A Time for War and a Time for Peace

Friday, September 1, 2023

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven….A time for war and a time for peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8b

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!  I came not to bring peace, but a sword.  Matthew 10:34-38

Timing is everything…so said my Dad, who was a certified bowling instructor, trying to teach me how to roll the ball towards the pins with effectiveness and the kind of repetitive consistency needed to score better.  I said:  What?  I’m certain Jesus was saying the same kind of wisdom to his disciples in that day (and getting the same kind of doe-in-the-headlights reaction). 

It is true (in a both/and sense) that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, as much as he is the Lord of Heaven’s armies.  He who self-described himself as “love” is also the author of Ecclesiastes.  It is a matter (as my favorite bowling instructor would say) of timing.  When Jesus came the first time, lowly, meek, and riding a donkey, we saw him as the submissive, perfect sacrificial lamb.  He demonstrated his love by taking our pain in his body.  The next time he comes it will be as a warrior, coming to clean up our mess. 

Question:  Does Jesus’ character change from loving-dove to unrelenting-hawk in the 1,000-year interlude between Ecclesiastes and Matthew?  Did he only come in peace the first time, and will he put that aside and be different the next time?  Did we get Ecclesiastes wrong?  God inspired Solomon to write those words, and God called him the wisest among men, yet Solomon says there is a time and place for peace, as well as war.  The Answer must be a resounding NO if you believe the Bible.  He said this:  I am the Lord, and I do not change.  Malachi 3:6a

So how do we reconcile all this…is Jehovah a God of war and peace, or just one,   and not the other?  When he shows up as Jesus we can expect love, kindness, and grace…but, when he shows up as the I AM, look-out? 

I think you know the answer to that, but let’s put it in another scenario:  Suppose it is the issue of homosexuality; is he the God of I love you – I’m ok, you’re ok – you aren’t in for any judgment?  Or is he the God who says that is sexual perversion, and if you buy-into that there is fire on the horizon for you, beloved?  Applying that to contemporary culture, the trend is to an absence of judgment on God’s part.  American culture is quite evenly-divided, but only because there’s a relatively even distribution of humans above and below 50 years of age.  But the trend is moving towards popular culture legitimizing and even applauding the practice of homosexuality.

A greater question then becomes:  If public opinion is moving in one direction, does that make it right?  Ultimately there is no fence upon which to sit, and that brings only two possibilities, both of which are supremely uncomfortable for those who want to reject Biblical precedent:  God will judge, or scripture is wrong.  We’re forced to obey God or popular opinion…there’s no in-between!  Humans mess-up, and must own our mess-up, or defend our beliefs.  You cannot do both.

Within the denomination I served the past two decades, the move has been towards popular opinion, with those disagreeing, jumping ship to band together with those holding Biblical doctrine.  And, among both those who are staying, or leaving, are some who are taking parting shots at the other side’s position as a lack of Biblically-moral character, preferring to judge motives and intelligence.   The God we’re talking about was not silent on that:

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  Matthew 7:1-3

For You Today 

I take the stand for Biblical obedience to love other sinners, because I am also a forgiven sinner.  I will not compound my sins by judging others.  What say you?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library. 

Title Images:  Pixabay.com Sword  Dove  Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

God is Good

 

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.  Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds:  “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction.  Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.  But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them.  I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.  Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again.  Not a single one will be lost or missing.  I, the Lord, have spoken!  “For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line.  He will be a King who rules with wisdom.  He will do what is just and right throughout the land.  And this will be his name:  ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’  In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.  Jeremiah 23:1-6

For the Lord is good.  His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.  Psalm 100:5

From a human perspective it seems a reckless thing to say God is good.  Amid the terror and tragedy with which we live every day, murder, mayhem, darkness, and loss, how can one possibly think a benevolent God would allow such?  Another log on that fire is something I hear from time to time:  If God is good, why would He even think about crucifying His own son?

The goodness of God is seen in both of those questions, the one about God allowing harmful stuff, and the other one about God causing harmful stuff.  The questions are more about us…individually…we know ourselves to be so much lower than God, and the evil of which we are all capable.  Reframe (more accurately) the questions and they become:  Why do WE do such awful stuff, and How can WE do all that to ourselves?  The answer to both questions is found in nailing Christ to the cross.  It isn’t God who crucified Jesus, it was each of us who was pounding those nails.

Jeremiah recounted what God said about man’s sinful misleading of others.  Instead of walking with God, humankind has always walked in selfishness, and we lead others to do so as well.  That’s what led to the cross.  And as for why God would “participate” in the evil of the cross…how else would God identify with us, love us enough to take our place on that cross, but to willingly give Himself, a sacrifice for our sins?

The bottom line to those age-old questions is that God IS indeed good!  He displayed that for all to see just how much He loved us in all that goodness.  Such are the words penned by Isaac Watts:

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?[1]

For You Today 

It’s easy to blame God for what happens to us, or the darkness and pain of this world’s evil.  It’s easy, but not right.  Nail scars and a thorn-pierced brow make that point…always, and eternally.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Flat Tire Worship  and  Regaining Perspective   

Title Image:  via Wikimedia Commons   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Isaac Watts, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, 1707

Pray for Us

Thursday, April 13, 2023

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.  Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ.  That is why I am here in chains.  Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.  Colossians 4:2-4

It was a dramatic personal transformation that changed a man named Saul into Paul.  He met Jesus…and like Frost’s two roads that diverged in the woods, the journey required a choice – and the traveler could not take both – Paul emerged on the road less-travelled.  And that made all the difference for, perhaps, millions of believers down through the centuries.

You can see that change in Paul as he encouraged the Colossian believers to pray, wholeheartedly, alert, and with a thankful heart.  He asked that they include him in those prayers, focusing-on his mission to reach those who needed to hear about the Lord Jesus.  When he was Saul, the man wanted to climb to the top of the popularity and prestige ladder.  Now Paul, he had been commissioned an apostle to dig into the dregs of humanity reaching the lost, least, and rejected, to become his brothers in Christ.  Paul wanted to speak as clearly as possible to anyone who would listen, of the mystery and majesty of the King of Glory.

Taking the road less traveled eventually led Paul to a Roman prison, and the end of nearly all apostles – martyrdom.  The second century Christian historian, Tertullian records that Paul was beheaded at the end of his Roman imprisonment.  Having finished his race, what Paul wrote to the Philippian church came true, living meant living for Christ, and dying was gaining all to be with Christ.

Reflecting on your life is part of praying wholeheartedly, alert to what Christ is doing, and measuring how you have traveled the path, so you can choose wisely those next steps in the journey.  For me reflecting takes longer, having more than 75 years of history to consider.  I’m a lot older than the 8 year old boy who accepted Christ…and a little bit wiser than he was.  Looking back, there are three certainties about the path:

1.    I didn’t always choose wisely

2.    Christ was with me in both the wise and foolish choices, and was faithful in all, and is still

3.    Those who joined me in prayer helped lead me in better choices.

For You Today 

You’ll make choices today, some less important (like what to eat for breakfast), and some more important (like putting aside your fear of witnessing to that friend or co-worker).  One best choice you can make is to pray diligently, wholeheartedly, and enlisting others to pray with, and for you like Paul did.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   The Grumpy Christian  and  Stay Alert  

Title Image:  Paul in Prison via Wikimedia Commons   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Of Grace and Law

Thursday, September 8, 2022

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.  But some people have missed this whole point.  They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.  They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.  We know that the law is good when used correctly.  For the law was not intended for people who do what is right.  It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders.  The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.  1 Timothy 1:5-11

The current mêlée in the United Methodist Church is the division which centers around sexuality and gender identification.  Somehow Paul’s counsel to Tiimothy is not sacred advice to a young minister anymore.  Rather, it has become an inconvenient truth, dropped from the comfort zone of denominational managers.  When it comes to what drives worldly, culture-pandering leadership to twist what Scripture means, even when that means obtusely ignoring what Scripture has presented clearly, it is, sadly, a weaponized form of teaching false doctrine.  Paul advised Timothy to steer clear of it at all cost.

When dealing with the Pharisees, (supposed) teachers of the Law of God, Jesus tossed aside their pedigrees and prestige in two short sentences:

Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!  Matthew 23:24

Swallowing the camel of law, and doing it in the name of grace, is what is wrong with the current practice of swatting the traditionalist gnats in the sexuality/gender-identification standoff, fueled by a higher commitment to political correctness and denominational survival, than fidelity to Scripture.

In the name of “grace” progressive thought says all humanity is exempt from law; there is nothing to forgive.  Yet, that kind of thinking lays aside the very substance of grace, as being forgiving that which is unforgivable.  It says perverted sexual practices are not sin…therefore, there is nothing to be forgiven, only embraced.  It belies the very essence of our vows in confirmation, to confess our sinfulness, and reject evil in every form.  Without accepting the grace of God, admitting our sins, and accepting that we deserve death, not a parade, we do not belong to Him, let alone get to presume upon His favor.  And that “camel” of false presumption that God winks at sexual perversion, is swallowed by unthinking (so-called) religious leaders every day.

For You Today

Continue to pray for leaders who are trying their best on both sides of this morass of sexual misunderstanding, especially in the halls of United Methodist leadership.  May God’s will be served.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

Paul's Legal Review and De-railed

[1] Images:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Living In-Between

 

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.  So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.  But beware!  For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.  You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers.  But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.  When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say.  God will give you the right words at the right time.  For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  Matthew 10:16-20

I said “goodbye” this past Sunday to the congregation I’ve served with for ten years; I have not yet said “hello” to the new congregation I’m supposed to serve this year.  I’m in-between.  If you’re between a rock and a hard place, you’re in-between.  If you’re supposed to be as harmless as a dove, but shrewd as a snake, you’re in-between.  If you’re arrested for being good, and you want to scream FOUL, but the one who taught you to wait, instead of trying to force the issue, says to wait for His words…you’re in-between.  There are times when I hate being in-between.  Check that…I hate being in-between ALL the time!

But here I am, and the chaos of life in the in-between times is upon me.  I am neither where I was, nor where I’m headed.  I prefer to have things a lot more planned, clearly-defined, and scheduled.  The good news is that it is just that, planned, clearly-directed and on-schedule; the bad news, for my obsessive-compulsive-disorderly self, is the One who holds the Day-Planner is in Heaven.

I have to remind myself often, that God’s plans, like His ways and thoughts, are on a much grander level than I can even imagine.  And He’s got stuff well in control.  It’s not that I ever doubt that…my perfectionist, impatient, wanna-control gene compels me to try to control what’s going on, and the God who knows exactly what, where, when, who, and (most importantly) why things are going to play-out the way they will…is my LORD.  And it’s something I need to remember…as in front burner…It is He who instructs, commissions, sends, leads, and in every way protects and uses me….not the other way around.

For You Today

One other thing I have to keep tattooed on the inside of my eylids (so I’ll see it often) is that the Christian life is a journey, and I’m always in that in-between place.  I’m not where I was, but I’m being led to where I need to be. 

May the God of grace and peace give you that joyful expectation of this holy journey of life in His plan, His way, and His glory, instead of letting you try to own the cesspool of control, organized materialism, and owning exactly nothing!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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For other posts on this topic:  Shrewd & Harmless and When Faith Leads to Trouble

[1] Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

The Problem with Pharisees

 

Thursday, March 24, 2022

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.  Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”  Psalm 32:8-9

If you check out the Gospels of the New Testament[1] just about every interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees didn’t end pretty.  In fact, Jesus was harder on this bunch than any criminal or outcast.  Setting that track record against all the smarmy stuff that’s said or written about how Jesus was soft and acccepting to all people, we get a sense that something needs explanation.  For that, the common mule will do.  More about the mule in a moment.

Pharisees were religious lawyers.  They had the task of leading Israel to live godly lives, worshipping and serving God like the holy nation God wanted.  That meant interpreting the words of Moses in the books of the law[2] into everyday lessons for living.  What they ended up doing was taking the 10 Commandments, which were principles to be applied to decision-making, and turning them into over 600 rules to be memorized. 

The Psalmist said that was like putting a bit and bridle on a mule.  A mule is smart enough to be stubbornly-independent, wanting to go where he wants to go.  But to fulfill that for which he was created, he needs to be led.  Forcing an animal to comply to a task’s purpose may get the task done, but it makes no friends.  Nor does it make the doing of the task easier or more rewarding.

The Lord’s advice to us is to choose better than being forced into doing His bidding.  He offers us a light to see the best pathway through life, one where we can complete His will, and enjoy doing it.

The difference between mule-compliance, and man-cooperation, is what we call the Surrendered Life.  We surrender to God’s will, because He is a gracious God who would rather have our friendship and love, than a stable full of mules who have to be turned this way or that by a bit and bridle.

The problem with Pharisees and mules is it’s hard to see past the choice of our will or God’s will.  We want what we want, and often it’s what’s right in front of us.  Like Eve wanted what the serpent pointed out, we prefer to make our own decisions, rather than trust God to lead us into to a better life. 

For You Today

Humans are presented with a choice every day…my way or His way.  Pharisees and mules need bits and bridles of rules that command do it this way, not that way.  A disciple has a friend who walks with you on the best path and sticks closer than a brother[3].

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

[2] The first five books of Holy Scripture (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

[3] See Proverbs 18:24

A Dangerou Freedom

 

Monday, November 15, 2021

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.  There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.  For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.  For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge.  I will pay them back.”  He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.”  It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:26-31

Ambivalence, that love-hate relationship of indecision and constant companion of procrastinators like me, is alive and annoying in the mind of Paul, as he holds up the most unsettling of truths for the followers of Christ – we have free will!

There is something deep within each of us crying-out to be free, yet recognizes the consequence of that freedom requires us to walk a dangerous line between the selfishness of doing what pleases us, as opposed to living obediently to another’s choices…namely our Creator’s will. 

The most dangerous place on the planet has nothing to do with war, global warming, or crossing a counter-punching ex-president; the most dangerous place on planet earth is between your own ears.  That’s so because in the recesses of our free will we make choices that have earthly consequence in the here and now, but also eternal consequence in the heavenly realms.  Free will is a dangerous freedom!

The consequence of sinning, deliberately choosing our own way in place of what God requires (doing what is right, loving mercy, walking humbly with God[1]) is judgment by our Creator.  That consequence is seen abundantly enough in Scripture to drive us to God’s mercy.  Yet we are prone, like the prophet Jonah, to hop a ride to the opposite direction.  We are running, but, as King David discovered – there is no place to hide.  In Noah’s day the freedom to choose devolved from any semblance of godliness until the only “salvageable” family left on the face of the earth was Noah’s.  God closed the door on the ark and drowned everything else with a flood of judgment.

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God is Paul’s final comment in today’s text; it makes my heart skip a beat, because I know it is true, and I stand as a fragile sinner before God just like anyone else.  Unlike the thinking of a favorite uncle of mine who used to tease me about getting a special sin discount because I preach on Sundays, I know my will is God’s biggest gift to me, and my own worst enemy.  My choices – my ways – are entirely selfish and my heart is as the poet Robert Robinson wrote it: 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it —
Prone to leave the God I love;[2]

And so this dangerous freedom, cradled in the unstable will of this human man, is the one thing that drives me to the forgiveness of God – this prone to wander heart understands grace is the only thing that pulls me back.

For You Today

So…are you prone to wander into your free will’s selfishness like me?  Let God’s forgiving grace pull you back.  It’s what called you to Him in the first place.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this theme see I Believe in Me - Nov 23, 2018

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[1] See Micah 6:8

[2] Robert Robinson, 1758