Hosea 4:12 "My people inquire of a piece of wood..."
One of the issues that confronts me is idols. In this verse God seems to actually be making fun of His people. Who would inquire of a piece of wood? The next part of the verse says, "and their walking staff gives them oracles".
I read that and realize that I don't go to a piece of wood as in an actual idol - a wooden figurine - and expect it to solve my problems or make me feel good about myself or heal my diseases. But what about TV? I actually don't watch TV but their are so many people who put their trust in Oprah or Dr. Phil. Or they spend so much time watching American Idol or Big Brother or Home and Garden or the History Channel or ESPN that they can't find time to read God's word.
I'm not talking about people who don't know Jesus, but people who claim to be Christ followers.
What about earning money or staying in shape, exercise - those can become idols too. For me it's books. I love to read. Sometimes I will spend hours reading a novel and never pick up the Bible or find time to pray. Although I may not be looking for "salvation" in those books, if it takes away from my time with God; if it becomes more important to me than my relationship with God it has become an idol, a piece of wood in my life.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
God Doesn't Mince Words
In reading through the prophets I see over and over again that God doesn't mince words when He confronts the people of Israel and Judah with their sin.
In the book of Hosea, he goes so far as to tell Hosea to marry a prostitute because Israel has been playing the whore with Him, whoring after other gods and looking to kings for their salvation. I think sometimes we want a pretty, pacifist, calm God who would never show any wrath or punish us for any wrong; not a loving father who disciplines but a doting grandfather who overlooks.
But God is a Father who disciplines, who calls it like it is. We often pussyfoot around issues and are afraid not to be "nice" with people. I don't mean I think we ought to shake our finger in someone's face and tell them they are going to burn in Hell but I do mean that sin needs to be confronted with lots of love but also lots of directness.
In the book of Hosea, he goes so far as to tell Hosea to marry a prostitute because Israel has been playing the whore with Him, whoring after other gods and looking to kings for their salvation. I think sometimes we want a pretty, pacifist, calm God who would never show any wrath or punish us for any wrong; not a loving father who disciplines but a doting grandfather who overlooks.
But God is a Father who disciplines, who calls it like it is. We often pussyfoot around issues and are afraid not to be "nice" with people. I don't mean I think we ought to shake our finger in someone's face and tell them they are going to burn in Hell but I do mean that sin needs to be confronted with lots of love but also lots of directness.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Final Thoughts on Daniel
Several things in the book of Daniel really speak to me every time I read them. Daniel's prayer in chapter 9 comes after he studies the words of Jeremiah the prophet and finds out how long the captivity will last. Verse 3 says, "Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."
Do I seek God with that kind of fervency when I want to hear from Him? Or do I pray half-hearted prayers and then wonder why they seem to bounce off the ceilings?
Another thing about Daniel's prayer is his confession of sin. This is the guy who refused the king's food rather than defile himself; who faced the lions rather than give up worshiping his God; who was given wisdom by God to interpret dreams. Yet he recognized that he was just as sinful as all those who had actually done all the things he didn't do.
Reminds me of what Brad said Sunday...sin is not something I do, it is what I am. I am desperately sin sick. Daniel recognized that even when he lived in a time of "good works" religion. I have recognized it in myself and have confessed my sins and asked Jesus to cleanse me of all my unrighteousness...and He did! Its not about anything I can do, but all about what Jesus did on the cross.
Daniel even recognized this when he ended his prayer in verses 18-19 with "For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not for Your own sake, O my God because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
Do I seek God with that kind of fervency when I want to hear from Him? Or do I pray half-hearted prayers and then wonder why they seem to bounce off the ceilings?
Another thing about Daniel's prayer is his confession of sin. This is the guy who refused the king's food rather than defile himself; who faced the lions rather than give up worshiping his God; who was given wisdom by God to interpret dreams. Yet he recognized that he was just as sinful as all those who had actually done all the things he didn't do.
Reminds me of what Brad said Sunday...sin is not something I do, it is what I am. I am desperately sin sick. Daniel recognized that even when he lived in a time of "good works" religion. I have recognized it in myself and have confessed my sins and asked Jesus to cleanse me of all my unrighteousness...and He did! Its not about anything I can do, but all about what Jesus did on the cross.
Daniel even recognized this when he ended his prayer in verses 18-19 with "For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not for Your own sake, O my God because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
Monday, September 7, 2009
Follow Your Heart
Brad Cooper preached yesterday at NewSpring. I went to the Anderson campus because I was out of town during the morning. It was about time for a road trip to Anderson anyway. I love the Greenville campus and my friends there but there is something really special about occasionally going to the Anderson campus. But I digress...
Brad preached a great message on lie #3 in the series Five Lies of the Devil. This lie is "Just Follow Your Heart." Brad read Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?
The enemy tells me to "follow my heart" but God tells me my heart will deceive me. The only way to be sure my heart does NOT deceive me is to allow God to own my heart. If my heart belongs to Jesus, if I am seeking Him, He will transform me to have a heart like His...a heart that allowed Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, to cry out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Acts 7:60
The prayer Brad mentioned that I personally need to pray more often is break my heart, Lord, for what breaks Yours. I want to be concerned about my family, neighbors, co-workers, friends and acquaintances who are far from God. But am I? No, the cares of this world, my own needs and selfishness get in the way many times of God using me to make a difference in people's lives. The thing for me to do is to implore God to give me His eyes, His ears, His love for a lost world. I need to be constantly in tune with what God is doing around me.
Brad preached a great message on lie #3 in the series Five Lies of the Devil. This lie is "Just Follow Your Heart." Brad read Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?
The enemy tells me to "follow my heart" but God tells me my heart will deceive me. The only way to be sure my heart does NOT deceive me is to allow God to own my heart. If my heart belongs to Jesus, if I am seeking Him, He will transform me to have a heart like His...a heart that allowed Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, to cry out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Acts 7:60
The prayer Brad mentioned that I personally need to pray more often is break my heart, Lord, for what breaks Yours. I want to be concerned about my family, neighbors, co-workers, friends and acquaintances who are far from God. But am I? No, the cares of this world, my own needs and selfishness get in the way many times of God using me to make a difference in people's lives. The thing for me to do is to implore God to give me His eyes, His ears, His love for a lost world. I need to be constantly in tune with what God is doing around me.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Holiday
Here it is a little after 7 in the morning and I have already put in a full day. I'm headed to the mountains for Labor Day weekend.
I'm really looking forward to this because I don't take many vacations for rest and relaxation. Just about every day off this past year has been busy. Last March I took off to volunteer for Unleash. Memorial Day and 4th of July were spent with friends but it was a large crowd which is never restful for me. My actual vacation was spent in Kenya working harder than I ever work at home.
But now...it's ME time. This annual trip to Lake Junaluska with some old friends is a time to just do nothing. I usually read a book or 2. Beth and I are the slobs on this trip. Sometimes on Saturday we don't take a shower or get dressed until lunch time. We just sit in a rocker and watch the mist rise off the lake as we drink our 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee.
So now, I have finished cleaning the house and packing and am about to go to work for half a day. Really looking forward to some genuine down time.
I'm really looking forward to this because I don't take many vacations for rest and relaxation. Just about every day off this past year has been busy. Last March I took off to volunteer for Unleash. Memorial Day and 4th of July were spent with friends but it was a large crowd which is never restful for me. My actual vacation was spent in Kenya working harder than I ever work at home.
But now...it's ME time. This annual trip to Lake Junaluska with some old friends is a time to just do nothing. I usually read a book or 2. Beth and I are the slobs on this trip. Sometimes on Saturday we don't take a shower or get dressed until lunch time. We just sit in a rocker and watch the mist rise off the lake as we drink our 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee.
So now, I have finished cleaning the house and packing and am about to go to work for half a day. Really looking forward to some genuine down time.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Belteshazzar
Belteshazzer is better known to most people as Daniel. I like reading about him because he was held in captivity for so long under 3 kings in Babylon and yet never abandoned God nor compromised his beliefs. There is so much to learn about God and His faithfulness in trying situations.
Daniel was one of the young men (probably a teenager) taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. As near as I can tell, he was there for most, if not all, of the 70 years of captivity. Daniel was threatened with death on more than one occasion but even in the face of death, he would not let go of what he knew God expected of him. When he was praised for his ability to interpret dreams, he gave all the glory to God.
He didn't say "woe is me". He didn't rail against his captors - he actually did so well that he became one of the great leaders of the country. He showed respect for those in authority. That respect did NOT cause him to break God's law by worshiping the idols that were erected by the king.
God was faithful to Daniel and his friends. God gave them wisdom, protection, confidence and peace. He walked with them through the fiery furnace and the lion's den. They EXPECTED God to be there, to take care of them and He did.
There have been times in my life when I didn't expect God to show up or I wanted Him to show up in a different way. As I've grown older and had more experience with God, I too am confident that whatever comes my way, God will show up. Now it doesn't matter HOW He shows up or even what the outcome is. I want to be like those men who faced the fire and say, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18
Daniel was one of the young men (probably a teenager) taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. As near as I can tell, he was there for most, if not all, of the 70 years of captivity. Daniel was threatened with death on more than one occasion but even in the face of death, he would not let go of what he knew God expected of him. When he was praised for his ability to interpret dreams, he gave all the glory to God.
He didn't say "woe is me". He didn't rail against his captors - he actually did so well that he became one of the great leaders of the country. He showed respect for those in authority. That respect did NOT cause him to break God's law by worshiping the idols that were erected by the king.
God was faithful to Daniel and his friends. God gave them wisdom, protection, confidence and peace. He walked with them through the fiery furnace and the lion's den. They EXPECTED God to be there, to take care of them and He did.
There have been times in my life when I didn't expect God to show up or I wanted Him to show up in a different way. As I've grown older and had more experience with God, I too am confident that whatever comes my way, God will show up. Now it doesn't matter HOW He shows up or even what the outcome is. I want to be like those men who faced the fire and say, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18
Love of Money
Recently a man in SC won a huge lottery of $260,000,000. I kinda like seeing all those zeros - makes it harder for me to imagine it. The largest check I've ever seen had no more than 4 zeros.
This man, who seems to be a very nice, humble guy, a retired state employee was giving God the glory for his win. Brought up a conversation with a lady at my work about God and gambling. Maybe God did let this guy win so that God would get glory. Is gambling a sin? Is spending $2 on a couple of lottery tickets worse than spending $4 on a cup of coffee? Does it depend on your ability to pay the $2 or $4 or you motives? Does gambling mean you don't trust God to provide? This guy was saying God provided for him by the lottery.
What about all those who never win, who spend more than they should, pursuing a dream that never comes true. Perry mentioned in his sermon Sunday that if you make $50,000 a year (and many Americans do and consider themselves poor) you are in the top 1% of wage earners in the world.
Too much money can be a curse from the enemy. Look at a lot of young athletes who make huge amounts of money and end up in jail or even dead from the excesses all that money allows. The Bible doesn't say money itself is evil but it does say the LOVE of money leads to all sorts of problems.
But you don't have to have $260M to be in love with your money. People in America pursue money in all sorts of ways, not just gambling. Some work and let their time with family suffer so they can have lots of stuff. Some cheat and steal (like Madoff) so they can "have it all". In Mark 8:36 Jesus said "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Having money or stuff in and off itself is not a problem, it's where your heart is that matters. And the only place that matters about your heart is Jesus.
This man, who seems to be a very nice, humble guy, a retired state employee was giving God the glory for his win. Brought up a conversation with a lady at my work about God and gambling. Maybe God did let this guy win so that God would get glory. Is gambling a sin? Is spending $2 on a couple of lottery tickets worse than spending $4 on a cup of coffee? Does it depend on your ability to pay the $2 or $4 or you motives? Does gambling mean you don't trust God to provide? This guy was saying God provided for him by the lottery.
What about all those who never win, who spend more than they should, pursuing a dream that never comes true. Perry mentioned in his sermon Sunday that if you make $50,000 a year (and many Americans do and consider themselves poor) you are in the top 1% of wage earners in the world.
Too much money can be a curse from the enemy. Look at a lot of young athletes who make huge amounts of money and end up in jail or even dead from the excesses all that money allows. The Bible doesn't say money itself is evil but it does say the LOVE of money leads to all sorts of problems.
But you don't have to have $260M to be in love with your money. People in America pursue money in all sorts of ways, not just gambling. Some work and let their time with family suffer so they can have lots of stuff. Some cheat and steal (like Madoff) so they can "have it all". In Mark 8:36 Jesus said "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Having money or stuff in and off itself is not a problem, it's where your heart is that matters. And the only place that matters about your heart is Jesus.
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