Tag: holiness

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Dinner with perfection.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.” Luke‬ ‭11:37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you smell the whiffs of fresh baked bread, the roasted herbs and see the deliciously colorful vegetables and fruits. Not with Luke’s account of Jesus going to the home of “perfection.” Do you know what Jesus smelled? A setup. Have you attended a meal where you knew the host was, you know, uh, let’s just say they are very fastidious about detail? If you have you know the feeling of nervousness and uneasiness and learn that the night will not be about the meal at all. And, neither will the meal be relaxing with lots of laughter and stories that make you feel part of the family. Meals at homes about perfection are all about performance and elite edicate, watching your “p’s” and “q’s.”

“But he started it!” This might have been the reason Jesus lit into the host from the git-go. Luke tells us that Jesus KNEW what the host was thinking. “His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.” Was it the host’s open gaped mouth or the lowered eye brows with a tight-lipped side frown? We don’t know, but Jesus did! Wait, Jesus didn’t wash his hands before dinner? No, no, no, come on – Jesus wasn’t born in a barn, er, without manners. This was a highly detailed, cultural, ceremonial cleansing purely for a religious show of “insider” rules practiced by pure-bred, wicked-smart elites.

The poor, the common would have had a VERY simplified version of this ritual. Jesus, just purposely skipped it altogether. He may have decided, “let’s just get right to the heart” of why he’d been invited in the first place. This host’s meal wasn’t about making peace at the table, it would be a failed lesson about righteousness and holiness!

Jesus spoke the first volley, serving up a spiked, fast comment right away. Jesus answered the grimaced, chagrined face of his host. “Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.” Yikes! Ouch! Boom! Bam! Jesus goes for the religious jugular. Not so subtlety saying, “just STOP it!” You can’t “pull the wool” over the eyes of God. You can’t deceive or fake or have any pretense before the real standard of perfection.

Wow. Jesus admonished this “never been corrected” religious leader. And, if you look hard you’ll see God’s grace and mercy. Oh, you’ll find brutal, unvarnished TRUTH, but you’ll also see hope.

Truth: INSIDE you filthy, greedy and wicked, and no amount of ceremonial hand washing is going to fix that! Hope: Stop the pretense and give to the poor. That’s the hosts antidote, his potion to rid the poison of his soul. Give to the poor! Now, lest you think that giving to the poor will clean or save you, save me – it won’t. Unless you are living the “religious” purity scam, while being a greedy miser, living high on frugal principles while others suffer around you. Giving to the poor is not your antidote. Let the Holy Spirit point out your poison and then listen carefully for God to prescribe the perfect recipe to save your life! What a dinner that was, right? I wonder if Jesus shook off the dust on his sandals as he left that house?

Prayer

Dad,
Please remind me to NEVER try to fake perfection around you! And, to never try to impress you or anyone else with some kind of religious ritual as a performance. I’ll just remember to come before you naked and humbled by my station in life.

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BIG life, boulder free.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.” Romans‬ ‭9:30-32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Imagine the walkway leading up to your house or your apartment complex. The reason it exists is for easy access to the entry to your home. Now imagine, if you decided to put a big boulder right in the middle of that path. Now the path is blocked, making it harder to get to your front door.

Paul says the law, the perfect commandments of God are that boulder, that ROCK. Paul says that for the Jewish folk, God himself put that boulder there. Then, by inference says, as a Gentile why would you put the rock 🪨 there by yourself, when God did not want it there?

Paul’s rock analogy is about the law. Gentiles, non-Jewish folk, weren’t even aware that there was a rock at all and thus, their path to God was not based on WORKING around the rock to get to himself. Gentiles had faith in Christ, who permanently removed the rock to freely allow access to God? To the Jews, Paul says elsewhere, Jesus is a stumbling block (boulder), because faith in Christ’s work removes the barrier between us and God. However, even as Gentiles (most of us), came to Christ, through faith and not having to work to get around or over the boulder, it seems that we still easily pickup Jewish ways.

We put the boulder back in the way and then struggle to get around it! Why? Because faith in Christ is HARDER than working to keep all the commandments. Strange huh? Faith in Christ is a humbling trust that God moved towards us and removed all the barriers to perfection and yes, holiness, to have a full grace-filled life with himself. Doesn’t grace make us like, sin-lazy, easy to just take the gift and do whatever we want? That is possible. Isn’t grace too easy? Not according to God it’s not. This grace was the most costly, extravagant gift God could ever give. It cost the suffering and death of his own Son, Jesus. But can’t that be taken advantage of or spurned (treated cheaply)? Yes, but what’s the advantage of that? That just puts us, automatically under the curse of the law – the souls that sins MUST die. Treating God’s gift of grace flippantly puts the boulder right back in our path.

God expects us to not only be thankful for His gift but to trust Him to live as BIG of a life as we can in this miracle of forgiveness. Living a Big life, boulder free!

Prayer

Dad,
It is so frustrating when we want to move towards being better, sinning less and try to live a life of perfection, the first thing we think of is putting ourselves back under the law and work hard to impress you. We’re just putting the rock back in our our path! The only path to perfection is running towards your presence and through your Holy Spirit live this life of grace and trust. Of course there is confession of sin and a repentance from those sins, but not to work harder or “do good” to try to erase our own sins. You designed us to walk with you and have provided a perfect way to make that happen – through Jesus. Thank you!

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Aaron’s first official day on the job!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water. Dress Aaron with the sacred garments and anoint him, consecrating him to serve me as a priest. Then present his sons and dress them in their tunics. Anoint them as you did their father, so they may also serve me as priests. With their anointing, Aaron’s descendants are set apart for the priesthood forever, from generation to generation.” Exodus‬ ‭40:12-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a day. The level of attention to detail is astounding. God instructed Moses, talking to him of course, about exactly what he wanted and where he wanted each item to be placed. Then a whole other checklist of details for himself and the priests that would serve as hosts and mediators while in the desert and throughout all generations. This was a serious assignment.

This job came with serious consequences for error. I can almost imagine a sign posted as you approach the tabernacle reading like a safety record, “0 Deaths” while serving God this month.

Each and every detail had purpose behind it. Nothing was random and without design. It all seems to me as I read through the instructions of attending to the tabernacle, which would later transfer to the temple, it is overwhelming. But I’m sure there was slow, methodical checking and routines that made it possible. God wanted anyone that approached the place of covenant to be washed, dressed appropriately and anointed – all to be set apart, to be holy before God. None of this would have been taken lightly. It was very serious to be called to be a priest.

Here Moses mentioned the sacred garments, the uniform while on duty. It was also extremely detailed. The entire 28th chapter of Exodus covers it – “Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.” Exodus‬ ‭28:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

I love the idea of a generational anointing, a blessing setting them apart for service to God and to the people. I especially like the idea that this anointing for Aaron and his sons would be forever. Does that mean that even though Jesus fulfilled all the functions and duties as the once-for-all high priest that Aaron’s progeny would still be in service though no longer as mediators? I think so! How interesting. We know from history that this priestly journey for Aaron’s kids were a very bumpy one, yet a promise is a promise – right?

I enjoy thinking about God’s attention to detail when I read through the Old Testament because it reminds me to pay attention to the details that show up in the New Testament. With God there is always a perfect WHY behind ever WHAT – we just don’t know all of them because God is both so far above and beyond us AND He’s awesomely a mysterious God as well!

PRAYER:

Dad,
I don’t know if I would have done well in the Old Testament/Covenant context. There are so many stories of extreme highs of faithfulness and horrible lows of sin and disobedience. Then there are amazing stories of heroism and great feats of faith as well as brutal, even violent behaviors of evil towards you and their own families. I think that hardest part would be keeping your laws and not being drawn way or distracted by the way other nations did things. I am certainly glad to under the law of grace as well as the covering of Jesus for my sins and failures. For that I am eternally grateful.

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Moses bargains with his life

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.” Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” Exodus‬ ‭33:17-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I can’t even imagine the intimacy and the amount of years it took for Moses to eventually have this kind of conversation with God! Moses was super straightforward with God without being disrespectful in any way. Just reading “one day Moses said to the Lord…” and “The Lord replied to Moses,” blows my mind! Of course, WE have always been able to tell God anything and everything. We’ve always been able to have that part down. But have I, have you – talked to the Lord? I know people who are really casual in the conversations with God of all creation. And even though I honestly do approach God with the word, “Dad,” I’m never crass or flippant in my conversations.

Here’s the thing with Moses though, God spoke back! I believe the folks around later heard a storm-like thunder, but Moses heard God’s voice.

And in true and beautiful Jewish style, Moses tries to bargain with God constantly – it’s in his DNA to do so. Abraham did it. Jacob did it. Jesus even did it in Gethsemane on his last night before the cross. It gives me chills when God says to Moses, “oh I know you, I know your name.” He knows all about us intimately.

Moses makes this crazy request, “show me your presence.” Now Moses had clearly seen the kinds of things that happen when God’s presence shows up. Bushes burn without being consumed. Terrifying plagues come and go that frightened people and ruined the local economy for days. Huge rivers stopped and made walking trails. Storm clouds hovered and pillars of fire roamed around at night like a nightlight for giants. Moses! Really? His angle was brilliant “If you’re presence isn’t known and seen, then these hard-headed people you asked me to lead won’t believe a word I say. They only listen to me because they’re afraid of you.” What kind of crazy curiosity did this guy have? And, shocker, God didn’t say NO.

God momentarily concealed his holiness to accommodate a personal request. God: “I can’t show you my face or you will turn back into dust, but I’ll hide you behind the rock, pass in front of you call out MY NAME, covering you with my hand.”

God: “then I will remove my hand so you can see my backside as I pass by.” What a moment! Can you even imagine being in the presence of God and having a face to face conversation with him?

One day we will not only talk with God will have a chance to go on a walk with him just like Adam and Eve did back in the beginning. I can’t wait. As for now, we have the Holy Spirit, who is the presence of God with us, beside us and for us. So ask away! Talk with God and tell him what’s on your heart. You could even try making some cool deals with God and see how it goes!

PRAYER:

​Dad,
Wow, what a moment to peek into the life of Moses and see how much you loved him – even with all his faults. I’m pretty sure he had issues with anger and a short temper. Funny enough, he didn’t even feel qualified or had any desire to be a leader. He’s where I get the whole “reluctant leader” model from.

And yet, he and you had some amazing conversations. I am truly looking forward to some long walks and talks in eternity, which is really hard to imagine right now.

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Don’t be like the ancients

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:6-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Here we have Paul giving us a great example of how a well trained, former Pharisee interprets an ancient passage of scripture from Exodus. I read Exodus and see lessons of Old Testament theology and practical advice for living while looking through the lens of Jesus’ saving grace.

Not so much with Paul. Paul tells the church in Corinth – it’s a WARNING. Paul gives the text the same amount of veracity that Moses gave when he wrote it! I see the Old Testament as a little outdated. Paul sees it as current. My sense of context is therefore dulled by a distorted view of grace when I do this with scripture. Paul’s high TRUTH, high LOVE compels him to admonish (warn & encourage) the modern, metropolitan church filled with a city bursting with immoral opportunity to sin!

Paul starts with our commonality with the ancient wanderers (same baptism, same food and water, same God) and writes, “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Paul – haven’t you read “what’s so amazing about grace?” Don’t you know that God isn’t mad at us and we live in a very long season of mercy? Oh, Paul knows alright. He wrote much, if not most of the theology on the topic of God’s grace. But it’s never an excuse to sin more! And, Paul never throws shade on God’s holiness, wrath or judgment?

Paul tells the Church, don’t be like the ancients in these areas: partying, feasting and drinking, indulging in pagan revelry. Don’t engage in sexual immorality, don’t TEST Christ [mercy], and don’t grumble. Paul suggests that these human behaviors only INCREASE as the end approaches! God’s grace covers my sin, but will never accommodate my sin!

PRAYER:

Dad,
I am thankful for your word. I am thankful for Pastor Paul who’s words still preach about holiness and godliness. I am thankful for your Holy Spirit to lead away from temptation not towards it, who leads me in confession of sin, not denial of it. I am thankful for your mercy. I am also thankful for your wrath – your pure sense of justice for all wrongs, not just the ones I agree with. I am most thankful for your grace that came at the ultimate price of death of the Son who was completely innocent and perfect.