Sickos, Angels, Fireballs, and Salt

In Genesis 19-21, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah.  It's a rough, rough story.  God sends the two angels into the city, and Lot tries to protect them in his house.  He knew what would happen to them if they stayed on the street.  Every guy in the city shows up, and wants the men given to them so they can rape them.  Yep.  It's that ugly.

Here's the thing.  Lot knew the city was like that, and yet he stayed.  He wasn't acting as a good influence on them, and he was raising his daughters in that city.  Why would you live in a city like that, when you could move ten miles away and be completely out of that influence?

It's the same question as asking "Why do we keep watching movies that we know are teaching us values that are not what God wants?" or "Why do we keep going back to those websites, even though they are full of junk that's rotting our soul?" or "Why do we keep trying to impress those friends when we know they are pulling us away from God?"  It's all the same.  Yet we do it, just like Lot.

So God sends the angels in, and they have to physically, literally drag Lot and his family out of the city before it's destroyed.  Lot knows it's going to be destroyed.  He completely believes the end is coming.  Yet, they have to drag him out.  It's so hard to leave sometimes when we have so much invested in sin.  It is what we know, and it feels like we have some control over our lives.  But really, IT owns US.  And we're afraid to leave it behind.

Once they leave, they bargain with God to reduce the pain.  He grants it.  And then, his wife can't take it.  She stops and looks back, longingly.  She wants what is being destroyed in the city more that the future God has laid out for them.  God promises if they will move forward and trust Him, even though they have been living in filth, He will use them in great ways.  She doesn't care.  She looks back.  And she dies for it.  It kills her.

What are you and I holding onto that God is telling us to leave behind?  What do we run to, that is actually destroying our souls?  Will you let it go, walk away, and never come back?

You Thought It Was Bad When Your Grandparents Just Kissed....

In Genesis 18, we have a story of Abraham, this chosen man of God, who has been told that he will have a son at the age of 99.  Sarah, his wife, is 89.  And those years are the same then as they are now.  They are way beyond child bearing years.  But they are promised to have a kid.  It would take faith to simply try to get pregnant at that age, let alone actually have a child.  But they do it.  It's God's grace that brings them a son.

In that same chapter, Abraham bargains with God for the lives of the people in Sodom.  If you've never read it, you need to read it today.  It's a really funny story.  God has heard how bad the people in Sodom are living, and they are going to be punished for it.  Abraham begins a bargaining session, because his nephew Lot and his family live in the city, and he doesn't want them destroyed.  So, he bargains with God for forgiveness for the city if God finds 40 righteous people in the whole city.  Then 30.  Then 20.  Then 10.  At this point, Abraham is relieved, because his nephews family is there, and they are more than 10, so the city is safe.  What Abraham doesn't understand is that the city has corrupted his nephew, and there is no one in the city who is obeying God.

There are so many lessons from this.  One, how generous God is with His grace, to forgive an entire city for the sake of 10 people.  Two, how powerful the influences we allow into our lives are.  Lot was completely corrupted by where he lived.  And three, what a role we play when we follow God in a hostile place.  If Lot had been obedient, and led his family well, he could have saved an entire city.

So, three questions for today: 1. Where do you need to see God's grace?  He still offers it freely.  2. Who is influencing you the most?  Is it towards God or away?  What do you need to change in that relationship?  3. Do you really believe how you live can be used by God to save others?  That's His plan, but do you believe it?  Really?

You Can't Always Get What You Want... But You Get What You Need...

Today we hit Job 38 and 39.  God answers.  The whole book has had Job and the other guys discussing / arguing about why this has happened to Job.  Job doesn't get it, the others claim its a lack of faith or due to sin.  They get nowhere.  Then God answers.

But God's answer isn't the answer we might want.  He doesn't explain to them that Satan was getting it stuck in his face with this whole scenario.  He simply asks them why they think they are wise enough to question Him?  He gives a long, and beautiful list, of what He has done, and what He does.  It's amazing to read.  If you've never read it, take some time today to work through these chapters and think about all that God describes, and ask yourself why He describes the things He does.  He could have picked anything.  Why these?

He moves from creating the earth, to the universe high above, to the oceans deep below.  He goes from the process of birth to death.  He talks about how He created each of the animals.  And in it all, you hear His love for each and every thing in the list.  That's what I was hit with; how much God loves to create, and how much He loves His creation. 

He answers.  And it's not what everyone wanted to hear.  But if you stop and listen, it's much better than what they asked.  It's not the answer to "why did You do this?"  It's the answer to "who are You and can I trust You?"  The answer to THOSE questions is a loud, resounding "YES!"

And that's enough.

That's His answer.

Eliphaz Could Have Thrown Down a Killer Podcast

Reading through Job 35-37 today, it's all about Eliphaz's continuing speech.  I read his version of what is going on with Job, and I'm pretty sure Eliphaz listens to Mark Driscoll's podcasts and considers himself a Young Calvinist.  What I mean is this; there is a large group of the American church who understands God as someone who transacts in sovereignty and justice.  He is a God who chooses whoever He wants, and then gives them whatever He wants.  He loves the pure in heart, and is heavy handed on the rest.  They tend to be very close minded about any other views but their own, and live out of a place of fear.

God is sovereign (totally in control), there is no doubt.  He is a God of justice, for sure.  But He loves all of us equally, and gives all of us an equal chance to serve and love and follow Him.  He extends grace after grace after grace to us, even though none of us deserve it.  He saves us when we call on Him, over and over.  We are all equal before Him, because He is so very, very, very good.

Because of this, we need to be humble in how we approach each other.  It is not our place to judge.  That's one of the big points in Job.  Job did not lose everything because of sin.  Had he sinned?  Sure.  But that wasn't what caused the detonation.  In his case, God wanted to stick it to Satan, and He trusted Job to stay faithful through it.  Nothing more. No one should have been judging Job for what happened.  They were all off.

Obviously, when we sin, it has consequences.  But even when it's obvious, it isn't up to us to judge people for those sins and consequences.  When we love someone, we can talk about the consequences they face without begin judgemental.  We need to walk in humility and speak in grace, just like the Almighty One does with us.

Who have you been judging lately?  What do you need to tell them?

I Wanna Be....Your Sledgehammer!

Today I hit Job 32-34.  It's the story of Eliphaz, this young dude who jumps into the fray with Job and his friends.  He's waited and listened to the older men while they spoke, but then his anger gets the best of him and he lets it fly.  He tells them in no uncertain terms that he too has wisdom, and they need to shut their mouths and listen to him for awhile.  He is strong on judgment and heavy with truth.  He gets a lot of his understanding of God correct.  But, it's incomplete.  You see, that's the back story to the book of Job.  Every one in the story has truth about God, but it's incomplete.  The problem is, Eliphaz speaks his out of anger. 

Truth is not a weapon in our hands to be used on other people.  It's not.  We think it is, but it's not.  The word of God is a sword, but it's to be used against our enemy, Satan.  Not other people.  It's God's job to convict with truth in other people's hearts.  We are to speak truth, and speak it in very tough spots.  We are to speak truth when it isn't convenient, or when someone doesn't want to hear it.  But if we are speaking it as a weapon in our anger, we are probably out of line.  Especially when we tie that anger to our pride.  We're in deep water then.

I have done, and continue to do this, far too much.  God is changing me as the days pass by, but it is taking alot of work on His part, to be sure.  What about you.  Do you believe that if you have truth, that gives you the right to swing it like a hammer when you are angry?  Have you used truth in anger to hurt someone lately?  What do you need to do about it?

Their Names Begin with J, So Does Mine....

Reading through Job 29-31 today, I realized; I really love Job.  He defends himself, and as I read it, I'm like; "This is a guy I want to have as a friend."  He's bold, honest, compassionate, generous, and faithful.  I'm really drawn to him.

Then I begin to think about my character and actions.  Am I like that?  Could God let Satan have his way with me, and I would be able to know that I was innocent like Job?  No.  I would not.

But I want to be.  Job is just a shadow of who Jesus is.  I want to be like Job, but more importantly, I want to be like Jesus.  Bold, honest, compassionate, generous, and faithful.  Today, I want to work on those traits. 

What is your goal for the day?

I Saw the Light

I had to play catchup on my weekend reading in my Through the Bible in a Year routine.  Job continues his discussion with his friends about his innocence.  But today, one verse stood out to me above all others.  I read about Job's innocence and why God is punishing him.  I hear his friends act rationally, and completely ungodly in their response.  But one verse leaped out to me,  it spoke to me.  I found my life explained in this one verse.

In fact, this epiphany will become my life verse now.


What is it you ask?

It's in Job 19:17 
My breath is offensive to my wife;
I am loathsome to my own family. 

Yes, I find myself in that verse.  I am at peace now.  God has spoken to me.


Amen.