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Newsflash Reminder.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Once you were dead! I don’t know about you, but I remember my disobedience and MANY sins. I wasn’t born a believer. I did not surrender my life to Jesus as a child. I had a fairly high sin-rate in Junior and Senior High School. I agree with the Apostle Paul, I used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world – obeying the devil and the disordered desires of my heart. In fact, I’m not exactly sure I had a decent conscience. I had a twisted view of guilt. Not only did I rarely feel guilty for my decisions and behaviors, I was really good at masking those feelings behind massive blame of others and the crummy chaotic, dysfunctional life I was handed from my parents.

It was those decisions to ignore my conscience where I can clearly see myself being subject to God’s anger – just like everyone else. Being a sinner didn’t make me special or unique at all. In fact it was slowly stripping away the real me that I was trying to push away.

When I look around at the multiple sin-fests on constant display in entertainment, socials and curated news cycles, I must remember Paul’s words. There is a real devil and he’s commanding the powers of unseen world! My heart breaks as I see my friends, family and neighbors swallow the reverse sour-patch candy. First the lies are sweet, by a well crafted design to follow our passionate desires and inclinations, but turn bitter as they produce rotten results.

I pray that God reveals Himself and rescues them, just as He did for me. These verses lead Paul, via the Holy Spirit, to release one of the most powerful truths found in the New Testament. “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith. It is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” My path, my decisions, my sin was disrupted and redeemed by that powerful, undeserved grace of God. I will never forget who I was. Yet, I will remember what God can do that for others even today.

Prayer

Dad,
Do it again in those I love! Arrest them by your grace. Hunt them down by your love and mercy, relentlessly pursuing them as you did for me. Lift the blinders from their eyes. Penetrate their hearts with light that shatters the lies that lead them to darkness. Expose the wicked plans against them to reveal your love and true freedom. I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

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Forget the bread, what about my boy?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Shocker, I just found out this past year that the widow mentioned in this story was a Gentile, not a Jew. And the Jewish people reading about the life and times of Elijah did not like it! Luke 4:25-26 and Acts 10:34-35.

There was drought and famine going on and widows had it the worse because they had little to no means to provide on their own. Elijah didn’t just ask her for her last meal, but her son’s as well. You can hear the resignation in the widow’s words, “we’ll eat it and then die.” Obviously no hope there.

Hello! Elijah wasn’t being greedy, he was being obedient. Elijah may have tried to ease the bluntness by asking for a drink of water first. Uh… fail. That wasn’t a smooth segue because of the drought. As she walked away, Elijah threw in the request, “…bring me a bite of bread as well.” Just a bite? I hope you hear the sheer awkwardness of being obedient to God in THE worst kinds of circumstances possible. Are we obedient regardless of what we know, see or sense? Woof.

Elijah gives her a promise, “For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” The widow has just enough faith to be obedient. Promise made, promise kept. The widow provides Elijah room and board while he stays in the village of Zarephath. Why did Elijah stay? Because God told him to “live” there – “Go and live in the village of Zarephath. This next scene is disturbing in so many ways.

The widow’s son gets sick, then dies. The widow blames Elijah for her son’s death because he must be judging her sins. What? Wow. You see the ancient world was simple cause and effect. Someone gets sick, who’s to blame? Someone died, who sinned? God or God’s agents were directly held responsible because they obviously weren’t happy with something. It’s Elijah’s prayer to God that verifies this mindset. “Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?” Why why why?

God seemed comfortable putting Elijah on the spot with the health and well being of the widow and her son. That’s doesn’t seem fair. The miracle of long lasting bread and oil supply wasn’t enough of an official credential proving that Elijah is a spokesperson for God? Elijah is bold, if not weird, in his prayer and physical application to make sure that God hears him. Was the “stretching himself” out over the child three times necessary? Apparently, the first time didn’t work, so he went for three (“three” may be a significant brain-bookmark for us in the future). God heard, God answered and raised the boy from death to life. Ah, then the widow says confidently… “yep, now I believe you’re from God and God speaks through you.”

God is really into us having faith! God loves us having faith. It is pleasing to him because it completely says “I trust you more than anything else going on in my life.” Faith doesn’t just make God happy, faith is the critical decisions that saves us and is saving us.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow. Both Elijah and the widow shared in the experience of having faith in you. I never saw that before. You asked Elijah to do and say some really tough things and I get the responsibility, but I did not grasp the level of trust that Elijah was exercising in you. It was important wasn’t it. I want to be obedient so badly, but it is ALWAYS diluted by the thought of what others will think when I follow through with what you’ve asked. It feels so much more risky when it comes to the question of “who do I want to please more?” You or people. I have faith, but need more courage!

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Wisdom, begging for you to listen.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“I call to you, to all of you! I raise my voice to all people. You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding. Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.” Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭4‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Many of us are physical learners. I have a granddaughter that is very kinesthetic! She learns through physical exploration. She grabs, climbs, rocks and pushes back in her seat, just for fun. Then through falling, scraping and slamming to the ground she discovers the beauty of pain as a teacher. Every kinesthetic toddler seems to be shocked that things didn’t go the way they thought they would. My granddaughter then looks for comfort and somewhat blames her elders for not saving her before the inevitable happens.

Every parent, grand, teacher and friend knows what it’s like when you have to BEG a physical learner/extreme adventurer to heed WISDOM. I’m NOT saying these kinds of learners are simpletons, as Proverbs professes. I am saying that wisdom knows that some are destined to learn through failure and pain. Wisdom calls, begs and beckons to just give her a chance! She is right, truthful, wholesome, plain and simple. All one has to do is listen and heed her advice.

Ah, but we know better, right? It won’t happen to us, right? A thousand have tried and failed, but I – I will beat the odds! Ha – that’s original. My two cents, my fractional bitcoin – just give it a try. I have discovered that wisdom is right and good and I have benefited from it even as a knuckleheaded-youth. Don’t take my word for it, take hers. Get wisdom. Make her one of your bff’s.

Prayer

Dad,
What can I say? You know what you’re doing! Your will, your way is THE best, the most helpful. And, when I listen. When I obey. Things go far better than I could even imagine. Help me to continue to learn wisdom and never be satisfied with what was learned, but stay curious until I die.

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Is God a prude?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Only God would go where mortal men fear. This is Jesus, the revolutionary, speaking out on issues that were never spoken about in public. Jesus, being the light of the world, drags the deeds only done in darkness, only whispered behind closed doors, out into the open. No one exposes sin better than God. Is God a prude? Hardly.

He not only created us, but he also gave humans the free will to be and explore everything on the planet as well as everything about our own human body, soul and spirit. However, freedom doesn’t mean exploitation. Freedom doesn’t mean satisfying oneself at the expense and destruction of another. God is far more like a parent than he is catholic school teacher. He loves us.

Jesus dives into the most destructive side of our free will, exposing the dark and callous desires of our unbridled souls. Jesus just finished talking about adultery and put a hard stop on the issue of “thoughts verses physical deeds.” We all know that thoughts, good or bad, lead to behaviors. We do as we think about doing.

Here’s a thought Jesus pulled from our secret souls, “we don’t get to fantasize about destroying relationships by ‘having your way’ with whatever we set our eyes on!” Boom. That’s right. There are selfish sins against God and there’s a bunch of them against each other. The big TEN commandments were boundaries to PROTECT and preserve our relationship with God and one another. In fact four of the rules are about God, six are about each other.

These discussions in Matthew about relationship in sexual desire and covenant commitments in marriage are both about boundaries and behaviors. Yes, men were primarily called out and held responsible because, at that time, they were in power and the main offenders of these rules. God seriously and deeply cares about relationships, and Jesus highlights a couple of our major missteps in how we handle each other. No, a man or woman does not get to mentally strip, invade and exploit another human being just for fun! Neither do we get to make cheap promises.

Jesus goes after the frivolous way we treat our commitments, our covenants between a man and a woman. Moses wrote about a legal way to dissolve a marriage (Deut 24‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬), although we’ve got to keep in mind, God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). He HATES everything that is destructive to our relationships! Come on, are we not smart enough to figure out the never ending cycles of pain, suffering and financial ruin of our lives that come with divorce? Have we not seen the massive, deep hurts we deposit into children’s lives by dismembering their most trusted bond between their parents? Do we not recognize an entire generation of fatherless children because our parents were so self absorbed to just do whatever they felt like doing? Why are we mad at God and blame him for being a prude when we are obviously so foolish and blind to our own destructive desires and behaviors?

I am not an expert on divorce by any means. However, I had to pick up the broken shards of fragile glass in my own soul. My family, my heritage is littered with divorce and remarriage! My own adopted mother, searching for true love, safety and belonging went shopping for a man FOUR times. With her last attempt at relationship, she just gave up on the covenant of marriage and allowed a live-in looser to suck her life and finances dry for over a decade! I believe that Jesus is not only speaking TRUTH, he is also saving us from the LIES we tell ourselves and others. Here’s the facts, adultery and divorce destroys relationships and are toxic and deadly to everyone involved.

Prayer

Dad,
Forgive us oh God for we know what we do and what harm it causes, but we want to do it anyways. Save our children from our selfish foolishness.

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God’s spiritual agenda.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ezra writes about what people have when they trust in and depend on the God of Jacob. They have a helper. Ezra uses a unique form of the word “blessed” here. They are blessed (esher), but it’s the Hebrew root word that becomes interesting. They are “ashar” to go straight, go on, advance. People who have the same God that rescued Jacob from his own bad decisions, his own manipulative, self-serving, grab-what-you-can and can-all-you-grab lifestyle are given the blessing of a pass.

When our hope, our tested and examined look at our future, is placed in God we are shown a way through, even when we can’t quite see it at the time. Ezra pens this beautifully, restorative phrase. It is timeless and worth remembering and repeating – even if it’s just to ourselves. God “keeps every promise forever.” Then Ezra lists off the kind of work that God is constantly up to.

He gives justice to the oppressed and hungry. He frees prisoners. He opens blind eyes. He LIFTS those weighed down. He loves the godly and protects foreigners. God cares for orphans and widows. Lastly, God frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Do you ever hear about that God in social media, shows, movies or podcasts? No. God is depicted as old, disconnected and for sure hates people just having fun. What a bunch of Shhhhhaving Cream!

God has been seriously misrepresented. Look carefully at that list of what God cares about and how He makes a way, makes a pass for people. You should see what the Church, followers of Jesus should be about as well. It’s what we should stand up for, not against.

Our responsibility to be involved in the things God cares about are listed in this and many other Psalms. We too should be about justice, about food, about prisoners. We too should be opening the eyes of the blind, lifting those weighed down, protecting foreigners among us and caring for widows and orphans! We can be way makers, opening a pass, helping advance the underserved. When we do, we reflect God’s goodness and put hope into the hearts that need it the most. Ezra’s words still challenge me today.

Prayer

Dad,
In this inspiring and challenging Psalm, I see what we (The Church) can and should be about. I see how we should be tending to the same needs that you care about and constantly work on to bring joy through hope – a pass, a way out to those who struggle. Please help us, as your called ones, to figure out how to not only serve people in these situations, but to flip the narrative from being politically motivated to be spiritually motivated because this is what you are about. This is a big ask God! Help us get there together.

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You Do That Well

Reading Time: 3 minutes

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

This was the moment.

I was riding my hand-me-down, banana seat, sting-ray bicycle down the sidewalk one day when the chain fell off the sprocket. I got off the bike and just stared at it for a few moments when I heard a voice, “hey do you need some help?” It was Stan, a neighbor a couple of houses down. Stan and Louise were original owners in the house on Harding Street. Stan had retired and now spent his time meticulously keeping the house in perfect condition. The grass on the front lawn was a deep rich green with every blade exactly in its place. It was manicured weekly. The house was painted a bright white with forest green trim – he must have touched it up every year.

Stan walked my bicycle up the driveway, a driveway with the grass growing between the parallel cement strips and into his garage. It was one of those garages that a man would love to claim as his own. The shiny cement floor was flawless, no oil, scuffs or dirt! Everything was in its place. The garage was lined with beautiful cabinets. And Stan had one of those peg boards with shiny tools hanging in order and an outline of each tool carefully drawn around each and every tool. Every tool was hanging perfect and ready for use.

He picked up the bike and skillfully flipped it on its back. He pulled the ½” open ended wrench out of its position on the pegboard and began to loosen the nut that held the back tire in place. He carefully untangled the chain and paused. He was about to transmit the wisdom of a bicycle mechanic into my brain. He smiled and said, “Do you know about the ‘master’ link?” He said it in such a way that I felt like looking both ways over my shoulder before giving him the nod. He continued in a hushed tone, “This is the ‘master’ link, the one link that allows you to take the chain off to work on it.” “Wow!” I said. I was mesmerized by the voice of this mastermind. “He’s got to be the smartest man in the whole world”, I thought to myself. With the speed and skill of a seasoned craftsman he re-assembled the chain around the sprocket and then just before he began to tighten the rear axle nut – he paused a second time. “You want to try it?” He extended the tool towards me, gently nudging me to discover the joy of fixing something. I took the wrench in my hand, it felt good – even natural, like I had held it all my life. I began to turn the nut on the rear axle when Stan cleared his throat indicating that he was going to give me another piece of advice, “clockwise to tighten counter-clockwise to loosen.” Ah, another secret of the trade. And then he added, “Put some muscle into it to synch it down tightly.”

But it was Stan’s next remark that changed my life. It was the moment that transformed Stan, the nice man a couple of houses down, into Stan, my hero. Stan spoke four more words; four words that empowered me and inspired me to greatness; four words that would mark the rest of my life. I cannot overstate the power of these four words spoken at that moment of my life. Stan said, “You do that WELL.” My instincts forced me to look around to see who else had entered the garage. “Did he just say that to me?” I had to ask myself because I had never been told that I had ever done anything well. As an eight year old kid, I didn’t know enough to think that he was just being kind. I mean the fact is I just turned a lug nut on a bicycle axle for goodness sake – it’s not like I just put a man on the moon. But I didn’t care. I grabbed the compliment like a man in the desert grasping for a drink of water. I replayed those words over and over in my mind.

From that moment on I knew “I had the power to fix stuff!” If I could fix a bike, maybe there were other things I could fix as well. It was only a moment, but it was a moment that changed my life.

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Paul’s neighborly prayer.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve been thinking and talking about how to be a neighbor, a good neighbor. I believe it’s all about listening and watching for opportunities, being led by the Holy Spirit. Times where we should see moments that appear to be odd or random as providential not accidental. Those moments could be happen at the grocery store, the gas pump, the quick-serve lunch or while walking through our own neighborhood.

I think it’s important to swap names, introducing ourselves like well-mannered people used to do. I think it’s important to write those names down to be able to do the exact thing that Paul is doing with the folks he met in Colossae. To be able to remember people’s name, because it’s very important for them to be seen and known. The other is to speak their name, before God, in prayer. Then using Paul’s prayer as a template, we can begin to pray for them and trust God for future moments of opportunity to love and serve our new friends.

Paul’s prayer is simple and can be easily memorized. We can ask God to give our neighbor and new friend a complete knowledge of his will, spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then we can pray that God will help them to live a life that honor and pleases God, producing every kind of good fruit (think of the 9 fruits of the Spirit). Then, wanting them to keep going and growing, that they would learn to know God better and better.

This prayer, that Paul prays over Colossae’s community of faith affirms something else I believe. Something simple, but should remind every one of us as believers that we are all responsible for. The word is DISCIPLE. And the thought is BE ONE, MAKE ONE. If we are a disciple, a follower of Jesus, we should be learning about God more and more, just like Paul stated. However, as believers, we should also be doing what Jesus commanded as he left for heaven. We should all be about making disciples. Who are you following, and who is following you? Who are you walking with to strengthen your faith, and, who is walking with you to do the same.

Being a good neighbor has the potential to being a good friend and hopefully that can turn into being a disciple by having someone follow you in your faith. Jesus had a group of 70 following him. Jesus chose to focus on 12 of them. But he specifically mentored 3 of them. This pattern is for all of us who say we are followers of Jesus! Who’s your 70, 12 and 3?

Prayer

Dad,
I am so thankful to not only follow you, but also have several men and women that have poured into my life. Some have discipled me, a few have mentored me. Thank you for Paul’s written pray for the folks in Colossae. It helps me know what to pray for with so many people on my own “neighbor” list as well as those who more closely follow me as I follow Christ. Most of all, thank you for continuing to help me grow and learn in wisdom and understanding, as well as grow in my faith.

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Our pronouns.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭59‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah uses a lot of cooperative personal pronouns when he writes about the desperate state and culture of Israel. He starts most of the sentences in these passages with “we.” “So there is no justice among US, and WE know nothing about right living. WE look for light, for bright skies. WE grope, we stumble, we are like the dead. WE growl like hungry bears; WE moan like mournful doves. WE look for justice, but it never comes. WE look for rescue. For OUR sins are piled up before God and testify against us. WE know what sinners we are. WE know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord. WE have turned our backs on our God. WE know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. OUR courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.”

We, us, our… Isaiah understood THEY were all willful, purposeful participants in the culture of WRONG. There is no waggling finger pointing out of a self-righteous soul declaring – YOU…. you did this! No, it’s us and ours.

After a slew of declarations attributed to the mess WE make of things – almost entirely against each other, Isaiah boldly declares that God will roll-tide in by His mighty breath of judgment and justice to make things right. God will rise like a raging river to “nō·sə·sāh,” drive, make to flee all evil. Who would NOT want God to sweep across their land and clear out the evil that has destroyed life, love, families and friendships?

In other places in the Bible, God tells us exactly who opposes His removal of evil – those who love evil and benefit from it. You start to understand that it’s the selfish, the tyrants, the proud and powerful, those on top that do not want God’s way. The ones who do not want justice are those who better themselves by keeping others down and dependent on their systems of power and control. God brings freedom where all others bring control, or enslavement.

Prayer

Dad,
I’m beginning to understand just how upside down our world and our thinking really is. When you bring justice and righteousness, it is to our advantage, it is for our freedom. It’s not just a freedom from tyrants, it’s the ability to be free from our own selfish, devilish desires! It’s not just my sin that is so destructive within, it is my sin that is devastating to all those around me, those that I love and want the best for. And as I read about the mass of people Isaiah is talking about, I see the effects of our unity in brokenness and darkness rather than wholeness and light. It is just so clear to me now. I pray that in the east and in the west that you rise and breath justice into us and ours.

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Things Christians don’t obey.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

““You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus preached his signature sermon and brought up a whole slew of hearsay of things his audience had heard through the grapevine. Jesus said, “our ancestors were told.” Yep, God told their ancestors (ours by adoption) that #6 on the list of God no-no’s was MURDER. Thou shalt not.

Then Jesus redefines what murder may look like from the hidden, recesses of our heart. Oooo, it looks a lot like anger and hatred! It looks like a caldron of hot, stinky thoughts ruminating around in our head. Maybe under our breath or whispered to a friend we might say, they are an Idiot.

I know it’s a word that’s been cancelled as a demeaning, derogatory term, but believe me Jesus word, rhaka, is so much worse. The word “fool” used here means an empty-headed, numbskull, good for nothing, who acts presumptuously and thoughtlessly. It’s more than the Proverbs word, “keciyl,” which is a slow, silly, careless fool. It’s more like “pethiy,” a person incapable of learning, thus continuing to fail themselves and others. Jesus says that kind of name calling can get you hauled into the court of the Sanhedrim (Hebrew elder board). But actually cursing someone out of anger can cause you to start wearing the cologne of hell, smelling like putrid smoke!

Jesus pulls back the dark curtain of our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to reveal the nasty stuff inside us when our anger is not righteous, but petty and self serving. Then Jesus makes a stunning conclusion. When our anger rages to the point of unbridled hatred towards someone, we’ve murdered them in our heart. Don’t tell me you haven’t wished someone dead! Jesus told them, and us, when that happens you’ve got to take drastic measures to be reconciled to the person your aiming your heart-hatred at.

It’s so important, so critical, Jesus says, that you have to LEAVE your gift, your praise, your sacrifice, your sweet one on one with God to take care of business! Then with a clear, non-murderous heart we can come back to God and give our gift.

Do we do this? No. Do we practice this? No. Do we believe this to be true? No. We don’t disrupt our time with God to make things right between each other. Why? Because it’s hard. It’s painful. It’s humiliating. To reconcile is an admittance of our guilt, our humanness. Our justifications sound like toddlers fighting on the playground, “well he started it!” Can you even imagine all our murderous thoughts and attitudes of all the people who have offended us, wronged us or embarrassed us? And we bring all that trash before a holy God while we pull out our little gift of praise or sacrifice?

Jesus said, LEAVE God’s presence and make things right with our fellow humans that have hurt us! And don’t even think about whining, complaining or tattling on someone before God. He won’t listen. Go make it right. Do the hard job as Jesus commanded. Quit messing around with years of stacked and stuffed anger, frustration and death threats towards others. Make amends.

“But there are so many,” you say. “What should I do then?” Ask the Holy Spirit to bring up the worst and most egregious, the one that darkens your soul and consumes a massive amount of your time just thinking about how MUCH you hate that person. This is such a powerful, yet IGNORED practice. I am convicted just reading this and have to deal with one of those reconciliations today!

Prayer

Dad,
Help me be brave and obey your word! Help me to humble myself and make things right with the person you have brought to mind as I write this. Forgive me for the delay. Amen.

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Benefits of unity in community.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

““But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever. But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭81‬:‭11‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Asaph pens this Psalm at the time of the second temple dedication. Israel had been through 70 years of captivity with little or no national coherence or cohesion. And worse, some Israelites somehow stayed in the Jerusalem area and intermarried with the locals which caused a major racial and cultural rift within their humiliated country.

We know Babylon was discipline and correction from God, but what is much more difficult to sort out is these psalmic promises from God. If… big if, Israel had stayed true to God, it is likely that none of their national conflicts would have happened. There are many writings in Psalms and the Prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah where God BEGS His chosen people to stay on track and quit chasing after other loves! Crystal clear message, follow God and He will fight the big fights for you.

My question and dilemma is… is that still true today. Is there a possibility that following God, staying on the straight and definitely narrow yields a certain amount of protection, even blessing? Before you answer, “of course it does,” remember Jesus and the leaders of the first century church outright told us, in this world we would have tribulation, and to be of good cheer. Jesus straight told us that believers would be hated for the message He brought, specifically because of Him. Yet, it still makes me think about this whole idea of sticking close to God and letting Him fight the big battles.

Are these promises for us as individuals or are they for us as communities of believers? Because if the promises of subduing enemies and God’s hands being on our foes is for the community of faith MORE than just on us as individuals, I would think we would be far more attentive to sticking together! If, for one moment, we behaved with a sense of unity and care for one another, I wonder if we would have a greater sense of God’s presence and protection? You realize that God disrupted the ancient city of Babel specifically because they were completely unified? Of course they were unified in godless pursuits, but Genesis 11 tells us it that unity in and of itself is powerful! ““Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.””

I imagine that unity in and for Godly pursuits would not only be unstoppable, it would also be far easier to see God’s Kingdom come and His will be done! I absolutely believe that God would bless our unity in the Church. And as long as we are fractured, divided and continue to treat one another with horrible religious contempt, we will not accomplish what God has for the Church. Yet, even in our flawed self-serving, divisive zealousness, God will have His way. I trust Him. I just wish believers would all get along and quit thrashing each other, especially in the cultural courts of social media. I am sick of it!

Prayer

Dad,
Our present state of unity in the Church just makes me sick to my stomach! I see the promises in the Psalms and I long for the protection you would provide, but I long for a unified community far more than just a lack of attacks on our faith. Maybe that’s why you pour out your Spirit at specific times, just to bring about our sense of being together. Together in praise and worship. Together in mission of making disciples. Together in the flow of your will, your desires. Help us Oh Lord.