Month: April 2023

Posted on

The law of lazy.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich. A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.” Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can’t stand the word lazy. The reason; my mother swore I was lazy and told me so. The truth; in comparison to my adopted mother, I was lazy. She worked very hard, ALL-THE-TIME. She was a line-worker at a thermostat company in Long Beach, California – Robertshaw. She was an assembler. Think Lucille Ball on the candy conveyor belt episode. She was a union gal and a fierce advocate for herself and those who worked hard for very little money. She was up and out the door of our house everyday weekday at 4:30am and didn’t get home until 3 or 4pm. Saturdays were clean the house day, so she slept in until 7am when she would flip on the alarm clock/vacuum cleaner announcing that a day of chores had begun. Cartoons on Saturday were always a negotiable luxury. IF all basic, daily chores of bed making, room spotless, teeth brushed, face washed, hair combed, and breakfast (at the dining room table only) was finished. PLUS, the promise of hard-labor, yard work, then and only then was few morning cartoons an option. Mom would continue vacuuming in the back of the house, but we knew it was eventually coming to the living room where we had the one and only television set. So, yes, comparatively, I AM lazy! But I was just a kid, then I was just a teenager – you get the picture.

What my mother was trying to teach me, but I never got it, was this principle: laziness and work yield results! Laziness yields ZERO results. Work yields results like resources, money and opportunities. The Biblical principle is a law of nature. If you put the phrase, “sowing and reaping” into a search engine, it will give you pages and pages of Christian responses. However, if you put “gravity” in the same search engine, you’ll get pages and pages of secular/scientific responses. You know that sowing and reaping is a scientific fact, right? If something isn’t planted, nothing is the guaranteed result. Planting is necessary to reaping. In the odd parable of the talents that Jesus told, the person given one talent, yet buries it, is scolded by the owner. In a very one-talent, defensive response, the one talent person says, of the owner, you are a hard man “reaping where you have not sown.” What? Really? This parable is a lesson of God’s expectation that His kids inherently know. God sows into us and expects to reap results. Those results are certainly salvation, but also to whom much is given, much is required. The last thing I’d want to be is lazy with what God has given me!

Also, what a tragedy if I were to be so busy sowing and find myself sleeping when it comes time to harvest. Again, I’m no farmer, but I have seen some great movies about living off the land. To think of all the work, money and time it takes to prep and plant seed in a field and then to watch it all rot because it was not harvested. When it’s harvest time, everything and everyone makes it the top priority to bring it in! God has been planting seeds of the gospel in the culture right around us – even today. He has been working long hours cultivating the soil of human hearts. Some of us have been participating with him in this endeavor. I tell you, there is a harvest coming. There is another revolution on the horizon. Who knows, it may be the last big one! I do not want to be lazy nor unprepared to get out into the fields and reap God’s abundant harvest that’s coming.

Prayer

Dad,
I not only want to be a part of sowing seed, the good news of your love, salvation, rescue and redemption. I also want to be a part of the great harvest. I want to be the Dad who goes out to the road everyday, looking for signs that our prodigals have returned. And with fast legs, waving open arms and rejoicing voice, I want to say welcome home.

Posted on

Who talks like this?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can’t imagine any babbling conversation between two people going like this, let alone a talk with God. The only people I know that babble are my grandtodds. And they are adorable, btw. Jesus says “don’t do this.” Of course, we do anyways. There lots of denominations and different sects of Christianity that teach repetitive prayers and I feel it loses the whole point of praying. Praying isn’t only one directional, again – it’s conversational.

There is praise, declaration, requests or petitions, then there is also listening and being still to receive from God. There are even plenty of persistent prayers as if we needed to remind God of our urgency, but there are ways to consistently ask even as Jesus told the stories of the persistent requests from neighbors. I don’t think God minds persistent, consistent prayers, I think He loves knowing we’re serious about things – especially when it comes to others.

My prayer life exploded with wonder and delight when I prayed like the Psalmists prayed – gutsy, angsty, even angry prayers. Prayers of deep emotions and substance. Prayers that I’ve had to work at translating feeling into words. My prayers also changed when I finally realized that I could ask God anything. I could ask Him hard questions that no one else seemed to ask and definitely no one wanted to give answer to.

I love Jesus phrase, “your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask him.” Leading some to think, “well, why should I pray then?” Maybe like any quality relationship, words and communication are critical. When there is little or none, it is a signal that something is wrong. Maybe it’s also just the fact that God loves hearing our thoughts, words, questions and long conversations. When the world began God had communion and communication with humans. I just believe that God still desires to walk and talk with us. Start with the “Lord’s prayer,” although it’s really the children’s prayer. “Our Father who is in heaven, holy is Your name!” Start there to get you going and then just keep on going after reciting this beautiful memorized prayer.

Prayer

Dad,
I love our conversations in the morning when facing a brand new day. Thankfully it begins FULL of your mercy. I even love the conversations before drifting off to sleep when I have gone total mercy-bankrupt at the end of each day. I don’t necessarily like the 1, 3 or 4 am conversations that get a little creepy or desperate while wondering why I am awake. But even then, I know you hear me and often comfort me and pour out your peace. My favorite times are the drives into work, around town or to vacation locations. I have been preferring the quiet, no music and no verbally correcting other drivers. Prayer time has become much more like breathing, a regular refreshing time in your presence. If this is what “old-er” age affords me, well, I like it.

Posted on

Coming home.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and praise the Lord. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.” Psalms‬ ‭134‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Seventy years of serving under a foreign king, in a foreign land, as forced refugees. If anyone understands being homeless, displaced and living as strangers, it’s Israel. And you and I both know it was intentional. The golden deal made with God and his people were well known. The blessings were clear, the consequences were clear. Yet, that did not stop millions of people from doing what they wanted to do. It didn’t stop an entire nation from jealously pursuing the cultures of its neighbors – it’s enemy neighbors. They had a king, we want one. They had flashy… fill in the blanks – clothes, riches, palacious palaces. Israel wanted all that and more. They wanted clout, power and significance that reflected their appetites. And, they had that under Solomon. But it wasn’t enough. The one thing that finally caused them to break their contract with God was the one thing that still breaks God’s heart. They wanted another lover, another God.

None of their deep generational lessons would stick. None of ours will either. God let them chase after another, and another and another. Then out of love, God put them in several generational time-outs. By the way, living, serving and existing under the Babylonian kings wasn’t all bad. God had placed some undercover high-level operatives in the upper echelons of leadership. Yet, it wasn’t home and a remnant still ached to return to their first love, their God.

You can wander, you can search, you can party with friends and pursue the life you think will fulfill you, but it’s all a mirage with no lasting substance. Ezra writes this Psalm on the way home! Back to their homeland, way of life and their now broken down temple where God no longer visited. Yet, there was hope that this time the people were serious and there would be forgiveness, reconciliation and most importantly a restoration of the contract. Israel would, once again, be God’s favorite. This theme runs the length of our human story. In some way or another we are always longing to come home – and stay home. I’m not talking about a location, I’m talking about a way of life. I don’t know what has kidnapped or enticed you away from home, from a life filled with God. But I do know that at anytime, you are welcome to come home.

Prayer

Dad,
I was born a refugee, in terms of family and any sense of home. I did not know of, nor have a sense of belonging or of home – not with You. I felt lost and I wandered because I didn’t know any better. Even in those dark and blurry days, I had a tiny little sense that someone, something was watching over me. Then I found out it was you. And when you called me to yourself and offered me a forever home, I gladly said YES. I still feel the tug of other loves and other lovers, but none of them could possibly fulfill that place in my life of being home with you. Thank you for giving me that permanence! I pray that others who search will find, others who ache will turn and come home.

Posted on

A Sailor’s Life?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I wonder if Peter had a sailor’s mouth, or a fisherman’s mouth at least. I know he was Jewish, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t struggle with the workman’s culture of talking up the weekend or the night out with the guys. Peter wasn’t always a saint.

Here in his letter to the Church he lays down the admonishment of better behavior now that Christ had redeemed their lives. He generalizes getting rid of all evil behavior, but then gets more specific. The general word, “kakia” is wickedness, better understood as an intentional desire to injure. Wow! Right? Proverbs talks a lot about intentional wickedness in a couple of Hebrew words for fool, the worst of the two is Nabal: an obsession to do wrong, causing pain to anyone and everyone. Peter encourages those to cold-turkey-quit several evil habits that are inappropriate for followers of Jesus. Eliminate deceit. The word “dolos,” baiting the naive, employing decoys to snare people, especially the innocent. Kick hypocrisy. The word, “hupokrisis,” someone acting under a mask. A theater term used to describe a performance by actors playing a part. If you’ve ever been around theater people you know that are able to quickly move in and out of roles, alternating their voice and persona to fit the part. In relationships, we want to be known for who we really are, and not some projection of a fake representation of ourselves. For jealousy, Peter uses the word, “phthonos,” or envy. A jealous envy that negatively “energizes” someone with an embittered mind, conveying “displeasure at another’s good.” Whoa, that one hurts! How often do I de-celebrate another’s success or accomplishment? Unkind speech is “katalalos,” a defamer. A person that slanders, employs back-biting, and tries to de-rail a person’s life!

Getting rid of these qualities just reminds me of the power of transformation and the character of Christ who creates this change in me. Given my nature and proclivity, I would likely be deceitful, possibly even hypocritical, envious and slanderous all just to get what I want! Wouldn’t that make sense if I didn’t live by a godly code of conduct? Maybe I get ahead, make more money or just get there faster than people around me. Believe it, that is a lot folks “truth.” I like how Peter tells us that getting rid of these qualities helps us grow into what he writes is the “full experience” of salvation! The word, “auksánō,” is to grow and it is key to authentic discipleship.

Prayer

Dad.
Do I lead a life of former thoughts, attitudes and behaviors? Not always. And, certainly not purposefully! Do I strive to lead the counter-life of Jesus? Do I yield more and more to the Holy Spirit allowing him to lead and guide me into this “full experience” of salvation as Peter says? I sure hope so. I often check and catch my thoughts just before they come out as behaviors (translated: WORDS). Should I be thinking this? Should I be a dualistic life? Should I be celebrating someone’s failure? These are the small decisions of detail that form who I becoming, right? I want to keep growing and maturing becoming like Jesus!

Posted on

Last laugh.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When the food was ready, Abraham took some yogurt and milk and the roasted meat, and he served it to the men. As they ate, Abraham waited on them in the shade of the trees. “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked. “She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied. Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!” Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just another normal hot day on the plains of Canaan. By this time, Abraham had not only built up a sizable wealth with hundreds, maybe thousands of herds of cattle, sheep and possibly camels, he also had a good size army of warriors totaling over 300. Even though he was still a nomad, not owning his own land, he was a respected chief of a large community of families.

As you know, Eastern ancients on the plains or in the cities were extremely hospitable. Strangers were not only welcomed, but fed, housed and protected while they visited. Moses, who wrote Genesis, tells us that three visitors just happened to walk through Abraham’s very large compound. Moses, also identifies one of the visitors with a special title. The story begins with “three men,” then Abraham addresses one as “my Lord,” as a sign of respect. But then one of them is soon addressed as “The Lord.” “Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘why did Sarah laugh?”

This was no normal day, and no regular visitor. This was a visitation of Jesus, known as a “theophany.” Jesus and two other angels were on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah to check out the rumors of the city’s sin – “So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.” Gen. ‭18‬:‭20‬. Am I to understand that Jesus showed up in the Old Testament to randomly stop by Abraham’s large community to tell him that his 90 year wife was soon to be pregnant? And Jesus does so while on the way to personally, physically checkout sin city? Yep!

This was not, is not normal at all. Sarah, overhearing what the men were talking about, gets an earful when the Lord says to Abraham, “I’ll be back next year and will get to meet your son, your bio-son.” Ya know, the one God promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:4, where his descendants will be more numerable than the stars in the night sky. Remember that? “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Gen. 15‬:‭6‬.

So laugh all you want to Sarah, doubt all you want old men and women. God keeps His word! God has big plans, unstoppable plans for the entire planet. Those who believe in Jesus, should start adjusting to the fact that God knows what He is doing. We should, as Abraham originally did, “believe the Lord,” which is seen as righteousness to God. Faith is necessary and pleasing to God. Just for the record, God may in fact get a giggle when we snicker at the impossible. God’s like, look and learn who gets the last laugh!

Prayer

Dad,
You see how fragile our faith is and how weak our belief and trust in you can be. I take it that the lack of faith in all of us came with the whole sin package? It’s frustrating for us too! I want to, we all want to believe, but it is hard to trust. It’s hard to see what cannot be seen and believe what is not apparent. Even when you do miracles and speak your Word, literal truth into us, we forget! Jesus even said, THAT is the world’s sin – we don’t believe in you. We so quickly forget your miracles, forget your promises. We go back to leaning on and living by our own understanding! This is what makes this human journey so frustrating. I identify with the father who’s son had a demon in him. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Help me not to forget your Word nor your promises!

Posted on

A word from our sponsor.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Just a quick, simple reminder that God’s wisdom is a health benefit to our life and body. It’s not free though. To pursue it costs everything. It’s the pearl of great price that Jesus told the story about. And, since wisdom is the personification of Jesus in the Bible, getting Him is paramount. When we get wisdom, there are so many promises of wealth, health and fullness in life. This is not a prosperity promise, it’s advice from those who’ve known God, walked with God and have proven that it’s true. From Proverbs, it’s like sitting down with the wisest, wealthiest human being to have ever lived and asking him how this all works. It’s all very practical.

I understand folks hesitation to follow some laws or rules handed down by a God they don’t even believe in. Plus, I know there’s the problem of submitting one’s life to this God. As people, we are a stubborn bunch. You don’t have to take my word for it, you can read Proverbs for yourself. You can look for wisdom! I’d love for someone to explain why they think it’s all some kind of religious propaganda when clearly it’s for their own, our own good. The choice is up to you, believe it, live it and experience it for yourself or don’t. I chose wisdom. I chose Christ. However, I did find the amazing truth – God was looking for me all along! And, God chose me long before I chose Him.

Prayer

Dad,
I did not have wisdom and I had no idea how to get it! I felt like I knew nothing about life or how to live it. Not only did I feel severely, socially delayed (like everyone else knew what to do), but I felt that everyone around me had help from parents or family. I did not feel like my Dads or Moms gave me a good roadmap on how to live. I came to you with such deficits! I am so thankful you met me, led and guided me and lovingly disciplined me in wisdom’s ways. Coupled with a commitment to read Proverbs everyday for like two years, there was also the gentle leading of your Holy Spirit. I don’t know how “long” my life will be, but I cannot say it hasn’t been full.

Posted on

Shhhh – God’s working in me.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In these sets of contrarian vignettes of comparison, Jesus weighs in on the top religious behaviors of the day. Those who have, what they believe is a rich physical and spiritual life, seem to be flaunting their superiority.

It’s always a humorous expression to try to “out-god” God himself. Religious folks ought to remember, God sees all and knows all. Meaning, He sees not only the acts of “pholiness” (fake holiness), but also the heart motivations behind the scenes. No matter the grand expression, God is almost exclusively impressed with the movement of our soul.

The striking, blatant, dark comedy on the ancient streets that day was this; as the hypocrites (a theater term btw) parade their generosity with great fanfare, they do so right in front of God standing right there in the common crowd! Jesus, who would give everything, his reputation, possessions (which was minimal), and life would not be celebrated with trumpets but with a morbid mix of cheers, jeers, wailing and shrieking. Jesus good deed was indeed public, but it was not admired by others, it was despised!

Most, if not all giving of money or service or kindnesses, should be done so in secret. It’s like one hand is demonstrably waving at a friend, while the other hand is slipping some needy person a Franklin. I love Jesus’ closing remark, “and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” You see that? Is it really about a reward at all? The hired Mariachi band maybe your earthly reward when you give obviously, but what’s the heavenly reward when giving in secret? I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know. When I emulate something good I exclusively learned from my Father (God), I honor him and it’s incredibly rewarding. When I see my own adult children doing something good they learned from myself or their mother – well it’s is rapturously joyful! When I give, I am modeling my Father’s character, His will and desires. That’s plenty of reward for me because shockingly, I see that salvation and sanctification are actually working in me!

Prayer

Dad,
In so many ways, I can hardly remember the person I used to be. Sure, I see flashes of dark shadows as sin continues to try to resurrect and control me. But in so many other ways, I see the light and love of your Spirit molding a new me. In this area of generosity, it has been such a remarkable journey. It’s not super scientific, but I feel that I have proven to myself that I can’t out-give you! In so many ways beyond money, it’s been a pleasure to grow in gifts that you are so good at – grace, mercy and generosity. Thank you.

Posted on

The Apostle Paul goes deep.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭24‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul goes super deep, far more than just six feet under! In written, warp-speed, he goes from the most eloquent, beautiful description of love in chapter 13, to the incredibly complex conversation about what happens to us after death!

The Corinth church was asking for some hard proof and details about what physically happens to our bodies after we die. He starts off very practical about the facts Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead – there were witnesses! He concludes with one of the more favorite apologetic arguments: “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” ‭‭1 Cor.‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬. Then moves towards answering their other questions – “but how Paul? How does this all work?

This mix of spiritual discussion with physical object lessons is so deep, the Holy Spirit had definitely been guiding his thoughts and answering his own questions while he was experiencing his club-pen time in prison. In later verses, Paul asks the questions for them, “But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ‭‭1 Cor. 15‬:‭35‬. He writes, “that’s a foolish question!” But is it?

Paul clearly articulates that we are living in two worlds at the same time and seem to be completely ignorant of one of them. We have a very physical world and we also have a very spiritual world. Both are real, but one is but a dim reflection, a blurry representation of the other. The spiritual world is the real, solid and clear one – we live on and in the dim darkness of this planet. C.S. Lewis called this place, “The silent planet,” written in 1938, one of his famous space trilogy of books, Out of the Silent Planet.

In conclusion, Paul then writes about the end of all things. The end, in this context is about Christ destroying death, not in his own physical body a couple millennia ago, but in ours – humans. Paul’s take on the end times – Christ will reign until he humbles all his enemies! We know Christ’s enemy, that would be Satan. We know what the plurality (enemies) mean, and all the fallen angels that chose to rebel against God. The saddest part, is that we know there will be humans that choose to join Satan and the fallen angels in this rebellion. They will know God and God’s plan, yet still choose to rebel, choose to join the lie. Why? Their hope, unlike Satan or the dark angel’s, is that they “might” just get to spend eternity just doing their own thing, especially without God. There is no such hope in the enemy nor his evil horde – for they know it will not work. The enemy’s plan is just to take as many as possible with them to lash out at God. This is the reality of our long war and the tragedy of loss that is at stake in our spiritual and very much physical existence.

Prayer

Dad,
What an epic war, a war to usurp and eclipse all other wars. This life, this existence on our planet is just a tiny fraction of what exists in other physical worlds. Science searches for life somewhere out there in the vast universes and galaxies of outer space. And the only reason they search the heavens is they cannot believe we are alone. They cannot come to terms that we may be the only physical expression of life or humanity. We may or may not be the only ones. Or, we may be the only silent planet, the dark planet of created beings that are fallen, broken and filled with rebellion and sin. This is so wild to think about. Paul seems to go all “sci-fi” for a moment with the Corinthian churches. I love it! I know you are both my entire physical and spiritual reality. I chose you and have decided not to rebel, but to repent! I chose to spend my life here, and in all of eternity, with you.

Posted on

Fleecing or filtering God.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭6‬:‭36‬-‭37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Not growing up around church all that much, I had heard about this idea of asking God for miraculous proof before I had ever read the Gideon story. This request is know as Gideon’s fleece! There was always a warning that came with exercising a fleece before God. Don’t do it, I was told. I don’t see any rules regarding a fleece in Gideon’s own story. All I see is a desperate man, wanting God to rescue his country and trying to find out if he’s really the guy for the job.

Of course he’s got insecurities. We’re talking about taking a farmer and turning him into a warrior. Who wouldn’t need a boost for that? Oh, I understand the whole element of faith and trusting God. I think Gideon had faith in God to eliminate the enemy, he was just shocked that there weren’t more qualified volunteers. You’ve been there right? I sure have! My entire faith-walk has been filled with Gideon questions. God, surely there has to be someone better? God doesn’t seem to mind our unqualified experience or opinion. God didn’t seem to run us through the list of people He spoke with about the job.

Israel had no king, but there had to be some battle ready warriors hanging around. Ah, but none of them honored God, and Gideon did. Let’s not forget, the chapter begins with “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.” Midianite and Amalekite raiders would wait until the crops or herds would get to a certain size and then just camel-ride in for a shopping spree taking everything. The people of Israel finally asked God for help, they were ready to repent and get their act together.

Gideon was God’s answer to their prayer, he just didn’t know it yet. Preachers always point out the humor of the angel of the Lord (Jesus in the OT), when he greeted Gideon, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Who me? Hero? That’s funny. But God saw what would be, not what was! God always sees what would be, could be with our obedience and faith in him. Past, present and future is always NOW with God! Gideon’s fleece, the battles, the beginning and the end of Gideon’s life on this planet – are all NOW with God.

Gideon “fleeced” God several times, needing some extra help in his faith. The wool wasn’t the only one. Once Gideon got down the way faith works, he started obeying without all the props to get him moving. I remember a couple of times God asked me to do something and I gave the ol’ fleece a try. The fleece happened and I was still stuck with being obedient!

I don’t do “fleeces” anymore. I do use a set of filters to help guide me in making sure it’s God telling me to do something and it’s not me trying to get or manipulate something. There have even been a few times I was obedient and did what I was asked and never saw the results that I expected. The first filter is always – does it line up with the Bible? If it’s extra-biblical. it’s a no go. The second is a moral filter – what’s in it for me? If there is a win or a gain on my part, I’m pretty suspicious that it’s me and not God. If there’s no selfish advantage I go to the third filter. Am I willing to see the whole thing through? Not just drop a comment or do a one time act, but do I love this person enough to stay with it, even if the person or situation turns against me? If it’s not the purity of love then I don’t commit. As you can see, I don’t ask God for a “sign” as much as I question my motives and my own sanity! Trust comes as faith is exercised.

Prayer

Dad,
Interestingly, I don’t think I have ever been comfortable being asked to do your will. I just assume there will be a level of uneasiness just in being obedient. I do want to make you happy and obey you, but that’s never been all that fun. However, I am still willing to obey you and try not to wrestle with all the thoughts about what others will think of me. And, I was way more bold before I had a reputation and a life, family, or job to think about 😬.

Posted on

The Magnanimous Gift!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[WARNING: This contains theological controversy]

Who knew this little verse in Proverbs and this one little word, in this verse, would have such controversy and division surrounding it. You may have never heard of Arian or the “Arian Heresy.” However, this one verse and one particular word in this verse gave cause for some to believe that Jesus was less than the Father and it was a teaching that attempted to dismantled the three-in-one or trinitarian understanding of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Here in the ESV translation, the word, “qanah: to get, acquire” is translated “possessed.” “The Lord possessed me at the beginning.” The problem is the Greek Septuagint (Hebrew to Greek translation) wrote it as ἔκτισεν” which can also be translated as “created” or “formed.” The more simple NLT translation, sadly uses the word “formed.” A first century theologian named, Arian, chose to see the translation as “created.” Another theologian, Aquila, stood his ground and translated it as “possessed.” Arian the took this translation, along with some words from John 1:1 and built an entire belief system that still exists in cults today – that Jesus was a created being and far less than God himself. Arian’s own Bishop Alexander of Alexandria met with him and told him this was an unacceptable translation/interpretation of this verse and other passages of scripture. He was in error and Alexander tried to prove to him that if Christ is not God himself then there was no perfection of sacrifice for our sins and the whole gospel would be reduced to works alone and not by grace! You see the same lie living in modern cults today – one must EARN salvation.

This controversial persistence on Arian’s part, caused the second major council meeting of leadership. The First Council of Nicaea (325), I say second, because Acts 15 is really considered to be the first council (meeting) of leadership. As a basic common declaration of what Christian’s believe, the Nicene Creed is still taught, quoted and recognized as “orthodox” (correct). Arianism was declared heretical and forced it to be dismissed as the way or teachings of Jesus.

Not knowing the controversy behind this one verse is actually helpful, because we are able to take in the full power and beauty of this personification of Jesus depicted as wisdom. The word, “before,” is used in an escalation of scope pertaining to EVERYTHING that wisdom predates and sits in judgement over.

“Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” Read Proverbs 8:23-29 yourself and just grasp the magnitude of all that wisdom can offer us. Then listen again as she woos those who lack her gifts, “And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.”‭‭

Prayer

Dad,
It is some seriously dark comedy to see what we have been able to do to Your Word. We’ve broken it, we’ve bent it, manipulated it and flat out misrepresented it! How can you even put up with us and our evil ways? No wonder you search the whole earth just looking for a few righteous. The rest of us are using your Word – your living, eternal Word to start own own religions, or make ourselves rich, famous and powerful. What is wrong with us? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how patient you are with us. Honestly, I am embarrassed to think about how we want to warp something so good, so pure and make it into some cheap gimmick to gain such a temporary advantage over others. Shame on us, this is NOT wisdom, this is NOT the way. Your wisdom is not only beautiful it’s right, just and true… always.