When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
"Do you do well to be angry?" I love this question.
We hate those that hate us. It burns in our stomachs and we pray, in a "good" way, for God to smack them down. For them to suffer as we have suffered. For them to feel the pain that we have felt. We spend so much time, and drag so much emotional baggage along, just focusing on them.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
From the weakest will come the greatest.
It is never a surprise when you see the great athlete win the game. It can only come from God when the weak destroy the strong.
We may focus on the strength and wealth men. On the things that men can do. But, know that through what you never expected ... God will work. For then it is obvious that it is His hand and not yours.
And it is within the hard times of life that you will see this.
When your bank account gets empty, the crops fail, your job is gone, you become ill ...
Looking around it will become obvious that your own hand can do nothing. When we are at our weakest ... God's hand is moving. And by His strength alone will we survive.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
How much does it take to break you?
Just consider stealing. When would you break from your sin and confess to God?
When you walk away from the counter even though they gave you too much change?
When you write down too much money on your trip report for your job?
When your dad catches you taking money from his wallet?
When you kids catch you giving less to the church so you can buy something for yourself?
When you go to jail for stealing from your business' customers?
We all fall somewhere along the above path. Whether it is sexual sin, stealing, or worshiping the world; there will come a time when God's words in your heart become forceful. Listen to Him and act now. Not later. Because everything has a breaking point. Just break as soon as possible.
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
I think most people are like Jonah. We would rather see God send down fire from heaven ... well righteous fire from heaven ... upon the wicked. The problem we have with "the wicked" is that we believe OTHERS are the wicked and that they have been wicked to us. So we deeply desire within our hearts for them to suffer.
But, before God all sins are the same. The truth is that all of us are "the wicked".
Likewise we must also understand that if anyone does not turn, then God will leave them to the consequences of their actions. God isn't one to give you a hug and say: "I love you man! It's OK that you live a wicked life."
No, there are consequence and there will be punishment. So don't lie to people in telling them that it is just fine to sin. It isn't.
Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.
As our hearts turn more to God we start to see the evils we have done. Like the morning after a drunken binge, your actions from the night before come crashing down upon your head. Just don't let that cripple you from acting.
Emotions are a good thing. For example fear. Fear can lead you to make the right choices in life. Easy example: don't play with the lion. But, emotions are meant to be understood, controlled, and used. Fear that gets out of hand will cripple a person from doing the right thing at the right time. You must accept it and control it.
Loathing is another emotion. How can it be bad? If you begin to loath yourself it can lead to crippling inaction. Where you would rather hate yourself and hold back from others. Others that may need you to act NOW and to love them NOW. But, it can be good. Use that feeling to remind yourself on what not to do. Know and understand what actions lead to it and rather take a new path.
A child will keep their hand off a hot stove after being burned once. Do likewise.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Remember.
Your calender and day planner is not God's calender and day planner.
Speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.
The Word of God is true and eternal. It doesn't favor anyone. Not and rich and not the poor. Not the people up high and not the people down at the bottom of life.
When we read it God is speaking to us. On how to live and on how we will be corrected if we continue on the wrong path.
We listen to it and we read it. And we know that whether we actually listen and burn it upon our minds and hearts ... or refuse the truth. It is still true.
Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.
As a Christian what is the temple of the LORD? You are.
God points out to Ezekiel the abominations that were in the temple. Other gods. Idols. The worship of the sun. If God took you on a tour of your own soul what would you see? When you look in deep within yourself do you see other gods?
Our time is spent on us. So I suppose you would see a huge golden idol made to look like the ideal you. Sculpted muscles and a beautiful body.
Our time is spent chasing after money. So I suppose you would see carvings of the chase upon the walls. Wealthy men purchasing the best of everything. Wealthy women at leisure doing as they pleased.
And you would would be found bowing down under a bright spot light. The spot light of fame. Where others cheer you on and praise all the little things you do. No matter how stupid.
I know I need to clean the temple of the LORD. Do you?
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar.
"They will get what the deserve in the end." I've said that and have heard other Christians say that as well. If said in the context of this world and this life ... it isn't true. If said in the context of a saved Christian ... it definitely isn't true.
In this world good people pass on never getting a break or having peace in their lives. And evil people pass on never being punished for their sins.
And a saved Christian KNOWS that they will not get what they deserve in the end. Because they know what they deserve is eternal punishment. They are joyful that the Grace of God rather gives them what they do not deserve.
Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God.
"Acknowledge your guilt"
Oh how hard it is to admit when you are wrong. We point our fingers at others. We declare that there are others worse then us. We crush the hopes of the people around us just trying to shove ourselves above them. And in the process shove their faces into the ground. All to get out of saying the words "I Was Wrong ... I Am Guilty".
For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.
After we admit to our sins. To our guilt. Then comes the next part. STOP DOING IT! Yeah I yelled that.
And I'll yell it again: STOP! Then turn. Turn and do good. Don't use the Grace of God as some sort of cover; imagining that you can continue to do evil. Or deceiving yourself into believing that what is evil is good.
Our walk with God happens every day that He has blessed us with. You getup and then plan on how to fight temptations and evil. And plan on how to do the good works of God. Listen to His voice and act on it.
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.
Everyone can admit that the above list is of good things. And it may be surprising that we have to fight to do them. Fight our own bodies and desires. And fight our culture and its desires. Our flesh is so against God that it will fight your will on being righteous, godly, faithful, loving, steadfast, and gentle.
And it only takes a moment of watching our own culture to see how it seeks glory in filth, evil, adultery, hate, laziness, and anger. And it will work hard to step on you if you stand in its way.
But, be steadfast ... and stand true. Stand for God.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
The sin of Satan is also the first and continual sin of man. We try to make ourselves as God. We first deny God and then setup either ourselves or things we have made with our hands and minds as our gods.
We may not setup little wooden idols on our fireplace mantles. But what you sacrifice to, what you listen to, what you spend your money on ... that is what you worship. Is it God? Is it your desires?
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
I always feel like I'm walking the fine line of guiding my children or provoking them. They want to drive in the way of what they want at the moment. I stand in their way when that direction is wrong.
It can provoke them to anger, but like a road's guard rails are put up to keep us from driving where we want for a reason. As a father I believe God has called me to a guard rail for them in their lives. I can't always keep them from going over the cliff. But, I can make it hard.
Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
In an effort to justify the evil in our lives we tend to shift what is evil and rather just call it good. We want to sin so we hate the one that confirms what we already know in our hearts.
In the end, it doesn't matter what we think or desire. Sin is sin. And running around calling it natural or your choice will never change that. We will not be able to stand in front of God and argue: "But ... I wanted to do it!"
When You Lie Down ... Galatians 5-6 , Ephesians 1-2
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And do not deceive yourself. You can't mock God. If I live for myself, I should not be surprised when the full accounting of my sins are dumped back upon me.
For a time we may imagine that we can "get away with it". That God doesn't see or doesn't care. But, He does see and He does care.
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
That is one of the more practical statements. Did you know many of the people who win the lottery just end up bankrupt in a few years after then win? This is true no only for money, but for many things in our life. If you haven't worked for something ... you really don't understand it.
Imagine the difference between two men who both own large homes. One man takes out a loan and purchases the largest house he can afford. One man works hard and builds it with his own hands. Which one will be the better home owner in the years to come?
Work for what you have. If you have the money to get stuff or the time. Don't take the easy way, rather work hard for what God has given you.
Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
You don't get by with the little wrongs. They aren't little sins ... they are an abomination to the LORD.
We go back to the store when they make a one dollar mistake against us. Do you go back when it is in your favor? When you put in your pocket what isn't yours that sick feeling in your stomach is the LORD letting you know it is wrong.
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means.
One sure way to not be tempted by money is to give it away.
Don't spend it on yourself. Not on things that will waste away. Not on clothes you don't need. Homes that are to large. Cars that are for show.
Give it away.
Buy up that which will never waste. Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Comfort the weary. Visit those in prison. Give what you have away.
And when you give it away you lose the burden of the temptation. For how can there be temptation when you give it no opportunity?
A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.
"Know what I mean ... Huh Huh ... wink wink nudge nudge ... Huh Huh ... Know what I mean?" That may be a from a comedy skit, but we all know (or are) the worthless person described in Proverbs above. Another good example are the political comedians on TV.
If it rather is speaking of you ... Stop. You will be broken by your own actions.
If you are friends with them ... don't laugh along with them and enable their perverted heart. Try to correct them and be an example to lead them back to God.
Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you. ... The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing.
Wit in the mouth of an evil man is very dangerous and painful. It is difficult to correct them because of their quick and bloody tongue. It will cut you and invite abuse upon your actions. If you reprove them they will hate you, and they will try to get even.
They are loud and make people laugh at their hate and evil. Wit if very seductive even when backed by nothing. The scoffer is an empty grave quickly running to fill it with their own hatred.
The only advise I can give you is to let them starve for attention. Understand that they may have a "golden tongue" ... but it speaks nothing.
The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
It is hard for a church to balance the lamb and the lion. Both of which are Christ. They may focus on the lamb and the forgiveness. To the detriment of the people. For they do not know of the punishment that will come for sins. Our sins are forgiven ... but it isn't like you get to keep them in your pocket and take them into heaven.
Or they may focus on the lion and the fires of hell. To the detriment of the people. For they do not know of the grace of forgiveness. God will execute judgment upon the world. And those not right with Him will know eternal punishment. But, the only way to God is to accept Christ's sacrifice for your sins. To accept His forgiveness.
With all things we need balance. There is forgiveness and wrath. We need to know and understand both.
I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Like a child ... we feel closest to the one who turns their face to us and listens. In all things God will listen to our daily conversations with Him.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
The sinners of the world do not effect the body of Christ. We are not "dirtied" by being with them. We are called to be with them. To model Christ and to let the Light of the World shine through us. To help show the way to salvation.
For the one who calls themselves a 'Christian' and they live a life of sin. Now the body of Christ has a problem. For we have a wolf in sheep's clothing amongst us.
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
My youngest son loves to sing with loud shouts. I really like the VBS cd's for that reason. Listening to a 5 year sing out "Our God is an awesome God!" really really loud is a blessing to my heart.
Maybe we should remember that our adult hearts should be as tender as a child's heart. And our songs should be loud shouts from the heart as well. To not let the tongue wagging and head shaking congregation stand between us and heart felt declarations of praise.
When you sing your songs ... Know what you are saying. And, know to who you are singing praises. And sing it like you mean it.
And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”
In a world like ours today the typical reaction you will get when talking about being right with God, controlling yourself, and the judgment for not doing so is alarm. Alarm and all its byproduct emotions ... anger, rage, hate, and spite.
Expect it. It was so in the time of Paul and it is that way today. And if you expect it you can prepare yourself to be as Paul. A man who could talk openly about his faith. A man who led many people to the truth of Christ. A man who was stoned, and thinking he was dead, dragged out of the city. A man who was beat for his words. A man hated and loved. A man on fire for God's heart.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
That is a hard thing to pray. To be put through the fire. There is a song I like to listen to to get pumped up: God Of Elijah by Disciple. One part of that song is ...
God of Elijah, send your fire Let it burn up inside me, melt me down
LORD ... melt me down as the fire melts down precious metals. I know we are precious to you and for that you bring us through the fire to refine who we are. Help me to stand within the flame and to know that it is for You that I am there.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
There are always two who know your sins. God and you.
People are interesting things when it comes to stories and ideas. We just can't keep a good idea to ourselves. They infect our minds in such a way that we almost become sick if we don't tell them to someone. We all have experienced that with a good joke or a story that really touched us. The corruption of that feeling is the making of a gossip.
But when it comes to the sin that we try to hide inside .... I can think of no better description than it feeling as if your very bones are wasting away. When we are in the wrong, we KNOW it. Down to our bones. Daily God will remind you of what you have not brought before Him to ask forgiveness of.
But, Oh what a blessed feeling of freedom when you finally present yourself before God to ask forgiveness. And to know you are forgiven!
Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.
At all times we are called to share the Truth. No matter if it is to be in times of ease or in times of great difficulty. Always share the good news.
And don't be too surprised when God brings people into your life at the right time for Him ( maybe the wrong time for your plans ). For in all things that happen ... The LORD will be praised.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin.
It isn't much to ask of us. If you want God to hear and forgive ... humble yourself, pray, seek God, and STOP DOING WRONG.
I just had a talk today with a coworker about the people that humble themselves, pray, and seek God. And that is it. They just continue to sin and continue to do wrong.
I know a family councilor who is now working as a middle school teacher. All because he could give good advise. The people would understand and agree that it was good advise. Then they would go home and keep on doing the same sin over and over.
And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam ...
God is on our side and who can stand against us? .... No ... that isn't right .... How about: We are on God's side and who can stand against Him?
It isn't right for me to think that God is for me. Rather I need to seek what God wants. And then stand for that. God is on the side of the poor, the weak, the abused, the honest, the prisoner, of Truth, and of His Word.
I just need to seek out where He would have me stand.
So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
And again we see people who would rather see the man than the miracle. I know I have talked about this before, but it deserves to be pointed out in our lives. I myself find myself struggling at times when someone mentions a miracle in their life.
What do I do with the man who goes to the doctor and who is then surprised to see the cancer gone?
What do I do with the pound of meat the feeds dozens?
What do I do with the whispers of God to brings me to the right place at the right time to act?
Should we continue in the way of the world and deny the truth that is rightfully Gods? No. Praise God and believe. Be reborn with the faith of a child.
He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.
The first thing that came to me when I heard the above ... Finally!
Then I looked at my life. Sadly, I am not Hezekiah. It will take effort and pain ... but I hope to someday be able to say that I did in my life as he did in his.
LORD, make me as Hezekiah. Help me to remove my high places from my life.
There was a question at church the other day about how we should engage a culture that is so far from God or should we separate ourselves from the culture.
Hezekiah did more than all those before or after him for the Lord. Yet, his people were still carried off to exile. It doesn't matter how far our own culture has fallen. We may or may not be able to turn it back to the Lord. We are still called to act.
And our calling by God is to be the salt of the earth. To be that which preserves.
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.
Throw open my life.
That is the phrase I like to think about. I can't hide anything from God anyway. But, to throw open my life to Him is so hard. To expose who I truly am to Christ and for Christ.
It is like the times when you clean up your office and just end up putting the mess into a box and stuffing it on a shelf. You may have organized the mess, but it is still there. You haven't really dealt with it. If you really want to clean up you need to throw out the junk and take care of the problems. To deal with my sins I need to go through them and hand them over to God.
A generation is a long time. My great grandparents and great-great grandparents generation "discovered" the problem of drugs about 1900. Which lead to a lot of problems and push back against the social ills that came with them. Then my parents generation "discovered" drugs again in the 1960's. Which lead to a lot of problems and push back against the social ills that came with them.
It is interesting how sin in our generations work that way. Over and over again you see the Kings falling to sin and against God. And over and over again you see the results. Events have not changed over time.
The question to us ... will you sin in the way of our fathers or follow God in the way of our fathers.
I wonder what my high place is? That part of me that I don't want to surrender to God. He calls us to give him our everything ... yet ... I tend to hold back from Him.
I suppose my high place is what you are looking at. Technology. I'm not type-A by any name. But, I like the control and ownership of my tech-toys. It is mine and I tend to sacrifice money and especially time for things that I shouldn't.
Darkness is the absence of light. The smallest light doesn't "drive out" darkness. The Light just IS. You can see it from across the distance because dark can't hold it back.
Christ is our light. The darkness of any of my sins can't hold Him back. He shines upon everything in my life. The darkness of my life isn't what is hurt by Christ ... but the things you imagine to be hidden burn in His light.
I just needed to accept that and throw my life open to him.
And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
I like the way the band Disciple covers this in "God Of Elijah" ( use youtube to find it online ).
Bring on the show down How long will you waver between two opinions If the Lord is God then follow Him But if Baal is god then follow him There are 450 prophets of Baal and just one of me So it should be no problem to get his attention And show everyone here today That if he's the real god He'll have to send fire down So they began to shout, run around, cut themselves Baal made no reply, so Elijah cried Maybe he's sleeping, or busy or traveling Or using the bathroom, or deeply thinking
I can just see the prophets running around cutting themselves and screaming to rouse a god who happens be busy sitting on the toilet.
Today we are trying to replace God with the idea of a perfect man. That we are all that there is. We only need to look in the mirror, understand science, and find inner meaning to find "god". What foolishness.
We run around cutting ourselves, bleeding all over, screaming, and crying out to a false god. Look at how much money and flesh we sacrifice in the temples of pleasure at Vagas. Look at how much blood of our children we spill for the image of selfishness. For the right of not being burdened with them.
In the end men will be lying in the dirt looking up at the fire of God. Their sacrifice sits, blood spilt out for nothing and to no one. Their lost hope mingling with the blood and dirt inside the wounds on their cut backs.
It is rather easy to find the people who rely only upon their own strength. Look at Ahab ... and he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. All because he didn't get what he wanted he ran away and pouted like an young child. And soon that lead to a great evil and his own death.
If you are your own god ... If you sacrifice only to yourself ... How great the fall when any trial comes upon you! You stand alone and see nothing outside of your own pleasures. And when the pleasure stops, like it does for all people, how great the pain.
Power corrupts. This truth is so easy to see in the life of Solomon. He knew ... for God gave him wisdom above everyone else. And he still turned to worship other gods.
He had so much. So much wealth. So many women. So many servants. So much wisdom. And so much power. He would be envied like none other if he lived today.
I am young (-ish) and stupid. When I was younger I was even stupider. The sad part is you only know you are stupid, and were stupid, because you have moved on in your life and can look back at how stupid you really were.
The reason for this is like the frog in the well.
The frog looks up and sees "the entire sky". Of course it is just a tiny piece of what God's sky really is, but he doesn't know that. After a while he hops up closer to the top of the well. Looking up he is amazed that the sky has become larger and so much more detail! He sees branches of trees, yet still no whole tree. And for the first time he sees the moon close to the edge of the well.
Now he must know all that there is to know! Of course, it is still just a tiny piece of what God's sky really is.
Those that have gone before have a duty to call back down the well to let us know what we have waiting for us. And those heading up should listen and heed the words of the God fearing men in front of us. We should not listen the silly frogs at our side telling us how smart we are. And imagining that the tiny hole above our heads is all there is to know.
Peter was so sure he would stand by Jesus. Just a few hours before this the disciples were in a dispute of who of them was the greatest. Then soon after ... none could be found and Peter was screaming out “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.”
When times are good it is so easy to be full of pride. God is watching over our steps and we start to imagine that we are far more that we truly are. “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
Solomon fell away from God after being surrounded by wealth, women, and power. His son fell away from wisdom after being surrounded by fools who stroked his ego. And Peter fell away from Christ when he was confronted with what it really means to follow him. Christ wasn't the man about to crush Rome. For He came to suffer and die.
Did you ever lament for something that was unworthy of it?
Thinking about David's actions led me to think about my own. There have been times where I lamented losing things that were harmful to me and others. It was better to have it out of my life, yet I continued to look back over my shoulder at it. We can get so caught up in our desires we tend to focus only upon them. And looking back upon sin is no way to lead a family forward.
I suppose it will come down to what we set our eyes upon. Will we keep looking forward upon the LORD or will we keep our eyes backwards and down upon that which will perish.
I was working on cleaning up a hedge tree a while ago. If you haven't worked with one you just need to imagine incredibly hard wood with 2 inch thorns. As I was dragging a branch to the burn pile it flipped on me and jabbed a thorn just under my knee cap. It hurt really really bad. Really bad.
Anyways, we are called to minister to worthless men. We are not called to participate with worthless men. They are like thorns. You don't go playing around with a thorn tree because it will just end up stabbing you in the hand or knee. Don't expect to go the parties, talk bad about others, curse at the ball games, and not have it come back and jab a thorn under your kneecap.
There is only one end for our lives if we live in a worthless way ...
I drive one of my co-workers crazy with the saying ... "The squeaky wheel gets the grease".
The sad truth of the matter is that people who complain A LOT tend to get stuff just to make them shut up. What makes my co-worker mad is that it really isn't fair.
Many times the person who complains doesn't deserve what they get. They are just used to getting what they want by whining. And the people who have real needs, or who need justice, are usually silent in their suffering.
It is up to us to be a good judge. To be men and women who do what is right no matter how the winds blow. To be honest with those who should be told ... "That is enough. Be patient with what you have". And to give what is needed, when it is needed, and to give justice to those who are silent. We can only do this by actively looking for them in our lives.
This is one area of my life that I need to improve.
... by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord.
Do you ever think that when you sin you have utterly scorned the Lord? Anger, scorn, sexual sin, adultery, murder. We tend to think of those as being "between us". That there is a victim of the sin and a sinner. Not often do we stop to think that by sinning we are utterly scorning God. We spit in the face of His sacrifice on the cross.
I wonder how often we would sin if the gateway to get there was standing before Jesus on the cross ... and spitting on Him as we walk by to fulfill our desires.
If only I were in charge how different things would be! Yes everyone would have a free home. You would not pay anymore taxes ... that would be only for those that have taken from the poor. We all will ride unicorns that eat rainbows and save the rain forest.
I was trying to be funny, but beware of those that speak well and promise good things. Their heart is usually only upon themselves.
If there was a book that described my life ... I can think of no worse words to be in it than: "did what was right in his own eyes". And today that is all I see in the world I live in.
We murder our children so we don't have to be parents. We steal from each other so we don't have to work. Children curse their parents. Fathers abandon their families. All in the name of our new god ... Self.
What a foolish and stupid god. To sacrifice to ourselves and our desires. Where ALL of it can be taken at the whim of another man. Driving home tonight all of it could be lost in a second.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
What an interesting truth. What thing most vexes the rich? The question of "Is there nothing more?" They only have worldly things. For wealth tempts you to imagine that the god Self is actually real. That "you" are all that matters.
And when "you" are all that matters ... you are alone.
The Cry of the Alien - Strickland Gillilan
I'm an alien — I'm an alien to the faith my mother taught me; I'm an alien to the God that heard my mother when she cried; I'm a stranger to the comfort that my "Now I lay me" brought me, To the Everlasting Arms that held my father when he died.
I was born where God was closer to His children and addressed them With the tenderest of messages through bird and tree and bloom; I was bred where people stretched upon the velvet sod to rest them, Where the twilight's benediction robbed the coming night of gloom. But I've built a wall between me and the simple life behind me; I have coined my heart and paid it for the fickle world's applause; Yet I think His hand would fumble through the voiceless dark and find me If I only had the faith that made my mother what she was.
When the great world came and called me I deserted all to follow; Never knowing, in my dazedness, I had slipped my hand from His — Never noting, in my blindness, that the bauble fame was hollow, That the gold of wealth was tinsel, as I since have learned it is — No, I've spent a life-time seeking things I've spurned when I have found them; I have fought and been rewarded in many a petty cause; But I'd trade them all — fame, fortune and the pleasures that surround them, For a little of the faith that made my mother what she was.
