I sometimes read things in the Bible and think that was pretty harsh. As I read about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and their instantaneous death because they lied about what they were giving to God, it makes me shudder.
Peter tells them this land was yours to keep or sell. After you sold it the money was yours to keep or give. But you come traipsing into church, wanting everyone to think how generous you are as you give your money, but you are a liar. Why didn't you just say I'm going to keep some and give some? Why did you want everyone to think you were making such a big sacrifice when you knew what you were giving was not what you really got for he land? Boom! Dead! Both of them.
Acts 5:11 says "And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things." It puts a little fear in me too when I remember times I've said God if you will just...then I will... Maybe I did and maybe I didn't uphold my vow. But then I also remember that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
No condemnation brings great comfort and peace but the big word in that sentence is not condemnation but IN. You must be IN Christ to get the benefits. Too many people in churches today are relying on their good looking clothes and pretending everything is great and doing lots of stuff to justify them before God rather than knowing Jesus.
When Samuel annointed David king, God told Samuel, "...man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus says that on "that day", the day of judgement, many will be cast out. Even though they did lots of stuff, even in Jesus' name, Jesus will say, "I never knew you." (Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 25:31-46).
Knowing Jesus is more than the things we do or the place we go on Sunday or how we dress. Jesus showed us how to serve, how to love, how to give. As His followers we should do the things He did. But being IN Christ is about being "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galations 6:15). And that new creation comes when one is "born again...of the Spirit..." (John 3:3-8)
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Witnesses
When we think about being eye witnesses to the works of Jesus Christ, many of us think too far back in time. We want to go all the way back to the time when Jesus walked on the earth. We think of the twelve who went everywhere with Jesus and saw all the miraculous things He did.
In Acts 4, Peter and John have been arrested and brought before the Council because they healed, in the name of Jesus, a man who had been lame from birth. This man was begging for money but Peter and John had none of that. They had something much better...the power to speak healing into this man's feeble legs and feet. And that annoyed the religious leaders.
When Peter and John came before them, the leaders saw that these were very ordinary, theologically uneducated men - just like us - but "they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (vs 13 ESV) They commanded Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus and particularly the the resurrection. "But Peter and John replied, 'Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard'." (vs 19 NLT)
We don't have to go all the way back there because the same should be true of us. If nothing else, we should tell everyone how Jesus raised us from the dead! "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins..." (Ephesians 2:1) Everyone of us - even if you never lived a life of debauchery - was DEAD before meeting Jesus. When we surrendered our lives to Christ, we were resurrected from the dead. "But God, being rich in mercy...made us alive together in Christ..." (Ephesians 2:4-5) That is something amazing that we witnessed and should tell people about.
I have seen the addicted set free from alcohol and drugs, homosexuals set free from same sex attractions, marriages and families restored, teenagers and unmarried adults living lives of sexual purity, and 1000's saying YES to Jesus as Savior and Lord! I MUST be a witness. I cannot stop talking about the amazing things I see Jesus doing in the lives of people I know and people I hear about.
Jesus is very much alive and still performing miracles! Tell everybody!!
"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He...I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior." (Isaiah 43:10-11 ESV)
In Acts 4, Peter and John have been arrested and brought before the Council because they healed, in the name of Jesus, a man who had been lame from birth. This man was begging for money but Peter and John had none of that. They had something much better...the power to speak healing into this man's feeble legs and feet. And that annoyed the religious leaders.
When Peter and John came before them, the leaders saw that these were very ordinary, theologically uneducated men - just like us - but "they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (vs 13 ESV) They commanded Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus and particularly the the resurrection. "But Peter and John replied, 'Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard'." (vs 19 NLT)
We don't have to go all the way back there because the same should be true of us. If nothing else, we should tell everyone how Jesus raised us from the dead! "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins..." (Ephesians 2:1) Everyone of us - even if you never lived a life of debauchery - was DEAD before meeting Jesus. When we surrendered our lives to Christ, we were resurrected from the dead. "But God, being rich in mercy...made us alive together in Christ..." (Ephesians 2:4-5) That is something amazing that we witnessed and should tell people about.
I have seen the addicted set free from alcohol and drugs, homosexuals set free from same sex attractions, marriages and families restored, teenagers and unmarried adults living lives of sexual purity, and 1000's saying YES to Jesus as Savior and Lord! I MUST be a witness. I cannot stop talking about the amazing things I see Jesus doing in the lives of people I know and people I hear about.
Jesus is very much alive and still performing miracles! Tell everybody!!
"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He...I am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior." (Isaiah 43:10-11 ESV)
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Next Steps
Sometimes I think at this stage of my life I should be able to sort of coast through life. I've paid my dues in work and volunteering and service. Some days I just get tired. Some days I just want to have responsibility for only me. But the Bible teaches that is not the way to live a life pleasing to God. I am always to be looking for the next step God wants me to take.
God gave next steps to Abraham and Moses when they were in their 70s and 80s, old by today's standards but maybe not so old when people lived well into their 100s. Nevertheless, God doesn't shut me down just because I get a little age on me. The key is to not get so comfortable doing what I'm doing that I don't hear or listen to the voice of God.
I am about to take a next step in my volunteer life at NewSpring Church. I have served with Sunday production/media for almost 20 years. This has always been so exciting as I've run cameras or operated computers or did whatever was necessary, including live TV at my previous church, to make the presentation of the Sunday service available to those in attendance. Although I believe this is a "front lines" effort in the presentation of the Gospel, the people who serve are generally out of sight behind doors and curtains and rather isolated from the rest of the Church in attendance.
Now God is moving me out of my passion for the last 17-20 years and sending me in a new direction. This Sunday will be my first with Guest Services, starting as a Greeter. I don't know what God is up to in my life or how new responsibilities will develop in this area but I do know this is definitely not a behind the scenes area of ministry.
For the past 10 months I have been caring for the Production Team without any weekly hands on responsibility. I have been responsible for scheduling, 1st serves, training, and generally encouraging the team. At first I was not sure I wanted to give up sitting in a chair and making things happen but I see now how God was using that time to prepare me for this transition to Guest Services.
I may be caring for a team there as well but more than that I may be caring for first time visitors. That is becoming my new passion; helping new people connect with NewSpring and know that we really are glad they are with us for the day. Another passion that is growing is actually being part of the 6pm service each week. Last Sunday night I got to do that and had the opportunity to pray with Linda who stood when the guest preacher asked for those struggling through a time of silence from God to stand and then asked those nearby to go pray for them.
I don't always know what God is up to in my life but I do know that I want to be obedient to every next step He puts before me.
God gave next steps to Abraham and Moses when they were in their 70s and 80s, old by today's standards but maybe not so old when people lived well into their 100s. Nevertheless, God doesn't shut me down just because I get a little age on me. The key is to not get so comfortable doing what I'm doing that I don't hear or listen to the voice of God.
I am about to take a next step in my volunteer life at NewSpring Church. I have served with Sunday production/media for almost 20 years. This has always been so exciting as I've run cameras or operated computers or did whatever was necessary, including live TV at my previous church, to make the presentation of the Sunday service available to those in attendance. Although I believe this is a "front lines" effort in the presentation of the Gospel, the people who serve are generally out of sight behind doors and curtains and rather isolated from the rest of the Church in attendance.
Now God is moving me out of my passion for the last 17-20 years and sending me in a new direction. This Sunday will be my first with Guest Services, starting as a Greeter. I don't know what God is up to in my life or how new responsibilities will develop in this area but I do know this is definitely not a behind the scenes area of ministry.
For the past 10 months I have been caring for the Production Team without any weekly hands on responsibility. I have been responsible for scheduling, 1st serves, training, and generally encouraging the team. At first I was not sure I wanted to give up sitting in a chair and making things happen but I see now how God was using that time to prepare me for this transition to Guest Services.
I may be caring for a team there as well but more than that I may be caring for first time visitors. That is becoming my new passion; helping new people connect with NewSpring and know that we really are glad they are with us for the day. Another passion that is growing is actually being part of the 6pm service each week. Last Sunday night I got to do that and had the opportunity to pray with Linda who stood when the guest preacher asked for those struggling through a time of silence from God to stand and then asked those nearby to go pray for them.
I don't always know what God is up to in my life but I do know that I want to be obedient to every next step He puts before me.
Monday, May 20, 2013
God Is Faithful
Over the weekend I had the privilege of joining up with 2000 or so owners of NewSpring Church from all over the state as we converged on the main campus in Anderson, SC for an event called Launch.
Our pastor shared the history of NewSpring as well as vision for the future. The very first thing he wanted us to understand was the faithfulness of God. He told us how God gave him the vision to start NewSpring in 1996. He showed us a picture of the living room where 15 people began to meet in 1999. As he shared the details of the uncertainty and fears that sometimes plagued him and the leadership, God was always faithful.
The statistics that amaze me the most are the growth. From those 15 original people God has done miraculous things. On Sunday, August 11, 2002, 506 people were at church at NewSpring. On successive Sundays the numbers were 970, 1096, 1247, 1505, 1548 and 1600. In six weeks the church tripled in size with no advertising, no social media, and no website to speak of. This was purely a God thing!
And God is still doing the miraculous. We now have eight campuses with plans for more. Why? Because God is bringing people who are far from Him and setting them free through faith in Jesus. And when they meet Jesus they begin to take their next steps. They get baptized, they join small groups, they serve others as volunteers, some eventually end up on staff.
The campus I attend is 50 miles from the home church in a community with a church on just about every block. Many church people don't like us and the way we do things, yet we have seen 910 people confess "Jesus is Lord" in the 15-16 months we have been here. God is faithful! He WILL do what only He can do when we submit to His leadership!
Our pastor shared the history of NewSpring as well as vision for the future. The very first thing he wanted us to understand was the faithfulness of God. He told us how God gave him the vision to start NewSpring in 1996. He showed us a picture of the living room where 15 people began to meet in 1999. As he shared the details of the uncertainty and fears that sometimes plagued him and the leadership, God was always faithful.
The statistics that amaze me the most are the growth. From those 15 original people God has done miraculous things. On Sunday, August 11, 2002, 506 people were at church at NewSpring. On successive Sundays the numbers were 970, 1096, 1247, 1505, 1548 and 1600. In six weeks the church tripled in size with no advertising, no social media, and no website to speak of. This was purely a God thing!
And God is still doing the miraculous. We now have eight campuses with plans for more. Why? Because God is bringing people who are far from Him and setting them free through faith in Jesus. And when they meet Jesus they begin to take their next steps. They get baptized, they join small groups, they serve others as volunteers, some eventually end up on staff.
The campus I attend is 50 miles from the home church in a community with a church on just about every block. Many church people don't like us and the way we do things, yet we have seen 910 people confess "Jesus is Lord" in the 15-16 months we have been here. God is faithful! He WILL do what only He can do when we submit to His leadership!
Friday, May 17, 2013
New Creation
There are many times I find myself thinking about how unworthy I am to live a life so blessed by God. But this morning as I was reading Romans 8 I was reminded again that I am no longer a slave to the sinful life I used to live - even though I may still screw up from time to time - but that I am a child of God and an heir, along with Jesus Christ, to all of God's riches.
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." Romans 8:15-17 (ESV)
To say I am unworthy is to deny the work of Jesus on the cross and the love of God that sent Jesus to the cross to pay for my sins. EVERY person is unworthy! But "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
As a child of God, I am part of the family. Adopted intentionally and made a co-heir with Christ by my Father. Rather than dwell on my unworthiness and past sins, I should be dancing in the streets shouting hallelujah and thank you. How dumb would it have been to tell my earthly daddy I can't eat with you or go on vacation with you or accept this money for college because I once did things that hurt you. Because of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and my repentance, God chooses to forget all my past sins (Isaiah 43:25) and I am worthy, because of Jesus, to accept every blessing God sends my way.
Even Paul had these acceptance issues as he called himself the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and a wretched man (Romans 7:18-24). But, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). So I will choose to live each day in full confidence of my place in God's family.
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." Romans 8:15-17 (ESV)
To say I am unworthy is to deny the work of Jesus on the cross and the love of God that sent Jesus to the cross to pay for my sins. EVERY person is unworthy! But "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
As a child of God, I am part of the family. Adopted intentionally and made a co-heir with Christ by my Father. Rather than dwell on my unworthiness and past sins, I should be dancing in the streets shouting hallelujah and thank you. How dumb would it have been to tell my earthly daddy I can't eat with you or go on vacation with you or accept this money for college because I once did things that hurt you. Because of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection and my repentance, God chooses to forget all my past sins (Isaiah 43:25) and I am worthy, because of Jesus, to accept every blessing God sends my way.
Even Paul had these acceptance issues as he called himself the foremost of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and a wretched man (Romans 7:18-24). But, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). So I will choose to live each day in full confidence of my place in God's family.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Delayed Obedience Is Disobedience
Sometimes I want to just kick myself for when it is so hard for me to be obedient to God. It always leads to sorrow and regret!
About nine years ago I believed God was going to move me away from my hometown. I stopped seeing the guy I was dating, whom I knew was not God's best for me for a lot of reasons. But then I didn't move. I was sure, at first, that God was leading me away from my church of 20+ years but rather than leave the people I loved so much, I went on staff as an employee of the church.
For two years things were great. The ministry I was serving was growing. The people I served loved me and I loved them and my supervisor was extremely pleased with everything. Then, over a two week period, things began to fall apart. And it was not pretty. I left that church hurt, disillusioned, angry, blaming myself for things I could not control.
Knowing for some time that God wanted me to move, I had visited some surrounding churches just to check them out. Others I watched on TV. But I kept thinking, nope not it. As I allowed God to lead me, I quickly found the church He had been wanting to get me into for years.
It was a church 50 miles from home that I had no knowledge of except I'd heard it was for college kids. When I turned into the driveway, God spoke to my heart to say this is it. So I knew before I ever walked in the door, before I ever heard the preacher preach, before I ever knew the core values, NewSpring was to be my new church home. As I was greeted at my car and walked into the church, as I heard the message and watched the videos, as I participated in musical worship, I was blown away. Within 10 days I was a member and have never regretted a minute of it except that I didn't listen when God first tried to get me out of my comfort zone.
God had been prodding me with, "I'm doing things you're never going to see if you don't leave!" And that was truth directly from God. I have seen my son, grandson, and granddaughter all surrender their lives to Jesus. I have seen my daughter in law confess her addiction to alcohol, for the first time, to Care Room volunteers and seek the help she needed. I have seen 1000s more make the same kinds of decisions.
When I started there was one campus with plans for another (only 30 miles from my home). Now, in just five years, there are 8 campuses across our state with plans for more. We have gone from an average weekly attendance of around 8,000 to almost 25,000. There is now a campus in my community only a few miles from home. In 2013 at the local campus I now attend, we have seen 343 salvations and 292 public professions of faith through baptism. It just blows me away! I read and hear all sorts of things about the demise of the church, but the Church is still the Bride of Christ and His means to reach the world.
Because my previous disobedience ended so badly, I have tried hard to listen for God's direction. And God has chosen to honor me personally in ways I never would have believed when I first walked in the doors of NewSpring. I am so humbled that this grandma would be chosen to do and see the things God has allowed me to do and see. His grace is so marvelous. Obedience is so joyful. If God never, ever blesses me with anything else, He has done enough.
About nine years ago I believed God was going to move me away from my hometown. I stopped seeing the guy I was dating, whom I knew was not God's best for me for a lot of reasons. But then I didn't move. I was sure, at first, that God was leading me away from my church of 20+ years but rather than leave the people I loved so much, I went on staff as an employee of the church.
For two years things were great. The ministry I was serving was growing. The people I served loved me and I loved them and my supervisor was extremely pleased with everything. Then, over a two week period, things began to fall apart. And it was not pretty. I left that church hurt, disillusioned, angry, blaming myself for things I could not control.
Knowing for some time that God wanted me to move, I had visited some surrounding churches just to check them out. Others I watched on TV. But I kept thinking, nope not it. As I allowed God to lead me, I quickly found the church He had been wanting to get me into for years.
It was a church 50 miles from home that I had no knowledge of except I'd heard it was for college kids. When I turned into the driveway, God spoke to my heart to say this is it. So I knew before I ever walked in the door, before I ever heard the preacher preach, before I ever knew the core values, NewSpring was to be my new church home. As I was greeted at my car and walked into the church, as I heard the message and watched the videos, as I participated in musical worship, I was blown away. Within 10 days I was a member and have never regretted a minute of it except that I didn't listen when God first tried to get me out of my comfort zone.
God had been prodding me with, "I'm doing things you're never going to see if you don't leave!" And that was truth directly from God. I have seen my son, grandson, and granddaughter all surrender their lives to Jesus. I have seen my daughter in law confess her addiction to alcohol, for the first time, to Care Room volunteers and seek the help she needed. I have seen 1000s more make the same kinds of decisions.
When I started there was one campus with plans for another (only 30 miles from my home). Now, in just five years, there are 8 campuses across our state with plans for more. We have gone from an average weekly attendance of around 8,000 to almost 25,000. There is now a campus in my community only a few miles from home. In 2013 at the local campus I now attend, we have seen 343 salvations and 292 public professions of faith through baptism. It just blows me away! I read and hear all sorts of things about the demise of the church, but the Church is still the Bride of Christ and His means to reach the world.
Because my previous disobedience ended so badly, I have tried hard to listen for God's direction. And God has chosen to honor me personally in ways I never would have believed when I first walked in the doors of NewSpring. I am so humbled that this grandma would be chosen to do and see the things God has allowed me to do and see. His grace is so marvelous. Obedience is so joyful. If God never, ever blesses me with anything else, He has done enough.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Be Still
Most translations of Psalm 46:10 say, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The NASB says "cease striving".
I'm not sure our modern world knows how to be still, which also brings to my mind solitude and quietness. We have our busy lifestyles with work and kids and church. We are always on the go, eating meals in the car, as we multitask our lives away. We have music or TV or chatter almost non stop. And social media...how many HOURS do we spend on Facebook or twitter or pinterest or LinkedIn or...the list goes on and on.
And how many MINUTES do we use to sit quietly before God so that He might speak to us, so that we might get to know Him and His plans for us?
The "cease striving" speaks to me on two levels. Stop living life at such a fast pace, trying to achieve success in the world's eyes. But I also hear God saying stop trying to do more FOR me and just spend time WITH me. Be still, cease all your activity, turn off everything. Don't even open your Bible. Just sit, asking Me to speak to you. Listen, in the quietness, as I tell you what I want you to know. Make time for Me every day and our journey together through this life of yours will take on a whole new meaning.
I'm not sure our modern world knows how to be still, which also brings to my mind solitude and quietness. We have our busy lifestyles with work and kids and church. We are always on the go, eating meals in the car, as we multitask our lives away. We have music or TV or chatter almost non stop. And social media...how many HOURS do we spend on Facebook or twitter or pinterest or LinkedIn or...the list goes on and on.
And how many MINUTES do we use to sit quietly before God so that He might speak to us, so that we might get to know Him and His plans for us?
The "cease striving" speaks to me on two levels. Stop living life at such a fast pace, trying to achieve success in the world's eyes. But I also hear God saying stop trying to do more FOR me and just spend time WITH me. Be still, cease all your activity, turn off everything. Don't even open your Bible. Just sit, asking Me to speak to you. Listen, in the quietness, as I tell you what I want you to know. Make time for Me every day and our journey together through this life of yours will take on a whole new meaning.
Adversity
No one ever wants to face adversity. When it comes we often beg God to make it go away but there are times when we must endure. Since so many of our favorite Bible stories are about men and women overcoming adversity, perhaps adversity is a good thing. (Romans 8:28)
Joseph was a tattletale seventeen year old strutting around in his fancy coat as dad's favorite telling everyone about his dreams of grandeur. His dreams were accurate but he did not know that God's plan was for him to save his family and run the country of Egypt. To be ready for that he had to enter a time of pruning, getting a little pride taken out, and learning to see God's favor even in adversity.
Esther, Nehemiah, David, Paul...all these and others were put in situations they could not control. Sometimes it was facing enemies close at hand, sometimes foreign kings and armies, sometimes it was there own health. Hebrews 11 is a review of a bunch of people commended for faithfully serving God through adversity when they could not yet see the fulfillment of the promises of God. I like it that people in the Bible faced difficult circumstances so I can learn how to face them in my own life.
I don't know where we got the idea that life is supposed to be pain and conflict free, suffering free. We all have seasons of peace and rest and seasons of adversity. The Bible tells us that we must suffer as Christ suffered (Romans 5:3-5, Philippians 3:7-10) We very rarely have adversity, or suffering, for our faith. Rather much, but certainly not all, of our adversity and suffering is of our own doing with poor choices in finances, friends, lifestyle, or eating habits.
Joseph was a tattletale seventeen year old strutting around in his fancy coat as dad's favorite telling everyone about his dreams of grandeur. His dreams were accurate but he did not know that God's plan was for him to save his family and run the country of Egypt. To be ready for that he had to enter a time of pruning, getting a little pride taken out, and learning to see God's favor even in adversity.
Esther, Nehemiah, David, Paul...all these and others were put in situations they could not control. Sometimes it was facing enemies close at hand, sometimes foreign kings and armies, sometimes it was there own health. Hebrews 11 is a review of a bunch of people commended for faithfully serving God through adversity when they could not yet see the fulfillment of the promises of God. I like it that people in the Bible faced difficult circumstances so I can learn how to face them in my own life.
I don't know where we got the idea that life is supposed to be pain and conflict free, suffering free. We all have seasons of peace and rest and seasons of adversity. The Bible tells us that we must suffer as Christ suffered (Romans 5:3-5, Philippians 3:7-10) We very rarely have adversity, or suffering, for our faith. Rather much, but certainly not all, of our adversity and suffering is of our own doing with poor choices in finances, friends, lifestyle, or eating habits.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Abiding in Christ
This morning I was reading in John chapter 15 about Jesus as the vine. This is one of Jesus' seven I AM statements recorded in John. This is a familiar passage that I have read numerous times. I'm sure I've though about it before, but today I began to really think about what it means to abide in Christ.
Abide means to remain, stay, continue, dwell. I often dwell ON Jesus, thinking about, Him studying about Him. But Jesus continually says in this passage abide IN Me. I should live my life believing everything He says is true. Then He becomes my shelter where I dwell in the comfort of Him. He becomes my fortress where I dwell in safety from the ravages of sin and death. He becomes my hope, my peace, my joy where I can dwell in the knowledge that He loves me extravagantly no matter what my circumstances may look like.
How do I know He loves me extravagantly? In John 15:10 Jesus says, "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." Jesus loves me in the same way, with the same passion, that God the Father loves God the Son. Wow!! A few verses later, in verse 16, Jesus even tells me that I did not choose Him but that He chose me! How great is that?!
I want always to abide in Christ. To know Him intimately. To love Him extravagantly. To trust Him completely. To obey Him joyfully.
Abide means to remain, stay, continue, dwell. I often dwell ON Jesus, thinking about, Him studying about Him. But Jesus continually says in this passage abide IN Me. I should live my life believing everything He says is true. Then He becomes my shelter where I dwell in the comfort of Him. He becomes my fortress where I dwell in safety from the ravages of sin and death. He becomes my hope, my peace, my joy where I can dwell in the knowledge that He loves me extravagantly no matter what my circumstances may look like.
How do I know He loves me extravagantly? In John 15:10 Jesus says, "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." Jesus loves me in the same way, with the same passion, that God the Father loves God the Son. Wow!! A few verses later, in verse 16, Jesus even tells me that I did not choose Him but that He chose me! How great is that?!
I want always to abide in Christ. To know Him intimately. To love Him extravagantly. To trust Him completely. To obey Him joyfully.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Amazed by God
As I sit here this morning contemplating life and ministry and family and me, I am amazed and humbled at the thought that God cares for me. I don't doubt it, not for a second, but it still amazes me that He knows me personally and cares about me personally and speaks to me personally.
Thousands of years ago, David asked the question that is sometimes on my lips, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4 ESV) I think he probably wrote this when still a shepherd, sitting on a hillside at night watching over his father's sheep. I think I know what David was feeling because in the Caribbean on a very small island with no city and no street lights, I have looked up at a night sky so full of stars it took my breath away.
I am overwhelmed that God who created all those stars and set them in place and calls them by name also created me and loves me and calls me by name. He has a plan for me to help fulfill His purposes on this earth. I was created to live right now, as Esther was told, "...for such a time as this." (Esther 5:14)
I don't ever want to lose the sense of awe that comes from knowing the Creator of the universe. I don't ever want to lose sight of my need for relationship with Him. I don't ever want to take for granted the punishment Jesus bore for my sins. I want to obey Him when He asks me to do anything. I want to gratefully accept and acknowledge the blessings God pours into my life, realizing that everything I have and everything I am is from Him.
Thousands of years ago, David asked the question that is sometimes on my lips, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4 ESV) I think he probably wrote this when still a shepherd, sitting on a hillside at night watching over his father's sheep. I think I know what David was feeling because in the Caribbean on a very small island with no city and no street lights, I have looked up at a night sky so full of stars it took my breath away.
I am overwhelmed that God who created all those stars and set them in place and calls them by name also created me and loves me and calls me by name. He has a plan for me to help fulfill His purposes on this earth. I was created to live right now, as Esther was told, "...for such a time as this." (Esther 5:14)
I don't ever want to lose the sense of awe that comes from knowing the Creator of the universe. I don't ever want to lose sight of my need for relationship with Him. I don't ever want to take for granted the punishment Jesus bore for my sins. I want to obey Him when He asks me to do anything. I want to gratefully accept and acknowledge the blessings God pours into my life, realizing that everything I have and everything I am is from Him.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Nothing Changes Much
I was reading in Genesis about Jacob and Laban and all the shady dealings that went on between them. I have to admit I sometimes question why God puts this stuff in the Bible.
Jacob, with his mother's help, cheated his brother Esau. Esau wants to kill Jacob so Mama Rebekah gets Papa Isaac to send Jacob to Laban. Laban was Jacob's uncle; his mother's brother. Jacob was looking for a wife among his family and when he saw Rachel it was love at first sight. He worked for his uncle for seven years and on his wedding night...ta da...the bride was the older sister Leah. Although Jacob gets Rachel, too, a week later, he works another seven years for her. Then he works another six years before he finally packs up his family to go home. Jacob is now wealthy with flocks and herds and children - 11 of them by 2 wives and 2 servants. What a mess! Still God is planning to use these eleven sons and another to be born later to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
I read this and think these people were really dysfunctional. But as I look around at our world today, we haven't changed much. More children in the US are in single mom homes than ever before with no dad in sight; most of these born out of wedlock. For those who do marry, divorce is more the norm than a for a lifetime marriage. There are over 27 million adults and children enslaved around the world, including the US, in sex trafficking and forced labor. People lie and cheat, like the Barney Madoff's of the world, to steal money from friends. Others swindle money from those who want to help in times of tragedy. We are a mean, selfish, greedy people.
Thank You, God, for using Jacob to prepare the way for our Savior! Thank You, God, for telling us stories of redemption so that we don't have to feel hopeless in our sins. Thank You, God, for showing Your love to us despite our sinfulness.
People in the Bible are real people, with real problems, and with real sins, just like me. When I read their stories I see myself and see that God can also use imperfect me, perfected through faith in Christ Jesus, to accomplish His will for my little sphere of His world.
Jacob, with his mother's help, cheated his brother Esau. Esau wants to kill Jacob so Mama Rebekah gets Papa Isaac to send Jacob to Laban. Laban was Jacob's uncle; his mother's brother. Jacob was looking for a wife among his family and when he saw Rachel it was love at first sight. He worked for his uncle for seven years and on his wedding night...ta da...the bride was the older sister Leah. Although Jacob gets Rachel, too, a week later, he works another seven years for her. Then he works another six years before he finally packs up his family to go home. Jacob is now wealthy with flocks and herds and children - 11 of them by 2 wives and 2 servants. What a mess! Still God is planning to use these eleven sons and another to be born later to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
I read this and think these people were really dysfunctional. But as I look around at our world today, we haven't changed much. More children in the US are in single mom homes than ever before with no dad in sight; most of these born out of wedlock. For those who do marry, divorce is more the norm than a for a lifetime marriage. There are over 27 million adults and children enslaved around the world, including the US, in sex trafficking and forced labor. People lie and cheat, like the Barney Madoff's of the world, to steal money from friends. Others swindle money from those who want to help in times of tragedy. We are a mean, selfish, greedy people.
Thank You, God, for using Jacob to prepare the way for our Savior! Thank You, God, for telling us stories of redemption so that we don't have to feel hopeless in our sins. Thank You, God, for showing Your love to us despite our sinfulness.
People in the Bible are real people, with real problems, and with real sins, just like me. When I read their stories I see myself and see that God can also use imperfect me, perfected through faith in Christ Jesus, to accomplish His will for my little sphere of His world.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Life Is Good
That's all I really want to say. Life IS good! I am content with what I have, where I am, and where I am headed. God overwhelms me with His love and I just want to bless His name!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Time
Wow...I can't believe it's been three and a half months since I wrote something. It's not that things haven't been happening in my family or God and I haven't been having conversations as I read my Bible, it's just, well, time. I should have all the time in the world but it just seems to slip away.
When I was reading in Genesis this week about Abraham, and specifically about Ishmael, one little phrase in Genesis 17:20 caught my attention. Abraham was talking to God about the son to be born to him. He was asking for Ishmael to be the one God would bless. God said nope, the child will be yours and Sarah's, a miracle child of their old age. But God also said, "I have blessed him..." speaking of Ishmael. Although this blessing would not take place for some years, to God it was a done deal.
I know intellectually that God is not restrained by time, but sometimes I forget that He sees ALL of time as now. Even if I can't see the blessing or the fulfillment of a promise or the salvation of a friend, when God declares it will be done it has already happened in His mind. So I need to rest in that knowing that God will always fulfill what He says.
When I was reading in Genesis this week about Abraham, and specifically about Ishmael, one little phrase in Genesis 17:20 caught my attention. Abraham was talking to God about the son to be born to him. He was asking for Ishmael to be the one God would bless. God said nope, the child will be yours and Sarah's, a miracle child of their old age. But God also said, "I have blessed him..." speaking of Ishmael. Although this blessing would not take place for some years, to God it was a done deal.
I know intellectually that God is not restrained by time, but sometimes I forget that He sees ALL of time as now. Even if I can't see the blessing or the fulfillment of a promise or the salvation of a friend, when God declares it will be done it has already happened in His mind. So I need to rest in that knowing that God will always fulfill what He says.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
One Thousand Gifts
For Christmas I received a book titled "One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp. I thought this was particularly appropriate since the NewSpring Church preaching series for the month of December was titled "Fully Alive".
My intention is not to write a synopsis or a review of the book but to start my list of one thousand gifts. Ann had struggled with unresolved grief since her little sister was hit and killed by a truck when they young. As she studied scripture she saw how thankfulness was tied into salvation and blessings so she started a list - on a dare - to name 1000 gifts from God for which she was thankful.
These will not to be the ordinary family, friends, health, etc gifts but the unexpected or unnoticed gifts, the things we too often take for granted. So today I have started my list and have two items:
My intention is not to write a synopsis or a review of the book but to start my list of one thousand gifts. Ann had struggled with unresolved grief since her little sister was hit and killed by a truck when they young. As she studied scripture she saw how thankfulness was tied into salvation and blessings so she started a list - on a dare - to name 1000 gifts from God for which she was thankful.
These will not to be the ordinary family, friends, health, etc gifts but the unexpected or unnoticed gifts, the things we too often take for granted. So today I have started my list and have two items:
- the honking of geese as they fly over my house on their way to the pond
- bright sunshine after many days, and almost 6 inches, of rain
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Heartache
When I heard about the school shooting in Connecticut where elementary age children as well as teachers lost their lives, my heart was broken for the families of the children and teachers but also for the family of the shooter. I was thinking about good and evil and how do I really put together a God who is supreme and supremely good with such an act of evil.
This has been a question for the ages so I as glad today that I ran across this article by David Platt. He is a pastor in Birmingham, AL. What he says I already knew but was glad to see it said in a way that I never could.
Please take time to read his article.
This has been a question for the ages so I as glad today that I ran across this article by David Platt. He is a pastor in Birmingham, AL. What he says I already knew but was glad to see it said in a way that I never could.
Please take time to read his article.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Faith
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
Why is faith in God so hard to come by? We have faith in our favorite team's coaches that they I'll supply a winning season. We have faith in the weatherman and take an umbrella when he says it will rain. Some have faith in the President or the stock market, some in their talent or good looks.
About 2700 or so years go the prophet Isaiah was sent by God to King Ahaz of Judah to tell him not to fear the kings who were plotting to capture Jerusalem. God, through Isaiah, said it's not going to happen. Then God said, "If you at not firm in faith, you are not firm at all." (Isaiah 7:1-9)
When Jesus began to interact with people, He marveled at the faith of a Roman centurion and chastised His disciples for their lack of faith. (Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8). When the writer to the Hebrews wrote his letter, he listed a whole bunch of people known for their faith (Hebrews 11). However, this writer points out that they did not receive the promise that fueled their faith. That promise was the Messiah. But he also tells us in Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
For most of us the problem comes with the word reward. We have the idea that God's reward will be financial security or a trouble free life or no sickness (or at least complete physical healing if we do get sick). In Hebrews 11, the writer lists a bunch of great things that happened to or for people of faith but he also tells us of those who "suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated..." (Hebrews 11:35-36) The rewards of faith are not always immediately apparent or received.
Jesus, as always, is the standard we follow, especially when it comes to faith, "looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2). His reward was AFTER He became a human and AFTER He was despised and AFTER He was tortured and AFTER He became sin for us and AFTER He was crucified. All these horrible things had to happen so Jesus could show us His power over sin and death by rising from the dead and then ascending back to Heaven to receive His reward.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
Why is faith in God so hard to come by? We have faith in our favorite team's coaches that they I'll supply a winning season. We have faith in the weatherman and take an umbrella when he says it will rain. Some have faith in the President or the stock market, some in their talent or good looks.
About 2700 or so years go the prophet Isaiah was sent by God to King Ahaz of Judah to tell him not to fear the kings who were plotting to capture Jerusalem. God, through Isaiah, said it's not going to happen. Then God said, "If you at not firm in faith, you are not firm at all." (Isaiah 7:1-9)
When Jesus began to interact with people, He marveled at the faith of a Roman centurion and chastised His disciples for their lack of faith. (Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8). When the writer to the Hebrews wrote his letter, he listed a whole bunch of people known for their faith (Hebrews 11). However, this writer points out that they did not receive the promise that fueled their faith. That promise was the Messiah. But he also tells us in Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
For most of us the problem comes with the word reward. We have the idea that God's reward will be financial security or a trouble free life or no sickness (or at least complete physical healing if we do get sick). In Hebrews 11, the writer lists a bunch of great things that happened to or for people of faith but he also tells us of those who "suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated..." (Hebrews 11:35-36) The rewards of faith are not always immediately apparent or received.
Jesus, as always, is the standard we follow, especially when it comes to faith, "looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2). His reward was AFTER He became a human and AFTER He was despised and AFTER He was tortured and AFTER He became sin for us and AFTER He was crucified. All these horrible things had to happen so Jesus could show us His power over sin and death by rising from the dead and then ascending back to Heaven to receive His reward.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
They Bow Down
In Isaiah chapter 2, the prophet is speaking to the people of Judah and Jerusalem when he says God has rejected them "...because they are full of things from the east and of fortunetellers like the Philistines...Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made." (vs 6-8)
Just prior to this he has told them God is not pleased with their worship, He despises their sacrifices and celebrations because of their sin. But God also says, "Come now, let us reason together...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
As I read this I thought about idols we have today; how full we are of silver and gold and houses and cars...and technology. We have plenty of things and always seem to want more. Just look at the people who camp in front of stores for black Friday and stores that used to close on Thanksgiving but are now open so we can shop, shop, shop. The more we have the more we are likely to make "the work of our hands" an idol.
Our idols may not be getting the latest toy or car or computer or iPhone but may be getting the latest twitter or Facebook update or having the most followers or getting the most retweets. Idolatry comes in lots of different forms.
As a follower of Jesus Christ my salvation is assured and the scarlet stains of my sins have been erased. But is God pleased with my worship? Do I show up at church on Sunday with nary a thought of God all week and expect Him to tell me I'm a good girl because I sang a few songs and listened to a preacher? Do I treat God as my personal Santa to give me what I ask for without asking Him what He wants for me to have?
Do I really bow down to the Creator of the universe, the Savior of my soul, or do I bow to the world and its trinkets and secretly hope He doesn't notice? This Christmas I want to renew my focus on the marvelous gift of salvation freely given to me and to all who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, who died for my sins, and rose from the dead three days later.
Giving gifts at Christmas is an expression of love but I want to be sure the love of Christ is the gift I share the most.
Just prior to this he has told them God is not pleased with their worship, He despises their sacrifices and celebrations because of their sin. But God also says, "Come now, let us reason together...though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
As I read this I thought about idols we have today; how full we are of silver and gold and houses and cars...and technology. We have plenty of things and always seem to want more. Just look at the people who camp in front of stores for black Friday and stores that used to close on Thanksgiving but are now open so we can shop, shop, shop. The more we have the more we are likely to make "the work of our hands" an idol.
Our idols may not be getting the latest toy or car or computer or iPhone but may be getting the latest twitter or Facebook update or having the most followers or getting the most retweets. Idolatry comes in lots of different forms.
As a follower of Jesus Christ my salvation is assured and the scarlet stains of my sins have been erased. But is God pleased with my worship? Do I show up at church on Sunday with nary a thought of God all week and expect Him to tell me I'm a good girl because I sang a few songs and listened to a preacher? Do I treat God as my personal Santa to give me what I ask for without asking Him what He wants for me to have?
Do I really bow down to the Creator of the universe, the Savior of my soul, or do I bow to the world and its trinkets and secretly hope He doesn't notice? This Christmas I want to renew my focus on the marvelous gift of salvation freely given to me and to all who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, who died for my sins, and rose from the dead three days later.
Giving gifts at Christmas is an expression of love but I want to be sure the love of Christ is the gift I share the most.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A Generous Heart
When Moses came down from Mount Horeb with the tablets containing the testimony of God, it was time to begin building the tabernacle. "Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, 'This is what the LORD has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; blue and purple and scarlet yarns and finely twined linens; goats' hair; tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.' " (Exodus 35:4-9)
But it wasn't just the materials Moses needed. he also needed people, men and women, to do the work of making everything. God had called out a couple of men by name to lead this project. These men "received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought... They still kept bringing him free will offerings every morning..." The people brought more than enough to do the work, so much in fact, that "Moses gave command...and the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work and more." (Exodus 36:3-7)
Jesus tells us of another generous heart in the story of the widow's offering. As Jesus sat near the treasury box in the temple, "many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." (Mark 12:41-44) Jesus went on to tell the disciples her gift was more generous than all the rest because she had given all she had to live on.
Americans prove themselves over and over to be a generous people. Just look at all the money given to aid disaster victims. Organizations like the Red Cross do a great job of helping people in times of disaster but what a lot of people don't know is that the Red Cross depends a lot on faith-based disaster relief teams to cook meals and wash clothes and provide shower facilities and just plain labor. (I know because I've been there, done that.) So what would happen if the followers of Jesus were generous year round to their local church AND their local church was willing to support the local pregnancy center and the local food bank and the local homeless shelter and all the other organizations who reach out to "the least of these". Those places should never lack for funds if the church, which is the people, has a generous heart.
But it wasn't just the materials Moses needed. he also needed people, men and women, to do the work of making everything. God had called out a couple of men by name to lead this project. These men "received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought... They still kept bringing him free will offerings every morning..." The people brought more than enough to do the work, so much in fact, that "Moses gave command...and the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work and more." (Exodus 36:3-7)
Jesus tells us of another generous heart in the story of the widow's offering. As Jesus sat near the treasury box in the temple, "many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." (Mark 12:41-44) Jesus went on to tell the disciples her gift was more generous than all the rest because she had given all she had to live on.
Americans prove themselves over and over to be a generous people. Just look at all the money given to aid disaster victims. Organizations like the Red Cross do a great job of helping people in times of disaster but what a lot of people don't know is that the Red Cross depends a lot on faith-based disaster relief teams to cook meals and wash clothes and provide shower facilities and just plain labor. (I know because I've been there, done that.) So what would happen if the followers of Jesus were generous year round to their local church AND their local church was willing to support the local pregnancy center and the local food bank and the local homeless shelter and all the other organizations who reach out to "the least of these". Those places should never lack for funds if the church, which is the people, has a generous heart.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Sabbath
After God created everything, He designated a seven day week and specified rest on day seven. (Genesis 2:1-3). When God spoke to Moses in the wilderness and gave Israel the Ten Commandments, He designated the seventh day the Sabbath. (Exodus 20:8-11) The people were to do no work and were to rest and worship on this day, "...a day...of solemn rest, holy to the Lord." (Exodus 31:15)
When the Israelites first came out of Egypt, God gave them food each day, bread in the morning and quail in the evening. He told them to take twice as much on the sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day. In explaining it to the people Moses said, "See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days." (Exodus 16:22-30)
Later, when the children of Israel were to start making the tent of meeting, Moses told them, "Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day." (Exodus 35:2-3) In Leviticus we learn that even the land was to be given a Sabbath rest every seven years. (Leviticus 25:1-7)
Isaiah gives us a little more insight into God's heart about the Sabbath, "...[if you] call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasures, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the LORD..." (Isaiah 58:13-14) This was a big deal because God says, "Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them." (Ezekiel 20:12)
But somewhere along the way, the scribes began to make the Sabbath less about the Lord and rest and worship and more about keeping the rules, rules they made up about what constituted work and how far you could walk and how much you could carry. Lots and lots of rules. Several of the difficult encounters Jesus had with the the religious leaders of His day concerned the Sabbath and Jesus not keeping their man-made rules. (Matthew 12, Luke 13, John 7)
So what about me today as a follower of Jesus. Does that Old Testament commandment apply to me? The other nine do, so why not this one?
Not long after the resurrection, the Jews who were following Jesus began to worship on the first day of the week, designating it the Lord's Day because Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week. As the Gospel spread to the Greeks and Romans the old Jewish rules were no longer observed. (Acts 15:1-21)
However, the law as given by God, not men, was not abolished by Jesus but fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17) For Christians the law about the Sabbath is not about a day of the week but an attitude of the heart and a desire to know and worship God. It is about putting aside all the busyness of the life and spending time with God. It is about reading the Bible and prayer and singing praises to Jesus. It is about knowing God and His son Jesus Christ and refreshing mind and body and spirit.
But wait...that's what it's been about all along!
When the Israelites first came out of Egypt, God gave them food each day, bread in the morning and quail in the evening. He told them to take twice as much on the sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day. In explaining it to the people Moses said, "See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He gives you bread for two days." (Exodus 16:22-30)
Later, when the children of Israel were to start making the tent of meeting, Moses told them, "Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day." (Exodus 35:2-3) In Leviticus we learn that even the land was to be given a Sabbath rest every seven years. (Leviticus 25:1-7)
Isaiah gives us a little more insight into God's heart about the Sabbath, "...[if you] call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasures, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the LORD..." (Isaiah 58:13-14) This was a big deal because God says, "Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them." (Ezekiel 20:12)
But somewhere along the way, the scribes began to make the Sabbath less about the Lord and rest and worship and more about keeping the rules, rules they made up about what constituted work and how far you could walk and how much you could carry. Lots and lots of rules. Several of the difficult encounters Jesus had with the the religious leaders of His day concerned the Sabbath and Jesus not keeping their man-made rules. (Matthew 12, Luke 13, John 7)
So what about me today as a follower of Jesus. Does that Old Testament commandment apply to me? The other nine do, so why not this one?
Not long after the resurrection, the Jews who were following Jesus began to worship on the first day of the week, designating it the Lord's Day because Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week. As the Gospel spread to the Greeks and Romans the old Jewish rules were no longer observed. (Acts 15:1-21)
However, the law as given by God, not men, was not abolished by Jesus but fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17) For Christians the law about the Sabbath is not about a day of the week but an attitude of the heart and a desire to know and worship God. It is about putting aside all the busyness of the life and spending time with God. It is about reading the Bible and prayer and singing praises to Jesus. It is about knowing God and His son Jesus Christ and refreshing mind and body and spirit.
But wait...that's what it's been about all along!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Details
I am so glad God is in the details of life. He is a "big picture" God seeing all creation and all time as a whole. He knows when and how and where things did and will happen and when the universe will reach its conclusion. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. But He is also a God of incredible detail.
When God gave directions to Moses for the tabernacle and the furnishings, He supplied lots of detail. God didn't just say make some curtains for the walls but told him the material to use, the number of curtains and their size, and how many hanging loops to put on them. He did that for every aspect of the tabernacle.
That's important to me because I am only one person in a world with seven billion or so people. I am a "detail" in a mass of humanity. In Psalm 139, David tells us of God's design and purpose and knowledge of who we are individually. Jesus said, "...the hairs of your head are all numbered" as He is telling His followers how much God cares for them. (Matthew 10:30)
The instructions God gave to Moses for building the temple give me a glimpse of just how much God cares about His dwelling place. As a follower of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in me. (1 Corinthians 3:16). If He cared so much about all the little details of this tabernacle of perishable materials made by the hands of men, how much more does He care about the details of my life and this temple fashioned by His own hands?!
When God gave directions to Moses for the tabernacle and the furnishings, He supplied lots of detail. God didn't just say make some curtains for the walls but told him the material to use, the number of curtains and their size, and how many hanging loops to put on them. He did that for every aspect of the tabernacle.
That's important to me because I am only one person in a world with seven billion or so people. I am a "detail" in a mass of humanity. In Psalm 139, David tells us of God's design and purpose and knowledge of who we are individually. Jesus said, "...the hairs of your head are all numbered" as He is telling His followers how much God cares for them. (Matthew 10:30)
The instructions God gave to Moses for building the temple give me a glimpse of just how much God cares about His dwelling place. As a follower of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in me. (1 Corinthians 3:16). If He cared so much about all the little details of this tabernacle of perishable materials made by the hands of men, how much more does He care about the details of my life and this temple fashioned by His own hands?!
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