Tag: love

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Fathers’ discipline & correct.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In a cultural milieu of anti-patriarchal conversations, the Bible is either out of sync OR it’s timeless truth that shapes our lives, our families and especially our children.

The wisdom book, the eternal expression of God culminating in the life of Jesus, has a lot to say about parenting! Fathers play a significant role in the lives of children- it’s a sociological fact, backed by solid statistics of their influence in the family unit.

What is truly amazing to me is that while doing a sermon series prep, I came across this theme in both the book of Judges (2:19-22), Proverbs (3:11-12), Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:32) and Hebrews (12:5-8). Israel, God’s chosen people, had an awful time cycling in and out of sin and disobedience. God would rescue them, and they would run right back to idols and fake gods, doing despicable things. God would then judge them – harshly, allowing other nations to raid and plunder their cities.

Almost no one wants to talk about discipline or correction, especially as adults! I mean it’s great to talk about it as parents raising children, but who disciplines and corrects adults? God absolutely does! All these Bible verses make it clear – God corrects those he loves and delights in. Hebrews goes further and says, “Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬” BOOM💥! Leaving us alone and to our own selfish ways would mean that God abandons us, proving we were “nothos,” a bastard, illegitimate child!

This is a strong word for parents who feel that they shouldn’t impose their will, their morality, even their beliefs on a child. By NOT doing so they are showing a disinterest, a disdain for the child’s welfare in their future. This nonsense that a child should choose morality or beliefs for themselves is a damnable lie, destroying a foundation that allows a child to feel safe and know they are loved! A child cannot and should not “raise” themselves!

Fathers, keep correcting your child because you love them and delight in them. Adults, know this; God isn’t mad at us when he corrects us. He purposely roadblocks our drive to get what we think we want – when it’s clearly wrong. God loves us and delights in us when he brings in someone or something to knock us off our destructive path. I try so hard to ACCEPT, not reject the Lord’s discipline, knowing that is for my own good!

Prayer

Dad,
Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between being harassed by the enemy of my soul OR being disciplined because of my bad choices. I depend on the Holy Spirit to pinpoint the issue. And, when I realize it’s because of some dumb, selfish decision I made – clearly SIN, I repent and yield to whatever you bring as consequences for my actions. It’s hard, but I know that you love me. I am so thankful you don’t let me wander off or storm off too far before you send a little pain and struggle my way to humble me and get me back on the right path. I am so grateful for your grace and mercy towards me. Amen.

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Advising God?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭33‬-‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul has laid down the long and intense history of how God chose and used Israel to be his own. The Jews were known as the people of God. He led them, blessed them, disciplined them and loved them. Paul makes the point very clear – God is not finished with them. Paul also segues into another fact, God’s intention all along was to bring salvation to the whole world through the Jewish people. This baffled the Jews and pleasantly surprised the Gentiles (non-Jew).

In this discussion, it becomes clear that God has plans and ways that are not just mysterious to us, they don’t make sense at all. I don’t know if you have ever thought about someone else’s decision processes as bad or wrong, but many times we think, “I would not do it that way!” In a puny, Pauline way, he writes, “who knows God’s thoughts?” Or, “who advices God?” Just the thought that God might OWE US for some plan or brilliant idea is ludicrous!

Paul makes this amazing, declarative statement that may bristle and bruise our own fierce human pride, “EVERYTHING that comes from God and exists from his power is intended for his glory!” It is all about God, it always has been, always will be. Just the fact that God has not only decided to create us and love us, to be in a relationship with him; but also, that he has included us, and wants us to engage in his plans is a mind-blowing, mercy-filled idea!

As humans, we can cry, whine, complain or threaten God, but it won’t change who he is or how he works among us. Contrarily, we can also laugh, celebrate and cooperate with him, which still won’t change God, but it will change us. Of course we make the mistake, thinking it IS about us, that we (or I) am the center of the universe, but that is far from the truth. I can understand that when I think about God’s love towards me, I can misunderstand and believe it is about me – but it’s not. It’s about God.

Here’s the real mystery, God designed humans to be fierce, independent, creative and even domineering! Sin has made us take those characteristics and push them to the extreme, making it all about us and keeping those qualities all to ourselves. However, when we submit to God’s grace and receive his forgiveness, it brings us back to his own character of grit, determination, inventive, interdependence and even powerful under his authority. Instead of consuming those traits unto ourselves, we use them to serve, love and protect those who are weak and struggling, those who don’t see God or know him. We become agents of grace to those who do not feel powerful or valued. Of course it’s a choice, God’s will, God’s way or our will, our way? One leads to life, the other death. For me, I’m just not qualified to advise God and for sure I’m not going to be shaking my little fist at him as I slip into the abyss, permanently separated from him! No, I plan to trust and obey – there just is no other way.

Prayer

Dad,
After reading Paul’s words and understanding his point (your truth), I just feel like I must be the most selfish person in the world. Even for one second to think that I know better about running my own life, someone else’s or (big laugh) the world itself. It is so important to keep the perspective of who you are and what you want to accomplish in this world. I choose to submit! I choose to bow and come under your authority and your grace. I bend my heart and knee before you! Your will, your way Oh God!

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Consider God’s thoughts.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The most spectacular verses written by David. David records this prayer after being made king over all Israel in 1 Chronicles 13. The celebration was huge! But more than that, David made his first kingly decree, “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” David invites the physical presence of God, represented in the Ark of the Covenant. It’s within the context of this moment, filled with joy and overwhelming emotions and the culmination of years of promise that led to that moment. It’s in those moments David writes this beautiful prayer.

The span of our human life – God sees it, saw it all before time even began. This is powerfully sacred! Have you thought about how God knows each one of us? How God sees us, individually? And what are God’s thoughts towards us, towards you? David is love-struck knowing that God’s thoughts towards him are precious and numerous. How can this be? How does that work? How is it possible? Never mind the mysterious details! Just grab that idea for a moment. God’s thoughts for you are precious and innumerable. Read Psalm 139:1-6.

We only have capacity to review our past and ponder our history. When and where we were born, thinking about our parents and our circumstances of growing up. We can only remember up to yesterday or the moment before this one. God’s thoughts, go out ahead of our life, beyond today. His thoughts go out to tomorrow and beyond the end of our life. God knows when and how we will come to the end of our life here! But even then, His thoughts continue towards us on throughout eternity. We have to admit along with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” Yes, too great to understand. Yet we can know that it is true and God is trustworthy!

Prayer

Dad,
Thinking about you, thinking about me is wonderfully overwhelming! How could I possibly grasp all that means? I can believe it. I can accept it as true. And, like David and trillions of other souls that exist, I can reflect on that fact that you know me intimately and love me completely.

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Winter is passing, spring is arriving!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Ah, I hear my lover coming! He is leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My lover is like a swift gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he is behind the wall, looking through the window, peering into the room. My lover said to me, “Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one! Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone. The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, my darling! Come away with me, my fair one!” ‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If someone were to ask me to summarize the book of “Song of Solomon,” I would point them to experts who have tried to unravel the mystery and controversy of this book. The book was included in “official” version of what biblical scholars call the “authorized text.” And, it is included in the Bible we have today. But, even still, no one can really tell us why it made it! The Jews listed it among their writings as poetry and wisdom. Most current pastors and teachers try not to use the book in any serious theological understanding of God, or practical application to our lives. It is often sidelined to marriage retreats or shock-n-awe value for single adult groups. It has been given whispered warning labels, NSFK (not safe for kids), among parents and kid’s pastors. The Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, “The Song of Songs is perhaps the most difficult and mysterious book in the entire Bible. A cursory glance at the Song’s history of interpretation reveals a diversity of opinion unequaled in the study of any other biblical work. The Song has been interpreted as: (a) an allegory, (b) an extended type, (c) a drama involving either two or three main characters, (d) a collection of Syrian wedding songs, (e) a collection of pagan fertility cult liturgies and (f) an anthology of disconnected songs extolling human love.” That said, it is lovely read, filled with beauty and wonder-words that are perfect to peruse on a summer morning! ​

“A Song of Springtime. This beautiful song describes the young maiden watching her beloved come to her. He calls her to join him in the countryside, where the winter has passed and the new life of spring can be seen in the land. The beauty of young love here is likened to the blossoming forth of fresh life and fragrance that characterizes Palestine in spring.” *Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible.

This also reminds me of an amazing allegorical work, C.S. Lewis’, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The white witch had cast a evil season of permanent winter. It was so long and so harsh that the people of Narnia practically forgot there were EVER any other seasons to be seen. Winter has often represented death. However, in our natural seasons it always gives way to spring, summer, then fall.

In the allegorical parallel, the same goes for the young maid who waits for her love to return. And, he arrives just in time for the full swing of love, beauty, song, smells and sounds of spring. I am reminded, as culturally dark as it may feel, winter is but a season. And Jesus, who wields power over all that exists, is coming back – soon. And with him, he will bring a spring so glorious, so beautifully bountiful that we will forget all about the long harsh season of death and will embrace him and God’s kingdom of heaven here on earth.

Prayer

Dad,
It’s summer now, at least as seasons go. But in reality, in our world, it feels an awful lot like winter. Our souls are weary. Our spirit is holding on to hope that you are coming. Not in the coming of the rapture, the parousia, the catching away. No, that you are coming with another revolution. To pour out your spirit on searching flesh. Would you once again speak, giving dreams, visions and words directly to those who have not just tasted the lies, but swallowed them and are re-distributing them to the innocent, the unaware! Have mercy on us Oh God. Bring spring, let your love sweep across land like a husband racing towards his beloved bride. Come quickly Lord Jesus, we wait for you.

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Coming home.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and praise the Lord. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.” Psalms‬ ‭134‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Seventy years of serving under a foreign king, in a foreign land, as forced refugees. If anyone understands being homeless, displaced and living as strangers, it’s Israel. And you and I both know it was intentional. The golden deal made with God and his people were well known. The blessings were clear, the consequences were clear. Yet, that did not stop millions of people from doing what they wanted to do. It didn’t stop an entire nation from jealously pursuing the cultures of its neighbors – it’s enemy neighbors. They had a king, we want one. They had flashy… fill in the blanks – clothes, riches, palacious palaces. Israel wanted all that and more. They wanted clout, power and significance that reflected their appetites. And, they had that under Solomon. But it wasn’t enough. The one thing that finally caused them to break their contract with God was the one thing that still breaks God’s heart. They wanted another lover, another God.

None of their deep generational lessons would stick. None of ours will either. God let them chase after another, and another and another. Then out of love, God put them in several generational time-outs. By the way, living, serving and existing under the Babylonian kings wasn’t all bad. God had placed some undercover high-level operatives in the upper echelons of leadership. Yet, it wasn’t home and a remnant still ached to return to their first love, their God.

You can wander, you can search, you can party with friends and pursue the life you think will fulfill you, but it’s all a mirage with no lasting substance. Ezra writes this Psalm on the way home! Back to their homeland, way of life and their now broken down temple where God no longer visited. Yet, there was hope that this time the people were serious and there would be forgiveness, reconciliation and most importantly a restoration of the contract. Israel would, once again, be God’s favorite. This theme runs the length of our human story. In some way or another we are always longing to come home – and stay home. I’m not talking about a location, I’m talking about a way of life. I don’t know what has kidnapped or enticed you away from home, from a life filled with God. But I do know that at anytime, you are welcome to come home.

Prayer

Dad,
I was born a refugee, in terms of family and any sense of home. I did not know of, nor have a sense of belonging or of home – not with You. I felt lost and I wandered because I didn’t know any better. Even in those dark and blurry days, I had a tiny little sense that someone, something was watching over me. Then I found out it was you. And when you called me to yourself and offered me a forever home, I gladly said YES. I still feel the tug of other loves and other lovers, but none of them could possibly fulfill that place in my life of being home with you. Thank you for giving me that permanence! I pray that others who search will find, others who ache will turn and come home.

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Long-view Love.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭48‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus leads these discussions with, “you have heard it said.” Of course he’s referring to passed down sayings from those who have interpreted the laws of God and put their own application spin on it.

We know that “love thy neighbor” comes from Leviticus 19:18, but where does “hate thy enemy” come from? Well, it makes sense right? I mean isn’t the definition of the word enemy, have within reason, the idea of hating them? They are a hostile foe, are they not? Wouldn’t hate be helpful to stop our enemies from being so adversarial? Wouldn’t hate be the appropriate emotion to keep my family safe from their obvious oppositional acts to hurt me? Matthew wrote the greek word Jesus used for the word enemy, exthrós – someone openly hostile, animated by deep-seated hatred, implying irreconcilable hostility, proceeding out of a “personal” hatred bent on inflicting harm.

There’s an unspoken law that lives with in us as humans, it’s Newton’s Third Law of Motion. It states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When applying that to an emotional force, such as hate, we must apply an equal amount of hate to stop it! Or at least enough to deter the hater from causing real harm to someone. You haven’t just heard it said, we still live this law every day!

When someone on the freeway races up behind me, practically kissing my bumper, then suddenly jets out beside me not only to pass me, but to cut me off in the process, there’s some real hate going on IN ME! In my mind, someone has to stop this maniac, this law breaker. And since there’s no presence of the “law,” it’s up to me to save myself and others by giving her a physical token of my disapproval!

Jesus doesn’t just school us about love and hate, he condemns the sin response in us (because that’s what it is) and teaches us to model our thoughts and behaviors after God. Loving our enemies is behaving as true children of our Father in heaven. And not only love them, but pray for them as well! Jesus says PRAY for those who curse (katara) you!

Jesus then blows our Newtonian Law right out of my brain. In the Kingdom of God, LOVE is the more powerful force to stop hate! But look, we need to quit throwing the weak, watered down version of our modern interpretation of the word, “love,” and get back to the Biblical version – agapaó. Agape is the God version of love, that is self-sacrificing, putting others before our own needs, painful and beautiful expression of wanting the best for someone. It’s not a cheap, surfacey love that lies to make someone feel good, nor the one that accepts you for whoever you are, or whatever you are today. Agape is a tethered truth to the core of who God is and the extent he went through to save and restore us. Believe me, to the broken and dysfunctional, this kind of love hurts because it is true and can be trusted when all other love-lies have failed.

Jesus did a perfect job illustrating this, it’s easy to love those who love you. It’s a built in reward system. I love you BECAUSE you love me back. Or, I love you because you showed me love to begin with. Jesus then points out of the most hated people group at the time, even “tax collectors” do this. It works because you get something out of that transactional kind of love, it’s a reciprocal deal (this is the way most people love anyways).

Get this, then Jesus says to be and do “perfect” love. Jesus uses this word, teleios: having reached its end. Teleios is the mature, consummated, wait for the full completion kind of perfection. It’s the long view of completion because God’s stories are very long. Jesus says, take the long-view of love (agape) like God does with us. That kind of long-view love is powerful, unstoppable and is more than enough to stand up to the hatred, cursing and even violence of your enemy.

It reminds me of when Jesus was in the olive garden with his disciples, well before the thorns, spikes and spears tearing into his body. Peter pulled out a sword (how long had he been hiding that?) and Jesus told them, “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” Jesus could have easily gone all Old Testament on the Roman soldiers and left the traitor Judas as a pile of smitten dust! Ah, but Jesus’ long-view love meant that he would retaliate with a much more powerful and eternal force – he would die for all of us.

Prayer

Dad,
I am beyond thankful your love is not short-sighted and only applicable in the moments when I am thinking or behaving at my WORST! Thank you for the most powerful force in the universes that saves and keeps me close to you.

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Power to serve.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If the gospels were to sum up one thing in the retelling of all the miracles Jesus did, it would be this – Jesus had all authority. Mark’s book consistently highlights, Jesus also had all power. All power and authority over EVERYTHING. What does one do with all that power? To be able to speak and your every command is carried out?

This is what is so shocking in John’s book as Jesus heads into the final moments with his closets friends. Just follow this thought that John lays out. Jesus knew… He knew the Father had given him authority and that He had come from God and would return to God. So then… then what? What does Christ do with that knowledge, that confidence? John says he got up, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist and poured water into a bowl. Are you able to mentally picture this scene as John gives a step by step view of Jesus’ behaviors. Now, Jesus looked like a servant, a slave. Someone you would hire for the night to tend to guests as they came into your home and left their dirty sandals on the stoop then walked in with the dust of the day on their feet. Every person in the room knew what this looked like. Every reader of this story knew what this felt like.

The radical role reversal was that Jesus IS God and he now would take on the persona of a servant. Jesus washed the disciples feet. Is it humiliating to have someone wash your feet? Sure, today it is. Was it humbling to have it done then? No, not by the lowest person of cultural status. But it would be extremely difficult to let the hands that multiplied loaves of bread, touched the blind eyes to make them see or reached out to grab a little girl’s dead hand and raise her to life. Those same hands on my dirty feet? No way! No wonder Peter was aghast saying, “you might as well wash my armpits as well then!” You get the idea.

This is what God looks like in all His might, power and authority? With all justice, judgment and wisdom across the eons of time and space? Yep. Take a selfie quick, God cleans my dirty feet. This gives Jesus the perfect time to tell the disciples (and us) His one final, summary command. Get this, Jesus wrapped up all the laws, all the commands, all the rules of faith and conduct towards others right here in John 13:34, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Take all the authority that Jesus clearly gives His followers, take all the power of Christ’s name and use it, apply it in this way – love one another! Just like Jesus served them by washing their feet, this is how the body of Christ, the people of God should be treating each other. Do you see the filth of the day caked on your brother or sister in Christ? Don’t judge them as dirty, grab a towel and a bowl of water and serve them.

Prayer

Dad,
In some of my most depressing days, when I have been down and struggling to get a clear view of your grace, I have had friends reach out and figuratively wash my feet. I had so much yuck caked on my soul, but they tenderly reached out and encouraged me, spoke hope into my life. This is the way! This love for you gets transferred into a humble love of serving one another. How beautiful! Help us keep that in mind in the whole body of Christ as we live as examples of how to distribute true power and authority.

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No longer a walk in the garden.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God once walked with humans, casually, perfectly, lovingly in the garden. In the cool of the day, God would take a walk, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.” Now, years after Eden, years after many, many people, well past Noah and the total destruction of almost all living things, well past the rise and fall of Babel and Egypt, we now come to Moses and the Law.

God had just given Moses the laws, rules for His people to live and love differently from all other peoples, cultures and countries. These laws would keep Israel alive and allow them to interact with a holy, perfect God. God was always holy, always perfect. God is the same today and will never change.

Exodus captures a honest moment expressed by God’s beloved Israel… “we’re afraid of Him!” They said. God showed up like a tornado and the people didn’t feel all snuggly safe. Moses told the people, “God comes like a storm to test you. Your fear of him will keep you from sinning.” It did keep them from sin…for the moment, but it didn’t last. God told the people through Moses, “Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Just twelve chapters later…“When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ – really? That was fast.

Fear works while it is directly applied, but fades as we forget the storm, the threat of death. But fear is never enough to sustain a authentic relationship over the long haul. Who wants to take walks in a garden with someone they fear and sense that perfection is held over them at every moment.

Exodus, the Law and the entire Old Testament is very real and very much a part of our story of who we are and who God is. As I wrote, God is and always will be holy, perfect and completely incompatible with sin. The fear of God is still a reality today and will always be a part of our relationship to Him.

Fast forward to the paradox of New Covenant in tension to the Old Covenant. The God who showed up in the deadly storm is the same God who touched the dead body of a little girl and said, “talitha koum” (little maiden), arise. Or the same God who wept and embrimaomai (moved with anger) called out his friend, Lazarus, from death’s pit. We see God the Father, as holy, perfect and feared in the Exodus, but He is the same as the person of Christ, God the Son. Yet, this holy perfection, under the new covenant is love so pure, so piercing, it penetrates beyond fear. A fear that CAN make us want to hide as Adam and Even had done or stand at a distance as the Israelites. OR, this love/fear is to be experienced as an imperfect human completely and totally seen and known for who and what we really are. Yet, we have FAITH that the sacrifice of Christ doesn’t repel us from God’s holiness but contrarily – it supernaturally pulls us, draws us into God’s presence to be embraced by Him.

When shown our sin, we no longer need to run, hide nor flaunt or make excuses. We can now move towards God’s perfect grace not fearing the final judgement of separation. Believers will even be judged in perfect love and not fear (Bema – Judgement Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10)).

Where is the “fear of God” in this season of grace? Well, it is still here. The fear of God should never be skirted, challenged or arrogantly thrown in the face of God, exclaiming, “His grace is sufficient.” Saying, “I can sin. I can disobey. I can do whatever I want because of Christ’s covering.” How arrogant, how immature! God can certainly strike you dead where you stand regardless of your status of being saved! God can end your life here and sort out the details later? Or, sin’s own consequences can bury you, destroying everything you’ve built and leave you destitute. Don’t tempt God’s grace!

Prayer

Dad,
I know of your love and it’s perfect. I also believe I have a healthy fear of your perfection, your righteousness, your repulsion of sin. I am completely and totally confident in your grace and painfully aware of the consequences of my sin, my choices that are neither hidden from you nor acceptable to you. I am willing to live in this tension. I am willing to run towards you even in my sin, with my failures and work hard to NEVER run from or uselessly try to hide or dodge my poor decisions. I am without excuse, but I am forever grateful for your mercy. Amen.

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The sweet spot of wisdom – decision making

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These simple verses could be the synopsis for the entire book of wisdom. My mistake was thinking it was just for youth, just for late teens, early twenties. Once I got going in life; graduated college (first ever in my family), got married, had a child and settled into my calling from God to be a Pastor, I would be able to take things from there.

These verses were never meant to be a fortune cookie saying. I only thought the hard decisions were about getting started in life or at super big crossroads. I did not think of sustaining a godly life by continually trusting God, ignoring circumstantial signs and seeking His will. Oh silly young Padawan!

Robin and I both have had multiple missteps, life-altering moments and decision points since our youth. And, although I had memorized this verse and mentally quoted it at the start, I somehow had it hardcoded to our beginnings. And, I made the mistake of ONLY associating these verses with big life decisions, when clearly there are daily applications in them. Let’s put it this way, I STILL must trust. I still must ignore the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts). I still must seek God’s will in everything. With every decision pondered in prayer. Then with every conviction of faith, I must look for the path that God wants me to take. After that, it’s just about standing on that decision, confident that God has not and will not mislead me!

For example: With most of my people judgements I use the decision tree template of love. If I am to push my way in, wading into the muck and mire of the mess we get ourselves into, I have to decide if love requires that I enter into someone’s personal space to help. I ask, “What is my motive here?” Because if it’s to gain or spitefully be right, then it’s not love. Then I ask, “Am I willing to see this all the way through?” Because if I don’t count the cost, I may flake out when it gets really hard or expensive. Then I have to confront myself by asking, “What if I’m wrong?” I am talking about being wrong to get involved, butting in, throwing myself under the bus! If I make it through the mental flowchart and I get the go ahead, I quietly whisper, “For Christ and His love!” and with Paul’s words to the churches in Ephesus (Eph 4:15) – I go for it. I can definitely add these verses as a pre-checklist prayer as well.

I plan to tattoo these verses on my brain so I can quickly access them everyday.

Prayer

Dad,
Remember how many times I cried and quoted these verses in my teens and early twenties? I was scared out of my mind! I was desperate to do right. I felt ill equipped and awkward making big life, adulting kinds of decisions. You were the only one listening! You were the only one I could trust. I kind of miss that desperation. I also remember having one of those MAJOR crossroads moments when I was forty. I felt like I was completely changing my calling not just careers. You were and are so faithful to answer, to lead and guide. I am so grateful for your kindness and patience with me.

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Liberty with consideration.

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“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

People do not believe that Christianity is all about liberty, freedom. We’ve been pitched so many lies and have self-inflicted stereotypes that even believers in Jesus don’t know they been freed from one master to be bound to another.

According to several Biblical writers we are freed from sin because Christ paid our death sentence. Yet, even in freedom, there are restrictions and restraints! How so? Being free from sin means that we are not mastered by selfishness, greed, lust, lies and deception. But we are, however, mastered by love, forgiveness and consideration towards others. This is where culture has corrupted the word love. Love is a self sacrificing, deeply considerate of others word. It is not a pleasure only, neurochemically induced feeling.

Christian freedom is upward and outward focused. This whole idea of “self-love” is absurdly repugnant! We are God-loved. We can be loved by others. But as soon as we twist this word to be all about my, mine and I it is no longer love at all. Freedom is considerate love! It’s a supernatural check and balance of what I want. In Paul’s admonition here, it’s about eating meat previously sacrificed to idols – filthy by association of spiritual hocus-pocus mumbled over some chunk of meat that has been presented to fake-gods, statues and carved rocks. Fake gods are plentiful but completely useless. It’s like offering meat to a fictitious alien then selling the meat at a discount store – alien offered cheap meat!

Ah, but if someone has come to Jesus out of a cult, out of a false religion, out of aliens-r-us it would be quite offensive to wave idol-meat, or cult-alien-meat in front of them and serve it at a dinner gathering. It’s insensitive to their past experience and doesn’t allow them to grow to a place of maturity when that meat-offering may be less of a trigger in their past.

This is the hard part, the forgotten part about love and freedom – it’s NOT all about us! This is why restraint and self imposed boundaries are good for us, even in our freedoms. This helps us keep a check on our motives and our rights. We may be within our rights, but it may not be helpful and considerate to someone who’s struggling.

Prayer

Dad,
I have a feeling that we have got caught up in the wrong crowd when it comes to freedoms, rights and even love. These are specific ideals that Jesus laid down on our behalf and instructed us to do the same. This is where we have not led our culture in humility and truth. We’ve adopted similar thoughts and practices simply mimicking our natural bent of selfishness. Help us God to continue to see you and reflect you in all circumstances we find ourselves in.