Crude Overview:
Jesus continues to heal and teach. He calls Matthew and shows the Pharisees that He has come for the sinners and not the already "righteous". He teaches that His disciples do not fast because He is there. How can one mourn while the bridegroom is with them? Once He is gone they will fast. Jesus has compassion on the crowds because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
What does this teach me about the LORD?
Jesus' compassion is like no one else's. He sees to the root of every problem; our sin. He feels compassion for us in this state and invites us to be healed, to be forgiven, to go and sin no more. He has judgement for those who refuse to see their sin or who glory in their sin. His compassion knows no bounds for the broken and those who know their helplessness all to well.
Book Notes:
"Pharisees would have regarded as sinners anyone who failed to keep God's law as they understood it, and the term here seems to reflect a commonly understood meaning by which it included both people guilty of publicly known sin and others who did not keep the strict purity requirements of the Pharisees."
"'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' is a quotation from Hosea 6:6...More important to God was 'mercy' (the Septuagint rendering of Hb. hesed, meaning 'steadfast love'), which would have led the Pharisees to care for the sinners as Jesus did.
Personal Observations:
There is so much here that any group of believers could latch onto and talk about for hours. One could find at least six sermons here, if not more
The one thing my soul has lept at is the note on the word "mercy" which is the Hebrew word that the Greek substitutes. Hesed; steadfast love.
If we go back to the Greek and say, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," we understand this. God sits as judge, looks at our case and we know we are screwed. We deserve the death penalty..and then He dismisses our case.
"I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice." This feels very different. This is compassion of a much deeper level. IN this scenario the judge is overcome with compassion for the defendant whom He has loved since he was a child. He has watched him make bad decision after bad decision. The judge loves him so much that He takes off the black robe, sets down his gavel, and takes the place of the defendant and tells the bailiff to take Him to take Him to death row instead.
The frightening thing is that Hosea 6:6 is a call for God's people to have this kind of love.
What does that look like? I'm scared to find out, honestly.
P
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Matthew 8 Devotional Notes
(I have long made pretty daily notes on the Bible chapter that I'm currently reading. I'm feeling pushed to share and open discussion over them so I am making them available here. I hope they bless. I always divide my notes into "Crude Overview", "What does this teach me about the LORD?", "Book Notes" (what of the study notes in my Bible I find of particular interest), and "Personal Observations".)
Crude Overview:
The narrative moves from the teaching and preaching of the Sermon on the Mount into healing and other miracles. Jesus heals a leper, a centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, exorcises the demons out of two men, and even calms a raging storm. In the middle He disappoints a scribe and disciple from following Him because of their desire of temporal things.
What does this teach me about the LORD?
It shouldn't be as much of a surprise, but it is amazing to me how Jesus is mentally and emotionally on another plane than we are. I want His heart. I want His eyes. I want His understanding. I want His compassion; His way of viewing the world and all things rightly.
With the leper, Jesus doesn't just heal him and walk away. His concern goes beyond just giving him what he asked for. It extends from physical healing to even his social and relational healing.
With the centurion, here is a Roman, a pagan, an enemy conqueror of the Jewish people; and oppressor and exploiter. Jesus sees beyond that. He sees a man in need and even a man of greater faith than Jesus has seen in all Israel.
With the scribe and the disciple He sees the cost that they haven't considered or may not be willing to pay. Jesus doesn't have the "more the merrier" kind of mentality. He wants wholly committed people. Popularity was never His goal.
When it comes to the storm He sees that God has a plan and purpose, and if they die it is only due to God's will. He is so resting in faith that He can sleep through the storm shaking the boat like an earthquake.
Instead of seeing and fearing the demon possessed/oppressed men in gentile territory as threats, Jesus came to them with compassion.
In each instance Jesus saw through into the True Reality beyond the physical reality concerns.
Book Notes:
"Addressing Jesus as Lord, the Roman centurion reveals a remarkable sensitivity for Jewish traditions."
"'Little faith' is not 'no faith', but 'ineffective', 'defective', or 'deficient' faith."
"The demons recognize that one of Satan's strongholds is being invaded and overpowered."
Personal Observations:
My wife and I noticed two interesting things going on in this chapter. There are intermingled themes of Jesus' authority and the "unclean". At least here, Jesus did not let the things "unclean" stop Him from exercising His authority in healing. Where others would have actively avoided the unclean leper, the pagan and therefore unclean centurion, and the men filled with unclean demonic spirits, Jesus sought their healing and wholeness while "risking" being considered unclean Himself.
The people, their souls, their healing, their salvation, their restoration all mattered more than their designation as "unclean".
Crude Overview:
The narrative moves from the teaching and preaching of the Sermon on the Mount into healing and other miracles. Jesus heals a leper, a centurion's servant, Peter's mother-in-law, exorcises the demons out of two men, and even calms a raging storm. In the middle He disappoints a scribe and disciple from following Him because of their desire of temporal things.
What does this teach me about the LORD?
It shouldn't be as much of a surprise, but it is amazing to me how Jesus is mentally and emotionally on another plane than we are. I want His heart. I want His eyes. I want His understanding. I want His compassion; His way of viewing the world and all things rightly.
With the leper, Jesus doesn't just heal him and walk away. His concern goes beyond just giving him what he asked for. It extends from physical healing to even his social and relational healing.
With the centurion, here is a Roman, a pagan, an enemy conqueror of the Jewish people; and oppressor and exploiter. Jesus sees beyond that. He sees a man in need and even a man of greater faith than Jesus has seen in all Israel.
With the scribe and the disciple He sees the cost that they haven't considered or may not be willing to pay. Jesus doesn't have the "more the merrier" kind of mentality. He wants wholly committed people. Popularity was never His goal.
When it comes to the storm He sees that God has a plan and purpose, and if they die it is only due to God's will. He is so resting in faith that He can sleep through the storm shaking the boat like an earthquake.
Instead of seeing and fearing the demon possessed/oppressed men in gentile territory as threats, Jesus came to them with compassion.
In each instance Jesus saw through into the True Reality beyond the physical reality concerns.
Book Notes:
"Addressing Jesus as Lord, the Roman centurion reveals a remarkable sensitivity for Jewish traditions."
"'Little faith' is not 'no faith', but 'ineffective', 'defective', or 'deficient' faith."
"The demons recognize that one of Satan's strongholds is being invaded and overpowered."
Personal Observations:
My wife and I noticed two interesting things going on in this chapter. There are intermingled themes of Jesus' authority and the "unclean". At least here, Jesus did not let the things "unclean" stop Him from exercising His authority in healing. Where others would have actively avoided the unclean leper, the pagan and therefore unclean centurion, and the men filled with unclean demonic spirits, Jesus sought their healing and wholeness while "risking" being considered unclean Himself.
The people, their souls, their healing, their salvation, their restoration all mattered more than their designation as "unclean".
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Mistaken Self-Loathing
Tonight I was reading through a section of Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy" on God's omnipotence. It's quite a good read, actually, if you can take the time to not be distracted. That kind of time comes is exceedingly rare for me these days. Something clicked in my brain that I want to share both because it may help someone else and because if I don't right it down often I forget. There's a reason the children of Israel built stone monuments.
Over the past year the LORD has been seemingly on a crusade to root out many of my foundation level, psychologically based, wrong ideas. They are generally emotional in nature and as such logic hasn't really had that much effect on them.
The primary wrong headed idea that He dealt with tonight, while reading Tozer, was that I fear appearing before Him. I fully believe I will be accepted into heaven because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; He paid the debt and nothing needs to be added to that to save my soul. I do fear, however, the knowledge and understanding that will suddenly converge upon us as we begin to understand many things. Chiefly, I am very uncomfortable with the fact that suddenly I'll realize my understanding on earth was incomplete and I fear the shame of my actions as a result. I DREAD the idea that God could look at me and say, "Well...you got this wrong and that wrong...and what were you thinking with THAT idea? It was clearly written over here and you missed it." I can't imagine that God would call me an idiot...and yet I pretty much feel like that's precisely what I will think of myself as my illusions start crashing down around me and I go, "Ooooohhh....right" on the other side of the veil.
While reading Tozer's words on omnipotence I began to see a glimpse of just how many of His attributes come together and are dependent on one another. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is sovereign.
And here I am...what...going to surprise an all-knowing God with my ignorance? Is my wrong headed thinking going to supplant or complicate an all-powerful God's plans? His sovereignty goes well beyond any idiocy that I could utter or think.
I've spent a lot of my years with this anxiety feeling an enormous amount of pressure to study, perform, to know, and to understand. I have been motivated by fear of that moment before God and it has overwhelmed me to the point that I've just mentally shut down because, "Why try?". It is just too much of an expectation...that God never put on me. I put it on myself. My wife often has accused me of being a perfectionist. I've rejected that analysis with the weak idea that if I was actually a perfectionist I'd be expecting perfection of everyone else. As it stands I only apply that standard to myself.
Two big problems with all of what is contained in that paragraph. 1) Jesus specifically tells us to be anxious for nothing. Yes, I want to grow in my understanding of the LORD. Yes, I want to grow and bear fruit as a Christian. But! An all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign God already knows what I need, when I need it, and the manner in which I will best receive it. 2) God wants us to be motivated by His great love for us and not by fear. It is important that we are motivated out of a love we already have rather than a love we mistakenly believe we can earn. Jesus covered us, full stop. God cannot love us or be impressed with us more than He already is because when He looks at us He sees His son covering all our faults and failures. What is left to us is to walk with Him and obey what He gives us to do.
It is my job to seek. It is like climbing a ladder, in a sense. I am climbing, obediently moving from one rung to the next and trusting that He will place the next wrung where and precisely when my hand will reach to grasp what I cannot yet see. My faithfulness will make room for His already beautiful, steadfast love to be proven out.
Pax,
W
Over the past year the LORD has been seemingly on a crusade to root out many of my foundation level, psychologically based, wrong ideas. They are generally emotional in nature and as such logic hasn't really had that much effect on them.
The primary wrong headed idea that He dealt with tonight, while reading Tozer, was that I fear appearing before Him. I fully believe I will be accepted into heaven because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; He paid the debt and nothing needs to be added to that to save my soul. I do fear, however, the knowledge and understanding that will suddenly converge upon us as we begin to understand many things. Chiefly, I am very uncomfortable with the fact that suddenly I'll realize my understanding on earth was incomplete and I fear the shame of my actions as a result. I DREAD the idea that God could look at me and say, "Well...you got this wrong and that wrong...and what were you thinking with THAT idea? It was clearly written over here and you missed it." I can't imagine that God would call me an idiot...and yet I pretty much feel like that's precisely what I will think of myself as my illusions start crashing down around me and I go, "Ooooohhh....right" on the other side of the veil.
While reading Tozer's words on omnipotence I began to see a glimpse of just how many of His attributes come together and are dependent on one another. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is sovereign.
And here I am...what...going to surprise an all-knowing God with my ignorance? Is my wrong headed thinking going to supplant or complicate an all-powerful God's plans? His sovereignty goes well beyond any idiocy that I could utter or think.
I've spent a lot of my years with this anxiety feeling an enormous amount of pressure to study, perform, to know, and to understand. I have been motivated by fear of that moment before God and it has overwhelmed me to the point that I've just mentally shut down because, "Why try?". It is just too much of an expectation...that God never put on me. I put it on myself. My wife often has accused me of being a perfectionist. I've rejected that analysis with the weak idea that if I was actually a perfectionist I'd be expecting perfection of everyone else. As it stands I only apply that standard to myself.
Two big problems with all of what is contained in that paragraph. 1) Jesus specifically tells us to be anxious for nothing. Yes, I want to grow in my understanding of the LORD. Yes, I want to grow and bear fruit as a Christian. But! An all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign God already knows what I need, when I need it, and the manner in which I will best receive it. 2) God wants us to be motivated by His great love for us and not by fear. It is important that we are motivated out of a love we already have rather than a love we mistakenly believe we can earn. Jesus covered us, full stop. God cannot love us or be impressed with us more than He already is because when He looks at us He sees His son covering all our faults and failures. What is left to us is to walk with Him and obey what He gives us to do.
It is my job to seek. It is like climbing a ladder, in a sense. I am climbing, obediently moving from one rung to the next and trusting that He will place the next wrung where and precisely when my hand will reach to grasp what I cannot yet see. My faithfulness will make room for His already beautiful, steadfast love to be proven out.
Pax,
W
Monday, June 11, 2018
On Value, Worth, and Importance
The other day I was minding my own business reading a Weird West genre novel when I was smacked upside the head with a series of thoughts that obsessed me for a good hour afterward.
One of the things you should know about me, and could probably easily glean from my past writings, is that I have issues with self esteem, value, worth, importance. I tend to consider myself a "bargain basement" human being average in just about every way. This causes...problems...issues. I struggle against it, rail against it, feel bad because I can't seem to defeat it, and most days do alright with it.
The main reason for my reticence to believe I am worth anything is because I'm acutely aware that there is little intrinsic value in an empirical sense. To a Christian or other spiritually minded person this seems ridiculous, but bear with me here. Also, bear with me because there are about 100 off-ramps on this stretch of mental highway and I can't promise I won't try a few...dozen.
My wife would tell me early on in our marriage, "You have worth for the simple fact that you exist at all." This has never made sense or sat right with me. I know it is a popular sentiment, but I could never seem to apply it to myself. Why? Because of the very transient, unreliable nature of the concept of worth, value, or importance.
When we say an object is valuable what does that mean? Is the object in and of itself valuable? How does it gain or lose value? Take diamonds for instance. They are easily one of the most common gemstones on the planet...but they are some of the most expensive pound for pound, even considering the lab created ones. Why? Because of marketing, popular opinion, and tradition. All of these confer value on to the object. It is not intrinsically valuable. Value is derived from the opinion of others, not something inherent in the object itself.
The concept of "Worth" is similar. How much an object is worth is entirely dependent on what someone will pay for it. Furthermore the "importance" of an action, object, event, or even a person changes over time due to the opinion of others.
All the concepts we have in our language for value, worth, and importance are based on the opinion of someone outside of us. And...that doesn't seem sustainable to me.
From birth we are conditioned to this. Our sense of self-worth rests quite a bit on the opinion of our parents. From there we enter the social arena on our own and much of how we feel about ourselves is dictated by the opinions of our peers, our bosses, our teachers. It is such a powerful opiate that there have been studies done that show our peers can change our minds for us with little effort because we want them to still think of us as valuable. We want to the group to like us so that we remain valuable, worthy, and important in their eyes so we can feel good.
Many of the great atrocities in the history of the world have come about because of this transient quality of value. We say, "Every life is sacred/precious", but that is little more than popular opinion. Opinions change. You can easily work out from here the atrocities that come about by basing the value of an individual on the opinions of others.
It doesn't take too much reading about celebrities and their lives to understand that this is a massive motivator for many of them. The belief is that if they make it and the maximum about of people like them then they have real value, they have obtained a permanent level of worth and importance. Well, it doesn't take long for many celebrities to be forgotten and disappear into obscurity. This often leads to substance abuse and sometimes suicide.
But, as I always think and probably have spouted on here, I come back to an old phrase I accidentally wrote in an unpublished novel, "No. Who are you really? When you are naked, alone, in a cave who are you then?" and now I'd add, "Where does your worth come from?" Is it what you have? Is it who you love? Is it what you do or have done? For our own mental sanity we need a source which doesn't change its opinion of us.
For the Christian...we do.
Through Jesus, each one of us is picked up, brushed off, and loved with a love that is incomparable. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that would eliminate or even reduce His love for us. We are not left to our own devices to be anxious over power, status, who loves us and how much. It's a pretty basic concept I'm only just plugging into, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that I over complicate things.
Pax,
W
One of the things you should know about me, and could probably easily glean from my past writings, is that I have issues with self esteem, value, worth, importance. I tend to consider myself a "bargain basement" human being average in just about every way. This causes...problems...issues. I struggle against it, rail against it, feel bad because I can't seem to defeat it, and most days do alright with it.
The main reason for my reticence to believe I am worth anything is because I'm acutely aware that there is little intrinsic value in an empirical sense. To a Christian or other spiritually minded person this seems ridiculous, but bear with me here. Also, bear with me because there are about 100 off-ramps on this stretch of mental highway and I can't promise I won't try a few...dozen.
My wife would tell me early on in our marriage, "You have worth for the simple fact that you exist at all." This has never made sense or sat right with me. I know it is a popular sentiment, but I could never seem to apply it to myself. Why? Because of the very transient, unreliable nature of the concept of worth, value, or importance.
When we say an object is valuable what does that mean? Is the object in and of itself valuable? How does it gain or lose value? Take diamonds for instance. They are easily one of the most common gemstones on the planet...but they are some of the most expensive pound for pound, even considering the lab created ones. Why? Because of marketing, popular opinion, and tradition. All of these confer value on to the object. It is not intrinsically valuable. Value is derived from the opinion of others, not something inherent in the object itself.
The concept of "Worth" is similar. How much an object is worth is entirely dependent on what someone will pay for it. Furthermore the "importance" of an action, object, event, or even a person changes over time due to the opinion of others.
All the concepts we have in our language for value, worth, and importance are based on the opinion of someone outside of us. And...that doesn't seem sustainable to me.
From birth we are conditioned to this. Our sense of self-worth rests quite a bit on the opinion of our parents. From there we enter the social arena on our own and much of how we feel about ourselves is dictated by the opinions of our peers, our bosses, our teachers. It is such a powerful opiate that there have been studies done that show our peers can change our minds for us with little effort because we want them to still think of us as valuable. We want to the group to like us so that we remain valuable, worthy, and important in their eyes so we can feel good.
Many of the great atrocities in the history of the world have come about because of this transient quality of value. We say, "Every life is sacred/precious", but that is little more than popular opinion. Opinions change. You can easily work out from here the atrocities that come about by basing the value of an individual on the opinions of others.
It doesn't take too much reading about celebrities and their lives to understand that this is a massive motivator for many of them. The belief is that if they make it and the maximum about of people like them then they have real value, they have obtained a permanent level of worth and importance. Well, it doesn't take long for many celebrities to be forgotten and disappear into obscurity. This often leads to substance abuse and sometimes suicide.
But, as I always think and probably have spouted on here, I come back to an old phrase I accidentally wrote in an unpublished novel, "No. Who are you really? When you are naked, alone, in a cave who are you then?" and now I'd add, "Where does your worth come from?" Is it what you have? Is it who you love? Is it what you do or have done? For our own mental sanity we need a source which doesn't change its opinion of us.
For the Christian...we do.
Through Jesus, each one of us is picked up, brushed off, and loved with a love that is incomparable. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that would eliminate or even reduce His love for us. We are not left to our own devices to be anxious over power, status, who loves us and how much. It's a pretty basic concept I'm only just plugging into, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that I over complicate things.
Pax,
W
Friday, December 29, 2017
The Rosary?!
Over the past year I've taken a look into a few spiritual practices to enhance my time with the LORD. Well, technically all of our life is in the LORD. Funny how we try to separate it out in American Christianity. If there is a downfall in modern Fundamentalist Evangelical Christianity it certainly is the lack of discipling/mentoring. I've complained before that it's a very arms length faith where you pray "The Sinner's Prayer" you get patted on the head, handed a gift Bible and told, "Good luck!". When you ask what the next steps are the powers that be shrug and tell you, "Uh...pray and read your Bible every day." Well great, thanks.
If you're like me that leads to a sort of choice paralysis. How do I pray? What do I pray? And how is the best way to study this thing called "the Bible"? Furthermore, as a young FEC, you find out that the one major guideline is "As long as it isn't Catholic it's good. If it even hints at something Catholic it needs to be burned and purged from all existence within the life of the believer. You're safe as long as you just pray and read your Bible. Now, run along and quit asking so many questions."
For an inquiring mind, such as mine, none of this is sufficient. Yes, I believe Luther was correct in all 95 thesis that he posted on the door. Yes, I believe that the Catholic church got things wrong. However, this "purge and reject in totality" mental state of FEC has done far more damage than good. I was talking about our church's use of an advent wreath and the reflections of advent with someone recently and they gave me this weird side glance and leaned away from me. They asked, "Why is your church doing that? That's a Catholic thing. Advent wreaths aren't in the Bible." Well, neither are Christmas trees, exchanging presents or Santa Claus but they swallow that wholesale. As I write this I notice that they seem quite content to embrace some catholic things embraced by the world and not others...but that's another rant for another time.
The Catholicism-phobia has been to the universal church's detriment in many ways but particularly in the spiritual disciplines. There are many practices that get derided as mysticism...but I'm fairly comfortable with a few of them. "Here's how you do this," is a much more manageable and adaptable system than "Pray whenever you want and read the Bible...if you get around to it. Your name is down in the Book of Life so I wouldn't worry about it too much" and it produces far more reliable results. Now is where I get to the uncomfortable bit on which I'm certain I will be challenged or at least looked at sideways and leaned back away from.
A long time ago I went to the oldest church in the New World, a small Catholic outpost in Puerto Rico that holds the remains of Ponce De Leon. I literally almost bumped into De Leon's remains because I was amazed by this place. One of my interesting attributes is a get a literal high from encountering history in the flesh, as it were, and this was no exception. I knew that I had to get something to commemorate the occasion, so I purchased a wooden rosary that was supposedly fashioned from wood culled from the Holy Land itself. I don't necessarily believe that nor do I believe such wood confers any special powers upon it.
It's been over a decade since that day and this year I was researching different Catholic spiritual practices and naturally praying the rosary came up. I rolled my eyes a bit at first. Praying to Mary has never been a practice that I could get my mind around. I mean, why pray to her when Jesus is our high priest and we have a direct line? And using it to reduce my sins? Sola Fide! But then I was thinking about Luther and how he was Catholic. My mind connected that to the idea that he likely used a rosary and then to wondering if he used the ritual but re-purposed it.
As it turns out, whether he re-purposed it himself or not, there is a Lutheran way to pray the rosary and it has been quite a benefit to me. Now, I understand that this may offend my Catholic friends out there. I love you. I am sorry to offend. But if it glorifies God and brings me closer to Him then isn't that a good thing? Also, I understand this may seriously offend my FEC friends out there. I love you. I am sorry to offend. But if it glorifies God and brings me closer to Him then isn't that a good thing? It's not like I'm re-purposing Yoga here.
Essentially the Lutheran rosary is prayed like this: First, you clutch the cross and speak the Apostle's Creed. The first big bead you come to you pray the "Our Father". For each little bead you pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." The next big bead you pray the "Gloria Patri". "Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen." So, on the big beads you alternate the "Our Father" and the "Gloria Patri" with the "Jesus Prayer" in between. You all the way around, come back to the cross and pray "The Magnificat". I know that "Magnificat" is a big scary Catholic sounding word, but it is simply the prayer Mary prayed upon hearing from the angel that she would bear the Christ child. Deep breath; it's going to be OK. In fact I fall more and more in love with that prayer. It declares so much of who God is, His nature and intent, that it blows me away. But, I digress...surprise...
All of this can be found in this handy online guide HERE.
So, what has been the effect of this "Catholic thingy"? A much deeper sense of my place in things and God's place in all of history and creation.
Naturally my Protestant brain recoiled at the repetition of prayers which many of my folk consider "vain" and prohibited. The point for me is not that I think these prayers earn me any sort of favors with God. I don't believe that the effort of doing what I should already be doing, praying, is working off my sins (Sola Fide after all). What I discovered is that as I pray the same prayer again and again it starts to resonate; I start to think and feel the words rather than rattling them off my lips the same way I tell someone my address or cell number. It's easy to be flippant with prayers and forget what we said like so much verbal mist.
Repeating a prayer takes you to another level of understanding and meaning. I can't pray, "...have mercy on me, a sinner" without reflecting on the fact that I desperately need mercy and that I am, in fact, a sinner. (Some FEC would want to say here that Jesus took on all our sin so we don't need to think, talk about, or reflect on our sinful state and I say, "Woah, there, Scooter. Might want to dig into that Bible a little more before you minimize a thing that big.") I can't pray the "Our Father" over and over again without reflecting on how my entire existence and well-being hangs on who He is and what He has done. How can I pray "and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" repeatedly and not have it impressed on me that there is a connection between how much I forgive and how much is forgiven me? That my daily bread comes not from my effort but from His generosity? That I must surrender MY will, that it is HIS will that should be done? And I cannot get over every time I pray the "Gloria Patri" that I am exalting the LORD in unison with the angels in heaven. Me, this little lowly, sin riddled, thing of mud and dust is singing to Him the same praise no matter what circumstances I'm going through. In trial and in comfort it is the same words coming out of my mouth straight to Him, "Glory be..."
How could anyone not benefit from this repetition? When I look at it in it's basic parts, the rosary is a tool for praying scripture; for praying prayers that are actually in the Bible. If we get over our Protestant snobbery (and I'm convicting myself in that more than anyone else) I don't think we can say that in and of itself it's a useless or terrible thing. We learn scripture, memorize by repeating, so that we may "hide it in my heart so that I might not sin against You". And, if we're being honest, most of us train our children to do that, but we leave off ourselves because we are "too busy". But, another digression...surprise...
In the end I think it's important to remember that Luther did not want to split off from the Catholic church. He saw much good there. He simply wanted to reform certain parts like the selling and buying of plenary indulgences. Successive generations of Protestants have treated all things Catholic like the plague...liturgy is even shunned by many which boggles my mind. Speaking out, in unison, the words of scripture? I even met a man who got offended that the congregation was called upon to speak the words of the Apostle's Creed in unison because "that's a Catholic thing to do". There are things I disagree with in Catholic practices as well, but throwing the baby out with the bath water is ridiculous. We can take the time to judge rightly with scripture as our guide. Many of us are sensible people.
So, to sum up (Which I have tried to do for a few paragraphs now but...squirrel!), I would encourage people to try praying the Lutheran rosary. It has been of significant benefit to myself...even if it may send Calvin spinning in his grave. ;)
Pax,
W
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Limping Between Two Options
I have completed my journey through 1st Kings as of last night, and it has been quite an enlightening one. One (such as I) might think that there was little to be gleaned from the stories of selfish and evil idolatrous kings constantly failing to abide by the dictates of the LORD but for a few brief shining moments. And you'd be (and I was) wrong. I went into my study begrudgingly and I came out of it...I don't want to say I was "rejoicing" but I certainly had a clearer understanding of the LORD, which is always good. But it's a cringing sort of joy because it also says a lot about us as His people and what our problem is.
Preacher, author, significant Calvinist John MacArthur's podcast recently had a series on sin where he talked about modern Humanism. Modern humanism believes in the perfectibility of man, that every age of man is a step up, a continual evolution of we humans. Every age, they say, we leave behind more of our base instincts and become ever more enlightened. It's a very likeable and compelling belief...as long as you know absolutely nothing about history. All recorded history, when you get down to it, flies in the face of humanistic ideals. For a time we act enlightened but all it takes is one generation to turn us from those ideals and march us back into the paths of darkness. 1 Kings is a book that shows us we are still those same people from 4000 years ago and we still wrestle with the same problems.
1 Kings spans the centuries between the death of King David to the death of King Ahab. During this time Israel is split into Israel and Judah in a civil war. Jeroboam was made King of the 10 other tribes (Judah consuming the tribe of Benjamin without so much as a by your leave). Jeroboam rose to kingship and got the majority portion of the once whole country, but there was a threat to his power. He was convinced that if people traveled to Jerusalem to worship the LORD in the temple in Judah that Solomon had built they would remember the golden years of the Davidic reign and want to be part of that again. He was afraid that bit by bit his kingdom would secede because the temple is so pretty. So, what does he do? He builds two golden calves, one in the north and one in the south, and says "Here, oh Israel, are the gods who brought you out of Egypt." Total post-Exodus Aaron jerk move.
This softens the people up to the worship of other gods right alongside the One True God. Solomon had already "broken the seal", so to speak, on this by giving in to his foreign wives and going so far as to worship Molech and Asherah alongside the LORD though not in His temple. Jeroboam, however, connected the two worships at the same exact location. Ahab comes along with his foreign wife and he openly worships the Baals and the LORD in the same place even going so far as to apparently worship the Baals more than the LORD.
Along comes Elijah.
During the Mount Carmel confrontation Elijah addresses the assembled masses of Israel and shouts, "How long will you go limping between two options!" Either Baal is god or the LORD is God. Stop worshiping them both. Those words almost glowed on the page. They stuck out in a way that I know to be the Holy Spirit convicting me of something.
There are a lot of people who think that America is the "new Israel" and that we are full up on God's blessings and promises. Now, I don't think that is correct, but I think it's interesting that we as a people are committing many of the same sins. We'd like to believe that we aren't worshiping other gods but let me ask you this: What thing(s) in your life are keeping you from what Jesus acknowledged as the greatest commandment, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might,"? As harsh at its sounds, whatever it is that holds you back from that is your god. You see, we are committing the exact same sin as Israel. We want to worship other gods beside him.
I mean if we give Him slightly more time, if we give Him slightly more consideration then it's OK to worship the same gods that the rest of the world does, right? Because, it's not like we are worshiping them more so it's not the same has having other gods before Him...right?
Unfortunately that gets a resounding, "No". All your heart. Whew...forget the soul and strength, let's sit back and appreciate that. There is no room for division. There is no room for sectioning off and this is for God, this is for me, and this is for this other god I don't want to admit controls my desires. All seems to mean all. And that's where I'll stop because I'm feeling a kindling; like it goes deeper and if I look I'll derail this whole blog post. So I'll stick that in the Blog Idea file and leave it there today.
Our problem is the same as Israel's that began before the crowning of King Saul and has only gotten worse over time. We proudly declare, "We are blessed of God! We are a different and unique people set apart! So, uh, but we want to be just like everyone else...k?" Is it any wonder? We regularly buck against 1 John 2:15 "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you.." We all agree that we are to be "in the world but not of the world," but that rattles off our tongue without us really considering its meaning or its cost. How do I know? Because when I rattle it off I don't stop and say, "Oh crap...Woe is me."
We cannot be a unique (holy) people, set apart, and while at the same time trying to be like the rest of the world. We want it to be OK to do this or that activity, accept this or that sin, alter this or that doctrine to serve our need/want, accept or reject this or that scripture to make Jesus more palatable so our church will be liked more. And, as always, I'm bringing this up because I still haven't wrapped my mind around it. I'm struggling on a fundamental level with my own inner Israelite. I want to be special to God, but just like everyone else around me...or at least as much as my seared conscience will allow.
Here's what I do know: The more we submit to Jesus, the more we do what we know is right via His scriptures, the more we let go of those things that so easily entangle our hearts (not to mention our soul and might), the more we focus on seeking Him, His Kingdom, and His righteousness...the more everything else on earth will matter less and less. It hurts. It's painful to our Flesh. Our knees and necks are so stiff that we struggle to bow, struggle to bend the knee, struggle to do more than lip service.
We haven't changed.
Woe is me.
But...He wants to be known. That's the joy here. He's right there. He is exactly the Papa He says He is; waiting for His prodigal children to even just turn around...and He's running to meet us.
Pax,
W
P.S. For the curious souls who scrolled down this far...Amos is next.
P.P.S. Throughout this blog entry I keep hearing the words of the Law Giver from "The Island of Dr. Moreaux, "If there is no pain...does that mean then that there is no Law?". How seared are our consciences?
Preacher, author, significant Calvinist John MacArthur's podcast recently had a series on sin where he talked about modern Humanism. Modern humanism believes in the perfectibility of man, that every age of man is a step up, a continual evolution of we humans. Every age, they say, we leave behind more of our base instincts and become ever more enlightened. It's a very likeable and compelling belief...as long as you know absolutely nothing about history. All recorded history, when you get down to it, flies in the face of humanistic ideals. For a time we act enlightened but all it takes is one generation to turn us from those ideals and march us back into the paths of darkness. 1 Kings is a book that shows us we are still those same people from 4000 years ago and we still wrestle with the same problems.
1 Kings spans the centuries between the death of King David to the death of King Ahab. During this time Israel is split into Israel and Judah in a civil war. Jeroboam was made King of the 10 other tribes (Judah consuming the tribe of Benjamin without so much as a by your leave). Jeroboam rose to kingship and got the majority portion of the once whole country, but there was a threat to his power. He was convinced that if people traveled to Jerusalem to worship the LORD in the temple in Judah that Solomon had built they would remember the golden years of the Davidic reign and want to be part of that again. He was afraid that bit by bit his kingdom would secede because the temple is so pretty. So, what does he do? He builds two golden calves, one in the north and one in the south, and says "Here, oh Israel, are the gods who brought you out of Egypt." Total post-Exodus Aaron jerk move.
This softens the people up to the worship of other gods right alongside the One True God. Solomon had already "broken the seal", so to speak, on this by giving in to his foreign wives and going so far as to worship Molech and Asherah alongside the LORD though not in His temple. Jeroboam, however, connected the two worships at the same exact location. Ahab comes along with his foreign wife and he openly worships the Baals and the LORD in the same place even going so far as to apparently worship the Baals more than the LORD.
Along comes Elijah.
During the Mount Carmel confrontation Elijah addresses the assembled masses of Israel and shouts, "How long will you go limping between two options!" Either Baal is god or the LORD is God. Stop worshiping them both. Those words almost glowed on the page. They stuck out in a way that I know to be the Holy Spirit convicting me of something.
There are a lot of people who think that America is the "new Israel" and that we are full up on God's blessings and promises. Now, I don't think that is correct, but I think it's interesting that we as a people are committing many of the same sins. We'd like to believe that we aren't worshiping other gods but let me ask you this: What thing(s) in your life are keeping you from what Jesus acknowledged as the greatest commandment, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your might,"? As harsh at its sounds, whatever it is that holds you back from that is your god. You see, we are committing the exact same sin as Israel. We want to worship other gods beside him.
I mean if we give Him slightly more time, if we give Him slightly more consideration then it's OK to worship the same gods that the rest of the world does, right? Because, it's not like we are worshiping them more so it's not the same has having other gods before Him...right?
Unfortunately that gets a resounding, "No". All your heart. Whew...forget the soul and strength, let's sit back and appreciate that. There is no room for division. There is no room for sectioning off and this is for God, this is for me, and this is for this other god I don't want to admit controls my desires. All seems to mean all. And that's where I'll stop because I'm feeling a kindling; like it goes deeper and if I look I'll derail this whole blog post. So I'll stick that in the Blog Idea file and leave it there today.
Our problem is the same as Israel's that began before the crowning of King Saul and has only gotten worse over time. We proudly declare, "We are blessed of God! We are a different and unique people set apart! So, uh, but we want to be just like everyone else...k?" Is it any wonder? We regularly buck against 1 John 2:15 "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you.." We all agree that we are to be "in the world but not of the world," but that rattles off our tongue without us really considering its meaning or its cost. How do I know? Because when I rattle it off I don't stop and say, "Oh crap...Woe is me."
We cannot be a unique (holy) people, set apart, and while at the same time trying to be like the rest of the world. We want it to be OK to do this or that activity, accept this or that sin, alter this or that doctrine to serve our need/want, accept or reject this or that scripture to make Jesus more palatable so our church will be liked more. And, as always, I'm bringing this up because I still haven't wrapped my mind around it. I'm struggling on a fundamental level with my own inner Israelite. I want to be special to God, but just like everyone else around me...or at least as much as my seared conscience will allow.
Here's what I do know: The more we submit to Jesus, the more we do what we know is right via His scriptures, the more we let go of those things that so easily entangle our hearts (not to mention our soul and might), the more we focus on seeking Him, His Kingdom, and His righteousness...the more everything else on earth will matter less and less. It hurts. It's painful to our Flesh. Our knees and necks are so stiff that we struggle to bow, struggle to bend the knee, struggle to do more than lip service.
We haven't changed.
Woe is me.
But...He wants to be known. That's the joy here. He's right there. He is exactly the Papa He says He is; waiting for His prodigal children to even just turn around...and He's running to meet us.
Pax,
W
P.S. For the curious souls who scrolled down this far...Amos is next.
P.P.S. Throughout this blog entry I keep hearing the words of the Law Giver from "The Island of Dr. Moreaux, "If there is no pain...does that mean then that there is no Law?". How seared are our consciences?
Sunday, August 13, 2017
The Temple Means Nothing
I've begun a season of doing my "daily devotions" differently in many ways. One of those ways is doing my Bible study in a much slower manner. Gone are the days of trying to somehow fit three or more chapters into my day. I was essentially Bible speed reading. It's what we commonly engage in as Christians. We're busy. We have lives. We have commitments. We have things to get done. Right?
These days I'm taking a more "study" approach to my Bible study. I'm focusing one chapter at a time of one book at a time. The trouble is always where to begin so, Ummim and Thummim style, I put the books of the Bible on little bits of paper and drew one blind out of the bunch leaving it up to the LORD. I have to admit when I drew I Kings I was less than enthused. Why? Because Numbers was a breeze, Leviticus gave me a sense of accomplishment having read every "begat" and such, but the Kings and Chronicles? That was a hard slog. Basically it's reading the same dry commentary twice and it was so hard to get through with no real sense of accomplishment at the end. It felt like I was being finally let out of detention. I was tempted, sorely tempted, to draw again but I submitted...and as a result I have been quite blessed.
There is a lot of good stuff to be had so far. I've gone full Bible Nerd on my wife geeking out about what Abishag means to the story of David's end, how Solomon got elements for the temple from as far away as India, etc. But the biggest mind crack so far was this...
The Temple Means Nothing.
We are all familiar with the wisdom of Solomon, how he prayed as a young man not for riches or fame but for wisdom, how he was blessed with peace on all sides, and ushered Israel into the Golden Age (literally...this guy put so much gold on everything that I couldn't help but think of Pre-President Trump's pictures of his apartment) where silver was so plentiful it was regarded the same as stones in worth. As God promised David, his son would be allowed to build a temple to "house" the name of the Lord.
Solomon begins the project and the Lord appears to him and says "Regarding this temple you are building..." and then speaks not on the Temple but about Solomon. The LORD tells him the deal is still the same as with his father; you follow the commandments, don't chase after other gods, you walk in my ways and do the right thing and I will bless you.
There's a lot of impressive words about how much goes into the temple, how ornate and glorious it is, etc and then Solomon completes construction of the temple, dedicates it, blesses the people, and the Lord appears a second time. The Lord addresses the occasion, says that as He promised His name will live there for all time, but then it's back to the "But IF..." And it's at this point I realize something that hopefully will change me forever. The temple means nothing to God.
He even tells Solomon that if he doesn't walk after Him, if he turns to other gods and doesn't walk in His paths then He has no problem pulling that temple down stone by stone till it's rubble, a proverb, a byword that makes other nations marvel and say, "This is what happened when the people of Israel rejected their God."
By many accounts the Temple was one of the single most expensive projects ever conceived and constructed. It was a feat of engineering, fine craftsmanship; just getting the supplies from place to place had to have been an undertaking of massive proportions. One would think that God would have been impressed or at least flattered, but no. Every step along the way from Adam to now the refrain has been essentially the same.
"I want your heart."
What kind of god is that? It is one far different from any one that has ever been recorded. He doesn't care about the gold, the ivory, the silver, the massive scale, and even when we get to the end of Solomon's life God still wasn't impressed with the Temple. It still meant nothing to Him.
Near the end of Solomon's days he has clearly screwed up. His love for his wives turned his heart from god. He even sets up a high place to Molech...freaking Molech...the one who demanded babies as sacrifices. Yeah. Well, I guess whatever you have to do to get that sweet Ammonite booty, eh Solomon?
God's anger gets into the red and He appears to Solomon for a third time and tells him that He is going to rip the kingdom from out of his hands...all except one tribe. He does grant the king a mild reprieve. He promises not to take it from Solomon but from his son. And that reprieve, the one tribe and after Solomon's death, is not because of Solomon's riches, not because of Solomon's deeds, certainly not because of Solomon's fame and renown, not because of Solomon's wisdom (which has clearly failed him at this point I'd say...willfully), and not because he built the LORD a temple... It's because of Solomon's DAD. It's because of the deeds, the heart, and the passion David had for the things of the LORD. Sure David messed up, sure he had a man killed so he could get the guys wife, but every time conviction came aknocking he proved he was still that shepherd boy on the hillside singing songs to the LORD when no one else could hear. And that, not the glorious temple precious to so many, was what earned Solomon a minor reprieve from outright destruction of him and all that would come after and screw up the Davidic dynasty again...and again...and again...
The application is pretty clear. He doesn't care about who you are, what degrees you have, what you've done or have committed to doing for Him. He isn't impressed with how eloquent your prayers are, if you're going to the "right" denomination's church or not, or how many Charles Spurgeon books you've read. He doesn't even love you for what you could do for Him. He wants what He's always wanted from the very beginning...your heart. He wants you to listen for Him, talk to Him, walk in the ways He has set out for you. When He says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength," it's about relationship and experiencing life with Him and through Him. There are a lot of things that we do in response, but at the Separation of the Sheep and Goats He says to those trying to impress Him with the deeds and wonders, "I never knew you." You can't do enough because He didn't set it up that way, with things to be done to earn His affection; temples to build, churches to franchise, or nations to convert.
From the dedication of the temple to the words of Jesus it reveals the same heart of the same God. "Walk with me. Listen to my knock. Invite me in and I will eat with you."
Such a God unlike any other.
No wonder we call Him "Holy".
Pax,
W
These days I'm taking a more "study" approach to my Bible study. I'm focusing one chapter at a time of one book at a time. The trouble is always where to begin so, Ummim and Thummim style, I put the books of the Bible on little bits of paper and drew one blind out of the bunch leaving it up to the LORD. I have to admit when I drew I Kings I was less than enthused. Why? Because Numbers was a breeze, Leviticus gave me a sense of accomplishment having read every "begat" and such, but the Kings and Chronicles? That was a hard slog. Basically it's reading the same dry commentary twice and it was so hard to get through with no real sense of accomplishment at the end. It felt like I was being finally let out of detention. I was tempted, sorely tempted, to draw again but I submitted...and as a result I have been quite blessed.
There is a lot of good stuff to be had so far. I've gone full Bible Nerd on my wife geeking out about what Abishag means to the story of David's end, how Solomon got elements for the temple from as far away as India, etc. But the biggest mind crack so far was this...
The Temple Means Nothing.
We are all familiar with the wisdom of Solomon, how he prayed as a young man not for riches or fame but for wisdom, how he was blessed with peace on all sides, and ushered Israel into the Golden Age (literally...this guy put so much gold on everything that I couldn't help but think of Pre-President Trump's pictures of his apartment) where silver was so plentiful it was regarded the same as stones in worth. As God promised David, his son would be allowed to build a temple to "house" the name of the Lord.
Solomon begins the project and the Lord appears to him and says "Regarding this temple you are building..." and then speaks not on the Temple but about Solomon. The LORD tells him the deal is still the same as with his father; you follow the commandments, don't chase after other gods, you walk in my ways and do the right thing and I will bless you.
There's a lot of impressive words about how much goes into the temple, how ornate and glorious it is, etc and then Solomon completes construction of the temple, dedicates it, blesses the people, and the Lord appears a second time. The Lord addresses the occasion, says that as He promised His name will live there for all time, but then it's back to the "But IF..." And it's at this point I realize something that hopefully will change me forever. The temple means nothing to God.
He even tells Solomon that if he doesn't walk after Him, if he turns to other gods and doesn't walk in His paths then He has no problem pulling that temple down stone by stone till it's rubble, a proverb, a byword that makes other nations marvel and say, "This is what happened when the people of Israel rejected their God."
By many accounts the Temple was one of the single most expensive projects ever conceived and constructed. It was a feat of engineering, fine craftsmanship; just getting the supplies from place to place had to have been an undertaking of massive proportions. One would think that God would have been impressed or at least flattered, but no. Every step along the way from Adam to now the refrain has been essentially the same.
"I want your heart."
What kind of god is that? It is one far different from any one that has ever been recorded. He doesn't care about the gold, the ivory, the silver, the massive scale, and even when we get to the end of Solomon's life God still wasn't impressed with the Temple. It still meant nothing to Him.
Near the end of Solomon's days he has clearly screwed up. His love for his wives turned his heart from god. He even sets up a high place to Molech...freaking Molech...the one who demanded babies as sacrifices. Yeah. Well, I guess whatever you have to do to get that sweet Ammonite booty, eh Solomon?
God's anger gets into the red and He appears to Solomon for a third time and tells him that He is going to rip the kingdom from out of his hands...all except one tribe. He does grant the king a mild reprieve. He promises not to take it from Solomon but from his son. And that reprieve, the one tribe and after Solomon's death, is not because of Solomon's riches, not because of Solomon's deeds, certainly not because of Solomon's fame and renown, not because of Solomon's wisdom (which has clearly failed him at this point I'd say...willfully), and not because he built the LORD a temple... It's because of Solomon's DAD. It's because of the deeds, the heart, and the passion David had for the things of the LORD. Sure David messed up, sure he had a man killed so he could get the guys wife, but every time conviction came aknocking he proved he was still that shepherd boy on the hillside singing songs to the LORD when no one else could hear. And that, not the glorious temple precious to so many, was what earned Solomon a minor reprieve from outright destruction of him and all that would come after and screw up the Davidic dynasty again...and again...and again...
The application is pretty clear. He doesn't care about who you are, what degrees you have, what you've done or have committed to doing for Him. He isn't impressed with how eloquent your prayers are, if you're going to the "right" denomination's church or not, or how many Charles Spurgeon books you've read. He doesn't even love you for what you could do for Him. He wants what He's always wanted from the very beginning...your heart. He wants you to listen for Him, talk to Him, walk in the ways He has set out for you. When He says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength," it's about relationship and experiencing life with Him and through Him. There are a lot of things that we do in response, but at the Separation of the Sheep and Goats He says to those trying to impress Him with the deeds and wonders, "I never knew you." You can't do enough because He didn't set it up that way, with things to be done to earn His affection; temples to build, churches to franchise, or nations to convert.
From the dedication of the temple to the words of Jesus it reveals the same heart of the same God. "Walk with me. Listen to my knock. Invite me in and I will eat with you."
Such a God unlike any other.
No wonder we call Him "Holy".
Pax,
W
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