Thursday, May 26, 2011

Boomerang

Gen 30:33a "So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come..."

After making Laban unbelievably rich and successful, Jacob was getting tired of serving his father-in-law, so he basically asked him to allow him to leave with his family. Laban wanted to pay him for the work that he had done so they made a deal. Jacob would get the brown, spotted and striped livestock and Laban would keep all the others. That way, if an argument arose in the future as to who owned a certain sheep or goat, all they had to do was look at whether it was striped or spotted and it would be clear, because of genetics, that it was owned by Jacob.

That is where this verse comes in. "In time to come, when there is a question, my righteousness will answer for me. When you doubt whether certain flocks are mine, all you have to do is look at them and you will tell that I have not cheated you. I will be true. I will be honorable. I will not cheat. I will only claim what is rightfully mine." In other words: "In the future you will be able to tell that I did what was right."

This is the law of sowing and reaping. This is the law of what goes around comes around. This is the law of paying it forward. So many times we are tempted to take shortcuts, to cheat just a little, to take something that is not rightfully ours, to tell a little white lie. This was not Jacob. He was not going to take a shortcut, he was not going to cheat, he was not going take any of Laban's flocks and he was not going to lie about it. He was going to do what was right and true and honorable and the result was going to be shown in the future through the fruit of his life.

The point: If I am ever questioned about my words or my actions or my motives, and if I do what is right and I live a life that is clean before God then I can say with Jacob: "My righteousness will answer for me in time to come."

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Automatic Praise



Gen 29:35b "'Now I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah."



The parallels between the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are amazing. Isaac and Jacob had to go somewhere else to get a wife. They all had wives who could not have kids. Isaac and Jacob found their wives while giving livestock water. Abraham and Jacob had kids by multiple wives. They all had the promise of God to multiply them and give them the land.



And the way that it was fulfilled in Jacob's life resulted in the twelve tribes of Israel. It all started with Laban tricking Jacob into marrying Leah before he could marry Rachel. Four sons were born to Leah initially: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Every boy's name meant something to Leah, but this last one hit me. Judah. His name means "praise". Jacob did not love Leah as much as he loved Rachel and Leah had to deal with this…and she seemed to deal with it as she had kids. Her sons names mean: "A son", "Heard", "Attached" and "Praise". I think the progression is interesting. Reuben – a son, is the fact that God blessed her with a boy. This was a big deal. He was the firstborn son of Jacob and Jacob would have to bless him. Simeon – heard is Leah's realization that God was paying attention. That He heard her cry because she was lonely and God gave her another boy. Levi – attached, is Leah's hope that now Jacob would love her because she had another son. Her desire was that Jacob would love here as much as he loved Rachel. Judah – praise is Leah's understanding that no matter what, God was sufficient. He answered her prayers and she exulted Him.



Praise. It is an interesting concept. To praise God. The word here means to laud, to give thanks, to confess the Name of God. When Leah had Judah, she did not keep it to herself. She gave God thanks. She lifted up His Name. My guess is that she probably did this privately but she also did it publically. I am sure that people saw her joy. I am sure that people heard her lifting up the name of her God. I am sure that people heard her give Him thanks. It was obvious because of her son's name. Every time someone said the name "Judah" they thought of the fact that God was honored. Every time Leah called for Judah to do something, she thought of who God was and what He had done for her and she praised Him for it.



I wonder how readily I praise God? How often do I just thank Him for who He is and what He has done for me? Yes I do it every morning and I do it at church. I mean, after all, I lead worship…but it is more than that. It is those times when I say a word and think of Him and thank Him. It is those times when I hear someone say something and I think of him and praise Him. It is in those moments when I see something that He has made and can't help but confess His Name. Is it an automatic thing in my life? It was in Leah's life. God constantly remind me of who You are and allow me to automatically praise You.




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Awesome

Gen 28:16,17 "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven.'"

I woke up this morning and I thought of a word…the word was "awesome". I thought of the word and then I thought about the opportunity that I have in a few weeks to preach at church. I was searching for a sermon title and I had originally thought it would be: "Unbelievable but True" but I really was not satisfied with this title. I didn't like the word "unbelievable". I thought of other words like "incomprehendable" but this did not seem to fit either…and then the thought this morning: "Awesome". The subtitle is "Grasping the Greatness of God". I got up and immediately came to the computer and changed the slide on my powerpoint. Then I read Genesis 28 and guess what word came up? "Awesome". Weird, huh?

Isaac called Jacob to himself and blessed him. He charged him with the responsibility to not get a wife from the land of Canaan (Sound familiar? It was the same charge that Abraham gave to Isaac in 24:3,4.) Instead Jacob was charged to get a wife from one of the daughters of Laban. If he did this then the same promise that was given to Abraham and Isaac was given to Jacob: That he would multiply and inherit the land that God gave to Abraham. So Jacob took off and traveled from Beersheba to his destination. As he traveled he got tired and grabbed a rock for a pillow. (No memory foam was available.) As he slept, he had a dream. His dream was about a ladder that reached to heaven with God at the top. And God made him a familiar promise: "I will give you the land and multiply you. I am with you and will keep you wherever you go." Amazing. The same thing that Isaac said to him, he saw in his dream, only this time the promise came from the voice of God. Isaac woke up and realized something…that he had been in the presence of God! His response was to take the rock he used as a pillow and create an altar which he called "Bethel" or "The house of God". The place where God lived.

"The Lord is in this place…how awesome is this place. This is none other than the house of God." Now was the place awesome because of its location? Was it awesome because it was beautiful? Was it awesome because it had comfortable rocks? No. It was awesome because the Lord was there. The Lord made the place awesome because He alone is awesome.

Back to my sermon. What do I want to get across? That God alone is awesome. If anything else is awesome, if any other place is awesome, if any other people are awesome it is only because of God. If He dwells there, if He is in a life, if he inhabits a church then we can say that it is awesome because it is a place where God lives. May God live through me, my family and Lake Ridge so people only see one thing…our Awesome God.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Bow down, Trust and Listen

Gen 27:29 "Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!"


 

Rebecca and Jacob were sly…and cheaters…and liars…and thieves. Pretty powerful accusations, but they are true. Isaac wanted to bless Esau before he died, but Rebecca caught wind of it and because she favored Jacob, she developed a scheme where Jacob would deceived his father and steal the blessing instead. And this verse is the blessing that Isaac gave to Jacob.


 

"Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you." Fast forward this to today. As you go down the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this became the nation of Israel. Will all people serve the nation of Israel and bow down to them? Maybe. But this one thing I know. Someone who is in the line of Jacob will be served one day by all people. And Someone who is in the line of Jacob will have all the nations bow down to Him. "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…"will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord." Phil. 2:10,11 This is going to happen. All the people will serve Christ. All the nations will bow down to Him.


 

This wasn't all, however. "Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you." It is interesting, but this is the promised that God made when Esau and Jacob were born. Since God made the promise, didn't Rebecca think that God could work it out without her intervention? Apparently not. Kind of reminds me of how Isaac was born. Abraham and Sarah didn't think God could do it by Himself either and Ishmael was born. So too here. Rebecca and Jacob did not have to lie, cheat and steal. God would have done this without them, but no. Their trust was in themselves. This is a reminder of what I wrote before. Where am I in my trust?


 

Finally, and this is a repeat as well: "Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you." Gen 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you." Same promise that was given to Abraham is now given to Jacob…who was eventually named Israel, who is not the father of that nation. I think that some people better wake up and take notice. I think that all of the Arabs who opposed Israel better listen. They can't fight God. And not only that, but our own President better wake up. When he announced last week what he thought should be done with Israel's borders, I about croaked. Frankly, his statement was sheer stupidity. It was an indication that he has no clue. It reveals where his heart really is and frankly it is not where God's heart is at…and this is dangerous.


 

Even though Isaac's blessing was obtained deceptively, it was still his blessing…and we all need to bow down, and trust and listen.


 

Sunday, May 22, 2011

God’s Blessing and Dads

Gen 26:4b-5, 24b "...in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws...I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake."

Now God is appearing to Isaac. It is actually kind of weird how Abraham and Isaac's life parallel each other. They both had wives that had a tough time bearing children, they both said that their wives were their sisters because they were beautiful and they were afraid of their enemy (see v7), they both got unbelievably rich…and this…"in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed". The thing is, this promise that God made to Isaac was something that was made because of his Dad. It was made because Isaac's Dad was faithful. It was made because Isaac's Dad was obedient. It was made because God made the promise to Isaac's Dad and He was going to keep it through Isaac. It all ran through Isaac's Dad.

As a Dad, I wonder what my kid's future will look like. Will God be able to say to my kids, "you will be blessed because your Dad obeyed My voice, kept My charge, obeyed my commandments, followed My statutes and laws…I am blessing you for Glen's sake."? Or, will my history in my relationship with God dictate a different outcome for my kids? This is really sobering. The fact that the way I live may actually impact my children's future. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it all depends on your perspective, this rule is usually true: "A Dad's life and the way he lives dictates his children's future." I say usually because there are exceptions, thank God. The grace of God extends even beyond our screw ups. My wife's dad was not a good role model, but I look at her life and I see the grace of God big time.

But for me, where I am right now in my life, I need to know that even the way I live right now may impact my kids even though they are married and out of the house. I need to have a consistent walk with God. I need to be faithful. I need to obey. I need to be an example to them in their marriages, for their families, for my grandchildren.

It is my hope and prayer that God would say to Michelle and Elise, and even beyond them, extending to Maddie that "I will bless you for My servant Glen's sake."


 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Praying for my Wife

Gen 25:21a "Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife..."

Abraham and Sarah were dead. Isaac and Ishmael (along with a bunch of other kids that Abraham had…see verses 1-4) were the guys who were the firstborn: Ishmael through Hagar and Isaac through Sarah. Ishmael was busy and had twelve sons. Isaac, on the other hand, had no kids. This inability to have children was a real problem with this family…and Rebecca, Isaac's wife, felt it. She felt the pressure to have children. She saw what was going on with Isaac's half brother, how the kids were popping out, and that she was "barren". Anyone who has ever gone through this knows how tough it is. It seems like everyone around you is having children and you try and try and go to the doctor and do the testing and the timing and all of that stuff and still, no kids. Rebecca was feeling it, and she was obviously telling her husband how she felt. Isaac saw it. Isaac heard it. Isaac knew how she was struggling. So what did Isaac do? He "…pleaded with the Lord for his wife…". Isaac "entreated" with the Lord (KJV). Another word is "supplicated". In other words, Isaac prayed. He begged God to do something for Rebecca. He saw what his wife was going through and he took the problem to God. The result: God heard his plea and Rebecca conceived twins. (Esau and Jacob.)

The thing that hits me is the heart of Isaac and the response of Isaac. He loved his wife and he did the best thing he knew to do…pray for her.

Do I pray for my wife? Yes. Everyday. The real question is: "Do I plead with God on behalf of my wife?" Do I come to God and not just give Him the standard: "Lord, be with Georgann. Strengthen her, give her wisdom. Direct her steps. Protect her." All good stuff, but there is more. If I know what she is going through (and that is another question, do I really know what she is going through?) then do I come to the throne room of heaven and plead with God for her? I should. I must. I know some of the stuff that she is dealing with right now in not being able to tutor some kids next year. I know that this is hard for her. I know that she is disappointed. I need to go to God on her behalf and beg Him to show her what He is doing…what is next. I also need to plead with Him to give her direction a she leads the women's ministry at church…and I am sure that there is so much more. Maybe I should ask her. Now there's an idea!

The measure of my love for my wife is not just shown by what I say or do for her, but in how I pray for her.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Success


Gen 24:12 "Then he said, 'O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.'"


Isaac needed a wife. How would he get one? Abraham relied on his most trusted, oldest servant in his house and told him to go to his country and find a wife for Isaac. Sure. Just go and grab some unknown woman and bring her back to marry Isaac, sight unseen. Talk about a blind date! This was a blind marriage! But, being the servant that he was, he swore to Abraham that he would do this thing and try to find a wife for Isaac.


What was the first thing that he did? Did he put adds in the local Jerusalem paper and wait for women to come to him? Did he post it on the internet for the first internet engagement? Did he stand in the middle of the town square and have a beauty contest? No. The first thing that he did was pray. This is cool because the guy who had been with Abraham the longest knew how he was going to receive direction. It wasn't his own smarts. It wasn't his own ability? It was totally up to God. He saw this trust and dependence in Abraham's life and he lived it as well. I wonder if those that I work with see this in me?


And what did he pray? "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day…". There was no question. This guy was not calling on the gods of the Canaanites. He was relying on the Lord God of Abraham. He was calling on Jehovah Elohiym, the eternally existing ruler of all creation. He was calling on the One and Only God. He was relying on the only One who could really move, who could really direct, who could really bring this about. And he was asking for one thing: Success. The word for success actually means "an encounter without pre-arrangement". And he was not asking for it for tomorrow or next week or within a month. He was asking for a specific time: "This day." Pretty demanding…yet pretty trusting.


And for what reason? "…and show kindness to my master Abraham". This is all this guy cared about, his master Abraham. He wasn't asking for this encounter or this success for himself. He was asking for it on behalf of the guy who sent him there, his master, his employer.


This makes me wonder. When was the last time I prayed for success for my employer Bentoff & Duber? When was the last time I asked God to make me successful not for me, but for Michael? When was the last time that I prayed that I would be successful for Michael so he could see the power of God? I need to start praying that way. Praying and working for someone else's success so they can have an encounter without pre-arrangement with the Lord God of Abraham.



Thursday, May 19, 2011

Generosity

Gen 23:11 "No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!"

This was a sad day for Abraham. Sarah, his bride, the love of his life, a woman that God used in a miraculous way, was dead. She lived another 37 years after the birth of Isaac and died in Kirjath Arba. Now this was a problem because Abraham did not own property in this area where he could bury Sarah. As a result, he had to go to the city fathers and ask if anyone there was willing to sell him a piece of property that he could make a burial place for his wife.

The response of the city fathers was cool. "You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choices of our burial places." These guys respected Abraham. They loved Abraham and they were willing to give him whatever he needed. As a result, Abraham asked about a cave that Ephron owned. When the city fathers and Abraham approached Ephron about this request, he could have said: "Hey. That is a choice piece of property that I have. I want to hang on to it to use in the future to bury my dead, why should I sell it to you?" He didn't, though. Instead he said: "I don't want any money for it…I will give it to you for free." What is the deal with that? Why so generous? Why was this guy willing to give away this land? John MacArthur seems to think the guy wanted to unload this property anyway. That it was a problem to him in that he had to pay taxes and duties on the land. I disagree. I mean, this guy could have sold the property to Abraham (which he eventually did) and pocket the money and not have to deal with taxes and duties that came with the land. Instead, he offered to give it away. Why? I think it goes back to Abraham. I think it goes back to the value that these people placed in him. I think it was because Abraham was so revered. This guy was loved by these people. In fact, Abraham was buried in the same cave when he died. (Gen. 25:9,10)

The point? Love breeds generosity. Let's face it: people give to that which they value. Sure, some people are very generous with their money and their stuff and just give it away without any thought. This, however, is the exception. People usually give to those people and those projects that they have a heart for. Jesus, however, taught differently. He said: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:21) Jesus was teaching the total opposite of what Ephron did. Jesus said: "Give and watch what you eventually love."

My take away: Sure, give to those who I love…but also be open to give to those things that I don't necessarily have a heart for…yet. Watch how God molds my heart…it will follow the money.


 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Crazy Obedience

Gen 22:18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Crazy interesting stuff. Crazy because God's test for Abraham was huge. He asked him to kill Isaac, the son of God's promise. This makes absolutely no sense. God promised Abraham that he would have a son in his old age through Sarah in her old age. This happened as God promised. Now Abraham is supposed to sacrifice this son on an altar? How is all of this supposed to work? If Isaac is dead, then what? Another baby through Sarah? I am sure that some of this stuff ran through Abraham's mind. I am sure that he wondered what God was up to…yet we don't see any hesitance in his obedience. God came to him one day and the next day, early in the morning, Abraham put the plan into action. He grabbed two of his servants, wood, fire, knife and his son. It all was going down. He took Isaac, tied him up, laid him on the altar and was about to kill him when God stopped him.

Not only do I think that Abraham's trust and faith and obedience is amazing, but I think that Isaac was a pretty amazing kid too. He let his dad tie him up. He let his dad pick him up and put him on an altar. He let his dad raise a knife to him. Talk about the potential for having PTSD. Isaac could have. But he, just like his dad, had huge faith. "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." Abraham's faith was in God. Isaac's faith was in his dad.

This not only teaches me about faith in God and obedience to God, but it shows me what it is like for a son to have a strong relationship with his father…so strong that the son would believe in his dad so much that he would not even struggle when his life was in jeopardy.

Interesting stuff because of God's promise in this verse. "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." Wait a minute. God made this same promise to Abraham back in 12:3. "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Was God going to renege on His earlier promise if Abraham disobeyed? I don't think so. God had all of this planned from the beginning. He knew in12:3 that He was going to test Abraham. He knew back in 12:3 that Abraham was going to believe and obey. The obedience was built in, even though not stated, back in 12:3.

The result is that all of the nations on the earth have been blessed through Abraham who is in the line of Jesus through whom anyone in the whole earth, from any nation, Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female can come and have eternal life. Talk about blessing! Abraham had no clue what this meant, but God did. And God's eternal plan was put into action through Abraham and his obedience.

I wonder what I would have done? How is my obedience when things don't make sense? Kind of challenging.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

He Said It

Gen 21:1 "And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken."

Back in Gen 18:10 one of the Guys (God) who visited Abraham said: "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." Here it is. Here is God's return to Sarah…and Sarah at the age of 90 got pregnant. Wild stuff. I not only do I think that God did a miracle here in the life of Abraham and Sarah in conceiving a child, I think He also did a miracle in their bodies to take care of this little guy. I know what it is like to watch Maddie for a couple of hours. She is a blast and it is fun, but I feel drained when I am done. I am convinced that this is why God gave children to those who are younger…energy. Just think about the energy that a 100 year old guy and a 90 year old woman had to have. Unreal, but it happened. They had a son. Why? Because God said it. Because God spoke it.

That is what is so powerful about this verse. "The Lord visited Sarah as He had said." "The Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken." The very thing that God said would happen, the very word that God spoke became reality. This is God. He is truth. What He says happens. "God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said and will He not do? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good?" Num 23:19 Abraham and Sarah experienced this. They saw God's very words become reality in their lives.

I am convinced that God wants this for us today too. He wants us to see the truth of His word. He wants us to take His word to the bank. He has given us His word to give us direction in our lives. He has given us His word to speak into our lives. He has given us His word to become reality in our lives. And what He says is going to happen.

I have been the recipient of this in a very real and personal way. From my days in college, to my career, to my wife, to my ministry…God speaks and what He says happens. It may not be in my timing. It may not be exactly the way I would do it, but He is true. His word is true. Not only that, but I can have confidence in what He says in His word as it relates to my future as well. I know that I see what is happening in his country, I see what is happening in our economy, I see that we hit the debt ceiling yesterday and I wonder: "What is going to happen?" And God says: "I will supply all your needs." God says: "Don't worry about tomorrow…seek My kingdom and My righteousness first and everything else will come." And because of that, I have to rest. Rest in His word. Rest in His promises. Rest because He said it…because He has spoken and He is true, His word is true, He is faithful. Abraham and Sarah experienced it. I have and will as well.


 

Monday, May 16, 2011

God Remembers

Gen 19:29 "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."

Abraham was obviously a favored guy in God's eyes. Before He destroyed Sodom what did God do? He consulted Abraham. Now why would He do that? I mean, God did not need Abraham's permission to do what He was about to do, yet He came to him and told Abraham what He was going to do…and God permitted Abraham to negotiate with him. (Chapter 18:16-32) I wonder why?

And now this. Lot was Abraham's nephew. I am thinking that Abraham loved Lot a lot. (A little pun.) God knew this and God considered Abraham's heart. So God sent two angels to Lot to warn him, who actually took him by the hand when "he lingered" about leaving and basically pulled him out of the city to protect Lot, his wife and his two daughters. Unfortunately, Lot did not have a whole lot of credibility with his sons in law and they ignored his warning to get out of the city because they thought he was joking. I am wondering exactly how righteous Lot may have been? Here is a guy who was not believed by other family members and who was willing to give up his two daughters so the men of the town could have sex with them. Quite a dad! But somehow, someway, God sent His angels to Lot to rescue him. Why? I think it was because of Abraham. "God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow...". When God was getting ready to destroy it all, God thought about Abraham. He thought about what Abraham was concerned about and in his grace He rescued Lot.

God's grace is like that. He considers those who care about Him and He remembers them. He listens to their hearts and He rescues those we love. I think that we actually got to see and experience this yesterday. My friends, Jill and Dave Wible have been praying for their daughter Anna for a long time. She went through some pretty tough stuff this last year as her home and all that she owned burned in a fire. At that time the Christian community rallied around and showed her the love of Christ. Because of this, she agreed to go on a women's spiritual retreat that happened this last weekend. God looked at Dave and Jill's heart and He remembered them. He, in His grace, reached down and touched Anna's heart and she accepted Christ as her personal Rescuer. It was no longer a Dave and Jill thing. It was now her own. Why? God's grace. God thought about Jill and Dave and He "…sent Anna out of the midst of the overthrow…".

I know that many are praying about people in their lives that they love. Keep praying and keep living God honoring lives. I believe that God will remember and rescue.


 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Nervous Laughter

Gen18:14a "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

This is clearly a rhetorical question. I mean, God just got done telling Abram: "I am God almighty." Now the question: "Since I am God almighty, is anything too hard for Me?" The obvious answer: "No.". Even though Abraham was 99 years old, and even though Sarah had never been able to have kids and now was 90, I suppose Abraham and Sarah both could have said: "Well, God, you are stretching Your abilities a little, aren't You?" I mean they might as well have said it. When God told Abraham that he was going to have a child through Sarah he laughed. (Gen.17:17) And when Sarah heard that she was going to have a baby she laughed (v12). That is why God responded: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

I wonder what I laugh at? It could be nervous laughter. It could be the laughter of doubt. It could be laughter because I think that something is preposterous. But when God is involved, nervousness, doubt and preposterous thoughts need to be eliminated. Why? "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" If I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is working, that God is moving, that God is clearly directing then any laughter that might come out of my mouth needs to be squelched.

I think that this happens most often for me when my pastor, Randy, says: "Where God guides, He provides." I know that this is true. I know that this is a fact. We have seen it so many times in the past that we should not doubt it…but me, in my humanness, in my lack of faith sometimes find myself laughing and saying: "Really?" It is at those times I need to come back to this statement: "I am God almighty, nothing is too hard for Me."

It may be that I am not doubting God but I am doubting me. Or I am doubting others. I mean, how do we know that it is God at work? How do we know that it is God guiding? Could it be that it may be our own wishful thinking? How do I discern between God's ways and my ways?

I think that the best way to know is how Abraham knew. God's word came to him. God spoke to him. I mean how could Abraham doubt God when the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre (v1)? And it seems that God came to him in the form of three men Kind of interesting…three. Could it have been the trinity? I don't know, that just popped in my head. Anyway, God spoke through these three guys, one of whom was clearly God. How do I know? Because verse 10 said "And He said, 'I will certainly return to you, according to the time of life and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.".

Now we don't get these visitations today, but God has given us something just as powerful: His word and His Holy Spirit. When the two mesh, we better move. We better not laugh. We better know that God has spoken and no matter what, no matter how impossible the task, nothing is too difficult for Him.


 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Almighty God

Gen 17:1b "I am almighty God; walk before me and be blameless."

Thirteen years later, God appears to Abram again with a reminder: "I am almighty God." In other words, Abram, you took the responsibility out of my hands and did it your way and there has been nothing but strife. Hagar and Sarai can't stand each other, Ishmael is going to be trouble, and it is all because you forgot something: "I am almighty, most powerful God". If Abram would have known that, or remembered that, or applied that he and Sarai would not have developed their scheme to create a family through Hagar. They would have sat back and watched God work. But they didn't consider who God was. They only considered who they were and it gave them tunnel vision. They could only see the impossibility in front of them. They did not see the bigger picture that God was all powerful and could do whatever He wanted. There are no limits with Him and He was about to prove it, when Abram was 99 years old.

God did not leave it at that, however. He reminded Abram who he was also. "I am almighty God, (therefore) walk before me and be blameless." Or "Go with Me. Move with Me. Do what I do. Follow My lead. Don't try to figure it out on your own. Watch Me and live a blameless, innocent life of integrity." God was reminding Abram that He was all powerful and Abram was not. Not only that but Abram was not perfect, so he had to walk with God and live a life of integrity.

I think that this is where we all get screwed up. We don't live lives of integrity, we don't live lives of innocence, we don't live righteous lives because we forget who we are: broken down sinners… and we forget who God is: Almighty. If we/I could only remember "I am almighty God" it would change a lot in our lives. It would change what we do, what we say, what we think, how we treat others, where we go, what we stuff into our bodies, what we are committed to, how we spend our time…frankly, it would change every aspect of who we are and we would live blameless lives, before an Almighty God. The problem is, we also have tunnel vision and think about ourselves and not who God is. Because of this, our lives get screwed up. The consequences of our words and actions stink. And we limit what God wants to do through us.

I am convinced that these verses are true: "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10 and "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us." Eph 3:20 What does God want to do through me? Where am I limiting Him? Where am I forgetting that He is Almighty God? God worked in Abram (now Abraham) at 99. He can still use me at 56.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Ishmael


Gen 16:12 "He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."


So God needs a little help, right? I mean, if He made a promise He probably won't keep that promise unless He gets a little assistance. That apparently is what Abram and Sarah thought. At the age of 86 Abram with Sarah developed this plan. If God was going to give Abram a son, it probably was not going to be through Sarah who was incapable of having kids. God could not possibly change that. So, Sarah came up with a scheme. "Then Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife…so he went in to Hagar and she conceived."v3,4 Sure. This was it. This is what God planned. We are just going to help Him along. Dumb.


But I do that too. I get anxious. I get nervous. I get impatient. I don't think that God is going to move so I move for Him. I push what I think should be His agenda. I (and I can say "we" also because I have seen this in others) politic. I work the crowd. I lobby for what I think God should do. Dumb. When will we ever realize that God does not need us. He really doesn't. He wants to use us. He wants to work through us, but He doesn't need us. He can accomplish what he wants all by Himself. Yet we jump ahead. We refuse to be still and know that He is God. This is what Sarah and Abram did and the result was a guy by the name of Ishmael.


Now the name: "Ishmael" is interesting. It means: "God hears." Hagar was going through some tough stuff after she got pregnant. Sarah did not treat her well and God saw that. He heard her cry for help and He came to her with a promise. This was the promise: "Your boy Ishmael is going to be a wild man. He is going to oppose every man and every man is going to oppose him." Now think about this. Ishmael's dad is Abram the father of Isaac and then Jacob (Israel). His mother is Hagar…an Egyptian. Ishmael was a cross of Jewish blood and Arab blood. Ishmael had twelve sons who were princes in their nations. (Gen 25:12-18) These sons inhabited areas like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Tradition alleges that Mohammed was a descendant of Ishmael.


Now think about God's promise to Hagar: "He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him" and you can see the truth of God's word. It is on the front page of today's paper.


See what happens when we try to play God. It isn't pretty.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Primary

Gen 15:1b "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Apparently Abram was concerned about something. I think that Abram looked at all of the stuff that he had (which was a lot) and he looked at the people who served him and frankly all of the people he supported with his wealth (over 300 servants must have cost a bundle to take care of) and Abram could only think of one thing: "I don't have an heir." Apparently, if Abraham died childless his primary servant, Eliezer, would get all of his stuff. This bothered Abram, and God knew it. God's response to Abram's unspoken concern: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Abram was concerning himself with things that were important, but not of primary importance. Having a son was huge, but not as huge as this: "Concentrate on Me because I am your shield. I am your exceedingly great reward." God was his defense. God was his abundantly huge reward. He did not have to concern himself with his protection or his future because God had it all under control. All Abram had to do was focus on Him.

The thing is, this did not stop Abram from then voicing his concern. In the very next verse his unspoken fear became a spoken fear. In fact it was almost an accusation: "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir." In other words: "Hey God look at this. You have failed. You have not rewarded me. I don't have a child. In fact, a child of a servant who was born in my house is going to take it all." Finally. Abram pours out what he has been holding in for so long. God's response? "one who will come from your own body will be your heir". I am guessing that Abram was pretty old at this point and that is why he was so bitter. He had basically given up. It was over. Nothing was going to happen with him and Sarah and God gave him this promise. And what was the promise based upon? "I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." This was not an empty promise. It was a promise coming from the One who Abram had to put his confidence in…the One that Abram had to focus his life upon.

So many times I get distracted. I start to wonder and worry and try to figure things out for myself. I am not unlike Abram. I see what is going on in our world and I think that I have to figure out what we need to do to protect ourselves. I guess being prepared is not a bad thing, but when it becomes the primary thing, this is bad. This is when God says: "Concentrate on Me. Trust Me. Believe in Me. I am your shield. I am your protection. I am your defense. I am your unbelievably huge reward." And I have to do what Abram did: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."v6 If things go south in this country, or if things get tough in my life or in the lives of those I love I need to hang on to this truth…I need to hang on to who my God is…my shield, my exceedingly great reward.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Exemplary Words


Gen. 14:19, 22 "And he (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abram) and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth';...But Abram said to the king of Sodom, 'I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth...'"


I think it is pretty cool how God shows us examples of people who set examples. There was a big deal war going on between (get this name) Chedorlaomer the king of Elam and three other kings against the king of Sodom and four other kings. During this war, Chedorlaomer and his guys grabbed Lot who was living in Sodom, and all of his possessions and took him captive. Uncle Abram got word of it and decided to do something about it. So, he ordered his servants to pursue these rotten guys and rescue Lot and all who were with him. When Abram got back something unusual happened. A king who was not involved in the war brought him some bread and wine. This king was the king of Salem and his name was Melchizedek. Now we don't know much about Melchizedek. There is no genealogy listed for him. All we know is that he was king of Salem and the high priest of "God most high" v18.


Now this idea of the high priest of God most high intrigues me because the system of sacrifices and offerings and the hierarchy of the High Priest and priests who serve the nation of Israel had not been established yet. This doesn't happen until the time of Moses, yet here is something where Melchizedek is called the high priest of God. Not only that, but Melchizedek takes the liberty to bless Abram and later we see that Abram gave him a tenth of all he had v20. Who was this guy? Hebrews 7 outlines that he was an example of what Jesus was like.


Not only that, but he was an example to Abram of what his life was to be like. Look at what he said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth." When he blessed Abram he told him what God was like. He is the Most High God. He is above any other God. He far exceeds anything that that society or this society can establish as having control over our lives. He is the highest, most awesome Deity that anyone will ever encounter. He is God and God alone. There is nothing or no one else who can compare to Him. He is God Most High.


Not only that, but He is the Possessor of heaven and earth. He originated heaven and earth, He created heaven and earth and He owns all of heaven and all of earth. All of the things that men are exploring now with the Hubbell telescope, all of the things that men are trying to find out about in outer space, all of the things that we see and experience on this earth…God owns it all…and Melchizedek wanted to get this across to Abram.


Apparently it stuck because look at what Abram said to the king of Sodom, the guy who was the ruler where Lot lived. "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth." Abram echoed the words that Melchizedek gave him. Melchizedek set the example and Abram followed.


I wonder what kind of example I am setting? I wonder if the words that I speak are worth repeating? Melchizedek's words sunk in deep into Abram's mind and he echoed them later to another king. I wonder if that would ever happen with me? I think the only time it may happen is when I do what Melchizedek did…brought glory to the God who owns it all.


Let's face it. Most of the time our words are pretty empty. We say a lot but in the scheme of things, those words will not remain. But, when we exalt the God Most High, those words stick. Those words can be repeated. And when we repeat God's eternal word and speak these words into the lives of people, they will last forever.


God, help me to say things and do things that exemplify You so that others can see the God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth.



Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Altars

Gen 12:8b, 13:4 "...there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord...in the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord."

Abram was just given an amazing promise, that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him and that his descendants would be given the land of Canaan. After these promises were given, what did Abram do? He built and altar and worshipped.

What is the significance of an altar? It was a place of remembrance. It was a place of importance. It represented a place where God was at work. Abram built an altar and went back to that altar to remember what God had promised him, to remember when God had spoken to him directly.

I know that there are times when God works in amazing ways in my life. There are times when He speaks to me so clearly that I can't ignore what He is saying. And these times and places are life altering. Kind of weird…life altering…an altar. These are times that I need to establish an altar in my life. Not necessarily a physical structure (although that could be done), but a place that I can go back to in order to remember what God did and what God wanted and how God directed. I have several of these. When God called me to be a lawyer is so clear to me. I constantly go back to the altar of Is. 50:4 to recall why God has me where He has me. I also have altars of Matt 6:33 and Ecc 9:9. These verses are huge in my life. They were pivotal in how God was working and I constantly go back to these altars and I praise Him for His direction.

I also look at what Abram did at those altars. He "called on the name of the Lord." This call was a "cry out" it was a "recitation" it was a "proclamation". It was an acknowledgement of who God was. It was a confession of Abram's dependence. It was a remembrance of what God had done in His life. It was worship.

I am not sure that I go there enough. Sure, I do this at church. Yes, I talk to God every day. But to just bow in His presence and say: "God…You are Ruler, You are Sustainer, You are Controller, You are Lord, You are Sovereign, You are Director, You are Mover, You have worked in my life and I just want to shout out my gratitude and call on You…thank You." This needs to be done. I need to go back to my altars and praise God for who He is, what He has done and how He has worked. And not only that, but God was not done with Abram. He continued to direct in his life and God will continue to work in mine.

I need to watch for more altars to build.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Blessing and Cursing


Gen 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."


My pastor used this verse in his introduction to his sermon yesterday. The point: All of the families of the earth have been blessed through Abraham. How? Through Jesus. Take a look at Matthew chapter one. It is a family tree that starts with Abraham and ends with Jesus. "For God so loved the world (all the families of the earth) that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes on Him would not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 Everlasting life. Talk about a blessing! The offer of this gift was made to all the families of the earth. That whoever believes on Him. There is no distinction. Jew, Gentile, free, slave, male, female, "red and yellow, black and white"…whoever. This is all the families of the earth. And we have all been blessed through Abraham's family. Those who believe in Christ are all from the line of Abraham. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:28,29 There it is. The fulfillment of this promise given to Abraham. Amazing stuff.


The other thing that hit me, though, was this. Do you want to be blessed? Then bless those who are of the line of Abraham. This would mean Jews and Christians. The word for bless in the Hebrew is "barak". That's right. Our President's first name means "bless". It means to bless, to kneel, to adore, to praise. It almost sounds like a worshipful attitude. God will bless, kneel, adore and praise those who bless, kneel, adore and praise those who are in the line of Abraham because all of the nations of the earth are blessed, adored and praised because of His Son. If we treat those who come from the line of Abraham with how we would treat Jesus, then we will see God's favor.


The flip side to this, however, is pretty sobering. "I will curse him who curses you." Those who treat those from the line of Abraham with contempt, who dishonor them, who diminish them, God is going to curse. This is a significant warning to people who persecute Christians. This is a significant warning to those nations who want to eliminate Israel. Not only is it a warning, but it is a promise. God will abhor and detest these people and nations and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb 10:31 Maybe those who lead in nations that restrict believers should pay attention. http://www.persecution.com/public/restrictednations.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51 Maybe those in the Middle East who persecute Christians and are pushing for the destruction of Israel should listen to what their fate will be if they continue in this mindset.


For me, I need to make sure that I treat all people well. I need to bless those who come across my path. I need to encourage others and do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith. Gal. 6:10

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Danger, Will Robinson

Gen. 11:4 "And they said: 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves...'".


 

When I was a kid I used to watch a TV program called: "Lost in Space". When there was an impending threat that Will was unaware of his surrogate robot would warn: "Danger Will Robinson". That is the first thing that came to my mind when I read this verse. "Danger…". Why? Because after the flood people had one language. They could basically do anything that they set their minds to, and their minds in this case were centered on their protection and their promotion.


 

Kind of interesting, this is what Eve wanted…promotion. She wanted to be like God. And this was what Lucifer wanted…to be like God. Now, the people after the flood wanted to "make a name for ourselves". The problem, God does not share His glory with anyone, so God put an end to this self serving, self absorbed, self promoting attitude and said: "Come, let Us (notice Us again) go down and there confuse their language…". V7 The result: A barrier. A world full of people who speak different languages.


 

I know what it is like to try to communicate with someone who only speaks another language. It is tough. I handle cases for clients who are Hispanic and we have to get an interpreter. Why? There is a language barrier. At church we have started a separate service for the deaf community. I love them, but it is tough to communicate because I don't know their language. When we were in Charlotte last month at Easter, my sister's church had a baptism service. A pastor got in the water and spoke Chinese. The people he baptized responded in Chinese. I have no idea what they said, but I knew what they meant. Sure languages enrich what and who we are, but they also create problems. Trying to interpret the information that is spoken or written in Arabic that the United States got from Osama is a tough assignment. And God made this tough because humans wanted to "make a name for ourselves"…and there is danger in wanting to make a name for ourselves. It leads to self promotion. It leads to pride. It leads to placing ourselves in a place that only God deserves.


 

I don't know why. But, before I even read this verse today I was asking myself the question: "Why do I blog? Is it for self promotion? If so, then I need to stop. If I am attempting to impress others with my thoughts, then even though these thoughts may be good and Biblical, the motive behind them may be wrong. And if the motive behind them is so I can "make a name for myself" then I am walking in dangerous territory. Thankfully, as I thought about my question the answer came back: "So others can be encouraged." If this is the motive, then I am good. Frankly, it doesn't matter who reads my words. If no one ever reads them, that is OK because they are simply a result of what God is teaching me. And what He is teaching me today is stay away from self promotion. It is dangerous.


 

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Rainbows

Gen 9:16 "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

Rainbows are cool. It seems like whenever it rains and then the bright sun comes out and a rainbow forms, everyone says: "Look…there's a rainbow." I know we go rushing outside and grab our cameras and take pictures. It is great when it is real bright and you can see it from one end to the other. One of the coolest things to see is a double rainbow.

God loves rainbows too. Why? Because it is a reminder. It is a reminder of His everlasting covenant that He made between Himself and humans and all living creatures that He will never destroy the earth and all that is on it with a flood ever again. I think that the cool thing in this verse is the part that says:

"I will look on it to remember…". Now does God forget His promises? Does it rain and then a rainbow forms and God looks down and says: "Oh yeah, I won't do that again…I almost forgot."? No. What remember means is to "be thought of" or "to mention" or "to make a record". God didn't make rainbows for Him…God made rainbows to create an altar. To make something that allows all of us to know that He is a God who keeps His promises.

The thing that blows me away is that God looks on rainbows. He sees what is going on down here. And He brings to His mind what He did in the past and that He will never do it again. God looks at the earth. He looks at us. He thinks about us. This is wild. The God of all creation, the God of all of the immense galaxies that are out there, the God who literally created countless number of stars and planets and who knows what else, looks at the earth. Looks at us people and remembers His promise to us. Some think that we are not unique. Some think that there is life somewhere else, not just on this earth. I don't think so. I believe that "in the beginning God created the heavens (and all that it contains) and the earth. He singled out this place for His love. And He created humans in His image. There is no other created thing that God made that is like us. We are unique. And He looks at us and cares about us and makes His promises for us. Unreal…but true.

Weird how some in our society are using rainbows to represent other things…probably some of the things that caused God to destroy the earth to begin with.

Thank God that He looks at rainbows and remembers mercy.

Friday, May 6, 2011

May 21, 2011

Gen 8:21 "Then the Lord said in His heart, 'I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.'"

I love the promises and mercy of God. Here is just one example of God looking at what had been done during and after the flood and He made a covenant with Himself. "Never again will I curse the ground because man is a jerk. Never again will I destroy every living thing. Even though I know that man is sinful, even though I know that all he thinks about is garbage from his youth up, I am not going to do this again. I am not going to destroy the earth with a flood ever again." (See 9:11) And you know what? He hasn't. He has made good on His promise. Even though we are evil. Even though we ignore Him and say that He doesn't exist and we disobey His word, God extends His mercy to us and He allows us to live. God truly has blessed all of us. The fact that I got up this morning and put my feet on the ground is evidence of God's grace and mercy.

Now does this mean that God will not exact judgment on the earth at some time? No. That is coming. Jesus even talked about the coming of the Son of Man. That it would be like the days of Noah where people were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage and then it hit. The door of the ark was closed and the water started to come. People were not ready. They ignored Noah's warning. They did not know when the rain was coming. It came on them suddenly and it was too late. And Jesus' warning: "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matt 24:44. Later in chapter 25 Jesus said: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Matt 25:13 His advice: "Watch…be ready…live your lives in a way that shows that you are prepared."

Kind of interesting. Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer so there were events taking place on Public Square. I was walking downtown yesterday going to my car after work and I was approached by a woman who was handing out pamphlets. I assumed that she was passing out tracts and I took one, thanking her for it. When I got closer to my car I looked at it and it was entitled: "The End of the World is Almost Here! Holy God Will Bring Judgment Day on May 21, 2011". Is the end of the world coming? Yes. Do we know when? According to Jesus we do not. But according to these people they do. They must be smarter than Jesus.

As I read their pamphlet, I wanted to see how they arrived at this date. Somehow they took the seven days that it took Noah to get all of the animals into the ark and concluded through 2 Peter 3:8 that each day was one-thousand years. They allegedly figured out the actual date that the flood started, added 7000 years, subtracted one and arrived at May 21, 2011 as being judgment day. Unreal. The machinations that people will go through to try to prove their point. Are they right that people need to repent? Yes. We all need to trust Christ and accept His finished work on the cross. (They didn't say a lot about this in their pamphlet.) Are they right that God will bring judgment someday on the earth? Yes. Is it May 21st? No…not unless Jesus lied when He said: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32

My point: Thank God for His mercy. Thank God for His grace that is extended to us every day of our lives. Thank God for His promises that He will never destroy the earth with a flood, but that He is returning someday. But beware of people who assert unbiblical stuff. Be ready. Live our lives like Noah who was righteous and innocent and who walked with God…and who was always ready.


 

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Noah was a Great Dad


Gen 7:1 "Then the Lord said to Noah: 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.'"



The power of one guy in the life of his family. This is what is displayed in this verse. Yesterday I saw that Noah was just and innocent and he walked with God. One thing in particular stuck out to God however…that Noah was righteous. In Gen 6:9 this same word is translated 'just'. Noah realized who God was. He knew what God was like and Noah wanted to live his life consistent with who God was. This is righteousness. He had the character of God lived out in his life. The conscience that God placed in him that came when Adam and Eve screwed up, directed what he did. It directed what he said. It directed how he reacted when he was challenged, and questioned, and doubted. And he did what was right.



I wonder what I am like? Does God's character, His righteousness flow through me? How do I react to the Spirit of God? What do I do when I am challenged, or questioned, or doubted? Does the hair on the back of my neck stand up? Does my countenance fall? Do I get defensive or angry? Does sin crouch at my door? (See 5-2-11 entry.) Noah didn't. He knew that he was living his life consistent with God's desires and he did not need to justify what he was doing to anyone. The only One he wanted to satisfy was the God of all creation. Noah didn't just live this way when God warned him about the flood. This was Noah's normal way of life.


The result? His family was saved. His family came along with him in the ark. At this point there is no indication that Shem, Ham and Japheth were living righteous lives. There is no indication that they should deserve to be rescued. But my sense is that these boys were like their Dad. They saw what their Dad was like and they followed in his footsteps. Why do I say that? Because they got on the ark along with their families. They believed their Dad. They trusted their Dad who was trusting God. They did not challenge, or question, or doubt. In fact, my guess is that they helped their Dad build this thing. Noah's righteousness rubbed off on his sons and the result was the whole family was saved.


Anyone who does not see the implication here is blind. My responsibility as a Dad is huge in my family. My spiritual condition may just dictate the spiritual condition of my kids. If I screw up, if I don't care about living a consistent Christian life, if I am self centered and self serving, guess what my kids are going to be like? But, if I am like Noah and I strive to be righteous before God, the chances of my kids turning out that way are much greater.




Noah was a great Dad. The result was his family was saved.



Wednesday, May 4, 2011

What a Guy

Gen 6:8,9 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord...Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God."

Wow. What a statement about this guy, Noah. Almost everyone knows about Noah. What do we know? Basically what we see in children's books and toys. He was the guy who built the ark and brought in all the animals when there was a great flood over the earth. Now some dispute whether this flood ever took place, and I am not going to go into all of the proof that this happened. What I want to center on, however, is how we miss the truth about who Noah really was. We simplify the story. We picture a guy with a white flowing beard and hair bringing the animals into a huge ship and we kind of leave it at that…but there is so much more.

We have to get an idea about what the world was like in Noah's day. It was a rotten place. "The wickedness of man was great in the earth and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." V 5 In the middle of it all was this one guy who stood out. He was different. He didn't cave in to what was going on around him. He didn't let the evil and wickedness of his day suck him in. In fact, his thoughts were different. His heart was different. When evil and wickedness were swirling all around him, this guy was just. He was righteous. He did what was right. When everyone else was doing wrong he did the opposite. He was also perfect in his generation. He was wholesome. He was innocent. He had integrity. No wonder he found grace in God's eyes. No wonder God favored Him. God looked at this guy as being elegant in His eyes. (That is what the word 'grace' means.) God looked at the earth and was sorry. He was sorry that he made man. But He was also happy that He made this one man because like Enoch, Moses walked with God. Because of that God used him to save the earth.

I don't think that Noah had this in mind for his life. I don't think that Noah had any inkling that God was going to use him in this way. He just did what he knew was the right thing to do. He walked with God. He listened to God. He moved when God moved. He knew that the pressure of the world was nothing in comparison to his relationship with the God of all creation. He stayed in that place. He too was consistent. (See yesterday's blog.) And that is all he wanted for his life. To walk with God. To live a righteous life. To walk with integrity. And what happened? God's favor rested upon Him and God picked him out to use him in an unbelievable way.

I think of Noah's obedience also. "Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did." (v22) This was Noah's way of life. He would not have it any other way. Even though building a huge ship on dry land did not make any sense at all, he did it because God told him to do it. It was a result of His walk.

This really challenges me. I wish that God would say about me that I walked with Him. That I was a just man perfect in my generation. But I know that I have a long way to go. How do I know? Because this unswerving obedience in the face of something that makes no sense and is totally contrary to logic and common sense and that flies in the face of all that is going on around me is a tough thing to do. I know that I put things off. I know that I try to negotiate things with God. And frankly, that is not walking. That is disobedience. And that is sin. I have to step out and do something that may make no sense to me or to many. Will it take time? Yes. Will it be a challenge? Yes. Is it taking me out of my comfort zone? Yes.

Stay tuned.


 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Consistency

Gen 5:22-24 "After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."

Consistency. We don't hear much about it anymore. Instead, we hear that there is always something out there that is better, that is brighter, that we need to strive for. This can lead to discontentment and then all kinds of garbage happens. A younger wife. Another job where I dedicate all my time and energy. A more exciting high. (I can't believe that people are now snorting bath salts…unreal.) A desire to have more stuff. The problem is, none of these things satisfy. There is always something else. There is always something more.

Enoch had it right. Here was a guy who was consistent. After Methuselah was born he apparently decided that he needed to live differently. He needed to strive for something else that was meaningful. Not the empty pleasures that this world can bring, but something more satisfying, more purposeful that would never leave him empty. And that thing was a relationship with the God of the universe. Twice in three verses Moses writes: "Enoch walked with God." This was it. This was what life was all about for him.

What does this mean exactly…to walk with God? I know one of the things that my wife and I have said that we are going to do this summer is walk more. We need this exercise and frankly, it is a good time to be together. When we walk together we go the same direction. We travel at the same pace. And we talk.

Other words for "walk" are: "to go, to come, to depart, to move." In other words, Enoch moved with God. He went where God went. He saw where God was working and he lived His life there…in God's presence, doing what God was doing. He went the direction that God was going. He did not get ahead of Him and he did not get behind Him. He let God lead and he traveled with Him. And Enoch talked. He had a relationship. He communicated with God. God was His best Friend.

And the thing is…he did this consistently for three-hundred years. He didn't waver. He didn't give up. He did not doubt. He didn't wonder what else was out there that could be better. And the reason was: He knew that there was nothing out there that was better. This was it. This was the life. He loved it. And God knew it…and He took him. Their relationship was so close that God said: "Hey. Let's not have any more distance between us. Come and live in my presence" and God somehow made it happen without Enoch's death. Everyone else in this chapter lived to be over eight or nine-hundred years old and died. Not Enoch. God snatched him away. Amazing. All because Enoch had a consistent walk with God.

Now, I don't pretend that this would happen to anyone else. In fact, it only happened to one other guy in history…Elijah. But it is going to happen to the church. Some day when Christ returns, we will all be snatched away. We will all be taken and not die. Wouldn't it be cool if our testimony, if my testimony either in life and death is that I consistently walked with God. That I moved with God. That I always went the direction that God was going. I need this consistency.


 

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Tell Tale Face

Gen 4:6,7 "So the Lord said to Cain: 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'"

Tell tale signs of sin: Anger and a face that shows it. Cain just killed Abel out of jealousy. He knew that God favored Abel's sacrifice of an animal (see the reference of what God sacrificed in yesterday's blog) instead of some veggies being offered up to Him in worship. The result: Jealousy. And this jealousy lead to anger and this anger lead to murder. The thing is, God warned him. Before he ever raised his hand against Abel, God gave him this warning. "Sin's desire is for you. It will take you down. Be careful. In fact, be proactive. You have to exercise dominion over the very thing that wants to nail you." Did Cain listen to God? No. He ignored God's warning and killed his brother. Then he had to pay the consequences. "When you till the ground, it shall not longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." V11 A tough, lonely life.

We are so much like Cain. We get jealous, or bitter, or selfish and it reveals itself in anger. Our faces show what our lives are like.

It is interesting, but my wife just came back from a women's retreat from our church this weekend. Over 60 women met for almost two days and shared together, learned together, sang together, laughed together, cried together, worshiped together. It was a great time. In the middle of it all, they all stood on the steps of the hotel where they were having this conference and had a group picture taken. You could tell what was going on in their lives by the expressions on their faces. The great majority of women were smiling. But there was one woman in particular that you could tell something was going on. She was not happy. He countenance was fallen You could see the struggle in her face. I wonder what was going on inside her at that time?

I'm like that too. Sin is always sitting at the door ready to pounce. And when there is sin in my life, when I am feeling guilty, or bitter, or angry or whatever, my face shows it. Oh, I try to hide it, but my wife and kids know better. My friends know better. And sin's desire is to take me down. That is when I have to heed the words that God gave Cain: Rule over it. Overcome it. Do battle and exercise dominion over it. Then I will do well. Then I will be accepted.


 


 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Dummies



Gen 3:22a "Then the Lord God said: 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.'"



Dummies. Adam and Eve had it all. Innocence. Guiltlessness. No shame. Unlimited access to all the food they could ever want. A great place to live. An easy life. Total communion with each other. Total communion with God. This was it. This was the life. They did not need anything more but apparently they did not believe that. They wanted more. They wanted to have all of the knowledge that God had. They wanted to be like God.



Interesting. This is the same place Lucifer was. He wanted to be like God and in his stupid prideful desire he lost it all too. So, why not bring this new creation that God made down with you? Give them the same desire that you had. Make them want to be like God so they can fall as well. And this is exactly what happened. Dummies.



So instead of innocence they had guilt. Instead of no shame they had shame. Instead of unlimited access to all the food they could ever want and a great place to live they got tossed from the garden. Instead of an easy life they had pain in childbirth and hard work. Instead of total communion with each other and God they had separation. And now death entered the picture. Dummies.



They did, however, gain one thing. A conscience. They became like God in that they now knew good and evil. They knew right from wrong. They inherently had this new inner sense of what was good and what was bad…and they could not get away from it. And guess what? Neither can we. Not only have we been made in God's image in that we have a body, mind and spirit…but now we have this internal compass. And with this internal compass we have no excuse. We have no excuse to act the way we do. We have no excuse for the words that come out of our mouths. We have no excuse for the garbage we think about.



Our problem, though, is we can't overcome the draw to do what is wrong. As my Pastor says, if I am left up to my own devices, I will go South every time. We are, by nature, Dummies. That is why I need a Savior. I need someone who will recalibrate my compass. I need someone who will give me the power to overcome evil and do good. I need someone who will cover my sin. Adam and Eve needed it. They needed a covering and God provided it in that He killed an animal to cover them with skins. He shed blood to give them a sense of innocence again. And He did that with the ultimate sacrifice of His Son as well. Now my sin is covered. My shame is gone. My life is renewed. My communion with God is restored. And my conscience? Man, it is heightened.



No longer to be a Dummy.



Footnote: (A little tip in raising children: Appeal to their conscience. They have one. They internally know right from wrong. I used to tell my girls: "Do what's right." Why? Because they knew the right thing to do.



These stupid people who are in favor of abortion and the killing of innocent children. Dummies. These stupid people who push athiesm. Dummies. These stupid leaders in our country who encourage ungodly practices. Dummies. These stupid leaders in Iran and Syria and other countries who encourage terrorism. Dummies. All these people have consciences. They all know right from wrong but they choose the wrong anyway. They are all Dummies. They all, we all need Jesus to recalibrate our hearts and minds and bring life. God please do it.)