Ps 78:32
In spite of all this they kept on sinning; in spit of his wonders they did not believe.
God is the sustainer. He doesn't hide his love in secret places like a clue to be discovered. God is love, abundant love and can be found where you are, no matter where you are or the circumstances of you life. God's love is in abundance. We run the risk of of misreading his love for us by confusing the way he loves us. We come to expect his love and gifts as inalienable rights.
Thirsty? Turn on the tap and drink, grab a bottle of water. Cold? Turn up the thermostat, put on warmer clothing, go inside to warmth and comfort. Hungry? Pick, you choose: open you refrigerator, go to the store, reach into your pantry, drop some coins into a vending machine, pick up a phone and have it delivered, cruise a drive through. Transportation? Hop on a bike, grab a train, jump on the bus, drive you car, fly across the country, try them all.
God's abundant love is pervasive in our lives. We should be left in awe and wonder. And we are, sometimes. We marvel at the promise of eternity, neglecting his will for us here and now. Belief requires action. Can we love God without loving others? Is God's abundance given to us only for us? Or are we to let it pass through our fingers and bless others with it? In doing so are we loving God back?
In loving others we love God. Loving others is an act of belief. God's love is abundant, may we also love abundantly with all we have and all we have been given.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sustain
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Casting our cares on the LORD, the creator of EVERYTHING, sounds simple and easy. Whatever it is we are fretting over or struggling with, we simply need to turn it over to God. We give him our burdens and he promises to sustain us. He will supply us, support us, maintain us. He will provide what we need. And with that promise, we try to and we mean to turn over our cares to the LORD.
And we wait. Temporarily and momentarily we wait. And then we pick up our burdens all over again forgetting the promise that he will sustain us. He will see us through. He will gives us what we need when he sees the need.
Reliance on God in the present is difficult. We lack faith. In hindsight and reflection it's almost too easy to see God sustaining us. We forget to remember. When we look back we can remember, we can see God's goodness.
No one, not one is righteous. And that's why the son came we are made righteous through Jesus and he will sustain us.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Casting our cares on the LORD, the creator of EVERYTHING, sounds simple and easy. Whatever it is we are fretting over or struggling with, we simply need to turn it over to God. We give him our burdens and he promises to sustain us. He will supply us, support us, maintain us. He will provide what we need. And with that promise, we try to and we mean to turn over our cares to the LORD.
And we wait. Temporarily and momentarily we wait. And then we pick up our burdens all over again forgetting the promise that he will sustain us. He will see us through. He will gives us what we need when he sees the need.
Reliance on God in the present is difficult. We lack faith. In hindsight and reflection it's almost too easy to see God sustaining us. We forget to remember. When we look back we can remember, we can see God's goodness.
No one, not one is righteous. And that's why the son came we are made righteous through Jesus and he will sustain us.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Posting Gaurds
Mt. 27:66
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
The idea is, if the tomb is guarded the disciples cannot steal the body and stage a resurrection. Forget the healing, the miracles, and the teachings the rulers have witnessed over the last 3.5 years, these can be explained away. A missing body, that would only serve to add validity to the claims of Jesus and his followers. The claim that he would rise on the third day had to be prevented. And so the Romans posted a guard. And so, Jesus arose on the appointed day while guarded. Despite the efforts of the religious leaders, God's will took place.
I try to guard the tomb in my own way. Jesus commands us to love God and to love others. And so I do, when its convenient for me to do so. For me guarding the tomb is placing the teachings of Jesus that I don't like or that are uncomfortable for me, in a vault in my mind where I can keep them out of sight. Out of sight and out of mind, I am free to choose the commands I like to follow. I choose the teachings I like and I am free to forget the ones I don't.
God's will is different and will not be thwarted. He wants all to be loved, not just the ones I find lovable. And when I don't do as I should, God completes his will through someone else and I am diminished. Instead of going on the adventure, I read about it in a brochure. The experience is never the same when it is read about instead of lived.
The living are not found among the dead. The tomb needs no guards.
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
The idea is, if the tomb is guarded the disciples cannot steal the body and stage a resurrection. Forget the healing, the miracles, and the teachings the rulers have witnessed over the last 3.5 years, these can be explained away. A missing body, that would only serve to add validity to the claims of Jesus and his followers. The claim that he would rise on the third day had to be prevented. And so the Romans posted a guard. And so, Jesus arose on the appointed day while guarded. Despite the efforts of the religious leaders, God's will took place.
I try to guard the tomb in my own way. Jesus commands us to love God and to love others. And so I do, when its convenient for me to do so. For me guarding the tomb is placing the teachings of Jesus that I don't like or that are uncomfortable for me, in a vault in my mind where I can keep them out of sight. Out of sight and out of mind, I am free to choose the commands I like to follow. I choose the teachings I like and I am free to forget the ones I don't.
God's will is different and will not be thwarted. He wants all to be loved, not just the ones I find lovable. And when I don't do as I should, God completes his will through someone else and I am diminished. Instead of going on the adventure, I read about it in a brochure. The experience is never the same when it is read about instead of lived.
The living are not found among the dead. The tomb needs no guards.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
On the back of a donkey
Jesus enters Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, just as was foretold. This evidence is found in the writings of the Old Testament. The religious leaders of the day were keenly aware of the significance of this event. As he entered the people were shouting hosanna. Translated, they are shouting save us, help us. Something only the messiah could do. The religious leaders are uncomfortable indeed.
These leaders witnessed first hand the miracle power of Jesus. They heard his teaching and they saw his grace. There reaction is indignation. They urge Jesus to shush the children chanting Hosanna, they want him to silence the ones who understand the real significance of the moment, his triumphal entry.
Why do the religious leaders of the day want to silence Jesus and his message? All they saw and all they witnessed, why won't they embrace him?
Jesus is change, radical heart racing change. The status quo never does well with change. Which side should we be on? We've all probably been on both sides. I want the radical life directional change leap of faith required side. The status quo represents comfort. The leap of faith give comfort.
These leaders witnessed first hand the miracle power of Jesus. They heard his teaching and they saw his grace. There reaction is indignation. They urge Jesus to shush the children chanting Hosanna, they want him to silence the ones who understand the real significance of the moment, his triumphal entry.
Why do the religious leaders of the day want to silence Jesus and his message? All they saw and all they witnessed, why won't they embrace him?
Jesus is change, radical heart racing change. The status quo never does well with change. Which side should we be on? We've all probably been on both sides. I want the radical life directional change leap of faith required side. The status quo represents comfort. The leap of faith give comfort.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Equal Pay
In Mt. 20, Jesus tells the parable of the workers paid equally.
Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a landowner that goes out into the market place early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He, and they by accepting his offer agree on the wage for the day. Later in the day, three more times, the landowner returns to the market and hires more men with the promise that "I will pay you whatever is right." They to accept and go. When the day is over he calls the foreman and instructs him to pay the workers, starting with the last hired. The last are paid what the first agreed upon. Seeing this, those called first are now expecting a more generous settlement.
Each of them, however, receives exactly what they agreed upon earlier in the day. They, the first hired, begin to grumble and complain as if to say they deserve more than they had agreed to. The landowner poses this question: "Am I not giving you what you agreed to? Don't I have the right to do what I want to with my money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"
God's generosity and grace is both incomparable and incomprehensible. We do envy, we envy because we don't understand and we want more. We try to take something that was given to us, salvation, and put our rules and parameters around it. We want more because we were first. The whole time we disregard the notion that we really don't have any say in the matter. That's where it gets tricky. We want control, we want to establish the rules for meting out God's grace. We stumble wanting more.
At some point we need to realize that salvation is reward enough. Who God decides to reward is not cause for our concern. We have been blessed through the Son and that is enough. Individually, we need to put aside our preconceived ideas of justice and fairness. It's not a justice issue, it's a grace issue. Justice says you get what you have coming, for us that's eternal separation from God. Grace says I know what you deserve, I chose to give you what you don't deserve. It's not a fairness issue, never was. God is the landowner and He determines the wages.
Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a landowner that goes out into the market place early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He, and they by accepting his offer agree on the wage for the day. Later in the day, three more times, the landowner returns to the market and hires more men with the promise that "I will pay you whatever is right." They to accept and go. When the day is over he calls the foreman and instructs him to pay the workers, starting with the last hired. The last are paid what the first agreed upon. Seeing this, those called first are now expecting a more generous settlement.
Each of them, however, receives exactly what they agreed upon earlier in the day. They, the first hired, begin to grumble and complain as if to say they deserve more than they had agreed to. The landowner poses this question: "Am I not giving you what you agreed to? Don't I have the right to do what I want to with my money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"
God's generosity and grace is both incomparable and incomprehensible. We do envy, we envy because we don't understand and we want more. We try to take something that was given to us, salvation, and put our rules and parameters around it. We want more because we were first. The whole time we disregard the notion that we really don't have any say in the matter. That's where it gets tricky. We want control, we want to establish the rules for meting out God's grace. We stumble wanting more.
At some point we need to realize that salvation is reward enough. Who God decides to reward is not cause for our concern. We have been blessed through the Son and that is enough. Individually, we need to put aside our preconceived ideas of justice and fairness. It's not a justice issue, it's a grace issue. Justice says you get what you have coming, for us that's eternal separation from God. Grace says I know what you deserve, I chose to give you what you don't deserve. It's not a fairness issue, never was. God is the landowner and He determines the wages.
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