Have you ever had one of those periods in your life when you felt like you were on top of the world? Great Job. Great family. Great car. Great friends. You may have even had a great spiritual victory over pride, addiction, greed, lust or any of the other pitfalls that exist as we foray into a spiritually darkened world. It feels great, doesn't it? Have you also felt the rapid descent as these victories are replaced by new battles, not so perfect families, an angry boss, a broke down old jalopy, or a friend who betrays you? In all honesty, the majority of my adult life, and almost all of my Christian walk has been comprised of these fluctuations between feelings of great blessing to feelings of the deepest despair. This spiritual yo-yo ing is made even more difficult as I struggle to decipher what of my emotions are spiritual in nature and what of my emotions are a result of battling with a mental disorder that manifests itself in much the same way. I have struggled with this distinction for many, many years, but tonight I have reached a strong conclusion. I am who God made me to be. I am not bound by any chemical imbalance, learned behavior or whatever else my natural mind, absent from God, may use as an excuse. Sure, I am still going to be proactive, understanding that I need to take care of myself physically and mentally in the here and now, but no longer will I allow myself the luxury of feeling these ups and downs as a result of my diagnosis. Instead I will feel these ups and downs as one who is certain that God knows that these ups and downs are a typical part of every Christian walk, and that there is absolutely nothing unique about me in that area. Yep, you are expected to have these ups and downs too. The Bible is pretty clear about this. let me show you.
Imagine that you just had one of the greatest victories that you ever experienced in your life. Elijah is a prophet who experienced exactly that. The one True God of Israel has just empowered Elijah to embarrass 450 prophets of Baal as they danced, cavorted, slashed at themselves and prayed in vain for their offering to be consumed by flame. Elijah then builds a small moat around his offering, dumps water on it to the point that it is filled , and fire from the Lord comes from Heaven and burns the offering with such heat that even the water in the moat is gone. To make the victory even greater, the people of Israel are with him as they slaughter the 450 prophets who had been sacrificing the children of Israel, forcing them into prostitution and performing barbaric acts of worship. Talk about the top of the world. I look back at this and think, "wow" if I saw the glory and the power of the Lord like this, I would be a lean, mean, Christ-following machine. How ineffectual are my thoughts apart from God. (At least I have this in common with Elijah). In verse 49 of I Kings 18, we see that Elijah is filled with the power of the Lord as he races back to Jezreel following this amazing victory. We see him 3 and 4 verses later running in exactly the opposite direction, fleeing the threat of death that Jezebel has set upon him. Elijah spends a whole day running and at the end of that day says "I have had enough Lord, Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." God is not surprised by this. In fact, God is there to nurture and sustain Elijah as an angel brings him food and water and allows Elijah to rest. There is no voice of condemnation, no sigh of disappointment, no anger that yet another prophet has failed. God sends the blessing of food drink and rest to Elijah. Later in the chapter, God reveals to Elijah that he is not done with him yet, but even this was done in a small whisper rather than in a blaze of fire, an earthquake, or a powerful whisper. Whenever I find myself flagging spiritually, or when you find yourself spending more time where Elijah found himself after his victory, remember that God is whispering to you in a voice that is free from condemnation. It is free from all of the thoughts and doubts that cycle through our heads as we question our ability to follow him. His voice is filled with a certainty that we will press on to even greater heights and will be available and eager to hear what he calls us to next. Next time you experience victory think about this. Know that it is very likely that a valley may be looming. It may be big, it may be small, but you can rest assured that his voice will be calling out , lovingly whispering his plan for you.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
What The Presence of God Really Means
At first glance, the book of Lamentations would most likely fall pretty low on the list of books of the Bible that one would use for purposes of evangelism outreach. Using it could possibly go something like this.."I would really like to share a verse with you" "Ummm...I guess it couldn't hurt". "This verse is from the book of Lamentation...Chapter 1 v 2. "She weeps bitterly in the night. And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her." "Ummm....thanks for that, I think I hear my phone ringing, I better take that call."
When it comes to leading with the positive, it certainly seems at first blush that Lamentations would not be a jumping off point. Upon further examination, however, the parallels between the plight of a nation that had rejected God as shown in Israel, is remarkably similar to the plight of a nation that has done the same thing 2500 or so years later. Many of the hardships that Israel endured are prevalent in our society in this modern era as well. While we certainly have our share of the troubles that the nation of Israel endured as the prophet Jeremiah observed the decayed state of his nation, perhaps the most startling absence that we can note is the absence of comfort. There are numerous references to the lack of comfort that the people of Israel had as a result of their sin. One gets the sense that amidst all of the trials imposed on Israel, the lack of comfort stood out as the one aspect of their punishment that Jeremiah found to be the most difficult.
Might it not be a point of impact to begin to understand that multitudes of people who do not know Jesus are exposed to this same void in their own lives? It only takes a cursory glance around our American culture that our constant and frenetic pursuit of comfort indicates that a massive void must exist in that area. How do we help to fill this void as followers of Jesus? The meaning of the word comfort is to show kindness to someone. This typically occurs in Scripture when a death occurs. The source of comfort, however, according to Isaiah 12:1 is from God. This, may be the root, as well as the solution to our problems as Christians. Until we can understand that all of our earthly strivings, all of our Social Gospel efforts, all of our community programs and outreaches are as vain as Solomon's pursuits, our impact on bringing comfort to this barren, desolate world will be taken with the wind. Until we can truly surrender ourselves to the idea that our comfort can never come from bigger paychecks, more influential friends, a winning football team, a warmer climate, or any of the other things we seek to fill our comfort void with, we can never truly show the world what it means to be comforted. I know that each month, as the bills are paid, and the calculation of how much money my family has to last until I get paid again happens, my ability to take comfort from God is challenged. Some weeks it is a battle that I win, and some weeks the converse takes place. This is a work in progress, but I am also understanding that the more I seek comfort on my own, the bigger the comfort void becomes. What areas of comfort are you seeking to grasp hold of apart from God? Can you change that? Is there something you can do right now, in this moment, to signify that you are giving it over to Him, seeking His comfort? This is not a one time thing, but if you never start the process, you can never come to a true understanding of what the presence of God really means.
When it comes to leading with the positive, it certainly seems at first blush that Lamentations would not be a jumping off point. Upon further examination, however, the parallels between the plight of a nation that had rejected God as shown in Israel, is remarkably similar to the plight of a nation that has done the same thing 2500 or so years later. Many of the hardships that Israel endured are prevalent in our society in this modern era as well. While we certainly have our share of the troubles that the nation of Israel endured as the prophet Jeremiah observed the decayed state of his nation, perhaps the most startling absence that we can note is the absence of comfort. There are numerous references to the lack of comfort that the people of Israel had as a result of their sin. One gets the sense that amidst all of the trials imposed on Israel, the lack of comfort stood out as the one aspect of their punishment that Jeremiah found to be the most difficult.
Might it not be a point of impact to begin to understand that multitudes of people who do not know Jesus are exposed to this same void in their own lives? It only takes a cursory glance around our American culture that our constant and frenetic pursuit of comfort indicates that a massive void must exist in that area. How do we help to fill this void as followers of Jesus? The meaning of the word comfort is to show kindness to someone. This typically occurs in Scripture when a death occurs. The source of comfort, however, according to Isaiah 12:1 is from God. This, may be the root, as well as the solution to our problems as Christians. Until we can understand that all of our earthly strivings, all of our Social Gospel efforts, all of our community programs and outreaches are as vain as Solomon's pursuits, our impact on bringing comfort to this barren, desolate world will be taken with the wind. Until we can truly surrender ourselves to the idea that our comfort can never come from bigger paychecks, more influential friends, a winning football team, a warmer climate, or any of the other things we seek to fill our comfort void with, we can never truly show the world what it means to be comforted. I know that each month, as the bills are paid, and the calculation of how much money my family has to last until I get paid again happens, my ability to take comfort from God is challenged. Some weeks it is a battle that I win, and some weeks the converse takes place. This is a work in progress, but I am also understanding that the more I seek comfort on my own, the bigger the comfort void becomes. What areas of comfort are you seeking to grasp hold of apart from God? Can you change that? Is there something you can do right now, in this moment, to signify that you are giving it over to Him, seeking His comfort? This is not a one time thing, but if you never start the process, you can never come to a true understanding of what the presence of God really means.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Good News/Bad News- The Lord is Returning
I can remember many times while growing up that whenever the pastor or guest speaker spoke about end times and the Rapture I had a growing sense of unease in the pit of my stomach. This could certainly be due to the fact that I was not really aware of what a true relationship with Christ was, but it could also be due to the fact that I really struggle with abstract concepts. Wrapping my head around eternity, the Rapture, the disappearance of a huge percentage of the earth's population and those relatively horrible end times films that attempted to portray these events may have left a permanent mark on me. As I have grown older, I have more and more been exposed to the idea that the eminent return of the Lord is something we should be hoping for. I still have difficulty in grasping this concept fully, but I can freely admit that there have been periods of my life where Heaven sounded like a welcome alternative to this earthly existence. As I was reading Amos 5:18-21, a different picture of the "Day of the Lord" jumped out at me. It is a stark reminder that His return is far less a rescue of us from our earthly troubles than a regathering of those who are doing His work.
v.18-Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19-As when a man flees from a lion, and a bear meets him,
or goes home, leans his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20- Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it.
21- I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
The passage goes on to state that even the songs that are sung for God are detestable, and the offerings are not even deserving of a glance from God.
While this passage was most likely intended to address Israel's coming hope of the Messiah, it has a timeless importance for us today. These are God's chosen people. These are the ones through whom he will complete the work of the salvation of mankind, yet he wants nothing to to with them and warns them repeatedly that his return may be far different than they ever expected. Maybe it will be different than some of us expect too. Maybe we are unprepared as Israel was unprepared. Maybe we have found a spiritual catchphrase in calling for the return of the Lord. There is certainly no harm in this, as we see this hope portrayed many times throughout the Scriptures, but this hope and utterance needs to always be accompanied by a fear and understanding that God is returning to judge the world as well. Might we be cautious that we do not flee from a lion only to run into a bear? I know that I still have an unsettled feeling when I think of the Lord's return. Am I living the life that is surrendered and submitted? Am I sowing and reaping? Am I sharing the good news? Or am I trying to make my mark on the world in some other way, be it money, fame, possessions, or effort? When I ask myself these questions, I begin to get that growing sense of unease and I know that there is still much for me to do here on earth. Lord, I pray that you will help me to better understand what you would have me do on this earth in order to better prepare for your coming. Make my songs and my meager offerings pleasing in your sight.
v.18-Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19-As when a man flees from a lion, and a bear meets him,
or goes home, leans his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20- Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it.
21- I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
The passage goes on to state that even the songs that are sung for God are detestable, and the offerings are not even deserving of a glance from God.
While this passage was most likely intended to address Israel's coming hope of the Messiah, it has a timeless importance for us today. These are God's chosen people. These are the ones through whom he will complete the work of the salvation of mankind, yet he wants nothing to to with them and warns them repeatedly that his return may be far different than they ever expected. Maybe it will be different than some of us expect too. Maybe we are unprepared as Israel was unprepared. Maybe we have found a spiritual catchphrase in calling for the return of the Lord. There is certainly no harm in this, as we see this hope portrayed many times throughout the Scriptures, but this hope and utterance needs to always be accompanied by a fear and understanding that God is returning to judge the world as well. Might we be cautious that we do not flee from a lion only to run into a bear? I know that I still have an unsettled feeling when I think of the Lord's return. Am I living the life that is surrendered and submitted? Am I sowing and reaping? Am I sharing the good news? Or am I trying to make my mark on the world in some other way, be it money, fame, possessions, or effort? When I ask myself these questions, I begin to get that growing sense of unease and I know that there is still much for me to do here on earth. Lord, I pray that you will help me to better understand what you would have me do on this earth in order to better prepare for your coming. Make my songs and my meager offerings pleasing in your sight.
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