Tag: love

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How to come back home.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you. “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and renamed him Abraham. When he had proved himself faithful, you made a covenant with him to give him and his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. And you have done what you promised, for you are always true to your word. ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Nehemiah’s story is so multifaceted: With layers of identity of helplessness, the significance of a difference maker, obedience to God, leadership lessons, and returning to God. The book is rich with story of rebuilding a nation, subterfuge, political betrayal and total humility after returning from a 70 year timeout of captivity in Babylon.

Within this climax of rising from ruin, there are these scenes filled with responsibility and repentance of the people who forgot their end of the covenant that their ancestor (Abraham) made with God. They also forgot God, who promised this rag-tag nomadic people a place of prominence among the nations. Israel, the chosen people of God, had risen and fallen so many times, that it felt like they would never make it. History and the world has always kept an eye on Israel!

In Nehemiah, the people, having done the 500 mile walk of shame, returned to their entire city left in shambles. Their most precious building, personifying God’s own house, had to be restored from rubble. Yet, after finding the lost book of Law of God and reading it, something beautiful began to rise out of the ashes and dust of disappointment – a declaration of who God is and remembering His promise. Boom 💥 – there it is; returning to God is a movement of declaration of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised.

This is the path for the prodigal who finally realizes their own way is the destiny of destruction! Those who really want to be god of their own life? Fine, take off – leave to find yourself. Run away as far as you can from God. Chase after everything you believe is due you, everything you think God is withholding from you. But when you’ve wandered away and find yourself in the middle of the desert, or the muddy slop of the pig’s pen, or even living in the penthouse surrounded by every luxury. When you’ve found nothing but empty, fake promises of fulfillment and end up staring at your hollow self in the mirror. It is then I pray you find the lost law of God, His eternal Word that has existed for thousands of years and will endure throughout eternity.

It is there that I pray you allow someone like Ezra to call you back to the place you so desperately tried to run from – the presence of God! On that day, my advice, is to do exactly what the people of Israel did on that October 31st day, an ancient all hallow’s eve. Repent and declare God’s supremacy over all things. Remember the promises He made to you before you walked away. The 70 year timeout in Babylon was good for the people because they had completely forgotten their God and His promises. Let it be so with your own timeout, your own wandering or rebellion. Return with all humility and sorrow you bore, along with the pain and suffering you caused in the countless lives that love you. This is how you make your way back home!

Prayer

​Dad,
I never imagined that the faith of those around me when I was young would ever be so fragile, so fickle. I never knew that those who started in their faith may not finish! I know how powerful your love is. I know how hard you pursue our soul, even as the “hound of heaven,” that you never give up on us. I just did not know that friends and family would walk away after experiencing you and knowing the truth. I pray that each and every prodigal would return and come home! I have not given up hope, because I know you will not give up. Amen.

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Cycles of disrepair.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Young Josiah becomes King of Israel at 8 years old. What a heavy responsibility to know that you’ve got to grow and mature into a national leader and that your country is counting on you doing things right. Josiah’s first official act doesn’t take place until he is 36 years old!

Josiah’s family origin story was awful! His grandfather and father were terrible, ungodly kings. His grandfather, Manasseh, had instituted idol worship throughout the land and the country had suffered greatly because of it. He gutted the contents of the temple and replace it with a carved image of Asherah. God’s temple and the pride of the country had become an idolatry whorehouse! Manasseh’s son, Josiah’s father was no better. Amon was so dispised that his own officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. And, the people of the land even killed all those who had conspired against king Amon. They made his son Josiah the next king.

The kingdom, both physically and spiritually were decimated and in complete disrepair! What can an 8 year old do to turn an entire country back to God? The Bible says that young Josiah had determined to turn to God, ”He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.” Maybe it was his mother, Jedidah, that made the difference.

After growing up and surveying all that had happened under his father and grandfather’s reign, spending 18 years deciding where and when to make change. He decided to reverse the curse of idolatry in his country. Where did he start? Repairing and making the temple a place of honor and glory to God once again. He sent trusted men to find other trusted men to put the Temple tax money to work. He found men to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple! What a genius idea – fix the house of God as a focused priority, to begin turning the people of God towards the one true God. This took faith in God and trust in men to make it all happen. Faith was in short supply and trusting people with money after years of systemic, nonsensical waste on fake gods would also be difficult.

Josiah ordered an odd and risky command, “don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive.” What? Is that legal? Giving money, tax money collected from the people, to construction guys? You know what? It worked. And, wouldn’t you know it. Immediately after Josiah takes this huge risk, entrusting people with money to do what is right, Shaphan just “happens” to come back with extraordinary news, reporting the results of the King’s decision. “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it. Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.”

The money was disbursed, the work on the Temple had begun and guess what? Hilkiah found the book of the Law! The restoration of the physical temple and the restoration of the spiritual hearts of the people would simultaneously be restored back to God! The cycle of despair and disrepair would end and the Lord would once again be worshiped and obeyed. One, young leader, with a heart to do what was right would temporarily turn a nation back to God.

It can happen again. It can happen today. Nothing is impossible with God. We no longer meet with God in a Temple, because God, through Jesus Christ has made His home in the hearts of His people. Now, individually and cooperatively we are the Temple of God. Can God use young leaders, with a desire to do what is right to turn the Church in America around? Can young leaders be entrusted to rebuild and restore what has been in disrepair in the Church for so many years? Yes! I believe it is possible. Returning to a refurbished temple would not be necessarily the church buildings that have been in decline for decades, it would be the restructuring and restoration of the hearts and lives of those who the Church, the body of Christ today. It would also be finding or rediscovering the laws of God that Jesus himself summarized for us so beautifully – Matthew 22:37-39, “Love God and love others.” And, “love as you’ve been loved” in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This would be the new revolution.

Prayer

​Dad,
I try to keep up with the latest, but not so greatest of stats on Your Church and the myriad of challenges and critiques. But I still believe! I still believe in Your plan, Your Church and actively watch and wait for young leaders to step up and in to the spiritual revolution that is coming. I have faith and trust in future Josiah’s! Amen.

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God’s got His eyes on me.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Psalm 3 was written in response to David running from his own son, Absalom. The threat was real. The enemies, also real. For David, it was running and returning to the caves and previous hiding places that once gave him protection while dodging the mad King Saul. So, it’s back to cave dwelling and raw prayer requests, asking God to be with him, protecting him.

Interesting that David writes about God being both his shield and head-holder. Running on adrenaline, with cortisol coursing through your body in a well known fear response is exhausting. David had found safety, not only in the caves, but in his prayers, his confidence in God. David was well battle-tested in his faith. When he writes that God is his glory, he has determined that his own honor, reputation and future is totally in God’s hands, His control. That is an amazing feat of faith! Nothing at that moment LOOKS safe, or good, or honorable for a king who has run from his own son.

David then gives us another tender picture of a father who sees their child wrestling with fear, rejection, even failure. As the father looks on his son, he reaches out and touches his son’s chin to lift it up, now able to look at the father’s face. As the son raises up his face, his eyes meet his father’s eyes. What does the son see? Does the son see disappointment or shame? No! The son, meets his father’s gaze of love, mercy and empathy for the pain he knows is happening in his son’s life. When David declares that God is the lifter of his head, he lets the reader know that when he looks up, he finds solace, peace and comfort. In a cave, on the “mountain of God,” he finds God’s approval. And now when he sleeps, what happens? His sleep is sweet and he wakes up feeling safe! Because he knows God is well aware of his circumstances, well aware of his surroundings and well aware of his fears.

In that moment David can say, even though there may be ten thousand enemies that hunt me down, I will not fear because God is protecting me, guiding me and watching over me. “His eye is on the sparrow,” as the old song says, “and I know he watches me.”

I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
Psalm 32:8 & Matthew 6:26.

I don’t know who your enemies are. I don’t know what battles surround you. I don’t know what fears and pressures you face. But one thing I know, if you are a follower of Jesus, if you love God with all your heart, God’s got his eyes on you. Let Him be the lifter of your head. Look up and see your salvation, your comfort. Sleep well tonight and wake up in safety!

Prayer

​Dad,
Ever since I was little I’ve know you have been watching over me. Before I really even understood what was happening while visiting churches, I knew you were real and saw me. When I finally heard your voice and said yes to you, it all made sense. In that moment, I recognized your presence was with me the whole time I was going through really scary moments in our home. I am so thankful you watch over me! Amen.

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Young pastor, old people.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul spends a lot of written real estate on how to treat each other – especially here in Timothy concerning elders and widows. Paul gets very specific, even detailing a special care list for those who qualify. The Jewish culture always had a strong family-oriented system of care even though some of the religious leaders created a loophole and were able to put money into a special temple account (Corban) rather than going towards their own elderly parents. Jesus shamed that idea in Matthew 15.

What does senior or widow care have to do with pastoring a church? It’s actually a huge part of pastoral responsibility, unless you’re dodgy as a startup church 😇. It is interesting that this area of specific ministry has exploded with the extraordinary extension of life expectancy over the past 50 years. Now, seniors are living well into their 90’s and beyond! Multi-generational churches are struggling to meet the tension of both geriatric pastoral care alongside early childhood care for couples in their thirties. Retirement and funerals along with baby deductions and birthdays are happening almost every month!

Back to widows – Paul has the hutzpah to write about the qualities and qualifications on getting on the widow list! And, it is obviously only for widows, not widowers. A widow has to be at least 60 (extreme life expectancy of that day). She had to seen as faithful to her husband. Well respected by everyone – because of the good she has done! Paul completely expected every godly widow to have a calling of serving, even through loss, grief and complete change of life status. Has had to raise her children well, kind to strangers and served believers in all humility. Helped those in trouble. And, always been ready to do good. This sounds like a full time job with no pay, but massive benefits from God! Paul writes to Timothy as though this was a widow’s, “job portfolio.” And you can bet that when Timothy was sent to pastor the Ephesian’s church, this was a huge part of his job and calling.

Timothy pastored that church until his death at 80 years old! Paul’s letters to Timothy are remarkable because he is writing about a young pastor’s own confidence in their calling as well as giving him the tools for leading a church that had gone through conflict, resulting in disunity. This idea of leading in a multigenerational church can and should happen. Yet, the caveat seems to be the willingness for the elderly to be led by a young pastor AND the willingness for the young pastor to be patient and caring for those who have experienced life and gone through trying times. Church plants are fantastic, but rarely have the elderly, the seniors or super-seniors in the body of Christ. Old churches, who were once a startup, have struggled to change and reinvent themselves to the point where they are purposely bridging and building into the lives of littles, youth and young families. Paul mentored Timothy when he was likely a young adult. That allowed Timothy to become a Bishop and to stay in one local church to give his life for the sake of the gospel in Ephesus.

Prayer

​Dad,
I believe in Your Church! I believe in life-long commitments in relationships within the local church. My heart has always been towards both loving and honoring the elderly as well as nurturing and mentoring young children, youth, singles and families. I believe that I am called to help bridge generational gaps that have become more divisive than they should be. As we see enormous change and uncertainty in the Church, help us keep our eyes on you, not on the past. Keep our hearts tender and our minds sharp, open and obedient to Your will, not our own. Amen.

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Is this is good enough?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark lays out a scene that every Rabbi, teacher or pastor would love to have happen. A man RUNS to ask Jesus about eternal life! Whoa. Where do we start? What do we say? Jesus banters back with an odd response.

The running man opened with “good teacher.” Good. Good. Good. The man compliments Jesus. Jesus volleys and hits it back to the man with a question, “why do you call me good?” Then Jesus follows it with a strange, but 100% true statement, “only God is really good.”
Jesus continues with a good declaration. One that clearly the man was already doing – the man was living a good life! “You know the commandments,” Jesus said. Is that a question? No. Jesus knows this is a good guy, doing good things. Then Jesus lists the “good” standards of the law, all of which are horizontal, mano-e-mano, human to human measures of good.

No murder – ✅.
No adultery – ✅.
No stealing – ✅.
No lying – ✅.
No financial cheating – ✅.
Honor your parents – ✅.

This guy was a saint, an Eagle Scout, a really decent good man. Check. Check. Check. He’s good! He humbly told Jesus, “I’ve obeyed all these since I was a kid.” So, why was he asking Jesus how to get eternal life? What was missing? He was already good and we find out he was already living the good life! What’s not adding up here?

Mark writes that Jesus (emblepó) deeply stared, engaging into the man’s soul and truly loved him. Jesus saw what was missing in his life. And in that moment Jesus’ love for him caused him to reveal the truth. There was one thing keeping him from really knowing God, thus really loving God.

There was another love, another god in his life. Oh, he was a commandment keeper, but he was holding on to something else, something that would keep him earthbound verses heaven-bound. He was rich! Jesus peered into this man’s soul and saw his true love, his true hope, his true heart. It was stuff and things. It was possessions and wealth. He wouldn’t make it to eternity because his heart was chained to his riches. Jesus, now answers the question the man did not want to hear, but desperately needed to hear, “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Jesus even offered him a chance to be a disciple, to experience God in flesh, here on earth. Jesus said it for AFTER you’ve sold everything, “come, follow me.” Jesus offered the man, not goodness, but greatness! If he wanted to be great in God’s Kingdom.

The man’s eager face, once filled with goodness, now fell to sadness because he was really really rich. Goodness is great until it replaces God. Well, how can anyone really be saved from themselves? Jesus told us, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” The miracle lies within complete surrender to God, giving all and not holding onto anything that gets between us and His love. With this good man it was his possessions. What about us? Is it pleasures, our plans? Hey! The guy likely believed that his wealth was a blessing from God. And, what if it was? But God did want him to amass wealth, he wanted him to give it away to bless others. But his wealth became what Christians call an idol. Rachel in the Old Testament stole and hid her father’s household idols. Michal helped David escape through a window and then took a large household idol and placed it in his bed to fool the guards. Idols are trinkets, statues or anything that becomes a secret hope, a secret faith, a secret life or pleasure. It’s a way for us to give “most” of our heart to God, but not all of it. God hates idols because they keep us appearing to be good, but in our hearts we’re not sold out for Him.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a story to help me get at the real issues in my own life. At first, it’s easy to just breeze through this as “rich man” issues – it is far more than that. It’s a story about being good vs great in Your Kingdom. Making you first and giving you every part of my heart, soul and strength should be a daily, hourly, priority in this life, in this world. Help me direct my passions towards you! Amen.

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Barriers to God.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you want to make God angry? Just create barriers to not allow people to experience Him! And most importantly, do not do anything, say anything or misrepresent God to CHILDREN. Jesus’ popularity as a Rabbi meant that parents (read mothers) were thrilled to just have Jesus smile at their kids, and speak a blessing over them.

Ya know, this is supposed to be a priority as a parent – getting your children to Jesus. This nonsense of letting children choose everything for themselves is awful. “Oh, we don’t teach religion, because we want them to choose for themselves.” “Oh, we let the children decide their morals, their choices for good or bad.” What a load of donkey-crock. Mark’s gospel points out that parents were doing what parents are supposed to do. They brought their children to Jesus for him to touch them, to physically bless them.

But the disciples strong-armed and scolded the parents for this. Did they think that Jesus was too busy? That there were more important people he should be spending time with? We don’t know. But Jesus wasn’t going to let it go. When he saw what the disciples were doing, he was (aganakteó) to grieved/indignant! Speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, release them to come (positive) and do not (kóluó) hinder (negative) them. Why? Because littles like these are the true owners of the Kingdom of God. In fact, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God in similar fashion as these children will never enter it!

Mark writes, “then Jesus (enagkalizomai) to take into one’s arms, to embrace them!” Jesus placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. There are basically two words for “bless” in the Greek. One is to make happy (makarios) the other to speak good words over (eulogeó: to speak well of, praise). Jesus spoke good words over the children that day.

Why would someone prevent a child or adult from coming to Jesus? I don’t think folks do it on purpose. The disciples thought they were being helpful to the busy Savior. They were not helpful. Some think that others might not be worthy enough, holy enough, or good enough to be in Jesus presence. Many thought this of the sex-worker woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears. The religious thought it improper for such a sinner to have contact with a holy representative of God. Lots of folks think others should clean themselves up or get their life together BEFORE approaching Jesus. The children weren’t unworthy, they were innocent.

As the Church, we have propagated so many barriers with our religious preferences, that we had a generation tag us with “Church hurts.” Church should not hurt! Of course it is bound to happen, because we are human, but we should also be ready to repent or say we’re sorry. For any and all the barriers we block those who simply want to come to Jesus and be blessed.

In another conversation, I brought up all the things we do as adults that cause barriers preventing children from really seeing Jesus. Because, to a child, we represent authority and a sense of what is supposed to be right. When adults misbehave or selfishly choose to follow their own will and ways, children are watching and it creates a fracture, a moral dilemma in their hearts. All they see is the hypocrisy and it takes a ton of grace to erase those episodes from their soul. We want to be people that let children get to Jesus! Even further, we can actually do what Jesus does – speak good words over a child!

Prayer

Dad,
I love this story, this scene so much. I am a huge fan of adults who see children as you do. Seeing them as innocent and open, curious and hopeful, playful and full of joy. And to know how quickly that season passes. Our challenge, my challenge is to foster those qualities in them as well as in our big-people, adult lives, to receive the Kingdom of God with wide-eyed wonder. Let it be so Oh Lord! Amen.

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Keep moving forward.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The mysterious author of the Hebrews (Was it a woman? Was it Paul, breaking from his normal style?), hits hard in six. Seemingly, conversely, controversially telling us to stop messing around with the “basics,” and get on with maturing in Christ. The basics? Things like repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement? WOW! That’s basics to our author? Afterwards, with THE sternest warning in the New Testament, “once enlightened, experiencing, tasting the good of the things of heaven and the Word of God – then TURNING from God,” the author states, “it is impossible to bring them back to repentance!” Whoa. That’s creepy.

The author then turns to a much more hope-filled admonishment. “Don’t let those things apply to you, KEEP MOVING FORWARD.” How should we do that? “Keep loving others for life!” That’s right. Simple? No. Soul sharpening? You bet. This is Hebrew’s antidote for slippery-sloping, back-sliding, corner-cutting Christianity. This makes “certain” (plérophoria: full assurance) our hope is sticky enough to last until all things are fulfilled. This, the author writes, keeps us sharp, preventing spiritual lethargy or dullness in our life and witness. Anyone that tells you that following Jesus is boring or dull, obviously is not doing Christianity right! God has capacity to do something new in you every second that you yield to Him. Faith and obedience is never dull, it leads us on and upward to fulfillment of Christ being formed in us.

Moving forward does not mean no rest, no reflection or pause in life either. Sabbath and rhythms of rest are a huge part of moving forward. May the fullness of God’s grace keep us moving forward, loving until life’s end!

Prayer

​Dad,
What a convicting consolation Hebrews has for us! Sober truth segwayed into sustainable love gives me a bright hope for us and the Church in which I serve. What a notion, to “love until life’s end!” Jesus did that and beyond. May your grace not only sustain us, but propel us onward. Amen.

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DIVORCE: Permits or puts up with?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Of course the religious legal department for the Jews would be trying to trap or trick Jesus into saying something they could use against him. The overarching irony is that they did not know who Jesus was, or what his purpose was for being on the planet. Jesus is the messiah, sent by God the Father, fully human and fully God. The religious did not, could not recognize their own boss!

These sects of the seventy (Sanhedrin) had piled up so much grief, pain and spiritual entanglements, it had super-hardened their stoney hearts. They were so bitter towards God that they couldn’t see him standing right in front of them. When they point-blank asked Jesus about divorce, Jesus just asked what Moses said about it in one of the books of the of the law. Moses had a section in Deuteronomy about miscellaneous laws. This particular one is hard for us to even fathom today. It’s found in Deut 24:1, “If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, a hand it to her, and send her away from his house.” Of course this rather deeply cultural and communal guideline is in a group of fringe laws that maintain order and integrity for a tribal, desert wandering, community of over million people. This is right alongside a command in the previous chapter, “No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD.” Huh?

Jesus asked the experts to quote Moses so he could hear the summary of what they believed was God’s truth about marriage. To the Pharisees, it was as simple as our “no fault” divorce laws today. The man needs no reason to break a covenant, a social contract, it’s as simple as declaring it and handing his wife a cease and desist letter and it’s done. Jesus wasn’t just correcting their understanding of the law, he was correcting their view of God himself!

Speaking as though he personally knew Moses and Moses’ motives, Jesus says, “He wrote the commandment as a concession.” Moses “permitted” it, he allowed it because of their dried-out, shriveled up hearts! Jesus pressed further, “But do you want to know what God really thinks about divorce?” Jesus takes the lawyers back to the original intent of marriage and the contractual reasoning for why it exists. It is God that instituted the Holy Estate of marriage! It was a template, a model for how male and female humans are to understand the bond, the mystery and the strength of both the physical union and spiritual union of two like but not like individuals. It was a singular, earthbound, permanent contract meant for health, wealth and happiness in producing more humans and learning about true love! A marriage should not be entered into flippantly. It is not easy to build, nor certainly should not be easy to tear apart. It is sacred because it is the foundation of family and a type of the covenant that God makes with us! God will not decide to wake up one day and announce three times, “I am done with you… divorce, divorce, divorce.” Go and find another god, find another lover, for I no longer am pleased with you. I am so thankful He keeps His promises!

Prayer

​Dad,
I find it frustrating that you are so often blamed for things that we get wrong. We have strong wills and strange, wayward wanderings, then we wonder why everything has gone wacky! It is so amazing that there is purpose behind everything you do. Even in ancient laws there was divine reasoning. We look at so many of the Old Testament laws, viewing them through modern lenses and have a difficult time seeing the why behind the what! For me, it’s all about trust and faith that you have always known what you are doing and what is best for humanity and for me. That is where I place my questions and thoughts when I do not understand things. I trust that your will, your wisdom, your way is right, true and just so I can park my doubts under the banner of faith. Amen.

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Aware of who we are.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Psalm 39 is a gritty, honest look at ourselves. It is a prayer of David expressing his awareness of his sin, mortality, and God’s judgment. It may seem negative and strange to focus on these dark, moody expressions of life itself. David so poetically writes about our existence as we pass through our time here on earth. ”We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.” Wow, merely moving shadows? So deep. And, “Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.”

It is these kinds of Psalms that helped me process a lot of angsty emotions as a young believer. David’s own words allowed me to learn to be completely open and honest before God in my prayers. So often deep, dark or even disturbing thoughts are considered to be wrong or inappropriate to even have, let alone talk about. David’s words do take us through some “Radical Candor” moments, but what would be the point of hiding or denying circumstances and feelings denying to process the full range of emotions in this life.

Some moments are so high that David seems to explode in praise to God – not here in 39 of course! Others, like this Psalm wind down to the depths, even focusing on how short our lives seem to be, “Each of us is but a breath.” BTW, this Psalm was inserted at the end of David’s life. It seems to reflect the perspective of someone who has lived long enough to realize how slow time moves when you’re young and how quickly the sand moves through the hourglass of life as we age. Time, perspectives and even emotions are so different moving through life. When young, time moves slow and emotions are raw and extreme. When old, time often slips trying to get traction of what happened today, yesterday or even this month! And our emotions seem to get foggy as we age, a little dulled and definitely delayed. “Wasn’t I just angry at God?” “What about? I do not know.” “I shall just forget about it and move on!” “Was I happy yesterday?” I seem to remember a few captivating moments, “I may have been!”

I can imagine David looking back over his life as he stretches out his much older, much wrinkled hand. He stares at it, remembering how it gripped the sling or sword back in the day. As he draws a line across his hand in his own mind, he writes, “yeah, that’s about the length of my life.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Being human is such an interesting mystery, even a dilemma. Mix in a high level of inventive autonomy along with a broken sense of morality and purpose and we are a glorious MESS. We are basically an emotional swamp filled with beauty and bewilderment all swimming around together. It truly means we depend on you to sort us out and suss out the helpful emotions from the destructive ones. I’m not complaining, I think it’s amazing when I realize the scope of high highs down to the lowest of lows. Having emotions and safely being able to share them with you feels like it’s the only route to sanity. Thank you for knowing and loving the real me! Amen.

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Biblical standards in a secular culture.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.“ ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Relationships are hard to come by, hard to foster and even harder to keep fresh and alive. The Apostle Paul emphatically writes to the Corinth believers, this is a “command of the Lord,” stay in your marriage! Stick with it. A wife nor a husband must not leave. And, with exceptions under specific circumstances (adultery, abandonment, abuse), let them remain single or be reconciled.

This aligns with Jesus re-affirming the Genesis covenant, “What God has joined together, let no one tear apart.” Whether things are going peachy or putrid, a covenant is a solid promise to see this highly cherished relationship through until death. This promise, this contract, is only valid here on earth and becomes null and void in eternity, for there is no married couples in heaven. This makes marriage a very earth-bound, coveted covenant designed for our health, wealth and happiness.

Corinth was a crazy, “free” culture. In Corinth, men and women were quite equal in wealth and power. There were a few women Paul specifically mentioned as part of his missionary team and critical to the establishing the church in Corinth. One prominent woman, Priscilla, was a wealthy businesswoman, making and repairing tents similar to Paul’s trade. She and her husband, Aquila, were not only one of the leaders in the local church, she was a big donor to Paul’s missionary endeavors. The couple’s house was likely THE biggest church gathering in town – up to 100 people attending each week. Paul was indeed aware of the cultural implications that prominent cities like Corinth had on the churches.

“Marriage in ancient Greece had less of a basis in personal relationships and more in social responsibility.” The goal and focus of all marriages was intended to be reproduction, making marriage an issue of public interest. Marriages were intended to be monogamous. In keeping with this idea, the heroes of Homer never have more than one wife by law, though they may be depicted with living with concubines, or having sexual relationships with one or more women. In Plato’s Laws, the would-be lawgiver suggests that any man who was not married by age 35 should be punished with a loss of civil rights and with financial consequences.

According to scholars, divorce did not seem to be looked down upon in ancient Greece. Any negative reputation attributed to divorce would have been due to related scandals rather than the divorce itself. In ancient Athens, both husband and wife had the power to initiate a divorce. The husband simply had to send his wife back to her father to end the marriage. For the wife to obtain a divorce, she had to appear before the archon, [Wikipedia].

Paul may have used these cultural influences to drive the counter-cultural idea of a life-long, covenant marriages. One where marital fidelity and commitment honored Jesus and set believers apart from others during that time. In our “modern” culture today, I believe several decades of easy, no-fault divorce (first legalized in California in 1969) eventually eroded the loyalty and beauty of the marriage covenant.

Future couples reacted by either shacking up with no real commitment or abandoning the wedding idea altogether. Oddly enough, now many couples sign “pre-nup” contracts protecting their individual assets. Believers today would be committing to a counter-cultural position in marrying young, having children and staying together for the rest of their lives! I love that Paul maintained Biblical standards of love, covenant-commitment, loyalty and guidelines to follow even in a very popular, secular environment.

Prayer

​Dad,
I have always believed that You are truth and Your word is right, true and just. I have also believed you are not just right, you are also practical! Your way works, my way does not work. So obedience has some privileges that come with honoring your Word and its boundaries for living. I am so thankful for the gift of marriage and the security of a covenant contract that binds two “like but opposite” humans, male and female, together. It is good for me, good for my wife, good for our children and now good for our grandchildren! Thank you for breaking generational curses to make this happen and thank you for new generational blessings for our future. Amen.