Ladder

Good morning,

He was on the run, having committed a heinous deception.  He had been driven from his home and pursued by an angry man, as a result.  He was young and fearful, having traveled 40 miles on foot that day, through a desert wilderness.  It was nighttime.  He was cold and exhausted.  

His father was Isaac, the one nearly sacrificed by Abraham, the one to whom God promised that his descendants would be as "the stars of the sky" (Genesis 26:4).  He knew, however, that it was not assured a living relationship with God came with one's parentage or birth order.  He had proven that, through the committing of his dastardly scheme, in which he had received his father's blessing.  No doubt he was questioning the efficacy of that blessing, as well as everything he had ever known. He found himself at the "end of himself".  His name was Jacob.

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder[a] set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold,the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it[b] and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 28:10-14

Perhaps you have met someone like Jacob who, by the very means of his talents and wily ways, is able to achieve anything his heart desires. Perhaps you are like him.  Jacob had, all his life, trusted in his own abilities. Admittedly, they had taken him far... until this point, where they had taken him to Bethel, a desolate stopping point on his 500-mile trek to his uncle Laban's house, the place his mother had sent him to find refuge.  (Jacob did not suck his scheming ways out of a baby bottle, you understand...)

As he slept the sleep of the dog-tired, bone-tired, dead-tired, with a stone for his pillow, God revealed Himself to him.  Isn't it that, sometimes, we are so busy trying to carry out our own plans during our waking hours it is only during our sleep that God can get our attention?  I'm laughingly thinking about how there've been times I was praying and suddenly find myself worrying about my to-do list...right?  Come on, now, can I get an amen?!

But, look!  It was when Jacob was "at the end of himself" that God came to Him.  God peeled back the veil which separates Heaven from Earth and shifted Jacob's paradigm, big-time.  This was the first time God had appeared to Jacob.  To remove all question, from the top of the ladder God introduced Himself, after which He reaffirmed to Jacob the promises He had made to his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac.

There was never any invitation extended for Jacob to climb that ladder.  If you are familiar with the old spiritual, "We are climbing Jacob's Ladder", you can retire that one.  It is unscriptural. Attempting to "climb a ladder to God" is man's way of salvation.  It is the way of every other religion on earth, apart from Christianity. False religions are sets of steps, like rungs on a ladder, which supposedly will restore one to God by climbing them. You see, the ladder in Jacob's dream is a foreshadowing of Jesus. (He alluded to Jacob's dream, establishing Himself in it, in John 1:51.)  He is the only way to God. Yet, in proclaiming Himself to be the only way, He does not ask us to climb up to Him.

God came down to us, at Christmas.  We rejoice at His coming, because we are all so horribly unable to reach up to God ourselves.  All of our attempts eventually come crashing down.

Jacob probably rejoiced at God's affirmation that he would get the land on which he was sleeping. But, God's promise was for a much, much greater blessing - - the blessing of His Son, whose human lineage would come from Jacob's descendants.  One of the names of Christ is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah - - the same Judah who was one of Jacob's 12 sons.

and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, we are.  Hallelujah, we are!

Look up, you weary, you debtors, you abandoned, you broken, you beleaguered, you lost.  See the Christ who descends to you, who condescends to you.  See Him in this Advent season, and claim Him as your own, your glorious salvation.  His coming - - - this is amazing grace.

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of what family we are from, regardless of our past, we find true and eternal blessing only in You.  None of any family are excluded from Your blessings, unless they exclude themselves by rejecting Your salvation.  Open our hearts to receive You today, whether by taking that initial step to ask You to be our Savior or to ask You to give us who already know You more of You.  May we not profane Your coming down to us by regarding it as trivial or meaningless. Reveal Yourself to us, not only on this day of Advent, but more and more every day, as we stop to listen for Your voice, as we open our hearts to you.  It is in Your name I pray, Lord Jesus, amen.

Sources:

http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/genesis/28.html

 Voskamp, Ann. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. Print. 

Lifting the Veil

Good morning,

It used to be that most brides wore veils which obscured their faces.  Today, that has pretty much fallen by the wayside.  My niece is getting married next month.  I don't know if she is planning on wearing a veil or not, and that's not really the point.  Why did this tradition start in the first place?  Why is it relevant to a reading of today's passage, 2 Cor. 3:7-18?

Remember that Jesus Christ's Church is referred to as His Bride several times in the New Testament. In most of these verses, He is referred to as the Bridegroom. (John 3:28-29) However, there is nothing in either the Old or New Testaments requiring a bride to wear a veil.  In Genesis, we see Leah wearing a veil, although it seems obvious that the main reason she did so was to further her father's deception upon Jacob.

There is a good bit of church tradition associated with the bride wearing a veil, however.  The practice began in Europe in medieval times, when the Crusaders brought the tradition back with them from the East.  At that time, a veil symbolized modesty and purity.  In the traditional Christian wedding ceremony, who would lift the bride's veil? - - - the groom!  Hold on to that thought...

Now, in this passage, Paul is making a comparison, something he loved to do in his writings.  He had studied the Old Testament Scriptures for years, and knew them well.  So, he was very accomplished at weaving together God's dealings with mankind before Christ with how He was manifesting Himself through Christ, as well as after Christ's ascension (the Holy Spirit).

7 But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets—came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), 8 how much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! 10 For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. 11 For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we behave with great boldness, 13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. 14 But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Cor. 3:7-18  NET

 In Exodus 24:9-18 we are told that Moses (and about 70 elders) journeyed to the top of the mountain (Sinai).  Although all of these men "saw God" (!), only Moses was permitted direct access.  He stayed on the mountain for 40 days and nights.  In that time, Exodus 25-32, God gave Moses the Mosaic Law, God's rules for the good development and the preservation of His chosen people.  Moses was gone so long that many feared he was dead, and that led to the disastrous golden calf debacle. Anyhow, we read in Exodus 33:11 that

"the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."

However, in His dealings with Moses, God veiled His own glory.  Look at Exodus 33:18-23.

18 And he {Moses} said, “Please, show me Your glory.” 19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

So, Moses only saw the glory of the Lord from that back side, because he could not live had he been exposed to the full-on glory of God.  Such mystery!  It is plain that God revealed Himself in varying degrees to men and women of the Old Testament, as suited His purposes.

Next, we have the passage Paul references in 2 Cor. 3.  It's Exodus 34:29-35, which describes how Moses' face shone supernaturally after his second trip up Mt. Sinai to speak with God.  It shone so fiercely that the Israelites were frightened.  So, Moses donned a veil, when he would appear before the people.

Paul states that God's way of dealing with the Israelites, the way of the law, was a "ministry of death".  It begs the question, then, "Why did God choose to establish the 10 commandments and the Mosaic Law?"  Most theologians agree that He did it for a couple of reasons:
1.  To show people how to live clean, honorable and productive lives
2.  To show people that keeping God's standards of holiness is impossible.

In Christ, we who believe in Him partake of His new covenant, not the old, condemnatory covenant of death (the Law).  He lifts the veil from our eyes and minds, allowing us to see God the Father in a revolutionary revelation.  Because of this, we are actual recipients of God's glory in a way Moses could never have been.  Because His Holy Spirit lives within us continually, we are to an ever-greater degree reflecting the glory of our Lord as we are transformed more and more into His image.  The Lord God Himself does this in our lives.
Remember what I said earlier about how, in the traditional Christian marriage ceremony the groom lifts the bride's veil?  A beautiful picture of what Jesus Christ does for His own Bride, is it not?

Another image that comes to mind here is the image of what was called the Temple Veil, which was supernaturally split in two from top to bottom, during the earthquake that occurred the moment Christ died on the cross (Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). God did this to symbolize the removal of the barrier between God the Father and His creation, mankind, because it revealed the most holy room of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, the place where the presence of God would come down to meet with select priests, who represented God's people.  With Christ's finished work, however, (under His new covenant) there was no longer any need for such separation, or even a priest, as Jesus Christ is now our "High Priest", our only pathway to the Father.  Glory to God!

Dear Father,
Thank you for how you tore down the veil separating us from You, by providing the eternal solution to our sin problem, through Your Son.  Thank you for how Jesus Christ lifts the veil of His Bride, the Church Universal, as He transforms each of us, His children, more and more into His glory.  May we reflect His glory in our unveiled faces, more and more each day.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/17212/what-is-the-meaning-and-origin-of-bridal-veils-in-christian-weddings

Thy Will Be Done

Good morning,

I woke up this morning, earlier than I should've, due to what is best described as a crazy dream, no doubt fueled by some degree of anxiety.  Then, that was it for sleep.  smh...

Yesterday afternoon I got to meet with a Christian sister, a member of our church, who is bilingual, for the purpose of setting two, newly-translated songs to their melodies.  The plan is to sing these two beautiful songs in Spanish, in Peru.  Our team leaves a week from today.  Just typing that makes my heart beat faster.

The problem is that I've got about 10 days worth of living to pack into about 6, at this point.  Unless I put in 18-hour days, full-tilt, it won't "all get done."

All of this is a great back-drop to today's devotional verse:

"Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven."

Matthew 6:10

Yesterday we looked at the preceding declaration:  "Thy kingdom come."  In doing so, we talked about the will of God, because it is His purpose, His will that His kingdom will come on this Earth.

But, what is God's will, and how do we, how CAN we, know it?
First of all, you must be God's child, a believer/disciple of Jesus Christ.  God does not reveal His will to unbelievers other than His revealed will recorded in His Word, for all people.

Frankly, most of the time, even we, Christ-followers, don't even ask to know God's will.  What we do instead is furtively, frantically go through life like a hamster on it's exercise wheel, hoping we are making the right choices, sometimes not feeling like we are "getting anywhere".  By acting as the captain of our own ship, by exerting our own will in any given situation, we often find ourselves floundering.  Christian, go read Romans 12:1-8.  So much of our Lord's will for us is revealed in those 8 short verses.  Hallelujah!

1.  The Bible is our most certain, dependable source for determining God's will.  It is right there in front of us.  You can be sure that God's will will never contradict what He reveals in Scripture. Here's an example:  "God is leading me to divorce my husband because I'm not attracted to him anymore."   Well, that is most certainly NOT God's will.  Such an attitude/belief is repudiated in scripture!  The same goes for taking God's word out of it's intended context and twisting it for our own purposes. That's not God's will; it's our desire to justify our own sinful behavior.

2.  God reveals His will to us, His children, through prayer.  This is the second source for finding God's will.  His desires are revealed through our relationship with Him.  Often, this is called "walking by faith".  If you want to know God's will about a specific situation, and the Scriptures do not specifically address that, first look to any related, guiding principles revealed in the Bible.  Then, ask God to reveal His specific will to you.  If we first pray, "thy will be done" in an attitude of true submission, He will reveal His will to us.  Exercise your faith!  God wants to take you beyond what you believe to be your "capacity".  He wants to "grow" your faith in Him.  You'll may never "feel" entirely certain about your interpretation of His will, or you would not be walking by faith.
ACT on what you believe His revealed will to be.  My pastor, who grew up on the ocean, likes to put it like this:  "it is easier to steer a vessel that is moving."

3.  Look for confirmation from trusted Christian advisors.  Make sure not to seek counsel from those who are carnal - - not living their lives in accordance with God's word, not seeking God's will in their own lives.  God's Spirit will speak to other godly men or women who can advise you/confirm God's message to you.  Sometimes this confirmation does not come "in person", "face-to-face"; it sometimes comes in the form of books that spiritual giants of the past have been led of the Holy Spirit to write.

Watch out for these pitfalls/mistakes!
1.  Be obedient to what you already know.  God reveals His will to you increasingly, based on your obedience.  If you are walking in disobedience, turn that around (confess, repent, obey).
2.  Don't look to your "feelings" to confirm God's will.  Often our feelings are extremely deceptive.  One of my college profs used to say this:  "Right actions follow right decisions, and right feelings follow right actions."  (Dr. Walter Fremont)
3.  "If I want to do it, it can't be God's will."  (This wrong attitude is the complete opposite of #4 below.)  Look, God gives us talents and spiritual gifts.  He delights in us using them for the furtherance of His kingdom. ("Thy kingdom come!") Yes, we must be on guard to prevent sinful pride from creeping in.  But, God created you with certain abilities; use them joyfully for His glory!
4.  "If it is difficult, it can't possibly be God's will."  Well, no....God frequently asks us to do difficult things.  Look at church history, at the "giants" of the faith.  Were their paths easy?  Almost without exception the answer is "no".  God loves to be "the God of the impossible".  :)
5.  Don't be afraid of God's will.  Sometimes, we get the crazy idea that God does not want what's best for us.  But, He always does, even if it seems doubtful at times.  Revelation 4:11 - - -

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

It takes a great deal of courage to embrace God's will when doing so is "scary", to say to Him "whatever You want".  But, just remember 1 Thessalonians 5:24 - - -

"Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it."  

Who will perform it?  He will.  It can actually bring relief when we come to a place of such total surrender, remembering that our omnipotent, loving Father will never fail us.

Again, the most important thing is for us to bring our will in line with His.  If this is our starting point, praying this simple prayer in submission and reverence, discovering God's will for a specific situation will be much easier.

Father, I thank You for not letting me have my own way all the time.  I am grateful for free will, yet terrified of it too.  Surely, I have no idea how many times you have rescued me from my own foolish desires.  Thank you SO much!  Empower me to choose well, to use my resources wisely in the furtherance of Your kingdom.  I know that the best place to be is in the center of Your will.  I earnestly desire my will to be engulfed by Yours.  May Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:
Dr. George F. Anderson, sermon, 1/2014
Prince, Derek. Secrets of a Prayer Warrior. Grand Rapids: Chosen, 2009. Print.