When the Mighty Fall

 

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

1 Kings 21:17-29

But the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria.  He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself.  Give him this message:  ‘This is what the Lord says:  Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth?  Must you rob him, too?  Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”  “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.  “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight.  So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you.  I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel!  I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’  “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’  “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”  (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.  His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)  But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.  Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah:  “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me?  Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime.  It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

Ahab was King of Israel.  By definition that means he was God’s servant, charged with the responsibility to make certain God’s people were turned to God, rather than evil.  Ahab failed miserably, because he chose to use his position of power to get what he wanted, rather than do what God required.  Some things never change!

By contrast, Elijah, God’s faithful servant, was always in some kind of hot water with the powers that be.  That describes the life of anyone who will speak for God.  As a pastor, I learned early-on that there are two parts to the job description:

               ·       Comfort the afflicted, and…

               ·       Afflict the comfortable.

Ahab fell in the later category, and it was Elijah’s task to deliver the uncomfortable truth about the king’s sin.  That part of the job never includes a pleasant afternoon tea time.  I learned that thirty years ago; it was homecoming Sunday, and the church was full. The smell of fried chicken and homemade delights filled the air.  But my thoughts on what God had spoken to my heart about the state of a church that was long past its glory days led me to preach a sermon on how serving self leads to destruction.  It included recounting how the church dies when it is more in love with what the church has done in its history, rather than putting on the work gloves and serving God in the here and now.  After the service, I was greeting the crowd at the door, and one older woman approached me with a deeply furrowed brow.  She growled:  Those people didn’t need to hear all that disturbing stuff; a preacher ought to make a homecoming crowd feel good about how we used to do stuff.  With that, she huffed and stormed off.  Well…shut my mouth! 

It’s an odd thing the way God chooses preachers, particularly in my case.  I was like Moses at the burning bush, trying to get God to send anyone but me.  And this woman was proof that it was going to be a long haul – if I lived through the confrontation God’s Word always precipitates. 

Let’s Pray Together:

Father, we’re more apt, especially when we get older and weaker, to wear the medals of what we have done for You, than to hear the marching orders.  We want ease rather than the confrontation spiritual warfare requires.  Forgive our selfishness, and renew us for serving you today.  Help us hear Elijah, and refuse the temptation to be Ahab.

For You Today

A positive thought to end today’s devotion is Ahab’s response to Elijah’s message.  To his credit, Ahab went into repentance mode, showing Godly sorrow over his sin.  And, God saw it, and God responded.  As evil as he’d been, Ahab found out his life’s sins were not unforgivable.  And THAT is the very definition of Good News!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

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Title Image:  Welcome Collection Gallery (via Wikimedia Commons)

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

Failure

[1]

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question:  “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him.  “Only God is truly good.  But to answer your question, you know the commandments:  ‘You must not commit adultery.  You must not murder.  You must not steal.  You must not testify falsely.  Honor your father and mother.’”  The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”  When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done.  Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.  When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!  In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”  Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”  He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”  Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”  “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”                       Luke 18:18-30

One reason skeptics have always sought ways to discredit Jesus’ divinity is the obvious flaw in their wishy-washy lack of faith and the obvious discomfort felt over having to deal with someone who uncovers the soft underbelly of their weak argument.  What’s really at stake for the skeptic is the risk of being uncovered as a failure.  Ouch!

This rich young ruler had a terrible insecurity about his life’s path and if he was on the right track.  He came to Jesus for advice, or, more likely, simple affirmation that he really was a good man and had nothing to worry about.  His was the garden variety, bland and ambiguous blur of non-faith that wants I’m OK; You’re OK to rule the day.  His question was begging a pacifying placebo; just tell me I’m ok so I can feel good and not worry about this thing on my insides that’s eating my lunch day after stinking day!  But Jesus never settles for a good feeling; He’s all about the truth that sets one free[2].

Even human psychiatrists know better than to tell you what to do.  A main principle of psychiatry is that the answers we seek to our deepest questions are already locked within our minds; a psychological helper is one who comes alongside to help uncover what you already know.  And that is the dark truth the rich young ruler did not want to face.  He understood, firstly that he had ignored how his wealth had changed him, enabled him to avoid the poor.  His soul craved goodness (that’s why he raised that issue when he went to Jesus), but he was deeply afraid it was out of his reach.  Jesus reflected that fear back to him, and the mirror revealed a not-too-pretty truth…the young man saw just how tied he was to his riches (which are transitory, a mere mist that will fade), and how uncommitted he was to the reality of eternity.  He trusted his money more than his Creator.  It is no wonder he walked away dejected and broken, all the fingers pointing at his failure were attached to his own hands!

For You Today

If you’ve stayed this long with me today, and if you haven’t confessed your love of money recently, you may be avoiding the mirror. 

Let Jesus hold the truth mirror up in the rich young man’s story; it’s not pretty, but it’s not failure.  The only real failure in you or me is refusing to look at the truth.  But if you trust Him enough to let Him show you what’s deep-down inside you, that truth will set you free

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

 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of  Pixabay.com     Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] John 8:32

What Was I Thinking?

[1]

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Oh, how I love your instructions!  I think about them all day long.  Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide.  Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws.  I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.      I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word.  I haven’t turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well.  How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.  Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.  Psalm 119:97-104

The Edsel was born in 1957 and rolled-out as a mid-size/price family car for the public the following year.  While initial sales were respectable, the 1958 so-called Eisenhower recession turned this high-performance gas guzzler into the most storied flop of all time in the auto industry.  Named after Henry Ford’s only son, who had died 15 years prior, Edsel became the next generation’s nickname for anything that was bound to fail.  When Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern for president in 1972 by 26% of the vote, someone suggested his middle name was probably Edsel!

The author of Psalm 119 is unknown to us.  David authored about half of the Psalms, and it may have been from his early years before the dust-up over Bathsheba.  It makes little difference whether it was David, Moses, Daniel or Heman who put pen on the parchment; God (the ultimate author of all Scripture gave us an incredibly important reminder here of human nature’s ability to be arrogant and spiritual at the same time…all it takes is a little naïveté.

The Psalmist claims wisdom and understanding greater than his teachers, purity of life that is above reproach, and a life that is governed by a heart completely devoted to obeying God’s ways.  King David seemed to have been that for much of his life, but there were times when the duplicity of David’s actions and words would’ve made Adolph Hitler or Joseph Stalin blush.  David could be a spiritual hero; he could also sink quickly to zero!

And such are we all. 

The problem with this Psalm is not in the author; the problem is ours, imagining that God’s ways (sometimes called his rules, regulations, or commandments) can be kept perfectly; frankly, we cannot!  If there was a possibility that humans, any humans could live a life perfectly following devotion to God there would have been no reason for Jesus to take our place on the cross.  But human nature is tainted by sin, and there is no human that lives free from sin.  We are the human version of Edsel, bound to fail to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength![2]

But God does not leave us in the pit of despair, even though we might choose that far country in which to wallow.  As Paul asked in his letter to the Roman believers about his tendency to choose sin…doing the wrong he did so intently want to avoid, and not doing the good to which his soul aspired and longed-for, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?[3]  The answer echoed back that it was Jesus Christ who delivers us from sin.

For You Today

For human sinners Jesus’ death on the cross took away the penalty of our sin and made it possible to blunt its power over those who trust in His gift of atonement. And, there is coming a day when even the presence of sin will be removed.

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

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com        Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] Mark 12:30

[3] Romans 7:24

A Light Shines in My Heart

[i]

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?  

Jeremiah 17:9^(NLT)

As a rule old people know more than young people about how much evil can reside in the human heart.  It takes some living and sinning-big to find that out!  The darkness of evil hides truth from being discovered as much as possible…and that includes hiding from our own minds that evil which is belongs to us. 

Hence, the very useful saying:  to thine own self be true!

Paul the Apostle understood this; he faced a daily battle with evil in his life:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  Romans 3:10^(NLT)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Romans 3:23^(NLT)

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.  1 Timothy 3:15^(NLT)

Yes, Paul understood personal evil and the pain of being separated from God because of his choices.

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  Romans 7:24^(NLT)

I know you join me in Paul’s frustration.  After all, who is the person who has not lived through the agony of failed New Year’s resolutions, promises broken to loved ones, and the pitiful guilt you feel over not being more disciplined in a diet. 

If you take it to the natural conclusion you can also say with Paul: 

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  Romans 7:18^(NLT)

That doesn’t leave much room for hope; almost makes you want to drink the red Kool aide.  But Paul doesn’t leave us there.  See what he wrote to the believers at Corinth:   

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  2 Corinthians 4:6-7^(NLT)

A fragile clay pot is what held the oil and wick which, when lit, became a shining light.  Paul’s imagery here is that we are like an empty fragile jar when there’s no oil, wick, or fire.  But, if you take Biblical symbolism seriously you know that oil represents God’s Holy Spirit, as does fire…and then the whole picture makes sense.  God’s Spirit comes when we present ourselves unreservedly, ignites our fragile clay pot lives and light fills our hearts, chasing the darkness.

It’s all a very picturesque way of saying:  we need God; we can’t do it alone!

For You Today

If you recognized all the darkness imagery, but have a little trouble identifying with the light coming on….well, that’s God speaking to you with a little light He is offering to make a great light shine where you used to see only darkness!

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

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NOTES

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[i]  Title image: By Anant Nath Sharma (www.thelensor.tumblr.com), via Wikimedia Commons

Omnipotent

Monday, March 31, 2014

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.   Isaiah 55:10 - 11 (NRSV)

If the rain which falls from above is supposed to bring water to grow the crops, but falls on solid rock, is the purpose of God thwarted?  Not according to Isaiah.  These verses declare that God’s irrigation process is without flaw.  Water that splashes off a rock will eventually find its way to the needy place.  God’s design at that point is always fulfilled.

So much for the farming metaphor – what about the power of God’s Word in the earth today?  The candle seems to be growing dim, eh?  Evidence points to the fastest growing segment of population as “nones,” people who are not affiliated with any church and don’t intend to change.  God?  No thank you!

Is the Word of God growing weak and ineffective?  That would mean the omnipotent God is not really all-powerful.  Or, if He ever was, He isn’t so now…he’s changed, weaker.  IF so, that would also mean God is untruthful, and, by definition…not God.

But God said His Word would accomplish His purpose.  And that purpose does not always result exclusively in harvest; sometimes it results in disaster.  Consider the rain Noah encountered; he preached to a whole generation of “nones”.  There was the salvation of eight souls – but the majority report was tragic.

For someone like me this is one of the most important truths to grasp…that God’s Word will not always produce harvest as we understand harvest; sometimes “crop-failure” points to the omnipotence of God.

Compare the “bumper crop” to the “dry-bones harvest”:

Billy Graham comes to town and there are 32,853 decision cards filled out; new Christians are popping up in churches all over the place.  What a harvest!

I have preached several revivals where not even a single person was saved.

Question:  Did Billy preach a different gospel than Russell?  Was it the skill of the preacher in focus?  Or was it the condition of the soil (rock-hard hearts)?  Or was it a season of drought?  Or was the Word of God effective in both cases?

The Glory of God Revealed

In both cases – whether it is a “glorious harvest of souls” or if the voice of heaven seems distant and silent – the Word of God is accomplishing its task, pointing to and glorifying the omnipotent God of Heaven.  Those who bow the knee to Christ glorify Him by obedience; those who refuse to bow will show His glory by judgment.

That is true now, and it will be true throughout eternity:

For the Scriptures say, 

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, 

‘every knee will bend to me, 

and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”

Romans 14:11 (NLT)

That is an omnipotent God, Who is still so, and will be forever.

Today…for you

If your efforts to proclaim God’s Word seem ineffective and pointless, remember it is God’s Word which is tied to the omnipotence of God…not your effort.  God will, in His grace and because of His love for you, honor your effort. 

Don’t get discouraged, saint!

Remember, the Lord, God, Omnipotent reigneth!

Impossible

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD.  Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.  They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.  You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully.  Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!  Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.  As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!  I will obey your decrees.  Please don’t give up on me!   Psalms 119:1 - 8 (NLT)

Living a life of integrity is not an easy thing!  Just about the time you think the war is over, and the enemy’s been defeated, a new skirmish breaks-out.

Most Christians understand that living a life of absolute perfection is not a possibility.  Jesus did it, but who would claim to be His equal?  Yet, who doesn’t crave the sense of joy it would be to stand clean before God, conscience clear and open? 

The Psalmist knew that to “know God” is to live in obedience to His commandments.  Yet, at the very end of these verses he offers up a peek into his soul:  Uh, God…please don’t give up on me!  

The Psalmist knew what we know – the struggle of life lived in light of God’s truth is a struggle with me, who and what I am, as opposed to what I was created to be.  It is a life of wanting to live clean and pure before God, yet blowing it time and again! 

Paul, the great apostle nailed it:

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.  This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.    Romans 7:21-23 (NLT)

Each of us Christians, mature and young, is like that; we fail to live up to the standard.  And it is discouraging, even demoralizing to live this way.  Paul’s transparent letter describes life measured against God’s standard:

Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?    Romans 7:24 (NLT)

Now, if that were the end of the story we would all be prone to give up on life, pull the covers over our heads and wait for the end.  But it’s not the ending – realization that God’s standard is impossible is just the place we have to reach before we find the beginning. 

In answer to that question, who will free me….Paul wrote:

Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.    Romans 7:25a (NLT)

Mega POINT

God knows you need him – and because you fail in your quest to be perfect, God will let you fail, and fail, and fail….until you come to the end – until the body of this death is so real, so overwhelming, that you can see no way out; all you can see is God’s loving hand reaching down….to lift you up!

When it looks IMpossible, God removes the “im”.  

Today

If you’ve been struggling with trying to be good enough for God – stop that.  

Let Him be good in you.  

Let Him be big in you.  

Rest in Him!

Experience WHO the deliverer is!  It was never you in the first place.  

And when He does the delivering, the cleaning, the building of integrity deep within you, standing before Him will be a joy unspeakable and full of glory!