ocean, eyes straining to see the airplane with his loved ones searching for him. It is the woman, locked in her wrecked, burning vehicle beating the window as the EMS worker brings out the jaws of life. It is the child, helpless in a war torn village being lifted into the arms of an American soldier. These are my pictures. Take a moment to think about your pictures......
Rescue. While these pictures are heartwarming and we love to see people in difficult situations rescued, each of these is momentary. They could be right back in a similar situation next week. The best we can do (and should do) is help someone in a life threatening situation, knowing that our help is temporary. While that is needed, real rescue is necessary. I am talking about the person trapped under a lifetime of rubble, unable to free themselves from the weight of the sin that traps them. I am talking about the man whose life is adrift in an ocean this life's pain. I am talking about the woman locked in a life of burning guilt. I am talking about the child living in a battlefield at home. Each wanting, each waiting to be rescued.
Only Jesus offers the kind of rescue that we need. Only God has the resources to meet every need. No situation is beyond His ability to heal. No person is too far gone, that He cannot fix the problem. I am reminded of the story of the man that lived in the tombs. (Mark 5) The man was an outcast and had been chained, but no chain could bind him. He lived among the dead and cried out continually. He would cut himself with stones. I can imagine Jesus as this wild, crazed, bloody, screaming man ran towards him. Jesus was able to see that he was trapped and needed to be rescued. People had given up on him, but God had not. In Mark 5, verse 15 we see the results of the outstretched hand of the Christ..."When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid". Rescued!
No matter where you are, no matter your situation, no matter your past life; Jesus offers rescue. The alcoholic, the porn addict, the wife abuser, the child molester, the murderer.....all can be rescued. The gossip, the lier, the shoplifter, the speeder, the cheat.....all can be rescued. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son", the whole world. He loves everyone and offers rescue to everyone. No one is too deep in the rubble, no one is too far out to sea, no one is trapped too long and no one is beyond His nail-pierced outstretched hand. He wants to lift you out of the mess you are in and set you in your "right mind" Rescued!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Thorns in Your Side

The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’” (Judges 2: 1-3)

God had been very clear in His instructions to His people. They were to enter the land and completely destroy the inhabitants. He gives them this command over and over and tells them the consequences of disobedience. Seems simple enough. But then again, people. Yesterday, we examined God giving humans a free will and the ability to choose. Today, we see the consequences of making a bad choice. Israel had been warned of the results of disobedience and would now reap the bitter harvest. The first chapter of Judges lists the failures of the tribes in their quests to take the land and remove the people. Over and over, they did not obey God and left the inhabitants of the land in place. As a consequence, they would intermarry and find their children drawn away to worship other gods. (which were no gods at all)
God tells them that as a result, He would not drive them out Himself and that they would be "thorns in their sides and a their gods would be a snare to them". For the generations to follow, their disobedience would bring heartache to the children of Israel. Verse 5 of Judges 2 tells us that after the people were told this that they wept aloud, and they called the place Bokim (which means weepers). The people realized their failure and that their lives and their children's lives would be impacted by their unfaithfulness and they wept.
Whenever we decide to reject Gods' command and choose to follow our own desires, we suffer. An example of this is divorce. We know that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), but humans choose to ignore Gods' will and choose to divorce. I have experienced divorce in my family. The pain and suffering that my brothers and sister have experienced is heartbreaking. I have seen the effects of their divorces on their children. Everyone suffers, everyone weeps. On the other hand, I have seen people work to save a marriage at all costs. I have seen the blessing that they receive and the example they set for their children. Everyone rejoices, everyone is blessed.  When we follow Gods' commands, we benefit and our children are blessed. When we disobey God, we pay the price and in many circumstances the next generation suffers as well. These things become thorns in our sides and a snare to us.
As Christians, we know that forgiveness is available through Jesus. We are confident that if we repent of our sin, God is faithful to forgive. (1 John 1:9) What we must understand is that God does not take away the consequence of our sin. Just like the Israelites, we will live with the results of our choices. Certainly, we can minimize the negative outcome of our actions by responding as God would have us do. If I steal something, return it. If I lie, correct the lie by telling the truth. If I hurt someone, apologize and fix the hurt if possible. You get the idea. While sin is forgiven, the consequence remains; but our actions can mitigate the consequences.
May we grow to understand that God always, always has our best interests in mind. His commands are for our benefit and not some arbitrary checklist for His amusement. He loves us and wants our lives to be blessed. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly". (John 10:10) He wants us to have the abundant life, both here and hereafter. May God bless us as we deal with the thorns in our sides.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Who Will You Serve?


“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15)

Joshua finished leading the Israelites into the land. He completed the work that God had given him and he now faced the end of his life. Many people die years before their bodies do, but Joshua (like Moses) was alive and well until the day he died. He assembles the troops and gives them a pep talk. He assembles all the people and reminds them of all that the LORD had done for them and challenges them to renew their covenant with God. When he was finished with the reminders, he challenges them to make a commitment. He calls on them to choose.
I like that! God gives them the right to choose. He brought them safely to the promised land and delivered their enemies into their hands and given them blessing beyond their imaginations, but still gives them the option to choose to serve someone or something other than Him. In this case, God is pro-choice. He could have made man to be like a parrot, to sit on his shoulder and repeat what He said. Instead, He made man with a free will and gave him the ability to choose. The Israelites could (and eventually would) choose to serve other gods. He had been completely faithful to His promise. (Joshua 21:43-45) "Not one of all of the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Every single one was fulfilled!
Let's think about that.....God had been faithful in keeping His promises, yet He gives those that he blessed the right to choose whether or not to serve Him.
What can we learn about God from His treatment of the nation of Israel? Can we apply any of this to our relationship with Him today?
In Acts 2, Jesus has ascended to Heaven and sent His Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The apostles are gathered in one place and receive the Holy Spirit and Peter preaches the first gospel sermon. The church is established and people begin to choose who they will serve.
 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:36-40)
God makes another promise and then allows people to choose who they will serve. They are called to "repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins". They must choose, I must choose. They are told that the "promise is for them and all that God would call". They must choose, I must choose. They are told to "save themselves from this corrupt generation". They must choose, I must choose.
Salvation is a choice. We were not born into it. We do not inherit it from our parents. Just as in the day of Joshua, God is pro-choice when it comes to serving Him. We must decide this day who will will serve. Will it be self? Will it be wife or husband? Will it be boss? Will it be some other god? The LORD allows us to choose, but He insists that we choose. We cannot sit on the fence; it is Him or not Him. That is the choice.
May you choose to serve the God that offers salvation through His Son. The choice is free, the value of the choice is eternal. As our minister said this past Sunday in a quote from Indiana Jones....."you must choose, but choose wisely".

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Promise Keeper

(Today's reading - Deut. 33-35)

Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” (Deut 34:4)

God takes Moses up to the top of Mt. Nebo and shows him the promised land. I imagine it this way....
Moses is 120 years old. He has wondered for 40 years in the desert. He has cared for God's people and seen wonders that we can only imagine. He has spent time face to face with God and served Him faithfully....except for that one time. And now, here he stands, time has taken it's toll, his eyes are weak, his body is worn out; but God gives him one last blessing. Moses gets to see the promised land. Bittersweet, yes, but comforting at the same time.
He has led the people to this moment of conquest. He has delivered them to the the doorstep of their home. He has dealt with all their unfaithfulness and bellyaching and brought them safely home. I am sure Moses would have loved to place his feeble foot on that blessed soil. I know he would have loved to take off his sandals and fell the lush green grass of the pastures. I know he would have loved to taste the sweet grapes of the vineyards and dipped his toes in the sea. That was not to be. God had other plans.
God had other plans! Joshua was to be the one that would lead the people to victory and take the land. Moses job was done. He received his reward. Sometimes, I struggle with how Moses was treated. I mean, he did so much right and was punished for so little wrong. That is the human in me speaking. That is justice through human eyes. Instead of focusing on my view of how this should have gone down, maybe the best thing is to learn from what did happen. What can we learn from Moses?
Obviously, many things, but lets focus a couple of things that are obvious. (my specialty) First, God is the one who decides. You and I might think differently than God, but His thoughts are above our thoughts. He is in charge. Moses obeyed God and received his reward for it. Sure, in Hollywood version he would have finished the movie and gone into the land. In Gods' plan, Moses would serve Him faithfully and get to home without going into battle. God knows best! His decisions are right. Our wants and desires must play second fiddle to His will. We see in part, but His vision is complete. We must let Him decide our roles in His story. "Not my will, but thy will be done". (Luke 22:42)
Secondly, life's disappointments are temporary, Gods' rewards are eternal. I am sure Moses was disappointed, but his disappointment didn't override his faithfulness to God. It is easy to let this life's struggles and failures rule in our lives. To often, we ask "where was God in that". Moses was able to separate his wants and desires from Gods' eternal plans. We must not succumb to self pity and allow our failures to have the final victory. We must know for sure that God is working things out for our benefit. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
May we learn the lessons of Moses and let God be God. He is in control! He knows what is best in every situation. May we allow Him to work in our lives with a view towards eternity. God bless you as you face the difficulties of this life knowing that the reward for our faithfulness is eternal life with Him. He is the promise keeper!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

"Your Faith Has Made You Well"

(Today's reading - Leviticus 13-15)

Today's reading deals with health regulations for the children of Israel. In the vernacular of our time, it is Israel's national health care plan. As a nation, they needed guidance in dealing with health issues. Things we take for granted today, were new to them. God provided them with instructions to limit the spread of disease and even the introduction of bacteria into their lives. I heard Patrick Meade call this the Buick in the pyramid. In other words some outside force with much greater knowledge and understanding had to introduce these ideas to the Israelites. Of course you and I know that was God, but for those that don't believe, this provides real difficulty for them.
The people are instructed on isolation of those with infectious diseases, the cleaning of items exposed to these infections and the disposal of items that could not be sterilized. They were given instruction on general cleanliness, both of themselves and their environment. Everyday stuff for us, but rocket science for them.
Leiticus 15: 25-27 deals with women with ongoing discharges of blood. They were viewed as unclean and as such had to yell "unclean, unclean" as anyone approached them. Additionally, they were required to live outside of the camp. Imagine the shame and the humiliation of being excluded from the social fabric of a society and being seen as "unclean".
This gives new context to a story that we read about in Luke 8. "Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
Twelve years of shouting "unclean". Twelve years of living with lepers. Twelve years of shame. This woman gives me hope. She and her family had gone to every specialist and spent their entire bank account and still "unclean". She shows up in town because she hears that Jesus is there. One last hope, one last chance to recover her life and move back home. One last grasp for a cure, a reprieve from the humiliation of exclusion. She reaches out her hand to touch the great physician.
I imagine her trembling hand, a hand that had been rejected for twelve years just reaching to touch the edge of his garment. I imagine her face lighting up as she immediately is healed, the total joy of the moment. Never again "unclean, unclean", back home with her family. And then, in the midst of the joy, "Who touched me?". Fear again, shame again, humiliation again. Somehow, she, trembling comes forward and tells her story to Jesus. I imagine His eyes meeting hers, tears in both, as he tells her "it's alright". HE calls her daughter! I love that! He tells her that her faith has healed her.She goes home whole, for the first time in twelve years, she goes.... home.
What can I learn form this? What does this do for me? I know that Jesus is the great physician and that nothing that I am facing is beyond His ability to fix. I learn that I must reach out to Him. He is right there, waiting for my touch. I learn that my uncleanness is what is separating me from him, but that uncleanness is easily removed by Him. I learn that He loves me, that He calls me son, that He restores.
Today, are you outside of camp? Are you living among the lepers? Do you long to go home, clean and restored? Jesus is right there, waiting for you to touch the border of His garment. He is in town today, in fact He always is! What are you waiting for? Sent me your email address and I will send you a study that will lead you to this healing. Why wait any longer?
If you have already been touched by Jesus, may you determine to live like it and lead others to Him for healing. God bless.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

"Do Not Follow Their Practices"

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18: 1-5)

Sandwiched in between what you can eat and who you can have sex with is a general statement that deals with conduct. The Israelites had lived for 400 years in Egypt. They had lived as slaves there and were subjected to Egypt's lifestyle. God had brought them out of that and was now bringing them into a land of pagans. They would now be surrounded by idol worshippers and heathens. Out of the fire and into the frying pan, as they say.
God tells His people that they must not live like the Egyptians and that they must not live like the Canaanites. They must abandon old habits and must not take on the habits of their new neighbors. He calls His people to live in a new way, under His laws and decrees. Living a life of obedience to His laws will change the Israelites lives. "Do not follow their practices", He tells them.
Simple enough, right. I mean, who having been freed from slavery would return to living the way they did as slaves. Right? Who, having been delivered to a new homeland would abandon the deliverer and live like those around them? Right?
We all come from somewhere. To some extent, we all are a product of our environment. You might have been raised in an awful environment and have developed terrible habits. You might have moved into a horrible neighborhood. Who we are, how we live, what practices we adopt is all within our ability to choose. God gives us freewill. He makes it possible for us to come from an abusive home and still choose to be kind and loving. He gives us the ability to live in the gang infested neighborhoods of Los Angeles and choose to live for Him. We are no different than the Israelites. We were all slaves to sin at some point and God has led us out of that, but He didn't take us out of this world. His desire is that we live in this world and be His representatives, live lives that reflect His goodness.
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:16-18) Freed from sin, slaves to righteousness. That is Gods' call on our lives. Wherever we are from, wherever we live now, God calls us to lives of righteousness. He says to us, "do not follow their practices". He places this call between what goes into our bodies and what we do with our bodies. He calls us to live differently. He calls us to purity in all areas of our lives, what we allow to enter into us and what we do with our lives.
Be careful little hands what you do, oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little ears what you hear, the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful......
May God richly bless our lives as live for Him.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Honest Standards

"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19: 35-37)
 
God demands honesty in our dealings with others. His laws are not arbitrary, rather they are a reflection of Him. That should give us comfort in knowing that He will use an honest measure with us. (Or maybe not) As HE established the laws that would govern the conduct of His people, He established the rule of honesty. His people would be different, they would always use honest standards in their business dealings (as well as in their personal lives).
This law gets directly to the heart of trust. Could His people trust each other and more imortantly, could they trust Him. As law abiding citizens, they would know that each of them had a standard that they were to live by and they knew that there was punishment for deviating from that standard. This was surely something new for them as they had come out of slavery and had been subjected to every kind of dishonesty. Trust was something that would be built upon honesty. Over time, as they dealt properly with each other, they would come to trust one another. As the results of each transaction were determined to be honest, they would learn to trust.
This was especially true with their relationship with God. As they saw that He dealt with them honestly, their trust in Him would grow. He promised to bring them out of slavery, He did! He promised to give them a home, He did! He promised to give them victory on the battlefield, He did. By any honest measure, He delivered on His promises.
So, how does this apply to us? What can we learn about God and how He deals with us? What can we learn about how we are to treat others? First, our dealing in business and in life must be above reproach. We must be honest in our transactions. If we work two hours, we don't bill for four. If our bull is sick, we don't tell the buyer that he is in great health. If our house is termite infested, we don't tell the shopper that all is well. You get the idea. It is a faith issue. Do we believe that God will in fact take care of us? Or, do we believe that we have to get what we can get, while the gettings good? How honestly we treat others is in direct proportion to our faith in God.
Paul tells us in Romans 8: 28 that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Do we believe that? Do we believe that if we trust in Him, if we conduct our lives according to His will, that everything is working together for our good? How we see God, how much we trust Him is demonstrated in our conduct towards our fellow man. When we use "honest standards" we are saying to God, "I trust you to take care of me, I don't have to cheat others to get by".
Lastly, "honest standards" requires us as His people to speak His truth to those around us. Keeping the truth of the gospel, His honest standard to ourselves is being dishonest. When we hear the Gospel distorted or watered down, we have the responsibilty to hold to His standard. Anything else is a lie. Anything else is using dishonest scales and weights. I know I am treading on thin ice here with some of you, but an honest reading of the scripture is needed. I encourage each person to read through the Book of Acts, write down how each person becomes a Christian. You will find that every account is very consistant, then consider if that is what you were taught. Did you obey the truth of the Gospel or something else? In the end, God will use an honest measure, that is His standard. May God bless you as you study His word.