What To Do When Jesus Annoys You

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Luke 12:35-14:35.

The stories we read today mostly center around Jesus and the religious leaders squaring off.  At this point, the religious leaders want Jesus dead.  They just don't see any other way to stop Him from ruining everything.  They know it, and Jesus knows it.  

What strikes me is the number of times Jesus heals someone, and does it on the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is Saturday, and it's the Holy Day of the week for a Jewish believer.  The religious guys had developed a ton of rules on how you are supposed to rest.  They had effectively turned rest into a full time job.  One of the things they didn't want done was for anyone to be healed on the Sabbath, because that was work.  Remember, God gave us a Sabbath day so we could rest and keep our bodies, minds, and souls healthy.  But if someone tried to heal someone's body, mind, and soul on the Sabbath, that was wrong in their minds.

So, Jesus just goes ahead and does it.  

It doesn't make them happy.

Obviously, we don't have the legalistic issues that the religious leaders had on working on the Sabbath.  But we do have issues with Jesus.  Sometimes He wants me to forgive people, even when they haven't asked for it. (Actually, that's all the time.)  Occasionally He will ask me to be generous with stuff that I want to keep for myself. (Well, He expects that everyday, to be honest).  He can get crazy from time to time and want me to tell myself "no" about some action I want to take, and use self discipline. (That is really an expectation of His all the time.)  I mean, sometimes He annoys me.

Just like He annoyed the Pharisees.

It's all about whose Kingdom we live in.  That is part of the reason you have the Kingdom discussion in the middle of all of these stories.  Who is in charge of my life, of the religious leaders' lives, of your life, anyway?  That is the big question.

Today, right now, take some time to talk with God about what it is that He does, expects, or commands that bugs you.  Be honest, He already knows.  You have nothing to lose.  At least you don't if you admit it.  Act like everything is fine, and you'll find yourself mad at Him for healing people all around you, when you can't seem to be healed.  It's your, and my, choice.

That Voice in the Dark

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Mark 14:53-Luke 1:25

In chapter 14 of Mark, we read about Jesus being drug around during his overnight trial.  Everywhere He goes, Peter follows Him at a distance.  Technically, Peter is still a follower of Jesus at this point.  But, as you read the story, the drama ramps up as Peter is accused of that very thing, three times.  Three times he is called out for knowing Jesus, and three times he denies Him.  Of course, Jesus told him ahead of time that he would do this.  When Peter remembers it, it breaks him.

What kind of horrible person would be warned by Jesus that they would deny Him, only to turn around and do that very thing over the next few hours?  I mean, Peter had told Jesus that no matter what, he would never run or turn his back on Jesus.  Then, he does.  How can Peter even call himself a follower of Jesus?!  He talks a good talk, but then when a little opposition comes his way, he bails on Jesus and just tries to blend in.  What a wimp!

Right?

Isn't that what we are supposed to think?  Maybe not.

Ok, we are not going to be accused by a servant girl standing next to a bonfire at three a.m. anytime soon.  In fact, most of us will never be accused of following Jesus at any point in our lives.

Which is worse?  Being repeatedly accused, and denying it?  Or never even earning the accusation?

Why don't we get lumped in with Jesus by people?  Why don't we make it far enough to earn the right to be called out?

Yeah, I know, that's a little tough.  Let's move on.

So, if we won't get outed by a fire pit, how does this apply to us?  You understand, it wasn't the girl calling Peter out and playing on his fear, it was Satan.  He calls us out all the time.  When things get rough, you hear the voice calling you to run to anything other than Jesus.  It calls you to turn your back on Jesus and run to the internet, Facebook, your friends, your spouse, your garage, that bottle, the TV, whatever.  It calls you to deny that Jesus is the answer, and look elsewhere in the dark for your hope.  Jesus warns us over and over that this will happen.  Yet we keep falling for it.

Peter saw Jesus about to die.  He didn't know about the resurrection.  Jesus had told him, but He didn't believe it quite yet.  His faith could have carried him through that night.  All he had to do was say, "Yes, I follow Jesus".  That's it.  One time, and he would have averted the whole thing.

The same is true for us.  When we are faced with that voice, that call, that push to run from Jesus, we need to stop, and say "No, I will stay here.  I am with Jesus.  He will see me through."

Where is the place you need to stand today?  What is it that you need to refuse to listen to?

Remember, the sun always rises.  Especially on Sundays.

Yeah, Sure Man, God Told You to.... Uh, huh......

I do not know anything about suffering for God.  I don't.  I just don't.  I read through a book like Hosea, and I realize that I really have no clue about obedience leading to suffering.  If you've never read the book of Hosea, then 1) stop reading this and go read it.  Your time will be better spent.  2) If you're still reading this, then here is a brief synopsis.  Hosea is called as a prophet when he's a young, single guy.  God tells him to go marry a woman who is adulterous, someone known for sleeping around.  That doesn't do anything for your reputation, either as a man or as a prophet.  I'm sure lots of elbow nudging went on with his friends; "Yeah, we know why you married her.  God TOLD you to."  (Nudge, nudge).

Then, she cheats on him, and he has to buy her back.  Did you catch that; buy her back.  He had to swallow his pride and go buy her back.  Spend actual money to redeem this woman who ran off on him.  She ran off AFTER she and Hosea had three kids together.

All of this so that the nation of Judah could learn a lesson, which they didn't learn.

Hosea was one massive failure.  Married poorly, humiliated, and all for a cause that didn't work.

Surely he didn't hear God correctly.  God would never give advice like that.  Ever.

But He does.

The question is do we listen?  I think the crazy part of the story isn't God giving Hosea crazy commands.  The miracle part is Hosea listening, and then obeying.  Repeatedly.

I want to be like that.  Nuts for Jesus.
But I also don't want to be like that.  It's expensive.

Therein lies the battle inside of me.  It's easier not to listen than to listen and wrestle.

I have to do a better job of listening AND obeying.

At least if I ever want to be nuts like Hosea.  What about you?

Whatever You Do, Do NOT Dance Like David! (new blog post)

Sometimes we think God is very, very interested in what we are doing for Him.  It can easily become a subconscious idea that we need to make God happy.  We find that idea going on in 1 Chronicles 13.  David becomes king, and realizes they need to bring the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem so that they can use it for worship and prayer.  The Ark isn't the one that Noah built, that was a huge boat.  This Ark is a box a few feet long that held the tablets the 10 Commandments were written on and the staff that Aaron used in Egypt to perform miracles.  It was a sacred box that represented God's truth, God's reign, and God's power to the people.  It was very sacred and important.  God had told Moses and the people that if anyone touched it with their bare hands, then they would die.  They were supposed to carry it on poles, and only the priests could carry it.  They whole idea was for the people to understand that it wasn't an idol, or something to worship.  It was a symbol of God's love and power.  Respect God by respecting what He gave them.

So, David decides to bring the Ark to Jerusalem.  To use in prayer.  It was never used that way.  The priests prayed to God directly, not through a box.  But David wanted to use it that way.  So, they put it on a cart, and began hauling it to Jerusalem.  In the story, it talks about how hard David and his crew danced, sang, and celebrated.  It says "8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets."  Why?  I've heard it was because David loved God so much, that he was captured in worship, taken by his passion for Jehovah. 


I don't think so.


When you read the whole story, the story is about how misguided David is.  He does everything wrong.  No priests are moving the ark, just people.  It's on a cart, not on poles.  It's being treated like an idol with power, not a symbol of the power of God.  So, when one of the ox stumbles, the cart tips, and the Ark begins to fall off (maybe that is part of God's reason for having the priests carry it?).  One of the guys there puts his hand on it to catch it, and he dies.  No, God isn't being petty or mean.  The whole crew is being disobedient and trying to manipulate God by what they are doing instead of listening to what He said to do.  It cost one guy his life, and David got scared and moved the Ark to someone else's house.


We do the same thing.  We can easily believe that God is someone who we need to impress with how dedicated we are, or how passionate we are, or how smart we are, or how much we serve and give, or with how judgemental we can be, or with how forgiving we can be, or with how nice we can be.  If we are simply ______________ enough, then He will be happy with us.


Nope.


He loves us because of who He is.  Our worship services are symbols of Him, not idols to hold to tightly.  Our music, art, giving, laughter, love, and kindness all point back to how amazing He is, not how good we are.  


When we take anything of God's, and try to control it our way, it will kill us.  Every time.


So, often we do what David did.  We get freaked out and run from God.  But catch the last part of this story:

"12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”13 He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had."

David dumped this dangerous thing on Obed-Edom.  When David was convinced it was too much for him to handle, he ditched his guilt and responsibility on someone else. 

And God blessed them.


The Ark wasn't the problem.  David's heart was.


Your ministry isn't the problem.
Your family isn't the problem.
Your job isn't the problem.
Your boyfriend / girlfriend / spouse isn't the problem.
Your church isn't the problem.


It's in your, and my, heart.


The rest are just symbols.

Judgement, Death, Pain and Love for Others (new blog post)

I'm not sure what to make of God sometimes.  When I think I have Him kind of figured out, He shows me another side that I don't understand.  For example, I've been reading in some of the Psalms today (7, 27, 31, 34, and 52).  They are songs David wrote about struggling with King Saul when the King was trying to kill him.  David is on the run, and has to leave everything and live in the woods and desert.

David prays that God will judge him if he is in the wrong, but he also prays that God will judge Saul if Saul is wrong.  King Saul has decided to ignore God and is living and ruling in his own way instead of God's way, even though it was God who made him king.  David can't stand it.  So he prays that God will judge Saul harshly, even with death, for how he is living. 

What gets me is it's in the Bible, and in the story, God does just this thing.  Saul is judged for his actions, and dies.  David becomes king.  God blesses him.  He prays for his enemy to be judged, for God to hold him very accountable, for him to die.  What?  What about grace?  What about love your neighbor as yourself?

I think that is the key.  David does show love to Saul.  He himself will not kill Saul, even though he has several chances to do it.  It would have even been "legal" since he had been appointed the new king.  But he doesn't.  He begs God to do it, so that he can be sure it's just.  He wants justice, but David is willing to wait on God's justice.  Not the other side of death/heaven/hell justice.  Justice here, in this lifetime, on earth.  He begs God to act.  But until God does act, David shows mercy and grace, even though he doesn't feel it personally.  He obeys from faith rather than feelings.

That's the part I don't understand.  That's the disconnect.  I'm willing to obey as long as I feel peace about it, as long as it's the logical decision.  David obeys in spite of his personal feelings, in spite of what he sees in front of him, in spite of what is expected of him, in spite of what everyone else is telling him to do.  He trusts God at a level that I really want to get to. 

What about you?  What is it that God is calling you to trust Him on?  Who in your life needs justice, and you are waiting on God to act?  Will you trust Him?

He's worth it.

Choosing to Be Destined for Greatness (New Blog Post)

What would it be like to be someone who was destined for amazing and great things from the time you were born?  No, really, what would it be like to actually be chosen to accomplish world changing tasks because God has picked you?

I am starting the book of 1 Samuel today, and that is the story.  Samuel is a boy born in a miracle, to a woman who couldn't have kids.  She went years without children, prayed and asked God for a miracle, and was given it.  The baby boy was presented to God to be His, and He grew up in the temple serving God.  As a young kid, God speaks directly to him, even though He hadn't spoke to the priests in several years.  Everyone can see that Samuel has been picked by God, and they watch him to see what is going to happen.

At the same time, the priest in charge, an older guy named Eli, has two sons who use the whole religious thing to get what they want.  They take people's sacrifices for themselves, they sleep with the women who serve at the church, and they ignore God.  He tells them they will die for ignoring Him and abusing their positions.  But they had been chosen for this role by God, and given every opportunity to do what is right.  They simply chose not to.

The whole story sure does have a similarity to another boy born to a mom who shouldn't have been able to have a kid.  That boy was chosen for great things for God, was known from childhood to be a man of God, and had to confront corrupt religious leaders.  I love it when God gives a story like this that points to Jesus.

But even more than that, what about us?  The Bible tells us that we are chosen by God to do great things for Him.  He loves us, and gives us the ability to work miracles. 

We are all in the role of either Samuel or Eli's sons.  They both were raised in the same place, with the same opportunities, and with the same chance to choose to serve or not.  Samuel served, and is set aside for amazing things.  Eli's boys didn't, and destroy themselves.  Each day we face the same decisions.  Will we serve and do what is right today, or will we settle for just living for ourselves?  Which boy will you be today?

You have been loved and picked to do great things for God.  But the choice is yours.

What will you choose?

God Likes Telling Messed Up Stories

God always surprises me with how bad of a story teller He is. A good story teller will cover all the details that make his side look bad, or that make the other side look good. God never does that. He just lays the facts out as they are, and leaves it up to us to make of it whatever we will.

Take this story, for instance. The Hebrews are marching through the land, and a lot of the nations are deciding whether to fight them or surrender to them. One group comes and acts like they are from far away to fool the Hebrews into a peace treaty. The Israelites listen to their story, and are doubtful. Check out what the story says next:

"14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. " (I added the italics) They have doubts, but trust what they see, and then don't stop to pray and ask God what they should do. They act on their own. They know what God has told them to do, they have a "gut feeling" (which is God trying to talk to them), but they ignore it and act on their own. They end up getting burnt by the plan and made fools of.

But then, there's more to the story. Later, when they confront this group of people about their lies and deceiving them, look at what they tell the Jews:

"24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this." (Again, the italics are mine).

Did you catch that? These people who were Israel's enemies had heard the same info that the Hebrews had heard. They hadn't heard it from God or experienced it themselves, they heard it all second hand as rumors. But they believed it AND acted on it. They were saved because of it.

So, God shows us that the people He chose still aren't smart enough to stop and listen to Him, and the people who are not God's chosen hear second hand about Him and act in obedience to Him.

That's a messed up story.

But the bigger question at hand is, which one am I going to be? Will I be the one who knows what is right, or the one who does what is right? There is a HUGE difference! Titles, knowledge, belonging to a group, none of that matters in the end. It's what we do with what we know.

There is something in your life that you're wrestling with today, that you are worried about. Are you going to do what seems like the best choice to you, or are you going to stop, and ask God for advice, and then take it, whatever it is?

Sometimes the stories don't change very much, even 4000 years later, do they?

Gotta Love Substitute Teachers

Yesterday I went in to substitute teach at the middle school, and taught 6th grade and 8th grade English classes.  The teacher I subbed for was terrific, because they left me straight forward and easy to understand directions.  His instructions made sense,  were easy to follow, and they worked.  All I had to do was read them, and follow them.  It made my life as a sub SO much easier.  Not every sub understands that.

Sometimes subs come in and want to add to the teacher's guidelines, so that they can be "creative" or "impressive".  They work above and beyond what is expected of them, ignoring the advice of the very person in charge of the class.  It usually tanks.  You remember them from your days in school. 

Then there are the subs who don't care enough to actually do the work given to them.  They're just passing time, getting paid, and going home.  The class is pointless in their hands.   These are the ones you always see in every dumb movie about high school.

I really just want to be the sub who does what is expected of me, and enjoys the day as best I can.  So today, I'm reading in Deuteronomy 30, and God lays out a teacher's plan for life.  Here's what He drops in our laps:

"10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”
14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction."

I love that phrase "it's not too difficult for you or beyond or reach".  He keeps life's commands simple.  If we follow them, it all works.  If we try to make things to difficult (here is where religion comes in), we'll miss it.  We'll live stressed out lives that don't go anywhere.  If we ignore him and do things our own way, we end up with a life that's chaotic, like an 8th grade gym class.

God's word is very near us, in our mouths and hearts.  He has given it to us.


It's up to us to read the manual left for us, and decide what sort of follower we want to be.


I'm so glad He left great instructions!

Build Good Today, or Conquer Great Tomorrow. Your Choice.

I'm reading in Numbers 31 and 32 today.  At this point in the story, the Israelites are getting ready to cross the Jordan into the promised land and take control of what they have been waiting on for over 40 years.  An interesting thing occurs at this point.  Three tribes of people come to Moses and say they want to stay where they are.  They like the land they are in, and they want to stay there. 

Moses gets on them for not being willing to follow God's plans, and for bailing on their nation and avoiding the fight.  So they agree to fight with their brothers for the new land, but then come back to the old land.  Moses doesn't get it, but he agrees.

So, these groups of men build cities where they are.  They build nice, safe cities in the land that they can see.  Then the prepare to leave and go fight the battle they are called to fight.

Why in the world would you settle for "okay", and then go fight for "great", only to return home to "okay"?  The place they were in was "okay".  Where they were heading for was "great".  They settled, literally and figuratively.  They still had to fight, but their decision guaranteed they would lose out in the long run.

Maybe they thought their nation would lose, and the people shooting for "great" wouldn't get anything.  Maybe they thought this unseen place everyone was talking about was just over hyped, and couldn't be any better than what they already had.  I don't know.  But they wanted comfort, and they wanted what they could see and hold today as opposed to what was unseen and promised tomorrow.

How many times do we do this same thing?  God promises if we will live a life of truth, integrity, and honesty, He will reward us tomorrow.  Instead we settle for half-truths and silence today.  God tells us if we chase after purity and holiness in our thoughts, actions, how we dress, and how we speak, then we will see God.  Instead we settle for not being as nasty as some of our friends are.  God tells us if we will be humble, kind, patient, and generous, we will inherit the earth.  Instead we settle for inheriting our little patch of life today, quietly.

We trade "great" for "good".  And never know what we miss.

We need to fight the battles that need fought today, so that God's kingdom can grow, and we will see just how generous God is in meeting our needs.  It will be amazing.

Don't ever settle for "good", fight for "great".

It's Like Shrek, Only Real

In Numbers 22 we hit one of the funniest stories in the Bible.  It's the story of Balaam and his talking donkey.  I promise, I'm not going to use this as a chance to throw around the other words for donkey every chance I get.  The eternal junior high boy inside of me really wants to, but for the sake of this conversation, I'll drop it.  Sigh....

Anyway, the story goes that Balaam is a prophet hired by a king to come and curse the Hebrews.  The king wants them cursed so that he can fight them and kill them.  So, he tries to hire Balaam to come curse them.  God tells Balaam no.  Balaam tells the king no.  End of story.  Right?  Nope.  The king sends more important guys back with even more money to try and get him to come.  Balaam knows the answer is still no.  But he tells the guys to stay the night, he will ask God again.  God tells him if the messengers ask again, then he can go with them, but can only speak what God tells him.  So, instead of waiting, he gets up and takes off.  This ticks God off. 

God sends an angel to stop him.  His donkey that he's riding sees the angel, he doesn't.  A crazy, sit com scene follows with the donkey stopping because it sees the angel, and Balaam getting mad like a fool.  Finally, he sees the angel as well and gets turned around.

There are a TON of stories about Balaam and his talking, uh....err....donkey.  I've taught em.  But my question today came out of the middle of the story.  Here's the text:

18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.
19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.” 21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

Why did God get mad?  I looked around and read some ideas.  Some were solid.  Some were, well, very not solid.  Wow.  I'll let you decide where my ideas fall on that list.

Balaam is given an offer to do a ministry (prophecy) and God says no, because these people are blessed.
His answer is that God said "no" so he can't come.  He sounds like a seven year boy explaining to his friend why he can't come over.
When they come back, he doesn't just say no.  He says he's only allowed to do what God tells him.  Do you notice that shift?  He's not really being truthful.  He's trying to "obey" AND keep the door open for the money.
"Hang around and I'll ask again."  Why does he need to ask again?  God hasn't changed his mind.  He's obeying in action, but not in his heart.
So God tells him ok, if they ask again, you can go.  But God isn't going to have them ask again.  He's going to close the door once and for all.  
So Balaam jumps out in front of God's plan and takes off BEFORE they have a chance to ask again.


There it is.


There is me in this story.  I've never had a donkey talk to me. (Again, I'm ignoring the junior high boy yelling inside of me right now.)  But I have had God say "no", I've tried to bargain with him, and then weaseled my way to get what I want.


It always leads down a path to a very scary place.


God always has to show up in power and turn me around.


Always.


I am Balaam.

Oops, I Did it Again...

I don't like Brittany's song (publicly), but it fits right now. It's one of those times where I made a mistake, thought I could fix it, and now it's worse than ever. I set up a youth trip, didn't think through the dates well enough, and now, I have to cancel it. No big deal, except I've got my whole leadership team on board with the trip, promoted it to parents, posted the dates, and set the whole thing up. Now it's gotta change. I have to admit I'm wrong, ask for a lot of forgiveness, and move forward.

I do not like it when this kind of stuff happens because of my stupidity. I really don't. I like it when someone else does it, and I can be gracious about it. I like it when I plan so well, that I gain tons of trust from everyone around me. But I don't like it when I blow it.

Something I notice though. I am much more penitent and sad about disappointing the people around me, than I am when I disappoint God. If I sin and blow it, I ask for forgiveness. But I don't stress it the way I stress situations like this. Why is that? Why is God's opinion of me so much easier to blow off? I think I assume too much about God's grace. I know He forgives me, He already has. I know He will never leave me. I don't need to earn His love. But I don't take seriously enough my need to live in such a way to make Him proud of me. I don't own the Job factor, where He lived in such a way that Satan couldn't take it anymore. I can't imagine Satan needing to go to heaven and complain to God about me because of how I live. If he did, I can't imagine God trusting me enough to let Satan loose in my life like that.

So, I want to spend more time focusing on what God sees in me, and what He knows about me, and what He feels about me. I want God to be proud of me. I want to be more concerned about what He thinks of me when I mess up, and when I obey.

Just some random stuff rattling around inside of me. What about you?

Malachi - (ma-LA-che) Noun; "the Italian prophet"

Brad has me reading Malachi today, getting ready for a new sermon series coming up. I'm not going to go verse by verse through it, or anything. But a couple of things stuck out to me.

If you look in chapter 3, verses 1-5 you'll see this prediction of Christ's coming. Man, did Jesus ever fulfill these verses. They are worth reading, just to remind yourself that Jesus' coming was a plan from the very beginning, and His power and presence were completely under God's control.

Then check out verses 16-18 of chapter 3. I love how God listens in on a conversation among people who love Him. It's like He bends over and listens to His kids. The point is clear, if you love God, you'll obey God. If you obey God, He will bless you. Period. Man, I need to hear that sometimes.

Gotta love Malachi.