Take a Peek

This morning, as I spent some time reviewing Luke's account of the Resurrection, I noticed a couple of verses that I had not noticed before...
"...but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened." (24:11-12) 

This morning all over the world, millions of people gathered to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, and to hear once again the story of the empty tomb.

As I reflected on these two small verses, I was reminded that the same thing that happened this morning, also hapened that morning 2000 years ago.  Some women told the story of what they had seen and heard, and there was two responses to their story.  Some who heard the story thought it was just an "idle tale" and did not believe.  Peter, however, had a different response.  He believed and went to take a peek.  Oh to have been there on that day to be the one of the first to see the grave clothes, the stone rolled away,  the angels. 

If you have heard the story, how have your responded.  If you haven't, here is a powerful unique musical video version of this story... take a few minutes and enjoy... take a peek...come close, listen to the story...

Now that you seen the story, how will you repond?  Disbelief?  Celebration?  Life change?

Jesus Wore a Size 10

I was reminded this morning that the Savior and I share the same shoe size. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." You see that, he's been in my shoes! Okay, well maybe in a figurative sense.

This morning I walked through another familiar passage in Matthew 4-- the temptation of Christ. The Scriptures record that there were at least three specific temptations that the Devil tested the Savior with:

1. Need for Provision (vs. 2-3)

2. Need for Security (vs. 5-6)

3. Greed for Power at all costs (vs. 8-9)

When we consider the things we ALL struggle with, don't we all want to know our needs are going be taken care of? Right now is especially a trying time for many folks in this area. Also, we all want to know that we are safe from harm and discomfort. And finally, we all want to be masters of our own destinies. These are the same things that Christ faced in this case.

And yet, Christ, using the Word of God correctly (important here because the Enemy also used the Word) in defense against these wiles of the Devil. First, in verse 4, He declares that God and God alone will sustain and provide for us with His Word. Secondly, in verse 7, He reminds the Accuser that God is always there, and we should trust Him and not test Him. Finally, Christ tells the enemy in verse 10, that God and God alone sits on the throne, and He is sovereign.

The world is constantly at odds with God, and these same temptations continue today, each day in our lives. But, we can rest and have victory in these tests, because Christ has been in our shoes and knows what we go through. He has shown us the way. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Crazy Kind of Love

Love has been described over the centuries in many different ways. One of the most recent I have heard and I think it really fits is "Love is crazy." Steven Curtis Chapman recorded a song called "Something Crazy" on his This Moment project. You can click here to hear this song (and CD). Below are the lyrics of the chorus:

"And it's crazy when love gets a hold of you

And it's crazy things that love will make you do

And it's crazy but it's true

You really don't know love at all'

Til it's making you do

Something crazy"

This morning as I finished my reading through the book of Ezra, I was reminded of this crazy kind of love. Ezra was one of the key people who led the Jews back to Israel having spent 70 years in exile under Babylonian and Persian rule. His primary task was to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Through nothing less than the providence and the promise of God, the people begin the process of returning to Israel.

In chapter 10, I read something that to the average reader may seem extreme, or rather, crazy. Ezra makes this statement to the general populace in verses 10-11: "Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 'You have been unfaithful and have married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. 'Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.'" How did the people respond? The answer is found in verse 19: "They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense." I stopped and at that verse and chewed on it a moment. Ezra told them they needed send their wives (and children) away, and they complied willingly. That seems crazy!

Keep in mind, God had specifically told them on numerous occasions to not intermarry with the locals. They disobeyed God, and the result was being led down a path of idolatry that eventually got them stuck in exile to begin with. (Please note this had NOTHING to do with God hating interracial marriages, it was all about getting involved in the pagan religious practices of those indigenous people i.e child sacrifice etc.) So, here Ezra reminds them of what God had told them, and they took the measures to align themselves with God's instruction.

hunderds of years later Jesus says multiple times that demonstration of our love is epitomized in obedience to God's word... even when it seems crazy. Our love for God makes us do crazy things. If you want a concise list of what I am talking about visit Hebrews 11. Okay, those are cool Sunday School stories, but really that is what God calls me to live. The same crazy love-filled life.

Drink Deeply

I am somewhat addicted to a television show on one of the science channels. It is called "Survivor Man." The basic gist of this show is that this survival expert equipped with only camera gear (with which he alone records his expedition), a multi-tool and a few odds and ends, is dropped off in the wilds of everything from the frozen tundra north of the arctic circle to a barren desert to survive for 7 days. He is forced to find shelter, food, and clean water. His ingenuity facinates me as he creatively turns ordinary items into things which keeps him alive. Often, he is compelled to purify his own water when little or none is available. However, one of the things that I noticed is that whenever he comes upon a source of pure flowing water, he always does the same thing. He plunges his face into the surface of the water and drinks deeply of the sustaining life giving flow.

I still have been unable to get used to is God's mercy on me. The Apostle John in his first letter speaks of God lavishing His love on us. Having been introduced to His grace at an early age, like the people of Israel, I prostituted my heart to the things of the world. And even still, I chase after that which is stagnant and does not satisfy the deep longing of my heart. Scripture is filled with descriptions of God's mercy that pours out on His beloved.

Isaiah 55 is one great example. The whole chapter is fraught with invitations to come to Him and find refreshing. Verse 1 begins this theme, "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;" and continues through the chapter with much of the same. But of course, as we read God's word, the best way to interpret it is to keep it in context. Who is He talking to in these verses? He is extending this invitation to a people who are about to come out of 70 years of Babylonian exile having been disciplined for prostituting their hearts in idolatry and immorality. They didn't deserve His mercy, they deserved to be forgotten. But instead, He tells them that He is about to restore them to Himself. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." (vs. 7)

Perhaps you find yourself wandering in the wilderness just trying to survive. He calls to you and longs to give you that which deeply quenches your soul, His mercy. Will you try to continue satisfying yourself with stagnated water that the world has to offer and cannot satisfy? Instead, drink deeply of His mercy, for it alone can satisfy.

All I Want for Christmas Is... A Sack Full of Coal?

Children all over the world breathed sighs of relief as they opened and found sweets and toys in their stockings in stead of lumps of coal. Grace was showered, instead of wrath. For years, Christmas lore has told of the infamous lumps of coal bestowed upon those lads and lasses who were naughty and not nice. I, however, am longing for a whole sackful of coal this year.

There are a number of passages in Scripture that, regardless of who you are, if we all practiced the principles found therein, the world would be a different place. I think if the church alone wholeheartedly pursued excellence in this area, we would see issues of depression, poor "self-esteem" and mental health virtually disappear.

Although I read this passage days ago, I have been drawn back to it several times this week by the Spirit. A familiar passage in Isaiah 6 would rank in the number of aforementioned vital truths. The prophet is given a rare glance into the Holy presence of the Lord Almighty and he is shaken to the core. His response to God's Holiness is recorded in verse 5, "'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'"

His confession has to do with, of all things, his mouth. He is cut to the chase as to his speech is found lacking. I have heard him referred to as the potty mouth prophet or the cussing prophet. I am no Hebrew scholar, but based on this passage I do not see evidence that he had issues with expletives. Nevertheless, there is issue to be dealt with here. Along with other sins, we will all give an account for the inappropriate words that have slipped past our lips, and it should cause us to shutter.

Our verbal uncleanness comes in a variety of shapes and sizes that definitely bears a trip to the returns counter. Unfortunately, once it shoots past our teeth, it is gone, and often the damage done is lifelong. One of the of the stupidest tidbits of information passed off as truth to our kids is, "sticks and stones may break your, but name swill never hurt you!" What a lie! If that were true, why is it that hurtful things said to us decades ago still resonate in our minds? But still, we speak things that simply should not proceed out of the mouths of saints of God.

Far too many folks utter profanity. But verbal transgressions are not limited to those individuals who cannot articulate themselves without a random pattern of wingdings (@#$%@#!) The Word has much to say about the issue of the tongue. Click on these few passages and see which ones hit home with you: Psalm 34:13, Proverbs 25:18, Proverbs 29:20, James 1:26, and probably the most all inclusive Ephesians 4:29. These are just a few, and they have all tripped me up at one time or another. But I think the one that is the most scathing comes from the Savior Himself, "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luke 6:43-45)

Do you want a test of how deep your faith really is? Listen to that which comes out of your mouth. It bears witness against us. Is it cutting remarks? profanity? gossip? dirty jokes? The list can go on and I assure you there is a scriptural rebuke for each. But it basically comes down to this, if what we say does not build someone up, then we shouldn't say it. (or think it for that matter!) Now I am not talking about speaking the truth in love that corrects a sinful behavior. But even with that exhortation, the motivation must be in love, not condemnation.

I wonder if a whole sackful of burning coals would cleanse my lips of the terrible, cutting shameful things that I have uttered. Only by filling ourselves with the truth of God's Word can we begin to reverse the heart disease (cf. Romans 12:2).

So, what do I want for Christmas this year? A good start would be a sack full of burning coals.

Longing For Sinai

I sinned this week. Multiple times. Some of those were even deliberate. Don't you judge me though, you have sinned too. But the sixty four dollar question is, "why?" Why, when we know what not to do, or we know what we should do, do we fail miserably? The Apostle Paul struggled with the same issue and his explanation is recorded in the famous Romans 7 passage. But why do we continue in our sin? I think Max Lucado hit the nail on the head, "Sin is not an unfortunate slip or a regrettable act; it is a posture of defiance against a holy God." While we will not be rid of our sin nature until we are finally in the Lord's presence, we are still called to live holy lives.

So, where do we start? In Exodus 20, just after Moses had descended from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, the people were literally trembling from the physical expressions of God's might in the mountain. They thought they were about to die. I can only imagine the what it was like. Then, Moses tells the people what I think we too need to hearken to, "''Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.'" (Ex. 20:20)

Several years ago, there was a slogan that became popular on T-shirts and bumper stickers, "No Fear." This appeared everywhere, and eventually took on many different variations. But I think that if we adopt a variation of this, our world would be a different place... our churches would definitely be different places. We should "KNOW FEAR." Very simply put, we sin, because we do not take God seriously. Sometimes, I wish we could revisit Sinai and remember how big God really is. And yet, God continues to give us demonstrations of His might-- reminders that He alone is in charge. Some people call this global warming. I think it is just God flexing His muscles. I have yet to hear the media make the connection of the gross increase in immorality to the increase in natural disasters. Maybe this would be a good study. Any takers?

Too Big for Our Britches

There was a verse in my reading this morning that caught my eye. In Romans chapters 9-11 Paul talks about the sovereignty of God in salvation. Much of his discussion is about how God grafted in the Gentiles (non-Jews) into His chosen people. That for a time He is rejecting the Jewish people so that He may be merciful to us, all the while remembering that Israel is His covenant people. Then Paul makes a statement in chapter 11 that stood out to me. Using agricultural terms in verses 17-22, he describes how Israel, the natural olive branch, had been broken off for a time because of their disobedience and that we, the wild olive branch, are grafted in. Then , in verse 21 he says this, "For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either."

In Texas, we have a saying, "don't get too big for your britches." For you non-Texans, that means don't get too arrogant, because you can get put back in your place. I wonder if we as American Christians have gotten too big for our britches. This morning, I received another e-mail about in the influx of Muslims in America (I get several each week). And while I am concerned about the direction of our nation and its naivete of the fundamental Muslim teachings, it does not surprise me, nor should it you. A short study through the Old Testament should be a quick reminder that God frequently used the ungodly nations to discipline his people.

This reminds me of a story in the Matthew where Jesus was driving out the money changers out of the temple. For years in my immaturity, I thought that it was saying we shouldn't sell stuff at church. However, when you look up the passages Jesus quotes here, he is quoting some Old Testament passages. The first is in Isaiah 56:7. The second is Jeremiah 7:11. If you look at these passages, God is revealing His heart that ALL men were to have access to Him, and instead, these money changers were taking advantage of people prohibiting them from being able to come to Him. Have we become the new money changers? Are we preventing the lost from coming to him?

I find it interesting that those countries we were, for decades, trying to reach with the Gospel, are now sending missionaries to America to reach it with the Gospel. We who have been the senders are now being the receivers. Perhaps we are getting too big for our britches. Perhaps, God is going to, as we say in Texas, take us down a few notches. Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Church it is time we change some things. I believe that if we continue on the path we are on, we are asking for discipline. It must first begin with ourselves, then our families, then our churches, then our communities, and so on. As I said in a previous post, we must train ourselves in righteousness.

On Your Face!

I was reading the following verse as I finished in my morning study through the book of Ezra,

"10:1 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. They too wept bitterly."

These people had come face to face with a repeat of a heinous offense against God, and this verse shows that when confronted with it, how they responded. In just the previous verse here are their words,

"'Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.'"

I was deeeply convicted in what I read. I know how many times I have stood before the Lord after I had sinned against Him, and seldom has my response been so laden with the intense grief before a holy God as is demonstrated in these two verses. Max Lucado, most commonly known for his writing about the grace of our Lord, makes the following cutting statement about this same topic, "Sin is not an unfortunate slip or a regrettable act; it is aposture of defiance against a holy God."

Oh Lord, would that I should mourn bitterly over my own sinfulness.

Lessons, Part 2

The lines had been clearly drawn. The decision had been made. This had been a repeated offense. The consequences were pre-established. We had walked this same path earlier this same day. Consistency had to be maintained. She would now have to face the music, once again, for the same crime.

After the verdict was declared and sentenced rendered. Melody looked up at me with her pleading eyes and cried, "But Daddy I'm sorry, I love you!" I was not expecting, however, that we would both be disciplined that day. Before I realized it, the words were out. "If you love me, don't just tell you're sorry, do what I told you." Ouch! Discipline had been administered. It still stings even though it has been over a year since. Christ told us His Spirit would remind us of things He has taught us. The only thing that didn't flash in my head was chapter and verse. John 14:21a "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."

In my last post, I spoke of how one of the main reasons we continue to sin is our lack of true fear of God. Another is found here. How many times have I looked into my Father's eyes with tears streaming down my face from my guilt and said the same thing to Him, and He has reciprocated my response. Just like the familiar scenario described above, my Father longs not to just hear the words, "I am sorry," but to see my actions to prove it. To repent means to turn and go the other way. But often, rather, for me it means, stop, cry a little in regret that I got caught, and do it again later. A study in 1 John reveals some awesome truths on this matter. We learn that as we grow in our faith, it doesn't mean that we are sinless, but rather that we sin less.

Father, oh that we would demonstrate our love to You, by doing what you tell us and sin less.