Haggai 1: 5-6 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you cloth yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.
Luke 10: 41-42 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need for only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
In the scripture from Haggai, the Lord is pointing out the lack of satisfaction in the lives of those who are neglecting Him. In the passage from Luke, Jesus is pointing out to Martha that she is distracted by trivialities. If we place our priorities on the wrong things, they cannot provide us with what we are looking for.
The Lord said, "For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.", but easier softer ways seem to turn up everywhere. Shiny trinkets that offer instant gratification beckon to me constantly. These temptations do not lead to life however. By the time I realize my mistake I might be very far off the mark. In the passage from Haggai, the Lord was addressing people who new that something was wrong. They were going hard and getting nowhere. The fruit of their labor was hollow and unsatisfying. Their priorities had gone wrong and they eventually found themselves on a tedious dead end road. They had stopped looking to God to provide their direction and had struck out on their own. I've tried that as well. It seems easy enough; to navigate successfully through life by our own means. Is it though? I've come to believe it to be an illusion. We compare our insides to other peoples outsides. The people around us seem happy, successful and like they have it all together. To this we compare the hollowness that fills our soul. We compare what they want us to see with what we can't ignore about ourselves. They are trapped in the same illusion. We share the feeling that something isn't quite right with us but try to hide this fear from others. Martha was striving to keep up the front that she was the "hostess with the mostest". It is what she did and she felt that it was important. It angered her when Mary left her to do all the work alone. Jesus told her that it was Mary who was attending to the important thing though. The only thing. Him. God. Truth. Life. If we, like Mary, put aside our distractions and listen intently to God as He speaks to us, the rest falls into place. It is so easy to become distracted and to lose my way. It serves me well to look at what provides my direction. I cannot get where I want to be if I am not heading in the right direction.
Father God, I pray that I might keep my focus on You and my heart tuned to You for You are the truth and the light and the way. Amen.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Free Falling
Psalm 127:1-2 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
Luke 9:3 He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money - not even an extra tunic."
Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
If we are not doing that which is blessed by God for us, we are wasting our effort. His way often, actually always, pulls us away from that with which we are comfortable. We must chose which path we are to take.
My life has changed a lot over the last few years. I have accepted a call to pastoral ministry, studied for and received my license and gotten married. These changes are putting an ever increasing pressure on me to let go of the life I had prior. I suppose that I am a little afraid to move in that direction. I'm proud of what I had built. I returned to respectability and self sufficiency in that time. I returned to life. That is the problem I suppose. Pride and fear. I'm afraid to give up a big source of respect, pride and security that I have come to rely on. It's frightening to move away from the known (even if it obviously has problems) into the unknown. That however is clearly the path to which I am being called. But to let go and free fall into nothing with only faith to rely on... Wow. Leave behind pride, leave behind respect, leave behind security. Christ calls us out of the world of our making into the kingdom of God. I have to let go of one to embrace the other. The choice is mine. The choice is yours.
Father God, I pray that I might have the courage to live by faith. Please strengthen me and enable me to go where I hear you calling. You have never let me down. Let me remember that when I am afraid. Amen.
Luke 9:3 He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money - not even an extra tunic."
Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
If we are not doing that which is blessed by God for us, we are wasting our effort. His way often, actually always, pulls us away from that with which we are comfortable. We must chose which path we are to take.
My life has changed a lot over the last few years. I have accepted a call to pastoral ministry, studied for and received my license and gotten married. These changes are putting an ever increasing pressure on me to let go of the life I had prior. I suppose that I am a little afraid to move in that direction. I'm proud of what I had built. I returned to respectability and self sufficiency in that time. I returned to life. That is the problem I suppose. Pride and fear. I'm afraid to give up a big source of respect, pride and security that I have come to rely on. It's frightening to move away from the known (even if it obviously has problems) into the unknown. That however is clearly the path to which I am being called. But to let go and free fall into nothing with only faith to rely on... Wow. Leave behind pride, leave behind respect, leave behind security. Christ calls us out of the world of our making into the kingdom of God. I have to let go of one to embrace the other. The choice is mine. The choice is yours.
Father God, I pray that I might have the courage to live by faith. Please strengthen me and enable me to go where I hear you calling. You have never let me down. Let me remember that when I am afraid. Amen.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Please Help Me
Ezra 3:3 They set up the altar on it's foundation, because they were in dread of the neighboring peoples, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the Lord, morning and evening.
When the exiles returned to Judah they returned weak and vulnerable. They made a point of rebuilding the altar of God and sacrificing to Him constantly. They were appealing to God to provide them with protection that they could not provide for themselves.
On September 16, 2001 church attendance was at a record level all across the United States. The previous Tuesday, the 11th, had been a crushing, terrifying day. On Monday we were a superpower, by Wednesday we were victims. We didn't feel safe in the world and were no longer sure of our ability to protect ourselves. All across America people went to church to find peace and hope. This is a tendency that is displayed countless times every day all over the world. When the situation is too big to manage, when we know that we are way out of our league, then it's time to get right with God. In recovery we call them 911 prayers: "If You let me live through this I'll never drink again.", "Please God, don't let them pull me over.", "I just can't get fired again Lord!" When we are unprepared at school or work, when the money isn't there but the bills are, when the marriage is crumbling, when the stick turns blue, when the cat is out of the bag, when they say they never really love you, when we can't make it even one more day... We know where to turn when we know we aren't enough. In 21st century America, just as in Jerusalem in 536 BC, we know where hope can be found when we have none of our own. That says alot about what is buried deep inside each of us.
Father God, I pray that I might follow your ways always. You have saved me when I couldn't save myself. You call me to the way that leads to life and peace and not back into hopelessness. May I never forget that you are the way to true freedom. Amen.
When the exiles returned to Judah they returned weak and vulnerable. They made a point of rebuilding the altar of God and sacrificing to Him constantly. They were appealing to God to provide them with protection that they could not provide for themselves.
On September 16, 2001 church attendance was at a record level all across the United States. The previous Tuesday, the 11th, had been a crushing, terrifying day. On Monday we were a superpower, by Wednesday we were victims. We didn't feel safe in the world and were no longer sure of our ability to protect ourselves. All across America people went to church to find peace and hope. This is a tendency that is displayed countless times every day all over the world. When the situation is too big to manage, when we know that we are way out of our league, then it's time to get right with God. In recovery we call them 911 prayers: "If You let me live through this I'll never drink again.", "Please God, don't let them pull me over.", "I just can't get fired again Lord!" When we are unprepared at school or work, when the money isn't there but the bills are, when the marriage is crumbling, when the stick turns blue, when the cat is out of the bag, when they say they never really love you, when we can't make it even one more day... We know where to turn when we know we aren't enough. In 21st century America, just as in Jerusalem in 536 BC, we know where hope can be found when we have none of our own. That says alot about what is buried deep inside each of us.
Father God, I pray that I might follow your ways always. You have saved me when I couldn't save myself. You call me to the way that leads to life and peace and not back into hopelessness. May I never forget that you are the way to true freedom. Amen.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Hard Lesson
Psalm 85:5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
This is the call of the guilty crying for Gods mercy and a return to His favor.
There was a time in the past when I felt that God was smiling on me and I felt great benefits from our good relationship. For one reason or the other, I made a series of decision that were clearly outside of His will and I was met with a deafening silence in my spirit. My God was no longer there smiling on me. He was nowhere to be found. I definitely felt that our relationship had been lost. Eventually I decided that He was punishing me for my actions and that I would have to earn His love and favor this time. After several very bad years filled with humiliation and crushing failure, I felt that I had arrived at the end of my rope. Hugh had no more tricks up his sleeve, no one to help, no plan and no faith in my ability to pick up the pieces. It was here, at the bottom of the barrel, that I finally found my God. His was the only hand reaching down to me offering a way out. I took it and He lead me to my life today. Along the way, I discovered that God had never left me at all. He was always right where I had left Him. I was the one who had turned my back and I learned a hard lesson; He doesn't negotiate terms with us. This was a lesson of great value and like most things of great value, it didn't come cheap. I can't decide when and where I will be obedient to Him. Each time I chose my will over His, I put a stone in the wall I was building between us. Eventually the wall became tall enough that I lost sight of my God, and I just kept building until I had made a prison for myself. This has all taught me to look to my own actions and not to God's wrath when things aren't right between us. What am I not willing to do? What is too precious to give up? What am I unwilling to consider? It's always been me. The damage can't always be fixed immediately but He has always helped me dismantle these little walls when I decide I am willing to ask for His help and do what He says.
Father God, you are the Lord of truth and of love. Please lead me to faith in and obedience to you. Thank you for the lessons from my past that have become the tools of my present. Amen.
This is the call of the guilty crying for Gods mercy and a return to His favor.
There was a time in the past when I felt that God was smiling on me and I felt great benefits from our good relationship. For one reason or the other, I made a series of decision that were clearly outside of His will and I was met with a deafening silence in my spirit. My God was no longer there smiling on me. He was nowhere to be found. I definitely felt that our relationship had been lost. Eventually I decided that He was punishing me for my actions and that I would have to earn His love and favor this time. After several very bad years filled with humiliation and crushing failure, I felt that I had arrived at the end of my rope. Hugh had no more tricks up his sleeve, no one to help, no plan and no faith in my ability to pick up the pieces. It was here, at the bottom of the barrel, that I finally found my God. His was the only hand reaching down to me offering a way out. I took it and He lead me to my life today. Along the way, I discovered that God had never left me at all. He was always right where I had left Him. I was the one who had turned my back and I learned a hard lesson; He doesn't negotiate terms with us. This was a lesson of great value and like most things of great value, it didn't come cheap. I can't decide when and where I will be obedient to Him. Each time I chose my will over His, I put a stone in the wall I was building between us. Eventually the wall became tall enough that I lost sight of my God, and I just kept building until I had made a prison for myself. This has all taught me to look to my own actions and not to God's wrath when things aren't right between us. What am I not willing to do? What is too precious to give up? What am I unwilling to consider? It's always been me. The damage can't always be fixed immediately but He has always helped me dismantle these little walls when I decide I am willing to ask for His help and do what He says.
Father God, you are the Lord of truth and of love. Please lead me to faith in and obedience to you. Thank you for the lessons from my past that have become the tools of my present. Amen.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
It is His Pleasure
Daniel 9:18 Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on ground of your great mercies.
We can never approach God on on the strength of our goodness or worthiness, but He welcomes us because of His great love and grace.
In his prayer, Daniel was calling on God to end the suffering and humiliation of his people. The 123 Psalm is a cry for mercy. Both of these are examples of prayers for undeserved and otherwise unattainable grace. They were appealing to His demonstrated willingness to act in the best interest of His people, even though they realized that they had not been willing to act in their own self interest. In the fifth chapter of Luke we are told of Jesus inviting four men to accompany him. Each of them, Simon Peter, James, John and Levi knew they had no right to stand in the presence of this holy man, yet they followed. Christ is still calling us to accept his grace and follow in the path that leads to life eternal. Some people who I talk with seem crushed by the feeling of unworthiness that Christ leaves them with. They realize that they can never be able to live up to his example. They are right. The point I feel that they are missing is the great sacrifice that he made to pay for our sinful nature. He wants to know us and to be our God and was willing to sacrifice himself to make that possible. It is not a matter of our goodness or even of justice but of His love for us and His desire to give life to all who will take it.
Father God, please help me let go of my pride and desire to justify myself. May I embrace my smallness and accept Your gift of grace and offer of peace and life. Amen.
We can never approach God on on the strength of our goodness or worthiness, but He welcomes us because of His great love and grace.
In his prayer, Daniel was calling on God to end the suffering and humiliation of his people. The 123 Psalm is a cry for mercy. Both of these are examples of prayers for undeserved and otherwise unattainable grace. They were appealing to His demonstrated willingness to act in the best interest of His people, even though they realized that they had not been willing to act in their own self interest. In the fifth chapter of Luke we are told of Jesus inviting four men to accompany him. Each of them, Simon Peter, James, John and Levi knew they had no right to stand in the presence of this holy man, yet they followed. Christ is still calling us to accept his grace and follow in the path that leads to life eternal. Some people who I talk with seem crushed by the feeling of unworthiness that Christ leaves them with. They realize that they can never be able to live up to his example. They are right. The point I feel that they are missing is the great sacrifice that he made to pay for our sinful nature. He wants to know us and to be our God and was willing to sacrifice himself to make that possible. It is not a matter of our goodness or even of justice but of His love for us and His desire to give life to all who will take it.
Father God, please help me let go of my pride and desire to justify myself. May I embrace my smallness and accept Your gift of grace and offer of peace and life. Amen.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Are You Sure?
Luke 1:18 Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years."
It is a mistake to question when we are clearly confronted by what we know to be His will.
As Christians we seek to know our Lord and to live in His ways. We are looking for he truth and His light. We are on a never ending quest for Him. Often though, when He reveals Himself to us we falter and question what we see. The angel Gabriel's announcement of God's will for Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth seemed too great, too much to believe. Zechariah asked, "How will I know that this is so?" He already knew it was true. Zechariah had no doubt that he was speaking with an angel in the sanctuary of the Lord. He was terrified! He and his wife had long since resigned themselves to the fact that she was barren and would never bear him children. Now, all of the sudden this was all changing. Not only were they to have a child, but a son! He was to be a great prophet and turn many people to their God! Wow! It was just too much to believe and Zechariah had a hard time accepting this blessing that was more than everything he had ceased to even dream of. The implications were too great. As a result of his crisis of faith the angel struck Zechariah mute. God's will didn't change. None of the things foretold changed or were prevented from happening. Only Zechariah's witness suffered. If we are to seek the Almighty God we are liable to come across extraordinary events and even be invited into some them. Are we sure enough of God to follow where He leads even though we know we aren't up to it. Go ahead and make up your mind now. It will happen.
Lord God, give me the heart and faith to say, "So be it." when You reveal your will for me. Amen.
It is a mistake to question when we are clearly confronted by what we know to be His will.
As Christians we seek to know our Lord and to live in His ways. We are looking for he truth and His light. We are on a never ending quest for Him. Often though, when He reveals Himself to us we falter and question what we see. The angel Gabriel's announcement of God's will for Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth seemed too great, too much to believe. Zechariah asked, "How will I know that this is so?" He already knew it was true. Zechariah had no doubt that he was speaking with an angel in the sanctuary of the Lord. He was terrified! He and his wife had long since resigned themselves to the fact that she was barren and would never bear him children. Now, all of the sudden this was all changing. Not only were they to have a child, but a son! He was to be a great prophet and turn many people to their God! Wow! It was just too much to believe and Zechariah had a hard time accepting this blessing that was more than everything he had ceased to even dream of. The implications were too great. As a result of his crisis of faith the angel struck Zechariah mute. God's will didn't change. None of the things foretold changed or were prevented from happening. Only Zechariah's witness suffered. If we are to seek the Almighty God we are liable to come across extraordinary events and even be invited into some them. Are we sure enough of God to follow where He leads even though we know we aren't up to it. Go ahead and make up your mind now. It will happen.
Lord God, give me the heart and faith to say, "So be it." when You reveal your will for me. Amen.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Holy and the Common
Revelation 22:14-15 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. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Ezekiel 42:8 When they placed their threshold beside my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they were defiling my holy name by their abominations that they committed; therefore I have consumed them in my anger.
Ezekiel 44:23 They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
There is a separation between God and sin, between God and those who sin. We who are saved by faith through grace are well served to remember this and to maintain a reverent fear of the Lord God. We must know, recognize and respect the difference between the common (us) and the holy (Him).
The relationship between God and his human creation has been a rocky one. My relationship with the Lord has also been like that. I have either been so successful that I didn't need Him(Thanks, but I've got it God) or so guilty and humiliated that I dared not approach Him (Please don't look at me). On more than one occasion, when I was sufficiently humbled, He has approached me and offered me grace that I could never have worked up the nerve to ask for. He wants to be my God. He wants to lead me through eternity. He wants to be known by me. He is willing to sacrifice Himself and justice so that I can hold my head high and follow in his ways. That doesn't make us buddies though. The above scripture from Ezekiel 43 tells of one occasion when His people became too comfortable with the Holy God Almighty and began to treat His temple as there home. The line was blurred and the holy became common. They forgot who and what they were dealing with. We can't afford to make this same mistake in our walk with Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen, God of gods and King of kings. His love for us doesn't make any of that less true. There must always be a tension between our love for and our reverent fear of Him. As with all things, He will guide us in this relationship if we ask Him with humility. He is our God, we are His people. So be it.
Ezekiel 42:8 When they placed their threshold beside my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they were defiling my holy name by their abominations that they committed; therefore I have consumed them in my anger.
Ezekiel 44:23 They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.
There is a separation between God and sin, between God and those who sin. We who are saved by faith through grace are well served to remember this and to maintain a reverent fear of the Lord God. We must know, recognize and respect the difference between the common (us) and the holy (Him).
The relationship between God and his human creation has been a rocky one. My relationship with the Lord has also been like that. I have either been so successful that I didn't need Him(Thanks, but I've got it God) or so guilty and humiliated that I dared not approach Him (Please don't look at me). On more than one occasion, when I was sufficiently humbled, He has approached me and offered me grace that I could never have worked up the nerve to ask for. He wants to be my God. He wants to lead me through eternity. He wants to be known by me. He is willing to sacrifice Himself and justice so that I can hold my head high and follow in his ways. That doesn't make us buddies though. The above scripture from Ezekiel 43 tells of one occasion when His people became too comfortable with the Holy God Almighty and began to treat His temple as there home. The line was blurred and the holy became common. They forgot who and what they were dealing with. We can't afford to make this same mistake in our walk with Him. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen, God of gods and King of kings. His love for us doesn't make any of that less true. There must always be a tension between our love for and our reverent fear of Him. As with all things, He will guide us in this relationship if we ask Him with humility. He is our God, we are His people. So be it.
Dear Lord, please help me to remember who and what I am; a fallen and sinful man. Thank you for the grace and love you have shown me. You have lifted me up and made me an heir to the life everlasting. May my love for you ever grow and my awe of you never diminish. Amen.
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