Thursday, June 30, 2011

Imitators

I Cor 11:1 "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."

At first glance I think that this looks pretty pompous. Here is Paul telling the church at Corinth to imitate him. To follow him. Now, I am not sure that I would want that. I mean, do I really want someone to imitate me…to follow me? I know how screwed up I can be. I know the junk that goes through my mind and the dumb things that I do and say. It is weird, but I think that Paul did too. In another book to another church Paul said: "…what I hate, that I do." Rom. 7:15 So how can he say: "Imitate me"? Does he really want people to do those things that he doesn't want to do himself?

The clincher comes next: "…just as I also imitate Christ." The word for "just as" actually means "to the degree that". In other words, follow me, imitate me, pattern your life after mine to the extent that I look like Jesus. Where I look like Jesus, do that. Where I don't look like Jesus, don't do that. The standard is Christ. He is the goal. He is the measuring tool. He is the One we really need to pattern our lives after. Not a man (Paul), but God (Jesus).

I have to ask myself: "How am I doing in imitating Jesus?" That is a tough one. Really…how am I doing in having my life look like the life of Christ? How am I doing in seeing His character, His words, His attitudes, His actions reflected in my life? I certainly am far from perfect, but am I seeing Him more and more each day? Am I growing? Am I progressing? Is this process of, what we call "sanctification" becoming more evident in my life? Or am I just holding still, treading water, just hanging on? Are my thoughts becoming more God centered? Are my reactions becoming more measured? Is my time spent redeeming it? Are my words more gracious and healing?

I know one thing, I have a long way to go. But I also know this, I want to say: "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." He is my model. Jesus help me be more like You today.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

All for the Glory of God

I Cor 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

It is weird, but I just prayed this this morning.

Father's day this year was weird. Weird because most of the day I did not spend with my kids. Maddie had to take a nap and we really could not do much in the afternoon, so we decided that we would go to my favorite restaurant, Five Guys, in the evening. I knew that we were not going to do much until then, but I kind of wanted to have something planned even for the afternoon. I got a little miffed (selfish me) that my wife kept saying: "This is your day, what do you want to do?" I, of course, could not think of anything…I thought that was my wife's job for the day. We ended up watching a movie and I finally calmed down. Then the time came to go to Five Guys and I really calmed down. I love their burgers and fries. When we were done, we could not go for a walk in Metroparks because it was raining, so we went back to Michelle and Jeremy's house. When there, they gave me my cards and as I opened them my wife gave me a page out of a magazine. It was the picture of an i Pad 2. No way! My wife and kids had sprung to buy me this? This was crazy…I was in shock….I just had to wait for it (and a case keyboard which is very cool) to come in the mail. Two days ago it came and it really is an amazing tool.

All this to say that I got thinking about all of the computer gadgets we have, this morning. I got thinking about how much God has blessed us. I got thinking about the fact that for some reason God has entrusted this stuff to me. Why? Why did my family buy me an i Pad 2? They probably did not think of this, but as I got thinking, I prayed this morning: "God, let me use these things for your glory. In fact, let me use all that I have for Your glory." Then I read this verse: "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Paul did not have an i Pad 2 in mind when he wrote this verse. Instead, he had other people in mind. He was concerned that people were not thinking of others first. (verse 24 is almost identical to Phil 2:4) He was concerned that people were eating and drinking and not considering others. But then this: If you eat, if you drink, whatever you do…whatever you do…whatever you do, do it ALL to the glory of God. That includes eating, drinking, working, playing, reading, watching, talking, ministering, using technology, in relationships, whatever I do, do it all for God's glory. Why? Because as we learned this Sunday, He is the awesome eternally existent One who deserves it. Only God deserves it. I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve credit, or honor, or glory, or praise…I am just a blip on the radar screen of history. God alone is to be glorified and He is to be glorified in ALL that I do.

So today, as I use my cool i Pad 2, as I work, as I talk to clients, as I practice at worship team, as I communicate with my wife, do it all for the glory of God. If I do, if I remember this, I am sure that much will change.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Preach Jesus

I Cor 9:16 "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel."

Paul was explaining to the Corinthian church that those who preach the gospel should be able to make their living from the gospel. In other words, if you are a preacher/pastor/teacher of the word, that is your profession and you should be able to count on others to give toward your support. That isn't what I said, that is what God's word says. So people should not question why pastors get paid. They get paid because they are ministering to others the gospel of God. But then Paul says this: "I haven't pushed this because I have to preach the gospel no matter what. I can't help it. Whether I am able to make my living this way or not, whether I live because you are supporting me, or if I die because you fail to support me, it doesn't matter because I am compelled to share this good news."

What an amazing heart. Unfortunately, some guys are out there and they think that they deserve all kinds of perks in the ministry. Some guys are not motivated because this is a story that they have to tell, but they are motivated by how much money or how much power or how much glory they get. Not Paul. He did not want money, or power or glory. He just wanted to preach the good news of Christ. He had to do this. Why? Because when you cut away all of the fat, when you get rid of all of the stuff that we seem to get wrapped up in when it comes to Christianity, it all boils down to one thing: The gospel. The good news. The fact that Jesus came, He lived, He ministered, He died, He rose, He is coming again. That is all. Frankly, the gospel can be wrapped up in one word: Jesus.

This is interesting because of what I was able to experience this last week. I have to measure what I said with whether Jesus was shared. Did I just talk about fancy words, or fun ideas, or my own goals? Was what I talked about on Sunday centered on Jesus? That is the question that I need to ask. That is the question I think any person who has an opportunity to preach must ask. What Jesus the focal point? When people walked away, did they realize the love of God in Christ? That is what Paul wanted. That is what motivated him. That is what should motivate anyone who has an opportunity to preach or teach…whether they get paid or not. Preach Jesus.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Puffed Up


I Cor 8:1b "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."


I needed to hear this today…the reminder that knowledge puffs up. The word for "puff up" actually means blow up, inflate, swell…to be proud. This is where we get the idea of getting a big head. When we know things that others may not know, or if we think that we know things we can get a big head. This is what was happening in the Corinthian church. They knew that idols did not exist, so if they ate meat sacrificed to idols, it was no big deal. They would take the meat and enjoy it. The problem is, not everyone knew that other gods did not exist, so when they saw some people eating meat that was sacrificed to an idol, they either were offended, or they were caused to doubt and they also ate but they ate with a guilty conscience. (Of course this guilty conscience was put there by the accuser, but they did not know that.) Paul was telling this church, just because you have knowledge it does not give you unbridled liberty to just do whatever you want. You have to consider the other guy. You have to think about the effect that your action is going to have on that person. This is why he said: "Love edifies." If you are walking in love, you are thinking of others and you will not do that thing that you have the freedom to do but the other guy does not. Instead you will take into consideration their mindset and refrain from doing something that could hurt them. This is why he later said to the church at Philippi "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Phil 2:4 Love and humility kiss each other. (See Ps. 85:10)


Why did I need to hear this today? Because I had a blast yesterday. It was a privilege to be able to preach at my church. I had the opportunity share with our congregation the fact that our God is the Awesome Eternally Existent Creator of all things. In other words, God is massive. We tried to get a little glimpse of the magnitude of God. I think that we may have gotten a taste. Then to think that this Awesome God loves us tiny little humans…that I am just one of an estimated 106 billion people who ever lived on this planet and this planet is just one of potentially millions or billions or even quadrillions of other planets that God has created. It really makes you realize how unbelievably small and insignificant you really are…yet God loves me. Jesus died for me. Unreal. Again…why did I need to hear this today? Because I do not want to be puffed up. It is no secret, I have written about his before, but I like to hear when I do well, and many people were very kind after I had a chance to speak. Thank you, but big deal. I should not have to hear any accolades. Just because I had a chance to study and deliver and communicate, that does not make me anything special. After all, I just got done preaching about how small I am. I only want the praise and credit and glory to go to the Great and Awesome God that I had a chance to talk about. And then I need to walk in love. To love others. To care about others. To think of others. To minister to others. This is where real spirituality is…not in delivering a sermon, but in living a life.


Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.



Sunday, June 26, 2011

Obey Him

I Cor 7:19 "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandment of God is what matters."

Interesting verse for today. What was this all about? Paul continued to write to the Corinthian church about the importance of marriage. Chapter 7 is really a primer on staying single, getting married and staying married…and apparently this church needed to learn a few things about how to treat the opposite sex.

In the middle of it all is this verse. Paul was talking about the status of life that you were in when you became a believer. Were you married, stay that way. Were you single, he thought it was best if you stayed that way. Were you a slave, stay that way unless the Lord allows you to get out of that situation. Were you uncircumcised? Don't try to get bound by the law now and change that. Why? Because this act that was required through the time of Abraham is not what matters. I am sure that this was a huge revelation to a Jewish church. I mean, this is what set the Jews apart. This showed their devotion to God. And now Paul is saying that this is nothing? Then what is important? Keeping the commandments. Really? That is what is important in a New Testament church? Of course. Obedience shows our hearts. Obedience shows where our devotion is. Obedience shows who is the Master and Controller of our lives.

But I actually think it goes beyond that. Today I have a chance to preach at church. This is unusual. I usually do not do this, but our Pastor is away on a missions trip and I was asked to fill in. I am preaching out of the Book of Amos where it is written three times: "The Lord is His name." What does that have to do with the commandments? Everything because what good are the commandments if there is not something to back them up? What good are the commandments without an authority behind them? The authority is the Lord, Jehovah, the Existing One. I have heard that there is a method of evangelism that instructs people to tell others about the commandments because it is the commandments that are our tutor to tell us that we are sinners. That is true. But I think it kind of misses the point. Why are we sinners? Because we break the commandments? No. Because we violate the character of God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We don't fall short of the commandments. We fall short of the glory and character of God. It is God's character that is the basis for the commandments. It is God's character that should be our measuring stick. It is God's character that matters.

So why keep the commandments? Because when we do we are reflecting who God is. He is Lord. He is Jehovah. He is the Existing One. Obey Him.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

God’s Reputation

I Cor 6:20 "For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Now the hammer was coming down. This church was really messed up. Not only was a son messing around with his step mother, but all kinds of junk had infiltrated the church. Just like Paul said, the leaven was spreading. These people were taking each other to court. They were cheating other people. It looks like sexual immorality was spreading. And Paul had a warning for them, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals (oops…can't say that), sodomites, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners were not going to inherit the kingdom of God. People who practice these things prove one thing, they don't have a relationship with Christ and their eternity will not be pleasant. And Paul's reminder was: "Hey, you were like this but no more because you were washed, set apart and declared innocent in the name of Christ…don't forget it. You were bought at a great price, the price of the life of the Son of God, so don't use your body for sexual immorality."

This is a tough subject. People want to do what they want to do with their bodies. If they want to have multiple sexual partners, that is no one's business but their own. That may be true, but the end result is a mess of a life. And if you are a believer, then everything changes. No longer is your body your own. No longer is your spirit (your inner man) your own. I don't have control of what I do with my body any longer. I don't have control of my attitudes any longer. It all has to be controlled by God because He bought me. He paid for me. He bought me back and brought me into His family. I have to live like I am a member of His family and be concerned about only one thing, glorifying God with all that I do, with all that I say, with all that I think. God does not want His family name played with. His reputation is at stake. If I claim to be a Christian, if I claim to be a "Christ-one" then I need to live like it and glorify Him with my body and my spirit.

This kind of sheds a new light on why we should take care of our bodies. This sheds a new light on why we should not feed it garbage, or let our mind dwell on smut, or allow our eyes to wander. This is God's reputation that we carry with us…every day of our lives. In fact a positive twist on this is that we should use our bodies and our spirits to lift up Christ. To glorify Him.

People should see me and really see how amazing God is. I wonder….


 

Friday, June 24, 2011

Yeast

I Cor 5:8 "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

I love it when we make bread. We don't do it the old fashioned way. Instead we use a bread machine. It is great. Usually, when we make it, I am the one who puts the ingredients together. (I can handle that job. It isn't very complicated.) The weird thing is that when you put the flour in the container, you have to make a little pocket in the middle of it to put the yeast in…kind of like a volcano. Then you pour the water around the flour making sure the yeast does not get wet. The thing that I have learned is that yeast is important. It has to permeate the flour so that the whole ball of stuff can rise. Without it, it would be a flat and dense. With it, it is light and airy. Why? Because of the yeast. It spreads and affects the whole loaf. In bread making yeast is good. In church making yeast is horrible.

After the first four chapters in I Corinthians, Paul got to write to this church in specific terms. He knew what is going on. In fact, the report about this church had gone out into the unsaved world of a very shocking thing…even to the Gentiles: Some guy was having sex with his father's wife…and the church was accepting it. Churches like to be known. They like their reputation to get out into the community. They want to be known as accepting, or loving, or caring, or worshipping, or Bible teaching, or evangelistic. This church was known for sure…as sexually immoral, and Paul was calling them on it. He was telling them to deal with it. He was telling them to judge it. He was telling them to get rid of it. He was telling them to turn this guy over to Satan. Pretty powerful stuff. Why? Why was this so huge? Because it was affecting everyone. It was yeast that was permeating through the whole church and bringing them all down. How do I know? Because not only was this one guy messing around, but the whole church had become puffed up and proud (v2), malicious and wicked and it was because they were accepting and condoning this sin.

Instead of this garbage impacting the whole church, Paul told them that they needed to be like unleavened bread. No junk. No yeast. No sin. Rather, purity and truth should be what they were known for.

Church-building is hard. Why? Because the church is people and we all mess up. We all sin. And when we sin, we have to deal with that sin. We have to repent. We have to confess. We have to stay humble. When we don't, we are in trouble…and not just the person who is sinning, but the whole body. We are all impacted. As John Donne said: "No man is an island." The leaven, the yeast of one person's sin can permeate through the whole loaf and before you know it, the whole church is a mess with a rotten reputation before the world. That is why confrontation is huge. That is why accountability is huge. It isn't easy. It isn't fun. But it must be done and purity and truth must be the standard.

God give us grace.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Underrowers

I Cor 4:1 "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."

The thing that I think is cool about Paul is that he was not all full of himself. Frankly, he could have been. Here is a guy who was raised in the strongest Jewish tradition. He had authority in the community. Just because Jesus reached down and rescued him would not change his history. He was now a believer who had the same strong background. Beyond that, he was a guy who was hand picked by God. I mean, who else do we know in the New Testament that God knocked off his horse and personally said that he was a "chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel."? Acts 9:15 Who else do we know who personally spent one on one time with Jesus in the "third heaven"? 2 Cor 12:2 Who else do we know who wrote the great bulk of the New Testament? I mean this is pretty heady stuff. If anyone had a claim to fame and could assert his position in the church it was Paul. Yet here is Paul saying: "I am only a servant of Jesus and steward of God's mysteries."

I love the word for servant. It actually means: "underrower" or "subordinate rower". It was these guys who got into the very bottom of the ship, below everyone else, in the dark, in the damp, in the sweat. It was not a place of recognition and glory. Instead it was the low of the lows. Yet these guys were necessary. Without them the ship just sat there. Paul outlines this for us later in the chapter when he says the apostles were "condemned to death, made a spectacle, fools, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, homeless, reviled, defamed, filth, offscouring." Nasty stuff. With Paul's star making history this is what he came to.

And steward. This word means manager. It was the guy who kind of oversaw what was going on in the master's house. Did he get credit? Was he the owner? Did he get to keep all of the stuff that he saw? No. He just watched over it and made sure that it was used properly and not wasted.

That was Paul. A servant, an underrower of Christ and a manager of the mysteries, the secret things of God. (That is actually pretty cool when you think of it.)

Fast forward 2000 years. What does this make us? What does this make me? I certainly don't have Paul's credentials. I did not get knocked off my horse. I have not written anything of significance much less parts of the Bible. If he was a servant and steward, I am at the most the same. Sometimes we get all wrapped up in titles. I'm an attorney. Big deal. I'm an elder at my church. Whoopie! Really, I am just a guy who needs to strive to be an underrower for Christ. I need to serve Him and, just like was written yesterday, make sure all the glory goes to Him.

This was the attitude of the guys back in Jesus' day. Paul said it. John the Baptist said it: "He must increase, and I must decrease." Just underrowers. No titles. No positions. No prestige.

Me too.


 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Growth in the Garden

I Cor 3:7 "So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."

I take great pride in my garden. It isn't a big thing, just a 4' x 4' box garden, but man is it productive. This year I planted two types of lettuce, pepper, tomatoes, basil and squash. Everything is growing like crazy. I already have tomatoes on my one plant and we have eaten some of the lettuce. (And it seems like the squash is taking over the entire thing.) Now, what did I do to make that garden grow? I planted the plants. I water it when needed. But did I make the plants grow? Did I create the lettuce that we have eaten, or the tomatoes that are popping or any of the other veggies that we will get? It would be stupid for me to say that I did. I did not produce this stuff. I only planted and watered. God is the One who created it all. God is the One who came up with the bright ideas to make it all. And God is the One who gives the fruit.

The same principle applies when it comes to watching God work in people's lives. The Corinthian church was an interesting church. Even though they had the mind of Christ, they did not use it. Instead they digressed into their old, fleshly, divisive ways and argued about whose teaching got them into the kingdom. It was almost like saying: "John MacArthur's the guy. You have to follow him." Or, "James MacDonald is the one." Or, "We follow Beth Moore." Dumb, dumb, dumb. None of these people would want to hear this because they know that the results that they see from their ministries are not something that they created. And Paul and Apollos did not want to hear it either. It was all by God's grace. They simply planted or watered. It was God who used them in the lives of people.

Yesterday I was in Heinens. I saw a lady there I had not seen in a while. She used to go to Lake Ridge but she has decided that it is best for her right now to go with her Dad to his church. Our conversation eventually lead to how things were going at church. I was able to share with her that we are seeing amazing growth. Her response: "It's because of two things: Randy and the music." Now she meant this as a compliment, and I was grateful to hear it, but what should have sprung up in my mind was: "No…it is God. It is all God. We may just plant, we may just water but it is God who is giving the increase." Now, I did not take credit. I really did not say anything. But I should have opened my big fat mouth and said: "It is the Lord." This is what Paul was saying: "Never ever take credit for anything that you see God doing around you. You are just a vessel. You are just His instrument. You may be a seed planter. You may be a Word waterer…but it is all God."

As I see the Lord at work around me, may I always reflect the glory back to Him.


 

Wild

I Cor 2:9,10 "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."

Paul is basically quoting Is. 64:4. It says: "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him." This is wild to me. Generally speaking, from the very beginning of creation men could not see, hear or understand all of the things that God is getting ready for His people. The wisdom of God is far beyond the human mind. It is not something that comes about naturally. Instead, His wisdom is imparted to us only though His Spirit. Paul later says: "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches…" v13 This is the wild thing: God wants to be my Teacher. Things that are far beyond human understanding and comprehension can be understood by those who love Him. Things that men cannot and will not ever understand are available to those who have the Spirit of God. This is supernatural wisdom.

The very fact that God wants to teach me, the very fact that God wants to share His knowledge and wisdom with me blows me away. The God of all creation, the Lord, Jehovah, the eternally existing One who created it all wants to be My Teacher. He wants to share with me what He knows. And how does He do that? Through His Spirit. Jesus said it Himself: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…" John 16:13. The truth of God, the wisdom of God, the knowledge of God is ours because we have the Spirit of God…because, and I am holding on to my hat now, "we have the mind of Christ." v16 By mind he means all of the faculties of perceiving and understanding and feeling and judging and determining (Strongs). This is nuts! This is unreal! This is true! And we struggle in figuring out the will of God for our lives? And we vacillate back and forth in our decision making process? What is with that? We have the mind of Christ. We have the very mind of God! And He wants to teach me!

Man, do I need to be in communion with Him. I need to be in prayer. I need to be in His word. I need to wait and listen closely. Then I need to act or open my mouth in faith believing that He has given me the wisdom and knowledge that I need because I have the mind of Christ.


 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Foolishness

I Cor 1:18,24b "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...and the wisdom of God."

No one likes to look foolish. Dave Wible spoke about this yesterday at church. He talked about how we all care about our reputations. We don't want anyone to think that we are dumb, or stupid, or foolish, or radical, or different, or weird, or a fanatic. We kind of want to blend in and make everyone feel comfortable. We don't want to offend. After all, our relationships with people are something that we need to maintain, right? I mean, why turn them off? If we turn them off, if they get offended, if they don't want to listen, what good is that? This is the Christian form of being politically correct.

Look what Paul says to the Corinthian church. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. Not only that, but God chooses the foolish, the weak, the base, the nothing. Why? So that He alone is glorified. (v31) Those in the world who are perishing, those in the world who rely on the flesh, who understand with their own knowledge, who think that logic and reasoning and science are the key to all there is will never understand who Jesus is. They will never understand the message of the cross. They will never understand what the crucifixion was all about. But this is the message that we have to talk about. This is the message that we have to trumpet. This is the message that we have to be bold enough to proclaim, because those who are called (v2,9), those who are "being saved" will get it. They will grab it and it will change their lives. Why? Because it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The message is what it is all about…and the message is the cross. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sometimes we try to finesse it. Sometimes we try to package it in a pretty ribbon. Sometimes we try to avoid it, be we can't. We shouldn't. It is the only message that brings eternal life. It is the only message that brings true power. It is the only message that brings real wisdom. It may sound stupid to some. It may be offensive to some. It may turn some off, but we can't worry about that. We have to preach Christ crucified.

Today, I have to look for openings. I have to ask God to give me opportunities to speak just a word to those who are in need of a Savior, and that word must be Christ crucified. It is dynamite. It is wisdom. It will work.


 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Father’s Day

Gen 50:12 "So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them."

Kind of weird that I would read this chapter today. This chapter centers on the death of Jacob/Israel and what Joseph and all of his kids did for him following his death…they did what he said. They buried him where he wanted to be buried. They mourned for him and honored him.

Today is Father's Day. The thing that hit me when I read this verse was that Jacob's sons honored him in his death. I bet he wished that they had honored him in his life also. But we know the story. They lied to him. They let him grieve over the death of a son that did not happen. They put him through all kinds of garbage when they were trying to get food during the famine. These boys were bad. It wasn't until the end of his life that they were all able to live together. Yet he still blessed them in his death. He still cared for them and their futures. And now they had an opportunity to do what he asked them to do, and they did it. So this verse: "So his sons (finally) did for him just as he had commanded them." (I threw in the extra word as a little commentary.)

God made me a Dad. As I wrote two days ago, He blessed my socks off with two amazing girls. As I think back on their lives growing up, I can honestly say that they did for me just as I had commanded. They were not like Jacob's sons. They honored me as kids and they continue to honor me in their adult life. I am thankful that they didn't wait until I died to show their love for me. They do it all the time now…and I am grateful. I really do not deserve to have such good kids. I really do not deserve to see them develop into the godly women that they are, because as they will testify, sometimes I can get a little weird and goofy. Yet, God is faithful and He brought a great woman into my life who was the best Mom any kid could have and she (with a little help from me) built into these girl's lives…and now I can say with John "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 4

Thank you God for your faithfulness. Thank you for making me a Dad. Thank you for my girls.


 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Judah and Jesus

Gen 49:10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people."

Israel is getting ready to die, so he gathered his sons around him for their final blessing. Some good, some bad, and some very practical. (Dan would be a judge, Asher would be a baker and Naphtali would be a word-smith.) But Judah…something special. The scepter represented kingship. And a lawgiver represented one who set out decrees. Israel was telling Judah that he would start a long line of kings. This was before the nation of Israel was even formed. This was before the people of Israel clamored for a king and God warned them about it. And who came from the line of Judah? David and Solomon, etc.

Then this…until Shiloh comes. What is Shiloh? The Hebrew word for Shiloh actually means: "he who it is". This is wild. "He who it is." Or: "He who exists". Or: Jehovah – "the existing One". Or:"I AM". The promise of the Messiah was given through Israel as he blessed his son Judah. And through the line of Judah came David and Solomon…and Jesus. Check it out. Matthew 1 lays out the geneology of Jesus.

"And to Him shall be the obedience of the people." To who? Judah? Yes, and those rulers who came from the line of Judah, but eventually, when it is all said and done, when this thing called history comes to its culmination: "To HIM shall be the obedience of the people." The only One who is able to take the scroll and open it. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Rev 5:5) "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 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 should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil 2:9-11

The point: This blessing, this prophecy that Israel gave to his son Judah was fulfilled and is still being fulfilled. This prophecy is still being worked out in God's time…and truth is truth. Jesus is the One who rules. Jesus is the One who reigns. Jesus is the One who is in control. Jesus is the One who is the eternal Lawgiver. And Jesus is the One every single person who ever lived, in heaven, on earth and under the earth will bow before in obedience.


 

Friday, June 17, 2011

Surprise!

Gen 48:11 "And Israel said to Joseph, 'I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!'"

I am a Dad and I am a Grandpa. Frankly, of all the things that this world has to offer there is nothing that is more significant in my life. It is my privilege to be the Dad of Michelle and Elise. Those two girls have blessed Georgann and me more than they will ever know. Then to have Maddie come into the world is the cherry on top of the whip cream.

And here is Israel (Jacob) with three men in front of him: Joseph his son, and Manasseh and Ephraim, two of his grandsons. Now Israel had a bunch of other kids and grandkids, but this was different. This was special. Israel thought that Joseph was dead. He thought that he would never see Joseph again in this life. To come to Egypt and to see him and to live with him for seventeen years was something that Israel never imagined would happen. But on top of this, not only was Joseph alive but he had sons. Israel not only got to get to know his son all over again, but he also got to know these two grandsons. One thing did not escape Israel's knowledge: God did this. "God has also shown me your offspring." Surprise!

A couple days ago I wrote about how many times we don't see things. There are times when it seems like God is silent and we have to wait. Today is the flip side. There are other times when God wants to show us things. There are times when God wants to reveal what He is up to. There are times when we actually can be brought into the presence of God and He surprises us. I love this about God. He is not a God who is up in heaven playing games with us, putting a carrot in front of our noses and then yanking it right before we get to eat it. He is a God who wants to show us, to teach us, to reveal things to us, to surprise us. In fact, He wants to surprise us so much that what is done goes beyond our wildest imagination. There was no way that Israel ever thought that he would see Joseph and his grandsons. I mean this thought would be just crazy…but God does crazy, impossible things. "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 "Above all that we ask or think." God wants to surprise us. God loves to surprise us. When He does, we know that He is God. It is God at work because He is the One who is in charge of the impossible.

I have seen this in my life. I see this in my wife. God has given me more than I could ever imagine in her. As I said before, my girls…more than I could imagine. I saw this in God supplying when our girls were in college. Always there. Always ready to supply all that we needed…and then some. I saw him do this in placing me in the job I am currently in. I had the thought that I would like to be with this firm one day, but it was only a thought…I never thought that it would really happen…but He did it…and He did it without me even pushing for it. I see Him currently doing it in our church. Things are happening that I could only have hoped for, but He is the God of surprises and He loves to see our joy.

Thank you God.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Bread

Gen 47:15b "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."

Things were tough in Egypt and Canaan. The money failed. The money ran out. There was no more. So how were these people going to live? How were they going to pay for their needs? They needed bread. They needed food but they could not buy it because there was absolutely no more money to give in exchange for food. They did the only thing they could do…they sold their stuff, in this case their livestock, for food. The next year when they needed more food and their money was gone and their stuff was gone, what did they do? They sold themselves. They became Pharaoh's slaves so they could get bread and seed. (v19) Talk about desperation. But they had to live and the only thing that they had to give in exchange for life (bread) was their lives.

As I have written before, some people are making some pretty severe predictions about our economy as well. One guy said that it is going to collapse this year. I read on the internet (MSN) just the other day that others have said that it will happen in 2013. One thing is sure, something has to give. We can't keep spending our way into prosperity. It does not work that way. Deficits do not lead to surpluses. The national debt will get so huge, our printing of money will get so out of control, that the dollar will not be worth the paper that it is written on. At that time, we will say: "…the money has failed." At that time many will be trying to figure out how to get bread. Gold will not be the savior. Silver will not be the savior. The old Larry Norman lyrics will be real: "a piece of bread could buy a bag of gold." Bread will be the thing. Seeds will be the thing. I know that this sounds ominous, but unless things drastically turn around, unless our politicians stop spending our future away, we are in for some tough times.

But there is one other thing to consider as well. "Man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Physical hunger is horrible. Spiritual hunger is worse. With physical hunger your stomach growls, you lose weight, you can eventually physically die. But without God's word, when we don't take it in, when we don't meditate on it (ruminate: chew it, swallow it, chew it, swallow it…), when we ignore the nourishment we get from it, we will growl, we will become weak, and we will shrivel and die. Yes, we need bread, but not bread alone. We need God's word. It is our bread. It is our meat. It is our honey.

I wonder one thing: People get all crazy about the economy and the money failing, but we don't get too bent out of shape when God's word is not taken in, or shared or spread. What's with that?


 

Quiet

Gen 46:2,3 "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said: 'Jacob, Jacob.' and he said: 'Here I am' so He said: 'I am God, God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.'"

This is a mystery to me, why God is sometimes quiet. I mean, I really feel bad for Jacob. Here is this guy who, for years, has come to believe that his son was killed by a wild animal. His sons did not help. They lead him to believe this story by giving him Joseph's bloody robe. All of these years, they did not let their Dad know that Joseph may still be alive. By this time, Jacob had grieved, and eventually resigned himself to the idea that he would never see Joseph again.

Then this: "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night...". Why now? Why at this time? Why not earlier? Why didn't God blow this whole charade out of the water and simply come to Jacob in the visions of the night and say: "Jacob, Jacob do not fear, your son Joseph is still alive and you will see him again some day."? Why didn't that happen? It could have. If God had chosen to do this, He could have come to Jacob earlier and explained the whole situation to him...but he didn't.

In fact, why do we go through times of silence? Why do we go through times when we are kept in the dark? Why do we have to go through tough times and not know what is going on? I am not sure that I have the answer...but God knows. When those times come we just have to be still and know that He is God. There are some things in this life that we will have to wait years to see what God was doing, and there are some things in this life that we will not see it until we get to heaven.

Look at the people who lived their faith before we ever came on the scene: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced [them] and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Heb 11:13 That's it. We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We may never figure some things out. There are things out there that are destined to only be known by God. His silence is there for a reason...but some day we will see things clearly. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." I Cor 13:12

Until then, keep walking. Keep living a life of faith knowing that God has it all under control.


 

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

God Perspective

Gen 45:5b,7a "...for God sent me before you to preserve life...And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth..."

This was it. This was the breaking point. Joseph could not keep the charade going forever. When Judah came to him and begged for the life of his brother Benjamin as well as the life of his Dad, Israel, Joseph lost it. He had to tell his brothers who he was. The very dream that he had so many years before had come true. His brothers had come and bowed down to him and now his father and mother (the moon and sun) would come into his presence and do the same. His brothers could hardly believe it. But after looking closer, after listening to his story, they realized that this was the guy that they sold into slavery who was now a ruler in Egypt.

Why did this happen? How did this happen? God. "For God" did this. For God sent me for two reasons: To preserve life and to preserve a posterity for what God had promised to Abraham. Joseph could have been bitter. Joseph could have made all of his brothers his slave. Joseph could have killed them all, but he didn't. Instead he had a God perspective. After all of the garbage that he had gone through and after all of the glory that he had gone through he saw things from God's vantage point.

This is huge. No matter how bad things get, no matter how rotten things seem to be going, no matter what trial may come our way we need to look at it from God's perspective. What is He doing? How is He working? What does He want to accomplish? It seems like we have a tendency to ask these questions when things are hard. But the thing is, it is not just in the tough times, it is also in the good times. It is in the times of plenty that we need to still look at life from God's perspective and continue to ask: What is He doing? How is He working? What does He want to accomplish? No matter what, God is always working, He is always moving, He is always directing, He is the Author if it all, whether it is in difficulty or in blessing. God is sovereign.

I need to always ask: What is God doing and why is He doing it? God, always give me Your perspective.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Peace, not Fear

Gen 43:23 "Then he said: 'Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks, I had your money.'"

Joseph's brothers were terrified. They had already been to Egypt once and Joseph put on a good act. He "spoke roughly" with them and held back Simeon while they went back to Canaan with the food that they needed for their families. The problem is, the food ran out and they needed more. So they had to go back…and this time they had to take Benjamin. All along the way they worried. Reuben worried. Judah worried. Their Dad worried. "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved." They all worried: "Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house…". This was it. They thought that they were going to be made slaves. Why? Because they were guilty. They felt guilty. They had this gnawing thought in the back of their brains that they had treated Joseph poorly and now it was coming back to bite them. You know, "What goes around comes around." This was it. This was their pay back.

It is like that. When I screw up and sin, I tend to worry more. I think that my sin is going to come back and get me. I am always looking over my shoulder waiting for the shoe to drop. The reason? It is Biblical: "Be sure your sin will find you out." Num. 32:23. We can sin and think that we have gotten away with it, but we never do. It always comes back and worrying about it is something that naturally comes as a result.

The thing that beats that is grace. For Joseph's brothers, Joseph's grace. For me, God's grace. Joseph's brothers did not deserve what he was about to do. His brothers did not deserve what he was about to say, but they got it anyway. These words are amazing: "Peace be with you, do not be afraid." What? No more worrying? No more looking over their shoulder? No more fear? No. Only peace. This is what Joseph gave his brothers. They didn't deserve it. In fact they deserved to be made slaves, but they got something entirely different: peace.

And this is mine too. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 Why? Grace. I don't deserve it. I can't earn it. It is a free gift through Jesus. Even though I screw up, even though I make mistakes, even though I sin, He still promises peace, not fear, because of His sacrifice for me.


 

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Not in me, God

Gen 41:16 "So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, 'It is not in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.'"

Finally! The chief butler woke up and remembered the guy who helped him. Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams and he wanted to know what they meant. The chief butler apologetically came to him and said "I screwed up. I should have told you this before, but there a Hebrew guy in prison who can do this…". When Pharaoh summoned Joseph he said: "I have heard that you can understand and interpret dreams." This is the cool part…Joseph's response: "Not in me, God." Joseph knew. This was not him. He was not able to do this. He was not the guy with the smarts. It was all God. Any credit, any acknowledgement, any glory was not to go to the instrument that God used but instead it was all to go to God..

This has to be the way it is in my life. Really, I am incapable of doing anything eternal. I am incapable of doing anything that lasts. I am incapable of doing anything that has any real meaning…without God. Sure, I can try to pull off some pretty cool things. I can try to win cases, or influence people, or teach or lead on my own, but without God, it is empty. It is meaningless. It is all self serving. Right now I am preparing for a sermon that I get to preach in two weeks. I am pretty pumped about it, but I know that if it is not God who is controlling the words, if it is not God who is directing the thoughts, if it is not God who is communicating through me, then I am just blowing smoke.

I also know that God has been gracious enough to give us some pretty talented people at Lake Ridge Church. I am privileged to be able to be a part of a worship team that really is pretty good. Many times we have people come up to us after the service and say: "You guys rocked (Dan Sanzo)"; or "That was awesome" (Randy Whitely); or "What great music" (whoever). Our response, my response should always be what Joseph said: "Not in me, God." We did not create this talent. We did not give these gifts. We did not form these abilities…God did. It is God who is working. It is God who is moving. When we start taking credit, when we start grabbing glory then we need to stop. May this never happen. May we always, always, always point people to the One who is merciful and gracious enough to allow us to do what we do…but we do it only for His glory not ours.

And this should be true anytime we see God at work. He is doing some pretty amazing things around us and the attention needs to be placed on Him.

I remember the first sermon that our Pastor ever preached in our church. The title was: "It is the Lord"…and it is. It could have been: "Not in me, God". This must always be our perspective. To God alone be the glory, praise and credit...forever.


 

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Smart

Gen 8:9b "Do not interpretations belong to God?"

Joseph's place of service now was prison. He did all that he could with the wisdom God gave him to be successful in that place…and here came his opportunity. Two guys had offended Pharaoh, the butler and the baker. Who knows what they did. Maybe the butler did not shine Pharaoh's sandals properly and the baker gave him a crummy meal. Whatever it was, here they were in prison with Joseph. While they were in prison they had separate dreams. Apparently, dreams and interpretation of dreams was pretty common knowledge back then, so they went to Joseph and told him about these dreams. Now here is the cool thing: Joseph did not rely on himself. He did not think that he could bring about a proper interpretation. Instead he pointed to the One that he had relied upon the entire time he was in Egypt…and even though he was stuck in prison, his dependence was still on this One…God. When these guys, who were probably steeped in the worship of all kinds of gods: Ra, the god of the sun; Hathor, the god of music; Nut, the god of the sky; Geb, the god of the earth…and many others, Joseph declared to them the One true God, the only One who could give wisdom, the only One who could give knowledge, the only One who could give a true interpretation. This was a God these guys were unfamiliar with, yet Joseph declared to them.

I love the fact that God is smart. I mean, He created it all. He knows how everything works. This world and all that is in it, our bodies, our minds, our universe. He created chemistry. He created physics. He created biology. He created math. He created language. He created and is directing history. He created law that makes sense in life. He made it all. He knows it all. And He wants to reveal it to us. This is wild. Only God can truly teach us. Only God can take a dream and give its proper interpretation. Only God can reveal truth to us because He is the source of all truth. For us to think that we can figure it out on our own is pompous. If we know anything, it is because God has chosen to reveal it to us.

I love these 2:3 verses: I Sam 2:3 :"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD [is] the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed." We get so stuck on how smart we are, how we can figure things out and we forget that this is just pride. The LORD is the God of knowledge. Then this 2:3 verse: Col 2:3: (Speaking of God the Father and Christ from verse 2) "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus. And the wild thing is, He wants to teach us. He wants to share this with us. He wants us to know what He knows.

I wrote something a long time ago that has recently come back to me. I wrote: "The God who created everything, who knows everything, who understands everything want to teach me. He wants to share what he knows with me." Wild stuff…and I get so lazy. I don't avail myself to all that God has. I sit back and don't read His word. I fail to talk to Him. I take in garbage instead of truth. I need to wake up, pay attention, soak it in, learn from Him because only interpretations, only knowledge, only truth belong to God.


 

Friday, June 10, 2011

Paired with God

Gen 39:2a,3,21,23b "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man...And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand…But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison...the Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper."

So Joseph was sold to slave traders and the slave traders sold him to Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh and a captain of the guard. Right away, Joseph was put in a position where he could have major influence…and he did. He was in the house of Potiphar and it seemed like everything he touched turned to gold…and Potiphar was the recipient. Talk about a good purchase! Since Joseph was so successful, since his hand brought about prosperity for Potiphar, he decided to put Joseph in charge of his entire house. He trusted him, as my old boss would say: "with uncounted change"…but this was more than change…it was everything. Joseph was in charge of it all and Potiphar did not pay attention because he knew that Joseph would do him right.

A problem arose, however, with Potiphar's wife. She wanted Joseph's body and Joseph refused, so she accused him of trying to rape her and Joseph found himself in prison. Not very successful…not very prosperous…not true. Even in prison everything Joseph touched turned to gold. So much so, the keeper of the prison repeated the example of Potiphar and put Joseph in charge and "…did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority…".

What's the deal? Joseph is living in the lap of luxury and in charge of it all, and Joseph is living in prison and in charge of it all. Why? How could this happen? How did this happen?

Five small words: "The Lord was with him…". It wasn't Joseph. It wasn't his smarts. It wasn't his ability. It wasn't his wisdom. It was God. It is interesting, but when you look at the Hebrew, the words say: Jehovah-Joseph. It is a pairing. It is a partnership. It is God and Joseph together. God working through a man. Sure. God could have accomplished what He wanted to do without Joseph. But He didn't. He wanted to work through this man to bring about prosperity for Israel.(Jacob, but eventually the nation itself.) And the way that it happened was that God was with Joseph. God brought about success and prosperity. He made everything Joseph touched turn to gold. In the good places (the palace) as well as the bad (prison).

I wonder if I could be paired with God? I wonder if someone could write: Jehovah-Glen? I wonder if my relationship with Him is such that it is considered a partnership? Is God working through me no matter what the life circumstance? I want that. Yes, God is with me. He said: "I will never leave you nor forsake you", but I am asking myself: "Since this is the case, what is the fruit?" What do I see Him doing through me? He worked through Joseph. He wants to work through me too.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Scary

Gen 37:28 "...so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver..."

What a scheming bunch of jerks! Joseph's brothers could not stand him. They hated him. They wanted to kill him but he was spared because of Reuben, his oldest brother. So what's the next best thing? Grab him, throw him in a pit, sell him to slave traders and fake his death. This got so bad that they made their Dad believe that Joseph had been killed and the weird thing is, "…all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him…". Unbelievable. These eleven sons all conspired together to let this lie get to the point where their father actually grieved over the death of his son and they watched his pain and did not crack. Talk about cold.

The thing that I find interesting is the price for Joseph's life…twenty pieces of silver. Apparently this was the average price of a slave back then. These guys took the money and ran. I wonder what they did with their blood money? Did they split it between them? Did they spend it on something frivolous? Did they enjoy what they got? Or was it a constant reminder of their deception? Every time they looked at their purchase, did they remember their sin? Did they remember their Dad's grief? Did they remember their guilt?

Fast-forward hundreds of years to another guy who sold Someone for twenty pieces of silver. Judas was just as much a jerk as these brothers…even more so. He knew that the price for Jesus was not going to result in slavery. Rather, it was going to result in death, but he did not care. At least, not at the point of his betrayal. All he cared about was himself. All he cared about was his agenda. All he cared about was how he thought he was duped into believing that this Guy was going to bring Israel back to its glory and out of their bondage to Rome…and then he realized it was not going to happen, and he felt that he had been let down. So why not? Why not give this Guy up? Why not sell Him for the price of a slave? It was only the right thing to do. I mean, he had invested three years of his life in this Man and now He was telling his followers that He was going to die? What a waste of time. He could have used these three years to make money, to build his own little kingdom, to rip other people off…so turn Him in for twenty pieces of silver, the price of a slave. The problem, though, was that these twenty pieces of silver did not satisfy. In fact, they were a reminder to him of his sin. Of his guilt. Of his betrayal. So he did all that he could to get rid of them. He threw them on the floor in front of the people who paid him. Still, the guilt was there, so he did the only thing he knew to do to get rid of the guilt…he killed himself.

Joseph's brothers sold their eventual savior for twenty pieces of silver. Judas sold the Savior of the world for twenty pieces of silver. Scary what we are all capable of doing.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

El Bethel

Gen 35:3 "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone."

At a time when Jacob feared for his life God came to him in a dream, reassuring him that He was going to keep his promise and make his descendants as the dust of the earth and that He would "…keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you…" Gen 28:15. Now, over twenty years later Jacob saw this. Jacob was going back to that place where God met him and gave him these promises. Jacob went back to that place where he took the rock that he laid his head on and created an altar. Now he created a new altar and renamed it "El Bethel". The original name was "Bethel" or house of God. Now Jacob realized who God was. Now Jacob had experienced God's faithfulness. He saw that God kept His promises. He saw that God had been with him this entire time. Now Jacob knew that his focus was not to be on the house of God but rather on the God of the house of God…El Bethel.

Focus. It is huge. So many times my focus is off. I center my attention on the task that is in front of me. I center my attention on the goal that I want to achieve. I center my attention on the thing that I have to accomplish for that day or that week. I focus on fulfilling God's purpose in my life…and that is not bad. I should be concerned about tasks, and goals and God's purpose, but not at the expense of losing my focus on the One who is the center of it all. Jacob originally centered his attention on the house of God, or the place where God met him. After many years, he realized that his focus was not to be on the place but the Person, because it was the Person of God who was with him in the way that he went during that time. It was the Person of God who kept His promises. It was the Person of God who answered him on the day of his distress. It only took two decades to come to this conclusion, but he got there, realizing that he needed to focus on the God of the house of God.

This is a major reminder to me. There are all kinds of things that are floating around in my brain right now. There are all kinds of things that are vying for my attention. I need to realize that only one thing deserves my full attention, my full focus and that is the God of the house of God…El Bethel. When He is first, when he is my focus, when I fix my eyes on Jesus, everything else will fall into place. (Matt 6:33) Jacob saw it, so will I.


 

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

God and Time

Gen. 33:4 "But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept."

Here is the guy that Jacob was afraid to meet. Here is the guy who got his birthright yanked by Jacob because he was hungry. Here is the guy that Jacob actually lied and tricked and stole the first born blessing from. No wonder Esau hated him. No wonder Esau wanted him dead. But here we are, over twenty years later and what is Esau's response upon seeing his rotten brother? He ran. He embraced. He hugged him around the neck. He kissed him. Unreal. This was not the response that Jacob imagined. Jacob thought that he was going to see the end of a sword and instead he received nothing but a brother's love.

What changed? Why was Esau so compassionate? Why did Esau want to now help lead Jacob and this large group of people in their travels? Why was the hate gone? Two things: God and Time. I think that in the twenty years that separated these two brothers, God softened the heart of Esau and prepared him for this day. Jacob did not know it. Jacob remembered the animosity so he tried to bribe his brother. His brother did not need the bribe. He wanted to give it all back. Esau's heart had changed.

God and twenty years. So many times I want to rush God. I want to hurry things up. I want what I want and I want God to do it now. I want someone's heart to change, now. I want this answer to prayer, now. I want direction, now…and God says: "Wait. Let Me work. Let Me do it in My time." In the interim I get impatient. I get like Jacob and I start to worry. I wonder if God is even paying attention? The thing is, God is not bound by time or my schedule. He is always working, silently, carefully, perfectly. His purpose will be worked out in His time. Lives will change, in His time. Prayers will be answered in His perfect time. He will give direction when I am ready to receive direction…in His time. The church will grow, in His time. The ministry will flourish, in His time. Opportunities will come, in His time.

God and time. I need to step away and let both work.


 

Monday, June 6, 2011

Not Worthy

Gen 32:10a "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant..."

Jacob was going home. He knew that when he got there he would have to see his brother Esau. Now, the last time he saw Esau, Esau had said: "The days for mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob." Gen 27:41 Not a good scenario. Was God asking Jacob to go back home just to be killed by his brother who hated him? I mean, this was going from bad (Laban) to worse (Esau). Jacobs solution? Pray. He reminded God that he was doing what God had told him to do. He reminded God that He had promised to make him a great multitude. And he asked for deliverance. In the middle of it all, he acknowledged who he was…not worthy.

As we were reminded yesterday by our pastor, prayer is huge. We need to go to God and seek, ask and knock and realize that He will accomplish the will of Christ through those prayers. Yet, our attitude in going to God I believe is key.

We just got home from a vacation in Arizona. We stayed in Sedona which is beautiful. It is beautiful because of God's creation. These massive red rocks are jutting up into the sky from this really barren landscape. There is Cathedral Rock (which we climbed), and Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock both of which we could see from the backyard of our house. We then traveled to the Grand Canyon. I didn't realize it, but the canyon is 10 to 17 miles wide, one mile deep and 277 miles long. And it is unreal. As I looked at all of this I knew how very small I was.

I think that Jacob realized this as well even though he did not travel to Arizona. He knew that God had blessed him. He knew that God had extended His mercy to him. He knew that he was a recipient of a ton of truth that God had taught him…and he was small. He was tiny. He was insignificant, and God had smiled on him. God had extended great mercy to him and he acknowledged it in this prayer.

Me too. I have so much. God allows me to hear from Him every morning. He lets me talk to Him. The God of all of creation, the Red Rocks of Sedona, the Grand Canyon, the entire universe extends mercy toward me. Why me? Because He loves me. Unreal…but true. I can say along with Jacob: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant."


 

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Explanation

Gen 31:16b "...now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."

After twenty years of working for Laban, Jacob got pretty rich. Rachael and Leah and all of his kids surrounded him and the great bulk of the flock was his, and Laban saw this and got an attitude. He treated Jacob differently and Jacob saw the handwriting on the wall. Things had changed. No longer was it a congenial relationship between father in law and son in law. Now Laban was jealous. As a result, Jacob talked to his wives and pointed out to them that their Dad was acting differently. He also explained to them a dream that he had where God told him that it was time to go. It was time to go home to his father, Isaac. I love his wives' response. They realized that their Dad had basically abandoned them and they told Jacob: "…now then, whatever God has said to you, do it." What a great response from a wife (a couple of wives in this case). It is a trusting response. It is a believing response. It is a trust in both their husband as well as the God who directed him. Even though these women had grown up here, even though this is all that these women knew, even though the journey may be hard and it would challenge them as well as their kids, they still said: "Whatever God has said to you, do it."

This is a challenging response for any spouse. If a husband said to his wife: "Hon, I am convinced that this is the step we need to take right now and this is how God has lead." I wonder what the response would be if it took them out of their comfort zone? If it totally changed everything that they ever knew?

The point for me, however, may not be the response. The point may be the explanation. Jacob just did not just go to these women and say: "Hey, I think we should do this because I have a gut feeling." No. Jacob had solid justification. He pointed out to his wives the atmosphere of what was happening around them. (v5) He showed them that this would not put them in poverty, but rather that all of their needs would be met. (this is huge for a woman). (v9) And he gave them the direct revelation from God. (v11) As the one who is responsible for the ultimate direction of our home, I have to communicate with my wife in this way. If I do, then trust will be established and I will probably hear: "…now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."