Month: August 2023

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The mystery of a good story.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus’ stories, his parables are fun, sticky and multifaceted. You can read them once or a hundred times and get so much out of them. Here, Matthew records the story of the farmer sowing seed. Or, is it a story of the receptivity of the soil? Hmmm. After he tells the story, he says one his often quoted phrases, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

One of the brave followers of Jesus simply asks him straight out, “Why?” Why stories? Why parables? If you search Rabbi teaching methods, you’ll find a mixed bag. Yes, parables were common and there were hundreds of them. And, parables we’re used, but Jesus stories were by far the ones more durable in antiquity.

The curious disciple’s question yielded an answer from Jesus. Which was rare, compared to how many questions Jesus retorted back to his audience. Jesus said that his disciples, his apprentices, were given a special pass to understanding what he called the “mysteries” of God. Wow. The mysteries, the secrets of God?

Jesus used this word, mystḗrion (the root of the English term, “mystery”) . But, in the Bible, a “mystery” is not something unknowable. Rather, it is what can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it. So, parables were a teaching style to engage the listener, creating a curiosity so the listener would WANT to learn. Which is so cool! When someone comes to hear a lecture, a teaching, a speech or a TED-talk, they are supposed to be listening with all five senses. They should see, hear, feel, touch and even taste. Sure the last two may need some help with an object in hand, like a fresh apple off a tree. But Jesus is telling them (and us), there is another sense that should be brought to the event. One should bring a spiritual sense of what is happening and what God is up to. I wouldn’t call it a sixth sense, because that gets confused with some metaphysical mysticism.

Jesus tells his followers that those who listen beyond their physical eyes and ears will see and hear God at work! The parable becomes like a whisper when someone wants you to lean in, get close, so you can focus, blocking out all other distractions because you really want to learn and understand. Those learners, those curious, will be given the gift of understanding the mystery and have an abundance of knowledge. Jesus wanted his students to be the kind of people who don’t just show up to hear what the speaker would be saying or doing, but to be extra curious of understanding of what God is doing. Our job, in almost any situation we find ourselves in, is to fully engage with every physical sense we can to be attentive, but also be fully aware that God is always up to something MORE and spectacularly, spiritually, mysterious!

Prayer

Dad,
You are always at work. I miss seeing that so often because I am distracted by so many other things. Things that I think are important, but in comparison to your eternal perspective, they are not. There was an old phrase I remember hearing, that may not be true at all. Someone was said to be “so spiritually minded that they are no earthly good.” I am often distracted by so many “earthly good” thoughts or deeds that I miss the spiritually minded completely. I think your vantage point is so much better than ours! Help me see, as often as I can, your mysteries of heaven.

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Just knowing God listens.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is interesting, when you are talking to someone, telling them about yourself or what you are going through, there is a connection. That moment where you feel seen and heard. It should go likewise when I hear someone telling me about their life, their struggles or joys. To think that although God knows us throughly, intimately, and still wants to hear us talk with Him, is just mind blowing. The Psalmist has recorded the content of his conversations with God for us! For us to know God, trust Him and hopefully, do the same in our relationship – talk to God and allow Him to speak and encourage us back. In those personal moments David writes a truth he has learned through experiences of walking with God. David had seen devastating lows, in depression and exalted highs in triumphs and celebrations. It is said that this Psalm was inserted into the collection towards the end of David’s life. And towards the end there is still a confidence – God hears his cries for mercy. God has and will be his strength and shield. And, these memories and moments all give David the confidence of trusting God all the way through to the end.

Can I count on God to see me, hear me and help me – all the way through to the end of my life here on this planet? I am determined to say YES all the way through. As a complete beginner, I trusted God in my teens. I tenaciously held on through my twenties and even thirties. In my forties and fifties I saw massive change and growth in my life, with tremendous highs and devastating lows. And now in my sixties, I am still talking to God and He is still listening. I am still crying out for mercy for myself and others, and He is still my strength and shield. I still trust Him with all my heart and know that He will continue to help me! Now, years down the road, my heart is still filled with Joy and I can burst out with my own songs of thanksgiving. His Word, His promises, His care is real and I am grateful.

Prayer

Dad,
I have seen your wonderful works in my life and I am thankful. I have seen enormous change in my world and in Your Church, yet I still believe. My experiences nowhere near matches the extraordinary drama of David, but I can appreciate the words recorded in these Psalms to learn from them and be comforted by them. Thank you for your Word as it continues to light my path!

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The tension of choice.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have always believed that Jesus, and the writers of the New Testament do the best job in interpreting the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul shows us this in Romans. When I had read in Exodus that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. I had a difficult time understanding that and believing it. What did it mean, God hardened his heart? “And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.” Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬. The phrase then shows up after every plague thereafter, “and Pharaoh hardened his heart.” When the plague was over and the disaster disappeared, Pharaoh went back on his word to let the people of Israel go.

Here’s the thing; I believed that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened because he resisted God, disobeyed God, and in doing so, his heart became more and more like a stone rather than flesh. I believed that Pharaoh’s heart-hardening was because it was his choice to resist God. The Apostle Paul however, giving both the interpretation and the application of that idea (hardened heart) was that God to harden Pharaoh’s CHOSE not Pharaoh himself! God chose the Pharaoh of Egypt to display his power over the most powerful human in those ancient days. The Egyptian Pharaoh’s power, wealth and influence was renowned and unstoppable. Paul makes it clear here in Romans, God does what He wants to do by His will – and it is always perfect.

Paul writes, “God chooses people according to his own purposes…” Even later stating that there are those both “prepared for destruction,” and those, “prepared beforehand for glory.” God’s foreknowledge may not force anyone to rebel and resist Him. And, possibly, even in God’s choice of destiny, it could be said that He knows when one will resist no matter what happens. But from our very limited understanding of time and eternity, it becomes a theological battle. Is it free will or predestination? This has been the big debate in Christendom for hundreds of years. Famous theologians have argued vehemently over it. Eventually it became a label, a division and an embarrassment to Christianity. There is a Christian theological dispute between the followers of John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius that continues to this day. These are the mysteries of God’s ways and should always be held in tension. We will not see resolution until the end of time. It is not free will OR pre-determinism, it is both. God’s ways are above our ways, His thoughts above ours! Plus, God in His mercy and grace is always right, true and just! Our lives, our beliefs and behaviors should be based in faith, not in works and we should trust to participate with God in all things at all times. The annoying thing about us as humans is that we just don’t like that!

Prayer

Dad,
We really do not like tension in a world we do not understand, do we? It’s when we make these outlandish statements the the extremes of one belief over another that we arrogantly fall prey to divisiveness. Help us Oh Lord, to be under one banner of Love and Jesus. Help us be united, unified in our faith and not be belligerent in our beliefs or badgering in our words towards one another.

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Discovering life-gold in Proverbs.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I first believed, there were only two lessons I needed to learn and that God was willing to teach me: Obedience and discipline. I learned to hear God’s voice and struggled with being obedient to it. Very soon afterwards, I began to ask God what He had planned for my life. Before Christ I had no future, no hope and absolutely no direction for my life. But after, I began to have hope in a future. But what would that look like? I had no idea.

Enter Proverbs. For two years plus, committing to reading one entire chapter every day. Since their are 31 chapters in Proverbs, it worked out well. When I came to chapter 16, three verses leapt off the page and highlighted in front of my eyes. Proverbs 16:1, 3 and 9. These verses became my game plan to determine what God wanted me to do with my life.

At first, it felt like I was just making stuff up! Maybe I should go to Long Beach State College and get a degree to become an electrician like my adopted father. I loved taking things apart and hadn’t killed myself playing with electrical sockets in our house, maybe that was it? I had gone to two college preview days (Junior and Senior year of High School) maybe I should go to a private Christian School and study to become a pastor? Who knew? I didn’t!

But applying these wisdom principles in my life gave me a confidence and a guide to help me determine my life’s big next step. I had some strange and miraculous things happen when I was 16. When I started my senior year of High School, I was feeling confident that God was leading me into full time ministry – as a pastor. The week before school began they took class pictures for the yearbook. For the seniors, they asked us what we were going to do after graduation. In my simple faith, or nativity, I wrote down – I’m going to be a pastor! Of course, my family was shocked, friends that knew me were shocked. I was even shocked when it came true!

These verses became my first decision grid on making major decisions in life. I love the mystery and wonder of 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” It’s like this. When we are walking we generally know where we are going, the direction of our whole physical body determining the next step as our foot lifts, then lands in front of us. In my mind, I imagined that I make a plan and set out on my day. What I’m going to do, where I am going to go, and who I plan to see or call. But here’s where the mystery comes in, just before my foot hits the ground (according to my plans) God seems to direct it to land where He intends, not necessarily where I intend. I notice every day, that I make plans, but God brings in His will, His way, His plans and supernaturally, superimposes them on my own plans, resulting in accomplishing God’s will in complete cooperation from me. Does that make sense?

I simply go about my day, my month, my year, making plans and yield (at every moment possible) to God’s intentions. Of course, it’s not perfect on my end! God also has the ability (mostly because He already knows my choices) to correct things in real time, re-writing mistakes and flub-ups to get me back on track with Him. And, all of this works together for His glory! This is how and when Romans 8:28 kicks in, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” So – go and make some plans! Dream big and make some Godly plans. Go for it. God will lead and guide by His peace.

Prayer

Dad,
I’m on the other side of life’s perspective of just starting out. Now, I’m looking back and can fully declare that you have been soooo faithful. Your will, your ways are perfect. I am thankful for your guidance and patience in my life. I can see how amazing these wisdom principles are because they have 100% worked in my life. What plans should I make now? I’m going to continue to dream big 😀!

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Our craving for the supernatural.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I no longer think miracles are the epitome of necessary proof needed to believe. I know, we would think that an undeniable miracle happening to us or a family member would just be THE thing, the moment that sweeps away our doubts about the reality of God and His desire and ability to intervene in our human affairs. Jesus seems to suggest otherwise!

The guys supposedly working FOR God demand a show of proof to settle the open case of “by who’s authority do you do or say these things.” Remember, one group tried to accuse Jesus of working for Beelzebub! Jesus pulled some lessons from history using some famous people as an object lesson. He used the Prophet Jonah, but really drew a verbal picture of a court scene where the people of Nineveh were called to judge the generation Jesus lived in at the time. Nineveh, that vile, cruel people group who took pleasure in torturing their enemies. Jesus mentioned that even they recognized their sin and at one point, repented! Those folks would testify that the current generation was WORSE than they were! It would be like Hitler getting up on the stand and saying, “and you thought I was evil…” check your own hearts! Then Jesus name-drops another very famous name out of history – Queen Sheba. This powerful, beautiful, smart and accomplished woman came to test Solomon’s wisdom, where she found him the most wise person person on the planet (1 Kings 10:1-13 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. “She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true!” Jesus personifies Sheba getting on the stand and testifying that Solomon’s wisdom cannot even come close to the Son of God’s wisdom.

Both of these examples showing the disparity in what Jesus called, “this generation.” When the wicked testify against the mindset and attitudes of the Pharisee’s wickedness and the queen of Sheba testifies how little their knowledge has translated into wisdom – it is supposed to be crystal clear! We are not better, we are worse.

We have not gotten better with the knowledge of good, we’ve gotten worse with practicing evil. We’ve not increased in wisdom, as philosophers and atheists have predicted, we’ve increased in foolishness. Why? Because we may know more about our world, our history and even ourselves, but we have used that knowledge to consume things unto ourselves.

Teacher, show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority? So we can mock it, criticize it and get back to our own will and own way? Jesus says, a miracle will not fix us! “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign…” Jesus closes this thought with a haunting illustration of what happens if we should happen to figure out how to “clean ourselves up.” An evil spirit comes back to find the place clean and invites his friends 😱. What should we ask for…? Jesus, we want you to forgive us and show us mercy!

Prayer

Dad,
When I was younger, I really thought that people just needed to see you working in supernatural ways, performing a miracle to convince them that you are real. I know better now. After multiple times of hearing the promises to believe based on a miracles and not a simple faith, I’ve seen too many folks forget and go back to life as usual. The supernatural is just not sticky enough to hold our hearts in place! Faith and a relationship with you is what keeps us. I am impressed by the miracles of mercy, but more impressed by your faithfulness through the highs and lows of this life.

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Where determinism leads.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whoa. The context of this Psalm is deeply disturbing. It was written concerning the story recorded in 1 Samuel 22:11-21. What a awful story of injustice and the power of a mad king – Saul. Saul ranted and raged against Ahimelech, because he had fed and housed David. Saul was so filled with anger and hatred towards David that he couldn’t see anything but subterfuge and betrayal. Saul ordered his men to kill Ahimelech and all the priests who served with him. Saul’s men refused the order, so Saul ordered Doeg to do the deed. What an horrific deed to slaughter the innocent! “Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.” Hundreds of people were butchered, having nothing to do with Saul’s private feud with David.

This Psalm was recorded by David in response to him receiving the news, “Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord…” David felt responsible for their deaths! He carried the weight of responsibility when he had simply asked the priest for food and shelter. This Psalm doesn’t catch David’s arrogance of perfection, it lets us see his broken heart while trying to follow God and do what is right!

So often people blame God for the wackadoodle behaviors of crazed, rage-filled humans who enact unspeakable acts on others. It’s a fair question to ask, “why did God allow Saul (or Doeg) to do such a thing?” God didn’t ALLOW this brutal act. God gave us the gift of free will! These are the latent behaviors that exist in all human beings who strive to distance themselves from God, disobeying God and choosing to do their own thing, making up their own rules. One might say, “well I would never…” What? Kill? Become a maniac? It’s quite the discussion on social media platforms. The general consensus is, “Everyone is capable of murder.” Do we really know what we would be like if we truly followed our own will, desires and passions? Throwing off all constraints with a healthy dose of power and authority mixed with hate, anger or revenge, I think we would have to admit – we are all capable.

David’s prayer is all about following God and NOT his own bent, destructive will! David’s intent is to KEEP God’s commands so that he does not become a Saul or a Doeg! Sounds like a good confession to me.

Folks are willing to wander off God’s path with the curiosity of wondering, “what’s out there?” Be careful of what paths we choose and what doors we open! Not all paths lead to God. Not all doors of experimental experiences should be opened. Could God have stopped Saul, or Doeg? Absolutely. Shouldn’t God stop ALL OF US in our free will and decisions to pursue whatever we want. We are all capable of good and evil. And that choice is ours to make. We get to live in a world where we have the results of good and the consequences of evil among us. David was not perfect, not in the least bit! But neither are we, not yet. God will judge all things perfectly in the end. I am determined to follow God and believe His plans, His ways. Certainly not my own.

Prayer

Dad,
Not only have I come this far by faith, I am determined to go all the way. Nothing will stop me. Not my sin. Not my questions. Not offenses towards me. Not the evils all around me. I have set my course and I will not change my decision nor my destination. Heaven will be my home and you will forever be my God!

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The simplicity of rhythm together.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭46‬-‭47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, the beginning of the Church started with a big event! The powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter finding his voice and the converging of his purpose brought thousands to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior. Then the Church got to work doing what? Running outreach events and evangelistic campaigns? No, the Church got down to creating simple rhythms of gathering together and doing life together. Of course there will always be opportunities for big events where hundreds, maybe thousands come to follow Jesus. But the Church’s most powerful witness is found in the members being like Jesus and living in unity.

In the very next chapter, Luke shows us that Peter and the other Apostles began doing the same miraculous works that Jesus did. And, the Church continued to meet in simplicity.

The Church today finds itself in a disruptive, disunited state. Trust in all sectors of society has plummeted and the Church is no different. People have lost confidence in leaders because of too many lies, too many broken promises and too much social news-spin to make reality and themselves look to good to be true. And with that the Church has lost its foundational simplicity of gathering to worship, meeting in homes for communion and meals and being in the Word of God together.

God is still at work to bring about the same endgame that Peter spoke of verses 17-21. Today, we too must be at work to return to what is healthy for us as followers of Jesus. To be resilient in our faith, restorative in our reconciliation with one another and un-offendable to focus on Jesus and not our faults.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow! What a day that must have been. Amidst all the social and political chaos of those days, your Word went out in power and transformed people’s lives as you launched the Church. We have similar local and global problems today. And we need you to pour out your Spirit on all people once again. But we also need help, as your Church, to be who we were destined to be; your bride without spot or wrinkle. Help us come home, returning to the original plan of simple gatherings and doing life together.

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Why does God have rules?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s rules were never about keeping us from having fun, enjoying life or just to be a kill-joy. It’s all about living and thriving in this relationship with Him. Who knows better than God who built us and the entire system of how the world works. Moses records the truth about all the rules, lessons, hardships and detours, “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

There’s reason behind the rules? God makes them for OUR benefit! Yep. A big lie is the bad-rap, stereotype that God is some old mean man in the sky. Oh please, that’s ridiculous! That makes us sound like toddlers squabbling to get our own way. God is not old, not a man and not mean!

In these verses it reminds me of everything God wants for us in terms of our basic wants and needs in life. Moses writes, “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills.” I see a couple things here: One, God wants to bring blessing of abundance. For example the idea of milk and honey. These staples and sweets of life are for our enjoyment as much as they are for our health. Two, God put iron & copper in the hills for building infrastructure, for our homes and tools. Notice the difference? One comes with sowing and reaping, just caring for the land and reaping the delicious results. Ah, but the other, the minerals and ore’s, they have to be mined! It is much harder work to dig and mine those resources. It’s just pure work!

After all this, God’s instructions comes back to remembering Him, remembering His rules, His ways. Why? Because when abundance comes, our relationships, both with God and one another, tend to fade into the background. God states a difficult truth about our human nature, when we become too rich, we forget. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful!”

Prayer

Dad,
I am comforted and embarrassed that you know us so well. I know I get distracted so easily when things are going super good. When it comes to having wealth or abundant resources, I believe your antidote is generosity. Giving away the abundance, the extra, helps me focus on something other than just storing up more for myself. Plus, It’s fun. So when I buy a two-pack of milk at Costco, I can think of these verses and remember to give one away 😀.

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Lens check.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I went to get my eyes checked because I thought something might be wrong with my eyes. It was getting harder to read small print up close, without adequate lighting. I thought, “oh, here we go, my eyes are going bad!” My optometrist checked my eyes and gave me the news. I braced for the worst. He said, “there is nothing wrong with your eyes.” I retorted in disbelief, “but I can’t see as clearly as I used to.” He replied, “yeah, your old and your eyes ability to focus get a little weaker, you just need some help with reading glasses.” I wasn’t going blind, I was just getting old!

Is it possible that our perspective, our mental, emotional lenses can effect what we see happening around us? The wisdom writers confirm, it can and it does. The ESV translation is accurate in giving us the original Hebrew version, “all the days of the afflicted (ani: poor, afflicted) are evil (ra’: adversity).” The perspective from those who are poor, physically and/or spiritually is ALWAYS tainted with adversity. From their lens, their daily picture of what life is and what life gives, is all hardship and trouble.

I see people, I talk with people who live this way. Even though they may not actually be physically or spiritually poor, their lens only sees bleakness and doom. I spend a few minutes with them and I’m depressed just listening to their litany of tragedy. I can’t talk them out of it, I only listen and grieve with them. It’s always the same perspective of misery.

Proverbs contrasts this lens with another view. The one who’s heart is happy. Isn’t that interesting. A happy heart is the corrective lens that is able to see differently. The cheerful (towb: beautiful, pleasant, agreeable) heart sees a whole different life. This heart sees a feast (mishteh: a feast), a party filled with friends, food and laughter. I also talk with people like this! They are usually upbeat and are so excited to tell me about all the good things that are happening in their life. How strange! The contrast and comparison is wildly different. Can I be honest? I don’t enjoy being around forever negative people. I feel it is my Biblical responsibility and pastoral duty to do so.

The miserable are ALWAYS miserable and the cheerful are ALWAYS cheerful? We know that can’t be true. There must be some good things that come to the despondent heart. And, conversely, there must be some bad things that come to the cheerful heart. But the lens, the perspective, seems to be radically different.

When I start seeing everything as trouble and adversarial, I need to get my heart lens checked. I will find that my heart is not broken, it just gets tired and overwhelmed. I need to get some “spiritual readers,” to help me focus and get clarity on what I see. My heart is the lens of my soul’s view of life! I need to tend to correcting its focus! God’s Word, the Holy Spirit and close friends are my corrective lenses. They help me focus my heart to get a Godly perspective of reality.

Prayer

Dad,
Who can know my heart, my thoughts, my motives better than you. When my heart is sad, my perspective is dark and blurry. But when I spend time with you, especially in Your Word and prayer, you comfort my heart, you lift my soul from despair. As I have learned from the Psalmists, I can be completely open and honest with my feelings, but ultimately I need help tweaking my lenses to see what is true, right and good. Thank you for tending to my heart which dictates my view of everything around me.

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Division is demonic!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?” But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What did the Pharisees know about Beelzebub?

Not enough! This demonic confrontation was unusual because there’s a clash of demonology and theology among the Pharisees. Who knew more about both, Jesus or the religious leaders? The Pharisees may have just tossed out a simple rebuke and rebuff by casually, almost jokingly saying, “yeah, this guy obviously works for Satan!” They were all rilled up because the people were asking if Jesus could be the Messiah. Jesus didn’t think it was funny.

Jesus used the misinformation and verbal distraction to correct and teach truth on the subject. Just think about this, the Pharisees dropped the “official” title of the chief liar and slander – Beelzebub! It was used 8 times in the New Testament and it comes from an ancient combination of two words, Baal and Zebub, literally lord of the flies! In this story is the technical name of Satan, the chief of evil spirits. Well, that settles the argument about where flies come from, right? 😁

Jesus lays out some common sense truth. How or why would Satan cast out Satan? The sad observation that the demon inside this man was doing an excellent job of torturing him and keeping him bound and enslaved by being blind and mute. Why would Satan kick himself out? Jesus makes such a strong case, not only about how evil works, but why it is so effective still today. Jesus says, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.”

Ah, it’s not just satan’s kingdom that wouldn’t survive, it’s our towns and families that won’t either. Truth boom 💥 – division is a demonic weapon. Division is just more lies from the lord of flies. Jesus zeroes in on the real issue. It’s not just mis-identifying the work of God as demonic. It’s flat out telling the Pharisees – you’re on the wrong team brothers! They said they worked for God, but Jesus being God, says “nope, they are not working for me.”

When folks start calling freedom and deliverance satanic, it makes me wonder who’s team they’re on. As believers we MUST be unified under the banner of Christ! We need to stop gossiping and heresy-hunting about every preacher, leader we just don’t agree with. We need to stop the denominational divisions and nitpicking of preferences and polity within THE CHURCH. We are all one whether some admit it or not. Like the warning to the religious leaders then, we need to quit falling prey to the ploys of Beelzebub. Get on team Jesus and behave like a united family!

Prayer

Dad,
I need to be reminded that you are coming back for the bride of Christ, the one without spot or wrinkle. I feel like we’ve got a lot of spots and wrinkle and I’m looking for the day we, as Your Church, not just look good, but behave good! Help us Oh God! We need you to judge us, purify us, prepare us for your return. Maybe that’s really what’s going on right now. As so many are exciting the Church and many are walking away from their faith, maybe this is exactly what you want to happen. I still pray, in hope, that you will pour your Spirit capturing the hearts and minds of those who have fallen for the lies and save them.