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Wisdom breaks the fourth wall.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction. For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart and always ready on your lips. I am teaching you today—yes, you— so you will trust in the Lord.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The wisdom writers work hard to give us knowledge and understanding about how life AND God, as well as life IN God, works.

However, the whole key to this idea of doing life well, is all about application. It’s applying what is learned directly into how one should live. Knowledge isn’t enough. One example is the label on cigarette packaging. It’s right there, telling us what these things will do to us, beckoning, begging us, to NOT smoke them. Why? Because they will kill us! My family were smokers, and I heard it hundreds of times, my mom would say, “I know these things are gonna kill me, but I do it anyways!” The knowledge, the warning, did nothing to stop her from doing what she wanted to do. Contrarily, just knowing I should walk, stretch and just move my body more does not always translate into exercise. In fact, in many cases, knowledge itself can be counterproductive to wisdom because it just turns into some random Snapple Cap, or trivial conversation at some boring dinner party.

Proverbs does encourage memorizing godly principles, just like it is wonderful to memorize God’s Word. But I love the reason, the why behind the idea of handily having quick access to truth. So that… I might not sin against God. Or, in this case the writer’s break the fourth wall and uses a cool literary trick to get our attention with a writing aside. Wisdom directly reaches out to the reader by saying, “I am teaching you – today.” Then, emphatically repeats, “Yes, you!” In this case the why of applying and committing these principles to memory is so YOU will trust in the Lord. The more knowledge is applied, becoming a reality in our behaviors, the more we grow in wisdom. Bonus, it further builds our trust in Yahweh.

Prayer

Dad,
How wonderful is Your Word! And, how amazing it is to see it work in my life and through my life. I love KNOWING your ways, but love LIVING your ways and behaving in godly character even more. I love it because I can feel and see the results in my life. May I continue ALWAYS – to be curious, to be childlike in a lifetime of learning. But may I reflect the beauty and wonder of your light and love in the world around me too!

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The Jesus process of correction.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

WARNING! NSFC – not safe for church

By now we are painfully aware that we are ALL sinners! The religious, the puritan, the pagan – we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory! Jesus’ words are not a matter of a saint correcting a sinner. This is a believer, a Christ follower, reconciling to another of the same. This is a sinner to sinner situation. Jesus, being perfect, holds the authority to tell us how this should be done.

The steps are simple enough.

  1. A believer sins against you. Ah, but defining “sin” in a church culture is tricky, right? Is it a sin, sin – or a religious preference of opinion? Sins are fairly defined unless we make up non-Biblical offenses, then it becomes super awkward. Someone cheats you, defrauds you or spreads a lie about you…that’s a sin. Someone wears stylishly shredded blue jeans with holes in them to church on Sunday… that is NOT a sin. Having a “sin” conversation about one is very different to having one about the other. Let’s continue.
  2. Go privately. The whole idea is reconciliation between two believers. It’s not a public matter at this point. I find it interesting that Jesus comments AFTER this process and mentions some insight about how God feels about proper behavior and a sense of unity within the community of faith. Jesus uses two examples that we have forever taken completely out of context!
    • One, the idea of “binding” and “loosing.” Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. What in the world is Jesus talking about? And why have preachers forever used this verse to represent agreement on casting out demons or claiming cash as a blessing from God? Maybe we should look into this verse a little more for ourselves. One of my favorite commentaries believes, “It has to do with admission to and rejection from the membership of the Church.” Whoa! Another suggests that it is more than an “ecclesiastical authority,” it’s a disciple’s authority to deal with sin – thus power to forgive! It is certainly not a freedom to bind or loose whatever we want!
    • Two, Jesus also lets us in on this beautiful truth, that has also been twisted and tweaked beyond its intent. The power of Jesus presence! Jesus remind us that this process of correction and reconciliation is so important that He promises that the outcome can be extraordinarily supernatural. “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (18‬:‭19‬-‭20‬). This agreement to settle a grievance is godly, it is holy. And to prove it, Jesus says, when we do things God’s way and not our own – BOOM – Jesus himself is present! This isn’t about a church gathering folks, it’s about the difficult, nitty-gritty grind of reconciling sin!!! It is so powerful and so healthy and good that Jesus personally adjudicates the interaction Himself! So it must be about someone really sinning against us. And, it must be done privately, at first. If there is no confession, no remorse, no admission to SIN, then and only then, can we bring in others to witness and confirm the situation. There’s even a fourth step, if it’s a sin, confronted privately, then with two or three others and there is still no change in owning the sin, no change in behavior, then the church is to be informed that we love a person enough to not allow them to fellowship with us. We give no opportunity to let someone fake their Christianity among us by ignoring, mineralizing or normalizing sin! Jesus basically says, let them go live their life as they please, be it a pagan or corrupt tax collector. They have been put out of the gathering, the fellowship.

We dislike this whole concept of confrontation, confession and correction that we just throw out Jesus words here in these verses. Oh, the words are still there and they are true, but it is so difficult for us to follow, that we just pretend they don’t exist. And, if for a moment you think, “well, as a pastor, you should be the one to obey it.” Or, “as a pastor, you should make us follow the words of Jesus!” Right. That’s worked so well over the past couple thousand years.

These are the rules of faith and behavior as BELIEVERS, as followers of Jesus. We all have the responsibility to listen and obey. This is another reason we have so many problems and issues within the church. This is why we lack unity – because we lack obedience to the Lord’s commands. We have 40,000+ denominations, all fractured and fragmented because we don’t follow the rules of restoration! Instead of obeying the words of Jesus, we have dysfunctional workarounds, subverting God’s will. We triangulate (securing others for our case and cause) and gossip, spreading poison and infecting others. We stay in our churches holding onto bitterness, grudges and un-reconciled relationships. OR, we pickup our spiritual toys and move to another church to start the process all over again. It’s embarrassing! All because I won’t tell you privately, you sinned against me – you hurt me, and I love you and God enough, to tell you. We can do better, right? I know… It starts with me.

Prayer

​Dad,
What can I say? I’m horrible at this. This is so difficult to practice. I have excused my lack of faith and obedience in this area for far too long. Forgive me. Help me, not just hear your Word, but obey it! Amen.

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Surrounded by a shield of favor.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

David ran and hid from his enemies for many years of his life. He fled from the mad-king Saul, David’s onetime boss, and father-in-law. Many of the Psalms are written while he pursued. Then, in a sad, dysfunctional turn within his own family, David finds himself running for his life again. This time from his own son, Absalom. David and his son, Absalom have a complicated relationship. Absalom had murdered one his brothers in revenge for the terrible act of raping his sister, Tamar. Obviously David’s own sons had plenty of character issues. You should read about it in 2 Samuel 13-15.

Handsome Absalom had stolen the affection of the people right under David’s nose. When the time came, Absalom declared himself to be king and David knew he and the entire royal court had to run for their lives. David writes these Psalms, 3-5, while Absalom was in pursuit to take David’s life.

Knowing that, we can see David’s words jump off the page and become a reality under this massive conflict and stress. Here he is the King and he’s still running for his life! It is amazing to see David’s faith, confidence and determination in these words. He declares this idea of taking refuge in God and while safely hiding and he praises God with singing! Wow. Isn’t it amazing, while under threat, loss and fear, those who know God can find safety, protection and even favor from God?

David poetically writes, “you surround them with favor as with a shield.” Thou, Oh Lord, are a shield about me! His banner, His presence surrounds me! Whew, gives me chills to compare and contrast David’s desperate situation with the shielded love of favor surrounding him. That can be ours as well. In the darkest, most deadly circumstances, the righteous can find peace, rest, love – even singing in confident joy because the Lord also surrounds us with His favor. I know our family situations can get sideways and so dysfunctional it becomes overwhelmingly dangerous. I would say my own family background had some terrifying moments. It’s good to know that David, full of sin and yet still a man after God’s heart, experienced the highest of highs, as well as the lowest of lows. In those really awful moments, he cried out to God and God listened. God protected David many times over. God can also do that for us today.

Prayer

​Dad,
How wonderful to read the tragic stories of real chaotic family situations in your Word. These stories have always been encouraging, not because it glorifies the decisions of those who determined to do evil, but because it glorifies you in your mercy, grace, forgiveness and salvation! You are great Oh Lord, and greatly to be praised! Thank you for similar times of surrounding me with favor even when I did not deserve it.

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Spirit Time Out

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?” Acts ‭13‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

First trip out and there’s both opportunity and barriers. A few guys meet together for prayer, then BAM – the Holy Spirit speaks to them! The group had some men gifted in the prophetic and teaching. Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul met in Antioch. The Holy Spirit speaks to them and says that Barnabas and Saul should be sent out on special assignment – the beginnings of many missionary journeys.

Then, on this little island of Cyprus, some big stuff is about to happen. Barnabas, Paul and John Mark get invited by the governor, Sergius Paulus, to hear the Word of God. Fantastic start, right? It’s interesting that there was already a subterfuge planted in the story, “But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.” This guy was actively PREVENTING God’s work from going forward.

Have you ever seen this while on a mission’s trip, or in the church? There are folks subversively working against the gospel! Saul/Paul was not the kind of guy to just let that nonsense go. Paul looks the man in the eye and calls him out! He names the man as the source of what could be blocking the governor from believing in Christ. He calls him a son of the devil – sound familiar? It’s similar to what Jesus called the religious leaders.

Elymas was playing for the wrong team. Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, calls out the content of this guy’s heart and motives. Elymas was full of deceit and fraud and an enemy of all that is good. Elymas was perverting, distorting, corrupting the clear, straight ways of God. Paul then puts Elymas in a time out – since, the man was already working in and for darkness, it seemed only fitting that his correction be BLINDNESS for a while.

There are so many times I have seen men and women subvert and attempt to block the Word of God, to distort the gospel, but we’ve become so accustomed to kindness that we fail to correct. Elymas wasn’t being kind, he was deceiving and perverting! As Pastors and under-shepherd’s we’ve given up our call to protect the flock and simply confront the wolf. Let’s think about this. This could be some of the reason folks are so wary of going back to church, because they have found no protection from guys like Elymas. The results – people end up blaming the pastor or church leadership for the harm done to them. I’ll be the first to admit, there has been a lot of bad decisions in the inner-core of church leadership. But I have seen more bad actors, pretending to have good motive, who have been allowed to get away with deceit and fraud.

Elymas had to be put in timeout to allow Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man, to hear the truth of God’s Word! In all love and patience, our church folk have got to see that correction is just as godly as mercy! By the way, Paul didn’t drop Elymas like Peter had done with Ananias and Sapphira!

How did Paul know what was going on in Elymas’ heart? Luke tells us, Paul was, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” For all you non-pentecostals, you ask, “isn’t that risky?” or worse, some believe that these bold actions of being led by the Holy Spirit today are even of the devil! Which is worse, confronting and correcting a bad player or allowing them to freely cause pain and confusion in the body of Christ? Elymas, and the likes, work subtly, sneaking around with whispers, half-truths and gossip, interfering and urging people to listen to them. For the sake of the gospel and the safety of the flock – Pastors need to be bold in the Spirit and look the Elymas’ in the eye and call out truth.

Prayer

Dad,
You know me. As much as I can’t stand bullies in the church, those who take advantage of the innocent, I can’t stand slippery deceivers as well. Help us Oh Lord to do our job as shepherds, protecting the flock. Give us wisdom and boldness to hear your Holy Spirit and confront those who subvert what is right to suit their own desires. Give us grace and protect us from evil from within.

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Stacked memory makers.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you will camp tonight.’” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This miracle crossing of the Jordan river was a monumental moment in Joshua’s life, the twelve chosen men and the people of Israel. It was a mini-miracle compared to the Red Sea, but significant and remarkable nonetheless. There was no Egyptian army, with horse-driven chariots thundering at their back. There was however, a massive, flooded river blocking their way to continue their journey. However, this miracle involved more people.

God wanted the priest’s feet and their faith to be the catalyst for the supernatural. Now, on the other side…now that they crossed the Jordan, what was next? Situations leading up to miracles are incredibly stress-filled moments. Heightened nerves, shallow breath, dry mouth, racing heart – it feels like one is on the edge of a panic attack! One side of a miracle is apprehension, the other side a surreal celebration. Which side of a miracle are you on today? What sea needs to split? What river needs to recede? Remember Yahweh-Shammah, God is there!

The other side of a miracle is a wonderful place to pause, set up camp and create a very physical object lesson for yourself and your family. Gather some friends, some family to collect some artifacts from the miracle. God instructed Joshua to send twelve guys back into the river, not to activate their faith, but to graft gratitude and wonder into their story, their memories. “Take twelve stones,” God said. Physical objects from the place of the miracle. Cool huh.

Here’s what I think. If my miracle happens in a river that has supernaturally stopped flowing, I’d grab stones. But let’s say it’s a medical miracle, or a miracle excursion, or a financial blessing – grab a wristband, some sand from the exotic beach, a picture of debt cancellation. Grab something from the moment and make a memory. Stack stones and take a picture, build a box filled with tangibles, mod-podge a collage. When the time comes and a friend or family member pulls out that box or grabs a picture from the past and asks, “what does this mean?” Tell the story of God’s providence, His provision, His blessing. This powerful miracle, this magnificent memory making moment tells me to pause more. It tells me to grab a physical reminder. It also tells me to hold on to it for a while, then bring it out from time to time, to tell the story of how God cares for us.

Prayer

Dad,
What a beautiful, true story of your grace and presence being with Your people at critical moments in history. However, it brings memories to my own mind. Memories of how you have done similar in my life, my family, my story. Wow! You are good. Thank you for being Yahweh Shammah for them and for us today.

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Situational Awareness.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It seems that every year we seem to pick up more words and understanding of some kind of awareness. A quick search yields the history of the phrase “situational awareness.” It appears early in military history and in engineering with Douglass Aircraft. Endsley’s models in the 1980’s address the psychology of attention.

This proverb, teaching wisdom and practics to young Jewish men, seems to address this kind of awareness in ancient days. Doesn’t wisdom dictate a certain aptitude for awareness? Proverbs mentions a prudent person, using the word, arum: crafty, shrewd, sensible. It then gives the contrasting word for the foolish, pthiy: simple. It comes from the word, pethiy: seducible or foolish. This word for foolish is often used to express an overly-open person – accepting anything and everything as good. The wise, the situationally aware, see the possibility of danger and hides to avoid, the foolish boldly walks into danger or adversity and pays the price or are penalized for their naivety. The Hebrew word for punished (consequences, here in NLT) is anash: to fine or pay a penalty.

Jesus, being the personification of Wisdom, gives us the advantage to not just be aware, not to live in fear, but to be able to take in our surroundings, a “read the room,” skillset. This same wisdom can give us more than just a situational awareness. It can give us a spiritual, even emotional awareness of what is happening around us. Jesus displayed these qualities of spirit-awareness often in the gospels. When he spoke with the lonely, five-time marriage, woman at the well. When he walked onto the pool-deck and asked just one man, among dozens, if he wanted to be healed. When a woman, having a genetic bleeding disorder, simply touched the end of Jesus’ prayer tassel. All these conversations and miracles display the wisdom and awareness of God.

God, the Holy Spirit, leads and directs us in wisdom and in perfect synchronization of God’s will. The Spirit can give us far more than this ability to see danger. The Holy Spirit can give us the ability to see opportunities as well. The wise sees and understands, the foolish ignore and blindly blunder about in life. Which do you want? How do you want to lead your life? Instead of growing in my capacity to be situationally, socially or emotionally aware, maybe I can grow in Godly wisdom and learn to listen to the Spirit and obey.

Prayer

Dad,
I am painfully slow at learning how to respond, and not react in all kinds of difficult situations. From being uncomfortable, caught off-guard or flat out in conflict, I am can’t think straight while under emotional stress. I need your wisdom. I need to pause, breathe, and take a moment to listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and be bold to obey! Help me continue to grow in wisdom. Help me play the fool far less than I often do. Thank you for your guidance and patience. Amen.

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Tripping up a child’s innocence.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus, answering the disciple’s question, puts a child in front of them and that child becomes an object lesson for his answer. The disciples ask about greatness. Presupposing that Jesus’ kingdom is similar to the great kingdom of King David or even Solomon, it makes sense that the guys would want to know about the royal positions available to be filled. The royal court works on a hierarchy of authority, power and influence. Thinking that Jesus is forming his cabinet as he plans to take over Rome to rule as the promised successor, the messiah that ushers in God’s plan to restore Israel to greatness, they excitedly wait for the answer. Maybe Jesus wouldn’t just talk about positions, he might throw in some hints about the men he’s thinking about appointing to those high places. They must have been so eager to hear his answer.

When Jesus pulled in a child, probably a young boy, and stood him in their midst, they must have been confused. “Who’s this, they might have thought to themselves?” Some random child, we’ve never seen, is going to become the next chancellor (chaplain), chamberlain and or marshal? But Jesus doesn’t intend to install this young child to a future position. In fact, the child already has a highly regarded and treasured position in the Kingdom of God – he’s an innocent kid! He’s not sinless, but he certainly has sinned less than the adult disciples!

In vs 10, Jesus even says that the children have a special protection, ever-watchful eyes of angels that have God’s full attention saying, “their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.” I’m not sure the focus is so much about, being just “like a child,” as it is a harsh warning to watch out for, watch over how one should treat the innocent, the fragile faith of those who are more pure and unprotected. Of course, as adults, we gravitate towards the childlike faith ideals, but Jesus is discussing something far more serious.

Jesus starts by telling his guys to turn from their own sin. Why? Because, it’s well known, but paid little regard – adults, in their pursuit of their own sin cause irreparable damage on the most innocent among us. Haven’t you noticed? How could we not see it? Adults can be full on predators and perpetrators in their own selfish pursuits of getting what they want! The “freedoms” we propose always spiral down to destroy the innocence of the children we are supposed to protect! It’s not just straight out child abuse, abandonment or neglect either. It’s adults making decisions that make a child’s life and home unsafe or filled with chaos and trauma. Adults want their drugs, their drinks, their pleasures, their partners, their addictions and what does the child get? Pain. Confusion. Instability. Adults want and get their “choices,” that children are forced to live with and try to figure out what’s right and wrong on their own.

Of course there are good parents and good adults, but no one is perfect. Jesus made a startling statement when he said, “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.” He said this right after the famous mafia threat to any who would purposely harm a child – harm a kid and be fitted for a cement necklace to be drown in Lake Tahoe (or Galilee). Even Jesus conversation about losing an eye or hand that sins is directly connected to the evils of playing life so loose that you lead a child down a dark path of death with you.

We want to be great in God’s kingdom? We need to be more conscious, more consistent and careful of who we are and what we do when little eyes are watching and little ears are listening! And, for the love of God – quit pitching our “adult” freedoms to sin as possible life-choices for our little ones! God is watching. Being like a child is being extra careful around those who are childlike, those who are simple and innocent in their faith.

Prayer

Dad,
I saw far too much as a child. Far too much chaos, pain, addiction and broken promises. I heard too much angry, foul language. I did not feel safe or protected. And in observing hundreds of children of foster care, those who were tortured, starved and abandoned, I witnessed the effects of what you hate, what you have warned us about. Our sin has its own consequences. But even worse, it can destroy the little lives around us. Help us God. Rescue the Fatherless and uphold the weak with your strength. Protect our children from our adult sins! Amen.

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The Testimony.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Returning home. After 70 years of being hauled off to Babylon, and living an entire generation under Persia’s thumb, Israel returns home. This Psalm, written by Ezra, captures the mood, the attitude, while making that journey up the hill back to Jerusalem. It was gratitude! It was thankfulness.

History and misery were behind them, but hope and home were before them. There was a lot of work to be done, rebuilding their temple and their famous 52 day fortified wall, but they were gratefully giddy.

Ezra asked a great question after a moment of explosive praise to God. Has the Lord redeemed you? Wow. That makes us think? What have been the times and seasons we felt alone and darkness seemed to surround us? When were the times of deep despair and little emotional reserves to fight? Then, the miracle, or miracles happened and things began to turnaround again? The agonizing cloud of pain and suffering begin to evaporate. The rays of sunshine and possibility begin to shine on our soul. What then?

Ezra gives his people a great response to all that has happened, to all that could have happened, but didn’t. Tell others! There is something deeply profound – physically and spiritually lifting, when we tell our story of redemption. Telling others helps reframe our own past experiences into a new reality. From our despondency to a dream to a declaration – God is good! Whenever our heart begins to reflect on the past darkness it’s as if the redemptive story sweeps in and reminds us of our rescue. Telling the story doesn’t remove the memory, instead it lifts the moment to new heights of meaning, purpose and victory. I did not die! I did not just survive! I made it through, and I am thriving because of God’s goodness to me.

Telling the God story also has a wonderful effect on those who are living in captivity, going through suffering, struggling to find hope and answers to their own pain. Speaking out, giving the testimony of God’s greatness injects a glimpse, a glimmer of hope in those who are still surrounded by dark clouds. This is our testimony! Give thanks. God is good. Speak it out, tell others, share the wonderful stories of hope every time you can.

Prayer

Dad,
Ezra’s psalm reminds me of the many dark times in my own life. And sure enough, right alongside those memories are the highlights of when you rescued me, you redeemed my situation. With even a twinge of pain comes a flood of grace, not to mask the pain in some sort of denial, instead the sweetness of You meeting me there overwhelms my soul with gratitude. It’s shocking to hear myself and others say, “I wouldn’t want to experience that time again, but I’m glad I went through it.” You’ve removed the sting and left a beautiful reminder of your grace. The scar is now a wonder to behold. I give thanks, for You are good. And, I will tell the story of how you rescued me.

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Jesus’ little brother pulls no punches.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” ‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You don’t want to belief-spar with James, Jesus’ brother. He watched the gospel become the fulfillment of God’s plan from the inside out. What was it like being the little brother to Jesus? Did Jesus prank James? Hide dead bugs in his bed? Tell Mary what James was really up to at a “friend’s house”? James didn’t believe his brother was the Messiah until after the resurrection! Did James seriously think Jesus was holding out for the long con?

I’ve often thought about James’ book and it’s hard-hitting, guilt-triggering truth! James grew up watching Jesus say a lot of stuff about God and about himself. But I can tell, James also watched Jesus physically follow through with every one of his beliefs, sermons and promises. Jesus said what he was going to do and he did it! There’s an old axiom that actions speak louder than words, I can guarantee, Jesus lived a very loud life.

James’ crystal-clear clarity message: faith absolutely translates into behavior. And if it doesn’t… it’s a dead, worthless faith to hold on to. “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬. Ouch! James also speaks the truth, calling out the nonsense between conservative and liberal practics. Conservatives say, it’s what you think, believe and talk about. Liberals say, it’s what you do, live, rally and physically take part in. One gives money, the other gives time. I know that’s exaggerated, but either way – James declares, it’s both and! He writes, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” Nonsense – James says.

This connection, this necessity, is so vital that James compares the air in our lungs to the requirement of life itself, writing, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” Good works, applying the truths and principles of God’s Word through service, love and behavioral application is the very air of our faith.

This challenges me to constantly translate what I read, hear and learn from the Bible directly into obedience and action. If I spend my life only hearing, only reading, only listening to Bible preachers and podcasts and never DO WHAT IT SAYS, Jesus himself said, I’ve just built a really nice life completely on the sand! First storm and it all comes crashing down. Faith without works becomes the curse of a shabby build, maybe it looks pretty but it’s not sustainably secure.

Prayer

Dad,
So the real struggle here is not how much of your Word I can quote and cram into my brain, it’s how much of your Word can I apply, can I obey, can I put to work to change my behavior, get my hands dirty in serving – right? Am I missing something? I love Your Word! It didn’t just save me it SAVES me. I love learning more about you, your character, your will, your ways. But if I am not careful to work out obedience and service seeing physical changes in my behavior, then what happens to your Living Word in my heart and life? If I don’t yield, doesn’t my heart harden? If I don’t obey, doesn’t it turn bitter in my soul? There seems to be a stern warning about how I handle the Word of truth, letting it work in me and through me rather than just storing up quotable knowledge like a spiritual wikipedia. Help me yield, obey, change and put your Word to work! Amen.

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Rule Followers?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.”‭‭ Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Alright, I can admit this right up front. I’m not a great rule follower. I try to justify it by my own origin story being a chaotic mess, our blended-family lacking the basics of safety, consistency and definitely boundaries. At some point I had to face reality – rules, laws and boundaries are good and I missed out and messed up by not understanding that. It didn’t help much that before Jesus, I had no guilt triggers either.

There are so many lessons to be learned from these books of the law. One big one, God, being the creator, gets to set the rules. We, as the created, do not. That’s a hard one for us. In our humanness there is a massive, “I get to be my own god” syndrome. The other huge lesson is so practical, so pragmatic – if we obey, we will enjoy a long life. I guess it’s parenthetic that we don’t agree with God on what the “good life” looks like.

I look at the ten commandments from my past non-churchgoer perspective. They are not that hard to understand or obey. It seems the biggest issue is a perceived loss of autonomy. For example, God says, “take a day off and give it a rest,” to which we say, “I don’t want to.” Just below these demands to obedience comes an even stricter law – “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” Notice both the absolute, declarative truth – The Lord IS our God, the Lord ALONE,” and the following mandate… “you MUST.” God was not gentle parenting here! There was no, “I would suggest,” or “It’s in your best interest to.” And, we find no echo from God’s children (Israel) asking… “WHY God?” Isn’t it obvious? Because God said so!

I think God puts up with plenty of “why’s” from us, and He is so long suffering and patient towards us. “Why did I get cancer?,” “Why did he leave me?,” “Why did my child die?,” “Why don’t you give me a house, car, job, money, or success?” Ask away, no problem. But on the matter of who God is and will He be shared with other fake deities? Absolutely not.

There are far more than just boundaries and truth in these rules that come from the character of who God is. There is safety, security, hope, love, assurance and complete confidence in our obedience to God. Would you really want God to be more like us? For God to be duplicitous, fickle, selfish and ultimately undependable? That’s just silly. We need God to be God over all, over everything – over us. And, we need to quit pretending that our versions of God would be much better. God knows what He’s doing, so let Him do it – ultimately it’s in our favor!

Prayer

Dad,
Even knowing your ways are above my own. Even knowing your will is right and good, beyond my own understanding and expectation. Even knowing that, I still see rebellion rising within me. I still feel the tug of sin which is determined to find a different way, a better way, a faster way to get what I want, when want it. I want to obey, but I struggle in submitting to your way of doing life! Help me, Oh Lord. Forgive me, Oh God. Your way, your will, be done in me and through me.