Prepared - Part 3

 Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  Ephesians 6:14

This week we are investigating Paul’s comparison of a Christian in spiritual warfare to a Roman soldier prepared for physical combat.  Today’s piece of God’s well-dressed warrior is the breastplate of God’s righteousness, the Body Armor.

In His sermon on the Mount of Olives Jesus said we would be blessed if we hunger and thirst after righteousness.  He said we should seek the righteousness of the Kingdom of God first, and worry about material things later.[1] 

What is this righteous condition?  The word “righteousness” or “justice” comes from a basic verb which means to show.  In a religious sense or application it means to stand before God with your heart open and on display.  There is nothing hidden, God can inspect you.  Is that a comfortable idea?  David prayed: 

 

Search me O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me.  Psalms 139.23-24a

Each of us has (at least) a few things in our life that, if they became public, would cause us shame.  Even if not public, we struggle with the self-shaming guilt that knows we offend God.  How do I know that?  I don’t have a crystal ball; I’m not reading your mail, or hiring a private investigator to spy on you.  I simply have a human heart…and I read God’s Word that tells me all about me…and you.  God knows the flesh lives inside us all.  Most of us know from experience (and the rest of us could guess from sheer human intuition) that it is not a wonderful prospect to stand before a righteous and holy God without some super-asbestos holy shield to protect us from judgment. 

The breastplate, or body armor, covers the vital core organs, heart, lungs, and kidneys.  Having a breastplate of righteousness means your heart has been cleansed, you’ve been forgiven of sin and made to stand righteous, openly on show for God.  When it's like that, beloved, Satan’s darts are way out of range. 

A fellow Christian once accused me of being uncaring and cold towards him and his family.  He then widened it to include the whole church (and probably the whole of Western civilization!).  I told him he misunderstood me, but that I would pray for God to help me understand.  I did go to prayer, and while God affirmed to my heart that I really did care for and love this brother and his family, there were some other things in that area that needed my attention.  When I shared this with the brother, I could stand with the breastplate of righteousness.  I had stood honestly before God.  Satan could not use this rift of understanding to break that church apart.  He tries to do that, you know.  A wise believer will put on the breastplate and have a clean heart before God.

For You Today

Just as David opened his heart to God’s inspection with a confession that he needed holy, omniscient eyes to inspect every crease, crevice, and hiding spot of darkness in him, we must also be that transparent in our walk with God.

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^©   

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[1] See Psalm 1,  Matthew 5:6 and Matthew 6:33

The Life of Christ-like Fragrance

 

Thursday, February 11, 2021

But thank God!  He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession.  Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.  Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.  But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.  To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.  But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.  And who is adequate for such a task as this? 

2 Corinthians 2:14-16

For the apostle Paul the circumstances of life were that of a captive, someone whose circumstances depended on the choosing of his Master.  He did not concern himself too much where the road led, only that the leader was Jesus. 

If I had to draw a picture of the sweet fragrance of a Christ-likeness it would be Paul, sitting in a prison cell, with a wry smile of contentment as he’s writing to the churches.  

Those who cannot understand from where that smile originates are those who see the conditions as everything; Paul says they’re perishing, drying-up from the inside-out, life draining with a dreadful smell of death and doom.  But, to those who have found Christ, this picture is the essence of joy and eternal life.  To have found life’s deepest blessing in service to Christ, there is no greater satisfaction or fulfillment than to have met Jesus, committing to follow as a faithful servant.

I have known some servants like that.  There are several characteristics each of them bear in common.  I’d like to share some with you and ask you to keep in mind that the list is but a tip of the iceberg of what God uses.

Graciousness

I can think of no greater fragrance than the kind of gracious interest one human being sincerely displays towards another.  I’ve met a few famous people during my journey; none have surprised me more than those who listened to me like I had something worthwhile to say.  To be gracious, knowing you don’t know everything, and willing to hear another’s point of view, makes God’s job of using you much easier.

Humility

I suppose this quality is not a stand-alone trait.  Frankly, it is so related to graciousness you cannot have one without the other.  A humble person isn’t just a self-deprecating proclaimer of his low estate, someone you’d hear tossing aside a compliment with aw, shucks, I ain’t much.  Rather, the humble one just stands in genuine awe of the majesty of God he sees in every other human being he meets.

Hunger and Thirst

Now this is not the precedent of dinner on the grounds; rather it is the essence of what Jesus told us:

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Matthew 5:6 ^(KJV)

The idea of righteousness-seeking is the cause of human elevation, seeking to lift others in their lives by working to relieve oppression and injustice.  It is the process of being involved with God to love a neighbor as self.  It is what the prophet Micah wrote:

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you:  to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

Again, not an exhaustive list, rather a good beginning of the kind of person that leaves a fragrant trail of Christ wherever they walk.

For You Today

There is no better practice for those who would live a life of Christ-like fragrance, spreading good news everywhere, than to spend time with the source of that fragrance.

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^©

 

The History of Mankind (slightly abridged version)

 

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Psalm 99:1-9

The Lord is king!  Let the nations tremble!  He sits on his throne between the cherubim.  Let the whole earth quake!  The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem, exalted above all the nations.  Let them praise your great and awesome name.  Your name is holy!  Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness.  You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel.  Exalt the Lord our God!  Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!  Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name.  They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them.  He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them.  O Lord our God, you answered them.  You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.  Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy!

What is wrong with the title of this devotion?  Short answer – everything!  From the title you would expect the focus to be on humanity; that is certainly not the Psalmists’ perspective.  Everything about Psalm 99 points to the character of God; hardly are man’s exploits in view.  Just look at the wording:

·       The LORD is king…HE sits on his throne…in majesty…exalted

·       YOUR name is holy…YOU have established justice

·       HE answered…HE spoke…HE gave

·       YOU were a forgiving God…YOU punished them when they went wrong.

·       EXALT and WORSHIP GOD…for the LORD our God is holy!

Notwithstanding my own criticism of the title, I stand by it as appropriate, because the real (unabridged) version of the history of man is all about the loving God who created us.  You cannot, with any kind of claim to integrity, separate God’s loving character from any mention of humanity; we are entirely connected, entwined in an infinite number of ways, and in a way that includes everything eternal.  And so, our history is rightly connected to His nature; we belong to Him.

The Psalmist’s reference to the wilderness wanderings of God’s children, how God gave them their marching orders, and how they went wrong, after having agreed to do right, and how God handed out justice, punishing their wrong…it is all a microcosm of the unabridged version of humankind’s history. 

Of course, it all started in the mind of God in eternal ages past.  However, our memory begins in the Garden of Eden.  God created Adam and Eve perfectly, placed them in a perfect environment, gave them perfect instructions how to live, and offered a perfect relationship, based upon perfect lovingkindness and providence unbound by strings of any kind.  We get it that there was no racism, murder, or COVID19 in God’s plan.

Then, freedom became too much of a temptation, and Adam and Eve left the reservation.  It began with questioned faith about God’s love and care for them; the enemy whispered questions about God’s character and ways; the couple reached for what wasn’t good for them in an effort to quiet the doubt within, and, believing Lucifer’s lies, in an attempt at fixing what they sensed to be broken, they found fear at the prospect of God knowing what they’d done[1].  Man’s fixing produced fear, and the fall has been repeating itself ever since.  And so has the forgiveness of God for the fallen, sinful children of the first couple! 

This is the slightly abridged version of the history of man.  For the rest of the story, in all of it’s sordid and splendid detail, buy the book….THE Book

Let’s Pray

Father, we understand wilderness…we spend so much of our time there…time better spent with you.  Help us change history…that which lies ahead of us.  Help us to place our heart’s and mind’s focus on you, the place and face where we find faith and peace.

For You Today

The best thing about history is when we focus more on HIS-story, and learn from our messy failings where true peace and meaning lie waiting for those hungering and thirsting for it[2].

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

Go to VIDEO 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on Psalm 99 see The Case for Worship and When Mercy Outweighs Justice

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[1] Genesis 3:8-10

[2] God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.  Matthew 5:6

Amber Fire, a Deep Blue Throne, and THAT Voice

[i][ii]

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli.  And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man.  From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire.  And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.  All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day.  This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me.  When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.  “Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.”  Ezekiel 1:26-2:1

I have read these words many times; this morning I heard them in three different, distinct voices…the Lion in C.S. Lewis’ Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader in Star Wars, and Jack Nicholson in any movie you want to name.  Take a moment to hear them with me. 

We’ll start with James Earl Jones; that deep voice intonation and resonance is impossible to miss.  When the voice spoke from the throne, stand up, son of man, I want to speak with you, I wanted to sit up straight and pay attention; you cannot ignore a command that emanates from the deep dark blue of a lapis lazuli throne.  It was calm, but eerie, and it strangely compelled me to want more.

On reading the text a second time I heard Jack Nicholson’s edgy, bordering on psychotic invitation:  stand up, son of man, I want to speak with you.  I wanted to run away until there were no more places to run.  This is the voice that could freeze fire in its’ tracks…the judgment of a thousand Adolph Hitlers.

After a brief shudder I read the text one more time.  Suddenly, I was one of C.S. Lewis’s child-characters, Edmund, or Peter, or Susan, or perhaps Lucy, and I was in conversation with a talking Lion.  And the voice was decidedly different:  stand up, son of man, I want to speak with you.  This was the friend-voice I’d always hoped God would sound like.

Ezekiel’s description of God as an amber-glowing man from the waist-up, and a splendidly-burning fire from the waist-down, surrounded by a halo of the colors of the rainbow serve to highlight the voice completing the breathtaking moment of an encounter with the glory of God.

We all have our very deep memories of times that influenced or affected us deeply and shaped our character and perspective of life.  I have had some very distinct God-moments where His presence was overwhelming, unlike anything in sound, appearance, or which any other of the senses can describe.  It is what the name suggests…other!  God is like no one else, and when His desire is for you to stand up, because He wants to speak with you…well, let’s just say, it would be a smart thing for anyone to listen.

For You Today

Ezekiel didn’t schedule a God-moment…God did!  On the other hand, God’s word says that when we hunger and thirst after righteousness* we will be filled.  Have you hungered for God to say:  stand up, I want to speak with you?

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

Go to VIDEO

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[i] Title Image:   Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©
*Matthew 5:6

Favorite Food

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6 (NRSV)

Being blessed is a matter of craving the righteousness of God like a starving man craves food.  What is the righteousness of God?  It is simply the goodness you see in Jesus. 

A good appetite is a sign of health.  A child in the crib that demands to be fed is

judged as healthy.  He lets the whole county know how he feels about it. 

Loss of appetite is a danger signal. The number one measurement of the health of your spiritual life is your appetite for spiritual things.  Let's take the temperature. 

·        Do you love to study God's word? 

·        Do you have a deep desire to have the blessing of God on your life more than watching TV, sleeping-in? 

·        Is it one of the great joys of your life to be around God's family? 

·        Do you love to give testimony of what God is doing in your life? 

Jacob wrestled fiercely with the angel of God all night long, vowing he would never let go until he had the blessing of God.  John Knox hungered and thirsted after God so intensely he cried,   "Give me Scotland, or I die."

It is the NORMAL CONDITION OF A HEALTHY MORAL SOUL TO DESIRE SPIRITUAL GROWTH. 

A common beech tree will drink 65 gallons or more each day, drawing it sometimes over 100 feet to the top branches.  We still don't know how that really happens, but the tree hungers and thirsts for it.  When it stops, it is a signal that it is dead...Not dying, DEAD! 

There is a parallel.  You may have once realized your need, been poor in spirit.  You may, in spiritual mourning over your sins been born into the kingdom.  In true meekness you became a servant of God – but then, did you lose your appetite for the water of life somewhere?  You started with promise, but are you STILL hungering and thirsting for God's Word, His righteousness?  Are you serving and seeking Him like a starving, thirsting, desperate man?  Or are you ignoring the hunger?  Have you become spiritually-anorexic? 

If so, there is still time to change. 

For You, Today…

The Psalmist said Taste and see that the Lord is good[1].

Let God reclaim your appetite.  Obey one biblical truth starting today and see what nourishment comes of it. 

Begin growing again.

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[1] Psalms 34:8