This can often be a difficult time to be a Christian. Not that I ever feel persecuted here in this United States. Nothing, compared to third world countries overwhelmed by oppression; where those who speak truth are put to death for their beliefs. But Heaven forbid a true prophet like Jeremiah were to step forward and tell people the definition of sin. For while we do seek to love the sinner and not the sin, there seems to be this growing divide... between only spouting how much God loves us and neglecting the reverent fear and awe we need to keep of Him. For we only seem to tell of His acceptance, grace and mercy, which truly exists in abundance. And neglect to mention the fact that He is also a Holy God who actually wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets with His finger. And while, yes, they were Old Testament... He is still the same God, with the same standards, the same justice, the same holiness which cannot look upon sin. Even He exclaims His woe to the lack of reverence for Him... Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence? Jeremiah 5:22 NKJV Why must we constantly be... so politically correct, in order to show the love of God? Don't get me wrong I'm not looking to step on toes. But I'm simply tired of tiptoeing around truth. Jesus didn't. Why should we? Is it so wrong to actually hate sin, and honor our God for being the great and Holy One? Is there not someone who will speak up about the reality of what He stands for? Is there yet... a strong and determined soul who will take a stand for a righteous God? Why do we not speak up to say that... God draws a hard line between RIGHT and WRONG? That He purposes and plans LIFE the moment sperm and egg joins and begins to divide... again, and again, and again; NOT to be terminated by man. That He creates humans to be MEN, or WOMEN, not gender undefined. That there is only one TRUTH. That gray is unacceptable to God. That He defines what is HOLY, and what is NOT. And those who choose to study history have seen what happens to a nation that turns their hearts away from a Holy God. Jeremiah became weary... To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed... and absolutely deaf to God. And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reprimand and an object of scorn to them; They have no delight in it. Jeremiah 6:10 AMP Even long, before The Old Testament was ever fully written... before one word of the New Testament was penned... man was already tired of hearing what God had to say. Because we all simply want to have our own way. What a sad a sorrowful sight. A world that does not delight in the Word of the Lord. But do they know... I mean truly know what it contains? How can we judge a book by it's cover? A book never read, not really. A God never known, not really. For generations, upon generations He has sought after our hearts. To the point that He came to actually become one of us. He decided... if they cannot understand why I made all these laws to keep them safe from themselves, let me understand what they see from their perspective. Jesus walked this earth, dined with the worst of us... sinners. He felt our sorrows, cried our tears, received our rejections, and still, took our punishment. When we take the time to really get to KNOW Him, by reading the word of God... a letter written by Him to us, we better understand WHY He gave the rules, the laws, the love. He did it all so He could remain HOLY and we could come closer... have a true and connected relationship with Him. How grateful I am that He brings me joy. For I will not give up in finding delight in Him. No matter what this world becomes. He is my LORD, all the more! And I have discovered the Word of God is more than just an old book. The Word of God is the presence of Jesus ... In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5 NKJV Word of God train me today... To press into You, no matter what this world chooses. To continue to write, speak and live Your Word, always taking delight in You.
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I have to admit there have been times I've wanted to hear the literal voice of God. You know, like... an answer to a prayer, a direction to take in life, or even a little encouragement to lift, to guide, to comfort during a struggle. But then sometimes I shrink back and wonder... if He actually spoke aloud to me how totally scary that might be. Like I'd probably freak out, run screaming from the room, asking if anyone else heard it. I mean... well, I don't know. I'm sure God knows me well enough to find the right approach. I bet He could calm me down; convince me that it actually was Him and I should just stand still and listen. But I sure am amazed when I read the encounters of those in Bible times that heard such a voice. At first, of course, it was just Adam. But then there was Noah, and Abraham, his son Isaac, and his son Jacob. And what about Moses... boy did they talk a lot. And then it was the prophets, beginning with Isaiah and then Jeremiah. And this is who I read about today... that stopped me in my tracks. These, the words from God to Jeremiah... Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying... “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you... Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5 NKJV Now maybe since Jeremiah grew up in a family of priests, he wasn't shocked. I mean, maybe he was startled a bit, but it's kinda hard to tell. His father was actually the High Priest to King Josiah. So the high and holy things of God were in no way foreign to him. I mean he probably grew up knowing his way around where most kids don't. But while he too, was a priest he must not have served long, because this is his reply to God... Then said I... “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Jeremiah 1:6 Say what?!? Now I admitted if God spoke audibly to me, that possibly I'd freak out and run. But would I so boldly, so quickly find my voice to talk back as to why I couldn't do what God just declared? I mean, here he was, saying that he couldn't, and then labeling the limitation. I cannot speak, for I am a youth. I mean, I would never... Wait. Uh... wait. I guess it doesn't really matter that God has not spoken to me... audibly. Because God has, indeed spoken. I mean, I certainly have had times when I know what He wants me to do. At least the goal I am to reach. And then there's that... "But how do I get it done" part. And that's when I believe I step in and behave just as Jeremiah did... I cannot serve, for I am too shy. I cannot give, for I am not wealthy. I cannot write, for I'm not creative. I cannot speak, for I am no one. I cannot teach, for I don't know much. I cannot help, for I am too busy. Of course, I could go on. We all could. We have so many excuses, so many labels, so many limitations. None of which God placed on us, for what He actually said, was... Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you... Before you were born I sanctified you; And clearly He planned and purposed us for something. But we are the ones who get in the way with our labels and limitations. So let us listen to God's response to Jeremiah... But the Lord said to me... “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 1:4-8 NKJV And what God spoke long ago over Jeremiah, He also speaks over us today. Do not say, I am too shy. For whatever I command you, you shall serve. Do not say, I am not wealthy. For whatever I command you, you shall give. Do not say, I am not creative. For whatever I command you, you shall write. Do not say, I am no one. For whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not say, I don't know much. For whatever I command you, you shall teach. Do not say, I am too busy. For whatever I command you, you shall help. And above all... do not be afraid, for I am with you to deliver you. Word of God train me, today... To listen to Your call of purpose, no matter when, where, or how. To let go of the labels that limit me, and trust that You will deliver me into whatever You commanded me to do. It's rather difficult of late not to be bombarded by bureaucracy, crowded by constant coverage of political conventions, polls and primaries, debates and distractions. But I realize we should be grateful for a democratic government in which we have a say. For long ago, many lands were ruled by kings with absolute authority. There was need to make promises to citizens who had no say as to who sat upon the throne. All this fuss we make over who to choose... was simply non-existent. When one king died, another heir was standing in line to immediately take his place. And whoever sat upon that throne had the ability to greatly affect the climate of the kingdom. Because there was seldom a system of checks and balances to slow the change of power. So the people under authority became much like the one seated upon the throne. Following all the new rules, conforming to the new standard, abiding the new law of the land. And today as I read about several kings, I was sad to see an end come to one of my favorites... one of the good guys. Tragically, after an excellent reign, the life of King Hezekiah ended, and his son Manasseh took the throne. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 2 Kings 21:2 NKJV Manasseh rebuilt all the altars his father Hezekiah tore down. He put foreign gods within the very House of the Lord. Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 2 Kings 21:6 What a shame that this son of a great king had changed things so quickly, had turned to such evil ways... that all the inhabitants of his kingdom did more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before them. And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 2 Chronicles 33:10-13 Now THAT was some grace! That was some mercy! Here was a king who exceeded the limits of evil. And when God began punishment... had him taken, and bound in captivity, by the most ruthless of captors... Manasseh cried out for mercy. And after all his idol worship, God still listened to his plea. And when God showed him mercy, Manasseh finally realized who his God really was. And the verse says... Then Manasseh KNEW that the Lord was God. This word KNEW, or KNOW in Hebrew is yada... (yawdah) It is not a casual kind of knowing. But rather, means to learn, observe, discover or ascertain through experience, observation, instruction, inference, and even punishment. This too is how we come to KNOW God... through experience. Hopefully not always as punishment like Manasseh, but experientially, nonetheless. Once in captivity... taken out of a place of power to make careless decisions, Manasseh found himself humbled. God had to strip everything away before He could get his attention Only then did Mannaseh recognize God... and come to really KNOW Him. And once back in Jerusalem, no longer did he worship the many foreign gods that he had set up all over the land of Judah. But Manasseh, now king once more, made a complete change in his life. He realized there was room for only one God in his heart. A single throne where the LORD God alone would reign as King of his heart. So Manasseh began to behave much like his father Hezekiah. And he fortified the cities, tore down the altars, removed the foreign gods, and cast them out of the cities. He also repaired the altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 2 Chronicles 33:16 What a radical change was made in this king's life because of the mercy of God. But it I realize it ONLY happened after a man of power humbled himself in a place of punishment; bound and captive, humbled and powerless. This could not have been an easy thing for him. How much easier it would have been to complain, point fingers, blame his past, or stay angry. But because he humbled himself and cried out to God, there was mercy and grace. Oh to KNOW God... to discover who He really is through experience, even punishment. And to then seat Him on the throne of your heart. These are life lessons truly to be learned. But they are often only realized when we too are willing to reassess what is important to us; when we are willing to humble ourselves, even through circumstance, trial, punishment, or pain. It's in experiencing God's provision at our most broken times that we discover true healing, comfort, and forgiveness. It's in experiencing His presence when we are vulnerable and lost, that we learn from Him, what we cannot learn from a life of ease. But when we are willing to be present in the moment of pain... God shows up. Only then can we can unseat whatever had been lord of our heart so long. For when God becomes the King who is seated on the throne of our heart, our entire life will change... for the better. We saw it in the life of a king, Lord, let us contemplate this, even in our life today... Here is a song, Only One by Harvest. It's lyrics are meant to be considered from the perspective of God directed to our hearts. And while it speaks of removing the names of former lovers, it does not necessarily mean people with whom we have been. For anything we place above or before God as a priority in our life, in our heart... God considers a lover who steals us from Him. (If you do not see the video below, CLICK HERE. ) Have you ever considered... who is seated upon the throne of your heart? For there is a King who desperately wants that position. And He is merciful and filled with grace. He longs for you to KNOW Him. Consider even this life of Manasseh... Oh how much more mercy and grace God will shower upon us, when we humble our hearts even in our place of captivity. Word of God train me, today... To allow You alone to reign on the throne of my heart. To allow You as King to direct my life. Have you ever just come to the end of yourself? When you finally realize that you are not all that you thought you would be, could be... should be. When the bubble finally bursts and you are just standing there in a puddle of slippery, soapy substance... pink plastic dipping stick in hand dripping what's left from the now empty bottle... like tears you no longer have left to cry. And you realize all this time how very patient God has been as He waited for you to finally get that He has been doing all the work... all this time! Maybe you're not there yet... but I am. And the Israelites were too, when Isaiah was writing... For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But You have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? A great awakening. One difficult, but necessary to admit. We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Isaiah 64:4-6 NLT There it is... the harshest of verses, depicting the end of our real self. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. So all that time.., when we go around parading, showing off, all the "good" stuff we do for God, we are living in a bubble. Because even in our best-est of efforts, the righteousness we are able to squeeze out is nothing but filthy rags to God. Harsh... I know. But remember, He is first and foremost. a Holy God. And please, before you get offended. know that I'm speaking all about me before even mentioning you. But let me explain something about this word filthy, above. It is very specific. Without that word, the verse would read very different. It is included for good reason. This word is from the Hebrew: ed ... pronounced ayd עִדִּים 5708 It means a stained garment, soiled from menstrual flux. This verse is the ONLY place in the whole Bible where this word is used. And for the MEN.,, don't tune me out, don't click the X in the corner... this is for YOU too! For here is how it is significant... When a woman bleeds during this time, its s the body's natural process telling us that she is not pregnant; that there is not life within her uterus. Now clearly in biblical times, women did't have the convenience of disposable feminine products, as we do today. So they literally used rags to collect the blood. Hence the term, filthy rags. And in that time period, a woman menstruating was considered to be unclean. (try not to take offense) As was the blood on those rags. It was to them unclean... or filthy. But it was also blood without life. And that is very significant. Because as the verse says... that is a representation of our righteousness... or our ability to do enough right to be perfect before God, to earn our right standing with Him. We cannot. It would be impossible. But Jesus... when He died in our place, when He took the punishment for our sin... He bled and died upon a cross. His blood was filled with life. It was the blood flowing through His heart. It was the blood keeping Him alive. His blood is the key to our salvation. His blood carried the righteousness we need for the forgiveness of our sins. So you to come to that point, that end of yourself... finally realizing that you are not all that you thought you would be, could be... or should be... That is exactly when Jesus stepped in... He rescues us from our filthy rags, covering us with His righteousness! So now we can come before God... boldly standing right in front Him. Not because of anything we have done, but only due to the life-giving blood of Jesus righteousness, that is now ours. We we trade in our lifeless, filthy rags for His life-giving sacrifice. And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 10:19 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 Whew! An I ever grateful to be rid of my filthy rags! But it doesn't mean that I don't occasionally reach back and pick them up. (I know... yuk, why would I do that?) But when I try to DO something in my own effort, for my credit, to show off how GOOD I am... thats when I pick them up. Like thinking I'm earning my way back into God's GOOD graces. Impossible! Grace is the free gift of Jesus righteous sacrifice I accept it, or not. I can't earn it. I can't BE GOOD enough. But it after I accept it, (and I honestly must do this daily) I am so grateful for it, that I long to DO GOOD works. In His strength, for His glory, filled with His life. But no longer on my own. So today... I will let go of things done in my own strength. Because they are simply lifeless and empty, imperfect and unholy. And apart from God, I can do no good thing. But I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength! Philippians 4:18 Word of God train me today... To ever bow before You always knowing that my righteousness alone has no life. To accept willingly, and ever give You glory for the right standing I receive only through the blood of Jesus! Lord, I know that since I have received You as Savior, I am eternally saved. Never to be lost. But I must daily receive this grace, this righteousness. For otherwise, I will pridefully pick up my old filthy rags thinking I can be good on my own. Remind me, Lord, that You are with me always.. my strength, my righteousness, my good. Did you ever trade for stuff when you were a kid? You know, because you didn't have money You'd just swap something stupid off the floor of your room that you didn't care about anymore for some thing super cool that someone else had. Turns out, you usually just got something stupid off the floor of someone else's room that they no longer cared about. But today... I read about what has to be the greatest swap in all of history. Because this was a trade for something not just off the ground. This was a trade FOR the ground... and what was given in return was way better than anything I've ever seen. It was written as a promise of One who was to come, and this was what He was to do... To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV But to clarify, I want us to fully understand. At the time this was promised, if you were a mourner... you would have been seen in public, wearing a garment of sackcloth which was made of a rough goat hair material; you would have removed any head covering and thrown dust from the ground, or ashes upon your head while sitting in a pile of them. This would be continued for at least seven, but not more than thirty days, often accompanied by fasting. This mourning would have been brought on by sorrow and grief over a loss... by death, illness or mishap of a loved one, relative, friend or honored leader; or over a national tragedy. Now, enter the promised One. And, let us say that you are the mourner. The Comforter, in order to fulfill the promise... walks right up to you.... the mourner, reaches down and takes you by the hand. Maybe it's not the end of your mourning. You try to resist, to not look up. But His gentle tug will not let go. His eyes are tender, kind and sincere. There is no threat, no fear, as you hold more firmly His hand. He helps you up from the ashes... Gently He begins to bow your head down. He directs you to shake the dust loose as He lightly tossles your hair loosening the ash... releasing it into a new and gentle breeze which begins to whisk away the pile at your feet. You feel lighter already, as you right your head to see Him reach into the fabric bag slung loosely across his body. He pulls out a simple garland of wildflowers woven in a circle and gently places it upon your head. Beauty, not simply an adjective... it is an actual crown, a headdress for a bride to replace the ashes of mourning. And now for the sackcloth... it is heavy and hot, rough and worn ragged. It was never your first choice but you continued to wear it daily believing it was all you really deserved. He gently motions you forward to look upon a clothesline where you see several simple white linen garments hanging loosely in the breeze. It is clear, He intends for you to have one. You begin your steps forward... but stop to look back at Him for reassurance. He nods and smiles... yes, for you. As you are propelled toward them... these garments of praise, your spirit of heaviness falls hard to the ground. When you return, changed into white, He stands with a small, simple flask. Tipping it over to splash a few drops onto His fingertips... you can smell the joyous aroma. And He touches your forehead speaking this, a blessing over you... Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, Isaiah 61:1-2 We who need healing, brokenhearted, captive and caged, so often by our own limitations... long for this Comforter, this promised One. He is still for us, not only a promise for those of Israel past. But even now, today, everyday. This can be our acceptable year of the Lord! We can be ACCEPTABLE TO the Lord. If only we will stand up from this pitiful pile of ashes, shake the off dust of our sorrowful self image, and take His crown of beauty, receive His garment of praise. Not because we deserve it, but only because He offered it out of His tender mercy and grace; His lovingkindness and forgiveness. It is a free gift. Let us release the grasp... of whatever we hold onto and open-handed receive all He has to offer. Today I wear this crown of beauty, and I put on this garment of praise. Thank You, Jesus, promised One, for seeing me as acceptable. Word of God train me today... To stop mourning the things this world counts as loss. To wear proudly these gifts of beauty and praise. |
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January 2019
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