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The real art of the deal.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke‬ ‭16:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Dishonest and shrewd, and Jesus tells a story about it? The culture, the world, is far better at being fast and effective when it comes to the art of the deal.

A rich man finds out his manager has been wasting his money. I guess the rich hate waste. The word for waste is diaskorpizó, to scatter. Or, over-scatter, effectively spreading finances to thin. The rich man felt he was losing control of his cash-flow or cash on hand. Of course he is. We find out the manager had a lot of unpaid invoices out there! Even in this barter-system of running a business, payments were overdue. Not good.

When the man is called on it, and finds out he’s going to be fired, he decides he too old to work hard and to proud to beg. It is then that he comes up with a plan. The plan is a decent plan. Call all the clients and offer them to pay now and get the debt cut nearly in half! It’s like a post-discount on deals already done. The owner gets his quick cash, the debtor is happy and maybe the manager gets a little love for brokering these deals.

Jesus says the rich owner finds this act, shrewd. However, the greek word is phronimós: sensible. To a wealthy business owner, shrewd is a compliment! It’s smart, savvy and makes sense. Why didn’t the manager think of this before he let the accounts get so far in arrears? Maybe that’s part of the point Jesus is making?

Jesus says it is interesting that the “sons of this age” (aión: a space of time, an age) are quicker at thinking on their feet, adaptive in crisis than the sons of the light (clearly referring to Jesus himself as THE light of the world). How can the kids of the Kingdom of God think and behave in a dimmer capacity than those of this world’s culture?

The New Living Translation uses the word, “dishonest,” about the manager’s decisions, but the greek word is not so harsh. The word is adikia: injustice or unjust. It closer to being improper or not appropriate for this man to do this with his “master’s” money. If it were straight up dishonest the business owner would have been mad, but in Jesus’ story the rich man epaineó: to praise or commend the manager. Remember, the manager in this story had not been technically fired yet, so he still had the authority to broker these kinds of deals with the debtors.

Jesus then says another one of his odd, scratch-your-head kind of sayings, ESV says it best, “make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” “It fails” is a euphemism for DIED. What? Huh? How superbly crafty Jesus’ words become for all generations and cultures. Make and USE the friendships of the rich to benefit both the wealthy, by modeling generosity and grace teaching them, and to re-direct their money to the causes of the poor. The generosity portion of this story would be to the debtors of the rich man, the redirection to the poor would be the manager he fired because he would now be destitute and homeless. The manager must have been a renter 😬. Thus, when you die, both the rich and poor will celebrate your life because you behaved generously to both.

What a story to unravel and decode for everyday living! What do you see as an application for your life? I’d love to know.

Prayer

Dad,
My head is still spinning trying to decode this story that Jesus told his disciples. Luke puts it in here as one of the many stories of the rich and the myriad of cultural twists and word-plays that Jesus loved to tell. I can confirm and completely agree with this, your thoughts and ways are way above and beyond my own. These stories are like mysteries, splinters in my mind to unravel, understand and then try my best to live into or up to. Either way – genius. Raving reviews on this one God!

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Doomed cycles of repetition.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“She defiled herself with immorality and gave no thought to her future. Now she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out. “Lord, see my misery,” she cries. “The enemy has triumphed.” Lamentations‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​We need mercy to escape the doomed cycles of repetition.

Poetic reality sets in on the people of Israel, personified in the city of Jerusalem. The city is the people, the people the city. There is a healthy recognition in deep grief. Their sin, our sin, will ALWAYS catch up to us. As humans, we have this unique ability to think we can do the deed and just keep running from the consequences! Jeremiah writes this incredible analogy; “He wove my sins into ropes to hitch me to a yoke of captivity.” And, I must never forget, captivity was true love and justice in action. Babylon was a decisive, punishment of discipline, not destruction.

From the dizzy heights of Solomon’s success, his global reach of riches and power, to the depths of being dragged off to another country and watching all of what Israel had become in the city of Jerusalem raided and burned to the ground. The warnings ignored. The threats thought impossible. Now the people must face reality. But did Babylon do it’s job? Did it work? Did it fix their sin problem? Did they repent and turn from their sin and deep cycles of immortality? Temporarily, yes. Permanently, no.

Even with the most massive lesson in all of history, the rise and fall of God’s own people and the picture of the city of God – the rehabilitation and transformation was only temporary. The permanent solution, our permanent resolve would not be found in these cycles of sin, repentance, mourning and change. It would only be found in the work of Christ, God’s own son.

Without God’s own solution to our selfish cycles of sin to confession and back again, we would be forever trapped in generational repetition. Jeremiah records these horrible moments to ultimately point to hopelessness with out Christ.

The city of Jerusalem, the people of God would never be the same and will never be the same until the final days of revelation that Jesus is the messiah. These writings are meant to be a reminder of our morbid morality and the power and mercy of God to redeem us even while we are caught in mid-cycle of sin!

Prayer

Dad,
Looking into the perfect mirror of your word and seeing a clear reflection of who and what I am, even in my best effort, is so depressing. These words are not ancient, they are transcendent and eternal! These glimpses of humanity only remind and reinforce what I already know – I am a selfish sinner saved only by grace and has nothing to do with my poor attempts to perfection. I rest, not on my promises to never sin again, but only on your Word, your promise to clean me, restore me from all unrighteousness. In that and that alone do I find solace, peace and most of all HOPE.

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Someone’s gotta do it.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.” Proverbs‬ ‭19:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Discipline your kid!

Discipline- yasar: to discipline, chasten, admonish. While there is a thread – tiqvah: cord of waiting – qavah: wait.

It is translated as “hope.” Interesting that the Aramaic word for discipline is to “bind.” The Hebrew language is a language of imagery and built around words that illicit emotion and deep stories of the past. These words are like that. In dealing with sons, we would say children because it’s applicable, there is a stern parental instruction given.

Bind your kid now in the hope, the “cord of waiting,” that it will save their life! Sure discipline sounds better, even harsh chastening sounds better than tying your kid up until they learn to behave.

Here’s the point, someone’s gotta do it!

Most children will not discipline themselves! I say most because I have come across the rare and extraordinary child that has a social perception and sense of self awareness at a very young age to behave pretty much on their own. I WAS NOT that child.

Either a good, loving parent teaches, models, and corrects bad behavior or attitudes or someone later will do it for them. That will likely be a future police or parole officer.

Some parents have it very hard when faced with a little bully or bad seed, but it’s still their job to help their own child, protecting them from their own poor decisions in the future. The discipline, the hard conversations, and natural consequences done at age appropriate moments may slow or stop their self-driven demise.

All my parents, my adopted mom and three different dads tried their best to teach, even discipline me. But too often they had their own demons and lacked self discipline for themselves. All five of my parents had childhood struggles or like the prodigal son, ran off to live their own version of “freedom.” So, I wasn’t exactly given the gift of discipline and I would have ruined my own life if it weren’t for Jesus rescuing me. For our own children, I credit the well balanced serving of discipline to Robin. Her parents gave her the best kind of loving discipline- solid boundaries until she was old enough to make decisions for herself. FYI, keeping Robin from bowling alleys and movies did not ruin her life!

Prayer

Dad,
It was tough learning some kind of discipline at fifteen instead of five. And since I hated team sports, I didn’t even get the chance to be coached. So I took longer to catch on and my life shows the discipline-deficiencies even today. Yet, I am thankful you got a hold of me when you did. It looked like it would have gone bad much faster as I went through my angsty teens. Thank you for that. And thank you for “binding” me with a cord of waiting while you worked on me!

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Trilogy of loss

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.” Luke‬ ‭15:11-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Trilogy of loss.

Luke weaves together a few of Jesus’ parables or stories about loss. In one story, about sheep, there is clearly a large number of sheep comparative to just one – a 99 to 1 ratio. The point, of course the one is important and needs to be found. Jesus tells this story in the context, the audience of religious leaders seemingly devaluing the sinful commoners. Maybe Jesus flips it and suggests the sinners are the 99 and safe, but the Pharisees, the religiously lost are the one and are in danger!

Then Luke gives us the story Jesus told, of the woman with ten coins. It may have been part of her dowry from her father. It may have been the life savings of a poor or even widowed woman, likely her retirement plan for living out her old age. This is a 9 to 1 ratio, but this one coin could mean complete poverty once she runs out of money.

Then we get to the “lost sons.” This ratio is a 1 to 1. But this isn’t a sheep that you are responsible for. Nor a coin that endangers your quality of life. This is your blood, your boy, your highest priority of love, pride and promise! No one says, “well good thing I’ve still got one boy,” or “that’s why we have an heir and a spare!” No, this is a heart-crushing experience that every good mother and father fears the most – losing a child!

I have so much compassion and deep agony over any parent that loses a child – I have buried sons before their time! It is out of sync with expectations of how life should go. Oh, I know the boy here in the story didn’t die, but almost worse he clearly declared he wanted to be DEAD as far as his family relationships were concerned. Truth: the money the son demanded at this point meant NOTHING to his father. The father was forced to drink a bitter poison of failure, shame and shattered future.

As the son goes off to pay and play on Pig Island – the Decapolis (Gerasenes), the Dad was daily in mourning. This loss was so personal, so deep that the men who listened must have been jerking and twitching to hold back tears. No father, no parent should ever experience this kind of loss.

Who are we in these stories? Maybe we are the one sheep, lost and longing to be found. Maybe we’re the one coin, causing a anxious ripple in the future livelihood of its owner. Maybe we’re the one father who has to face the ultimate rejection of his love, whose life and legacy is linked to the well being of his children.

Which one of these is God? Is He the shepherd, the widow, or the father who mourns? It gives me chills to think the gospel is all about going after lost things. God is all about pursing that which others have given up on. The biggest difference in the these stories… is that the shepherd searches, the widow seeks, the father – WAITS.

Prayer

Dad,
Whew, I got a little emotional thinking about these stories of loss, the sheep, coin and son. The one that hit me the hardest was the loss of a child. I could barely breath when I officiated Chad’s burial, with his mom and dad standing there, just empty shells of pain. I had the worst theological dilemma ever when I helped officiate Josh’s funeral attended by a thousand of his friends. This kind of parental loss is not like the others. Yet, I see that this is also your heart towards us, especially those who have DEMANDED their cut to live a life as far away from you as possible. I don’t know how you bare that kind of pain, but I am thankful you did it for me, for all of us.

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Self pep talk.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” Psalms‬ ‭62:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David often pep-talked himself, in declarations describing God’s nature, His character. In other translations, this verse uses the word “rest.” The word is dumiyyah: a silence, a quiet waiting. If there is one place to feel safe, secure and not anxious it is in this cleft in the rock. It’s this idea of being surrounded by a naturally strong hiding place or standing upon an immovable object. I need somewhere safe to run to, to stand on, to feel protected. God is that person, personified as a place.

I never had a sense that I could run into my mom’s or dad’s arms and feel loved and safe. Having never met my birth mom and being adopted into a strange home, was difficult as a child. I guess it’s not their fault, maybe they were waiting for me to reach out? Either way I had no sense of someone bigger, stronger or smarter to run to when I felt threatened or overwhelmed. God became my only refuge, my only hope of consolation. I learned as David did, that God is physically, emotionally, spiritually there for me when I was afraid.

David closes out this thought with a powerful encouragement. “God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.” I think about this in terms of the word control. I have very little. I do not control most of the situations that happen all around me, not the least of which is people. And, I have learned the hard way, neither do I have the power to fix humans! However, God DOES control, guide, and continues to make ways where there were none. And, best of all, God has ALL power. He can and does fix humans, if we’ll let him. He’s the only one that can heal a broken soul, restore a broken relationship, transform a life once littered with trash and tragedy. God has done this in me, for me. If I can be an agent for leading and directing people back to him, I will have accomplished my purpose in this life.

Prayer

Dad,
Just knowing you as THE source of protection and of power is encouraging. Just knowing that all things work together for your will and our good is comforting. Just knowing that you and you alone are a quiet place of refuge, to be still, to breath deeply is restorative for my own restless soul. And when I come across broken people, or impossible cultural behaviors that are barriers to where you want us to be, I believe you are powerful to change hearts, minds and situations. Thank you.

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God had had it with us

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the Lord. “From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of it.” Jeremiah‬ ‭32:29-31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I always wondered what Israel did to really tick God off. Now I know. God tells Jeremiah exactly what has been going on in secret and in public. I am currently doing a deep dive in Nehemiah and it is a sad and slow process of rebuilding and revisioning a new future. Everything the people had known had been gone for 70 years. God mentions specific offensive sins the people did in their own homes, on the rooftops in plain, public site. They poured out drink offerings to other gods. Gods and images that were not real and could not answer any of the people’s prayers. Later in the passage God said their wickedness had no end they, “They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!” The nerve to set up idols in the temple built and dedicated to God. They put up idol shrines all over the countryside and actually sacrificed their own children to these false gods of Molech. As humans, we will stop at nothing to get our own way, yet not even give the creator of the universe the courtesy of obeying Him. We will and have for centuries, sacrificed our own children to have our own way and rebel. I don’t just see this in Israel’s sin, I see it in our own culture today! God had enough and allowed Babylon to come in, strip and burn everything to the ground. Then Babylon carried off the millions of Israelites into slavery and exile. Compared to cities, temples and buildings, which mean NOTHING to God – people however are eternal and worth saving. Our worth, our value is not in the things we build, the progress and advancements in technology or the fact that we can send a spacecraft to mars and back. We find worth in humans, created in God’s image and bearing the breath of God upon us. From the tiniest baby in a womb to the frail senior who passes from this life – all valued and loved by God.

Prayer

Dad,
What a rough story for Israel. What a stark reality for our own existence as well. It’s hard to fathom the depth of anger, frustration and rebellion bound up in our human hearts. We have such deep cravings to do wrong, to go our stubborn independant ways. Yet, we blame you for everything that goes wrong even though it originated with our decisions. We’re a goofy bunch. It’s hard to see what you see in us. Something worth saving, worth the patience and pursuit. I am certainly glad for your grace towards me.

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Passion vs planning.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.” Proverbs‬ ‭19:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would think that passion makes the world go around. However, without a deep understanding of a problem, the history of its journey and the people involved, change will not take place. The new phrase is “change comes at the speed of trust,” but relationships, good feels and passion won’t give a solution or an idea enough traction for the long-haul known as deep change.

Passion does inspire. Passion, or enthusiasm (Greek: in God, filled with God) gives hope and lifts the soul to perk up and see a preferred future. But, without a plan, or knowledge as the wisdom writers put it, I find no path, no roadmap of where all the excitement is supposed to lead.

I Imagine a track star shooting off the starting block to race towards the finish line only to find there is no finish line, no track, no path. Instead she just runs in competitive fashion, filled with heightened adrenaline-fueled passion with no direction at all! The track, the route, the path and most importantly, the finish line IS the well marked plan, with a photo-finish ending. With no knowledge, no plan, it just results in wandering and possibly getting lost.

The Hebrew word for enthusiasm here is nephesh: a feminine noun. Meaning a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, or emotion. And the Hebrew word for mistakes is chata: to miss, go wrong, sin.

Prayer

Dad,
I would like both please! Knowledge and passion. I love the energy of passion that drives the clarity of knowledge or a plan. I want both because I need both. I would also love it if you could throw in wisdom, which James says I lack because I don’t ask. I am asking for wisdom as well. These are the things necessary for me to lead. Not just my life, but those you have called me to shepherd to, to care for and love. Help me get them where you want us to go and to be who you want us to be along the way. Thank you in advance.

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HOPEBROKER

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” Luke‬ ‭14:26-27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​All or nothing.

Yes, this is the part of the gospel story that we don’t often talk about. A relationship with God is not only primary, it’s all consuming. It is an all or nothing situation! Jesus saying, “by comparison,” our love for God, our consuming desire to follow, obey and dedicate our entire life to him makes it look like we don’t give a rip about all the other family responsibilities, including: dad, mom, wife kids and siblings. I would guess even grandparents, but they are not mentioned 😬. There are other Bible references that discuss this. Like, “eat of my flesh, drink of my blood” verses. Or, “be hot or cold, but never lukewarm.”

This idea that we are in and committed or were not and it’s all just a religious show. That ought to get our attention, right?

And, Jesus goes on to tell this crowd that is following him, “Count the cost first.” Jesus tells two examples, “who builds a building, or goes to war,” without figuring out what it costs, what it takes to win? I remember arguing this point with friends, especially in giving high pressure “altar” calls or guilt drives to make decisions for Christ.

Should someone believe in Christ, YES. Should they make a decision to follow Christ, YES. Shouldn’t they also count the cost, YES as well.

When I said yes to Jesus I didn’t know enough to look forward and see what it would cost me to follow him, especially thinking it would cost my entire life! But, you need to understand, I came to Christ knowing my life to that point felt WORTHLESS. And, I had no ability to see anything in my future but a giant black wall. No dreams of a career, marriage, kids, or white picket fence. From my perspective, there was no future! I was a broke beggar, so there was only nothing or with God – everything.

Yet still, I knew what I was doing; what I was giving up as well as receiving. I was giving up my life in exchange for God becoming my Dad, the father I never had. At that point, I had only experienced two loser Dads, the third being “psychopath Ben,” would come later.

If anyone is going to pressure folks into making a decision, I want it to be God himself, pushing and wooing – pitching His love and abundant grace. Not the fire escape plan or promises of prosperity and the “good life.” A relationship with God isn’t a way to escape hell, it’s walking with Him for eternity. Jesus promised an abundant life but it’s only after completely giving and surrendering our own life.

Yes, I’m all in and wouldn’t have it any other way. For me it’s not hating the family relationships in comparison, it’s more like hating the American Dream that everyone else seems driven to still pursue. In comparison to loving Jesus, I decided to hate the high paying cushy job, the open-space, multiple bathroomed house, two pets, multiple marriages, 2.5 kids and some grandchildren! I only wanted God and whatever He had for me. It is ironic, no, pure-comedy, that God gave me a job Pastoring people, one-wife-for life, kids, grandkids and a couple of dogs in a house with three bathrooms and a pool in the backyard! Figured that one out.

Prayer

Dad,
Really. How did I end up with so much when I started with so little? I had nothing. I was nothing. I was invisible and liked it that way. Now….well, I am not invisible that’s for sure. And I annoy people by being too chatty, too friendly, too weird and tell way to many stories that no one wants to listen to! Oh, the humor of heaven has been poured out on me. I got old and have stuff. I never imagined that possibility. I had no dreams and no hope. You… you gave me all of that and more. I am a hope broker because I was broke and you gave me the greatest gift of all – hope.

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Freedom to serve.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul writes this phrase, “I am a free man.” It doesn’t seem like much to a western-world, U.S. Citizen, because we’ve been “free” for hundreds of years.

In Paul’s day, many people were not free. Slavery, servanthood, was common. He lists the the classes of people of his culture at that time, the Jews and the Greeks (gentiles). And, he writes about how one group had been raised on the Torah, the Laws of God, the other had no real moral or religious code. The gentiles were anyone not Jewish, so it was not exactly a racial issue.

Paul says some interesting things about these laws of God. He was raised and trained in strict Judaism. He held title and authority as a Pharisee. So he writes, “I am not subject to the law,” then later writes, “I obey the law of Christ.” We can’t fathom the massive shift in belief and behavior that this phrase means.

Most of us have only and always been free from the “Law of God,” meaning the 10 commandments and the five books that make up the Pentateuch. And yet, though we are free from that “master,” Paul wants us to understand that all humankind is under another master, another law – the lawlessness of sin.

So when Paul writes of being under Christ’s law he has transferred his servanthood, not just from the Old Testament Torah, but also his slavery from sin itself.

Lastly he adds another object lesson, or a picture to illustrate the true nature of being under the mastery of sin, he writes about the weak. “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.” Paul list “those without strength.” Paul’s desire was to win over the Jews, which he did with limited results, the Gentiles, which Paul had huge success setting up dozens of churches in multiple Gentile cities. And he also reached the poor, the weak, the disenfranchised.

Paul found “common ground,” for him to present the gospel all may be free, from the Torah (Law), free from the chains of sin and become a servant, a bond slave to Jesus Christ and truly be free! Our biggest issue today is finding the common ground of those who are still in slavery to an ideology, a social virus, or cultural religion that masks the truth and gives aires of superiority. We cannot, we must not walk with hubris religiosity, political morality or calloused judgment to reach this generation. He have to walk in the humility of love and grace to do everything we can to save them!

Prayer

Dad,
I just love your whole plan on calling and transforming the Apostle Paul – great move! This guy ends up writing the majority of practics in our understanding of the New Covenant (Testament) and how it interweaves with the gospel. As a Gentile myself, I love the simplicity of obedience to the law of Christ – love others just like You loved me! May we find the common ground that Paul writes about in our current culture that lives in the most upside down thinking ever! And may we be exactly like the father who runs and welcomes prodigals coming home!!!

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What does God want?

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “Consider all this, and call for the mourners. Send for the women who mourn at funerals. Quick! Begin your weeping! Let the tears flow from your eyes. Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair, ‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated! We must leave our land, because our homes have been torn down.’” Jeremiah‬ ‭9:17-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Learning from discipline.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a child being properly disciplined, but it is quite a difficult scene to endure. I’m not talking about abuse or harsh corporal punishment from parent to child. I’m just talking about the extraordinary patience as a toddler melts down in public! Of course the child is crying, but often I’ve seen the child’s mother break down in exhaustive tears in complete frustration. There is wailing for sure.

As I read through the God-spokesperson’s words, His prophets, warning, imploring God’s own people to stop their temper-tantrum, destructive behavior. I understand why God would…. discipline them – severely! God does so as the most loving, merciful acts ever. Israel (and ALL of humanity) just won’t listen and stubbornly, even defiantly CHOOSE to go their own way, choose their own path. Even if it’s right off the cliff to their own death and destruction. They don’t, we don’t care – we want what we want when we want it and we won’t let anyone tell us any different!

What’s God to do with that total toddler behavior showing up constantly in grownup adults? Back then, God said, enough is enough! He has plans and God will have His way and nothing, NOTHING is going to stop Him from getting what He wants.

What does God want? YOU. He wants you back. He wants what is best for you, for me. He wants everything and everyone to be made right, whole, at peace, and back in the family. What if humans don’t want that? Well there’s the rub, right? There’s the struggle, the WAR, the problem. What if humans WANT to go their own way? Sure, God will eventually let them, but not without a fight.

What does it take to get it through our thick skulls – there is NOTHING else out there but chaos, death and destruction! And that world, that existence has its own ruler with his own ways of doing a life without God – that’s Satan’s realm and his plan to take as many as possible away from God and drag them to the eternal pits of despair!

For those humans who “live” it up here and just hope for annihilation, a eternal state of nothingness, it’s a lie.

For those promised some kind of union with “all” things and experience karma (with is nothingness) being “one” with all matter, it’s a lie.

For those who think they get to do life here, then come back, reincarnated to try again, hopefully as a higher life-being, it’s also a lie.

ALL those paths are shams leading to the same place, death and destruction away from God for all eternity. When God comes across harsh in His discipline methods, like stripping Israel of everything they knew and everything they owned – He does so out love! Because the alternative is eternally worse. So when you see people angry at God, or bitter because they believe God isn’t fair (which He is definitely not fair, but He is just), or they struggle and fight to run into the street like a wild, willful toddler – yeah, you’ll see some serious tears and tantrums going on.

Prayer

Dad,
Even though I completely acknowledge my sins, I have no intention of trying to get away from you to do “my own thing.” My life was a wreck before you got ahold of me. I remember your discipline in my youth. I remember how stubborn and feisty I was towards the things of God and how hard it was for me to just be obedient. Honestly, from my chaotic past, a lot of what you were teaching me did not make sense. If felt extremely counterintuitive from everything I had learned on my own. If it were not for your grace and persistent patience, I would not have made it this far. So, thank you for your steadfast hand of love.