"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5: 1-5
There are times when I ask my kids to do something they would rather not do, if they were to have their own choice in the matter. I will ask them to get off of the video games, or eat their vegetables, or read a book, or to go to bed at a set and reasonable time. All of these necessary demands (and others like them) are ones a parent often makes of their kids. And though the child may not want to do them, or see the merit in them - the parents are actually imposing these directions upon them with some foresight.
I ask them to turn off the video games, because I want them to stay active and be healthy. I ask them to eat their vegetables, because they are a necessary fuel for the human body to operate properly, I want them to live for a long time. I ask them to read a book, because reading while young is one of the keys to intelligence and school performance, and excellent school performance will lead them to be able to choose pretty well any vocation they want. I ask them to go to bed at a regular bed time, because sleep is important for a kids physical growth and mental acuity, in order to do their best and be healthy they need their rest.
You see, all of these directions must be endured by our kids. In fact many of them would call these things suffering at the time - at least that is certainly what the face indicates as the broccoli hits the tongue. Yet we put our kids through these "sufferings" because as parents we are not in the short term business of merely pleasing our kids, but in the long term business of preparing our kids for a successful and godly life.
I think this is what Paul was getting at when he bluntly states that "we also glory in our suffering." Whatever our suffering may be called at the time, the last thing we want to do is glory in it. Suffering is not enjoyable or pleasing after all. How could we possibly glory in it?
Well, Paul would encourage us to look at the long term consequences of suffering, rather than whether or not it pleases us in the short term. Since as Christians, we have peace with God and we can safely boast in the hope of future glory - suffering should never be perceived as punishment from God. Looking down the road our suffering produces perseverance - a sticktoitiveness in which the Christian pushes through the suffering, and keeps on going armed with the strength given by Christ. It's a never give up attitude. And when one has this type of godly perseverance, one's character is shaped and established - this means your actions and life are becoming more and more holy, reflective of the character of Christ. An approved character assures one that God is working in their life, shaping them and honing them according to His will. And this character produces hope - hope is the assurance that at the end of it all, everything is going to work out glorious for the believer.
In other words, we are not asked to endure suffering as a form of punishment, we are asked to endure suffering with the hopes of it helping to shape us into righteous children of God.
So, when we are stuck in the midst of a suffering situation, Paul tries to encourage us to look past the immediate discomfort towards the sure hope of our salvation in Christ.
No more need for that "broccoli" face...
Be God's, Scott
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Listen Up
"Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Psalm 95: 7-11
My son is studying French right now in school. I always kind of liked French when I was in school, so as I was helping him study his verbs for an upcoming test last night, I was secretly delighting in what little knowledge of the language I have retained. One of the verbs he is learning is the verb "ecouter." This verb gave me pause of thought, because I could not remember if it meant "to listen" or "to hear." The verb "entendre" was the French verb for the other one. Now, you may think to yourself, what's the big deal - "to listen" and "to hear" are essentially the same action...Well, not really (at least in the French language.
I was reminded by my son that ecouter means to listen, and entendre means to hear. To hear (entendre) means to audibly take note of a sound - for an example - I hear thunder of in the distance, or, I hear a baby crying. It is plain and simple, sensing a sound. To listen (ecouter) is a much deeper and more intimate action - it means to not only to hear a sound, but also to engage in communication with the sound. For example - I listened very carefully to the game instructions, or I am listening to the weather forecast. With listening or ecouter, there is a level of interaction with the noise.
Sometimes parents wonder if their kids simply hear their voice (kind of like the brass horn vibrato of the adults in Charlie Brown), but don't really listen to what they have said, when the kids once again disobey. It's one thing to hear a sound, it's another altogether to engage and respond to it.
Are you a listener or a hearer of God? God wants us to listen to Him, and not to simply hear Him.
God says in Psalm 95, "Today, if only you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
God is speaking to us all the time - primarily through His Word, the Bible. Many of us hear the Word of God for our lives - whether in church, through personal reading, or sometimes even songs. We have heard it well enough over the years to recognize it, and to easily identify its content. For many, His voice is a distinct sound - we know what He is calling us to do and to be. The sound of His voice carries with it a call to obedience.
The reality is that until we obey the voice of God and live it out in our life - we will only ever be hearers of God. To listen to God is to obey God - to do that which He asks us to do. We must not harden our hearts - or as I like to put it - tune God out (or relegate His voice to background noise in our life). His voice demands preeminence and our obedient response.
Lord God, teach me how to be a better listener to your voice...
Be God's, Scott
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’” Psalm 95: 7-11
My son is studying French right now in school. I always kind of liked French when I was in school, so as I was helping him study his verbs for an upcoming test last night, I was secretly delighting in what little knowledge of the language I have retained. One of the verbs he is learning is the verb "ecouter." This verb gave me pause of thought, because I could not remember if it meant "to listen" or "to hear." The verb "entendre" was the French verb for the other one. Now, you may think to yourself, what's the big deal - "to listen" and "to hear" are essentially the same action...Well, not really (at least in the French language.
I was reminded by my son that ecouter means to listen, and entendre means to hear. To hear (entendre) means to audibly take note of a sound - for an example - I hear thunder of in the distance, or, I hear a baby crying. It is plain and simple, sensing a sound. To listen (ecouter) is a much deeper and more intimate action - it means to not only to hear a sound, but also to engage in communication with the sound. For example - I listened very carefully to the game instructions, or I am listening to the weather forecast. With listening or ecouter, there is a level of interaction with the noise.
Sometimes parents wonder if their kids simply hear their voice (kind of like the brass horn vibrato of the adults in Charlie Brown), but don't really listen to what they have said, when the kids once again disobey. It's one thing to hear a sound, it's another altogether to engage and respond to it.
Are you a listener or a hearer of God? God wants us to listen to Him, and not to simply hear Him.
God says in Psalm 95, "Today, if only you would hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
God is speaking to us all the time - primarily through His Word, the Bible. Many of us hear the Word of God for our lives - whether in church, through personal reading, or sometimes even songs. We have heard it well enough over the years to recognize it, and to easily identify its content. For many, His voice is a distinct sound - we know what He is calling us to do and to be. The sound of His voice carries with it a call to obedience.
The reality is that until we obey the voice of God and live it out in our life - we will only ever be hearers of God. To listen to God is to obey God - to do that which He asks us to do. We must not harden our hearts - or as I like to put it - tune God out (or relegate His voice to background noise in our life). His voice demands preeminence and our obedient response.
Lord God, teach me how to be a better listener to your voice...
Be God's, Scott
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
What have you done for me lately
1 "Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95: 1-5
One of the terms I often like to use to describe this peculiar society that we live in, is to call it a "what have you done for me lately" culture. What I intend to say with this moniker is that we tend to treat people on the basis of how well (and how recently) have they serviced us. It's really a poke on our individualistic and selfish mindset, that encourages us to see everything and everyone created and ordered for the express purpose of meeting our felt needs.
I mean, marriage relationship of seven years not quite operating with the same romantic passion as that first year? Not loving me with that same initial fervor? Time for this thing to end - what have you done for me lately?
Presidents and Prime Ministers (and every politician in between) are judged by individuals on the basis of how their decisions and policies have affected me, personally (never mind the big picture). The fortunes of politicians rise and fall on the whims of this simple question...what have you done for me lately?
Even movie stars and athletes who were once beloved, sooner or later find themselves on the wrong end of public affection, when they either make a mistake or simply stop giving us what we want...what have you done for me lately?
I wonder if this mindset does not trickle into our relationship with God as well - especially with our praise and worship. Do we tend to praise God only we perceive He is doing something for us? Say for example, when He heals us from an illness, or when He gives us a good crop...But then hold back our praise when we perceive Him to be silent or not serving us - maybe when things aren't going so well? Is our relationship with God (in particular our attitude in offering worship) predicated on what God has done or not done for us? What have you done for me lately, God?
What I like about this Psalm, and it is a good bit of reality for our self-centered existence, is that our Worship of God should not depend on anything God has or has not done (and it certainly has nothing to do with us!).
The reason that we are to praise God continually, sings the Psalmist, is because of who He is. "For He is the Great God - the Great King above all gods." Worship should never revolve around us and our felt needs - worship is always about the very nature and character of our unchanging God. He who holds the universe that He created in the palm of His hand. He who is awesome in power, and unending in love. He who has always existed in beautiful splendor. He is worthy of our praise!
Really, wouldn't our society be a much more pleasing place to live if we became a "what have WE done for HIM lately" kind of culture?
Be God's, Scott
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95: 1-5
One of the terms I often like to use to describe this peculiar society that we live in, is to call it a "what have you done for me lately" culture. What I intend to say with this moniker is that we tend to treat people on the basis of how well (and how recently) have they serviced us. It's really a poke on our individualistic and selfish mindset, that encourages us to see everything and everyone created and ordered for the express purpose of meeting our felt needs.
I mean, marriage relationship of seven years not quite operating with the same romantic passion as that first year? Not loving me with that same initial fervor? Time for this thing to end - what have you done for me lately?
Presidents and Prime Ministers (and every politician in between) are judged by individuals on the basis of how their decisions and policies have affected me, personally (never mind the big picture). The fortunes of politicians rise and fall on the whims of this simple question...what have you done for me lately?
Even movie stars and athletes who were once beloved, sooner or later find themselves on the wrong end of public affection, when they either make a mistake or simply stop giving us what we want...what have you done for me lately?
I wonder if this mindset does not trickle into our relationship with God as well - especially with our praise and worship. Do we tend to praise God only we perceive He is doing something for us? Say for example, when He heals us from an illness, or when He gives us a good crop...But then hold back our praise when we perceive Him to be silent or not serving us - maybe when things aren't going so well? Is our relationship with God (in particular our attitude in offering worship) predicated on what God has done or not done for us? What have you done for me lately, God?
What I like about this Psalm, and it is a good bit of reality for our self-centered existence, is that our Worship of God should not depend on anything God has or has not done (and it certainly has nothing to do with us!).
The reason that we are to praise God continually, sings the Psalmist, is because of who He is. "For He is the Great God - the Great King above all gods." Worship should never revolve around us and our felt needs - worship is always about the very nature and character of our unchanging God. He who holds the universe that He created in the palm of His hand. He who is awesome in power, and unending in love. He who has always existed in beautiful splendor. He is worthy of our praise!
Really, wouldn't our society be a much more pleasing place to live if we became a "what have WE done for HIM lately" kind of culture?
Be God's, Scott
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tough Times
"The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”" Exodus 17: 1-4
So there was the entire nation of Israel, in the middle of a desert wilderness. They had only recently departed a life of slavery and captivity in Egypt, from which God had miraculously delivered them, only to set them on the way to the promised land of Canaan. This journey was to take 40 years, though at the time of this story they did not know it - in fact, they had only really just begun their journey. Not entirely unexpectedly, the people of Israel found themselves to be thirsty, with a source of water to quench that thirst sorely lacking in the middle of the desert...so they let their leader have it.
"Give us water to drink!" "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt only to let us, our kids and our livestock die of thirst!"
Things became difficult, and their faith unraveled. In fact, it immediately turned into complaint, and uncalled for accusation. They did more than just whine about the difficulty of their present situation, they accused Moses of rescuing them only to kill them all in the desert - either as some nefarious evil genius, or an absolutely incompetent leader. Moses realized the truth of their complaint and accusation though...it was not really against him, it was against God himself. God, after all, was the one who delivered them from Egypt and gave them the future promise of entering the promised land. In fact God had already miraculously provided for them on their journey! He turned the Red Sea into dry land to ease their escape, He directed their journey himself with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, and He even already provided food for them to survive with Manna and Quail...yet, they complained and accused.
How easily the Israelites lost their faith in God's providence, when a little bump entered into their journey. How soon they forgot the loving care that their LORD had already provided.
But, thankfully we are nothing like the Israelites...right? I mean, we never lose our faith in God's providence when a little bump upsets our reality. We never forget the many times that God lovingly cared for us in the past without fail.
OK, so maybe we are all a little bit like the Israelites at times - when the going gets tough, the tough start complaining.
Maybe you are in a desert place right now, thirsting out of necessity and not knowing where or when your thirst will be quenched. Whatever your difficulty, know this for certain - the LORD your God is with you. He has provided you with everything you've ever needed, exactly when you needed it in the past, and He will continue to do so in the future.
Tough times never last, because God is everlasting...
Be God's, Scott
So there was the entire nation of Israel, in the middle of a desert wilderness. They had only recently departed a life of slavery and captivity in Egypt, from which God had miraculously delivered them, only to set them on the way to the promised land of Canaan. This journey was to take 40 years, though at the time of this story they did not know it - in fact, they had only really just begun their journey. Not entirely unexpectedly, the people of Israel found themselves to be thirsty, with a source of water to quench that thirst sorely lacking in the middle of the desert...so they let their leader have it.
"Give us water to drink!" "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt only to let us, our kids and our livestock die of thirst!"
Things became difficult, and their faith unraveled. In fact, it immediately turned into complaint, and uncalled for accusation. They did more than just whine about the difficulty of their present situation, they accused Moses of rescuing them only to kill them all in the desert - either as some nefarious evil genius, or an absolutely incompetent leader. Moses realized the truth of their complaint and accusation though...it was not really against him, it was against God himself. God, after all, was the one who delivered them from Egypt and gave them the future promise of entering the promised land. In fact God had already miraculously provided for them on their journey! He turned the Red Sea into dry land to ease their escape, He directed their journey himself with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, and He even already provided food for them to survive with Manna and Quail...yet, they complained and accused.
How easily the Israelites lost their faith in God's providence, when a little bump entered into their journey. How soon they forgot the loving care that their LORD had already provided.
But, thankfully we are nothing like the Israelites...right? I mean, we never lose our faith in God's providence when a little bump upsets our reality. We never forget the many times that God lovingly cared for us in the past without fail.
OK, so maybe we are all a little bit like the Israelites at times - when the going gets tough, the tough start complaining.
Maybe you are in a desert place right now, thirsting out of necessity and not knowing where or when your thirst will be quenched. Whatever your difficulty, know this for certain - the LORD your God is with you. He has provided you with everything you've ever needed, exactly when you needed it in the past, and He will continue to do so in the future.
Tough times never last, because God is everlasting...
Be God's, Scott
Friday, March 25, 2011
Born Again
"Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." John 3: 3-5
"Born again" has somehow become more than it is. It has in some regards become a branded noun of the fundamentalist used as a dividing rod in our culture. In fact, the title "born again christian" is about as redundant as you can get. I'm not sure Jesus ever intended it to be a noun. I see it is a verb - An action required of us and done by the Spirit through the work of Jesus.
The Kingdom of God is the place where God dwells and reigns with his beautiful love and justice. It is the place where salvation is found and lived out in community right now, and it is the place of eternal bliss yet to come. Jesus' simple gospel call from the beginning was "repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near." To be sure, the Kingdom of God is the place that God created and designed us to live and move and have our being - all in and under the Lordship of Jesus. Our functional purpose as created humans is to live in the Kingdom of God - to glorify and enjoy Him forever. We will never truly be joyful or at peace until we enter into this Kingdom.
Unfortunately, our sin has barred us from entering into this perfect delight that was prepared for us - for what can sin have to do with God's holiness. The Kingdom of God remains elusive to any still enslaved to their sins. In fact Jesus says not only can one not enter it, but one cannot even see it.
There is only one way to see and enter into our home with Christ...Jesus says we must be born again. Not a physical re-birth, as Nicodemus wrongly assumes, but a Spiritual re-birth -one in which the sinful nature that we were originally born with dies, only to be regenerated unto new life, righteous and perfect. This type of re-birth happens on the inside, and cannot be seen or detected by even the finest physicians, but does eventually manifest itself in holy actions. It is the Spiritual re-birth (or regeneration) that is necessary for any of us to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Thankfully, the very one who spoke these words, laid down His life on the cross, and in so doing crucified our sinful natures with Him. His resurrection three days later enables us through faith, to be similarly raised from spiritual death.
The work of Jesus allows us to rightly be born again. The work of Jesus allows us not only to see the Kingdom of God, but to enter into the rest of His presence as well.
Thanks be to God, that He did not leave us to die in our sins, but that, out of His great love for us, gave us the means to be born again!
Be God's, Scott
"Born again" has somehow become more than it is. It has in some regards become a branded noun of the fundamentalist used as a dividing rod in our culture. In fact, the title "born again christian" is about as redundant as you can get. I'm not sure Jesus ever intended it to be a noun. I see it is a verb - An action required of us and done by the Spirit through the work of Jesus.
The Kingdom of God is the place where God dwells and reigns with his beautiful love and justice. It is the place where salvation is found and lived out in community right now, and it is the place of eternal bliss yet to come. Jesus' simple gospel call from the beginning was "repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near." To be sure, the Kingdom of God is the place that God created and designed us to live and move and have our being - all in and under the Lordship of Jesus. Our functional purpose as created humans is to live in the Kingdom of God - to glorify and enjoy Him forever. We will never truly be joyful or at peace until we enter into this Kingdom.
Unfortunately, our sin has barred us from entering into this perfect delight that was prepared for us - for what can sin have to do with God's holiness. The Kingdom of God remains elusive to any still enslaved to their sins. In fact Jesus says not only can one not enter it, but one cannot even see it.
There is only one way to see and enter into our home with Christ...Jesus says we must be born again. Not a physical re-birth, as Nicodemus wrongly assumes, but a Spiritual re-birth -one in which the sinful nature that we were originally born with dies, only to be regenerated unto new life, righteous and perfect. This type of re-birth happens on the inside, and cannot be seen or detected by even the finest physicians, but does eventually manifest itself in holy actions. It is the Spiritual re-birth (or regeneration) that is necessary for any of us to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Thankfully, the very one who spoke these words, laid down His life on the cross, and in so doing crucified our sinful natures with Him. His resurrection three days later enables us through faith, to be similarly raised from spiritual death.
The work of Jesus allows us to rightly be born again. The work of Jesus allows us not only to see the Kingdom of God, but to enter into the rest of His presence as well.
Thanks be to God, that He did not leave us to die in our sins, but that, out of His great love for us, gave us the means to be born again!
Be God's, Scott
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Camping
"After six days, Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John, his brother and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then, appearing before them was Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three tents - one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Matthew 17: 1-4
Have you ever had one of those rare and beautiful transcendent moments in your life when you really knew, felt and sensed the awesome, loving presence of Jesus? I mean, really experienced it - to the point of being overwhelmed and awed - so much so that there was never any doubt that God was real, God was immense, and God loved you.
I have been blessed on occasion in my life to have had God explode into my ordinary existence. I have had mountain top experiences of drinking deeply from Jesus' awesome presence, and quite frankly, there is nothing quite like it. I remember wishing that the feeling and experience could have lasted forever...
Peter, James and John were blessed with an awesome experience - before their eyes, up on the mountain top, Jesus, (for a brief moment) stripped back His humanity to reveal the entirety of His godly nature. He face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as bright as a white light, and then to top it off - Moses and Elijah (long dead rocks of the Hebrew faith) stepped out into the open and began talking with Jesus! Jesus blessed the three disciples with a private and personal glimpse at the awesome extent of His almighty holiness - and they were left with an indelible experience. Can you imagine, being there intimately with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, in full view of all that makes God great?
Is it any wonder that Peter's first response was to pitch some tents and camp for a while on the mountain? Peter wanted some permanency to this experience. Tents would surely allow this mountaintop experience with Jesus to keep on going.
But alas, for Peter, James and John, the transcendent mountaintop experience was not to last. Jesus had work in the world of the ordinary for them to be about.
Although I strongly desire to experience these mountaintop moments with Jesus as much as I possibly can - Jesus also has work for me to be about in the valleys. I will have eternity to "camp" with Him and bask in His presence. Until then, I will be content and grateful for the little glimpses of glory that I get, and let them encourage and embolden me for my work amidst the ordinary.
Be God's, Scott
Have you ever had one of those rare and beautiful transcendent moments in your life when you really knew, felt and sensed the awesome, loving presence of Jesus? I mean, really experienced it - to the point of being overwhelmed and awed - so much so that there was never any doubt that God was real, God was immense, and God loved you.
I have been blessed on occasion in my life to have had God explode into my ordinary existence. I have had mountain top experiences of drinking deeply from Jesus' awesome presence, and quite frankly, there is nothing quite like it. I remember wishing that the feeling and experience could have lasted forever...
Peter, James and John were blessed with an awesome experience - before their eyes, up on the mountain top, Jesus, (for a brief moment) stripped back His humanity to reveal the entirety of His godly nature. He face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as bright as a white light, and then to top it off - Moses and Elijah (long dead rocks of the Hebrew faith) stepped out into the open and began talking with Jesus! Jesus blessed the three disciples with a private and personal glimpse at the awesome extent of His almighty holiness - and they were left with an indelible experience. Can you imagine, being there intimately with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, in full view of all that makes God great?
Is it any wonder that Peter's first response was to pitch some tents and camp for a while on the mountain? Peter wanted some permanency to this experience. Tents would surely allow this mountaintop experience with Jesus to keep on going.
But alas, for Peter, James and John, the transcendent mountaintop experience was not to last. Jesus had work in the world of the ordinary for them to be about.
Although I strongly desire to experience these mountaintop moments with Jesus as much as I possibly can - Jesus also has work for me to be about in the valleys. I will have eternity to "camp" with Him and bask in His presence. Until then, I will be content and grateful for the little glimpses of glory that I get, and let them encourage and embolden me for my work amidst the ordinary.
Be God's, Scott
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Help Is On The Way
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121: 1-2
After dinner last night, as I was just beginning to enjoy my book, my son popped his head in and said, "Um Dad, my laptop is doing something weird, can you come and fix it for me?" My love of my son overcame my laconic after dinner haze, and I got up and went to the kitchen to check it out. Now, I know a little bit about computers, but not nearly enough to consider myself as any sort true help to anyone. However, what little I do know can be illuminated by the online support people and available FAQ's.
I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out why the battery on my son's year old laptop was dead and unchargeable. I went to the manual. I plinked around with the preloaded computer applications in order to test it. I went to online forums, FAQ's, and the HP website support. I went everywhere I could think of going, and quite frankly I wasn't getting anywhere. I distinctly remember thinking aloud..."what I really need is Bill Gates to walk through that door and tell me what the problem is." Well, Bill never came to help, but I did eventually read enough to figure out that my son needed a new $30 battery.
Have you ever thought that before when frustrated and in need of help? If only the expert, the one who invented this thing, could walk in and show me what to do!
Computer troubles are the least of our worries, aren't they? Batteries and error messages pale in comparison to the difficulties that routinely pop up in our life. We cry out for help in the midst of our helplessness when someone close to us dies unexpectedly...when we lose our job...when we receive a debilitating illness or injury...when a natural disaster takes away our home...when an intimate relationship is on the tipping point of ending...when our addictions threaten us anew.
When you are in need of help - to whom do you direct your cry? Where does your help come from?
I have faith that the Lord will answer my cry, swoop in, and give me exactly the help I need in any given situation. After all, He says He will in His word, and who am I to question God's word?
And why shouldn't He? He is the maker of heaven and earth - in other words, the almighty expert on everything and anything to do with life in this universe. He has the ability to handle and help any of our problems because He is greater than all of them - He is the maker of all things!
Who are we to fret or despair in our troubles? Why should we ever let them overtake us? All we need to do is to cry out for the maker of life.
Our help comes from Him.
Be God's, Scott
After dinner last night, as I was just beginning to enjoy my book, my son popped his head in and said, "Um Dad, my laptop is doing something weird, can you come and fix it for me?" My love of my son overcame my laconic after dinner haze, and I got up and went to the kitchen to check it out. Now, I know a little bit about computers, but not nearly enough to consider myself as any sort true help to anyone. However, what little I do know can be illuminated by the online support people and available FAQ's.
I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out why the battery on my son's year old laptop was dead and unchargeable. I went to the manual. I plinked around with the preloaded computer applications in order to test it. I went to online forums, FAQ's, and the HP website support. I went everywhere I could think of going, and quite frankly I wasn't getting anywhere. I distinctly remember thinking aloud..."what I really need is Bill Gates to walk through that door and tell me what the problem is." Well, Bill never came to help, but I did eventually read enough to figure out that my son needed a new $30 battery.
Have you ever thought that before when frustrated and in need of help? If only the expert, the one who invented this thing, could walk in and show me what to do!
Computer troubles are the least of our worries, aren't they? Batteries and error messages pale in comparison to the difficulties that routinely pop up in our life. We cry out for help in the midst of our helplessness when someone close to us dies unexpectedly...when we lose our job...when we receive a debilitating illness or injury...when a natural disaster takes away our home...when an intimate relationship is on the tipping point of ending...when our addictions threaten us anew.
When you are in need of help - to whom do you direct your cry? Where does your help come from?
I have faith that the Lord will answer my cry, swoop in, and give me exactly the help I need in any given situation. After all, He says He will in His word, and who am I to question God's word?
And why shouldn't He? He is the maker of heaven and earth - in other words, the almighty expert on everything and anything to do with life in this universe. He has the ability to handle and help any of our problems because He is greater than all of them - He is the maker of all things!
Who are we to fret or despair in our troubles? Why should we ever let them overtake us? All we need to do is to cry out for the maker of life.
Our help comes from Him.
Be God's, Scott
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
kneel
"I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12: 2-3
God's covenant with Abram is filled with the language and promise of blessing.
The Hebrew word for blessing is Barak (yes, that is what President Obama's name means), and when you look at the etymology of this Hebrew word - it literally means "to kneel." In the Old Testament sense of the word, a blessing was something of value given graciously from one of power and authority to someone of lower standing. This blessing was a public declaration of favor, and endowed the recipient with power for prosperity and success. It was clearly a wonderful thing to receive a blessing - and since it was a gift and favor that one truly did not deserve or earn, it was traditionally received by humbly kneeling and accepting.
One receives a blessing by humbly kneeling.
Abram received wonderful unmerited blessings from God - the promise of land, descendants, and future blessings from God and others. All of these Abram humbled knelt and received, for who could imagine anything better than receiving a blessing from God himself! God loves to bestow blessings upon His children because He wants the world to know His love, His peace, His joy, and His faithfulness. Now, did you notice why God gave Abram these blessings? There was a reason or purpose behind the gifts...
Abram received these blessings so that through them, he might be a blessing to all of the families on the earth. Abram was blessed in order to be a blessing to others. This is the simple motive behind God, in His good pleasure blessing us - He wants us to use whatever blessing He has given us in order to bless others. Our blessings from God are not to be hoarded or used only for personal pleasure, or selfish gain - but in humble thanksgiving seeking out others to bless.
What might this blessing of others look like?
Just as we received our blessings from God on our knees, we also ought to offer to bless the world on our knees. We truly bless the world, when we humble ourselves before them and become their servant. We were fully given our blessings through Jesus, about whom it is said, "He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Eph. 1:3 This same Jesus, gracefully gave us these rich blessings by humbling Himself, even to death on a cross. Jesus became a suffering servant to give us our heavenly blessings, and as He does so, He says, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:15
We are called to bless the world by humbly serving them - one gives a blessing by humbly kneeling.
Be God's, Scott
God's covenant with Abram is filled with the language and promise of blessing.
The Hebrew word for blessing is Barak (yes, that is what President Obama's name means), and when you look at the etymology of this Hebrew word - it literally means "to kneel." In the Old Testament sense of the word, a blessing was something of value given graciously from one of power and authority to someone of lower standing. This blessing was a public declaration of favor, and endowed the recipient with power for prosperity and success. It was clearly a wonderful thing to receive a blessing - and since it was a gift and favor that one truly did not deserve or earn, it was traditionally received by humbly kneeling and accepting.
One receives a blessing by humbly kneeling.
Abram received wonderful unmerited blessings from God - the promise of land, descendants, and future blessings from God and others. All of these Abram humbled knelt and received, for who could imagine anything better than receiving a blessing from God himself! God loves to bestow blessings upon His children because He wants the world to know His love, His peace, His joy, and His faithfulness. Now, did you notice why God gave Abram these blessings? There was a reason or purpose behind the gifts...
Abram received these blessings so that through them, he might be a blessing to all of the families on the earth. Abram was blessed in order to be a blessing to others. This is the simple motive behind God, in His good pleasure blessing us - He wants us to use whatever blessing He has given us in order to bless others. Our blessings from God are not to be hoarded or used only for personal pleasure, or selfish gain - but in humble thanksgiving seeking out others to bless.
What might this blessing of others look like?
Just as we received our blessings from God on our knees, we also ought to offer to bless the world on our knees. We truly bless the world, when we humble ourselves before them and become their servant. We were fully given our blessings through Jesus, about whom it is said, "He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Eph. 1:3 This same Jesus, gracefully gave us these rich blessings by humbling Himself, even to death on a cross. Jesus became a suffering servant to give us our heavenly blessings, and as He does so, He says, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:15
We are called to bless the world by humbly serving them - one gives a blessing by humbly kneeling.
Be God's, Scott
Monday, March 21, 2011
Leave and Go
"The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you"...So Abram went, as the LORD had told him." Genesis 12: 1,4
Human sin had ravaged God's relationship with His beloved creation. Humanity, in its pride and depravity, had separated themselves from their creator. Prior to the great flood, God had found only one righteous person in the world, Noah, that convinced Him not to wipe out all of His work. And then not too long after the second chance shown by God to His creation through Noah, humanity again led by the nose of their sinful nature, constructed the tower of Babel in a futile attempt to gain equality with God.
In spite of humanity's constant efforts at thumbing their collective noses at God's grace, lordship, and love - God's love for humanity never ceased. Even though by all rights He really should have wiped the slate clean with us and started anew - His faithfulness and patience know no end.
God had a plan for the redemption of humanity, in fact, it was a plan for the redemption of all of His creation. And God's plan began with one man, who was asked to obey in faith a rather large askance.
Leave your country...leave your family...leave your house - everything you know, everybody you know, the only life you have ever known - and go to a land I will show you. Not even a specific destination. Just, leave and go. Keep walking in the direction I point you, until I tell you to stop, then you will be there.
But where is there, God? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
But what am I to do when I get there? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
But what about my family and life? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
The redemption of the entirety of creation depended on one man being willing to drop everything, and to leave and go when God asked Him to. Surprisingly, Abram went as the LORD told him to. I say surprisingly because I wonder if I would have left and gone.
I mean, am I the only one who is blown away by Abram's faith and trust in God here. Surely he should have at least asked for a little more information before making his decision right. I often have a hard enough time obeying God in faith for simple things in my life - let alone one in which He calls you away from family, friends and lifestyle to only He knows where.
Abram's trust and faith - his willingness to leave and go - challenges us to do likewise whenever God asks us, no matter what He may ask of us. The simple lesson here is that when God calls you to do anything for Him according to His plan, He will always do His part...He will never leave us hanging, let us down, or spurn our trust with unfaithfulness. If Abram can rightly trust God in this huge choice, surely we are able to leave and go when God calls us amidst the small and simple choices that challenge us in everyday life.
God used the faith of Abram to execute His great plan of redemption for His creation...I wonder what He might be able to accomplish through you and me if we but choose to leave and go in faith when He asks...
Be God's, Scott
Human sin had ravaged God's relationship with His beloved creation. Humanity, in its pride and depravity, had separated themselves from their creator. Prior to the great flood, God had found only one righteous person in the world, Noah, that convinced Him not to wipe out all of His work. And then not too long after the second chance shown by God to His creation through Noah, humanity again led by the nose of their sinful nature, constructed the tower of Babel in a futile attempt to gain equality with God.
In spite of humanity's constant efforts at thumbing their collective noses at God's grace, lordship, and love - God's love for humanity never ceased. Even though by all rights He really should have wiped the slate clean with us and started anew - His faithfulness and patience know no end.
God had a plan for the redemption of humanity, in fact, it was a plan for the redemption of all of His creation. And God's plan began with one man, who was asked to obey in faith a rather large askance.
Leave your country...leave your family...leave your house - everything you know, everybody you know, the only life you have ever known - and go to a land I will show you. Not even a specific destination. Just, leave and go. Keep walking in the direction I point you, until I tell you to stop, then you will be there.
But where is there, God? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
But what am I to do when I get there? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
But what about my family and life? Don't worry about that, just leave and go.
The redemption of the entirety of creation depended on one man being willing to drop everything, and to leave and go when God asked Him to. Surprisingly, Abram went as the LORD told him to. I say surprisingly because I wonder if I would have left and gone.
I mean, am I the only one who is blown away by Abram's faith and trust in God here. Surely he should have at least asked for a little more information before making his decision right. I often have a hard enough time obeying God in faith for simple things in my life - let alone one in which He calls you away from family, friends and lifestyle to only He knows where.
Abram's trust and faith - his willingness to leave and go - challenges us to do likewise whenever God asks us, no matter what He may ask of us. The simple lesson here is that when God calls you to do anything for Him according to His plan, He will always do His part...He will never leave us hanging, let us down, or spurn our trust with unfaithfulness. If Abram can rightly trust God in this huge choice, surely we are able to leave and go when God calls us amidst the small and simple choices that challenge us in everyday life.
God used the faith of Abram to execute His great plan of redemption for His creation...I wonder what He might be able to accomplish through you and me if we but choose to leave and go in faith when He asks...
Be God's, Scott
Friday, March 18, 2011
We are not as strong as we think we are...
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."
Matthew 4: 1-2
The human being is an amazing resilient creation. Throughout the history of the world we have shown the capacity to adapt and endure almost any and every difficulty faced. With grit, guile and inner strength, when in the face of adversity, we more often than not boldly stare it down, and push back. Our plucky survival instinct has served us well over the years - we were created to be strong and resilient.
However, as one of my favorite songsters, Rich Mullins, wrote - "we are not as strong as we think we are."
Physically speaking - I have seen some of the strongest people I have ever known felled and conquered by disease and illness. Unfortunately, no amount of inner strength, or "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" attitude had the capacity stop the onslaught of disease. Even more simple than disease - we cannot live or function very long without food, water, and sleep. Take any of these three things away for any amount of time, and tough humanity is reduced to a helpless creature.
Emotionally speaking - some are stronger than others I suppose, but even so, are we really as strong as we let on? I mean, in the face of an earth shattering relationship betrayal, or a tragic death, or an unexpected loss of income and employment - is our plucky survival instinct enough?
Then there is temptation - the sweet sirens call to sensuously indulge in disobedience to God. To willingly drink of sin in spite of its ill effects on us. If you are anything like me, the temptation is often much stronger than my resolve, and if it came down to a cosmic arm wrestle between my strength and the temptations allure...much to my shame, the temptation usually wins.
We are not as strong as we think we are...but I know of One who is stronger than our hurt, more mighty than our struggle, tougher than our tough times, and fully capable of pinning down our temptations. In fact, in our weakness, He is made strong.
Why was Jesus tempted so in the wilderness? Jesus who had never known what it is to be in need, or to struggle, or to hurt, willingly stooped down to earth, took on our humanity, and then proceeded to test the limits of the human condition. In the desert: he knew thirst, he knew hunger, he knew loneliness, he knew temptation. These things that often leave us reeling were endured by Jesus for 40 days. But why?
Empathy...
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." Hebrews 4:15
God knew that we didn't have enough strength to endure life in this sinful world on our own. He knew that we would all eventually come across stuff that was beyond our pluck and guile, and he didn't want us to have go it alone. So He walked our journey for Himself.
Jesus understands our pain, because He lived it. Jesus knows how difficult it is to survive temptation, because He survived it. Jesus, fully human, knows exactly how you feel and what you are going through. Jesus, fully God, is almighty in power and strength and able to strengthen and uplift us when we are unable to do so on our own.
Our own strength has limitations and will only take us so far...but the strength of God in Jesus Christ will surely be sufficient for all who seek it.
Thanks be to God, that although we are not as strong as we think we are - Jesus is exactly as strong as we need Him to be.
Be God's, Scott
Matthew 4: 1-2
The human being is an amazing resilient creation. Throughout the history of the world we have shown the capacity to adapt and endure almost any and every difficulty faced. With grit, guile and inner strength, when in the face of adversity, we more often than not boldly stare it down, and push back. Our plucky survival instinct has served us well over the years - we were created to be strong and resilient.
However, as one of my favorite songsters, Rich Mullins, wrote - "we are not as strong as we think we are."
Physically speaking - I have seen some of the strongest people I have ever known felled and conquered by disease and illness. Unfortunately, no amount of inner strength, or "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" attitude had the capacity stop the onslaught of disease. Even more simple than disease - we cannot live or function very long without food, water, and sleep. Take any of these three things away for any amount of time, and tough humanity is reduced to a helpless creature.
Emotionally speaking - some are stronger than others I suppose, but even so, are we really as strong as we let on? I mean, in the face of an earth shattering relationship betrayal, or a tragic death, or an unexpected loss of income and employment - is our plucky survival instinct enough?
Then there is temptation - the sweet sirens call to sensuously indulge in disobedience to God. To willingly drink of sin in spite of its ill effects on us. If you are anything like me, the temptation is often much stronger than my resolve, and if it came down to a cosmic arm wrestle between my strength and the temptations allure...much to my shame, the temptation usually wins.
We are not as strong as we think we are...but I know of One who is stronger than our hurt, more mighty than our struggle, tougher than our tough times, and fully capable of pinning down our temptations. In fact, in our weakness, He is made strong.
Why was Jesus tempted so in the wilderness? Jesus who had never known what it is to be in need, or to struggle, or to hurt, willingly stooped down to earth, took on our humanity, and then proceeded to test the limits of the human condition. In the desert: he knew thirst, he knew hunger, he knew loneliness, he knew temptation. These things that often leave us reeling were endured by Jesus for 40 days. But why?
Empathy...
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." Hebrews 4:15
God knew that we didn't have enough strength to endure life in this sinful world on our own. He knew that we would all eventually come across stuff that was beyond our pluck and guile, and he didn't want us to have go it alone. So He walked our journey for Himself.
Jesus understands our pain, because He lived it. Jesus knows how difficult it is to survive temptation, because He survived it. Jesus, fully human, knows exactly how you feel and what you are going through. Jesus, fully God, is almighty in power and strength and able to strengthen and uplift us when we are unable to do so on our own.
Our own strength has limitations and will only take us so far...but the strength of God in Jesus Christ will surely be sufficient for all who seek it.
Thanks be to God, that although we are not as strong as we think we are - Jesus is exactly as strong as we need Him to be.
Be God's, Scott
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Represent
"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" Romans 5: 17
I recently, like many of my American and Canadian friends, endured that annual rite of Spring - Tax Season. When I lived in Canada, I had the system pretty well figured out. I downloaded TurboTax and easily gave unto Caesar that which was Caesar's. Now that we have lived in the States for a bit, I must confess that I still have yet to figure out how to do my taxes for the IRS. But then again, I suppose many Americans who have lived here for years still have to figure that out.
So, I take my receipts and official documents to a special tax accountant every year, who asks me a few rote questions, and then proceeds to complete my taxes for me. She does a great job, and for me, a relatively pain free tax season.
Now, in order for my accountant to submit my tax reports off to the IRS, we have to do something technical and official. I, and my wife, have to sign a document that allows our accountant to represent our case to the IRS. Once we do that, our accountant officially speaks on our behalf, and she expertly communicates our interests with them, as if we were speaking to them ourselves. In a legal sense, she speaks for us to the US government. This is representation.
The accounting of our salvation is not so different from the accounting of my taxes. Adam, when he sinned, not only plunged himself under the curse of sin and death, he also acted as our representative. As our representative, he also plunged all of humanity under the curse of sin and death. As the scripture said, "death reigned through this one man."
Just as I am unable to account my own taxes, I am also unable to account for my own sins. My reason for not being able to account for my own taxes is incompetence...my reason for not being able to account for my own sins however is not mere incompetence - it's my sinful total inability to do anything about it. It's impossible for any person to take care of their own sins.
Thankfully, just as we had one representing us in our depravity, we also have one representing us in salvation. Jesus Christ came to account for our sins as our representative. He paid the penalty for our sins by taking our place. He represents us before God the Father as judge and declares us right and holy. The gift of righteousness comes only through faith in the one who stoops to represent us.
Thanks be to God for taking our place.
Be God's, Scott
I recently, like many of my American and Canadian friends, endured that annual rite of Spring - Tax Season. When I lived in Canada, I had the system pretty well figured out. I downloaded TurboTax and easily gave unto Caesar that which was Caesar's. Now that we have lived in the States for a bit, I must confess that I still have yet to figure out how to do my taxes for the IRS. But then again, I suppose many Americans who have lived here for years still have to figure that out.
So, I take my receipts and official documents to a special tax accountant every year, who asks me a few rote questions, and then proceeds to complete my taxes for me. She does a great job, and for me, a relatively pain free tax season.
Now, in order for my accountant to submit my tax reports off to the IRS, we have to do something technical and official. I, and my wife, have to sign a document that allows our accountant to represent our case to the IRS. Once we do that, our accountant officially speaks on our behalf, and she expertly communicates our interests with them, as if we were speaking to them ourselves. In a legal sense, she speaks for us to the US government. This is representation.
The accounting of our salvation is not so different from the accounting of my taxes. Adam, when he sinned, not only plunged himself under the curse of sin and death, he also acted as our representative. As our representative, he also plunged all of humanity under the curse of sin and death. As the scripture said, "death reigned through this one man."
Just as I am unable to account my own taxes, I am also unable to account for my own sins. My reason for not being able to account for my own taxes is incompetence...my reason for not being able to account for my own sins however is not mere incompetence - it's my sinful total inability to do anything about it. It's impossible for any person to take care of their own sins.
Thankfully, just as we had one representing us in our depravity, we also have one representing us in salvation. Jesus Christ came to account for our sins as our representative. He paid the penalty for our sins by taking our place. He represents us before God the Father as judge and declares us right and holy. The gift of righteousness comes only through faith in the one who stoops to represent us.
Thanks be to God for taking our place.
Be God's, Scott
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Duty?
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you." Psalm 32: 8-9
So, how would you describe your part in your relationship with God - as one who obeys and follows reluctantly because, really, you have to...or, as one who obeys and follows joyfully out of a loving thankful heart? Maybe somewhere in between? I think these are important questions to consider. The Scriptures seem to indicate that "why" we obey is more important even than "if" we obey. Our motives are important to God. He wants us to want to follow and obey, and not to do so begrudging out of compulsion. And really, can you blame Him?
If you were in crazy love with someone, how would you want them to respond to your love? And when I say crazy love I mean crazy love: someone that you are so in besotted with that you think about them all the time, you do whatever you can to bring them joy and contentment, you shower them with tokens of your affection, and you would protect them to the death (even if it meant giving up your own life). How would you want the object of your desire to respond to your love?
Perhaps they could send you flowers with a note attached that read, "Here are the flowers you require, I bought them for you because I had to meet your expectations." Perhaps a part of their wedding vows sounded something like this, "I will always care for you, because I am obliged to do so. I will never leave you, because that would probably make you upset." Or perhaps on the occasion of your anniversary, you are invited out for dinner with a, "well if we must go...let go and get it over with."
I am thinking that these responses just seem ridciulous right? One wants their love returned in equal intensity. One wants their affection returned in kind with heartfelt meaning and not duty.
God shows His love to us in many ways, including directing us in the way we should go in life, and by always keeping a loving protective eye on us - not to mention the greatest of these...giving up His own life for us.
How do we often respond to God's love in our relationship with Him? If you're like me, you are often like the mule in David's Psalm - needing bit and bridle to forcefully make you respond accordingly against your will. Obeying and following, but not being crazy about doing it. In fact, if you didn't feel like you had to obey God, would you still?
God wants us to want to follow and obey Him. His desire for us, is that we love Him with the same intensity as He loves us. A true joyful relationship with God comes from not only receiving His love, but responding in kind out devotion and gratitude.
Be God's, Scott
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you." Psalm 32: 8-9
So, how would you describe your part in your relationship with God - as one who obeys and follows reluctantly because, really, you have to...or, as one who obeys and follows joyfully out of a loving thankful heart? Maybe somewhere in between? I think these are important questions to consider. The Scriptures seem to indicate that "why" we obey is more important even than "if" we obey. Our motives are important to God. He wants us to want to follow and obey, and not to do so begrudging out of compulsion. And really, can you blame Him?
If you were in crazy love with someone, how would you want them to respond to your love? And when I say crazy love I mean crazy love: someone that you are so in besotted with that you think about them all the time, you do whatever you can to bring them joy and contentment, you shower them with tokens of your affection, and you would protect them to the death (even if it meant giving up your own life). How would you want the object of your desire to respond to your love?
Perhaps they could send you flowers with a note attached that read, "Here are the flowers you require, I bought them for you because I had to meet your expectations." Perhaps a part of their wedding vows sounded something like this, "I will always care for you, because I am obliged to do so. I will never leave you, because that would probably make you upset." Or perhaps on the occasion of your anniversary, you are invited out for dinner with a, "well if we must go...let go and get it over with."
I am thinking that these responses just seem ridciulous right? One wants their love returned in equal intensity. One wants their affection returned in kind with heartfelt meaning and not duty.
God shows His love to us in many ways, including directing us in the way we should go in life, and by always keeping a loving protective eye on us - not to mention the greatest of these...giving up His own life for us.
How do we often respond to God's love in our relationship with Him? If you're like me, you are often like the mule in David's Psalm - needing bit and bridle to forcefully make you respond accordingly against your will. Obeying and following, but not being crazy about doing it. In fact, if you didn't feel like you had to obey God, would you still?
God wants us to want to follow and obey Him. His desire for us, is that we love Him with the same intensity as He loves us. A true joyful relationship with God comes from not only receiving His love, but responding in kind out devotion and gratitude.
Be God's, Scott
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Pleasure Now...Pay Later
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Genesis 3: 1-7
Here we have the infamous story of the downfall of humanity - Adam and Eve plunging the good creation of God into sin and brokenness. Everything from earthquakes, tsunamis, cancer, betrayal, broken relationships, murder, injustice, war, death, famine (all of it and everything more that is wrong) can all be traced back to this very scene in Genesis.
I am not sure what was going through Eve's mind as she was deftly tempted by the serpent, but her (and Adam's) simple act of disobedience wrecked everything - and I for one am not pleased with them.
Here they were in the perfection of the Garden of Eden - paradise. They lived in perfect relational communion with their Creator. They were given the authority to work and care for the creation. There was no hurt or pain, or sickness or disease. And they were given all kinds of food to eat - in fact they could eat to their hearts content from every tree, except the one. I mean, they had EVERYTHING, and only one simple rule to adhere to - don't eat the fruit from the one tree.
Yet, that is exactly what they did. They spurned perfection, and eternal bliss with God because they just had to sample the one thing they were not to eat. It's as if for that brief moment their brains ceased to function. I am not sure what else to think about the story and why they did it. Why else would you seek a temporary forbidden pleasure, something that you know you shouldn't do, something you know will carry long term consequences...rather than simply stay the course - obey God and enjoy His perfect presence and bliss forever.
Of course, we can't relate to Adam and Eve, right? We never have moments in our lives when a temptation overwhelms our common sense. Surely we would never succumb to a sinful disobedience because it would give us a momentary bit of sensory pleasure even though we knew it would be harmful to us and carry with it negative consequences. We always choose to stay the course with God - obey Him and enjoy Him forever, don't we?
The reality is, that it is not too hard to see ourselves in this story. I would like to think that were I in their situation I would have done differently - but if I am honest with myself, I am not sure that I could say that with any sort of confidence. Much to my shame, I, all too often, choose the momentary sinful indulgence, over the eternal faithfulness to God.
Perhaps Adam and Eve are not the only ones to blame for the broken mess we find ourselves in - could it be that I too have played a part?
May God show us grace and forgiveness, and give us the strength by His Spirit to avoid temptation and choose instead, faithful obedience to Him.
Be God's, Scott
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." Genesis 3: 1-7
Here we have the infamous story of the downfall of humanity - Adam and Eve plunging the good creation of God into sin and brokenness. Everything from earthquakes, tsunamis, cancer, betrayal, broken relationships, murder, injustice, war, death, famine (all of it and everything more that is wrong) can all be traced back to this very scene in Genesis.
I am not sure what was going through Eve's mind as she was deftly tempted by the serpent, but her (and Adam's) simple act of disobedience wrecked everything - and I for one am not pleased with them.
Here they were in the perfection of the Garden of Eden - paradise. They lived in perfect relational communion with their Creator. They were given the authority to work and care for the creation. There was no hurt or pain, or sickness or disease. And they were given all kinds of food to eat - in fact they could eat to their hearts content from every tree, except the one. I mean, they had EVERYTHING, and only one simple rule to adhere to - don't eat the fruit from the one tree.
Yet, that is exactly what they did. They spurned perfection, and eternal bliss with God because they just had to sample the one thing they were not to eat. It's as if for that brief moment their brains ceased to function. I am not sure what else to think about the story and why they did it. Why else would you seek a temporary forbidden pleasure, something that you know you shouldn't do, something you know will carry long term consequences...rather than simply stay the course - obey God and enjoy His perfect presence and bliss forever.
Of course, we can't relate to Adam and Eve, right? We never have moments in our lives when a temptation overwhelms our common sense. Surely we would never succumb to a sinful disobedience because it would give us a momentary bit of sensory pleasure even though we knew it would be harmful to us and carry with it negative consequences. We always choose to stay the course with God - obey Him and enjoy Him forever, don't we?
The reality is, that it is not too hard to see ourselves in this story. I would like to think that were I in their situation I would have done differently - but if I am honest with myself, I am not sure that I could say that with any sort of confidence. Much to my shame, I, all too often, choose the momentary sinful indulgence, over the eternal faithfulness to God.
Perhaps Adam and Eve are not the only ones to blame for the broken mess we find ourselves in - could it be that I too have played a part?
May God show us grace and forgiveness, and give us the strength by His Spirit to avoid temptation and choose instead, faithful obedience to Him.
Be God's, Scott
Monday, March 14, 2011
Dirty Hands
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2: 15-17
I do not know what it is like where you live...but where I live, here in the Thousand Islands area of New York, Spring is getting all coiled up and ready to leap out. My front lawn is no longer covered in snow, and the ice covering the river is receding more and more every day. In fact, today has brought forth a warm sun, the kinds of which I have not felt in a long time. Spring is an exciting time for folks who must live through a cold, snowy winter.
My wife, the gardener, is very excited for the arrival of spring. I have caught her a number of times creeping around the muddy yard with her face bent low towards the dirt of her gardens, fervently willing the tulips and daffodils skyward. She's got that twinkle in her eyes that I see when she wants to get her hands dirty. Before you know it, she will be fully invested in pulling, digging, cultivating, planting, and tending the ground around our property.
Perhaps you are a gardener as well...some people just love the process of working and caring for the land.
Isn't it interesting that after having created Adam, and this, remember, is prior to any type of sin or fall (everything was still heavenly perfect), God proceeds to plop Adam down in the Garden of Eden with the mandate "to work it and to take care of it." Interesting to me in a couple of ways - the first of which is the fact that God created Adam from the very dirt that He was now giving him responsibility over. Adam had a special intimate relationship with the Garden that God entrusted to his care. Secondly, God evidently created Adam to work in His paradise, and He trusted and valued him enough to allow him to work alongside God in a partnership of creation care.
Of course, the mandate that God gave to Adam, He gives to us all. He defines our relationship with creation for us. We too, are to work it and care for it. Now, this does not mean that we are all to take up Gardening on a full time basis...but is does seem to mean that God has created us to be "environmentalists." In the midst of our unique connection to the earth we have been charged by God to protect and preserve the creation. I believe that this calls us, not to view the creation as a natural resource given to serve us, rather, given that we might have the blessed privilege of serving the land. And this work is what we were made for, and through it we will bring glory to God - an act of worship.
As the Lord brings forth new life once again from the barrenness of winter, may He continue to entrust us with the valuable mandate to work and care for His glorious creation.
Be God's, Scott
I do not know what it is like where you live...but where I live, here in the Thousand Islands area of New York, Spring is getting all coiled up and ready to leap out. My front lawn is no longer covered in snow, and the ice covering the river is receding more and more every day. In fact, today has brought forth a warm sun, the kinds of which I have not felt in a long time. Spring is an exciting time for folks who must live through a cold, snowy winter.
My wife, the gardener, is very excited for the arrival of spring. I have caught her a number of times creeping around the muddy yard with her face bent low towards the dirt of her gardens, fervently willing the tulips and daffodils skyward. She's got that twinkle in her eyes that I see when she wants to get her hands dirty. Before you know it, she will be fully invested in pulling, digging, cultivating, planting, and tending the ground around our property.
Perhaps you are a gardener as well...some people just love the process of working and caring for the land.
Isn't it interesting that after having created Adam, and this, remember, is prior to any type of sin or fall (everything was still heavenly perfect), God proceeds to plop Adam down in the Garden of Eden with the mandate "to work it and to take care of it." Interesting to me in a couple of ways - the first of which is the fact that God created Adam from the very dirt that He was now giving him responsibility over. Adam had a special intimate relationship with the Garden that God entrusted to his care. Secondly, God evidently created Adam to work in His paradise, and He trusted and valued him enough to allow him to work alongside God in a partnership of creation care.
Of course, the mandate that God gave to Adam, He gives to us all. He defines our relationship with creation for us. We too, are to work it and care for it. Now, this does not mean that we are all to take up Gardening on a full time basis...but is does seem to mean that God has created us to be "environmentalists." In the midst of our unique connection to the earth we have been charged by God to protect and preserve the creation. I believe that this calls us, not to view the creation as a natural resource given to serve us, rather, given that we might have the blessed privilege of serving the land. And this work is what we were made for, and through it we will bring glory to God - an act of worship.
As the Lord brings forth new life once again from the barrenness of winter, may He continue to entrust us with the valuable mandate to work and care for His glorious creation.
Be God's, Scott
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Lenten Fasting
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6: 16-18
The obseverance of fasting is one discipline that is often done by Christian folks everywhere during the 40 day season of Lent. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians are obligated to fast during Lent. Protestant Christians have no such rules to follow - though some do participate in a fast of sorts in order to spiritually prepare their hearts for Easter Celebrations. Fasting by definition is the sacrifice of something (usually food) in order to both identify with the suffering of Jesus, and also to turn ones heart prayerfully towards Jesus. The need and hunger for food, reminds one of the need to turn to, and rely on Christ.
I know that a lot of people are participating in some type of fast this year, because they have told me - and anyone else with access to their Facebook account. Some have given up candy, some Ice Cream, some meat, some cursing, some speeding, some video games, and some have even given up Facebook - with an Ash Wednesday status update proclamation of "talk to you in 40 days."
I actually quite like the idea of fasting - I have done different types in the past, and have found them to be useful in pointing me towards Jesus and His righteousness. However, I have to wonder...why are all of these people fasting? Is it because they think it's something they're supposed to do? Is it because so many other people are doing it? Are they all truly fasting with the purpose of prayerful communion with Christ?
I am surely not one to judge other peoples intentions or motivations (as if I could). I pray that God blesses those who are fasting in order to eagerly seek His presence. I do, however take Biblical issue with the way in which folks are going about their fast, and I humbly offer this guidance.
In the above Scripture, Jesus is pretty clear that when you fast - you need to keep it quiet. It is just something between Jesus and you. You are not to let on to anyone else that you are fasting. This would seem to be informative to my Facebook friends who have announced to the world wide web that they are in fact fasting...shhhh, don't tell anyone.
Why would Jesus demand this of us?
Simply because the fast is for Him, and not for other people. The biggest barrier to prayerful communion with Jesus is our sinful pride. Pride in fasting comes when we share with others the fact that we are doing so. It almost screams of unspoken intent - "I sure am pretty spiritual huh?" Sharing the news of your fast with others seeks the applause of humans, but fasting in secret before God seeks the "reward of God."
For those of you fasting, may God bless what you do in secret as you seek to identify with the sacrifices of Christ.
Be God's, Scott
The obseverance of fasting is one discipline that is often done by Christian folks everywhere during the 40 day season of Lent. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians are obligated to fast during Lent. Protestant Christians have no such rules to follow - though some do participate in a fast of sorts in order to spiritually prepare their hearts for Easter Celebrations. Fasting by definition is the sacrifice of something (usually food) in order to both identify with the suffering of Jesus, and also to turn ones heart prayerfully towards Jesus. The need and hunger for food, reminds one of the need to turn to, and rely on Christ.
I know that a lot of people are participating in some type of fast this year, because they have told me - and anyone else with access to their Facebook account. Some have given up candy, some Ice Cream, some meat, some cursing, some speeding, some video games, and some have even given up Facebook - with an Ash Wednesday status update proclamation of "talk to you in 40 days."
I actually quite like the idea of fasting - I have done different types in the past, and have found them to be useful in pointing me towards Jesus and His righteousness. However, I have to wonder...why are all of these people fasting? Is it because they think it's something they're supposed to do? Is it because so many other people are doing it? Are they all truly fasting with the purpose of prayerful communion with Christ?
I am surely not one to judge other peoples intentions or motivations (as if I could). I pray that God blesses those who are fasting in order to eagerly seek His presence. I do, however take Biblical issue with the way in which folks are going about their fast, and I humbly offer this guidance.
In the above Scripture, Jesus is pretty clear that when you fast - you need to keep it quiet. It is just something between Jesus and you. You are not to let on to anyone else that you are fasting. This would seem to be informative to my Facebook friends who have announced to the world wide web that they are in fact fasting...shhhh, don't tell anyone.
Why would Jesus demand this of us?
Simply because the fast is for Him, and not for other people. The biggest barrier to prayerful communion with Jesus is our sinful pride. Pride in fasting comes when we share with others the fact that we are doing so. It almost screams of unspoken intent - "I sure am pretty spiritual huh?" Sharing the news of your fast with others seeks the applause of humans, but fasting in secret before God seeks the "reward of God."
For those of you fasting, may God bless what you do in secret as you seek to identify with the sacrifices of Christ.
Be God's, Scott
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Ballad of Jeremiah Smithson
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21
Jeremiah Smithson lived during the time that we like to call the "Wild West." Gold Rush, Saloons, Sheriffs, and Sarsaparilla come to mind when we think of this colorful time in American history. For Jeremiah Smithson though, the only thing "wild" about the West that he lived in, was his son Jacob. While Jeremiah was straight laced, hard working, and a religious man - his son Jacob, now 19, had grown into a hard drinking, violent, lazy and dangerous man. Jacob was regularly involved in gun play, brawling, looting and anything else you could imagine a man with a black hat doing in the Wild West.
As Jacob became more and more notorious and feared throughout the west, his father continued to love him, and daily pleaded with him to turn his life around. His father's heart ached for his beloved son. He was the only one who still saw a glimmer of hope and goodness when he gazed upon Jacob - to everyone else, he was a dangerous powder keg ready to go off.
Finally, one dry and dusty day...Jacob did go off - at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon, a heavily intoxicated Jacob stumbled into the house of a local family eating dinner. He proceeded to shoot and kill the Father and the Mother leaving their 3 young children orphans. Jacob stumbled out of the house with a chicken drumstick in his hands only to pass out on the roadside in front of the house he devastated.
Jacob was quickly arrested, put in jail, and set to be hanged the next day at noon - much to the satisfaction and relief of the town. Everyone in town that is...except for Jeremiah, his father. For where the town saw a monster, he saw a hurt and confused little boy, desperately in need of some grace and a second chance. Jeremiah went and pleaded with the officials for mercy upon his son, but they were hearing none of it. Their law clearly said that when one took a life, one needed to give up a life - that was justice. And while Jeremiah certainly could not argue with that, he still was willing to do whatever he could to prevent the hanging death of his son, Jacob whom he loved.
As Jacob was brought forth to the gallows, the whole of the town was gathered to bear witness to Wild West justice. The noose was forcefully fastened around Jacob's neck, when the Sheriff asked him if he had anything to say for himself. Jacob, looked out and over the crowd assembled, and with tears of regret in his eyes, humbly told the crowd, "What I did was wrong. I am sorry for killing those innocent folks. And I am sorry for all the other harmful things I did to the rest of you. Truth is, I deserve this - but I tell you what, if I had to live my life over again, I would do it differently. I would live my life like my Father...a good man, and the only one who ever saw any good or hope in me. My biggest regret is that I let my Father down." With that he put his head down resigned to die, even as his Father was pushing his way forward to speak with the Sheriff.
All the crowd could see was Jeremiah speaking animatedly with the Sheriff, gesturing wildly with his hands - they could not help but feel sorrow for such a kind and pure man. After a moment of conversation, the Sheriff walked over to Jacob, all the while leading Jeremiah up to the gallows behind him. He ordered the noose taken off of Jacob's neck and put on Jeremiah's. As the crowd looked upon this scene with stunned and confused faces, the Sheriff clearly and loudly stated, "The law simply says, one life taken, one life given - this is justice. This here man, Jeremiah Smithson, willingly offers to take the place of his son in order to receive the blow of justice due him. His life, for the freedom of his son. This may seem unusual, but I see no legal reason why he cannot do so."
With that, Jacob was escorted down the wooden stairs, and Jeremiah prepared to hang. His last words were these, "son, I love you, and I implore you now, to walk upright." With that, the creaky wooden trap door opened, and Jeremiah Smithson was no more.
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
The ballad of Jeremiah is our gospel story - the story of a loving father unwilling to watch his children perish in their sins, even to the point of taking our place at the meting out of justice.
I wonder how Jacob responded to his new lease on life purchased for him by his father. I would like to think that he sought to live an upright life like his father did.
How will you respond in the living of your eternal life, purchased for you with great sacrifice and deep love?
Be God's, Scott
Jeremiah Smithson lived during the time that we like to call the "Wild West." Gold Rush, Saloons, Sheriffs, and Sarsaparilla come to mind when we think of this colorful time in American history. For Jeremiah Smithson though, the only thing "wild" about the West that he lived in, was his son Jacob. While Jeremiah was straight laced, hard working, and a religious man - his son Jacob, now 19, had grown into a hard drinking, violent, lazy and dangerous man. Jacob was regularly involved in gun play, brawling, looting and anything else you could imagine a man with a black hat doing in the Wild West.
As Jacob became more and more notorious and feared throughout the west, his father continued to love him, and daily pleaded with him to turn his life around. His father's heart ached for his beloved son. He was the only one who still saw a glimmer of hope and goodness when he gazed upon Jacob - to everyone else, he was a dangerous powder keg ready to go off.
Finally, one dry and dusty day...Jacob did go off - at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon, a heavily intoxicated Jacob stumbled into the house of a local family eating dinner. He proceeded to shoot and kill the Father and the Mother leaving their 3 young children orphans. Jacob stumbled out of the house with a chicken drumstick in his hands only to pass out on the roadside in front of the house he devastated.
Jacob was quickly arrested, put in jail, and set to be hanged the next day at noon - much to the satisfaction and relief of the town. Everyone in town that is...except for Jeremiah, his father. For where the town saw a monster, he saw a hurt and confused little boy, desperately in need of some grace and a second chance. Jeremiah went and pleaded with the officials for mercy upon his son, but they were hearing none of it. Their law clearly said that when one took a life, one needed to give up a life - that was justice. And while Jeremiah certainly could not argue with that, he still was willing to do whatever he could to prevent the hanging death of his son, Jacob whom he loved.
As Jacob was brought forth to the gallows, the whole of the town was gathered to bear witness to Wild West justice. The noose was forcefully fastened around Jacob's neck, when the Sheriff asked him if he had anything to say for himself. Jacob, looked out and over the crowd assembled, and with tears of regret in his eyes, humbly told the crowd, "What I did was wrong. I am sorry for killing those innocent folks. And I am sorry for all the other harmful things I did to the rest of you. Truth is, I deserve this - but I tell you what, if I had to live my life over again, I would do it differently. I would live my life like my Father...a good man, and the only one who ever saw any good or hope in me. My biggest regret is that I let my Father down." With that he put his head down resigned to die, even as his Father was pushing his way forward to speak with the Sheriff.
All the crowd could see was Jeremiah speaking animatedly with the Sheriff, gesturing wildly with his hands - they could not help but feel sorrow for such a kind and pure man. After a moment of conversation, the Sheriff walked over to Jacob, all the while leading Jeremiah up to the gallows behind him. He ordered the noose taken off of Jacob's neck and put on Jeremiah's. As the crowd looked upon this scene with stunned and confused faces, the Sheriff clearly and loudly stated, "The law simply says, one life taken, one life given - this is justice. This here man, Jeremiah Smithson, willingly offers to take the place of his son in order to receive the blow of justice due him. His life, for the freedom of his son. This may seem unusual, but I see no legal reason why he cannot do so."
With that, Jacob was escorted down the wooden stairs, and Jeremiah prepared to hang. His last words were these, "son, I love you, and I implore you now, to walk upright." With that, the creaky wooden trap door opened, and Jeremiah Smithson was no more.
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
The ballad of Jeremiah is our gospel story - the story of a loving father unwilling to watch his children perish in their sins, even to the point of taking our place at the meting out of justice.
I wonder how Jacob responded to his new lease on life purchased for him by his father. I would like to think that he sought to live an upright life like his father did.
How will you respond in the living of your eternal life, purchased for you with great sacrifice and deep love?
Be God's, Scott
Thursday, March 10, 2011
On referees and original sin
"For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51: 3-5
I have a love/hate relationship with referees - well truth be told...mostly the latter. This goes all the way back to when I was a kid playing soccer and basketball, and extends to the present day as I watch my kids play from the stands. In my mind, I am convinced that the referees (lovely people I am sure when they are not wearing stripes) are conspiring against my children, and in fact, myself personally. And well, far be it for me not to point this out to them, in the hopes that perhaps I might re-direct their attention to the ineptitude of their officiating (I mean it's the least I can do right? A public service).
Truth be told, I have left a couple games feeling embarrassed for myself - ashamed of my actions. I often envy those other parents who can sit there contentedly with a smile - simply enjoying the spectacle of their kid having fun. For me, I get emotionally involved in the game, and my passions sometimes lead my mouth to criticize folks that in any other arena of life, I would never dream of speaking such harsh statements. I don't intend to go to the game and get bent out of shape over the refereeing...sometimes, it just happens, despite my desire not to let it.
Perhaps you have an area in your life as well in which you struggle to do what is right despite your best intentions. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we all have these areas in our lives.
The Bible goes so far as to say, that we were "sinful from birth, sinful from the time of conception." In other words, the moment we cast our first labored infant breath - we all possessed a natural proclivity to sin. It is our default or reflex tendency to do the wrong thing in the eyes of God. I can't say that I really like this truth...but I suppose that doesn't stop it from being true.
The hope that I have in my sinful human condition rests in Jesus - the embodiment of the mercy, loving kindness, and grace of God. Jesus came and died to free me and you from the enslavement of our sinful nature. Oh, it still haunts us, and will continue to do so until we get to heaven - but Jesus in his forgiveness, enables us to do holy, noble, and righteous things. Jesus in his tender care for us, fills us with His Spirit to empower us to lose our thirst for sin. In Christ, we are gradually being formed more and more into holiness.
God hasn't given up on me, and he hasn't given up on you. I may still have a natural tendency towards referee animosity, but thanks be to my great and merciful God, I am forgiven, and I am improving. And at the least, the whole biblical idea of being born desiring to do the wrong thing, gives me some means of explaining just what was going on in the heads of some of those referees ;)
May you know the forgiveness and holiness of God in your life as well.
Be God's, Scott
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51: 3-5
I have a love/hate relationship with referees - well truth be told...mostly the latter. This goes all the way back to when I was a kid playing soccer and basketball, and extends to the present day as I watch my kids play from the stands. In my mind, I am convinced that the referees (lovely people I am sure when they are not wearing stripes) are conspiring against my children, and in fact, myself personally. And well, far be it for me not to point this out to them, in the hopes that perhaps I might re-direct their attention to the ineptitude of their officiating (I mean it's the least I can do right? A public service).
Truth be told, I have left a couple games feeling embarrassed for myself - ashamed of my actions. I often envy those other parents who can sit there contentedly with a smile - simply enjoying the spectacle of their kid having fun. For me, I get emotionally involved in the game, and my passions sometimes lead my mouth to criticize folks that in any other arena of life, I would never dream of speaking such harsh statements. I don't intend to go to the game and get bent out of shape over the refereeing...sometimes, it just happens, despite my desire not to let it.
Perhaps you have an area in your life as well in which you struggle to do what is right despite your best intentions. If we are truly honest with ourselves, we all have these areas in our lives.
The Bible goes so far as to say, that we were "sinful from birth, sinful from the time of conception." In other words, the moment we cast our first labored infant breath - we all possessed a natural proclivity to sin. It is our default or reflex tendency to do the wrong thing in the eyes of God. I can't say that I really like this truth...but I suppose that doesn't stop it from being true.
The hope that I have in my sinful human condition rests in Jesus - the embodiment of the mercy, loving kindness, and grace of God. Jesus came and died to free me and you from the enslavement of our sinful nature. Oh, it still haunts us, and will continue to do so until we get to heaven - but Jesus in his forgiveness, enables us to do holy, noble, and righteous things. Jesus in his tender care for us, fills us with His Spirit to empower us to lose our thirst for sin. In Christ, we are gradually being formed more and more into holiness.
God hasn't given up on me, and he hasn't given up on you. I may still have a natural tendency towards referee animosity, but thanks be to my great and merciful God, I am forgiven, and I am improving. And at the least, the whole biblical idea of being born desiring to do the wrong thing, gives me some means of explaining just what was going on in the heads of some of those referees ;)
May you know the forgiveness and holiness of God in your life as well.
Be God's, Scott
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sound the alarm
"Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand—
“Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—" Joel 2:1,12-14a
Here in Alexandria Bay, like many small villages of its kind, we are blessed with an awesome volunteer fire department - men and women who work very hard, at times risking their own lives to ensure the safety and protection of the community. These brave and committed souls have to be ready at any instant to drop whatever it is they are doing when an emergency arises.
How do these folks know when an emergency arises you urban dwellers might inquire? THE Alarm - A super loud air horn that shakes the windows and sends my cat scurrying with panic and fear through the house. An alarm that can be heard for miles away. When this alarm sounds, volunteer firefighters drop their dinner utensils, throw on their boots, hurry to their trucks and head off to the fire hall. The rest of us in the village listen and wonder what might have happened, all the while raising silent prayers up.
The alarm sounds - and people respond.
The prophet Joel sounds a window shaking alarm as well - one that begs response. Into the day to day goings on of life, amidst the busyness and banality of daily routine - God sounds the alarm.
The alarm is a reminder that the Lord is returning, and the fact that He is returning ought to make a difference in how we live our lives. Life is more than the sum of our investments. Life is more than the argument we have with our neighbor. Life is more than what we will eat for dinner. Life is more than stuff, and pleasure, and me and you. How much has sin blinded us from the reality of our present situations.
As we enter into the period of reflection and self assesment called Lent - God sounds the alarm. The alarm reminds us that life is about pleasing God and planning for His return. This may upset our way of life - but then again maybe our lives need some upsetting.
The volunteer firefighters respond immediately by running towards the emergency. Joel begs us to respond to God's alarm with similar immediacy and urgency - return to God.
Whenever you choose to do so, no matter what you have done, or how far you have strayed - Joel tells us that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger. He will welcome, protect and bless all who respond to His alarm.
Be God's, Scott
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand—
“Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—" Joel 2:1,12-14a
Here in Alexandria Bay, like many small villages of its kind, we are blessed with an awesome volunteer fire department - men and women who work very hard, at times risking their own lives to ensure the safety and protection of the community. These brave and committed souls have to be ready at any instant to drop whatever it is they are doing when an emergency arises.
How do these folks know when an emergency arises you urban dwellers might inquire? THE Alarm - A super loud air horn that shakes the windows and sends my cat scurrying with panic and fear through the house. An alarm that can be heard for miles away. When this alarm sounds, volunteer firefighters drop their dinner utensils, throw on their boots, hurry to their trucks and head off to the fire hall. The rest of us in the village listen and wonder what might have happened, all the while raising silent prayers up.
The alarm sounds - and people respond.
The prophet Joel sounds a window shaking alarm as well - one that begs response. Into the day to day goings on of life, amidst the busyness and banality of daily routine - God sounds the alarm.
The alarm is a reminder that the Lord is returning, and the fact that He is returning ought to make a difference in how we live our lives. Life is more than the sum of our investments. Life is more than the argument we have with our neighbor. Life is more than what we will eat for dinner. Life is more than stuff, and pleasure, and me and you. How much has sin blinded us from the reality of our present situations.
As we enter into the period of reflection and self assesment called Lent - God sounds the alarm. The alarm reminds us that life is about pleasing God and planning for His return. This may upset our way of life - but then again maybe our lives need some upsetting.
The volunteer firefighters respond immediately by running towards the emergency. Joel begs us to respond to God's alarm with similar immediacy and urgency - return to God.
Whenever you choose to do so, no matter what you have done, or how far you have strayed - Joel tells us that God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger. He will welcome, protect and bless all who respond to His alarm.
Be God's, Scott
Welcome
Well, it is Ash Wednesday 2011 - and that means the Lenten journey to the cross is upon us once again. I would like to invite you to join me over the next 40 days. I will be offering up a brief devotional thought, designed to season your spiritual journey, each morning through Lent. On each day, but Sunday, I will offer up some thoughts on the passages suggested by the Revised Common Lectionary.
I pray that God may use my meager and humble thoughts and ruminations to draw you nearer unto Him. May He add His blessing to these words.
Feel free to pass along the link to others, and feedback and discussion is more than welcomed.
Be God's, Scott
I pray that God may use my meager and humble thoughts and ruminations to draw you nearer unto Him. May He add His blessing to these words.
Feel free to pass along the link to others, and feedback and discussion is more than welcomed.
Be God's, Scott
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