A Subtle Shift

Thanksgiving is coming.  Isn’t it something how we have turned Thanksgiving into a day of sitting around stuffing our faces and watching football?  Nothing wrong with food or sport, but there is a subtle problem here.  Originally, Thanksgiving was a day set aside to offer thanks to God for all of His blessings.  The focus was on Him.  Now, it’s about our stomachs and our entertainment.  The focus is on us.

In the Old Testament book of Haggai, the Lord rebukes the people for neglecting the Temple while adorning their own homes.  He says, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins” (Haggai 1:4, ESV)?  In other words, their focus was on themselves and not on Him.  As a result of their self-centeredness, they never had enough.  The Bible says, “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts:  Consider your ways.  You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill.  You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm.  And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:5-6, ESV).

When we focus on ourselves, we never have enough.  We need more and more and more.  When we focus on God, however, it’s amazing how much more clearly we develop a sense of contentment.  We begin to appreciate what He has done for us.  And we give Him the thanks He deserves.  The Lord challenges His people to get things back in their proper perspective.  He says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.  Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord” (Hag 1:7-8, ESV).  May we overcome the subtle shift in our lives and return our attention to the One on whom it belongs.  Why don’t we take the next week and reflect on all that God has given to us?  Then, on Thanksgiving day, we’ll have some sense of perspective.

Religion or the Gospel

I just finished reading Timothy Keller’s The Prodigal God.  Definitely worth picking up and reading.  Here’s a quote that stuck with me:

“Religion operates on the principle that I obey, therefore I am accepted by God.  The basic operating principle of the gospel is I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ, therefore I obey” (p. 114).

His words reminded me anew that we tend to put the cart before the horse.  We think that if we can be good enough, or be better than someone else, God will accept us.  The reality is, He accepts us based on what Jesus did on the cross.  The Apostle Paul says,

“For no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin ⌊comes⌋ through the law.  But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed —attested by the Law and the Prophets —that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.  ⌊God presented Him⌋ to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:20-26, HCSB).

Quit trying to earn your way to God.  Quit trying to compare your way to Him.  Quit trying religion.  Try the gospel  Try Jesus and what He has done for you.

The Failure of Leadership

How sad is it when leadership fails a people?  We see it every day in our lives.  Political leaders break their promises and hurt their constituents.  Parents break their vows and hurt their families.  Religious figures abuse their calling and crush those who look to them for guidance.  It’s a real tragedy when leadership fails us.  The Bible says,

“What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!  No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction.  It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.  Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims.  Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.  Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.  Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.  But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong.  Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail.  But the wicked know no shame” (Zephaniah 3:1-5, NLT). 

The prophet Zephaniah reminds that the failings of leadership often go hand in hand with the corruption of a people.  The people of Judah had rebelled against their God.  Their leaders aggressively participated in this corrupt behavior.  God was well aware of it all.  The failings of His people and their leaders did not go unnoticed by Him.  He was “still there in the city,” and would deal with their sinfulness.

Zephaniah’s words simply remind us how easy it is to go astray, leaders and followers alike.  Through it all, however, God is steadfast.  Leaders may fail us, but God never will.  They may fail to do right, but God will always do right.  May we always live in honor and reverence for Him, regardless of how those around (or in front of) us live.  May we never “refuse all correction,” but always live with the awareness that God is still in our midst.

Urgency

We are a fast-paced society.  We hurry here, hurry there.  Fast food, express lanes, instant communication.  Everything has to be done now.  Tragically, however, we often delay in regard to the most important decision we can make.

In the book of Zephaniah, we read of a time of coming judgment for the nation of Judah.  The Bible says,

“Gather together—yes, gather together,you shameless nation.  Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.  Act now, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.  Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands.  Seek to do what is right and to live humbly.  Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you—protect you from his anger on that day of destruction” (Zephaniah 2:1-3, NLT).

The prophet urges the people to return to their God before their time to do so is “blown away like chaff.”  His words simply remind us of the urgency of the moment.  We need to respond to God while we have opportunity.  We need to embrace Him in faith and repentance, trusting Him to honor His Word. 

The author of Hebrews reminds us of the same thing.  He writes,

““Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.  There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.  So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me.  They refuse to do what I tell them.’  So in my anger I took an oath:  ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’ ”  Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.  Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.  You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.  For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”  And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt?  And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?  And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest?  Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him?  So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest” (Hebrews 3:7-19, NLT, emphasis added).

May we recognize the brevity of time and take advantage of the opportunity God has given for us to embrace Him.

How Do We View Suffering?

It has been said that into every life, a little rain must fall.  In other words, we all are going to experience some peaks and valleys here and there.  Despite the teachings of some who suggest that Christianity is nothing but mountain top experiences (more about that another time), the Christian life does have it’s fair share of trials.  We will suffer.  Jesus told us so when He said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). 

Paul confirmed Jesus’ words with both his life and his pen.  Writing to the Thessalonians concerning their difficulties, he says, “For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.  For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction” (1 Thessalonians 3:3-4, ESV).  It’s interesting to me that in this particular chapter where Paul expresses such concern for the Thessalonians in the midst of their trials, he doesn’t pray and ask God to stop their trials  Rather, he simply asks God to strengthen his brothers and sisters in their Christian walk (you can read more on this passage here).

The question for us then is how will we view our trials and sufferings?  A couple of key passages come to mind.  The first is in the book of James where it says,

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4, HCSB).

James reminds us that our trials help mature us.  Peter expresses a similar sentiment when he writes,

“You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith —more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:5-7, HCSB).

Difficulties have a refining effect on our lives.  And, while I’m not suggesting we be eager to experiences trials, we can emerge through them stronger in our faith if we let God work in the midst of our circumstances.  Maybe we need to spend less time praying for God to make our trials go away, and more time asking Him to use them in our lives?

Greed and Idolatry

Most of us think that we are too sophisticated to be idolators.  Afterall, we do not worship at the feet of little statues carved to represent gods.  We probably don’t pray to a pantheon of gods (although if surveys are correct, we do give credence to the erroneous view of contemporary culture that all roads to God are valid).  Nonetheless, we may still be guilty of idolatry.  Paul writes, “Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly:  sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5, HCSB).  While our culture may be too sophisticated to have gods with names like Baal, Asherah, Zeus, or Apollo, we do have our gods.  And one of them is money and the things that money can buy.  We worship the biggest house, the newest car, and the latest fashions.  We want more and more and more. 

While it’s important to note that it’s not sinful to have money or the things that money can buy, it’s equally important to remind ourselves that the pursuit of these things cannot be the number one priority of our lives.  Jesus tells us clearly that priority is already taken.  He says, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).  Anything that occupies God’s place in our hearts is an idol.  And that includes money.  Despite what Gordon Gecko says, greed is not good.  It’s idolatry.  May we not allow anything to rob God of His rightful place in our lives.

God Follows Through

We all are guilty of not finishing projects.  Our basements are cluttered with half-finished craft projects.  Our garages are a graveyard for unfinished woodworking adventures.  Our bookshelves are filled with books half-read.  We struggle to finish the task.  Fortunately, however, God does not share our shortcomings.  He finishes what He starts.  As Paul writes the Philippian Christians, he expresses his confidences that God will finish His work in their lives.  He writes, “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, HCSB).  In other words, if we genuinely place our faith and trust in Jesus, God will see us through.  He will finish what He started.

God Meets Our Needs

We tend to be fearful creatures.  One of the reasons we are so fearful is because we are forgetful.  We forget who God is and how He works.  We lose sight of His faithfulness.  That may be one of the reasons we find so many reminders of God’s faithfulness in the Scripture. 

In the book of 1 Kings, we read of a man named Elijah.  In the opening accounts of his life, we see two great reminders of God’s provision.  The Bible says, “Then the LORD said to Elijah, ”Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River.  Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”  So Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan.  The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:2-6, NLT).

Eventually, a drought dried up the brook, and Elijah moved on to Zarephath.  There, he encounters a widow, and asks her for food.  She, however, lacks the food to help him.  She tells him that she only has enough food to feed her family one last time before they die.  The prophet tells her, “Don’t be afraid!  Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first.  Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.  For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:  There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again” (1 Kings 17:13-14, NLT)!

On two different occasions, in the midst of difficult times, God meets the needs of those who trust Him.  We need to remember that He is faithful.  We may not always have what we want, but God is faithful to give us what we need.  Jesus reminds us, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat?  What will we drink?  What will we wear?  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:32-33, NLT).  So fear not, because God is faithful.  He meets our needs.

A New Family

I had the privilege to attend an adoption hearing today.  As I watched these two children legally take their place in their new family, I was reminded anew of God’s great love for us.  He reaches down and pulls us out of our defeat and brokeness.  He then places us lovingly in His family and gives us the status of a child.  The Apostle Paul writes,

“For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved“  (Ephesians 1:4-6, HCSB). 

He also says,

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:15-17, HCSB).

What a privilege it is to be adopted by God.  Our past has no bearing on our present or our future.  We are new creations in Christ.  He has set us free and placed us securely in the Father’s family (Galatians 4:1-7).  To Him be all honor, praise, and glory.

God’s Keeps His Promises

We live in a world where people make promises all the time.  The sad thing is that most of the promises we make, we break.  Sometimes our promises are made in good faith, and we just can’t follow through.  Sometimes, promises are made with insincere motives and intentions, and they go unfulfilled.  Whatever the reason, we all know what it is to break a promise, and to have a promise broken.   

Fortunately, God is different than we are.  He character and power are greater than ours.  When He makes a promise, He keeps it.  I was reminded of that again this week while reading the book of 1 Kings.  In it, Solomon replaces David as the king of Israel.  As he does, we are reminded of the promises of God.  The Bible says, “Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy” (1 Kings 4:20, ESV). 

Roughly a thousand years before, God had made a promise to Abraham.  He told him that He would make him the father of a great nation and He would “surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17, ESV).  God keeps His Word.  He honors His promises.  We can trust Him in everything He says.  He always comes through.