Monday Morning Reflections about Church (and a Saturday night campfire meeting)

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?   says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams  and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.

“When you come to appear before me,   who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.  New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 

Isaiah 1:11-13

The success of my current career choice is measured by Metrics.   This means that the manner of measuring my effectiveness is numbers.  Metrics are quantitative and not qualitative, so they measure performance, but not my love for what I do.  Metrics are concerned with questions like:  How many plus sales do I have?  What is my average dollar per transaction?  What are my discount ratios?  Metrics are about raw numbers, cold hard facts; and I am not at all convinced they are the very best measure of an employee’s usefulness.

Metrics were used in the Bible to measure the tonnage of animal sacrifice, the frequency of Temple attendance and the amount of gold and silver placed in the temple coffers.  But metrics were not an accurate measure of the heartfelt genuineness of any of these activities.  Certainly metrics failed explain why God would have said that the observance of the Holy Days and the daily sacrifices and offering made him sick!  Why would God have been sick – the metrics were perfect!  The Temple was busy – the fires were constantly stoked with sacrifice and offerings!  The building was busting at the seams with people busied with the business of religion.

Much too often, the metrics of religion are about the outward show and not the inner reality.  They measure activity but not the affections of the heart.  The more I think of it the more I am convinced that discipleship must not be content with the process of merely filling heads with religious information, or even merely “how to’s” for effective living.  Christian discipleship must also touch upon the instruction of the heart.  Corporate Worship must concern itself with “Love Formation.”  Christian Community must emphasize that to truly Love God – we must truly love our neighbor!

I commend the folk at Salem Reformed Church in Hagerstown.  Their fellowship is sweet, their love is genuine, and they  have taught me much (even around a campfire) about the true measurement of a great church.  (I have enjoyed spending my early Monday morning thinking of you all, thanking God “for every remembrance of you,” reflecting upon your generous hospitality to permit an “outsider” to fellowship with you, and above all to pray for your continued success to the Glory of Christ. And let the People of God say AMEN!)

If Christ is Not Risen . . . . . .

I hear people say – “Even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian life would still be the very best way to live.”  That is not what Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19 – he said; “If Christ is not risen from the dead… we are the most miserable people in the world!”  If Christ is not risen from the dead – we Christians have nothing to live for!  If Christ is not risen from the dead, the church has nothing to offer!  If Christ is not risen from the dead, all we have hoped for is a sham!  If Christ is not risen, I am a most miserable wretch! We have hope and meaning only if Christ is risen!  Our life, our purpose, our hope, our forgiveness, our joy is to be found ONLY in Him!

Wait and Do Not Grow Weary

Mary. That is all He said. But before He speaks her name, Jesus is deliberately hiding from Her. Mary Magdalene has gone to the tomb where the crucified Savior was placed, but He is not there - where is He? She was on a quest to find Him, and yet He hid - why? This seems an unloving and strange thing that Jesus did. What was He doing? It seems at times, in our relating to Him, that Jesus is hiding - and indeed we see here, in John chapter 20, at times, He is. He could have quickly spoken - he could have alleviated her anxiety right away, but He did not.   We see upon the very pages of our Bibles that when relating to those whom He loved, Jesus often left space.

Frankly - I do not like the space, space renders me feeling full of uncertainty and ambiguity, I feel forgotten and alone, I feel overcome and desperate, full of anxiety and fear. I do not like that. And yet, there is an intentionality in Christ to leave His disciples exactly there, with no sense of His nearness. Please know that our experiences and circumstances are not always the best indicators of our reality - - we must know that Jesus is always near! Jesus was near to Mary Magdalene. He was watching, but at times He leaves us feeling that He is not.

It is in these moments of life that we truly get to Know Jesus - and ourselves - simultaneously. Here we see the veracity of our faith. Will we wait for Him? Will we long for Him? Will we trust Him? Or will we run to fill that space with some cheap substitute? Sometimes we are faithful and sometimes we are not.  We learn also about Jesus in the space - He is always faithful, and He is always training our hearts to trust and love Him, and He does in deed work everything to our good - even hard things.

Do not fear the spaces - know that Jesus uses them with great purposefulness!  Wait and do not grow weary - and from his lips we will hear the most precious and beautiful thing we will ever hear - our own names - as he beckons our eyes and our hearts to behold Him!

 May God teach our hearts to wait and to not grow weary. 

What Does it Mean to be Blessed?

What Does it Mean to be “Blessed?”  The life of Moses has an answer to this question.  Moses was raised in the Palace of Egypt surrounded by all the wealth and power and prestige of being a part of the Royal family of that great nation – but, that is not why we may say that Moses was blessed.  In fact, at 40 years old, Moses lost all of this.  A sudden calamity meant he had to leave Egypt and all the benefits of his place in the Palace.  From the Palace, Moses was forced to support himself by raising sheep!  This was of great insult to his Egyptian upbringing, Shepherds were despised and looked down upon – most were slaves.

For 40 years he experienced life at it best – but then he was humbled over the next 40 years to endure life at its hardest.  Now certainly from a “worldly” point of view, we may think this was a demotion in life for Moses, but it was not, in fact, the events of these 40 years were for Moses the re-education of his affections – to teach him to love God more than power, prestige and possessions.  As a result – for the next 40 years of his life – Moses experienced God as nobody else ever known Him.

After all of these diverse experiences, Moses became an expert at defining what it means to be blessed.  We find Moses’ conclusion of the matter in Deuteronomy 33.  Moses said the greatest blessing in life is to know God Himself, and then he asked the people that he was now leading in verse 29, “Who is like you? A People saved by The Lord?”

We are blessed when we are saved!  It is worth letting that word sink in - - - “Saved!”  In Christ, you are not left with merely a chance at being saved, but by faith in His work on the Cross – you are saved.  Romans puts your new condition in Christ like this: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  That is what it means to be blessed.

Bath Time

Have you ever had bath time battles with a child?  I have.  I remember the “cleaning behind the ears” battle I had with one of my sons.  But after finally giving in, I discovered he was right - cleaning behind the ears was not really all that bad!

The people of heaven are all people who realize they were sin stained and in need of a Spiritual bath.  They all came to a place where they understood their need to be thoroughly washed.  Think about John in his island prison.  I do not suppose Patmos Penitentiary had a regular laundry service.  John was probably filthy and wearing very dirty clothes, but in his rapturous vision of heaven, he sees the people of God adorned in brilliant white robes, pure and clean from head to toe.  These robes and their cleanliness represents purity.  There is not  a hint of stain on these people.  They are thoroughly washed, clean, glistening.

This is a picture of what Christ has done for His people.  We are stained and soiled with the filth of sin and disease because we are a fallen people in a fallen world.  Sinful thoughts and deeds create great stains.  As we look upon our sin stained selves we are made to understand that we do not belong in the presence of God.  As we see ourselves as we actually are because of sin, we wonder,   how would we ever dare to think that we may enter into the presence of God like this?  Well, if you are in Christ, you need not be so concerned, Revelation 7:14 lets us in on the remedy:  “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Behold the Man Upon the Cross

When the Spirit of Grace and supplication has been poured out upon the Church, what will happen? Verse 10 of Zechariah 12 answers:  “They will look on Me, on the One whom they have pierced.”  Have you been concerned that I have taken much liberty with this text - - I mean – this is not the church – it is Israel!  This passage has nothing to do with Christ and His church, this is Old Testament.  But note again – this is God speaking, and God says we will look upon Him, whom we have pierced.

How can it be that God Himself will be pierced?  Only in Christ crucified, only at the cross can it be said – “the Lord who stretched out the heaven and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man” is “pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.”  That is why, as a Roman soldier pierced the side of Jesus in John 19:37, the Apostle John cites this verse in Zechariah as having thusly been fulfilled.  God incarnate was pierced!

Zechariahs concern is not so much with the manner of crucifixion as it is with our response to it.  When the Spirit is poured out upon sinners, how will they respond?  How do sinners respond  to Grace?  Those to whom the grace of repentance is given will look up to the incarnate God, pierced for sinners.  Remember in Acts 2:37 when the Holy Spirit was poured upon the Church, and the people responded, and Peter stands up and preached.  What did Peter preach?  He preached Christ, and He pierced (crucified)!  And as the Spirit brings the grace of repentance to them, what did they do?  They cried our – they plead, the offered supplication.  This is what Zechariah has been speaking of here.  They saw Christ crucified and they saw their complicity in piercing his hands and feet and side upon that tree, and they cried out!

Do you know anything of that heart cry as you see the reality of your own sin?  Can you say with the hymn writer:

Behold the man upon the cross,

My sins upon His shoulders.

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there,

Until it was accomplished.

His dying breath has brought me life,

I know it is finished!

On That Day - How Will We Come to Belong?

In Zechariah 12:10-14, we are taken back a bit - and the Prophet answers for us, how do we come to belong to this immovable, invincible, victorious church?  This is what God did for Israel, and it is what he shall do as well for us.


In verse 10 we read - I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, grace and supplication.  God will create longing hearts that cry out to Him!   The reality and the longing for grace and the realization of that Grace are the product of the will of God.  Our cries for grace are not initially what activates the grace of God.  Rather our cries for grace are the evidence that the grace of God has already been at work.  Our pleas  are the fruit of the work of grace by the Holy Spirit's powerful ministry in the hearts of desperately lost people.


Our repentance, our faith, every consequent cry of our hearts have their ultimate source and spring in the inward workings of the Holy Spirit applying the same resurrecting power that brought Jesus forth from the grave to our hearts freeing us too from the grips of sin and death.  Grace applies the victory of Christ over every enemy of God - sin, despair, suffering, rejection, death - to a people who did nothing to have deserved such a victory.  It is all of Christ and in Christ that we are saved.  It is all of Christ and through Christ that we are made to belong to the Church. 

On That Day - God Will Assure

Having been armed with an expansive view of the faithfulness of God, Zechariah turns our attention to the Future of Israel.  It is alarming at first, that the narrative the Prophet provides is set in the context of great and terrible struggle.  He speaks of Jerusalem under siege, "like a cup of staggering," in verse 2.

There is no sugar-coating of our reality, sometimes life is hard!  There is ongoing hostility between the world and the people of God - and it is often nasty and vicious and dangerous - - we are after all in a war!

BUT GOD!  BUT GOD, is assuring us that no matter how intense the conflict and how hard we are pressed by the stark realities  and trials that confront us - - God will make us an army that will be greatly instrumental in overcoming our persecutors. 

I realize contextually this speaks of Israel, but I am confident that it speaks of the church of today as well.  And look at verse 3,the prophet depicts the people of God as a heavy stone that injures those who try to move it.  What a wonderful picture of the stability and immovability of the people of God.  Here is the church! Not a temporary institution under threat.  Not held together by the creativity and ingenuity of its leaders; not merely surviving by the good graces of popular opinion and the most clever and "relevant" theological fads, not surviving on the backs of the best praise band and youth group. No - Not at all!  The church is immovable because it is sustained by God

All of the world - the very foundation and elements of this great globe will - as Tomlin sings - melt like snow!  But the Church, the Lords beloved bride, will last forever!  The Church is an eternal thing, it will endure for ever!  What glorious a glorious hope for the people of God!

On That Day - God Will Deliver

In verses 1-9 of Zechariah 12, The Prophet describes the life of God's people in terms, so rich, so far reaching, so conclusive, so extraordinarily, that he first carefully prefaces the oracle to help us remember who it is that is speaking.  Verse 1 - "Thus declares the Lord . . . "

The prophet begins his teaching about what God will do for us by reminding us of what God has already done.  The measure of the reliability of the promises of God is not based upon our strength or faith only, but upon the strength and faithfulness of the One who made those promises.

And what is said of this One who has promised?  He is the Sovereign Maker of everything!  He has spoken all things into existence.  He sustains all things through the might of His Word!  And so the Prophet encourages our thoughtful remembrances of God and his mighty acts to encourage our trust in Him.  When there are doubts concerning the promises of GOD - there is a whole history in the Word, and even in the "cloud of witnesses" who testify of the goodness and faithfulness of God to them spanning all of human history and experience!

Are you struggling today - has doubt and despair gotten hold of you?  Attack those doubts with an expansive look at the Lord your God.  Read of his faithfulness to His people as recorded in the pages of your Bible.  Study the demonstrated faithfulness of your God in the Biographies of Christians through the ages.  Seek fellowship in your church family and you will be encouraged by their own stories of the faithfulness and power of God in their lives.  Arm yourself with a full picture of Gods faithfulness and sovereignty and power and then turn to His promises and trust that He is good and you will be well garrisoned against the attacks of doubt and despair! 

On That Day

You will find the words “on that day” repeated often as you read through Zechariah, especially in chapter 12. What are we to understand of that day of which the Prophet speaks? It is the day of salvations fullness. It alludes to the person and work of the Cross. We live - right now - in the midst of that day!

Today is the day the Prophet had in mind, and so we are exhorted, “as long as it is called today if you hear the Lord’s voice do not harden your hearts.” And so this is a message of hope. But be warned, the term “day” implies this offer is not to last for ever. It is just a day, one day, one opportunity and soon the day will conclude and the overtures of grace and mercy and forgiveness and salvation and hope will pass. I am hoping that you are sensing the urgency of this plea - TODAY. I am hoping that you understand the necessity to act now, without delay. The work of Christ is offered here - in the very words of this page - come now - today in response the Gospel.

Monday Morning Thoughts about Church: For those who love Jesus, but are not so sure about His church.

I recently had a conversation with a person who has “had it with the church.”  He lamented the nit-picking, the back-biting, the old guard who were stubborn and selfish, the "1950's mentality – and well, he has had it!  He will find God elsewhere! When a church is not all that we expect it to be, the temptation to “look for God elsewhere” is understandable. But is it right?

Would Jesus, the Bridegroom and Head of the church, favor a churchless Christianity?  In short - - NO.  At her best and at her worst, Jesus loves his church. He  laid down his life for her (John 10:11). He will never leave or forsake her (Hebrews 13:5). He will complete the work he started in her (Philippians 1:6). In other words, Jesus knows nothing about having more of God by having less of the church. To the contrary, Jesus is married to the church. The church is his chosen, beloved Wife.  Jesus has chosen to love us, warts, bad attitudes, stubborn, and hypocritical as we are - - He chooses to love us! 

What does it say about us if the church is good enough for the Father to adopt, for the Spirit to inhabit, and for Jesus to marry…but not good enough for us to remain committed to?  If the church is good enough for Jesus - - even with all her flaws - - She is good enough for you, and more than that - - you need the church.  You see, as we live in community with one another, we grow in the knowledge and experience of God by being with others who bear his image. As we learn from and rub off on one another we become better, more whole, more Christ-like, and ultimately – more useful to the will and purposes of God.  In fact – it is for the very imperfections of the church that Christ has put us together.  Hebrews says we are together to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, Hebrews 10:24,25:

"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near"

If you are dissatisfied or disillusioned with the local church, don’t leave it. If the church stinks to you, then make it better. Pray for it. Bless it. Serve it. Love it. 

Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering

I am currently reading two books, both of which I am enjoying thoroughly and commend to your reading.  First is "Desiring the Kingdom" by James K A Smith.  It is a book about Liturgy and Culture and Worship - - a very insightful book.  The other is "Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering" by Timothy Keller, it is from this book that I have been thinking devotionally this morning. 

Let me ask, have you paid attention to what happens to the disciples of Jesus?  They suffered, they received scoffing and rejection.  They died for their faith.  From Keller's book, we are taught that followers of Jesus rest in the hope and joy of eternity even amidst the starkest and most desperate and painful realities of living in a sin ravished - fallen world.   The promises of God DO NOT prevent the problem of suffering; let us not pretend they do.  Jesus said in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation."  No sugar-coating reality there!  Jesus said the truth - we will suffer - - but praise God, Jesus added - "....but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world!"

The world is a messed up place.  Sin has made it a place of hurt and pain and anguish and frustration - and we must not be so naïve  to think pledging allegiance to Jesus is going to make everything better and easier.  Olsteenian theology is a lie - - this is not your best life now!  To be sure - followers of Jesus find peace in the finished work of Jesus himself, nothing else!  But that does not mean that life will always be "peachy."  Even the man who built his house in the rock had to endure the storm.

After having dealt with the reality of pain and suffering, Keller gives a Biblical foundation upon which to stand when the hurtful, painful realities of life come.  This is what makes this book most practical and useful.  Let me share with you what Keller does in the book to help you through pain and suffering.

Keller breaks the book into three parts, first: Understanding the Furnace.  Second, Facing the Furnace.  And then finally - Walking with God in the Furnace.  It was this third part that I found most beneficial.

I recommend this book, "Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering" by Timothy Keller.  In fact - if you are in the Hagerstown area - stop by Lifeway for a visit.  If I am there (I am off Friday this week) - I will gladly show you where to find the book, and I would really enjoy the visit.  Blessings!

Living for the Lord??

Are you living for the Lord?  Based on what I have seen, "living for the Lord" is followed up with a list of accomplishments to prove the claim: "He goes to Church, he's living for the Lord."  "She teaches Sunday School and he is the pastor, they are living for the Lord."  "I have a great kid, she is really living for the Lord."  In other words - "living for the Lord" means doing lots of things for Jesus.  Oh - is that not wonderful, Jesus is just so lucky to have us doing so much for Him."  It seems that living for the Lord, for the most part is all about what we do.


But that really is not what it means to live for the Lord.  Paul clears things us when he says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  This verse is quoted often, and without fail, the application is understood to be - "so you need to live for Jesus, that is what Paul did."


But please take very careful note of what Paul actually said: He DID NOT say, "for me to live is to live for the Lord."  For Paul - life is not living for Jesus, life is just simply Jesus!  Did you get that, it deserves repeating and understanding - for Paul - life IS Jesus!  Paul said in Galatians, "I am crucified with Christ: never-the-less I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me."


To LIVE IS Christ!  We do not just live to do nice things for Jesus, we do not even live to be sold out to Jesus.  Frankly we have nothing to "sell out!"  I Corinthians 6:20 says that we are not our own, rather we have been purchased by Christ.  That is the New Testament, Gospel reality, "No longer I - - but Christ!"  This encompasses all of life, not just a couple nice things we can do for Jesus - we belong to Him in our entirety! 

Truly Seeing God

In Matthew 5:8 - we are given a great secret - "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."  Purity is the key to truly seeing God!

It is necessary that we understand something about the brand of purity of which this passage speaks.  You see, some have the idea that purity is something that you have when you were born, but it is lost as mess up over time.  But in the Bible, purity is not something lost, it is something gained as you grow in the Christian life.

But understand this as well - purity of heart does not mean sinless perfection either, although that certainly is a proper pursuit for the Christian.  The disappointing truth about us - even Christians, is that we are sinners, and sinners do sin.  Christians are sinners in the process of recovery.  Recovery means incremental growth, progress, but because we are fallen sinful persons, there will never be perfection in this life.  I John 1:8 says, "If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."  You see, I think a good definition of purity is an undivided heart.  Biblical purity is a single minded focus.

A pure heart is a single heart, the opposite of a divided heart, "....not that I am already made perfect...." says Paul, "but one thing I do...."  What is the one thing Paul does?  Paul pursues!  So then, go after purity - pursue a clean heart, an undivided heart - and as you do, and as you grow an undivided heart, you will see and love God more.  You will see Him more in worship, in His Word, in the trials and in your victories.  You will see Him more in His people, his church.  A pure heart, a heart in undivided pursuit of God will be a heart that will realize the promise of truly seeing Him.

Diet Shapes Appetite Over Time

Make a diet if cheeseburgers, over time you will have an appetite for cheeseburgers, and a body that shows it!  Let us talk about church:  Feed a church entertainment and it will have an appetite for entertainment.  Feed a church pop psychology and it will have an appetite for pop psychology.  Feed a church the Word of God and over time that church will hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Diet shapes appetite over time.  This is a fundamental principle.  You will want more of whatever you feed yourself on.  So, that means we want to monitor our diet carefully.

How is your diet shaping your appetites?   Do you like to work out? Sleep? Watch sports?  Read?  TV?  There is certainly nothing wrong with these, but here is the question: are the legitimate pleasures of life holding you back from being all that Christ calls you to be.  Is your appetite for God and His will diminished by a diet of other things?

The best way to subdue any appetite is to cultivate a stronger appetite that will take its place.  How can we cultivate a desire for holiness?  How can we have a greater hunger for God and righteousness?  Matthew 5:6 suggests we simply make a diet of such things:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. . . . "  Replace a diet of things of the world with a diet of the things of GOD - and over time, you will have developed an appetite for God and for righteousness.

When You are Weak (Part Two)

Did you know - that right now - Jesus is in deep prayer interceding for you?  That means He speaks to the Father on your behalf, bringing specific needs and particular situations that you are facing before God in prayer.  From the life of Jesus, there is a beautiful illustration of this, Jesus knew Peter would come under great pressure during the arrest and trial of Jesus, and Jesus knew that Peter would be tempted to deny Him.  Jesus said to Peter, "Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.  But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail" (Luke 22:31,32).


But you may say, "Peter did fail."  Yes he did! Three times Peter failed most miserably!  Three times Peter denied his LORD!  But take careful note that avoidance of failure is not what Jesus prayed for His disciple.  Rather Jesus prayed that his FAITH would not fail.  Failure is a consequence of our sinfulness, our fallenness - - we will fail!  The enemy does attack, and we do at times fail - and fail quite seriously, but our faith does not fail if we are in Christ - we will continue in faith despite our failure. 


Let me prove this from the Narrative we find here in Luke 22.  Satan really worked Peter over, and Peter failed big time!  And that would have been the end of Peters story if Christ had not interceded for him.  But Jesus did pray for Peter, and Jesus' prayers are always answered.  And for Peter, and for us who are in Christ, failure becomes an opportunity to discover the great depth of Gods mercy.  It also became an experience with the Grace of God that became useful as God ministered through Peter to others.


What Jesus did for Peter, He still does for you and I.  So when you are weak - even when you fail, be not troubled! for there is an intercessor pleading your case.  Our Jesus is the great victor over every enemy that may face us - - and in Him we too are victors!   "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (Romans 8:35).

When You are Weak.

I have been reminded recently how weak I am.  It seems like when I have it all together, I find myself struggling, and failing. I suppose that is the danger of overconfidence, it causes us to drop our guard and then, as my friend Doug Stahl says - - BOOOM!  


Matthew 26 speaks of the dangers of overconfidence.  There we find the words of Peter who said in verse 35: “I will never disown you!”  He said also in verse 33, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”  Peter was not fully aware of the weakness of his flesh.  And so, he did not watch, he did not pray, and as a result – he did enter into temptation - and he failed unbelievably so - he denied his Savior.  The one who thinks he has all he needs to stand better be careful, because he is setting himself up for failure!

Robert Murray McCheyne said “I am tempted to think that I am now an established Christian that I have overcome this or that lust for so long that I have got into the habit of the opposite grace – so that there is no fear.  I may venture very near temptation, nearer than other men.  This is a lie of Satan.  I might as well speak of gunpowder getting by habit a power of resisting fire, so as not to catch the spark.  The seeds of all sins are in my heart and perhaps all the more dangerously because I do see them.”

We must never fall into such thinking – we must be ever vigilant – ever watching.  In fact Jesus instructed His followers to watch and to pray?  Why?  Because Jesus knew that we are weak.  Do you know this to be so of you??  Do you know the weakness of your own flesh?  It is important that we know this truth, but let the truth not be a discouragement to you.   In fact – this realization is the first step in finding strength.  You must first agree that you are weak, and with such self-awareness, you may now flee to the one of whom Hebrews 4:15 says: “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

I am weak – and so are you!  But God is gracious to weak sinners in that he has provided the answer to our weakness.  He has provided His own Son, who lived a very real life with very real struggles and temptations and disappointments and weariness and hurt – and yet he conquered every enemy when he rose again from that grave!  And from heaven – that same Son has provided His own presence in the person of the Holy Spirit who now resides in every Child of God to bring strength and direction to empower us that we may live pleasingly before The Father  --  and to bring comfort and assurance when we fail.

Be aware of the danger of overconfidence in life, and thrust yourself entirely, as an absolute invalid, upon the aid of the Holy Spirit.  When you are weak, HE is strong!

Are you fulfilling God’s highest purpose for your life? (Or how to overcome a lousy attitude)

  In Ephesians 5:17, Paul gives us some very important teaching, he wrote:  “….do not be foolish, but understand what the Lords will is.”  There are many things we pursue, things that are wasteful, frivolous, foolish, perhaps even harmful to self and others.  It is possible to spend time and energy on things that are not Gods best.

One way to avoid foolish living and thinking is by studying, understanding, obeying and applying the Word of God.  The Bible contains wisdom for our right living.  When we know and obey Gods Word, we are more likely to be in Gods will and not as likely to live foolishly.  When we are award of God will; when we know it, pursue it, obey it, we are made more useful for the purposes God has for us. I do not think there is anything more joyous than being in and fulfilling the will of God. 

To understand Gods will, our spiritual vision must be clear and our spiritual ears must be sensitized to the will of God.  How do we do that?  I find I am more attuned spiritually when I am able to separate from the busyness and chatter of life.  I make it a regular habit to be alone with God each morning.  This morning, after struggling for two days with not so great an attitude, I refocused my heart with worship and prayer.  Worship to me, is the education of my affections, it teaches me to love.  When I am “worshipping” things that are not God, I am not loving Him as I should, and thus lose the joy of my salvation.  But when I set my mind and heart and body to worship God, I am learning to love Him and regain that joy.  It also directs my heart away from myself and toward others, I am more loving toward them.  This morning I had a wonderful season of prayer along with my time of worship and bible reading, and I am feeling useful, participating in the lives and ministries of friends who are very precious and important to me, and thereby accomplishing in part what God has set me apart to do, glorify Him.

So – are you spending your life resources on things that have no eternal value or purpose?  I encourage you to get alone with God in Worship, Bible reading, and Prayer.  It will direct your life, it will improve your attitude, and will restore the joy of the Lord in your heart.  Blessings.

When Life Seems Meaningless

Have you ever been struck by that feeling of pure meaninglessness? That deep down feeling in your heart of meaninglessness. Perhaps it occurs when you are at work or when you are alone.  Or perhaps in the face of some incomprehensible tragedy or nasty conflict. We toil and strive to find meaning in our lives, and if we are honest with ourselves we rarely find it. Sure, there are times when we might experience pure bliss and euphoric sensations, but that existential angst for meaning behind it all is still there.

C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”  C.S. Lewis provides an answer for us. When faced with the reality of living in a meaningless universe man seeks meaning with something outside of oneself. Something to fully satisfy. Something to provide a sense of meaning.

I believe that the Jesus Christ of the Bible is the answer to the absurdity of life.  I believe this Jesus, revealed in all His deity and humanity; in glory and humility is the answer to our meaningless.  And yet even so – even though I give intellectual assent to this truth - why then do I feel like he is not the answer to the meaningless of life so often?

I assure you that it is nothing lacking on His part – rather it is foolish sin and pride and doubt and fear and faithlessness on mine. What must we do – when as Christians we are tempted to fall in the pit of meaningless?  We must reach up!  We must grasp hold!  We must boldly and daily approach God and confess, “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).  We must cling to the gospel during our darkest days. We must remember the promises of God.

Maybe one day in the new Heavens and the new Earth we will all understand why we had to struggle. Until then, the struggle is real, and the feeling of meaninglessness still lives. Keep holding on, friends. You are not alone in this battle. We struggle together in Christ.  This is why we need the church.

What things are hindering you from fulfilling the will of God?

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He instructed them to focus on the fulfillment of Gods will.  In Matthew 6:9,10, Jesus said to pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, hollowed be your name, Your  kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Note again the emphasis of the latter portion of this section  of prayer as it focuses on the will of God being accomplished on earth.  The will of God is given a place of paramount importance in this model prayer.

There are many obstacles that get in the way of our goal to fulfill Gods will.  First there is the obstacle of sinister assault.  The Bible teaches us that our enemy schemes against us.  The intent of Satan is to deceive, disorient, discourage and destroy us – he is very intentional and purposeful as he goes about like a lion on the hunt.  Second, there is the challenge of temptation.  Our own sinful nature drives us to sinful solutions to meet needs, gratify desires and heal hurts.  When we yield to these sinful temptations we are choosing to find aid in things that seem to provide relief and comfort, but ultimately will stunt our growth spiritually and render us, at least for a season, useless to the purposes of God in our life and witness.  Finally there is the obstacle of wrong relationships.  There are people that we surround ourselves with that may have a damaging influence upon us – wrong relationships can hinder your usefulness in fulfilling the will of God.

What of these three hindrances  are standing in the way of your  fulfilling the will of God?  I encourage you to pray your way through these obstacles and fulfill Gods will for your life.

Trust and Obey - For There is no other way to turn around broken relationships (part three)

The Conflict Isaac so terribly feared and avoided persisted because the root of was his own fear and mistrust.  As long as he held on to his fear, his hurt he would continue in an endless cycle of conflict that resulted in yet more fear and mistrust.  But when Isaac fully considered and believed the promised of God, when he saw himself as a privileged child of the covenant God made between Himself and Isaac's father, Abraham, when he finally obeyed the command to "fear not," the conflict between himself and Abimelech vanished.
Abimelech came to Isaac to cut a deal.  Isaac still received Abimelech carefully, and not at all with a trusting heart toward him, but Isaac received his enemy with newfound trust in God.  Something has changed in Isaac, he now has a newfound confidence in the promise and power of God.  And take note that something has also changed in Abimelech.  The one who sought to drive Isaac away now begins a bargaining process for peace!  What changed in Abimelech is seen in the words he spoke to Isaac: "You are now blessed of the Lord!"  Finally, what Isaac has been all along postionally before his enemies, he is now practically as well.
Have you considered that much of the conflict and hardship in our lives with others has in fact much more to do with our trust and faith and submission to God that the issue that pursues us?   Recurring conflicts and trials and difficulties persist with us, very often because of our own failure - not in the context of a circumstance - but in some aspect of our relationship with God.  Pray that God would reveal such things.

Trust and Obey - for there is no other way to turn around broken relationships! (Part 2)

I want us to see today what great change is brought to Isaacs relationship with others when he learns to trust God - even with his greatest fears.  Just as the Israelite's saw themselves as grasshoppers easily controlled and easily crushed, they were thereby seen in a familiar manner in the eyes of their enemy.  How they perceived themselves ultimately became how they were seen by others.  In this narrative, we see how Isaac saw himself, and how that led to how he was seen and treated by others.  I want us to get this - Isaacs enemies saw that he was POSITIONALLY blessed of God, but they also saw that Isaac was not PRACTICALLY blessed because he did not walk in that way.  Isaac - positionally was blessed, but because of fear, distrust - they knew they could dictate to Isaac his roles and even his choices - - even in the midst of the promised land.

The point I wish to make is this:  the conflict that Isaac so terribly feared persisted because to root of the conflict and the manner in which his enemies were treating him stemmed from his own self perception.  As long as he was controlled by his emotions of fear and distrust, he would be easily controlled by circumstances and people, and not God.

But something change.  God gave Isaac a command - - and we must give Isaac credit here - - because he DID fear God more than he feared men.  God told Isaac to dig a well, and to stay put, and Isaac did.  God made Isaac take a stand - and when he did, it changed everything.  We will see the results tomorrow.

Trust and Obey - for there is no other way to turn around broken relationships!

They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, ²⁹ that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” ³⁰ So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank.  (ESV)

Fear is a nasty enemy of relationships.  There are two parties in the conflict alluded to above, and at the heart of their conflict was fear and disobedience.  Strangely, they do not recognize, or at least admit that they are hurting one another - but they are, their relationship is broken, they do not trust one another, and they hurt each other.

Sinful disobedience and untrusting fear break relationships.  What comes first - I do not know, but I do know they feed one another.  Sinful disobedience by one party feeds the fear of another.  So too does fear and distrust of one part feed the sinful disobedience of the other - - it is a terrible, vicious, seemingly hopeless and unending cycle.  This series of posts centers on fear, and though there is much that may be said about disobedience, we will stick to our treatment of fear.  Let us do so by looking to another example of where fear led to disobedience.

In Numbers 13:33 - 12 spies of Israel were sent to search the land of promise, the land they have been given and commanded to go and possess by God.  Though the action of sending spies is treated with neutrality in the narrative, it is driven by sinful fear.  So here we see an example of fear resulting in sin. 

The spies go into the land - and they return with a report.  10 of the 12 brought back a discouraging report - yes the land is rich - it is all that God promised it would be - 10 of the 12 brought back a report of Giants in that land, and great walled cities, and thus, they failed to believe they could take and possess what God had promised.  They concluded their report with these revealing words:  "And we were in OUR OWN sight as grasshoppers, AND SO WERE IN THEIR SIGHT."

God made many promises to the Children of Israel, but they would not possess it - because they took their eyes off of Gods power and strength and sufficiency and cast them upon an enemy that seemed greater to them than even the God who had thus far led them and fed them and cared for them and protected them and made even their shoes and clothing to last over the entire 40 year journey.

Fear kept them from obediently going in to possess the promise.  Fear granted their enemies more power than the enemy actually had.  Tomorrow (Lord willing) we will visit here again to see what this story has to do with Isaac and the passage mentioned above.  

Do Not Fear: Consider the One Who Will Fight For You. (Part Two)

This weekend, as I was speaking to a friend about my last post, "Consider the One who will fight for you," we began to reason together what is, we believe the greatest obstacle to overcome fear, and we decided that it is the inability to let fear go.  We actually hold on to fear.  I think the reason is that many, who struggle fear, tend to feel that they can only depend on themselves, they will trust none other, including God. They tend to have a need to control circumstances, even other people. 

This was a struggle of which Isaac, and Jacob both contended with. 

God responded with  a witness, a testimony, of His goodness and faithfulness and authority and strength as the only dependable answer to the circumstances that confronted Isaac.  At the point of Isaacs most cunning schemes to control and manipulate his circumstances, God revealed Himself as the personal God who has promised provision and protection and had to track record, as proven in the life of Abraham, of His sufficiency to accomplish all that he had promised.

We possess such a witness as well.  Romans 15:4 says, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."  God has a proven track record of delivering on His promises, why would we look any where else??

Do Not Fear: Consider the One Who Will Fight For You.

"I am the God of your father Abraham, do not fear." Genesis 26:24
God has made promises to those who respond to Him in faith and obedience; promises to keep them, provide for them, and in the Promised One, Jesus Christ, to save from sin and death.  In all that God has promised He has never left Himself without a witness.  Acts 14:17 says: "Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."  .
This is not merely a call of remembrance, but it is a call to think upon the moral character of God. Such a witness lets us know that all blessings come from God.  God reminds Isaac of such things because fear is a result of forgetfulness; it is the result of forgetting what God has done, it is forgetting that God is good.  By reminding Isaac of his father Abraham, and more importantly Gods covenantal faithfulness to Abraham, God is revealing the root of Isaac's fearfulness, it is forgetfulness, thoughtlessness and distrust.
The greatest enemy of fear is knowledge.  To know more about God, about His moral goodness and faithfulness, about His strength and sufficiency is the most basic fundamental of Spiritual Warfare.   If you want to grow in spiritual strength and defeat spiritual enemies like fear, engage in thoughtful consideration of the character and attributes of God, and reflect that the One who is strong and wise and faithful and sufficient is the very one who has promised to engage in the battle for your soul, and win! 
Remember the God of your Fathers, consider the record of His faithful fulfillment of every one of His promises, and trust that it is He who will fight on behalf of all who trust in him.  In fact, He has already won! So then, do not fear!

How Father Abraham was a Good Father.....

Isaac was most certainly a witness to the many ways God blessed his father Abraham.  But sometimes, when life is hard and fears are mounting, we are in need of reminding, and I think that is the intention God had when He told Isaac; "I am the God of your father Abraham." 

These words would bring to Isaacs mind the many promises and blessings he witnessed manifest in the life of his father because God is always faithful. It would bring to mind the instruction that Abraham gave Isaac as he was growing up in Abrahams home.  Abraham was a faithful father who taught his children the will and ways and faithfulness of God.  The Bible records the sentiment of God concerning Abraham in Genesis 18:19 - "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him."

I have some friends who are expecting the arrival of a little baby girl this week - and if I could speak into the heart of that new father something I believe to be most helpful to successfully loving that little girl - it is this - be just like Abraham.  Take care to teach the ways of God, to instill - not merely knowledge about God - but the "ways of God" so that she may know not merely stuff about God - but that she may love God. Let her witness His faithfulness in your faithfulness to instruct and guide and care and love her. Take care to note the special grace and mercy and love and blessing God has demonstrated to you.  Let her know that God is faithful to His promise and rewards a life that honors and glorifies Him in obedience and righteousness. Tell those things to your child.

Fearful Isaac needed to be reminded of the faithfulness of God - and what was the most powerful example of the faithfulness of God to one so young?  The faithfulness of God to his parents.  In my life - and amidst the many trials and terrors and pain - it is the remembrance of those things my faithful parents - and in particular - my faithful father - taught me about the faithfulness of My God!  Because of their witness - I learned to sing -

There is a Savior, What joys express!

His eyes are mercy, His Word is rest,

For each tomorrow, for each today,

There is a Savior, who lights the way.


"We have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world."
I John 4:14

“…I am the God of your father Abraham…” Genesis 26:24

Isaac was continuously brutalized by his own imagination. Though a great man who was thoroughly blessed, Isaac never realized practically what he was positionally in God. His life bore no evidence of the power and glory and faithfulness and sufficiency of God. He fails to demonstrate the providential graces of God because he lacked trust and faith. God thusly confronts Isaac and his fear with a glorious self revelation; “I am the God of your father Abraham.”

There is a two-fold purpose in the self-revelation of God to His servant; first it is a call to remembrance. By mentioning Father Abraham, God is reminding Isaac that he himself, as a descendent of the seed of Abraham, is the benefactor of all the promises of God concerning that seed. God is guiding Isaacs heart to remember the faithfulness of God toward Abraham. And so God first causes Isaac to remember.

The second purpose behind this self revelation was to correct. God purposed many great things for Abraham and his progeny in keeping with the covenant promise he established with the Patriarch of faith. Isaac must need be corrected, for as he fails to trust, as he continues to fear, he relinquishes the joy of his salvation resulting in the serious sin of disbelief.

We may take from these brief words much to consider and hold in faith for our own joy. The joy that God has promised will be realized when the patterns of fear and distrust are replaced with a pattern of faithful and believing dependence. Please understand - we cannot deter the will of God, and there is nothing that will separate us from the love of God, but we can relinquish the joy and power of it in daily life because of distrust and fear. This is what lies behind the command, “do not fear;” fear is the grave enemy of our assurance in God. So then - “Do Not Fear!”

Fear: The Running Man

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.  And the men of the place asked about his wife.  And he said, "She is my sister;" for he was afraid to say, "she is my wife," because he thought, "lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold."  Gen 26:6.7

It is a part of the fathering nature of God that He not allow us to go forward without growing in His grace to overcome that which threatens our enjoyment of His blessing or our usefulness to His purposes.  And so -  by a strange, yet loving providence of God, conflict will follow Isaac no matter where he may run to.

You may say that Isaac was a running man.  We see at the beginning of Chapter 26 that he ran from the drought rather than turning to and trusting God for provision and protection. He was intending to run to Egypt, but God confronted him and instructed him to go to Gerar.  At Gerar Isaac will have gone to a place familiar to his family - it was here that Isaac's father Abraham fled.  And all for the same reason - Like his son, Abraham too feared for his life because of the beauty of his wife; and here too, Abraham contrived the same - most ridiculous deception, claiming that his wife was not his wife, but his sister.

Fear is a sinful pattern of thought - it is a mistrust of God and His character and capacity to protect and preserve His people.  Because of fear, important things are avoided, foolish decisions are made, and much misery and brokenness and relational messes occur.

What do we do when we are confronted with fear.  Over the next few posts, we will give thought to this question as we work through the Genesis narrative concerning Gods gracious dealings with fearful Isaac.

Monday Morning Thoughts About Church

Have you ever given thought to who you truly are?  Well, who are you?  There are probably many ways that you could describe yourself.  I am a man, a father, a son, unfortunately single due to divorce, an assistant manager of a book store, a friend, a lover of books, a Christian. . . .  This list could go on and on, but there is one very important way that God wants us to think about ourselves.  If we are saved, we are his children - we are family!  II Thessalonians says; "We ought always to thank God for you brothers..."  Do not get hung up on the word brothers, if you are a woman in Christ, Paul would call you sister.

The point is the idea of belonging, Paul wants us to know that we belong!  He wants us to know, that in Christ -  we belong to God as His children.  But more than that - Paul wants us to know that we also belong to one another.

There is much power in that truth!  There is much power in our being incorporated into a body, a family.  And it may be well that I apply this wondrous truth with a rehearsal of all the gracious blessings we enjoy, in Christ, together as His Church.  But that is not the way I am thinking this morning.  I am thinking rather in terms of our living in a troubled world, together, as the church. 

We live in a terribly uncertain time.  There are great evils that are broadcast right into our living spaces through cables and airwaves  every day.  We see the threat of ISIS.  We are concerned with Iran gaining nuclear capabilities.  We see things in our neighborhoods that are violent and terrible - these are precarious times! 

The times in which Paul was writing were also precarious times for the people of God - there was much evil then as well.  And what does Paul do when he sees the power of sin at work in the world.  He gives thanks for the church!  Why?  Because while Satan is at work - so too is Jesus Christ at work - through His church!  Matthew 16:18 states: "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

What should we do as we watch as the world grows seemingly darker and more evil?  Thank God for the Church.  We ought to value what Christ is doing through His people, we ought to stand together, pray together, worship together, bring the light of the Gospel of Christ into the world together!

Out of this dark and difficult  passage on the mystery of sin in the world, Paul launches into one of the most wonderful and beautiful expressions of thanksgiving for the church in all the Bible.  Who are you! In Christ, you are the church.

Trust and Obey

Genesis 16:9 - And the Angel of the Lord said unto her, "return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands."

Hagar has a big problem, she has found herself stuck between two no win choices.  If she goes forth, she has no provision or protection, if she goes back, she returns to a mistress that despises her.  She is in a desperate situation, and yet, as with Naaman, it is here that God intervenes.  She is met by the Angel of the LORD who gives to her a third option; trusting obedience."  What the Angel of the LORD has said she is to do will prove to be a great test to her - she must return, and so she did, she returned to the heavy hand of Sarai. 

Could it truly be the will of God for Hagar to return to Sarai and remain there under hurtful and troublesome circumstances?  This appears to be a most cruel thing that God requires of her.  And there is still a question, it too seems tauntingly cruel, "Where are you come from, and where are you going?"  The intent of the question is not so much to gather information, but to reveal a problem and need.  The question is in fact diagnostic in nature, it aims to reveal to her the hopelessness of her plan.  It forces her to consider the consequence of either choice she can make.  In either choice there is great trouble.  But in the midst of her despair, she is met with a God that is cognoscente of her dilemma and speaks directly to the circumstances in which she finds herself - - - simply put - God hears.  Genesis 16:11 says - The LORD has heard your affliction.

When we are in hopeless despair, our hopelessness and weakness touches the heart of God and he is quick to dispatch encouragement and assistance - the Angel of the LORDS is gracious in the face of her great desperation and reveals a third way for her to go - it is not an easy way - and not a way without its own discomforts  - it is the way of trusting obedience - it is the way of ultimate deliverance and salvation. 

The Slaughtering Place

Genesis 13:18: Then Abraham moved his tent and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an alter there to the LORD.

“And built there an alter.”  Words similar to these have already been said concerning Abraham several times before this point in the narrative of his life and travels.  At each step along his way to the land that God promised, Abraham would erect an alter for the worship and service of God. 

But let us be very careful to understand that the idea of “alter” had in the days of Abraham a very different connotation than our own.  When we think of an alter, we envision a place in the front of a building where the church gathers; it is that place upon which stands the pastor to preach.  Or we may think of a table where candles are burnt, or even a kneeling rail where we can go to pray.  But the idea that Abraham had about the alter is much different than that.  The definition of alter is actually “The Slaughtering Place.”

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were brought to the alter and be put to death and offered to God.  In Abrahams time, the father of the family would serve as priest and make such offerings.  Later a priesthood would be set aside by God to accomplish this service.

The general idea was that prayer and worship were to be accompanied by sacrifice, offerings and gifts.  This is true yet even today.  In order that our worship be acceptable to the LORD, our sins must be atoned for by an offering.  Thankfully for the Christian, that offering has been made by sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God – Jesus Christ – The LORDS own son.  The Bible says in Hebrews 10:19-23:  “Therefore, brothers,  since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” 

"The Transformed Life" by D A Carson

What leaves you astonished?  Let me share something with you that has astonished me:  II Thessalonians 1:11 says, “We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

That is an astonishing statement.  I would have expected it to say, “that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of His.”  But the passage does not say that, it says, “every good purpose of yours!”  Don Carson, in his book “The Transformed Life” says, “Gods people have been so transformed through their conversion to Jesus Christ…that they now develop new sets of goals.  Prompted and shaped by goodness and faith, they inevitably formulate new purposes, decidedly Christian plans, Christian purposes and Christian goals.

That is what happens when we experience a transformation of life.  Carson intends to help his reader to understand that it is not enough to drift through life.  Life as God intended requires intense engagement.  It is not spiritual to sit idle and just be “open to whatever the LORD wants me to do.”   That is not spiritual, it is laziness, it is passivity.  The Transformed life is not passive.  God invites us to take the initiative, to formulate plans and to act in faith.  Carson says that an effect of the Gospel is that these things are informed and transformed by the Word of God, conforming us into the image of Jesus so that all we purpose is good and in accordance with His pleasure and will.
The Transformed Life by D A Carson is a book I highly recommend.

Encountering God: Paying the Price of Usefulness

She had all the reason in the world to hate him, but she loved him, and here is how it started - - forgiveness.   I doubt we can truly understand the brand of forgiveness and love and grace this little slave girl gathered and extended to such a man.  We have spoken of his evil already in earlier posts – he was a monster who wronged her and her family and her people  – yet she forgave him!  She loved him!  She sought his healing and comfort and well-being!  “Oh – if only my master….“ she said pleadingly.  She loved her enemy.  She desired that Naaman would be made well

When we are hurt we are confronted with some options in how we might respond.  One way that we might respond is to make those who have hurt us pay by hurting them until we have extracted the payment due for the harm they have caused us.  Another way we might respond is to forgive and to love.

Again – if we are carefully observant, we see how this girl is like our Jesus – she reminds us that forgiveness is costly – she willingly paid the price of forgiveness.   But look at what the cost she paid made of her, it turned her in to a vessel most useful to purposes of God.  This servant of the LORD paid the cost of usefulness, she died to her anger and desires for vengeance – and God used her!  There is no way we may be useful to the purposes of God until we have died to all our wishes, prerogatives and rights. She deserved to see vengeance exacted upon the man – bust she gave that up – she paid the price, and thus - she was useful!  This little slave girl was used powerfully in the cause of the Gospel in Naaman’s life.  This little slave girl willingly shared in the suffering of her own savior as she forgave Naaman just as Jesus forgives sinners.

Oh how beautiful this little slave girl was!  And how powerfully useful to the purposes of her God!  And does this little suffering servant not point us to the ultimate Suffering Servant who accomplished the grand purposes of God to encounter and redeem a sin-sick, diseased people, healing and restoring and blessing people who deserve no such graciousness?

Encountering God: "...only if..."

II Kings 5:2: The Syrians, on one of their raids, had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.  She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to see the prophet who is in Samaria.  He would cure him of leprosy.”

We return to the beginning of the narrative concerning Naaman to visit again these words spoken by a little Jewish girl - - “If only….” 
The profundity of these words are understood best with the realization of who she is, and who Naaman was.  Let us begin with Naaman.  He was the military and political leader who assaulted Israel.  He was a vicious – terrible man – an evil man who committed great atrocities against the people of God.  He was certainly a man who deserved not a single good thing from God ,  rather he was a man who deserved punishment, suffering, death.  It seems right and just that such a man should contract leprosy and slowly suffer the indignities of that disease until finally and painfully, he is dead.

And then there is the girl, a slave girl.  She is a girl that likely saw the brutal attack on her people and the murder of her family.  She is a girl that suffered the fate of becoming a slave to the very monster who was responsible for all that was inflicted upon her.   It would have made more psychological sense to me if upon hearing and seeing the effects of Leprosy upon this ogre, that she would have said not “only if….” but “let him suffer and die.” 

The man who deserved nothing but her vitriol is the object of her compassion.  She loves him, she loves her enemy!  And oh how precious, and beautiful - - -  and - like my Jesus she is – because when I was a flagrant, murderous sinner – when I was the great enemy of the LORD – Jesus loved me!  Had this little girl not loved Naaman, none of the narrative of his saving encounter with God would never have happened.  Had Jesus not loved you and I sinful enemies of God, the narrative of our saving encounter with God, likewise, would not have happened.  Though I was an enemy of God – still – Jesus loved me!

As Naaman was a representative of a sinful humanity, receiving grace and forgiveness and healing by the sheer grace of GOD, so is this little slave girl is a type of Jesus – extending grace and mercy and healing to a sin stained wretch that did not deserve what he received.

Encountering God: Redeeming Our Employment (And Everythng Else) For the Glory of GOD.

“Could I have some earth?”  In II Kings 19 verse 17, Naaman makes a rather bazaar request, he says, “Let there be given your servant two mules load of earth, for from now on your  servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any God but the LORD.”

To understand the meaning behind this request, let us remember the official capacity in which Naaman served his own nation; he was what we would today understand to be the Prime Minister.  As a part of that official capacity, he would participate in ceremonies of state that included worship of the false Gods of Syria.  This placed Naaman in a rather difficult quandary, how can he remain faithful to the God he has encountered, the God who has saved him and restored him and still continue in his employment for the state?  The answer lies in that dirt that he asked for.  Those two mule loads contained the soil of Israel.  Every time Naaman would be called to attend his official functions of state, and when those functions were accompanied by deference to the false Gods of Syria, Naaman would pour some soil in that place, and kneel upon the soil of Israel, so that all around would know that he worships the Only True God – the God of the Jews – The LORD God of Israel. 

The God of Israel is now central to everything Naaman would now do.  Naaman integrated his faith with his secular employment.  This is important for we who work in secular employments.  We can make – even secular places – a holy place, by honoring God.  We can redeem our jobs for the glory of Christ!  And not only our jobs, but every place in which we live and serve and play and learn, can be a place where we integrate our faith and become a witness for God.

It may be a difficult place, with difficult challenges, but you are there as an influence for God and as a demonstration of HIS holiness before others.  Separation from the world does not mean to remove ourselves from it, it means to live separated unto God in all holiness and righteousness within it, testifying that God is central to everything you do.