The Shaker

Occasionally, I watch an episode of either Intervention or Hoarders on TV.  Both shows break my heart so badly that I don't watch either of them often.  Yesterday, flipping around, I landed on Hoarders. The commonality in each show is that the central character is "where they are" because his or her soul is badly broken.  The sweet, older lady with the worst hoarding problem I've ever seen had developed her mental illness in her middle years.  But, it became exacerbated after the death of her sister, with whom she was very close.  When asked by the clean-up team, most of whom were her relatives, how she could have let things get into such a mess, she earnestly replied, "I don't know!" While the show was going on, an earthquake occurred there on the set.  As the house began to shake, the team ran out in case the house fell down around their ears.  I thought of all this as I read today's passage from Hebrews 12:25-29 (ESV).

25See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.28Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29for our God is a consuming fire.

Hoarders have control issues.  That should be obvious.  But, in the midst of working through the illusion of control, God demonstrated who is really in control when He began to shake the earth on which that poor, troubled house sat.  Both here in Hebrews and at Mt. Sinai we are reminded that the One who spoke the universe into existence can easily shake the earth with the mere sound of His voice.

Today's passage describes the people of God, Jesus Christ's own, as "unshakeable".  He refers to us as an unshakeable kingdom.  Why is that?  Is it because we are "in control"?  Hardly!  We are unshakeable because we have put our trust in The Unshakeable One, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This means that, despite the trials and storms of this life, those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus cannot be upended.   We may be buffeted and strained and tested and tried.  But, if the Anchor for our souls is Jesus, we will not become unmoored to drift away into apostasy.  For the true Church salvation, both now and forever, is secure.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of our appropriate reaction in light of this glorious certainty:
gratitude (vs. 28)
reverence (vs. 28)
awe (vs. 28)
worship (vs. 28)
obedience (vs. 25)

The first response generates the other four.  This passage speaks to me deeply this morning.  I had always sort of rolled my eyes at people who would say, "The Lord gave me a specific word for this year; it's ______ ."  But then, that happened to me at the start of 2017.  He spoke to me clearly and the word was "gratitude".  He has been teaching me on that theme, especially through the loss of several loved ones who are now in His arms; but, believe me, I have so much more to learn!

Reverence and awe....I especially miss the boat on this one.  Yes, the Lord wants to have an intimate heart relationship, but may we never lose sight of His majesty, His "otherness", in comparison to our pitifulness.

This idea of our God as "a consuming fire" is first mentioned in Scripture in Deuteronomy 4:24, where the Lord God is warning His people against idolatry, a warning that is still applicable to us, His Church, today.

…23"So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the LORD your God has commanded you. 24"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25"When you become the father of children and children's children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD your God so as to provoke Him to anger,…

Deuteronomy 4:23-25 (NASB)

Even while a redeemed people, we can still be prone to idolize other, lesser "gods" on the thrones of our lives, other than the One who bought and paid for us with His own blood.  This is where the obedience mentioned in Hebrews 12:25 comes in.  Our God is still a jealous God over us, His beloved Church.  And, when we give the love and adoration, the worship and obedience which rightfully belong to Him - - when we give those to someone or something else, He is going to get angry about it.  He has not changed in that respect, even though our "polite Christian society" tries to pretend otherwise.  Our holy God is jealous over us.  His Holy Spirit within us will call us to return to Him, and He will sometimes impose extremely adverse consequences for our sins, in His efforts to draw our hearts back to His own.

Lest you think otherwise, His actions toward us, no matter how they may chafe and pain us, are acts of perfect love.  Were He not so very concerned about our souls, He would leave us to our spiritual philandering.  Aren't you thankful, Christian, that He loves you enough to draw you back in?  That He is our firm foundation?

1. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
   My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
   The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
   Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
2. “The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
   I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
   That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
   I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”
1. American Hymn, "How Firm a Foundation", 1787, Anonymous, public domain

  

Where Earth and Heaven Met, deuxieme partie

Well, I have to keep my high school French sharp, you know.... :) "Deuxieme partie" is French for "part two", which begs the question of why there is a big, golden 7 up there.  But, hang on....

You know how folks will ask, "If you were going to be marooned on a desert island all alone for the rest of your life, and you could take 3 things with you, what would they be?"

I think about that question as I contemplate what God Almighty chose to include in the "furnishings" of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple's) "holy place".  There were only three items.  Are there any indications in Scripture to teach us why He chose those items?  Let's investigate!

First of all, all three furnishings were made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, and the accompanying items (such as tableware and coal pans) were made of pure gold.

1.  The Table of Shewbread (aka Table of the Presence)1
"Shewbread" literally means "bread of the face" or bread set out before the face of God.
As one entered The Holy Place, this table was on the right hand side.  (This is the first mention of the word "table" in the Bible. Table is a symbol of communion and fellowship.  More about that in a moment.) On the table were placed every Sabbath 12 loaves of bread, made from the finest flour and unleavened.  They were arranged in two rows of six, on the table.  Each loaf represented one of the tribes of Israel. How beautiful that, even though only Levitical priests were allowed in the Holy Place, all the people of the 12 tribes were represented there before the Lord, by the 12 loaves... Sprinkled over the loaves was the oil of frankincense, which consecrated the bread unto the Lord, essentially making it a grain offering.  At the end of the week, the "old" bread was consumed by the priests and new bread took its place on the table.  Tradition holds that 8 priests would hold hands standing around the table before consuming the old loaves.  Such a sacred communion.
The Table of Shewbread represents our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is through Him, and only through Him, we have communion with our Triune God.  Frankincense was given to Him by the 3 Wise Men, you will recall, as a birthday gift.  No accident, that.  He called Himself the Bread of Life in John 6:35, 51-58.  This table was part of God's "old covenant".  The covenant meal Jesus established with His disciples shortly before His death represents His New Covenant.  That meal represents the believer's eating the "body" (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ on a regular basis to remind us of His sacrifice's all-sustaining and eternal nature.
Bible references to explore:  Exodus 25:23-30; Leviticus 24:5-9.

2.  The Golden Lampstand2
There were no dimensions given for this item.  (Who, after all, can measure the light of God?)
The instructions for making it are found in Exodus 25:31-40.  It was to be made entirely of gold (which caused it to weigh 75-100 pounds) and fashioned by the best artisans.  A strong motif in the design was the flower of the almond tree.  In that part of the world, the almond tree was the first to awake from the darkness of Winter, the first tree to respond to the increased light of Spring.  The lampstand had a vertical shaft, at the end of which was a bowl for the oil.  In addition, there were three curved branches, curving upward, to form 6 more bowls.  All seven were in the shape of the almond blossom.
The seven, tiny bowls, were to be kept burning at all times.  The High Priest was responsible for the care of the lampstand, to ensure its wicks of flax were adequate and that the finest olive oil was abundant, so that the eternal flame burned in the Holy Place (Leviticus 24:3).  There were no windows in the Holy Place.  None were needed.

The lampstand represents the Godhead, and points forward to Jesus.  Zechariah 4:1-4 tells us that this oil represents the Holy Spirit of God.  When the Holy Spirit fell on the believers at Pentecost, He represented Himself as "tongues of fire" over the head of each believer there assembled (Acts 2:3-4).  Jesus referred to Him as fire in Matthew 3:11-12.  And, Paul exhorts us to "not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19).  Jesus often called Himself the Light of the World (John 9:5; 8:12).  And, in Psalm 27:1, God the Father reminds us that He is our Light and our Salvation.  In the Bible 7 is the number which represents completion and perfection.3  Our perfect God, the Three-In-One.

3.   The Altar of Incense4
(Exodus 30:34-38)
It was commanded that this wooden altar, overlaid with gold, be the tallest structure in the room.  It stood about 3 feet tall.  Some of the characteristics of this altar, such as the four horns on the four corners, mimicked the bronze altar just outside the Holy Place. There were coals kept burning on this altar, and they were brought there from the Bronze Altar in a golden coal pan.   As noted in its name, an incense, made of the finest spices and frankincense oil, was burned on this inner altar twice a day. The exact combination of incense is lost to us today.  But, this combo was to be used by no other Israelite for any other purpose.  It was a holy combination, used only for the worship of God on the Altar of Incense.  The High Priest, after he had tended the Golden Lampstand morning and evening, would offer an incense offering on the altar.  In this way, a perpetual sweet smell would pervade the Holy Place. (This fragrance of love and worship expressed the delight of one whose sins had been forgiven!) Additionally, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, after the annual sin offering (Passover Lamb) had been offered, some of its blood would be rubbed on the horns of this incense altar, as the High Priest was proceeding into the Most Holy Place (which we will examine in an upcoming blog).
The golden altar of incense has at its essence worship and praise.  It reminds us of Jesus' current ministry in Heaven, to perpetually intercede on our behalf before God the Father.

Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2 

In the next post, ... the Most Holy Place!

Sources:

1   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Table_of_Shewbread.htm
2   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Golden_Lampstand.htm
3   https://www.gotquestions.org/number-7-seven.html
4   http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Golden_Altar_of_Incense.htm
5   Wiersbe, Warren W., and Warren W. Wiersbe. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament in One Volume. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007. Print.

A Most Extreme Giving

Self-denial.  It's not a fun thing.  It is a sacrifice.  Have you ever sacrificed greatly for someone else? Perhaps it was a sacrifice of your money or time, to care for a dying relative.  Perhaps it was the decision to become a stay-at-home mom, which meant one of the cars would have to be sold. Love is demonstrated by sacrifice, the most extreme form of giving.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. 

Romans 12:1-2 (NET)

If you are looking for a great definition of the "resplendent walk with Christ", this is it.

Warren Wiersbe1 points out that the "therefore" which begins this chapter is the fourth one in the book of Romans.  My pastor always says that when you see a "therefore", you need to investigate what it is there for.  :)  In this case, because of all that has been elaborated on earlier, because of God's amazing grace, we are urged, "exhorted" is the older English word, to dedicate our lives (after our salvation decision) to God.  In the book of Philippians (2:12), Paul puts it like this:  "work out your own salvation with reverence and awe."

What does this outworking of our already settled salvation look like?  What does it involve?

First of all, it involves the laying down of our bodies on the altar of sacrifice.  So often we are tempted, even after our initial salvation decision, to follow the urges of our bodies, to lavish our time and resources on them to focus more on outward beauty or physical pleasure than on the inner beauty of the soul.  At those times, the truth of our bodies being the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19-20) flies completely out the window.   In Romans 6:13 Paul speaks of how our bodies must be yielded to God so that He can use them as "instruments of righteousness".  This is a choice, a sacrifice, each Christian must make every day, and truly, several times a day if you are like me, who never met a Moon Pie she didn't like...

Recently, a young Christian couple I know got married.  They were both virgins when they said their vows.  Despite their extreme attraction to each other, they had waited.  They had presented their bodies a living sacrifice to God, and to each other.  The sad thing about this story is that they could name NONE of their contemporaries who had done the same, nominal Christians included.

Let's be clear.  You can't walk with Jesus Christ and at the same time live the way the world lives, wallowing in the whims and desires of your body.  His love, properly understood, evokes an extreme love response in us, His children.  "Present" - - a noun: a gift.  "Present" - - a verb: to give.  When we walk resplendent we are giving God the present, the gift of our yielded bodies. The words "reasonable service" in verse 1 are better translated "spiritual worship".  When we lay our bodies down, we are worshipping God, instead of making our bodies our gods.

Honestly, I struggle with this every day.  Do you?  The pull of the "old nature" is strong.  And, it is easy to get discouraged, because discouragement is one of Satan's most potent weapons against us. But, every new day is a gift from God! (That's why they call it "the present"!)  Each new day is a new opportunity to once more lay my body down on the altar of sacrifice. Thank God!

When He came to Earth, lived and died for us, Jesus Christ was the embodiment of God's "living sacrifice", wasn't he?  Talk about self-denial, extreme giving, extreme love!  He is.  God never asks us to do anything He was not willing to do higher and better.  "If He, who spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all..." (Rom. 8:32), how much more then must we live a resplendent life for Him?

Father, you call our self-denial a "reasonable service", but often, in comparison to the ways of this world it appears most "unreasonable".  Give Your children the strength to choose for You every day, and many times a day, as temptation looms strong.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1 Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2007. Print, p. 441. 

Unbowed

I think I established a few days ago that the book of Romans was written to the Jewish Christians in the early church of Rome.  Yesterday, we focused in on Paul's description of the unbelievers, the pagan Gentile peoples who comprised most of the population of that city.  More broadly, Romans 1:18-32 described pagan people groups around the world.  There's not a doubt in my mind that the Jewish Christians, reading chapter 1, were lapping it up.

The Jews had for hundreds of years viewed themselves as "better than".  So, certainly they were nodding and "amen-ing" as they read the description in Romans 1:18-32.  "OH!  The depravity and guilt of those pagan Gentiles!"

Then, they turned the page and began to read chapter 2.  That's when the hammer came down.

There's a tendency to "cherry-pick" verses in Romans 2.  We must resist that tendency.  Paul was verbose, to say the least; and, he was leading up to God's message of grace in chapter 3.  In order to get there, Paul had to destroy the Jewish Christians' self-righteousness, which he did quite handily in chapter 2.

The central gem of chapter 2 is verse 11:

For there is no partiality with God.

You see, the Christian Jews had a hard time moving from their perception of "works-based Judaism" to "grace-based Christianity".  These new believers still saw themselves as a better class of people than the Gentiles who openly and flagrantly engaged in riotous sin.  Paul points out that the Jews were little better than they!  The Jews put on the adornments of Judaism (circumcision, feast days, etc.), but many of them were hiding the sins they so lavishly practiced.  The difference was that the Jews believed that their "chosen people" status would protect them from God's judgment.  No.

The bigger hammer occurs in verse 16:

God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.

Here we see a glimpse of the basis on which God will judge all people.  He sees every thought and every intention of our hearts, every motivation, every secret sinful thought.  All of that, from our thoughts to our actions will be laid bare when He evaluates each person's life, and then the question of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be asked, "What did you do with my Son?"  (More on that in subsequent chapters)

I'm reminded of the scene in John 8, where Jesus asks the stoners to consider their own sinfulness.

These Jews in Rome, regardless of the grace of Jesus Christ, were still trying to gain righteousness by following the Law, and were boastful about it!

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth—21 therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Can you feel the panic settling in?  Can you see them squirming?  Are you squirming?  I read this passage and thought about us Christians today.  In my mind I could see our church services, hundreds of people piously praying that a lost person would "walk the aisle" to accept Christ, with absolutely NO self-examination of the sin in his or her own life.  Hearts puffed up with themselves.  Hearts unbowed.  Are we not then doing exactly what the Jews in Romans 2 were doing?

3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment?

Yes, I know.  Grace covers it all.  Yes, it does.  No, we don't earn our salvation by our good works. No, we don't.  However, there will be consequences (either here on earth or in our heavenly rewards account) if we are walking in disobedience.  I had to ask myself this morning, reading this passage, if there were areas of my life in which I was walking in disobedience.  And then, I had to confess them, repent of them.  My butt got kicked.

Every, single one of us has our own set of "traps" - - sins that are so tempting to us.  It is different for each individual Christian - - different sins.  If we pooh-pooh our own habitual sins, thinking and merrily chirping, "I'm saved by grace," then we have utterly missed the point of Romans 2.  So-called Christians who live like that had better check their own salvation, to see if their hearts are bowed to their so-called Savior.

28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the letter. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.

Let's read this as Christians, shall we? (This is how I applied it to my own heart, this morning.)

"For a person is not a Christ-follower who is merely one outwardly, nor is 'walking the aisle' something that is outward, in the flesh.  But, someone is a Christ-follower who is one inwardly, and true salvation is of the heart, by the Spirit, and not by the letter of the Law.  The person with a bowed heart is earning praise from God, regardless of what people say."

So, Christians, let's "tear our hearts, and not our garments" (Joel 2:13).  To quote Phil Robertson, "All bow."

Dearest precious Father, this passage of Scripture grieves me.  It breaks my heart.  It bows my heart. I'm so grateful that You inspired the apostle Paul to "cut to the quick" with these young Christians so that, centuries down the road, we could apply this same message to our lives.  There is no way that our good works amount to anything beyond being evidences of Your amazing grace, spilled forth into our lives.  May it be so, increasingly, every successive day of our lives.  May our hearts be bowed, that our lives will show forth Your praise!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Who's This For?

I don't know about you, but I'm still trying to get ready.  Those people who get their Christmas shopping done early are a mystery to me.  At any rate, last night, after mailing over 200 Christmas cards and wrapping gifts the rest of the day, I made list of what is remaining.  And what day is this? 12/22?  Okaaaaayyy...

Reflecting this morning, I thought about that moment when one of the younger family members is dispersing the gifts.  Every now and then, there's a gift with no tag, or the kid can't read it, or whatever and the question is asked, "Who's This For?"

All this frantic preparation, all this running around....who's this for?  Most seasons I feel like an unwilling character in a dramatic play, caught up in the tsunami we call The Christmas Season.  Most of the time, I am exhausted, perplexed and uninspired.  It all feels like drudgery.  The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?   Or, is it the most frantic time of the year, finishing up the year in a cataclysm of performancism?  (Add a strategic extra "i" in there, and you find "manic" imbedded in that word - - just sayin'...)

And who's it for?  Well, if I'm honest, it's often an offering to the idol of my pride.  It's to "keep up appearances", under the pretense of "giving because God gave His Son to us".  Doesn't that sound all churchy and spiritual?

Sometimes I think that all of our holiday "striving" is to try to replicate the grandeur which cannot be exceeded - - - the mystery of The Immaculate Conception, or the beauty of that "Silent Night": the glory of the angels cracking open the heavens, the wonder of the stable delivery room in which was heard God's first cry.  It's a futile effort because that beauty and glory and majesty can only be produced by the one, true God, making the miracle called Christmas.

That's why I chose to focus each morning of Advent on Him (even though it did not happen every day or always in the morning), to reflect on The Gift, the reason for all of this falderal, for all of this fa-la-la-la-la.  Otherwise, what's the point?  The Season is already crazy enough.  There's got to be some quiet candlelight, some peace somewhere.  And, the only place to find that meaning, that peace, that grace is in His presence, which is the essence of Christmas.  God came down in the form of a baby, to dwell among men.  We bow our hearts at His manger, in awe-full worship.

Ann Voskamp talks about how Mary became a willing dwelling place for God, not by force, but by her assent.  "Let this happen to me according to your word," she replied to the angel, Gabriel (Luke 1:38).  Similarly, my prayer is this:  "Let me be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, to take hold of His grace, birthed anew in me this season."  When we re-frame our "holiday attitudes", we can truly be ready for Christmas because His grace is sufficient for every situation, seasonal or not. When we open our hearts to receive Him, we are filled with His Spirit, overcome by His grace, a grace like no other, the only grace which brings peace.

There was no room in the inn for the little family  - - - Mary, Joseph and the soon-to-be born Son.  Is there room in my heart this Christmas season for Him?

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's hone was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
         Emily E. Elliott, 1864.

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/h/o/thoudltt.htm

Here is a beautiful rendition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cJl6vBGSUI

Dear Holy Father,  please don't let us miss this!  Let there be room in our hearts for the simple, yet glorious.  Please don't let this precious time pass by without our bowing our hearts in worship before The Child.  Oh, come to our hearts, Lord Jesus.  We are making room.  Let our hearts be Your sanctuary.  Only in this way, can we truly celebrate Your birth, can we truly worship.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

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

Lots of Bull

1 Kings 18:18-24 is not normally thought of as an Advent story, is it?  You've got a wayward, backslidden people, a persecuted prophet of the one, true God, 850 false prophets, two altars, lots of water, fire and bull, lots of bull.  There are no choirs sweetly singing, no starry nights, no calm introspection in this story. This is a story of war, spiritual war.

What on earth does this have to do with Advent, as we peacefully, calmly wait for our Savior's appearing?  The answer is in Elijah's challenge, found in verse 21 (The Message):

21 Elijah challenged the people: “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!”

Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.

 "O come, let us adore Him", the much-loved Christmas carol goes.  And, it is easy, amid the lit candles and the smiles of friends and loved ones, the children's programs, the giving campaigns to the needy - - - it's easy at these times to bow at the manger, is it not?  We go to our Christmas Eve services and contemplate this Child, this Christ.  In those moments, we are thankful, awe-struck. Our hearts turn toward Him in mesmerizing contemplation, in wonder.  "Joy to the world!  The Lord is come!"  It is a beautiful celebration and our hearts soar!

Then...days, sometimes even hours, later, we find ourselves back at the altar of the Baals, chasing after prophets of bull, devoting our time, our very lives to lesser things....causes that, while important, are not of prime importance: adoration misdirected.

Do you know what the Baals were?  They were a collection of innumerable, demonic, false gods. This is why there were so many prophets of Baal and Asherah.  What a picture of our modern lives! When we bow our knee to anything other than the One who deserves our adoration, we are worshipping "a Baal" of some persuasion.  Even wonderful things and people can be Baals.  When we put our relationships, for instance, before God, when we adore our children, parents, grandchildren, spouses, etc., instead of letting the Christmas Child claim our prime allegiance, our chief adoration, we are worshipping a Baal.  When we worship our jobs or ourselves, giving in to every desire of our bodies, wallowing in materialism, we are worshipping Baals.  Idolatry is giving anything other than the Lord Jesus first place in our lives.

We were created to worship, and we all do it.  The question is: whom or what do we worship?

On Mount Carmel, those many hundreds of years ago, no matter how the false prophets pranced, flailed, chanted, screamed, injured their own bodies until their own blood flowed - - - there was no answer.  The heavens were silent.  Had the deceived ones all sacrificed their very lives on that false altar there still would have been no answer because, when compared to Jehovah God, the Baals are revealed as the impostors they have always been.  Baals never satisfy the soul; they instead always demand more and more and more, with nothing given in return.

Oh, but look at 1 Kings 18:36b-39a.  Elijah had built the altar such that starting a fire on it with normal, human means would have been literally an impossible task.  There was water everywhere! He then prayed a simple prayer: that God would reveal Himself through fire.

"...Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.”

38 Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.

39 All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship..."

They adored Him.  God showed up, and the people's response was to fall out, in worship.  In that battle, God's people left behind their Baal worship to adore Jehovah God, the same God whose love from before time began compelled Him to "put on flesh", to send His Son, born in a feeding trough, and then to sacrifice His Son on another kind of altar, a cross.

The battle for hearts, for bended knees, rages on.

When you have the opportunity for last words, you tend to communicate the most important things, often words of deepest love. Just before His ascension, Jesus' last words to His disciples were to spread His gospel message of salvation to every corner of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20).  At the end of his first letter, the apostle John in 1 John 5:21 said, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." He knew the lure of the world, had himself felt the heat of battle.

Our worship, our hearts, our love - - this is the call of God to His people.  He doesn't want our prancing, our flailing, our wailing, our working, our performing in His name.  He wants our adoration and only that, because He has done all the rest on our behalf.

"How shall we deal with such a Child?  Have our hands, soiled with daily toil, become too hard and too proud to fold in prayer at the sight of this Child?  Has our head become too full of serious thoughts ... that we cannot bow our head in humility at the wonder of this Child?  Can we not forget all our stress and struggles, our sense of importance, and for once worship the Child, as did the shepherds and wise men from the East, bowing before the divine Child in the manger, like children?"
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christmas, 1940

"O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!  For He alone is worthy, Christ the Lord!"

Father, I confess my many sins, especially those of selfish preoccupation, not only in this holy season, but in every season.  You make every day, every season, holy, by Your very presence in my heart.  I am utterly guilty of idolatry, and am in desperate need of Your cleansing and infilling with Your Holy Spirit.  Burn my cluttered heart clean with Your holy fire.  I deeply desire my Lord's humility, that I may bow at His manger, His cross, His abandoned tomb today, and every day.  Dear Lord!  Keep me from idols!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

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

"O Come All Ye Faithful", lyrics from the Latin by John Wade, music by John Reading, 1700s.

God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1940.

http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols52-54/chs3071.pdf

Embraces and Heartbeats

Good afternoon,

When I picture David in my mind, the first mental picture is of him dancing in fearless, fervent praise before His Lord (2 Samuel 6:12-14).  He was leading a parade down "main street", leaping and dancing, wearing nothing but a linen ephod (whatever that is).  I think it's safe to assume that he was scantily clad...

This behavior may make us shake our heads in wonder and maybe even have a sanctimonious response as did one of David's wives, Michal, (vs. 16).  It is David's same exuberant love for His God that led him to write Psalm 150.

1 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary!

Praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength!

2 

Praise him for his mighty acts!

Praise him for his surpassing greatness!

3 

Praise him with the blast of the horn!

Praise him with the lyre and the harp!

4 

Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing!

Praise him with stringed instruments and the flute!

5 

Praise him with loud cymbals!

Praise him with clanging cymbals!

6 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

In addition to being a masterful musician (harpist and songwriter) ... and apparently dancer, the Bible tells us that David was "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22).  The Message translation puts it like this:   He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.

Some of the sweetest moments in life come from embraces:  holding a newborn loved one, lying in bed with your spouse, holding in your arms a loved one who is insane with grief.  In those embraces and in others our hearts beat together.  Our spirits commune with one another as we share love with each other. Our hearts beat to their hearts.

When we pray together, even across time and space, our hearts are beating together.  It is such a mystical truth that, when we lift up our hearts in prayer together, our united "heartbeats" touch the heart of our Father in Heaven, hallowed be His matchless name!

David was a man who was not without troubles; neither are we.  In fact, if you look at God's blessing on your life as an absence of troubles, you will be deceived.  David was chased by Saul (Ps. 59 & 63) or frequently defended himself against enemies (Ps. 7) or had to deal with the many ungodly antics of his sons (2 Samuel).  Despite his challenges and hardships, we still see his name in the Hebrews 11 roll call of faith and this commendation in Acts 13:22.  Why is that?!

No matter what David was experiencing, he almost always ran into the embrace of His God.  Often, he wrote a psalm while there.  When God was holding David in His arms, David was able to hear the heartbeat of God, in all kinds of situations - - - wonderful ones...and awful ones.

This is one of the greatest things about prayer, no matter what circumstance impels us to pray.  We may arrive there frantic, desperate or thankful or joyful or serene.  But, no matter what our state when we arrive, He embraces us so that we can feel and hear His heartbeat, so that our hearts can align with His, so that we can discern His will or, if not discerning it, so that we can pray that His will will be done here in the middle of our circumstances.

I'll be honest.  There are times when I don't want to pray that His will will be done in a given situation.  Or, there are other things the Holy Spirit prompts me to do, and I don't want to do them. Does that ever happen to you?  But, the verse in Acts tells us that a key to why David's heart did beat steadily with God's was not just because he crawled up into God's lap; it was also because David was consistently obedient to God's revealed will.  The New King James Version puts the end of Acts 13:22 like this:  a man "who will do all my will".

"I will arise and go to Jesus.  He will embrace me in His arms.  In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are 10,000 charms." 1

His heartbeat...can you hear it?

Dear Father, thank you for Your all-surpassing greatness, Your perfect knowledge in every situation, Your flawless plan.  Thank you for calling us to a life of walking by faith, which has as a perk the permission to run and jump up into your lap on a moment's notice.    Thank you for sharing Your heart with us, as we walk in obedience to Your Word, and as we draw near to You.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:
1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFW6pXC2wk  I love this choral arrangement of the old hymn...

Running From ...

Good morning,

Are you a student of history? World history?  Your history?  I have relatives who love to study geneology.  Why?  It gives them insight as to who they are, when they learn about those from whom they sprang.  Unfortunately, sometimes, we ignore our history and the lessons it tries to teach us.  We have all learned things from our parents, family members, teachers or acquaintances.  Some of them are profitable; others are not.

Paul was pointing out to the Corinthians at the beginning of chapter 10 that they needed to learn from the negative examples set by their forefathers generations ago.  As the saying goes, "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."  There are times that we make choices to do what we know is not beneficial to our Christian walk.  We fool ourselves into thinking, "Oh, it's just a small thing."  or "Just this once won't matter."  But, it does.  We may not see the long-range results immediately, but no action is without corresponding consequence.

Our focus this morning will be on 1 Corinthians 10:11-14 (The Message version):

11-12 These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13 No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

14 So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can.

People, especially young people, are susceptible to pride.  They believe that they are "untouchable", that they will be immune to the traps of various sins, that they are "better" or "stronger" than their ancestors.  And so, they dabble in sin.  Before they know it, they are totally ensnared, trapped, taken captive.  Sin will take you farther than you want to go, make you stay longer than you want to stay and make you pay more than you want to pay.  As Paul said in verse 12, let the one who thinks he is standing pay attention so that he won't fall down.

Humility about our weakness is essential to living a discipled life, to walking the resplendent walk. Anytime we are beguiled into believing that our successes, our strength comes from any other source than Jesus Christ, we are committing idolatry.  When young, I used to think that "idolatry" was a bunch of people bowing down to some little statue.  That is a very narrow and dangerously naive definition.  Idolatry is anything that draws a person farther from his or her relationship with Jesus Christ.  An "idol" can be a "good" thing, under ordinary circumstances.  But, if it is allowed to assume a place only meant to belong to Jesus, then it should be repositioned, at best, and avoided at worst.

A couple of examples:
1.  There are people who worship their children or spouse or girl/boyfriend or pet.  (Today is National Dog Day!  Love ya, Charlie!)  Oh, if you asked them, they would say, "That is ridiculous!"  But, look at how they interact with their loved ones. The question is not: "Does their devotion go beyond what is normal?"  The question is (as it is with all idols), "Is this relationship coming between me and my Savior?"  Jesus wants to be #1 in our lives.
2.   How do we spend our time?  Someone said once, "You can look at someone and see what she loves, because she lavishes both her time and resources on that beloved person or thing."  Well, whoever said that said it much more eloquently than I just did; but, you get the drift....

Let's be honest in our self-examination, Folks.  Are we worshipping any idols?

If you are like me, you want to cling frantically to your idols with statements like, "I just can't help myself!  I just can't resist!"  "Nonsense," says Paul.  In verse 13 he says, "Don't think you are some special case!  There is no temptation out there that hasn't already occurred many times over to other people.  With every temptation, God in His faithfulness will provide an escape hatch for you.  Take it!"  I'm both glad and devastated that this verse is in the Bible.  It knocks all my excuses right out from under me.  (Dang it!)

Then,  Paul gives his best strategy for dealing with temptations and idolatry.  RUN!  Yes, get away from the source of temptation.  Recovering alcoholics stay away from liquor or beer.  Recovering smokers do not keep cigs nearby.  Dieting people do not keep "Frankenfood" within reach.

The best example/application of this "running strategy" is from the life of Joseph.  He found himself alone with his master's wife, somewhere there on the homestead, while the master was on a business trip.  She made a move on him, and he ran outta there.  In fact, he escaped so quickly that she was left holding his outer garment.  (See Genesis 39:6-12).

It may seem that some "idol" has got it's claws in you, got a hopeless hold on you.  But, God is faithful.  He will rescue you, if you call out to Him.  He.Is.Faithful.  (vs. 13)  He gives us His "God-confidence."  Sometimes, we need earthly help to break the grip of some idol, and that's okay.  God provides for us help in the form of other believers, programs, counseling, deliverance, etc.  Some addictions and spiritual bondages are so very strong that spiritual intervention of another is needed. That's what the Body of Christ is for, to help each other in times of great need.  You may not be "the runner" concerning some particular idol, because it may not now have a hold on you.  But, you may be called to be "the sanctuary", the place of refuge and peace.  You may be called to embrace the desperate brother or sister who is running to you for help.

In closing, let's consider the personal testimony of Paul, whom we so admire, from his second letter to the Corinthians.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NET) - -

Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. 8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdWGLm4zxEA

Father, there is no temptation chasing us that You cannot overcome.  May we run from our idols, and straight into Your loving arms of refuge.  "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit", says the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)  In the name of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, amen.

My Heart is Fixed

Good morning!

Psalm 57:7-11

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms. Awake, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I will wake the dawn. I will give thee thanks among the peoples, O Lord; of thee will I sing psalms among the nations: For thy loving-kindness is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let thy glory be above all the earth!

Psalm 73:25-28 

Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.

    

My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.

    

Yes, look! Those far from you die; you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.

    

But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the sovereignLORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.

This morning I got to fulfill a dream that I've had for many years - - to watch the sun rise over the Grand Canyon.  I tried to post a picture along with this blog post, but have been unable to figure it out.  (Have you noticed that this is not a technology blog?)  When I share the post to Facebook, I will try again there.

My beloved husband rose with me this morning, and we went out together, mugs of coffee in hand.  I sat on the rim of the canyon and read the psalms, some of them aloud, praising God for beauty which words and even pictures cannot adequately capture.

Tears streamed down my face as we worshipped.  

Regardless of where you are today, and regardless of your circumstances, God is there, waiting for you to call out to Him.  If you already belong to Him, as His beloved child, He is waiting for you to draw near to Him today and to exalt Him!  If you have yet to meet Him, draw near to Him and call out to Him in believing faith; ask Jesus to make you His very own.  

Dear Father God, in all I say, in all I do, may You be exalted, may Your glory shine forth in me.  May my life be resplendent with Your glory!  In the name of Jesus, the Christ, my Savior, Amen.