Monday, January 31, 2011

Listen

Micah 1:2 "Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord God be a witness against you. The Lord from His holy temple."


Micah…another prophet, another warning and once again, a warning to Judah. The weird thing, though, is that he starts this prophecy with a broad brush. He doesn't just want to get the attention of Israel, he wants to get everyone's attention. Hear this, listen to this, understand this, yield to this, obey this, heed this, pay attention to this. This is for all people. This is for the entire earth and all that is in it. That is pretty broad. It does not leave anyone out. Apparently, people were not paying attention. They were self absorbed and distracted by other things that seemed more important.


It is funny how that happens. This happens to me when I am supposed to be listening for my client to be called for a hearing. I get wrapped up in reading another file, or talking to another attorney, or am interested in an article that I may be reading in the paper (because we spend a lot of time waiting) and my client's name is called. Do you think I hear it? No. The next thing I know someone is coming up to me and saying: "Glen, you're being called." I was distracted and was not paying attention to what was important.


The world was doing this in Micah's day. The world is doing this now. We are so wrapped up in making money, or our careers, or our families, or even our ministries. It is weird, I did it this morning. Normally I get up, take my shower, get dressed and then pray-read-journal. For some reason, today I had other stuff on my mind and I got up, took my shower, got dressed and e-mailed the worship team about plans this week. I got distracted from my time with God. I didn't listen to His voice first and now I am rushing to get my time in. Not good. The Lord is in His holy temple. He is set apart in His sanctuary waiting…waiting for me to be quiet and listen. Waiting for me to slow down and hear. This is really all He wants from us…our undivided attention…our love relationship. It is the Mary and Martha thing. Martha was so distracted with doing that she forgot to sit down and hear and listen. Mary chose what was best, listening to her Teacher, her Friend, her Savior.


So should I.


Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Deceiver

Obadiah 3,4 "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you ascend as high as the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord."


The shortest book in the Old Testament…Obadiah. No one really knows a lot about this prophet. In fact, no one is really sure when this book was written, but one thing is clear, Obadiah was telling Edom, the descendant's of Esau that they were going down. Why? Because of what they did to Israel (Esau's brother, Jacob). When Israel was being taken captive, Edom did nothing. In fact, Edom rejoiced in their destruction, participated with those who bid for Jerusalem, took their property and cut off roads that they could have used to escape. Jacob and Esau…always wrestling, always at odds. What was behind all of this? Why the animosity? Because of Esau (Edom's) pride. They thought they were hot stuff. In fact, they thought that they were indestructible.


I think that this is interesting to look at because Edom was doing well. In fact, they were living the high life. Their habitation was high. They lived in the clefts of the rocks and ascended as high as the eagle and lived among the stars. I don't think that this meant that they flew. What it meant was that they had it made and they knew it, so much so they got pretty pompous and rejoiced in their brother's adversity. This pride was not just an outward thing, although it expressed itself outwardly. It was an inward thing. It started in the inner man. "The pride of your heart has deceived you." "You say in your heart, who will bring me down to the ground?" This deception began internally and evidenced itself in how it responded to its own family members.


Pride. It's a deceiver. Things go well. Internally, in our heart we think that things are going well because of what great people we are. When this happens, we are done. We think it, we start believing it and then we say it: "I'm pretty good. I've got it made. Look at the stability in my life. Nothing can touch me." Unfortunately, then our actions reveal it in the shameful way that we treat others, even those in our own family.


The result: "Behold, I will make you small…:. V2 "I will bring you down." God does not play with pride. He hates it. "These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: (First on the list:) A proud look…". That is where it all starts…pride, and that is where it will end: "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."


The solution? What I have been writing about in my study of Amos: "I am nothing, God is everything but He wants to make me something for His glory, not mine." That has to be my mindset. That has to be my inner man. That has to be my heart.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Ultimate Scientist

Amos 9:6 "He who builds His layers in the sky, and has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth - the Lord is His name."


Here it is again…the unfathomable greatness of God. Amos said similar stuff in 5:8 and he is basically repeating himself here. Just look at the sky. Amos knew there were layers in the sky. Did Amos know about the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, the exosphere, the ionosphere, the magnetosphere? I mean, this guy, a simple shepherd spent a lot of time tending sheep under the stars, but, how would he know that there were layers in the atmosphere? He didn't…God did. This is God's word. It is God breathed and He was explaining to all of us eight-hundred years before the birth of Christ that there were layers in the sky. This was 2400 years before Galileo made all of his discoveries…and God shows up again, revealing His greatness. Not just in what He has created in the heavens, but by what He has said in His word.


Then Amos talks about the layers of the earth. The word for strata actually means bands or cords. Amos knew about this stuff because God revealed it to him and it demonstrates the knowledge and greatness of God.


And then he repeats himself by explaining the rain cycle. This must have amazed Amos as he watched it rain. He knew, because God told him about evaporation and condensation.


Many times Christians get all twisted in knots when it comes to science. We think that scientists are out to prove that God does not exist. The thing is, as scientists truly study the universe and the earth and the human body…if they have an open mind and are honest with themselves, they have to admit that a Creator did all of this. And this Creator…the Lord is His name. He is the ultimate Scientist. He is the One we need to listen to and learn from because He made it all and He knows how it works. This isn't just true as it relates to the physical world around us. It is true as it relates to life as well. He made us. He knows how we work. Because of this He knows what is best for us, even before we have a clue…and we should listen and obey. God revealed His secrets to Amos and He wants to reveal amazing things to us as well.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Famine

Amos 8:11 "'Behold, the days are coming', says the Lord God, 'That I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'"


Famine. The thought of it sends chills. We have so much in this country. We can go to the grocery store and buy anything that we could ever think or imagine. If there is ever a thought that the electricity will go out, or that there is going to be financial trouble, or a storm is coming, what do people do? They run to the grocery store and hoard what they can just so they can be ready when food supplies are not able to be trucked in to the local Giant Eagle, Heinens, Aldi's, Marcs, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Save-a-Lot, Sams, Costco, BJ's, etc. We are so used to having our stomachs filled we go crazy if we think we may have to miss a meal or two.


Now, compare this with the availability of food in places like the Sahel region of Africa. No rain, no growth, no growth, no food, no food, real hunger, real thirst, desperation, illness, starvation, death. All because of a lack of rain.


Amos was warning the people of Israel about famine as well. But this was not a water/food famine. This was worse. This was a famine for God's word. People wanted to hear it, but God withdrew it. People looked for the word of the Lord, but they could not find it. It was scarce. It was unavailable. As a result, spiritual starvation. Physical starvation is horrible. Spiritual starvation is eternally deadly and Amos told the people that this is what they were going to suffer because they intentionally ignored the word of God when it was available. (v5,6) They wanted to do what they wanted to do. They didn't care about what God said, they were going take advantage of the poor, cheat, and steal. They were going to make money any way that they could even though they knew what God wanted…and God said: "Since you don't want any part of Me, you won't have any part of Me" and the famine for His words began.


Talk about sending chills. Just imagine if God said that to us now. "You don't want to hear My Word, you don't want to obey My Word so, I am going to withhold My Word." The result would be darkness. The result would be no hope. The result would be no life. The result would be no answers, no promises, no direction…no God. Frankly, God could easily say this to the world today. Then when we were desperate to hear His voice there would be silence.


"Oh God…help us to always listen, to always hear, to always heed and obey."


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Taking

Amos 7:14,15 "I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'"


Amos was stirring things up and Amaziah, the priest of Bethel didn't like it. He went to Amos and confronted him about some of the things he was saying against the king of Israel. Amaziah basically said: "Get out of here. Give your prophecy to Judah but don't do it here any longer." Amos' reply? "I was not a prophet and I am not the son of a prophet. I was a simple shepherd and farmer. But then something amazing happened. God saw this simple, insignificant shepherd and He took me. It wasn't something I was looking for. I was going about my daily routine of watching the sheep and God changed everything. He called me to be a prophet to Israel."


"Then the Lord took me…" This taking is when God captured Amos. He seized Him. He removed him from his life of being a shepherd and made him a prophet. That is just like God. He takes us when we least expect it. He did it to Amos as he followed the flock and He made him a prophet. He did it to Moses while he was out tending his father in law's sheep and called him from a burning bush. And think about Mary. Just going about, living her life, making plans for a wedding, and all of a sudden an angel appears to her and tells her that she is going to give birth to God's Son. Talk about a shock! The cool thing is that God took these simple, ordinary people and made them extraordinary in His kingdom. God captured their hearts and used them in unimaginable ways.


This makes me wonder…what else does God want to do with me? He has captured my heart and He has allowed me to do some things that I would never have ever imagined. Teach? Lead worship? Elder? Give me a break! I couldn't talk in front of people, I would get too nervous. Then my pastor decades ago asked me to lead singing and I was unbelievably reluctant. And serve others in the capacity that God has placed me and to let me see Him work in the way that He is…crazy. I wasn't a prophet or the son of a prophet either, but He allows me to speak His word to hundreds of people. That is nuts! Yet, I am a simple guy in the hands of a mighty God. As Louie Giglio says: "I am not, but I know I AM". That makes all the difference. We know I AM. He wants to take us and use us in extraordinary ways for His kingdom. I know that He still has more for me.


As I said a few days ago: We are nothing…God is everything and He wants to take us simple, ordinary, insignificant people and make us something. Not for our glory, but for His.


God is still in the taking business.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Nasty

Amos 6:8 "The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts says: 'I abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.'"


Pride is a nasty thing. It is nasty because we start to think that we are something that we are not. We believe our own press clippings and when we do that, we place ourselves and our interests above those of others and we place ourselves and our interests above the interests of God…and that is dangerous.


Just look at Lucifer. He had it all. He was the top angel in heaven. He really didn't need anything else, but he wanted more. He wanted to exalt his throne above the stars of God. He said: "I will be like the Most High." Is. 14:12-15 Dummy. The result: "You shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit." It wasn't just Lucifer. Look at Adam and Eve. They also bought into this "you will be like God" thing. Gen.3:5 Nothing but pride. Nothing but trying to make themselves something that they were not. They we trying to exalt themselves to the place of God. And it didn't end with Adam and Eve. It hit the house of Jacob as well. They had it all. They had comfortable beds. They had great living room furniture. They ate whatever they wanted. They sang songs and invented musical instruments. They drank as much wine as they wanted. They had the best skin care in the world…but they didn't care about what God cared about. (Amos 6:3-6) They thought it was all about them. They thought that their own strength and ability had produced all of this. (6:13)


Now, think about us. Think about the competition among some of our churches. Think about the idea that we have to be better than you. We have to do things better than you. We have to attract more people than you. We want people to love us the most. We want to have the most money, and the best programs, the best music and the most talented staff. Why? So we can boast? So we can say we have it together? So we can prove that God is blessing us? Look out. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. It happened to Lucifer, Adam and Eve, the house of Jacob and it will happen to the church in the U.S. if we don't wake up and understand that we are nothing but tools in the hand of almighty God to be used in any way that He sees fit. We are simply His servants to do what He wants in the way He wants. When we start thinking that our growth is due to our smarts or our strength or our wisdom and that we are better than others, we are in deep trouble because God literally abhors pride, and He will do something about it. I have seen it happen and it isn't pretty.


Now narrow this competition thing, this "I have to better than the other guy thing", this pride thing, down to our individual lives. It is there. It is always a temptation. It is lurking just waiting to pounce and it is dangerous. I am not better than anyone else. I am not at all like God. Sure He wants me to have the character of Christ, but He does not want any competition when it comes to power or authority or credit and I have to be vigilant to protect against it. God help us all.


Monday, January 24, 2011

Wow!

Amos 5:8 "He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning and makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name."


Beyond us. That is what God is. He is so far beyond anything that we can even imagine. Just looking at His creation should make us fall on our faces in awe.


A few facts about Pleiades: It is a cluster of seven stars. The constellation is one of the closest to the earth so it is easy to see with the naked eye. It is really composed of 500 to 1000 individual stars which all travel together in the same gravitational field. In the 1700's it was determined that the chances of this happening with this number of stars was 1:500,000. It's size is 20 light years…that is 120 trillion miles. Pretty small when it comes to this thing called space. And what is the name of it's Maker?


And what about Orion? It is another constellation of stars that is recognizable from the earth. The constellation has been known as the hunter. One well known star in the constellation is Betelgeuse. The size of Betelgeuse alone is 250 times the size of our sun. If it were our sun, it's size would encompass all of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. That is nothing, really when you think that the largest star found thus far is something called VY Canis Majoris. It is 2100 times the size of our sun. And who is the Maker?


Not only that but He has made this thing we call days. He takes darkness and turns it into light and He takes light and turns it into darkness. As you think about this whole concept of time, it also a part of creation. It really dictates all of our existence…and what do we call the One who created this?


Then look at this. Before people could figure out how we got rain, the Bible talked about it. The Bible describes this thing called condensation. "He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth." This is the rain cycle…and whose brainchild was this?


"The Lord is His name." Jehovah…the Existing One. The One who never had a beginning and will never have an end. The Eternal One. He is the One who created the stars and days and time and the rain cycle. "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day after day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge." Ps 19:1,2


And who are we? No one, really. We are one speck on this planet that we call home. And this planet is just one speck in all of God's created space. Yet we are the objects of His love. We are the ones He made in His image. We are the ones He sent His Son to die for. We are the ones He wants to have a relationship with and who He talks to.


God, I am nothing, You are everything, but You want to make me something. Wow!


Real Life

Amos 5:4b,6a,14a "Seek Me, and live...Seek the Lord and live...Seek good and not evil, that you may live..."

We run after so much stuff in our short lives on this earth. There is so much out there to run after. Money, love, power, popularity, possessions, jobs, status, comfort, health, being the best, family, friends, significance…and these are only a few. None of them are really bad. It is not bad to have money. It is not bad to have someone love you. It is not bad to be healthy. It is not bad to feel good about yourself. The problem is, we make these things singular priorities in our lives and we ignore that which is primary…seeking God.

The word for "seek" actually means to "seek with care, to enquire, to consult, to investigate, to ask, to study, to follow". We are so careful to get the right education so we can get the right job to make the right amount of money to support our family and have the stuff that we want so we can be comfortable, and we think that this is living. We think that this is life. We believe that this is all there is. God is telling Amos: "There is more." The word for live actually means: "have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, be quickened". So these verses are saying: "Seek God, study God, follow God and you will have life, be quickened and will sustain your life." Kind of sounds like a guy that came to this earth who said: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 Jesus wasn't just talking about everyday living, He was talking about something more. I love the meaning of "more abundantly" it means: "exceeding, over and above, supremely, extraordinary, uncommon". Jesus doesn't just want us to live ordinary lives and then someday leave this place in a way that makes someone wonder if we ever existed. No. Jesus wants our lives to mean something. To have real purpose. To be extraordinary. To exceed the lives of those who are just chasing after temporary stuff. He wants us to make an eternal impact. That is why He came. How do we do that? Seek Him with care. Consult Him. Ask Him. Study Him. Follow Him. Run after Him. Make Him our number one priority. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Matt 6:33

Seek the Lord and really live.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Caution

Amos 4:13 "For behold, He who forms the mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth - the Lord God of hosts is His name."

I am going through a great Bible study with the men of our church right now. It is called "Downpour" by James MacDonald. This last week he talked about God's holiness. His main points were that holiness describes separation and holiness demands caution. God's holiness describes how totally different God is from anything or anyone else. He is totally set apart. He is so awesome and powerful and pure and righteous and true that He is far beyond anything that we can imagine. Because of this we need to approach Him with caution. We can't be flippant in our relationship with Him. We can't say things like: "When I see God I am going to give Him a piece of my mind." No. When we see God we are only going be one place: On our faces crying out "Holy, holy, holy."

Somehow the nation of Israel forgot about this. In their amnesia God did what He needed to do to bring them back. As you go through Amos chapter four you see that He started by being kind and gentle with them by making them physically healthy and providing for all of their needs. (v6 cleanness of teeth and bread in all their places). This didn't impress them and they continued to go their own way, so God took a second step. He withheld rain in one city and provided it in another city. The result was that He still provided, but He made them travel from one city to another to get water. (v7,8) They still didn't pay attention to Him so He turned the heat up a little more. He "blasted" their crops with blight, mildew and locusts. (v9) Now I am thinking that they should be thinking: "We had all we needed before and now we don't. What's the deal? Is it us? What are we doing wrong?" But no. They didn't think and they did not return to God. Here comes more heat. God impacted them physically so many of their young men died. (v10) Again, no response. Finally, God overthrew some of them like He did with Sodom and Gomorrah and yet still had compassion on some of them by plucking them from the burning. (v11) Their response? Nothing. So He said: "Prepare to meet your God." (v12) And what is God like? Holy. He is unlike anything that they could ever imagine. He formed the mountains. He creates the wind. He knows everything that we are thinking. He makes it dark in the morning. He walks on the highest places on the earth. He is the Lord God of all the armies of heaven…and He said to them and He says to us: "Caution". When they were flippant in their attitude about Him and He tried to bring them back, they ignored the caution signs…so prepare to meet your God.

I wonder how far our country is going to get before we need to meet God face to face in His holiness? This, however, does not just apply to countries, it applies to me. How do I approach the God who made it all, who rules it all, who controls it all, who knows it all?

CAUTION.


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Walk Together

Amos 3:3 "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

It is a great thing to be in agreement with another person. It is huge when it is someone like your spouse. And it is even larger when it is God.

Agreement reveals something. It shows that you have communicated with each other and are coming from the same perspective. You are on the same page. There is no misunderstanding. There is no holding back. Everything that needs to be hashed out has been hashed out and you have come to a meeting of the minds. There is agreement. There is unity.

I was recently involved with a discussion between two people where they were not seeing eye to eye. One person wanted to do one thing, and the other person wanted to do another thing. They tried to talk but as they talked, it just got rougher and the ability to communicate just broke down. There was no agreement. It was tough for these people to have a meeting of the minds. It created a barrier and both wondered what to do to resolve the conflict. What did they do? They communicated more. They began again. They made a fresh start. It was a clean slate and the old misunderstandings were eliminated. Initially they did not agree and they could not walk together. All they could do was wonder what to do. When it resolved, they understood one another and now walk together in understanding, in agreement, in unity.

God was saying to the nation of Israel: "It is tough for us to walk together because we don't agree. You want to go your way and I want you to go this way. That is called sin. Those things are called "iniquities" v2 These things separate us. There is no communication. There is no meeting of the minds. There is no understanding. There is no agreement. There is no unity. And for this I will punish you". V2

That is where we all are…in rebellion against God. We want to do one thing and God wants us to do another. The barrier is up. There is no walking together when our relationship with God is like this. Something has to change if we want to live in unity with God, if we want to be in sinc with Him. We have to agree. We have to agree with Him that we are screwed up sinners who need His forgiveness and grace. And we have to repent. We have to change our minds and agree that God's way is the only way. Only then will we walk together with him, communicating with Him, understanding Him, following Him.

It is kind of weird…when that happens our other relationships change too. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." Our unity with God brings unity with others. Our agreement with God brings agreement with others. Our fellowship with God brings fellowship with others.

Walking together with God and others…what a concept.


Friday, January 21, 2011

Devour it…Live it

Amos 2:4 "This says the Lord: 'For three transgressions of Judah and for four, I will not turn away its punishment. Because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, lies which their fathers followed."

This prophet stuff is rough. Amos is telling all kinds of nations, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab how the Lord is going to judge them. Now he gets to Judah and Israel. What does he say about Judah? Why do they deserve God's wrath? Because they despise the word of God. Because they disobey Him. Because they are liars and they rely upon their lies to make decisions which lead them astray. And because this was the road their fathers lived.

Let's take this in reverse order beginning with Dads. Apparently the Dads in Judah told lies, believed lies and taught their kids how to lie. The Dads were dishonest. The Dad's words could not be relied upon. The Dads were the one's setting the example and their kids followed in their footsteps…doing the same lying that Daddy did. Sobering…the example we place in front of our kids. They are the ones who watch us the closest. They are the ones who will one day live out what we live now. It reminds me of the Harry Chapan song that said: "I want to be like him." Even though we may preach and teach and lecture our kids, the thing that they are watching is how we live. If our words are not consistent with our lives, forget it. Our kids will live the way we lived, even if we think that we have said the right things.

The other day we were sitting around and Jeremy, my son in law, asked what it was like to lead in the family…to lead my wife. Pretty penetrating question when you don't think about this that often. Is leadership preaching? Is leadership directing? Is leadership dictating? No. Leadership is making sure your life is consistent with your words. Leadership is setting the example in front of your wife and kids. Leadership is revealing the reality of your relationship with God how you conduct yourself both out of the house and within the house.

Judah was going to be judged because of the poor example the Dad's set. Think about it.

Then they were going to be judged because of what they did with God's word. They despised it. They disobeyed it. They couldn't give a rip about God's perspective and lived how they wanted to live. The word for despise also means reject. It means refuse. They didn't pay any attention to what God said.

How often am I there? How often are we there? How is the church of Jesus doing in this area? Are we voracious in our appetite for the Word of God, or do we let the 60-90 minutes we get of it on Sunday satisfy us? Not only that, but what do we do with it once we know what it says? Obey it or ignore it?

God's desire is for us to devour His word, live it and set the example before our families.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Unmistakable Roars

Amos 1:2 "The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers."

Interesting…different writer, same words. This concept of God's awesome voice was not lost on the prophets. They knew what His voice sounded like. Powerful, amazing, almost piercing. They also knew what the result was. Creation responding. The heavens shaking, the earth shaking, the pastures mourning and the beautiful, fertile top of mount Carmel withering. I am getting the idea that God's voice was unmistakable. When He spoke, you knew it. His creation heard it and knew it and responded to it.

Sometimes I ask myself whether I am hearing God's voice or not? Sometimes when I get ideas or thoughts, is it God speaking or is it just me thinking? One thing I know, God will never speak in a way that is inconsistent with His word. If a thought or idea or concept enters my brain and it is not supported by the Word of God, forget it. I can pretty much know that I can throw it out. On the flip side, when a thought comes and it is supported by Scripture, run to it. Obey it. Do it. Don't ignore it. The tough question comes with the middle ground. The times when God's word is silent? Then what? Is it really the Holy Spirit?

I know verses like: "You shall hear a voice behind you, this is the way, walk in it." Or "My sheep hear my voice and follow Me." So why is this a struggle? My Pastor last Sunday talked about how it is like dialing in on your favorite radio station. You surf over the different stations until you hit the one that you are familiar with. How does this familiarity grow? By spending time with God. By getting into His word and reading it and meditating on it. If I am not in it, I cannot expect to hear from Him. But if I am in it, His voice will become more distinct. In fact, it may come to me like an unmistakable roar. That is what I want. I want those unmistakable roars that are consistent with the Word of God. When that happens, be like creation. Get moving.


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Contrasts

Joel 3:16 "The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem. The heavens and earth will shake, but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel."

Contrasts. I am glad that God gave us a world filled with contrasts. Black and white. Light and dark. Brilliant and dull. Sweet and sour. Cold and hot. It would be a really boring world if God had not come up with this idea to make things different. Even people. Just think what it would be like if we were all the same. The same size, shape, personality, voice…that would really be a weird world. But God used His creativity to make us all different and to allow us to see and experience His creative ability in making contrasts.

As I read this verse today it occurred to me that God is a God of contrasts. Look at this verse. The Lord will roar from Zion. This is a mighty roar. This is the roar of a conqueror. This isn't some mamby pamby yelp. This is an noise that comes from the God of the universe. I am sure that it is something that none of us could handle if we heard it. His voice is going to be uttered, this announcement is going to be delivered. And what is going to happen as a result of it? The heavens and the earth will shake. This shaking is a quaking from fear. God's voice is not something to ignore. Someday, at some time He is going to utter His voice from Jerusalem and the roar will go out and all of creation will respond with utter fear.

This just makes me wonder: How do I respond when I hear the voice of God? I mean, when I know that it is God speaking, when there is absolutely no question that it is the God of the universe who is talking to me…what do I do? Quake or yawn? Obey or go my own way? Kind of sad when you think about it. Way too many times we do not respond like we should. We don't respond the way creation responds to God's voice.

Here is the contrast. You have the mighty, powerful, awesome voice of God who is a shelter for His people. This shelter is a refuge. It is a place of safety. Frankly, there is no safer place than to be with the mighty, powerful, awesome God of Creation. On the flip side, there is no more dangerous place than to be without Him. He is not only a shelter, but He is the strength of the children of Israel. Now I know that when this was written, the children of Israel were those of Jewish descent. But look at this: "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." Gal 3:7 "And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal 3:29 He is not only the strength a shelter to Israel, He is my strength. He is my shelter. He is Dave and Linda Blankenship's strength and shelter right now as they go through this tough time. He is a strength and shelter to all who claim the Name of Christ, for we are His children, and He loves to protect His children.

When I think about it, it really isn't a contrast. It really is pretty consistent. The God whose voice roars, who is powerful and mighty is my strength and shelter…There is no better place to be.


Monday, January 17, 2011

Living in the “in between”

Joel 2:13 "So rend your heart and not your garments, return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm."

Repentance. It is a word that is not used a lot in our current culture. I can't think of a time when I have heard someone outside the church say anything about repentance. It is a foreign concept. The problem is, it is a necessary concept. Why don't we hear about it? Because we think that we are always right. We think that the way we think and the things we do and the attitudes we carry are OK. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is our thoughts, actions and attitudes are all wrong without repentance. They are self serving, self centered, self promoting and this is sin. This is falling short of God's glory. None of us can measure up to what He is like and the fact that we can't equal Him shows that we are imperfect, sinful humans.

The nation of Israel was having a tough time. Their nation was being destroyed. Why? It could be as simple as having a divided heart. Verse 12 says: "Turn to Me with all your heart." It could be that they were trying to live double lives. Sure, we love God, but we love this world too. We love God, but we love money too. We love God, but we love these other idols too. That is not going to cut it. It is all God or it is nothing. God wanted all of their hearts. "Love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength." There is really no in between here. Because Israel was living in the "in between" God brought some pretty severe judgment.

Kind of scary. I am afraid that I find myself in the "in between" a lot. Sure, I want to love God with all that I am, but then things seem to get in the way…and this is sin. Unfortunately, I think my experience is the experience of many…not just in the world because we know that the world is a self absorbed place with no thought of God, but also in the church. We live with one foot standing on the promises and another foot standing on sinking sand. That is not a safe place to stand. God wants all of us. He gave all that He had. There was no wavering with Him. Jesus said: "I'm all in." There was no in between with God and He asks the same of us.

So what should we do? Rend our hearts. Or hearts need to be torn in pieces. They need to break. We need to see that living in the "in between" for what it is…an affront to God. We need to turn around and return to the Lord, with all of our hearts. And look at what He is like: Gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind and He actually kind of repents. The word for relent is also translated repent and it simply means that He changes His mind as well. Thank God for that. Thank God that He takes what we deserve and changes it to blessing. Our repentance brings God's repentance. Our change of mind and heart brings God change of mind and heart.

No more living in the "in between".

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Count On It

Joel 2:11b "For strong is the One who executes His word."

Sometimes…most of the time, I don't think we know who we are dealing with when it comes to God. I mean we make mental assent that He is sovereign, and powerful, and righteous, and just, and faithful, and true, and holy, and all knowing, and all seeing, and loving, and kind, and merciful, and compassionate, and gracious, and creator, and… But even with this mental assent, I don't think that it is reality. It is not something that guides our lives. It is not something that causes us to stop and think. Instead, we go on living our lives every day in the way that we want to live.


God was telling the nation of Israel, don't do that. Look at what is going on around you and be desperate for Me. Depend on Me. Trust Me. Obey Me. Look at the power: "The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great…" v 10, 11 Like I said, I really don't think that we know who we are dealing with. If we did, our lives, our words, our actions, our decisions would be totally different.


We learned a new song this last week: The lyrics say: "Your voice it thunders; The oaks are twisting; The forest sounds with cedars breaking; The waters see you and start their writhing; From the depths a song is rising
Now it's rising from the ground; Your voice it thunders; The earth is shaking; The mighty mountains now are trembling; Creation sees you and starts composing; The fields and trees they start rejoicing; Holy, holy, holy, holy Lord; The earth is Yours and singing; Holy, holy, holy, holy Lord; The earth is Yours; The earth is Yours" (the earth is yours lyrics by Gungor)

The earth gets it. The earth understands who God is. The earth responds to His every command. Why don't we?

The thing is, it doesn't really matter what we do. I mean it does for us. It is important for us to understand who God is and to walk with Him every day, but whether we do or whether we don't does not impact what God is like and His purposes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and the strong One executes His word. No matter what, what God says is going to happen is going to happen. Every word of God is true. Every word of God will come to pass. Everything that God has said will someday take place. For He is strong. He is mighty. He will execute His word. He will accomplish what He said that He will do. In the life of Israel, in the world, in the church, in my family and in my life.

Count on it.


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Desperation

Joel 1:14 "Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord."


I saw this verse as I read yesterday and I thought that I would be spending time in it today. The thing is, I didn't see this yesterday and in fact I have never seen it. What is similar between these two verses? "the elders and…all the inhabitants of the land". This applies to everyone. The responsibility to teach your children well applied to everyone; those in leadership and those who were just your ordinary Joe. And this: Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly…into the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord."


Things were not getting bad in Israel, things were bad in Israel. There was natural destruction from locusts eating everything green. Not only that but there was outside destruction. A strong, huge nation rose against Israel, invaded it and wasted and ruined it. Economic security was gone. National security was gone. Joy was gone. This didn't just happen overnight. It was something that occurred over some time. There were warnings on the horizon that they ignored…and now they were paying the price.


Sound familiar? We could apply this to our nation. We could apply it to our churches. We could apply it to our families. There are usually warnings. There is usually a sense that something is coming and we need to get ready for it. The problem is, we ignore those warnings and keep doing the same thing that we have been doing. That has to stop. Something needs to be done. And what is it?


Consecrate a fast. Call a sacred assembly. Get everyone there. The elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of God. For once in your life, show your dependence and cry out to the Lord. These were desperate times for the nation of Israel and it is my sense that we are also coming upon desperate times in this country. It is my sense that there also are desperate churches and it is my sense that there also are desperate families. We need to do this. We need to get everyone together and fast and pray and cry out.


The problem? We really aren't there yet. People are not desperate. How do I know? Look at the times when we call for people to come together to pray. How many show up? Frankly, things are going to have to get a lot worse in our nation, churches and families. When they do, maybe then we will fast and pray. Until then, look out.


Friday, January 14, 2011

Teach Your Children Well

Joel 1:2,3 "Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the Land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."


Here we go with some of the Minor Prophets.


Joel is an interesting book, because not a whole lot is known about this guy. He was the son of Pethuel. Who was he? He is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. The thing that we know is that God is using Joel to describe the "day of the Lord."


Kind of cool. A guy who is a no name. A guy that we really don't have a ton of information about. A guy whose writing is mentioned only one other time in the Bible…this guy God is using. He is using him to warn the nation of Israel, and probably all of us about what is going to take place. Just shows you, God wants to use all of us.


And he begins with "hear this you elders and give ear, all you inhabitants of the Land." In other words, you guys who are older and in charge…listen up. In fact, everyone needs to hear this because this is new, this is different, this has never happened before and you need to know about it. Not only that, but you need to tell your kids, and you kids have to tell their kids and their kids have to tell their kids. This is something that needs to be spoken about from the top down. This is something that needs to be spread throughout your families. This is something that has to be so ingrained in all of your hearts and minds that you are going to pass it on from one generation to another. Teach your children well. Make sure that they grasp it so they own it, so they give it to their kids and their kids grasp it and own it so they can give it to their kids.


At this point, I wonder if we do this? I wonder if we understand the gravity of this thing we call our faith and the importance of it? If we do, guess what? We will absolutely be passing it down to our children. We, as elders, as fathers have a responsibility to make absolutely sure that our children see our faith, understand our faith, hear about our faith, know our faith and grab onto our faith so that it is their own and they can do it with their kids. It is the 2 Tim 2:2 principle lived out in the family. "And the things that you have heard of me in the presence of many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Or, if I can play with this verse a little: "And the things that God has taught you, the same commit to your children who will be able to teach their children also."


I love the verse in 3 John that says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Even though John was talking about his spiritual children, frankly it needs to start with our physical children who become our spiritual children. When this happens, when your kids believe God, trust God, obey God and they are committed to giving it to their kids…there is no greater joy.


Elders, give ear…Dad's listen up. This is your deal. This is your responsibility. Do it.


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Three Things

Luke 24:52,53 "And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen."


We know from Matthew 28 that Jesus' eleven guys, the disciples, went with Him to Galilee to a mountain. When He was there He blessed them, gave them the great commission and was lifted out of their sight. What an experience! To be with the risen Christ, to hear Him challenge you and then to watch Him leave this earth. The disciples' response is what I would expect. Worship, joy, praise, blessing.


Look at each of the responses: Worship. Guess what this reveals? That Jesus is God. I don't care how much people want to get around this fact, but the only individual who is worthy of our worship, or proskyneo, our falling on our faces in adoration is God. Jesus knew this, and Jesus accepted it. Why? Because Jesus was and is God. God in the flesh, who died, who rose, who ascended to heaven. The Disciples knew this and did the only natural thing that they could do was worship Him.


Even though we don't see the risen Christ and did not experience his ascension, we still experience the risen Christ. He works in our lives, He speaks to us, He reveals what He is like to us. Our response should be one thing: Total and complete worship.


Their second response: Joy. Not just a little joy but great joy. The Greek word for great is "mega". Mega joy. Mega gladness. Mega hope. And why not? Jesus was alive and these guys knew it.


I wonder about me…do I have mega joy? My joy should not be in the stuff I have, or the circumstances that surround me, or even in my family. My joy has to be based in a risen Savior. Why? Because a risen Savior proves victory over everything. I mean everything. Every temptation, every sin, every habit, every trial, every difficulty, even death. Mega joy should be a hallmark of the church and Jesus' believers…no matter what.


Their third response: Continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Go figure. These guys wanted to be together, so they did what they knew and got together in the temple and while there they praised and blessed God. They didn't just do this sporadically. They didn't just do this when the weather was good. They didn't just do this when they felt like waking up. They did it all the time. The word continually means constantly. They spent time together and their time together did not center on food or sports or the news. Their time together centered on praising and blessing God. Go figure. They just saw a Man who was crucified, dead and buried…alive, living, breathing, speaking, eating…ascended. I would think that this would energize anyone. And it should. It should still energize us today because we still have that alive, living, breathing, speaking Christ. And what should we do? Continually be together praising and blessing God.


Monday, January 10, 2011

They Got It

Luke 24:45 "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures."


Up until this time, the disciples were unable to take the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms and match them up to the life of Christ. They were relying on the personal teaching of Jesus to direct what they did and to tell them who He was. Even that, however, did not cut it with them. They still didn't get it. Even though Jesus was standing in front of them in the flesh, even though He had eaten food in their presence, they still doubted (v38), they still did not believe what was happening (v41), so Jesus did an amazing thing. He took the scales off of their eyes. He opened their understanding. He opened their minds and their souls to understand the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms. The word for understand is pretty cool, because it actually means to set or join together in the mind. Before Jesus opened their minds, they had all these pieces parts. It was kind of like a connect the dots puzzle. They could see the dots, but they had no idea how they all connected and what they all meant. When Jesus opened their understanding, they saw it. They saw the whole picture. They saw how all of the scriptures fit together and they all pointed to Christ, the Messiah, the crucified living Savior who was standing in front of them talking to them. They got it. Not because they worked hard at trying to get it, but because Jesus opened their brains and their inner man to get it.


Jesus still does this today. There are times in my life when I am reading His word and all of a sudden something hits me. I had never seen or understood something before and God just says: "Glen, I am going to open your mind and heart to get this one." Those are amazing times. This isn't something that God wants to do periodically, however, it is something that He wants to do all the time. It is something that He wants me to experience daily. It is this living, breathing, walking, talking relationship. We don't have to have scales over our eyes any longer. God has given us His word and His Holy Spirit who "…will guide you into all truth." John 16:13. That isn't just some truth. That isn't just partial truth. That isn't just periodic truth. That is all truth.


The sad thing is our unwillingness to receive. Oh, we don't do this brazenly. We are sly about it. We say that we believe God's word and want to learn from God's word and we want God to direct us through His word and to teach us the truth, but then we fail to read it. We say we don't have time. We say that we are too tired. We say that we can't focus. We say that we don't like to read. Unbelievable. Here is Jesus. He died on the cross. He rose from the dead. He lives now. He is willing to open our understanding so that we can comprehend the Scriptures. He has left us with the ultimate Teacher in the Holy Spirit and we say that we don't have time. Unreal. No wonder we flounder in our lives. No wonder we are directionless. No wonder we struggle.


The point: He will open our understanding to comprehend the scriptures. We have to let Him.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Heartburn

Luke24:32 "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"


Heartburn. It isn't something I like. You know, that greasy pepperoni pizza tasted so good going down and then it hits you. Not good.


The guys who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus had heart burn…only this was the good kind. Cleopas (who may have been Peter) and another guy were walking to Emmaus talking about all of the events that surrounded that week and the Bible says that "Jesus Himself drew near". Now, I don't know how He drew near. He may have just appeared, but I kind of like to think that He was walking behind them eavesdropping. They didn't see Him and as they talked He picked up His pace and gradually "drew near" so that He was walking with them as well. I am not exactly sure what the deal was here, but they did not recognize Him and He asked them what they were talking about. These guys were surprised that He allegedly didn't know what had happened and they told Him. Kind of funny, these guys telling Jesus that He had been crucified and then some people said that He rose from the dead. I bet, when they finally figured out who He was, they probably had a good laugh at how dumb they may have sounded.


Anyway, before they figured it out, Jesus had an opportunity to open their eyes. He spent time with them, beginning with Moses and all the prophets explaining all of the things the Old Testament had to say about who He was and what He was going to do. (See yesterday.) Then, He had a chance to sit down with them at a meal. Before they ate He took the bread and blessed it and broke it. I am thinking these guys may have had a sense of Déjà vu. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them…" Mark 14:22 Or, "…He took the five loaves…He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples…" Luke 9:16 I think these guys may have thought: "Where have we seen this before?" "Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him…" v31 What a cool time. What a cool experience. What an amazing revelation. I can just imagine their excitement when they realized that they had been walking and talking and eating with the risen Christ!


Then they said this: "Didn't we have heart burn?" Wasn't our inner man stirred when Jesus talked to us and opened the scriptures to us? Wasn't there this inner sense that we were experiencing God's presence?


I wonder, do I get heart burn when I hear God's word spoken, and taught and preached? Do I get heart burn when I am in the presence of Christ, when I know that He is speaking to me? I really think that many of us take the teaching of God's word for granted. We go to church every Sunday and we hear the preaching and what do we do when it is done? We evaluate it. Or better yet, we evaluate the preacher. This shows something. It shows that we really aren't hungry for the truth. Oh, sure, we want to hear the word preached effectively so that it impacts our lives, but we leave all of this up to the preacher or teacher. Instead, I think it is a more a personal heart thing. Are we ready to hear the word preached? Do we anticipate that God will speak to us…not because of who the messenger is but because of the message. You see, it is the word of God that is sharper than any two edged sword. It is the word of God that will not return void. It is the word of God that is living and active. We can't leave it up to the deliverer of the message, we have to let the source of the message impact our lives and give us heart burn. Now this does not exempt the teacher from having to work hard at delivering God's word effectively. The preacher or teacher must study and be a workman and handle accurately the word of truth. When that happens and when our hearts are ready to receive it, man, our hearts will burn. God bring it.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Grab and Go

Luke 24:25 "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!"


I thought for sure I would be writing about a different verse today, but no, this one hit me. Why? Because I am like these guys.


Think about it. The prophets talked about the coming Messiah. They talked about His birth, his life and His death. (Micah 5:2; Is. 9:6; Is. 53) I am sure that Jesus probably reminded them of what the women realized when they spoke with the angels, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. They still didn't get it though. And Jesus said: "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe…". He may have also said: "You have the prophets who explained to you what was going to happen. You have the scriptures that outline what was going to take place, but you still don't get it." As a result Jesus had to spend more time with these guys going through Moses and all the prophets going through the scriptures expounding about the things concerning Himself. V27


What hit me? I am like this. I bet Jesus says to me: "O foolish one, slow of heart to believe…". So many times I operate out of fear. I am very cautious. I don't take risks. I like to be comfortable in what I know. I don't like being stretched. If I were one of these guys I would probably be right where they were. Not understanding that the Messiah had to come and die and then rise again. Sure, I would have read it. I would have thought that I understood it. I would have embraced it. But when the time came to actually experience it, to see it, to grasp it…clueless.


I am being stretched right now when it comes to our church. My pastor is a guy who loves to take risks. Who believes God for the improbable and in fact the impossible. Thank God for him. He makes me think outside the scope of the possible. He challenges me to believe. It isn't easy, really. I want to hang on to what I know…to what is safe. Frankly, that is not the Christian life. The Christian life is a life of faith, of trust, of believing…not what I know, not what I can do, not what I can see, but believing God and trusting His word and His promises and His direction.


Is God directing? Then step out. The key? Believe God. Don't be foolish and slow of heart to believe. Grab His word and go.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Because He Lives

Luke 24:5b,6a "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."


This is it. This is the key…the lynchpin…the whole enchilada. This is the basis for Christianity. Without this the Christian faith and teaching is a crock. If the resurrection is true, however, then it verifies all that is written in the scriptures and our faith is solid and set apart from all other belief systems and religions in the world.


I could spend a ton of time discussing the various theories as to why the resurrection may not be true. People have used them for years. Jesus was not real. If He was, He really did not die. He was drugged. If He did die, then His followers came and stole the body. These people were just hallucinating. Frankly, all of these theories are just that. Unsubstantiated theories. They have no basis in fact. When you look at the facts surrounding the life, death and burial of Jesus, the fact that hundreds of people saw Him after His resurrection, as well as the fact that his followers were cowards who could not handle a weapon but all of a sudden became brave and were martyred because they knew the truth of the risen Christ…it is obvious that Jesus lives. And because He lives we have hope. Because He lives we have life. Because He lives we have the assurance of an eternity of life. Because He lives Christianity is set apart as truth and all of the other religions in the world are proven to be empty.


Yesterday I heard about a website. It is called endofamerica32.com. I went on the website and I will tell you, it is scary. This economist has a very credible argument about how our country is going to go down the tubes because of our financial mismanagement. Everything that we know, everything that we trust, everything that we value in this country will be altered…according to this man.


And then I read this: "Why do you seek the living among the dead. He is not here, but He is risen." This is a good question for us today too. Unfortunately, I think that I and we get sucked into looking for the living among the dead. We set our hope on that which is temporal. We rely on things that will one day burn. Instead, we have to rely on the One who is eternal. Who is living. Who wrote the scriptures that give us assurance that He is alive, He will never leave us or forsake us, He will supply all of our needs, He has a plan for us to prosper us and not harm us to give us a hope and a future, He will not leave us as orphans, He will add what we need to us. And we can rely on these promises. Why? Because some guy wrote them? Because some guy said them? Because they are in something called the Bible? No. We can rely on these promises because He lives. His life verifies each of these truths.


So, whenever things start to hit the fan, don't seek the living among the dead. "Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. Because I know who holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives."


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Father, forgive them

11 Luke 23:34 "Then Jesus said, 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.'"


Jesus prayed. In Luke 22 He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He also prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. And now? Now He prays for the people who put Him through a kangaroo court with Pilate and Herod. He prays for the soldiers who mocked Him and spit on Him and beat Him. He prays for the crowd who insisted that He be crucified (a Roman death) even though He did not break any Roman law. He prays for the guys who forced Him to carry the cross. He prays for the men who drove the spikes in His hands and feet. He prays for the people who mocked Him as He hung there dying. What does He pray? "God, send fire down and consume them."? Or: "Father get me off of this cross so I can prove who I am."? No. He prays: "Father forgive them…". This is a crazy prayer. Forgive them? These people were stupid. They did not understand what they were doing. They did not comprehend that fact that they were killing the Lord of Creation. They did not understand the gravity of this act. Forgive them? Yes…forgive them. Don't hold this debt to their account.


How could He do this? How could Jesus pray this? How could He go to His Father and ask Him to forgive these people? "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17 Jesus whole mission was to save. "Because of you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior…". From His birth to His death Jesus goal was to rescue us. His goal was to rescue these people. His goal was to see these people come into His kingdom. Just look at the thief on the cross. No condemnation. Instead, forgiveness, hope, promise, paradise. v43 This was His prayer for these people…and, most likely, many of the people who stood there watching, and condemning, and mocking eventually turned to Him in faith…forgiven. This is the grace and compassion of God.


This is the grace and compassion of God now as well. We are all guilty. He came to rescue all of us as well. We were in that crowd. We are all guilty of hanging Jesus on that cross. It was my sin, my screw ups, my stupid words, my stinking attitudes, my dumb actions that put Him on that cross. And Jesus says: "Father, forgive Glen, for He really does not know what He is doing."


"Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see." Thank you Lord.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Incriminating Statements

Luke 22:69-70 "'Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.' Then they said, 'Are you then the Son of God?' He said to them, 'You rightly say that I am.'"


Jesus made some amazing claims when He was put on trial. First, He claimed that He was so special that He was going to sit on God's right hand. Historically, the right side of the king was a place of honor. Any old Joe just could not get up and sit down at the right side of the throne. It was a place reserved for individuals who were highly favored by the ruler.


This lead the Sanhedrin to ask another question: "Are you then the Son of God?" The word "then" is really important. By stating that He was going to sit at the right hand of the power of God, the spiritual leaders of the day realized that Jesus was claiming that He was closer to God the Father than any of them could ever imagine. They asked the "then" question. Then what? Who are You? Are you God's Son? This was a loaded question, for they knew that His answer would save Him or condemn Him. If He said that He was, then that would result in a sentence of death for no one could claim to be God's Son as this made him equal with God. "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18 The spiritual leaders of the day were out to get Jesus for a very long time and now His answer would give them the evidence that they needed to put Him away for good. Jesus knew this too. He knew that if He claimed to be God's Son that this was akin to blasphemy and under Jewish law, the punishment was death by stoning. If Jesus were not God's Son, all He had to do was say: "This thing is just a big misunderstanding. No, I am not God's son. That is something my guys have made up. I am just a leader of a ragtag group of men who enjoy my teaching." He could have said this, but He didn't. He didn't because a statement like that would not have been true. Jesus had to speak the truth and the truth was, He was and is the Son of God, so He said: "You rightly say that I am."


The actual translation of this is interesting. The word "rightly" was thrown in by the NKJV editors. The actual translation says: Ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι. (Pretty cool, huh?) It means: "You say that I am." This doesn't sound so much like an affirmation on Jesus' part, does it? Why would these guys follow with the statement: "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from his own mouth." v 71. Because Jesus actually said: "You affirm that I AM." Now, this is a big deal. Under Jewish law, this would be worthy of death…only one problem…it was the truth. Jesus was and is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, God Himself.


This is the One we worship. This is the One who came for me, who was put on trial for me, who was abused for me, who died for me, who lives for me, who sits at the right hand of the Father for me. Amazing.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Praying for Me

Luke 22:32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."


Peter was about ready to get nailed…and Jesus warned him. Jesus told him that he was going to deny his Friend and Teacher. Peter's reply: "No way. I am willing to die for you." Good old Peter. Mr. Out There. Always ready to open his mouth and jump in with both feet with big deal commitments. Jesus knew better. Jesus knew that deep down Peter was weak. Deep down Peter was a coward. Deep down Peter was going to back down. So what did Jesus do to help His friend? He prayed for him. (How amazing that God the Son would talk to God the Father about some mortal man. Jesus still does this: "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Rom. 8:34) Anyway, Jesus prayed for two things and He expected one thing.


First, He prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. He prayed that the conviction that Peter had of the truth would not stop, that Peter would not quit. This was a very real, specific prayer because I am sure that Peter may have thought about it. I mean, if I had just spent three years of my life with a Guy that I considered my Teacher, my Friend, my Master, my Lord; if I just spent three years of my life following this Guy, watching His miracles, listening to His life lessons, observing changed lives; if I spent time with Him on the mountain and saw Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God the Father; if I jumped out of a boat and actually walked on water at His command; if I pulled up a ton of fish when just the previous night I did not catch anything; if I pulled a coin out of a fish's mouth to pay taxes; if my mother in law was healed with the touch of this Man's hand, and then I said, three times, "I don't know Him, I don't know Him, I don't know Him", I think I would get pretty depressed and think about cashing in this whole faith thing too. I would think that I was not worthy. Jesus knew this about Peter. Jesus knew this about us humans…how weak, how cowardly, how internally conflicted, how sinful we are…and yet He prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. I bet Jesus prays this same prayer for all of us now as well.


Jesus' expectation? That His prayer would be answered. Jesus did not say: "If you return." No. Jesus said: "When you have returned." Jesus knew that Peter would screw up. Jesus knew that Peter would get depressed. And Jesus knew that Peter would come back. Why? Jesus knew His Father. He knew that His Father would restore Peter and bring Him back. And He did. God the Son's prayers to God the Father are powerful. His intercession for us is always answered positively. What the Son wants happens.


Second, He prayed that once Peter returned that he would strengthen His brothers. Pretty amazing, that a guy who totally turned his back on Jesus and frankly on the guys that he hung with for three years would be the guy who was called on to give strength and stability to these men. Jesus knew that once He was killed, the group would run. They were all like Peter. (Except John.) They all needed courage and strength and the fact that Peter blew it in such a huge way but was able to come back with power and conviction and certainty would be a boost for all of these guys. He was the one who was called upon to encourage these guys in their faith and carry this message to the world. And he did. Why? Because he was so great, or because he was special in Jesus' eyes? No. It happened because Jesus prayed.


And I am convinced that the only reason we fallible, frail, humans can have any effect on the world around us, the only reason we can stand and be strong and have courage in our faith is because Jesus prays for us.


Lord, keep praying.


Saturday, January 1, 2011

Being Young Again

Luke 22:26 "But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves."


I love it…the disciples were human. They wanted to be important and recognized and have status just like the rest of us. The weird thing is that they were so self centered that in the middle of Jesus telling them that He was going to give His body and shed His blood for them, and right after He tells them terrible news that one of them is going to betray Him, they started arguing about who was going to recognized as the greatest among them. Duh! Come on guys. Do you hear what you are saying?


Unfortunately, I have been there. When I should be listening to others, when I should be concerned about something that is much more significant, all I can do is think about myself. Being human is amazing.


I love Jesus' response. Does He chastise them for not listening to Him? No. Does He tell them: "Hey, quit being so self absorbed." ? No. Instead He teaches them. He uses their discussion as a springboard for a life lesson. This is it: If you are great, be young. And if you govern, serve. This can also be translated: "he who is the elder, let him be as the younger; and he who is a leader must be a servant." This is so counter cultural. This is so contrary to our flesh. I am an older guy now so I should be able to govern. I should be able to lead. I want people to listen to me and my ideas because I have earned my stripes. It is my time to control. No…as I get older, I need to be younger. What do we expect kids to do? Listen. Obey. Help. Respect others. As I get older my listening skills should increase. I should be more willing to bend, be available to help and respect where other people are coming from. Unfortunately, as we get older, these qualities seem to evaporate. We get more rigid, more selfish, more opinionated. Jesus said: If you are an elder (one who is considered greatest) become like a child and listen, obey, help and respect.


If you are one who governs, if you are in a position of leadership then you should serve. If you are in a position of leadership you should be a servant, an attendant, one who waits on others, one who serves tables. Wow. This really goes against the grain. If I am a leader, other people need to wait on me. Not according to Jesus. Those who have been placed in leadership positions should be the first to pitch in and help in any situation. The leaders of the church should be the ones picking up the garbage, and putting tables and chairs away, and serving other people. Is this tiring? Yes. Can it get old? Yes. Is it appreciated? No. But this is what true leaders do…they serve…and they do it with a great attitude.


Then look what Jesus says later: "And I bestow upon you a kingdom just as my Father bestowed one upon Me." v29 Elders who are young, leaders who are servants will be given amazing responsibility.


I need to be young and serve.