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Don't over-think this one; it will lose its impact.
This is not about the death penalty for telling lies. It is not about a tug-of-war between God as loving or vindictive. That is not why Luke tells the story.
This is about the vitality and buoyancy of generosity and the toxicity of deception and stinginess.
The prevailing mood of the early church, in the matter of needy members, was generosity, but it was not mandated. Truthful transparency, however, was expected. Lying to God is an indication that you are already dead inside.
One of the characteristics of the new believers in the Jerusalem church was their generous hearts.
Generous hearts are giddy with joy.
They did not consider their time, possessions or personal gifts their own. Whatever they had, they submitted to God an it became available for the Kingdom.
The church was not an economic utopia, but a body of Jesus followers freely associating and freely giving themselves to God through Jesus Christ.
Our lives are more complicated today. We have financial advisors and career paths, personal assets and discretionary time. Our day planners are filled with events that we must juggle to “make time” for ourselves.
We are rather tense.
We have carefully detailed maps of our futures and we wonder where the wonder went.
There was a freshness and awe in the early church that came from the loose fist.
Those believers did not hold things tightly in their hands and God was able to use their flexibility and generosity. So He can and will use us today if we will rediscover the wonder. -----------------------------------------------------------
Here is the scripture. There is more to say about the passage, about the dynamics of the church, and the behavior of these two people, but I will let the videos address it. We can argue with the commentators, but it is not my point to do so and they do lay out some of the issues. Frankly, nowhere here does it say that A&S are lost forever.
Acts 4:32-5:11 (NRSV):
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.
With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife's knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet.
"Ananias," Peter asked, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!"
Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.
After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price."
And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.
Faith, according to Hebrews 11:1 is substantive and evidential in and of itself.
Does that suggest that faith in anything proves the thing?
Yes and no.
Yes, faith, because of divine and universal principles set in motion from the time when God first created wisdom, dictates laws of belief and reality. No, because some things are real and other things are not. Truth is not relative, but it is dynamic.
There are realities that can be changed by our beliefs. Mountains can be moved. Circumstances can bend. Choices made in faith between a positive or negative outlook on the moment can change the meaning of the moment. Faith can change the individual who is doing the "faithing." Often that is enough to change the truth of the moment itself.
On the other hand, there are eternal truths and realities outside of our influence that simply are what they are and cannot be manipulated by our beliefs about them. God and His Word are constants in the universe and not even the universe and universal principles can alter them.
In the case of God and His Revelation, the only valid faith response is to conform, by faith to faith in Him and His will. It is unchanging and persistent and greater than our own realities or beliefs about them.
You may call it limits without limitations - the kind of freedom I gave my then 18 month old grandson when I defined parameters within which he could wander at will and in which he felt absolute liberty to explore, express himself, and grow while enjoying, often without his own ability to understand, the safety of my watchful eye and protective gaze.
If he transgressed the limits into the realm of unknown dangers, I was there. As he grew older and became more accountable for himself, he ventured forth into areas where I could not guide him. He hit some walls and consequences which are real. Love compels me to let him grow and discover these for himself.
Even now, as he is almost an adult, I must be willing to let him fall down on occasion. When he does, the ground below him does not move.
Grounding is real whether we believe in it or not.
The faith that the author of Hebrews addresses is faith founded on foundational fundamentals and in the person of Jesus Christ. With Him are infinite possibilities but also, unbending truths. "Faithing" is what we do when we embrace the reality of God's sovereignty and filter everything we believe through faith in Him. It becomes the substance of all that we embrace and the evidence of all we proclaim in spite of all other indicators to the contrary.
Ask me how I am. I am great. It doesn't matter how I feel in the moment. By faith I know, it is well with my soul.
Go move a mountain!
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
1:1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
1:11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
1:12 When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more;
1:13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
1:14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
1:15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
1:20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
50:1 The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
50:3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
50:4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
50:5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
50:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
50:7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
50:8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
50:22 "Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
50:23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God."
Luke 12:32-40
12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
12:33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
12:35 "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
11:2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.
11:9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
11:10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11:11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old--and Sarah herself was barren--because he considered him faithful who had promised.
11:12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."
11:13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,
11:14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
11:15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return.
11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – John 1:29
It is not enough to have a theoretical understanding of God’s redemption through Jesus and how He came to fulfill the Old Testament system of sacrifices as the Paschal Lamb – as important as that information may be.
No, it is of greatest importance that we behold Him.
Some translate the word, “Look,” but the meaning is the same. We must linger over the vision of Jesus and stare into His eyes.
We must be captivated by His presence so that to even blink we would disrupt the flow of His radiance into our souls.
We must drink deeply of His beauty that transcends human comeliness. We must experience Him in all His glory and behold Him.
In Jesus Christ, the Living Word, we have beheld the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. God has allowed us to glimpse Himself and touch His own incarnate flesh.
Why wouldn’t we stop everything else we might be doing and bathe in the wonder of a moment of Lamb of God?
Oh, Lamb of God Upon whose sinless shoulders All sin has pressed down its awful weight, We pause amidst the frivolous trivialities of our lives To behold You In a manger, on the cross, ascending to Your throne Coming once again in glory Amen.
-------------------------
“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. … And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God … And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! “ John 1:32, 34, 36
Against the backdrop of the Christmas story, we meditate upon John’s testimony to the significance of the Incarnate Word of God. The Spirit descends, the record is borne, and the Lamb of God is revealed.
It is a transitional moment of transformational power. The formative years of Jesus’ life are complete and the babe we left in the manger is now a man who knows who He is and what his mission is on earth is to be. It is the conclusion of the Christmas story and the beginning of a ministry that will culminate in His passion.
Jesus comes to John to be baptized and His baptism is a celebration of new life and new possibilities.
He stands with sinners though He has never sinned. He enters into the symbol of repentance for the sins that we have committed. He identifies intimately with humanity and in that act of identification, God sends forth His own Spirit to visibly and dramatically identify with Him.
It is a new day. In much the same way that we mark a new year with noise and celebration, God marks the ministry of Christ with John’s declaration, “This is the Son of God,” followed by “Look everyone! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World!”
The old is passing away. The new has come. From now on baptism will mean something entirely different and no one will need to be imprisoned in their despair of sin. New years had come and gone for centuries with their twin commemoration of the Day of Atonement. This was no mere new year. This announcement was of new life!
Absolutely. Ask away, but here is a warning, "Have you ever known me to give a quick answer?
For instance, "Where do you want that box?"
"Hmmm ... there are multiple shades of meaning to the question and numerous possibilities available with multiplied consequences not to mention the unknown unintended ones. Let us explore ...."
"Yawn, never mind."
But I come to God this morning with such quick questions and quick prayers and He really understands all of these contingencies, possibilities, opportunities, consequences, and unfolding repercussions resonating from one stroke of a tuning fork of choice. And I want a quick answer to a quick question with a quick fix.
Slow down, Tom! Are you a "laborer together with God (read: partner)" or are you just looking for a handout or a mindless assignment?
God has called us to participate in His kingdom and I would suggest that such participation might require allowing some time on my calendar for a few longer meetings.
Thank God He is open to quick questions and answers because He is so patient with me.
He gave us Psalm 100, but He also gave us Psalm 119.
As I have taught some of my bible study students to say and do when they get a chew-able biblical vitamin:
My atheist friends would disagree here, but it will be with Bacon and not with me. It is he who said:
"A little philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion."
It raises two questions:
What do we mean by philosophy?
What do we mean by "deep?"
It also makes me think that a person might be religious without thinking himself religious or non-religious with a profound belief in God.
I take the classic and literal definition of "philosophy" as a guide. To derive it, deconstruct the word into their two parts and you have "love of wisdom."
Wisdom, in the Solomonic tradition, is practical and moral. It is practical in the sense that it is the practice of what is right and as such, an application of truth in daily living. It is moral in the sense that a man or woman might be clever and, at the same time, dishonest, rude, harsh, uncaring, ruthless, violent, or unjust, but he or she cannot be considered wise.
To be wise one must wrestle with what is ultimate and, in some unwritten dictionaries, ultimate issues are, by their nature, religious issues.
Deep things are also ultimate things. They are questions that penetrate beneath the surface and delve into the uncharted waters of the spirit. Questions such as, "What is spirit?" must be addressed with language that is essentially religious.
In some taxonomies, religion is a category of philosophy. To the theologian, it is the opposite. However one classifies the disciplines, philosophy is about how we think and what we think. Religion must be naturally deeper and brings a third party into our thought processes, who reveals, enlightens, troubles, challenges, and resolves issues in the realm of faith and experience.
The theologian presupposes, as do I, that the third party exists. The atheist or agnostic is either sure that He does not, suspects He does not, or wonders if He does. Nevertheless, there is a sense that in the search for ultimate concerns, one is standing on holy ground.
For theists like myself, the words of Ecclesiastes 3:11 help explain the experience of encountering wonder and awe in deep thoughts:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (New International Version)
Since we cannot fathom it, we need to continue to think about it. In the meantime, nothing prevents us from experiencing its beauty and, if we will, worshiping the God who first thought about it.
I have no big problem with my atheist friends who are co-seekers of truth. They might have a problem with me because I have stopped considering a god-less universe to be an option in much the same way I have stopped doubting my own existence. However, that is not to say that I am, in any way, an expert on God, that I understand God, or that I can speak with certainty on every question regarding God's will.
I have experienced God in Jesus Christ and that has brought me perspective, conviction, encouragement, and most of all, grace.
It does not necessarily make me religious in the best sense of the word unless I am willing to go deeper with and in my philosophy. Thinking will never be obsolete, even for the one who has settled on God.
"Whatsoever things are ... think on these things."
This portrait of Louisa was done by famed artist by Mary Shepard Greene Blumenschein in 1912, shortly after her divorce from Newton Booth Tarkington.
This is the birthday of Newton Booth Tarkington, July 29, 1869.
He was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels The Magnificent Ambersons (1918) and Alice Adams (1921).
Along with William Faulkner, John Updike, and Colson Whitehead, he was one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice.
In his time, he was considered United States greatest living author.
However, it is his wife that I most remember for one poem to her credit, "The Land of Beginning Again."
There was sadness in Louisa Fletcher Tarkington's life.
Louisa was the wife of noted novelist, playwright, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Booth Tarkington. He died in 1946. They married in 1902 and had a daughter, Laurel in 1906. He was an alcoholic and she divorced him in 1911. Laurel developed schizophrenia and died of pneumonia at the age of 16.
I would love to find more references to her life, her personal pain, and her philosophy of living. Usually we hear just one verse of this poem, which I is now in the public domain.
The Land of Beginning Again
I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches And all of our selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat by the door And never be put on again.
I wish we could come on it all unaware Like the hunter who finds a lost trail And I wish that the one whom our blindness has done The greatest injustice of all Could be at the gates like an old friend that waits For the comrade he's gladdest to hail. We would find all the things we intended to do But forgot, and remembered too late; Little praises unspoken, little promises broken And all of the thousand and one Little duties neglected that might have perfected The day for one less fortunate. It wouldn't be possible not to be kind In the Land of Beginning Again
And the ones we misjudged and the ones whom we grudged Their moments of victory then Would find in the grasp of our loving handclasp More than penitent lips could explain. For what had been hardest we'd know had been best And what had seemed loss would be gain For there isn't a sting that will not take a wing When we've faced it and laughed it away, And I think that the laughter is most what we're after In the Land of Beginning Again.
So I wish that there were some wondered place Called the Land of Beginning Again Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches And all of our selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door And never be put on again.
What would such a place as, The Land of Beginning Again look like for you?
What opportunities would present themselves? What challenges would you face? What would you do? What would be your dreams, your goals, and your wishes for such a place?
What would make such a place different from where you are, you from who you are, and your new opportunities from those you have now?
Is there anything about you or your surroundings that hinder you from declaring today to be the Land of Beginning Again?
This has always been one of my favorite bible prayers. It has always provided me words to express my own heart in times when I could not find the right words myself.
It says what so many of us, so often, feel.
Even as it empowers us to reach into the darkness within our hearts, it encourages us to find hope and resolve.
Pray it. Don't just read it.
Pray it slowly, pausing over the phrases that will become your prayers for this day.
It is a thoroughly, reusable psalm that will give you new meaning and new expression each time you pray it.
At times, you will only need the first few words, "Save me, O God." And you may stop there.
Sometimes, it has been for me, "O God, you know my foolishness."
There have been moments when I have only mustered the strength to pray, "I have grown weary with my crying."
Often, I have prayed, “In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help."
I never enjoy admitting that "shame has covered my face," but God knows, hears, and welcomes me though "my faults are not hidden from God."
The writer-singer-psalmist-petitioner has sought help and comfort from others, but only finds acceptance, assistance, and compassion in God.
God is swift to help in our distress.
One of my favorite prayers within this prayer has always been, "let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me."
It has been a prayer of mine in times of pain, suffering, discouragement, temptation, and trial. It has taken my mind away from an inward focus on my problems to the implication of my life and witness and its effect on others'. It has given purpose and meaning to my own struggles.
"I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving," is the cry of praise and the promise of hope for "the Lord listens to the needy...and his prisoners he does not despise."
Enjoy your prayer time. ---------------------------------
Psalm 69 (NRSV) Salvum me fac
Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen up to my neck. I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no firm ground for my feet. I have come into deep waters,
and the torrent washes over me. I have grown weary with my crying; my throat is inflamed;
my eyes have failed from looking for my God. Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; my lying foes who would destroy me are mighty.
Must I then give back what I never stole? O God, you know my foolishness,
and my faults are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel. Surely, for your sake have I suffered reproach,
and shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my own kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children. Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me. I humbled myself with fasting,
but that was turned to my reproach. I put on sack-cloth also,
and became a byword among them. Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,
and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, this is my prayer to you,
at the time you have set, O LORD: “In your great mercy, O God,
answer me with your unfailing help. Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;
let me be rescued from those who hate me and out of the deep waters. Let not the torrent of waters wash over me, neither let the deep swallow me up;
do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me. Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind;
in your great compassion, turn to me.” “Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress. Draw near to me and redeem me;
because of my enemies deliver me. You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
my adversaries are all in your sight.” Reproach has broken my heart, and it cannot be healed;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I could find no one. They gave me gall to eat,
and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink. [Let the table before them be a trap
and their sacred feasts a snare. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,
and give them continual trembling in their loins. Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let the fierceness of your anger overtake them. Let their camp be desolate,
and let there be none to dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom you have stricken
and add to the pain of those whom you have pierced. Lay to their charge guilt upon guilt,
and let them not receive your vindication. Let them be wiped out of the book of the living
and not be written among the righteous.] As for me, I am afflicted and in pain;
your help, O God, will lift me up on high. I will praise the Name of God in song;
I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an offering of oxen,
more than bullocks with horns and hoofs. The afflicted shall see and be glad;
you who seek God, your heart shall live. For the LORD listens to the needy,
and his prisoners he does not despise. Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and all that moves in them; For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah;
they shall live there and have it in possession. The children of his servants will inherit it,
Alas! The grass is greener over there! And lest I let it pass, I declare, "Where?" A question, yes, but more, to harass. At it's core, the demographic of geographic Mass personality shall pass When tested by reality. Folks are just folks everywhere. A handsome lad, a pretty lass, Gracious souls and the occasional jackass.
You will never find better people by moving elsewhere.
Wherever you live, you will find the sort of people you expect to find.
The most important reason is because you take the main person everywhere you go, packed in your boxes, multiplied by however many mirrors you own.
If you are looking for friendly, open, kind, generous, non-judgmental people, you will find them in every city and village you can locate on the map.
If you are looking for hateful, vindictive, manipulative, dishonest, and judgmental people, they are everywhere too.
You will most likely attract the same people as your neighbor, but you may see them differently.
The best folks you can attract to yourself are neither perfect nor horrible; they are just people with lots of problems and flaws and many, many wonderful strengths, engaging stories, a much love to give and receive.
Geography does not define character or value, but our attitudes may.
The best way to find better people is to focus less on changing location and focus more on changing how we think and relate to people.
Our Father in Heaven, God of the Universe, I begin this day in a state of seeking, hungry, thirsty, lowly and lifted.
I come as a man washed and yet, desiring to enter the depths of the river and flow with its mighty course, fresh and free.
I drink from the fountain of grace and drink again and, while satisfied, ever desiring to drink more that its nurturing presence might enter deeper and deeper into my soul.
I pray with some knowledge and much ignorance for those who also cry out, "Our Father ..."
I embrace them in every yearning of my soul and join in their concerns with every "amen." We are many and we are one and in Your Son, there is no contradiction and there is no condemnation and there is no competition.
Your love is abundant and free.
Your people, made in Your image, have Your attention and You have created them uniquely and wonderfully to each reflect some facet of Your character.
Grant that I might see You in each person I meet today and may Your love flow through me to them and may You draw us each unto Yourself in the Strong embrace of Jesus and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
"Civilization is not to be judged by the rapidity of communication, but by the value of what is communicated." ~G.K. Chesterton: "Illustrated London News," 'America and Barbarism.' Feb. 16, 1907.
I walked into a room of 8-10 young people and was stunned by the silence. They were sitting together and not saying a word, a room full of people with a common goal to serve the people in the hospital, waiting in silence for their next assignment.
I broke the silence.
It is so quite in here, not my lifetime experience with teenagers with whom I have engaged for a lifetime.
The young man behind the desk said, "They are all chatting with their friends."
I love this medium. I truly do. It helps me to make many, many new friends and stay in touch with others, but all the wonderful energy and the great bank of ideas and experience in that room and none of the people were benefiting from it by getting to know each other and look into each others eyes and clasp hands in new friendships.
"Civilization is not to be judged by the rapidity of communication, but by the value of what is communicated."
I am sure that much of value was communicated, but not in that potentially wonderful community of the moment.
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them,
When ye pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
- Luke 11:1-4
Jesus teaches us to focus our hearts on the real issues in prayer: relationship with God, reverence for God, Kingdom concerns, practical needs, personal purity, and victory over sin.
“Our Father,” He allowed us to say with confidence and love. It accentuates our intimate and loving relationship with God. He rejoices to receive us into His presence and hear our prayers.
“Hallowed be Thy Name.” No matter how intimate we are with God, He is God and we are not. He deserves our reverence and worship. We are not only His children, but His subjects.
His kingdom and will are our deep concerns in prayer. Kingdom motivation is the heart of praying in Jesus’ Name. We seek and request His will as we submit ourselves to His Lordship. This sort of praying pleases the heart of God.
We pray for daily bread because God wants to provide for our needs. He also wants us to ask. We bring our practical needs to God knowing that He is more concerned about our needs than we are
When we seek and offer forgiveness, we place ourselves on the altar of personal purity. We are asking God to remove any hindrance to what He desires to do in our lives, be that our own sin or our bitterness toward those who have sinned against us.
Finally, in Luke’s account, Jesus reminds us to keep our eyes on the prize and pray for victory over evil and temptation. The fact that we are authorized to pray this way gives us more than a clue that it is God’s intention to give us the victory.
So, our Master taught us to pray and so we ought to pray. In these few sentences all the prayers we will ever need to pray are included.
Bold Praying and Gracious Giving
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened… If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? - Luke 11:9–10, 13
Jesus raises two issues. One is concerning what sort of praying people we ought to be. The other is what sort of God is it to whom we pray.
We are called to persistence and consistency in prayer. We are to be like the desperate and audacious friend who goes to his neighbor at midnight seeking bread to feed his guest. That kind of boldness gets God’s attention. He wants to develop that in us.
If we ask, we will receive. If we seek, we will find. If we knock, the door will be opened. E.M. Bounds says that God has placed himself under the law of prayer. He is Sovereign. He can do that. It is His choice. He has chosen to respond to prayer for His own reasons.
One may be the change that it affects in our own lives and the intimacy that is facilitated when we enter into partnership with God concerning the things that concern Him.
Jesus says that the neighbor, who is just a man and subject to sinful motivations, responded to the boldness of his friend and not to his friendship. By contrast, God is our Heavenly Father who is always waiting up for us. His light is always on and His delight is to give us good gifts.
That is who God is and His greatest delight is to give us the Holy Spirit, who incidentally, teaches us to pray from within and prays for us and through us.
We have two very major reasons to pray boldly: because bold prayer gets action and because we have a generous God who happens to be our Heavenly Father.
What if we simply had a self-imposed moratorium on saying anything unkind to or about anyone or any group of people?
What if, when tempted to criticize a group or a person, we looked for seeds of that same fault in ourselves and started working on it?
What if, when feeling the need to talk about temptation and sin, we used our own struggles as the illustration of how God can help us overcome?
What if we were willing to take the worst seat, be slighted, spend and be spent, and practice all the other calls to simple, humble, gracious living that Jesus and the apostles taught?
What if we simply decided not to take offense and not to seek retaliation in any form for a season?
Maybe a month? A year?
I think it might work so well for us and the peace that it brought to our hearts might be so compelling that we might decide to extend those times until it became a lifetime lifestyle?
And what if, when we saw a brother or sister on a path of self-destruction, we refrained from discussing that with anyone else, but took first steps to go to that person and offer our help out of the trap?
What if?
I think we could render lots of discussions and debates moot and find that lots of logjams would simply break loose and let the water flow.
Public Domain - An 18th-century Dutch engraving of the peoples of the world, depicting the inhabitants of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas in their typical dress. Shown below are an Englishman, a Dutchman, a German and a Frenchman. - J. Ratelband & J. Bouwer - Series of school engravings by J. Ratelband & J. Bouwer first published in Amsterdam (1767 -1779).
We often think of prejudice as merely manifest in angry avarice and dislike of people from other cultures, races, or ideologies.
That is certainly one such manifestation, but it is not the most prevalent. If it were, many of us could dismiss ourselves from the indictment with the words, "I hate no one" and be perfectly sincere, honest, and innocent.
However, there is a glitch in that thinking.
The most common manifestation of prejudice against people is not hatred; it is fear.
Fear is a powerful force and can express itself in fight or flight. Fear based upon generalized, false, or stereotyped assumptions is dangerous, ignorant, and hurtful, but it is also curable.
It can be cured by exposure, conversation, knowledge, and experience.
That is why Mark Twain said, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts."
The cure:
Get out among some people who do not look, talk, think, or believe like you this weekend and spend more time asking questions and listening than giving answers and making assumptions. Then, report back what you have learned in a few days.
That will be a start, but the process is going to take time, excruciating self-examination, humility, commitment, and reorientation.
Luke 10:41-42 - And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha knew how to entertain with style. It took its toll on her. She was careful and troubled all the time, especially when she had company. Perhaps she was a perfectionist and that was no doubt a great strain on her body and soul. Mary knew how to be in the moment with Jesus. Jesus saw the value in both kinds of hospitality, but He wanted Martha to know that when tending to details interfered with tending to the Master Himself, just being with Him was all that really counted.
It is still what really counts.
It counts for the busy mother, the harried executive, the flustered teacher, the hard-driven salesman, and the politician in the pressure cooker of legislative compromise. It is what counts for the safety officer whose life is about responding to life or death emergencies, for the soldier who must be ever vigilant, and for the person caught up in the stress of ministry, working for the Lord.
We can get so absorbed with doing what needs to be done that we miss the one thing that is needed, a vital and ever deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. What did that mean for Mary who was commended for making the right choice?
Luke tells us that Mary sat at His feet and listened. We assume she was younger since it was Martha’s home. She was bold and eager and she was as absorbed in the words of the Master as Martha was in the work of the manor.
We must sit at His feet listening with youthful eagerness and bold audacity that puts our tasks in their place and elevates the times of devotional prayer, scriptural meditation, and reflection to the highest priority of our lives.
What Martha did that day would provide a meal and soon be forgotten. What Mary did could not be taken from her. It may seem that what startles you out of bed at the last minute tomorrow morning is the most important thing in the universe. It will not come close to the value of a relaxed and unhurried time at the feet of the Master. It is the one needed thing.
This is not today's sermon, but it fell off the cart in preparation for it as I was digging through things I had already written AND it is from one of today's psalms:
Psalm 15:1 - Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
The grand question introduces the next set of lessons from the psalms and sparks the imagination of all earnest seekers. As believers in Christ, we have the answer in the gospel, but the very asking of the question is a matter of opening to God for all that He desires to teach us.
Do not take truth for granted or treat it as if it were not ever new and renewing. Allow the question to move you to the next level of seeking as you go before the Father in prayer today.
Psalm 15:2 - … He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart…
Here we have an answer to the question posed yesterday, “Who may dwell in your sanctuary and live on your holy hill?” Consider this: not everyone wants that. For some, the price of letting go of blame and embracing righteousness is too much.
Truth is too threatening, and the lure of sin is too great. The psalmist however, longs for the presence of God and that is what it means to desire eternal life and heavenly bliss. It is not the beauty of the hill that captures the heart, but the beauty of God Himself.
To desire God is to desire the qualities that God brings to our lives: blamelessness through forgiveness, righteous behavior through the power of grace, and a heart of truth by the transformation of the Holy Spirit within us.
Let us pray for that heart change that redirects our focus from sin to God and then, our very longing for heaven will be indicative of our readiness to enter in.
Psalm 15:3 - … and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong, and casts no slur on his fellow man.
The man or woman who can stand with joy and confidence in the presence of God and fully embrace the wonder of His fellowship is in constant touch with his or her fellow human beings. Those relationships matter. They have affect upon and are affected by our vital and honest relationship with God. It is not possible to claim footing on the holy hill while usurping the place of a brother or sister.
Slander, malice, and simple disregard for the feelings of a neighbor are indicative of shaky spiritual grounding and contribute to spiritual tremblers in our fellowship with the Lord. Let the love of Christ enter your heart at the choice level in all of your dealings with those around you and express your deep desire to love God by loving others.
Psalm 15:4 - who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,
As we have so often noted, we must begin with the vile man within each of us and register our disgust with the vileness of our own sin natures. But we must go beyond that point. If we will despise the vileness within us, we must also honor the new man or woman recreated in God’s image that reveres God and loves truth. That person lives inside of us as well and that person is fashioned by grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. He or she is the Christ-life gifted to us through new birth.
There are new values and a new integrity that is constantly going for truth no matter what it will cost because God is truth and nothing else matters more than God. If we will value and honor that person, it will grow and take over our lives. That is the person God has made you to be.
Psalm 15:5 - who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
What some have, in the past, called social gospel, the scriptures call justice and righteousness. It is a very clear matter to the earnest student of the Bible that one must deal fairly, honestly, and uprightly in every horizontal relationship if the vertical relationship with God is to flourish.
Allow dishonesty, greed, malice, and bitterness to enter into your heart in any dimension of your being and it will undermine your footing before God upon the holy hill where you presume to stand erect.
The key to unshakable spiritual growth is to despise that which is vile and embrace that which is holy and true and to never compromise our purity of purpose in seeking God – whether our eyes are fixed toward His sanctuary or upon His face in the eyes one of His children.
We lock ourselves and others in a room and throw away the key.
We do it as a knee jerk reaction. We do it quickly and we do it for reasons we do not always know.
We size people up and put them in boxes of our minds. We categorize them and assign them motives and characteristics based upon what we see filtered through the stories we have heard and the stories we have lived.
Occasionally, we are somewhat correct. The problem is, we are often wrong.
We cannot quickly change our knee jerk reactions, but we can train ourselves not to so readily believe and act upon them.
We can remember how often we have been wrong. We can think before we act. We can listen before we speak. We can deescalate rather than "standing our ground." We can learn new stories and discover new and more interesting profiles.
I have profiled people and I have been profiled.
But I am learning, have been learning, and will continue to be learning.
There is no escaping that we are, in part, products of our environments and the shared assumptions of those who surround us. We are always at the mercy of limited knowledge if we allow ourselves to be.
We are also capable of stepping back, reaching out, learning, growing, and loving.
I am so sad about the times I have blurted out my pontifical pronouncements based upon prejudicial assumptions. Mine are different than yours, perhaps, but they are still very, very dark. I am grateful that, in those times, I did not have a weapon on me other than the soul piercing sword of ill conceived words.
I am grateful for the restraining Hand upon my shoulder of One who does actually know me very well (and love me very, very well) to say "STOP! You are getting this all wrong."
What wonderful lessons of life I have learned from folks I might easily dismissed as having nothing to say.
And what a blessing it is in life that we can keep rewriting our own self-authored profile.
July 10, 2022
Do Likewise
Luke 10:36-37 – Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
We all know the story. It was prompted by a question and occasioned by a teaching in response to a greater question. What we have here is the application: Go and do likewise. One question led to another, then to a story, and then to the lesson Jesus desired to imprint upon every heart: that everyone is our neighbor and that loving our neighbor is about making a practical and active decision to do so and following through regardless of our feelings.
A legal expert who sought to trap Jesus in His own words asked Him what was necessary to inherit eternal life. He turned the question back to him and to his knowledge and interpretation of the law.
“Love God and love your neighbor” was both the answer he gave and the one that Jesus Himself gave on another occasion when asked what the greatest commandment was. Jesus commended him and told him to go and do likewise.
That wasn’t enough for the lawyer. He needed an escape clause, something that limited his liability and reduced his responsibility.
“Define neighbor,” was his retort. So, Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan and put him in a real bind. He made the hero of the story an outcast from the social and religious life of the Jews. He told the story in such a way as to make the answer to the question obvious.
“Who was the neighbor? Was he one of those who left the poor man stranded by the road or the Samaritan who gave of himself and his means to help him?”
The lawyer answered generically, and Jesus responded specifically, “Go and do likewise.”
Go; live like an outcast among outcasts if you must, but practice love as you go. Love is not revealed in the words we speak or the sentiments we feel, but in the actions, we take in being neighbors to our neighbors.
"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings".
Psalm 17:1 - Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer-it does not rise from deceitful lips.
One might think that the psalmist had stepped out of his time and looked upon ours to offer his commentary. The repulsive sight of the wicked strutting about in impunity is and always will be a source of grief to those who love God and His truth.
The deeper indignity and affront to God is that what is vile is honored among men as noble, good, true, artistic, or benevolent.
Little has changed. The values of society, left to its own devices, have always been at odds with God. We must carefully examine all that we place upon our cultural pedestals and pay homage to. God’s standards are different than those of the larger world.
We value what may contain a grain of truth, but it is so often distorted and ignoble.
The numerology of apocalyptic literature takes the number 6 and repeats it three times in contrast to the holiness of the complete Trinity. Thus, 666 represents the fullness of evil. The curious thing is that the number 6 is only one whole number shy of 7 – the number of perfection.
The lesson is almost hidden, but clear: That which is repugnant may be something that is very close to the truth (for instance, the devil quotes scripture and believes in God), but veers off the path of truth in a small way that is significant enough to altar everything.
It should be easy for the Christian to detect the blatant and flagrant abuses of truth, but be cautious that you are not caught up in the frenzy of honoring that which is popular just because it has an outer veneer of righteousness.
Psalm 17:2 - May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.
In the first place, we must note that he is wrong about being abandoned and forgotten by God.
That is how he feels, but not the truth of the situation – and he most likely knows it in the depths of his being.
In the second place, it is OK for him to express this feeling to God because it is about emotional disclosure – not about theological accuracy.
Do not allow your desire to be theologically sound inhibit your honest prayers to God in the secrecy of your heart before Him.
Trust Him to correct any misconceptions you have.
He can do that as you address Him. You are not praying before an audience – not even an audience comprised of yourself and God.
Get out of the way of your prayers and pour out your soul before God.
He can hear you whenever you earnestly seek Him. He knows your heart, your frailties, and your strengths. He loves you and has not left you alone. If you feel He has hidden His face from you – tell Him. He loves the fact that you long for Him and desire to know Him, see Him, and experience Him at a deeper level. Get real in your prayers and God will transform your life through them.
Psalm 17:3 - Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
Unfortunately, we sometimes have to wrestle with our thoughts and we are not exempt from sorrow of heart. Sometimes, for the moment, our enemies triumph over us and the pain of it seems open-ended.
“God,” we pray,” how long will this go on? I have nearly reached the end of my rope.”
And God either gives us more rope or extends our patience, or, in some cases, gives us a glimpse of an end in sight. Our defeats are temporal and transient. Our victory is eternal.
Our wrestling thoughts and deep sorrows do not overwhelm us for we have rest in Jesus. He is our comfort. The psalmist is not lecturing us about how to deal with eternal pain, doubt, and conflict; he is modeling it. He shows us the way out by living it out.
He prays – honestly and frankly to a God he trusts and knows. The author is identified as David, so we know that these are his sentiments, and this is his prayer. He was called a man after God’s own heart. Imagine that - God loves to hear from His children even when they are bringing Him their deepest conflicts. Pray.
Psalm 17:4 – As for the deeds of men-by the word of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.
This is the desperate plea of a man who knows that His only hope is in God. It may be true that our prayers will never be highly effective until we come to terms with this reality in our lives. The submission to God’s will is present in the mode of address, “O Lord, my God.”
The relationship is personal and vital. The prayer is for light. Eyes never see without light. David goes further – no light, no life.
“I cannot live without you,” he implies.
“If I cannot see from your perspective, I will simply die.”
He longs deeply for truth and for God. We cannot learn to pray like that from outside instruction; we begin with that part of our soul that knows it is weak and desperate and begin – and God teaches us to dig in and cry out to Him. Ask Him to be your teacher: “Lord, I don’t know where to begin with You, so begin with me where I am. Teach me to pray, O Lord, my God. Teach me to pray.”
Psalm 17:5 - My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
We need to get used to the fact that our enemy does not have our best interest at heart. Satan knows that we do not always believe this and capitalizes on our naiveté. He suggests thoughts and deeds that seem pleasant and alluring and, when we fall for the temptation, shouts with glee, “Ha! I’ve got him (or her)”
And then he throws a party to rejoice in our fall.
Enemies cannot be trusted. Evil cannot be trusted. If we flirt with sin, we will find ourselves entrapped. People may look at us and watch for an opportunity to ridicule us in our weakness because our stand for righteousness is so strong and open.
Do not be afraid of their laughter for our defeat is not final and their approval is not necessary. Only God is necessary for our lives. Affirm that in prayer today and notice with indifference the scorn of the wicked.
Psalm 17:6 – I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.
Yes! This is the resolution.
Whatever the trouble, doubt, or scorn of enemies, God’s love does not fail, and His salvation is sure.
From the same lips that cry out with impatient agony before God, the psalmist reaffirms his joyful faith in God. As a response to this joy, we are reminded to REJOICE.
Philippians 4:4 calls us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
And then, Paul emphatically repeats himself, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”
God, all that He is and all that He does, is enough for us. His salvation lifts us out of the doldrums of defeat and translates us into the kingdom of His dear Son.
There is not enough we can say about the wonder of this level of comfort and assurance. To rejoice in the midst of persecution is the greatest statement of defiance we can make in the face of evil. It declares, “You have no power over me!”
Take some time to rejoice today.
Psalm 17:7 - Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Go ahead and sing.
So, you think you have no voice. Very few people – whose larynxes have been removed for instance – have no voice. You most likely do – and the voice was made for singing. Everyone can sing. Everyone is called upon to sing to the Lord.
Worship through singing is not an optional exercise for trained soloists; it is a mandate for every believer. If you feel that your singing is offensive, learn to sing naturally without offense, but do not withhold your praise from God.
This business is intrinsic. God’s goodness brings a song to our hearts. If you have a song in your heart, simply release it. Do it without fanfare or expectation of praise. Do it without a motive to be accepted or admired – sing unto the Lord and unto Him only. Begin in your devotional time alone with Him. He has been good to you. Sing to Him.
Psalm 17:8 - Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings…
There are many reasons why this statement is so obviously true.
Denial is not a river in Egypt. Denying God will not make God go away. Whether or not you believe in God or confess Him as God will not change who He is and that He is the sole determiner of what is wrong or right, corrupt, or authentic, pure or vile.
The fool, according to the psalmist, is not a theoretical atheist or philosophical agnostic. It is not someone who is struggling with the existence of God on the intellectual level, but the man or woman who has, in his or her heart, determined to be a practical atheist – to live as if there were no God or as if His existence did not matter.
He is concerned with how this statement of the heart manifests itself in our lives. Now the question: Is there some area of your own life, where in your heart, you are declaring, “There is no God?”
Have you pushed Him to the side in your deliberations and decision-making? Have you excluded His influence in areas where there is conflict with your own desires and lusts? God calls that foolishness and identifies the results as corrupt and vile- rotten and degraded to the core. Do business with God today in this area of your life and allow Him to scrutinize you and bring you healing grace.
Psalm 17:9 – from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
Well, what does He find in me?
That is the question I must answer. That is the question you must ask yourself. When he looks down upon me, does He find understanding and seeking?
Some do not understand and don’t know that they don’t understand. Some understand and have locked their understanding into a formula and have stopped seeking. Others know that they don’t understand but have acquiesced to a position of irrational hopelessness and have given up seeking.
None of these responses pleases God when He looks down upon the sons of men. There are others who both understand and seek. They understand enough to know that there is much that they do not understand and so they seek in those areas.
When God gives some understanding, they do not stop seeking and become self-satisfied with their limited knowledge, but they keep seeking – even more earnestly. That pleases God so very much. Examine your heart today using this criterion and keep seeking God – more and more.
Psalm 17:10 - They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.
It is the universality of the fall and of sin that the psalmist is struggling with here. We were not designed to be corrupt. We were created in the image of God. But sin corrupts us to the very core. The rottenness of perverted intentions stains our lives beyond repair.
We cannot fix ourselves.
Our attempts at doing good to win some favor with God are also corrupt and drive us deeper into separation from God. Not even one person does good. That is amazing. But it is the reason why Jesus came and died, rose again, and returned to the Father to send His Spirit to indwell us.
We need the righteousness of Christ to be imparted and imputed to us. And we need His presence within us to work His goodness out through us.
These words are a reminder to long-term believers not to become proud, boastful, or self-righteous. If our salvation and acceptance by God depended upon our own goodness, we would be hopeless. But God sees us not looking down from above. He looks upon us directly through the face of His Son. Thank God today, as you pray, for His mercy.
Psalm 17:11 - They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
We are flabbergasted at the inability of some to learn the futility of their ways. We are surrounded by masses who do not call upon the Lord and who devour believers in many ways The temptation is to bulge out our chests and lift our noses in pride proclaiming, “I’m glad I’m not like that”
That’s the wrong approach. The response of faith would be to look within with the searchlight of God’s truth and pray, “Lord, is there an area of coldness and rebellion in my heart where I am refusing to learn? Am I devouring the person you made me to be?”
What distinguishes and delivers the believer is that he or she calls upon the Lord.
Psalm 17:12 – They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.
Sooner or later, even the wicked come to their senses, sometimes too late, and realize that God is present in the company of the righteous. That realization brings dread unless the message of God’s love and forgiveness intervenes.
Some will fight it. Others will flee from it.
But there will be some who, out of the fear and dread of judgment, will come into the flow of grace through repentance and faith.
The plight of the oppressor is far worse than that of the oppressed. Therefore, we must pray for sinners to come to a knowledge of truth and live out the credibility of the gospel so that we never bring discredit to Name of Jesus. Pray today for someone who is overwhelmed with dread and examine your own life as well.
Psalm 17:13 – Rise up, O Lord, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword.
The complaint of the poor man is often that, as hard as he tries, he just can’t get ahead. Something or someone is always thwarting and frustrating his efforts. So, it is with anyone who tries to “get ahead” spiritually on the clout of his or her own spiritual reserves.
Our plans come to naught because they are wrought in the flesh and human effort. God is our refuge. That is a constant. In Him we have hope and a future. In Him, we are rich beyond our dreams. His resources cannot be depleted. Jesus said, “blessed are the poor.”
The poor in Christ know where the riches lie and rely upon God’s storehouse to supply all that they need. They trust all their plans to Him and rely on Him for every breath.
Psalm 17:14 - O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those you cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.
The psalmist prays for His people and, perhaps unwittingly, all who will be blessed by them.
Indeed, the salvation of Israel and all people has come out of Zion and David’s longing prayer is answered in Jesus Christ.
Today is a day of worship and praise. We pray for the day when Jesus comes again to set all things right. May the words of this psalm evoke deep praise and anticipatory joy in our hearts, and we lay ourselves bare before God.
What fortunes of spiritual treasure would you have Him restore for you today?
What is the longing for His presence in you that is most personal for you as you pray?
Psalm 17:15 - And I-in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.
The grand question introduces the next set of lessons from the psalms and sparks the imagination of all earnest seekers.
As believers in Christ, we have the answer in the gospel, but the very asking of the question is a matter of opening to God for all that He desires to teach us. Do not take truth for granted or treat it as if it were not ever new and renewing.
Allow the question to move you to the next level of seeking as you go before the Father in prayer today.
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years.
America is not a static entity. It is more of an evolving organism. Its DNA is encoded on on collective consciousness, but is not stable. It is subject to the whims and wished of each generation and that generation's level of investment and understanding of America's principles.
And what are those principles?
In many ways, they are the natural next steps of the Enlightenment mixed with elements of Jewish tradition, Christian Humanism, the Protestant Reformation, frontier individualism, European exceptionalism, and the tenacious thinking of of an elite class of scholars, farmers, lawyers, and clergy who actually sat down around tables and through correspondence, developed a philosophical rationale for a new system of government that reflected their emerging values.
The things they wanted for themselves, many of them, in theory, believed should belong to all.
They envisioned a classless society, but could not come to agreement about that because the states were so heavily invested in another modern and evil institution of chattel slavery. Because of that dependence, outdated notions that male landowners made better "governors of the body politic," and their own intellectual elitism, they did not have the faith, courage, or will to enfranchise all into the American promise.
But they laid the philosophical foundation for universal enfranchisement.
They created a foundation for those universal rights to evolve.
They built a constitution that Jefferson believed should be revisited from time to time. It was a patchwork of compromises with a surprising unity of thought. It was built with a tension between representative and democratic rule with democratic values at the core.
It was a system where the tug-of-war between localized and central powers was anticipated.
The American experiment seemed, at the time, to require a bloody revolution. Such a revolution expedited a transition that would eventually be replicated, sometimes without war, in other nations on most if not all continents.
Whether through war, résistance, or persistence, the urge for humanity to be free, self-determining, just and cooperative in a fair and just government of the people seems to stir a common theme in the hearts of citizens.
Yet, it must evolve, expand, and include more and more of those who have been excluded explicitly or implicitly.
To summarize the poetic words and sentiments of Langston Hughes, America has not been America for everyone, but it can be.
That requires every generation to exercise its citizenship and influence, to be informed, and to be philosophically reflective. People who may not be able to define political science must, nevertheless, be engaged in it.
To be an American in the fullest sense requires a plurality of the population who reads history in a larger context.
To be an American requires a larger worldview of the community of nations.
It demands, at its core, what President Carter placed at the center of his presidency, a passion for human rights for all.
I believe that the preservation and realization of the American dream requires constantly looking for ways to do things better and make the dream available for more and more around the world.
Frederick Douglas once explained why he could not afford the luxury of celebrating the Fourth of July. Yet, know one of his generation did more to work within the system to make its promise a reality.
I have love problem with sentimentality, but their comes a time when the work of democracy in a republican system demands more than warm fuzzy feelings. It requires engagement and commitment to make it work.
It requires vigilance to insure that the core values that were not fully realized are moved advanced and developed. It requires thinking and acting, holding the line and moving the line when necessary. It requires challenging authority and laws while upholding laws for all.
It always requires holding our leaders accountable as well as a willingness to step into leadership when the mantle falls upon us.
America is not a cultural identity. it is not a common language. It is not a common ethnic heritage. It is not just a place. It is not a stationary set of policies.
It is not even one religion, not even a civil religion, which is a poor excuse for real religion. Those of us who believe in God, see God as the source of the principles that provide the foundation of creation and revelation for our big idea, but that foundation is wide enough for all people to stand upon it.
And people of faith give God credit for that kind of plurality as well.
America is an emerging idea based upon a philosophy of human dignity, freedom, and a desire for common good.
We lose that, and we lose America.
We lose that, and no flags, symbols, or songs can hold us together.
Happy birthday, U.S.A., a grand experiment in opportunity, welcoming, growing, and working out lots of kinks that create dissonance between what we aspire to be and what we are.
The key is in the becoming.
We are not static. We have had some wars.
Our wars have not defined us, but have, at times, refined us.
We have had disagreements, inconsistencies, and contradictions, but we have an essentially righteous philosophy that has been articulated and is waiting to be fully applied.
The core structure is laid so that we can work these things out.
We are a community of communities.
We are not perfect, but we are capable of fixing our imperfections.
We are diverse.
We are changing.
We are free.
We thank our thinkers and our protectors, our builders and our critics today. We join hands and sing of our common love. Let us be one people.
Luke 10:3 – Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
The costly commission to follow Jesus and to go forth as His ambassadors is so controversial as to appear adversarial. Jesus warns us to expect hostility and opposition. He does not say this to discourage us, but to encourage us. He does not intend to frighten us away, but to have us brace ourselves in the embrace of His grace and power.
“Go your ways,” He says, knowing that each of us has a path that is uniquely and wondrously ours. No two paths are exactly the same though they often intersect and frequently follow parallel courses. We may hesitate to go our ways because it is less risky to continue as we have been, sitting at the feet of Jesus in the cloistered environs of our religious retreats. But we must go. It is His commission.
“I send you,” He says and that gives us courage to go forth, knowing that we have been authorized and mandated we bear His Name and represent His kingdom. It gives us confidence and joy to know that we are not staggering through the darkness of meaningless humdrum. We have been sent.
“I send you forth as lambs,” He says. We are like baby sheep. We still need our shepherd. As we go from Him, we develop a new relationship with him. We discover that He has come along in a new way.
“Lo, I am with you always,” He assures us.
“… as lambs among wolves.” This is the scary part. It is dangerous out there to the extent that we really could lose some things along the way. And if the things we can potentially lose are dearer to us than the commission, we could lose everything. However, if we have relinquished our hold on the things of earth so that they “grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace,” then we have absolutely nothing to lose. We have died, as the scriptures say, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God.
Don’t be afraid of the wolves. Beware of them, but don’t let them stop you. Whatever you do, don’t miss the mission.
A Time for Rejoicing
And the seventy returned again with joy ... - Luke 1
Our people were full of energy and excitement. Though physically exhausted, they could not contain themselves after returning from a one-week mission to another country. What they had seen, heard, and done affirmed their callings and assured them that God's hand had been upon them. They had ventured forth into the unknown and had been touched by the Spirit in the process of touching others.
They returned again with joy.
Have you ever had this experience? Have you ever answered the call to get out of your "safe place" and move out on faith? Perhaps it was to cross the street and speak with a neighbor. Perhaps it was to help serve food to the needy or sit with an elderly person. You were apprehensive and unsure of yourself, but as you answered the call and moved out at the command of Christ, you sensed His presence with you and were exhilarated by His power flowing through you.
There is an energy that is created whenever we venture forth in obedience to Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit. Once we get the taste of personal ministry, evangelism, and proclamation of the good news, we want to do it more and more. We return to the place from which we have been sent with rejoicing and enthusiasm to report all that God has done through the likes of us.
If you have never ventured forth in ministry, now is the time to do so.
Another on the Same:
Real Rejoicing
Luke 10:20 - Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven – Luke 10:20
The disciples on an early Kingdom mission had not only survived hostility but had thrived in the process. To their delight and surprise, God had come along with them and had wrought miracles of healing and deliverance. Even demons had been subjected to them and they were excited. It was at that moment that Jesus had to remind them of an important lesson. It is in our moments of intense religious exhilaration and enthusiasm that we must learn the same lesson.
It is great to enjoy the frills and thrills of practical discipleship and divine manifestations, but that kind of rejoicing pales in comparison to the joy of redemption. A stirring worship service inspires us to face a week of temptations and challenges, but it is not the main impetus to our spiritual success. Inclusion in God’s purpose is the greatest cause of rejoicing of all.
It is true that spirits are subject to the believer as he or she prays in the name and authority of Jesus Christ. It is a reality that when the Holy Spirit chooses to work through us, He can leave us as breathless as a roller coaster ride – and more so. All of this is true, but it is not our cause for real rejoicing.
We rejoice, no matter what is happening around us, that God has inscribed our names on the rolls of Heaven. No earthly joy and no spiritual fulfillment come close to the felicitous flame that glows in the heart of a redeemed soul. In the darkest night, it burns bright and warms the heart of the child of God.
It is why we rejoice now and rejoice evermore. Our names are written in heaven.
1 O God of love, O King of peace, Make wars throughout the world to cease; Our greed and violent ways restrain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
2 Remember, Lord, your works of old, The wonders that your people told; Remember not our sins' deep stain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
3 Whom shall we trust but you, O Lord? Where rest but on your faithful word? None ever called on you in vain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
4 Where saints and angels dwell above All hearts are joined in holy love; Oh, bind us in that heav'nly chain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
They are accusatory in character, derisive in demeanor, and cynical to the core. They were also audacious!
Jesus prayed.
Satan wanted to have Simon, "that he might sift you like wheat."
Jesus prayed that Simon's faith would not fail, even though he knew that Simon himself would fail. So he prayed that when Simon turned again, not if but when, he would strengthen his brothers.
Simon protested he would not fail.
It was a noble thing he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
His intentions were strong but Jesus said he would fail
We all fail. It does not mean that faith fails or that god fails.
Simon's predictable failure did not alter the hope, the expectation, or the reality of Jesus' prayer. Simon Peter would also turn. His faith would not fail. His faith did not fail.
You have had, are having, and will have failures, but it does not mean that your faith has failed.
These failures are sifting you/ What remains after the sifting is the authentic you that you were made to be.
It is your faith and the accompanying prayers of Jesus that are seeing you through, bringing you back, and prepares you to strengthen your brothers and sisters.
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Forgiveness is a scandal. Forgiveness is irrational. It is out of balance, disproportionate, beyond our capacity, humanly unjust, and controversial ... and very, very real, liberating, and healing. It is always premature and it is always timely.
God forgives you. He does not excuse you or your deeds. He forgives you. He does not force you to accept forgiveness, but He does not cease to offer it.
Society may not forgive. Rational people may not. History may not. The justice system may not. But God does and God's people do as they open the channel of giving and receiving it in their own hearts.
The magnitude of the offense is not nor ever is the issue. Your remorse is not the issue. Deterrence is not the issue. There is no issue. This is beyond issues.
The only issue is the issue of blood from the hands, feet, and side of Jesus.
"Father, forgive THEM..."
It cost God to forgive. It costs God to forgive.
To maintain truth and justice while extending mercy can tear at the heart of humans and of God. To be angry and to sin not is tough. But bitterness and hatred are tougher and more toxic.
God invites and equips us to do the same as He does. We cannot demand it of others or of God for ourselves or anyone. But when He enables us to give it, we receive more than we give.
It also costs us to receive forgiveness because it implies that we know we need to receive it and makes us vulnerable at levels that evoke it from us. It strips us bare and hangs our lives on crosses.
Sometimes it may be too early to talk about it because one must process what it is that is being forgiven.
Yet, here is the scandal.
It was brought to bear upon us by the victims of a terrible atrocity recently and no one has the right to criticize them for it. What they did was because their primary identity was not their skin color that made them a target or their ideology or their victimology. They identified with the Forgiver.
A racist was confronted with a God who is no respecter of the arbitrary labels we assign to human being.
Those forgivers are first and foremost, children of God and, in forgiving, they declare that nothing can take that away from them. That is their dignity not their weakness.
I hear people marginalizing them, dismissing them, considering them weak, naïve, or unsophisticated in understanding their own emotions. How condescending!
Argue the societal implications of forgiveness all you like. Discuss who is authorized to offer forgiveness. Theorize its repercussions. It does not matter.
The voices of those who cry out, however prematurely you think it is, speak of their character before God and much more, the GRACE and power of God in their lives. His love in them is stronger than hate and it is love that shall prevail.
Nothing in forgiveness negates justice.
Nothing minimizes indignation.
In fact it fires up indignation at anything and everything less than God's love at work in the world and His justice lifting up every man, woman, boy, and girl.
I can only forgive the Boston Bomber or the Butcher of Charleston, or ISIS for the minimal effects of their crimes on me. Those who have suffered most and more have more to forgive and so many have. Their witness inspires me to forgive the petty little offenses I have suffered with such boisterous protest.
If God forgives those who create the most horrific, massive, and public crimes, how about you and me?
Why would we leave such a gift on the table?
Stephen, in Acts, led his accusers through long bible study and recounting of the grace of God at work in history and the response of the crowd was ... ... to pick up rocks and throw them at him until he died.
His response ... "God, don't put this on their account ..."
Forgiveness.
God forgives you and it is irrationally scandalous.
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. - Galatians 5:13
Some of you will be planning your Independence Day picnics and excursions this week. You will be laying out menus, itineraries, guest lists, and budgets, but you may forget a matter or two of great significance. As you plan to overindulge in whatever you find appealing, you are likely to forget that liberty is not license and that it is a costly gift – a calling to serve others.
Now that you have been reminded, perhaps you can build some plans into your feasts and excursions for remembering the heritage, which has brought you such amazing freedom, and contributing to the legacy that will insure it for the next generation.
First, take time to remember that your freedom ultimately is a gift from God and has been bought with the price of Christ’s blood. Then, remember that this garden of liberty we call America has been fertilized with the blood of liberty-lovers through the years. Let us pause to be grateful. Build it in to your plans for the day whether that means raising the flag or taking a few moments to participate in a ceremony of remembrance.
Second, remember your calling – not to indulge the flesh with unbridled lusts and gluttony, but to serve others in Jesus’ Name. The heart of discipleship is service and the heart of Americanism is neighborliness. What a wonderful time of the year it is to go out of our way to be good neighbors. Lead your family in a good neighbor project and a servant ministry as a way of thanking God and our forefathers for the liberty we enjoy.
Brothers and sisters, you have been called to liberty.
Today's Reading from the Common Lectionary cycle of the Psalms (16) with my reflections (written some years back):
Psalm 16:1 - Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Never separate the two parts of this prayer or you will diffuse its power. The first part is a request made in faith. The second is a declaration of faith upon which every request is made and in which our confidence resides. Safety, in and of itself, is of limited value. We are safe from what and for what? The end and the means are the same here. We are made safe by abiding that we might safely abide in Christ. If God is our refuge, that is enough to say. It is an end in itself. To be in Christ is the end that brings every new beginning. Where is your principal residence in this life? Every anxiety and discomfort is addressed by the answer of faith. If you reside in God and take refuge in Him, then rest in Him and abandon all concern for safety from that which you cannot control. God is in charge.
Psalm 16:2 - I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
This is so very important! First, we must recognize that to say “Lord” is not just to utter a religious word or to speak with respect toward our chosen deity. In the naming of God as Lord is a relinquishment of every other value, treasure, and prize. It is to acknowledge Him as Supreme Master and to render everything else in our lives as valueless apart from Him. It is in acknowledging Him as the source of every good gift that those gifts have worth. It is in knowing Him that every other vision fades in importance and takes its place in His court as subservient to His will.
Psalm 16:3 - As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
One of the great privileges of the new birth is that we are born into a family of saint with whom we can associate and in whose fellowship we can delight. To be a saint is to be separate, holy, and dedicated to a particular function. That function, for the Christian, is the praise and glory of God. In one sense, it is not a mysterious or otherworldly thing to be a saint. In another sense, it is to profoundly embrace a mystery that we can never fully understand and be apprehended by a world far beyond our reach in these mortal bodies. If one is a saint indeed, one loves other saints because, in them, we see God’s face as clearly as possible in this life –even among those who dwell in the land.
Psalm 16:4 - The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
Today, we join the eternal chorus of welcome as the Lord Jesus Christ enters into our consciousness as the King who comes in the Name of the Lord. He is the Prince of Peace and righteousness. His Kingdom comes with glory and praise, but also with a cross of pain and disgrace. Yet, He willing enters into the sphere of time, space, and judgment to face whatever stands between Him and His mission to bring all who welcome Him into eternal fellowship with the Father. Let us lift our voices in worship as we worship Him.
Psalm 16:5 - Lord, you have assigned my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.
God is righteous. That means that everything about Him is fully integrated into His holy character – He is 100% pure truth, love, goodness, and holiness. There are no contradictions in God – except those that we contrive in our own misunderstanding of Him. He loves justice. His heart delights in seeing things set aright. He loves consistency in our lives. He takes joy when His truth is integrated into the loose dimensions of our lives and we come into right relationship with Him. There is a promise in this verse, that the upright will see His face. What a glorious affirmation! The more we seek Him, the more our hearts are changed by His power within us and the clearer our vision of Who He is becomes. We can see God. His grace in Jesus Christ removes the scales from our eyes so that we may have a glimpse in this life and the hope of full disclosure in the life to come. Let that truth sink into the pores of your being today and celebrate it as you walk through the maze of confusing messages and distorted truth. You can see God.
Psalm 16:6 - The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Do you feel alone in your spiritual journey? Do you imagine that you are the only person in your school, workplace, or neighborhood that desires the things of God or seeks after His will? Do you wonder if there is even one other person who will stand with you for truth and righteousness? Are you overwhelmed by the loneliness of solitary seeking? Do you even wonder if the psalmist was somehow transported out of his time to speak of ours? Things have not changed that much have they? We all look back on better times when we were sure that there were more righteous and earnest people living among us and compare those times with our “todays.” We conclude that we are alone and that no one else is godly or faithful. While that is not true in every sense, it is in one. “There is none that is righteous, no not one.” We are indicted by that statement and must include ourselves among the number of the “no more” who have “vanished from the earth.” From God’s perspective and standard of perfect holiness, no one measures up. Then Jesus Christ enters the picture and He alone stands for truth. Our only hope is in Him and in Him we are not alone. Consciously align yourself with Him today and allow God to flush away that sense of “aloneness.”
Psalm 16:7 - I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
If you can’t trust a compliment, what can you trust? The psalmist has had it with flattery. He is discouraged over the tendency of his neighbors to use speech only to manipulate and deceive. We ought to develop that same level of disgust with untruth because all lying and falsehood are at odds with a God who is truth. Pretty lies are no better than ugly lies. Lies are lies and they are dark and dismal. Ask God to fill your heart with truth today and with a love for that truth so that whenever you would tell yourself a lie, you would immediately appeal to the God of truth and be rescued. Whatever urge you may have to be hard on your neighbors, start first with yourself and let God’s grace fill you and change you.
Psalm 16:8 - I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
First, consider this reflecting on Maundy Thursday – praise and flattery met Jesus upon His entry into the Holy City. “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord,” they cried and most likely meant what they said. Is it possible that some of those who praised Him on Sunday cursed Him on Thursday evening when He was arrested and brought to trial? Could it be that some who praised Him were seeking to manipulate Him for their own ends and to triumph with their tongues, even to co-opt Him for their own causes? Is it even possible that some that welcomed Him with their lips retained no sense of responsibility for their words beyond themselves? We see ourselves as masters of our words whenever we refuse to submit ourselves, body, soul, and spirit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus went to the upper room and took the role of a servant. With His words and deeds, He offered His body and blood for the redemption of lost men and women. He emptied Himself and held nothing back. His words are truth and love. Let us bring ourselves and our words to Him in that same spirit. If possible, find a place this day to partake of communion with other believers and remember the sacrifice of Jesus and be reminded of His gracious words.
Psalm 16:9 – Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
God saw the oppression of the weak and heard the groaning of the needy, bound in the chains of sin and wickedness. Thus, He came to us as a man among men. He arose and took upon Himself of a lowly servant, He emptied Himself and became obedient unto the death of the cross. (Philippians 2) He identified with us completely, yet without sin and became our protector and deliverer from sin. God has always been the champion of the weak and needy. The Christ-event and the passion of the cross make it clear that every man, woman, and child is in need of a savior. We are all oppressed – even if we are oppressors. We each writhe in agony for someone to intervene in our darkness and bring us into the light. Friend, the cross, was, is, and always will be for you. Spend some time today meditating on it. Seek out other believers with whom you can worship in wake of Calvary. Get alone with God and thank Him for remembering you on the cross. Do not let this day pass as any other.
Psalm 16:10 - because you will not abandon my to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
Oh, precious words, flawless, pure, beautiful in their refined glory. God’s words stir the soul, comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable, and pierce the heart with divine truth and brilliant light. On that dark Saturday between the cross and the resurrection, the disciples had only the remembrance of His words. What would they have meant to you in such an hour? What have they meant to you in your darkest hours. After the resurrection, Jesus would meet men on the road to Emmaus and remind them of His words and those that the Father had spoken over the centuries through the scriptures. He would bring them new meaning and their hearts would burn within them. Let Jesus apply all of God’s words to your heart in the darkness of death from the place of resurrection. We can never fully visit the despair of that bleak Saturday, but we can enter into our own darkness with the flawless Word of God to comfort our souls.
Psalm 16:11 - you have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
What a pointless prayer this would be divorced from resurrection truth! Without the resurrection we are exposed, vulnerable, and unprotected. If Christ were not raised, we would be as Paul said, “still in our sins (I Cor. 15).” We could not expect help in the onslaughts of wicked and violent people or non-human forces from a dead and powerless God. Prayers would be futile attempts to feel better about our miserable circumstances. Compliance with ethics would be fruitless acts of legalistic compulsion if not overwhelmed by a dynamic conviction that God can raise the dead and thus, protect, deliver, and save. God raised Jesus from the dead and pronounced the death sentence on death. He is alive and brings to life all who trust in Him. Celebrate! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!
"Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- Saint Francis of Assisi
Civility is important to me because of who I am-not because of who anyone else is.
I can't force it on anyone.
It doesn't mean I don't tell the truth or believe lies.
It doesn't mean I approve or pretend to approve.
It doesn't mean I stop resisting wrong.
It's my choice.
It is how we can relate.
It is how we remain humble, teachable, and real. It is also how we stay independent of any outside mind-coercion or control. It is how we get things done and create sustainable, effective change.
War is not a viable, sustainable, or healthy state of affairs. Neither armed warfare nor political or religious warfare.
So, I'll continue to try and be civil because my basic conviction about the dignity of every human cannot change just because I find it hard to respect their choices or views. That is a predetermined conviction and if it does not work out, oh well.
There will always be a way for me to express my feelings of repulsion or resistance to a tide of culture that offends my sensibilities. But I choose to treat people as kindly as I can without criticizing those who find that difficult or impossible.
And ... I will choose my indignation toward what might be uncivil very carefully, in context, and with a sense of balance... respectfully.
I heard a great comment in a webinar today. One of the panelists said that we are adding a layer of bureaucracy to support our current level of bureaucracy.
Now, that is a hoot!
Because of my background, I immediate applied it to the church and this morning's gospel. Jesus used the occasion of his disciples vying for recognition, position, power, and privilege to teach that, in his glory, the only two people to his right and left would be the two thieves crucified with him.
That was because he did not come to save himself or to serve himself, but to seek the lost, give his life, and serve people.
When the bureaucracy exists to serve the bureaucracy, there is a disconnect and a mission drift.
When the church starts existing to serve itself, prop itself up, defend its own rights, and assert its will, it is also missing the big point and the big mission.
Unfortunately, that has become daily life for many of us.
You may be asking that whenever you hear me or others say something like "Black lives matter" with passion, conviction, and tears.
Of course you matter.
You matter to God.
You matter to me.
Yes, I can affirm that all lives matter, but the God who sees us as He saw Hagar and Ishmael tends to be both specific and general in His declarations of love.
You matter ..
Your life, your pain, your history, your dreams.
You.
Indigenous lives matter.
"White" lives matter.
Lonely lives matter.
Broken lives matter.
Criminal lives matter.
Police lives matter.
John's life matters as do the lives of Mary, Sal, Jim, and . Letisha.
I missed many.
But God misses none.
He calls them out in groups and individually as needed and whenever there is a loss of balance or need of emphasis or any hint that those lives might not matter as much as others.
If you cannot single someone out who has been singled out for exclusion, the word "all" does not mean much.
And, when that happens, someone, somewhere is going to feel insecure, forgotten, or marginalized.
God has not forgotten you.
God loves you.
I love you.
I have some very strong views and plan to express them in ways that may seem very opinionated. I filter them through a long and devoted commitment to hearing the voice of God in scripture while reading the past and the present.
It does not make me always right, but it tends to make me feel I am more right than wrong about some things ... My perspective.
But that does not mean I can build a curtain around myself, my views, and those who share them, excluding all others and saying, "only our lives, perspectives, and words matter."
You matter.
I just wanted to say that today, because I have been struggling with it, leaning into the pain of the moment, how I sense God speaking, calling, and inviting in the moment.
I do not want to live deeply troubled over the fact that I strongly disagree with someone or they with me. Nor do I want to be intimidated by that or obligated to defend every point or convince every person in order for me or they to be ok.
Our OKness comes from God.
Jesus spoke in capital letters when he emphasized that love for God and neighbor sum up all the law and prophets.
I was at LAX in June, 2014, waiting for a flight to Israel. I arrived in the wee hours of the morning because I had come from Fresno by train. The international terminal was almost empty. I napped and watched intermittently.
Not so, for the man at the currency exchange counter. I do not believe he ever nodded off. He was alert every time I opened my eyes.
The dude seldom moved for over an hour.
Mostly, he had folded hands.
Staring forward.
I waited for him to look down.
One person came by. As fate would have it, no currency exchange, but he did get directions.
Some jobs are hard - like waiting, and boredom.
He waits well for the exchange rate to change.
Then he pops into sudden action and changes the board.
Here is the outline. It is up to you to flesh it out.
First – Consider the Giver - Believe God
1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Gen. 15:6; also in verse 22)
The Message puts it this way: "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own."
Second - Consider the Gift - Stop Counting on Our Works and Count Only on God’s Gift.
4Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
The Message puts it this way: “If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift. “
Third – Consider the Cost – The cost is forgiveness and forgiveness is costly.
7"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Psalm 32:1,2)
Fourth – Consider Your Response – There is a twofold response.
9Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
A Two-Fold Response
Take the Seal.
Walk in Faith.
Fifth – Consider the Benefits
13It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
Great Promise
Great Possibilities
Sixth - Consider Two Great Examples
18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Abraham demonstrated faith.
Jesus died, in faith, for all who would come by faith.
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence… So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” – Genesis 45:3,8
Fathers, you are making history daily.
Joseph, who had in Egypt become a father to the king, was facing the very men who had snatched him from his father’s house and sold him into slavery. Because they were his father’s sons, these men who had sinned against him so deviously, were still his brothers. More than that, Joseph knew that they had been instrumental in God’s plan for his life in Egypt. They were unwitting agents of God’s deeper and more eternal purposes in preparing His people for His purpose of redemption through the Messiah.
Nothing can thwart God’s plan.
But through years of slavery, Joseph, who adapted and thrived in every new situation, had not forgotten his father. It was his father who had loved him, encouraged him, provided the earliest example of integrity to him, and had taught him the lessons of life. But his father had not always been such a man.
Joseph had excelled in character that had come to Jacob later in life. He had not, as a young man been the man his son was. He had dealt treacherously with his own brother and the lack of integrity in his early life had, no doubt, helped to shape the character of his older sons.
But Joseph was raised by Israel, the man Jacob had become through an encounter with God and his character was shaped by a different man than the one who had stolen his brother’s birthright and dealt deceptively with his own father. As fathers, our own character will help to shape that of our sons and will impact history.
Is it conceivable that God would be angry at our prayers?
Irritated? Perturbed? Cynical?
The psalmist thought so and prayed,
"O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?" (Psalm 80:4 ESV)
Consider context, please, Here is a reminder that this prayer was not rejected. In fact, it was accepted into the canon.
Were the psalmist's prayers disingenuous?
Were they rote?
Were they self-righteous, self-absorbed, or self-centered?
Were they religious mumbo-jumbo with no life engagement?
This one, Psalm 80, is gut-level, gut-wrenching, gut-spilling expression of honesty. God seems to like that.
Three times, he cries (actually sings),
" Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!" (Psalm 80:19 ESV)
He also says, "Hey, we are your people, your prize, your statement to the world. This is all about you!" (Very loose paraphrase)
God does not turn away from real prayer, though His silence and delays may be disturbing. He longs for our honest engagement and for us to pour out our hearts that He might fill them.
Every forlorn and desperate psalm is an invitation for us to come to God in very honest prayer.
16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
We have a GUIDE- So, ,FOLLOW -
6:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
There is GLORY and verified credibility - So FIND it is Christ
(The term doxa is aGreek term (δόξα) that comes from the verb dokein (δοκεῖν), meaning 'to appear, to seem, to think, to accept'. Between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE, the term picked up an additional meaning when the Biblical Hebrew word for 'glory' (כבוד, kavod) was translated by the Septuagint as doxa. , a term with social, moral, and theological implications derived from the Hebrew root for weight, meaning honor, respect, reverence, importance, distinction, or glory. A person gives kavod (honor) to .)
16:14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 16:15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
There is no place in the Bible where it says we are saved on the basis of our accuracy or certainty with regard to our theological stances.
That is not the meaning of faith.
Faith is not opinion, thought it moves us to opine in one direction or another.
Faith is not orthodoxy, though the orthodoxy of our teachings should flow through the filter of faith.
We are not tested on our facts or perceptions before gaining entrance into the Kingdom of God.
One is not suggesting that we set out with the goal to be wrong or wobbly in our convictions. It is the opposite. The perpetual love of truth, desire for truth, and seeking of truth must be done from a place of openness to truth and willingness to recant or rethink.
Sometimes, we are not doubting God, but our ideas about God when we seem to be wavering.
The trajectory of our lives is the indicator of faithfulness, moving toward that which is eternally true and real.
We seek God in each measured segment of time, in each manifestation of reality, and in each perplexing question.
This is true of our trust in Jesus as the Word of God. There is no Christology exam that determines the prestige of our address in the New Jerusalem. We determine to trust Jesus and follow Jesus wherever Jesus is and however Jesus reveals himself to us at different stages of our journey.
Thus, with the Bible. As we determine that it contains a message from God that is true and reliable, we do so without the assumption that we fully understand it and with a commitment to study and know it better, employing every tool at our disposal to grasp the message of each narrative and essential teaching. We sort out the literary genre's, the canonical purpose for inclusion, the context, the voice of who is speaking, God or human, and we pray, think, pray, act.
But whether we are right or wrong at any given time is not the test of our seeking faith, in God, God's Son, or the Bible.
We teach the doctrine of grace and then, apply legalism to those who do not fully understand it or articulate it as we do.
None of this is to say that Christian faith is without a spine or skeletal structure. Structure exists, but even in creation, those humans born with variations of physiology are still human. Something deeper defines their humanity.
Something deeper defines our spirituality..
Much of our systematic theology and rigid dogmatism, while helpful for finding common ground of understanding, seems to flow more from an engineer's slide rule than from an artist's brush.
We need all the tools, but we also need humility when we are tempted to categorize people and their faith based upon their accuracy and certainty.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. - Acts 2:3
Sometimes the word God has for others or for us comes and sits on us. Then, it does its work and we are as amazed as the listeners. We jut don’t know where it came from or how we could be used so mightily – except that God did something spectacular. Often, we don’t know what to say or how to say it. We do not speak the “language” of an acquaintance. We may share a common tongue, but we do not know the language of his or her heart.
Words are like triggers sometimes. Careless, even innocent use of some words can push the play buttons on “old tapes” sending the listener into a rage of defensive posturing. More often, we overuse words and speech patterns. The ears of listeners grow dull to the repetitious sound of our religious platitudes and spiritual utterances. What we say is true, but the truth does not penetrate or take root because it is not heard. So, either a wall of defense is build to keep the gospel out or a wall of apathy. Either way, a fire is needed to burn away the walls.
At Pentecost, all heard the gospel in their own languages. More important, each person heard the word in the language of his or her heart. It penetrated deeply and cut to the quick. It burned away resistance and complacency with the heat of its passion and the clarity of consuming fury.
We need tongues of fire today as well. We need our own souls set on fire by the Holy Spirit who alone can burn through the rubbish of noisy distractions and set the world on fire with the ”buzz” of God’s good news. Do you deeply desire to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ? Give yourself over to God and ask Him, in faith, to speak through you, believing that He will. You will be amazed and people you never expected to pay attention will hear the life-changing message of Jesus.
And Another Meditation on this Verse
The tongue holds a prominent place in scripture – sometimes for the evil it can do and other times as a tremendous force for good. In the New Testament, it is the purveyor of the good news of Jesus Christ. By the foolishness of preaching, the gospel is spread throughout the world regardless of the languages of the people.
Fire burns away dross and every superficial thing that vies for attention and distracts from the message of truth. Fire burns in the hearts of those who are entrusted with God’s message so that the message spreads without hindrance and impacts all who are in its path.
At Pentecost, God placed His message of grace in the hearts and on the tongues of every believer. Consider the each and the every, the individual and the collective in the experience of Pentecost. God calls us each to worship Him and that is very personal, intimate, and individualized. But He also calls us, everyone, to be part of the whole, to be joined as a body in the ensemble of harmonic voices lifted in unified praise in and through the Holy Spirit to the glory of His Name and the proclamation of His Word.
Today, as we come together, we are many and we are one in the celebration of the mystery of the Holy Spirit in the majesty of the Body. We are here at God’s invitation and sent forth with His commission because of Pentecost.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. -Romans 8:15
Little Sarah was only three years old. All day long, she had been home doing what little girls do. But as the sun began to go down and the smell of hot rolls filled the house, her tiny heart began to sing with anticipation. She knew that evening meant one thing. Her daddy would soon walk through the door. The love of her life would come home from a hard day at work, and she would run to meet him, jump in his arms, and be embraced with joy and love.
"Daddy, I missed you," she would exclaim. "You’re finally home! I'm so glad you are here."
At that, her father's heart would melt.
The Spirit of God invites us to pray as Jesus prayed, Abba, or Daddy.
We are drawn into a relationship of warmth, acceptance, and love with our Heavenly Father. Those of us who have enjoyed such relationships with our earthly fathers have a glimpse of what our relationship with God can be. Those of us who have not had such relationships can take comfort in the knowledge of His absolute love and unbridled joy when we call out to Him and jump into His arms.
May 31, 2022
It was not my best day ever. I have to be honest. Otherwise, I have nothing of value to say.
Yet, who am I to say anything about a day?
I have experienced, exercised, and exorcised most possible negative emotions. I am so tired and frustrated that I have turned to late night work to energize and encourage me.
It does. The very notion that I can somehow be productive and contribute something lifts my spirits and I think it will lift most people's spirits.
"Bad days" are crossroads. If the day is truly rotten and discouraging, the temptation is to give up. It is a strong temptation, not only to give up, but to do it in some big, demonstrative way that announces to the masses that ... well ... another person has quit.
And then, you expect a monument, a testimonial, or a day of recognition. It is not likely to be that way.
Quitters are a dime a dozen. There is no shortage of people giving up.
At the crossroads we choose: Give up or get up.
We already know how to give up. We need no tutorial on that. What we need is a strategy for getting up when the frustration anchor is deeply embedded in muck of bad luck and the sand of grand plans gone awry. Getting up takes a burst of energy from somewhere else and a big dose of extraordinary courage.
GET
G - - Give it another shot.
Whatever it is and however disappointing the results may have been, agree to taking one more step toward where you are going and being led. You don't have to agree to anything for a week from now - not today. Just agree to give it another day. Then we can talk again tomorrow.
E - Energize!
Squeeze it out. Something is left in you and there is a power greater than you that can supply what is lacking. Stand to your feet and begin. There is one brush left in that bottle of toothpaste. There is one more sip in that glass of water. There is always something left. Spend it on the prize before you!
T - Tell someone that you are not quitting today.
Tell them that you felt like it and that you were justified in it, and that it would have been the easiest and most practical thing for you - but you just aren't going to do it! You are going to keep moving forward,. When you tell it, you commit to it at a deeper level and you accumulate a team of supporters.
UP
U - Utilize every resource you can find.
Muster them all - human, creative, practical, material, and emotional. Getting up from disappointment requires more of everything than starting from the beginning. Be creative. Be resourceful. Be assertive.
P - Pray.
Now some of you, I know, don't believe in God or in prayer, but it will not hurt you to do it as an exercise. Your version might be a time of thought and reflection. For believers, it is that and more. As you pray, you will collect people and resources along with ideas and solutions. You will slow down your frantic thinking and sharpen your focus.
There are no guarantees that you will succeed in your venture or that I will in mine. What you will guarantee is that you woke up to another day and that you did not quit before the right time.
Acts 16:16-34 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a female slave who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”
She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
And it came out that very hour.
But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men, these Jews, are disturbing our city and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us, being Romans, to adopt or observe.”
The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
Psalm 97 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples behold his glory. All servants of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments, O God. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
You who love the Lord, hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Revelation 22:12-14, 20-21 New Revised Standard Version
“See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
“It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
John 17:20-26 New Revised Standard Version
“I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”
And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed. -Esther 9:28
We walk gingerly among the gravestones that dot the pathways of our memories. Like those characters in the Spoon River Anthology, shadows arise from the markers and tell their stories. They are stories of love and laughter, of providence and accidence. They touch mystery and mischief. They are stories of deep devotion and unspeakable sacrifice.
These are the sometimes vivid, sometimes shadowy memories of ordinary men and women swept up into the wave of national conflict, ready to answer the call of duty, desiring to live, willing to die, and gradually being forgotten except for this: We choose to remember them.
We strain to remember them.
In the dash that is their moment between the date of birth and that of death, every choice, every embrace, each and every thought, dream, or word was accomplished and enshrined. Dedicated beneath the stones is a place of memory. Consecrated within the hearts of loved ones are their smiles and presence.
But they too will die and with them, memories.
So, we commit and strain to remember. We tell their stories. We exalt their blood offering. We look upon their suffering with gratitude and horror. We hug their children. We remember.
Long after each of us is gone and our names have been erased from the consciousness of all who knew us or of us, we can still be giving and these who died for country will still be loved and appreciated for their selfless gifts. What they gave will keep on giving.
So let us be reminded, by their memories, to so live, that every day, we shall create a ripple in the river of life that will freshen the stream for all time.
It has been suggested that when storms come into our lives, that we "go with the flow." I would like to suggest that we embrace grace as a flow of God's mercy and attention in our lives.
Psalm 11:1 - "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.""
The impulse to flee is one of two that we face in any crisis situation. Fight and flight are the two extremes that confront humans. But there is a third option that occupies the seat of grace – it is to flow and to let God’s grace flow through you as you flow with the circumstances of life. Flowing does not require denial of danger. It acknowledges the truth of the situation, but embraces a greater truth in the mix of reality. It is the truth of God’s presence, His power, and His love. It is the truth that in Him we have a sturdy and steady refuge from danger. In God’s mercy, we neither run to the mountains to avoid potential pain nor stand to fight our battles ourselves alone. The life of faith is a journey of trust and balance. Find your refuge in God today.
F
Face the Challenge
Psalm 11:2 - "For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart."
Wickedness lives in the midst of dark shadows. It attacks without warning and without rules of engagement. The snipers of sin and temptation align with the forces of discouragement, bitterness, despondency, and cynicism to derail our growth in grace and righteousness. Satan would have us flee to the hills and abandon our God-given assignments. Or he would be equally pleased if we would take the battle in our own strength and suffer defeat at his hand. God calls us to take refuge in Him. His is the battle; He is our protector, defender, and friend. Do not be discouraged, dismayed, or shocked by the sinister conniving of evil. Satan is an accuser and liar and hides in darkness. Bring every thought, motive, and deed to the light. Allow every memory that pains the heart to come into the brilliance of God’s grace. Then we can speak as forthrightly and with the same matter-of-factness as the psalmist. Then we can bring these matters that once caused us to tremble before a God who already knows and cares. We can take refuge in Him, but first, we must face and expose the challenge and name it for what it is.
L
Lament. Lean into the circumstance and lift up the frustration to God.
Psalm 11:3 - When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
Who has not expressed such a lament in the recesses of a discouraged heart? If indeed, the foundations are destroyed, there is not much the righteous can do. The righteous person depends upon foundations to stand under the weight of external conflict and internal stress. There are values and beliefs in which we invest ourselves. We call them ultimate and we hang our lives upon them. There are irreducible standards that we set for our families, our communities, and ourselves. When these are threatened, we are flung into chaos and spasmodic reaction. We cry out to God in utter desperation and confusion. “God,” we cry, “ is there nothing that is sacred, nothing that is permanent, nothing that cannot be destroyed by the forces that afflict with without and within?” And God answers us that what we thought were the foundations were only part of the extended structure of our lives, that He is our true foundation and He will never be shaken. Paul concluded that no other foundation can be laid than that which is laid: Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11). Anything else can be destroyed, but the believer whose life is planted in Jesus Christ cannot be toppled. Trust Him in the midst of the quaking of the earth and the battering of the storm.
O
Observe the presence, power, and stability of God
Psalm 11:4a - "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne."
When the foundations are seemingly being destroyed, God remains securely seated in His holy temple and rules from His throne. There is no interruption in His reign, no pause in His oversight, and no cause for concern by His subjects. He is the true foundation that cannot be shaken. He is our refuge. He is our sure protection in times of trouble. Nothing escapes His constant attention. When, in the bleakest moments, all that is right appears vanquished, He speaks and the frayed strands of time and space come into their proper order. We are not a patient people. We are easily stirred from our strident faith. We become disturbed by the news, by prognosticating commentaries on our times, and by our own emotions. We gaze into our problems with such intensity that we, for a moment, lose sight of God on His throne. But He is there. He has not moved. He will not be displaced, replaced, or ultimately ignored. The greatest relevance in the universe is that God is active and alive in His Holy temple supervising and involved in the affairs of men and women. Tune your hearts to that reality today and live in joyful confidence in God.
W
Wait on God with faith that He sees, knows, and is acting. It is not passive waiting, but active trusting with awareness of His attention.
Psalm 11:4b - "He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them."
God is watching. There is a popular song that announces that truth but distorts it with the words, “from a distance.” That is only half-true. There will always be a distance between God and man because He is God and we are men – but that is a distance of essential nature that Jesus bridged and brought us into intimate fellowship with the Father. Even those who do not know Him are known by Him for He is as imminent as He is transcendent. Some envision a God so far away that He requires a telescope to observe us, but it is with His eye that He watches and nothing escapes His notice. He examines us with such divine scrutiny that all is known, even that which our hearts cannot acknowledge in awareness. Knowing that God knows frees us in prayer to be absolutely honest. It liberates us from the limitations of language to open ourselves to Him. He knows every circumstance and every deed done in darkness or in light. He has all the information and, in His wisdom, is the only true and reliable interpreter of history and current events. It would behoove us to withhold judgment until He speaks in a matter for we see only within a thin spectrum of all that is. He sees all. Understand that as you meet Him in prayer today.
I have exhausted my thoughts and stretched my prayers.
I am sapped of strength to do either in a meaningful way.
Yet, I pray.
Yet, I think.
And in my thinking and praying, I seek wisdom to act, to do, to behave, to exercise influence, to know and share wisdom.
I have big feet and my elder and Sunday School, Mrs. Emily Daniels, told me I should attach them to my prayers because the most vital intervention in prayer is not outside of ourselves. It is inside of us. It motivates, activates, and empowers us.
Yes. I am thinking about Uvalde and Buffalo and all the hundreds of places and incidents where violence has erupted because of someone with guns. Yes. I am praying.
But fully engaged prayer involves our total being, our bodies, our feet, our voices, our influence, our courage, our problem-solving capacity, our willingness to make sacrifices and work with our adversaries to make changes.
But I am exhausted and numb.
Yesterday peeled another layer off of my neuropathic skin and exposed more rawness. I looked at every picture I could find online of the children, precious, sweet children and of the parents, devastated and grieving and found one bit of good news:
I can still feel.
I can still be shocked.
I can still be devastated.
I am not numb to this.
I am sad and I am angry.
I am sad for them and I am sad for any eighteen year old kids who can be so angry, twisted, self-absorbed, fixated on weapons, unperturbed by death, and mean as to throw away the lives of others and not care about their own.
I am angry that their followers copy them and cheer them.
I am angry that someone buys them guns or sells them guns.
I am angry that the first words out of some peoples' mouths is about our rights to have guns. I have never owned a gun and never will. I actually believe you have the right to have one if you are stable and law abiding and pass at least the same background checks and proportional training comparable to others who hold the power of life an death in their hands:
Surgeons
Hairdressers
Food handlers
Drivers
Personally, I do not need them, want them, or allow them in my home. And that is a mutual decision between myself and my wife. We will find other ways to protect ourselves or will die. That is our choice.
And I see no need to participate in an armed uprising against the government. We will fight for our rights in peaceful ways or we will suffer persecution.
That is where my thoughts and prayers take me. They move me to use my vote, my words, and my actions to influence reasonable policies that protect everyone's rights, even rights I do not choose to exercise, but with logical limits.
My thoughts and prayers also lead me to be pastoral toward those who are in pain. As I have opportunity to minister, I will take it. That includes my readers and listeners.
My thoughts and prayers further lead me to be respectful, cordial, civil, and gracious toward others. May they also empower me to do so and to put my anger in it place.
What about mental illness?
Some of the kindest, gentlest, and most spiritually healthy people I know deal with mental illness. I support their right not to be lumped together with demented killers. I will certainly not do that to all gun owners and hunters.
However, when distorted thinking comes under the strong influence of evil thinking, there is cause for concern. There is greater concern when that happens to impressionable adolescents at their stage of brain development.
So, how can we address that with our thoughts and prayers?
I am not being sarcastic. I am asking and not expecting a quick answer. If we combine thinking and praying, we may start with more questions than answers. Arrogance does not appreciate that. Genuine spirituality does.
Well, I said I was exhausted and I am. I am done for now without a clever closing. Maybe that is the way it should be.
You are a business, social, or spiritual entrepreneur. No doubt, you are also someone's employee while you build your dreams. Most likely, you have a family, a home, and "chores."
You are busy.
You are doing whatever you do in the cracks of your life between other major responsibilities. You frequently complain that you just don't have "enough time." You feel guilty when you relax. you feel frustrated about all the things you didn't get done.
You are in a self-imposed squeeze and, when it comes to building your dreams, you have to "squeeze things in."
Top that off with the troubling reality that you are not all that fond of tight spaces, which is one reason why you ARE and entrepreneur -- so that you can get out of them.
Unfortunately, in order to accomplish that, you need to get into some for a while.
Let's consider some, quite impromptu ideas for coping with the squeeze and letting it even squeeze a little more greatness out of you and efficiency out of your schedule
Here is today's acronym for squeezing it all in.
S is for SCHEDULE.
Make it; break it; bend it; keep it as best as possible. Make it reasonable. Break it gently. Bend it whenever necessary (So keep it flexible). Keep it as a form of disciple and as a planning tool.
Q is for QUIET.
Quiet your soul.
Live by grace.
Receive it and give it.
Relax often.
Leave space in your life for God, family, self, and reflection. Whatever your spiritual, emotional, or intellectual disciplines, include a quiet time in every day. Make it the un-squeezed portion of your life.
U is for UNDERSTAND.
Do what you do with a rationale and purpose. Understand yourself: your pace, your purpose, your passion-driven energy, and your productivity index.
By knowing what makes you most effective and how to apportion your energy and time, you will be able to squeeze more out of every hour. Then, also understand the task as part of the whole project and mission and what it takes to get done what you are determined to do. Live with understanding.
E is for ENERGY.
Know that your productivity index is more about how you budget your energy than your time. Time is a necessary commodity, but if you have from midnight to 6 AM every day, it doesn't mean that such time is going to be productive because you will most likely be out of energy and much in need of rest.
E is also for EQUIPPING.
It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is just as true that an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of effort. Squeezing an empty tube of toothpaste is a useless activity. Don't become encumbered with useless expenditures of valuable time and effort. Learn what you need to learn.
Read what you need to read.
Plan ahead.
Prepare yourself and others.
Equip yourself for maximum productivity in the squeeze. It may SEEM like a waste of time to read this article when you could be making a call. Ignore that voice that discourages you from equipping yourself and keep preparing.
Z is for ZOO and it is a zoo out there
Yes, it is a zoo without the cages --- more like a zoological reserve with all sorts of wild things roaming around and creating an illusion of unpredictability. The bottom line of this proposition is that no matter how hard you try to bring order to your life, there will be unforeseen events and circumstances. It is predictable that these will arise and with all the information, one might be able to see these crises coming, but no one has nor can they assimilate all the data necessary.
Therefore, what may be a well ordered universe manifests itself as utter chaos from time to time. Count on it and make the appropriate arrangements to cope.
E and the last E is for EITHER/OR
This is the most important letter of all because it is about our choices which are always ours alone to make. When we are in a squeeze we must decide what we are going to do, say, think, or believe.
In 15 seconds one can bend over and pick up a penny on the ground, stand back up and prepare to bend down and pick up another. One person might quip that it would be a waste of time. Another might do the math and realize that at that rate, one would be making $24 per hour.
At that point you'd need to ask yourself if you could be making more in that 15 second period by jotting down a great idea, making a mental note of an insight, or even speaking to the person next to you.
Any of those would be more productive than complaining, blaming, or feeling sorry for oneself.
There are always choices.
You have the same number of hours in a day as everyone else, but it seems less because your dreams are bigger, your expectations higher, and your goals loftier. You will frequently find yourself squeezed, but even in the squeezes you can make choices that will make those tight spaces wide opportunities for great things to happen.
Some of our opinions reflect an honest belief in what we are calling a "dominant narrative" of reality. We generally believe the story in widest circulation among people who share our common experience.
Then, some exposure or new information from sources outside our own experience challenges our embrace of that narrative and creates new conversation.
Most narratives are based upon some truth, but none, by human limitation, on all the truth or necessarily the most determinate truth. As the old cliché speaks to me about my assumptions of reality, "Follow the money."
That is - whatever "money" means in a specific context.
Who benefits and how?
Do we get the results we really want for what we really want and do we really want what we should be wanting?
What if we are getting neither what we want or ought to be wanting? What many good people are working for something that we think is getting what is not being delivered and there is enough temporary reinforcement to train our thinking and behaviors to keep things as they are?
Well, then, we have described the human condition at any given time in history.
So, we must dialogue, seek, challenge our thinking, and create a new story for a future reality. For those who walk in the light of the Kingdom of God as proclaimed by Jesus Christ, this is always an imperative because He always challenged the narrative with a completely new, yet old way of looking at everything.
Our views are to be considered, respected, addressed, challenged, and/or/and examined beyond the first layer of reality.
Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness which a entirely different from the kingdoms of the world which are systems that can usually boil down to self interest and perpetuation of someone's sense of need to preserve wealth, power, or a false sense of security and safety.
In like manner, it is a different sort of righteousness that is based upon a paradigm flipped over to draw a new picture of laws and principles that all must hang upon our call to vertical and horizontal love of God and neighbor.
Who is my neighbor?
That becomes the question with which we must wrestle in all of our personal and social ethics as they touch our relationships with people and communities.
So, it is no small consideration to ask the right questions and continuing to stir the pots.
I have often wrestled with the difficult consequences of not stirring the pots on my stove adequately.
Stirring is hard work, but scraping the bottom of a burned pan is sheer torture!
