THOSE PESKY DETAILS

Numbers 16:41-18:32; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 11:7

 “On the way they were asking each other, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’  But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.”

 “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

I am ashamed to think how many things I haven’t done because the details seemed outside my ability to see or resolve.  I’m fairly good at saying, “Here I am, Lord.  I’m willing.  Show me the way.”  But I might as well save my breath, because what I’m really saying is, “There are a few things we need to take care of first, Lord.  I’ll start when You show me how not to fail.”  In all honesty, I’m usually only truly willing to begin when I can see from the start my way clear to a victorious finish.  No one, then, should be surprised that I spend a lot more time just warming up or frozen in the starting gate than actually out on the Spirit’s course.

It’s pretty tough to comprehend, let alone actually claim, victory in any race or task if we refuse to even start until we know all the pitfalls and are certain we can overcome them. Maybe that is why some of us are more familiar with disillusionment than abundant life. Christ tends to reward only those willing to begin His faith journeys without knowing the destination or end result.  Frequently, when God calls us, He does not tell us where, what or when the finish is. So, those unwilling to adventure outside the bounds of the known or certain may find it hard to discern, much less follow, God’s call.  But those willing to begin to journey into the unknown just guided step-by-step by the Spirit can anticipate great blessing, even – maybe especially - if the blessing is not obvious at the start.

Take Mary and Salome, for example. They knew their call was to embalm Jesus. They knew the stone was in front of the tomb, blocking their way.  They started out anyway. And their reward was not something they would have believed at the start even if they had been told. It was WAY better than anything they could have anticipated or imagined!

Sometimes, the key to success is just getting started. God calls us to faithful obedience, not necessarily “success” as we define it.  But more often than not, when we start in faithful obedience, we end up being successful beyond our dreams, too.  Let’s not let the details keep us off the path Jesus invites us to travel with Him.

CHOOSING BARABBAS

Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6

 “They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly.  They united against Moses and Aaron and said, ‘You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?’”

 “The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual. ‘Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?’ Pilate asked.  (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)  But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.”

“The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. The godliness of good people rescues them;
the ambition of treacherous people traps them.”

We need to take a careful look at our tendency to choose anything but godly leadership. Isn’t that what the rebellion against Moses and the freeing of Barabbas were really all about? People simply decided to reject God’s messengers. The ramifications and consequences of that choice were hardly considered. The rebels had no plan for moving forward; they just didn’t want to follow Moses.  There’s no indication the people planned to follow Barabbas. He just wasn’t Jesus. When push comes to shove, the very people who ask for and wait for God’s guidance sometimes are the ones least able to accept it when it comes from another person.

Many of us get uncomfortable when someone else claims divine inspiration. The rejection can be even worse when their message addresses our own need for guidance or deliverance. Maybe we feel inadequate by comparison, but that doesn’t justify outright resentment or envy of those better “connected.” There is another approach.  First, because choosing anything other than Christ is choosing something less than God’s best, we should accept those guiding in His Name as a blessing. Second, we need to honestly admit we least appreciate Spirit correction when we need it the most.  That correction is uncomfortable does not make it wrong.  Third, remember that when God speaks today, He frequently does it through others. A big part of humility is being able to accept God’s Word, regardless of its source. Gratitude, acceptance and humble reaction is the better, proper response to those who would lead us closer to God. 

I have no problem at all accepting compliments, whatever the source.  It’s criticism that rankles, and it rankles worse when the Spirit chooses another believer to deliver its message. I need to keep in mind that brothers and sisters who love each other help each other make corrections when corrections are needed. Next time I get corrected in the name of Christ, I’m going to try to be more grateful that I have friends who care enough to let me know when I fall into error.  If they are wrong, it will be obvious soon enough. Either way, though, I’m going to try to be less defensive and resist the temptation to choose anything but Jesus.

WHEN GOD DOESN'T ANSWER

Numbers 14:1-15:16; Mark 14:53-72; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 11:4

 “Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night….  ‘Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt? ...Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed.’”

 “Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, ‘…What is your verdict?’  ‘Guilty!’ they all cried. ‘He deserves to die!’  Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. ‘Prophesy to us,’ they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.”

“Oh, that salvation would come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel!  When God restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.”

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed.”  This is a prayer for the ages.  Much depends on the tone read into it, but there is a fundamental, nearly instinctive, truth to the words, regardless. I wonder, for example, during the scourging of Jesus, if maybe one soldier truly wanted Jesus to prophesy, longing to hear the word of a compassionate God in the middle of all that inhumanity.  As long as there has been a concept of God in the human psyche, there has been a fundamental desire to see Him in action, to have Him rescue, heal and save.

However, we are intellectually dishonest and denying Scripture to claim that God always answers.  Some try to finesse the point by claiming His “answer” in such situations is just “wait.”  Sometimes, that is the answer, but other times, it’s just silence.  We need to learn to live with and within that silence if we are going to be the people God calls us to be. Yet who is comfortable in a silent relationship?  It seems a contradiction in itself.  How can there even be relationship in silence?  What is the Spirit trying to teach us through silence? 

Having recently fought through such a quiet time myself, I think the Spirit uses silence to teach us reliance.  It should not surprise me – but always does – that I am usually the initiator of such a silence.  Intentionally or not, I quit listening to God.  I may still be making demands of Him, but I am not pausing for a reply.  I may be raging at Him.  Or, I am off doing my own thing. The bottom line remains that I initiate God’s silence by asserting my independence from Him, or by presuming to tell Him what to do.  Why would anyone respond to that?  It is pretty obvious my greatest need then is not for instruction; I need first to truly hear myself and understand the effect of my thoughts and words.  Eventually, left in quiet, most of us run out of words.  We come to realize we do not have the answers, and no amount of work is going to get us over the problem.  That is the point we choose – either bitterness and disillusionment, or a radical new reliance on God, despite His silence.

What are we to do with a God who is silent?  Scripture says we should rely on Him even more.  It sounds illogical, but it is not.  I don’t know why it works, but it does.  I guess the Father simply loves us enough to allow us to fail on our own terms, if that is what it takes to get us to surrender to Him on Christ’s terms.

BRING ON THE OVERCOMERS!

Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3

 “This was their report to Moses: ‘We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!...’  But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’”

 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

“The Lord detests cheating, but he delights in honesty.  Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.”

There is a bumper sticker that reads, “I admire guts!”  Good word.  We all could do with a little more intestinal fortitude.  When our politicians themselves dub us a nation of whiners, the accusation stings.  Even many Christians (myself included) sound like Hebrews in the desert, promised an abundant life, yet intimidated by “giants.”  We wring our hands in worry, overwhelmed by economic and social forces we don’t understand, and we curse God for bringing us to this place, instead of exploring the land for opportunities.

Some, though, are able to radiate a sense of peace, security and anticipated victory regardless of their circumstances.  They are “Overcomers,” and I long to join their ranks! I am reminded of an older couple in our church I have known and respected for over twenty years. They have a serene certainty about them that defies circumstances. Through health problems, family problems and everyday life, whenever asked how they are doing, their answer is always, “Everything is beautiful.”  For them, it is.  Did you notice? They divert focus from themselves (“Everything is beautiful.”).  They seek beauty.  (Even tragedy, for them, is one more chance to draw closer to the Spirit and partner with Christ in Ministry.)  Further, they never focus on conquering the enemy alone.  They live with God on a daily basis.  They know Jesus by His first name.  Finally, because Christ is at their center, they radiate joy even under the worst conditions.  They are able to say “Thy Will be done,” because they know from experience that is always the best choice.  And when God’s Way seems hard to figure or accept, they are not afraid to wrestle it out with Him.  They are secure enough to recognize that, even (maybe especially) in the wrestling, there is relationship, and relationship with their Savior is their one unwavering priority.

Perhaps that’s the big difference between the Calebs of this world and the rest of us.  Certainly, it’s a major difference between Jesus and us.  Both Caleb and Jesus lived as if their very lives depended on God – because they did!  When trials came, they just entrusted themselves to the Father and moved forward.  Being sold out to God was not a scary place for them; they recognized it was the one place for which they were perfectly designed.  What was scary was the possibility of separation from God.  Even Jesus resisted that, and we should, too!

WHEN EXTRAVAGANT LOVE TURNS BITTER

Numbers 10:1-11:23; Mark 14:1-21; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 10:31-32

 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?””

 “While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.  Some of those at the table were indignant. ‘Why waste such expensive perfume?’ they asked. ‘It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!’  So they scolded her harshly.”

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

I wrestle with deep-seated inferiority born of a youth and young adulthood centered on personal accomplishment.  In a very real way, I was only as good as my last award or victory.  Not a particularly good foundation for growth….  Worse, the process was self-defeating.  Each achievement brought higher expectations, and a new level of “competitor.”  No one can ultimately win the competition game; it has no end – other than exhaustion and bitterness.  There’s always someone “better,”  something better….  But my past helps me understand the Israelites in the desert, and the ones around Jesus’ table, too.  Empty people are constantly hungry and habitually critical of those who do not share their affliction.

Most of us know what it is to crave the new and different, to persistently – sometimes, even unreasonably - desire and seek more than we have.  We also know how to resent those more generous and secure.  We allow ourselves to be critical when we should be grateful and supportive.  Why?  Well, there is no justification for any of this, but I do propose an explanation.  We are craving the wrong things.  My voracious side, for example, is starved for recognition, and it never gets enough.  Sounds easy enough to fix, right?  Just try a little humility….  Oh, contraire!  The insatiable drive for more, and the disparagement of others, are the very ying and yang of “self.”  Although one or the other is at the heart of virtually all human misery, we are helpless to purge them on our own.

These tendencies turn even the greatest blessings and most compassionate actions sour.  Look how quickly the Israelites tired of both manna and quail (and, by implication, the love of God behind both)!  Recognize the dinner guests’ immediately cynical response to Mary’s anointing of Her Lord for what it was.  Her extravagant love demonstrated the epitome of security!  Hers was a soul filled to overflowing with the Spirit of grace, forgiveness and healing.  Her action was a natural outpouring and sharing of gratitude.  Yet all the guests saw was waste.  They could not comprehend the depth of healing and wholeness Jesus provided, so they just discounted it.  Talk about dragging others down…. 

The moral is that greed and envy walk hand in hand, spoiling things for everyone.  They are a deadly duo. There is only one antidote: a filling by the Holy Spirit!  When the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head, only the Spirit can fill us the way we were made to be filled.  Any other substitute eventually leads to disillusionment and bitterness.  A wise pastor once told me that “bitterness” is taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. That kind of futility is more than reason enough to seek the Spirit’s heart first, and always.

WATCHING FOR GOD

Numbers 8:1-9:23; Mark 13:14-37; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29-30

 “Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle.”

“You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

“Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
 Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”

“The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked.”

If there was a motto for what God is showing me at this moment, it would be “Pay Attention!”  There is so much more to the Spirit than we give Christ credit for, but we miss it because we aren’t looking for it.  The early Hebrews knew what it was to literally depend on God’s direction.  They had to be attentive.  Why do we think we can afford to be any less so?  The fact is, we can’t afford it; we just are less attentive.  It’s no answer to say it's easier to concentrate on God in a desert, where nothing else is competing for our attention.  The question is not whether we focus on other things; the question is whether we focus on God, or not.

Why doesn’t God guide me the way He did the Israelites? Who says He doesn’t?  Only the guy who doesn’t see.  But the lack of perception does not prove the lack of activity.  Christ is working, calling, inviting.  If we don’t see Him, it’s more our fault than His.  We need to train ourselves to see the deep things of God.

Example: I started this blog after months of feeling like the Spirit had left me dangling: no input, no message, no Word, but a ton of anxiety, some reasonable, some not. A good friend suggested getting back to the Bible might help.  He also mentioned keeping and sharing his own journal with a friend.  I heard written accountability, and this blog was born.  I have some friends I trust holding me to it.  But that’s now more about friendship than necessity.  The things Jesus has showed me since this adventure began have pretty much guaranteed my plan to stay the course.  The process has sharpened and redirected my focus, and I am just stunned at the blessings I’ve seen as a result.

 If we are going to live in victory, we have to commit to diligently seek Jesus, first.  Then, if my experience means anything, He’ll handle the rest. He’s not hiding, after all.  Just don’t underestimate the power of spiritual inertia.  It’s like going to the gym.  Once I got out of the habit of daily time with the Spirit, I lost my spiritual muscle tone and coordination.  Today is a good day to start a new spiritual fitness plan.

OPTIMISM

Numbers 6:1-7:89; Mark 12:38-13:13; Psalm 49:1-20; Proverbs 10:27-28

 “May the Lord bless you and protect you.
 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.”

“But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.  A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

“Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever….  But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.”

“Optimist: a person who cannot be beaten because they simply will not be beaten.  One who sees the best in every situation.  A redeemer.”

I have no idea how Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary really defines “optimist.”  But I know one when I see one, and I know I need more of that kind of positive mental attitude in my life.  Where does that unsinkable character come from?  I suspect it comes from a secure self-image and an ability to see beyond one’s self and the present circumstances.  An optimist is more than a visionary, though.  The best optimists have faith in something bigger than themselves, and an unwavering confidence that things will eventually work out for the best.

Christians, then, should be the most optimistic people in the world.  We know what it means to be redeemed.  We know the Redeemer personally, and we have a share in His victory over sin and death.  We have the Holy Spirit speaking for us and through us.  We truly have been blessed by God.  

Yet many of us remain consumed by responsibilities and obligations.  We let ourselves get sucked back into a life of legalism.  We substitute intellectual wisdom for spiritual sensitivity.  Then, we wonder why we are depressed instead of optimistic.

There is good news.  Redemption is not a one time or a sometime thing.  It is always available to make things new.  We are not bound to repeat our failures, nor do we have to wallow in guilt for them.  Christ can and will snatch us from the power of the grave, if we will but allow it.

Just for today, let’s try an experiment.  Let’s test our optimism quotient.  Keep track of negative and positive thoughts, and decide what the ratio suggests about our relationship with Christ.  God did not save us so we could be the spiritual equivalent of Debbie Downer, consumed with the negatives.  He saved us to live in victory with Him!  If we are not optimistic about the victory, maybe it is because we have taken our eyes off the Redeemer who won it for us, and the blessings which flowed to us as a result.

BREAKING CAMP

Numbers 4:1-5:31; Mark 12:18-37; Psalm 48:1-14; Proverbs 10:26

 “When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it.  Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth. Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place.”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  No other commandment is greater than these.”

“Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem.  Walk around and count the many towers.
Take note of the fortified walls,
and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations.
 For that is what God is like.  He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.”

We cannot stay on the mountaintop forever.  Eventually, Mondays and rainy days always come.  No sanctuary on earth is perpetually safe. One sure constant in this life is change.  That’s why God instructs us to know, protect and take with us His holy things.  When we go from safety and security to the unknown, it helps if we take extra precautions to guard our hearts and secure what’s important.

For me, like many others, college was my moving away time.  In addition to the simple geographic separation from my early life and loves, there was a whole new set of people, ideas and mores with which to adapt.  I have no dramatic stories of drug abuse, alcoholism or other debauchery.  Nevertheless, I did not handle the transition particularly well. My heart was left unguarded, and my mind was captured by the intellectualism of campus life.  Who needed God?  I did not reject Him so much as see Him as irrelevant.  Though certainly not terrible by the world’s standards, neither did my priorities come anywhere close to holy.  My spirituality, what there was of it, was largely cosmetic.

Turned out, that was more than rejection enough.  Predictably, unguarded and unprotected, my heart fell victim to my emotions, and I walked into very serious sin.  Then, I woke up one day to find myself without hope.  Don’t misunderstand; this was a far cry from the despair and grief one usually associates with such a state.  Ironically, life actually was pretty good.  I was not suicidal, just empty.  I had nothing to look forward to, no vision or inspiration.  In a word, the colors of life were all shades of gray.  I probably could have lived that way for years, if not forever, kidding myself that was just the way “adult” life was supposed to be.  But the Spirit knew better, and would not let me kid myself. 

Thanks be to God!  I am learning the Great Commandment is also The Great Secret of Joy.  There is never a lack of inspiration or vision for one focused on God and his or her neighbor.  Now, when I get selfish or self-centered, I see my loss of inspiration as the warning flag it is.  Only the Spirit and His purpose can truly sustain.  Whenever life throws us a curve and our situation changes, we have to train ourselves to protect the holy things of God, and to carry them with us, wherever the Lord leads.

HERITAGE AND MISSION

Numbers 2:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25

 “This is the family line of Aaron and Moses as it was recorded when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai:  The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar….  These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained to minister as priests.”

“Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?  ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
 This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’”           

“The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled;
the hopes of the godly will be granted.”

Family heritage and lineage is important.  It is good to know where we come from and our history, the foundations upon which life is based.  It is better to know we help each other grow and back each other up.  In these times especially, being part of something bigger and better than ourselves is good medicine for anxiety.  However, not everyone has been so blessed.  A cold, authoritarian father can make relating to a heavenly Father tough.  Anyone betrayed by their natural family will likely be suspicious of any Church family.   No family is perfect, either.

Maybe that’s why it is in knowing and owning our personal mission that we truly touch the hand of God.  Why are we here?  What were we created to do?  We sense we are more than just some kind of cosmic accident, but we sometimes question our real significance.  Life is about more than just hanging out with, or even being loved by, family and friends.  Finding a sense of being set apart, of being ordained by God to accomplish a unique task or vision, does wonders for the ol’ self-confidence.

God made it easy on the Levites.  He was absolutely clear they were specially ordained, and He was specific about what they were to do.  I wish He was as clear with me.  At 51, I still have questions about my life’s course, and whether I’m on the right track.  I still wonder if He can use me at all.  Maybe if I had a clearer sense of calling, I would have a better sense of mission… and self worth…. 

God calls us to consider the prophecy Jesus Himself quoted to the Pharisees who saw no value in His life: “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”  Jesus, rejected, became the cornerstone of God’s New Covenant.  If we’re feeling unsupported, unloved or underappreciated, maybe it’s because we haven’t taken seriously enough the idea that God can use, wants to use, and expects to use us.  I have a heritage that prepared me.  (Even difficult pasts can be used by God to bring wisdom and compassion to life.)  I have a Savior through whom I can do all things.  Maybe it’s time to take a little more definite step of faith in His direction and be a little bolder in pointing others to Him.  Just maybe, I’ll find that I’ve been set apart for a special purpose, too.  It would by way cool for God to build something with me.  Some may call that a dream; I call it hope.

KILLING CHRIST

Leviticus 27:14- Numbers 1:54; Mark 11:1-26; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 10:23

 “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.  He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”  When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him.”  

“Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world.”

 “Doing wrong is fun for a fool,
but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.”

We cannot compartmentalize the Spirit.  Jesus will not tolerate competition.  Even our views on religion itself are subject to His clarification or purging.  When the Spirit begins our renovation, nothing is off limits.  His goal is to make everything sacred, holy to God.  Those of us who are just looking for a light religious dusting may come to resent His greater efforts.

At this point, we have a choice.  Either actively accept His Lordship more fully, or reject Him (whether intentionally or by default doesn’t matter).  There is no middle ground, no compromise.  Any failure to follow His lead is, by definition, a rejection.  The Spirit neither takes nor accepts prisoners. 

Consider honestly how we sometimes resent the ability of others to navigate their lives without a moral compass.  Especially when we see their profiteering, the fun they are having outside God’s boundaries, we can get jealous.  We may want to nudge the Spirit a little to the left of the center of our lives.  But we cannot “nudge” the Spirit out of the way.  There is only following, or not.  If we want to rejoin the party of the lost, we should not be surprised when inspiration dies and we begin to lose ourselves in our old – or some bad, new – ways.

I wrestle with intentional disobedience every single day.  God wants me to let something go; I hang on for dear life.  The Spirit says change; I like things as they are.  Christ says stay put and be quiet; I make noise and move.  This is not passive sin by omission. It’s enemy action.  I am a Christian, no longer enslaved to sin.  So, if I am still sinning, I better own the fact that I am doing so willingly.  This is a startling, uncomfortable word.  Still, the Bible is absolutely clear that we have been set free from the power of sin.  If we don’t have to do it, then, we must be choosing to do it. 

The good news is that in the power of Christ, we can also choose not to do it.  Oh, and there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  We may lose a few battles, but if we keep our fundamental allegiance to Jesus and work to give His Spirit free reign in our lives rather than squelch Him, ultimate victory will be His, and ours. 

CLUELESS

Leviticus 25:47-27:13; Mark 10:32-52; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 10:22

 “’Listen,’ he said, ‘we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans.  They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.’  

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do us a favor….’”

I feel for James and John.  Talk about missing the point….  Jesus poured His heart out, and those guys trampled that sucker flat!  In a different context, it might be funny; here, it’s borderline pathetic.  How did Jesus keep His patience with them?

Better question: how does He keep His patience with me, Mr. Agenda Oriented?  The Spirit’s answers are drowned out by my questions.  So, as long as I’ve messed things up anyhow, Lord, I, too, have a favor to ask.  Would you teach me to put You and your heart first in my life?  I want to feel what You feel, know what You know.  What?  You want me to start by putting others first?  Hey, this is supposed to be a religious experience!  I want to be closer to You.

Well, O.K….  I am trying to stop interrupting my wife. (It’s a start!)  Y’know what?  Turns out she’s a pretty smart lady!  In fact, colleagues, friends, most everybody seems a little brighter and more interesting when I focus on them.  This “putting others first” is about a lot more than common courtesy, isn’t it?  I think I’m beginning to understand… that is the way to You.  If I empty my self in service, then whatever’s left is You. 

God’s agenda is always better, more productive than any other. More important, there is going to be a test someday, and the Holy Spirit has a lot to teach us between now and then.   Let’s pay attention.  Let’s be intentional.  We cannot learn, we cannot be prepared, if we don’t affirmatively put His Plan first. 

I’m tired of being clueless, Jesus.  I’m tired of priorities that don’t sustain, and that end up just draining my energy and my soul.  Send up a flare; I promise I will try to pay attention, and focus on what You want.

HOLDING LIFE WITH AN OPEN PALM

Leviticus 24:1-25:46; Mark 10:13-31; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 10:20-21

“Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year, blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land. Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan…. The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.”

 “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ he told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this, the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

“The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.”

What is there to learn from the Year of Jubilee?  It seems so arcane, so unfair, so impractical for everything to return to its original owner after fifty years.  Once I’ve invested that long in a place, I’ve got serious sweat equity.  Why should anyone have the right to benefit from my hard work, to reap where they haven’t sown, to coin a phrase?  Where’s the motivation to work at all, if I just have to give it away?  Hey, once I’ve lived and worked on some place fifty years, by God, it’s mine!

“No,” says God.  “It’s mine. Always has been, always will be.  You’re just a tenant farmer….” At this, the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he thought he had many possessions.  The Lord showed him how self-centered and selfish he really was, and he was ashamed….

There is nothing like the idea of permanent ownership to make us forget all about the fundamentals of sharing and loving and caring for others.  The related sense of entitlement, the claims of personal rights to possess and control exclusively, are subtle and seductive.  We honestly don’t mean to be selfish.  But when the Lord comes and says give it all back, we get mighty protective of “our” turf.  It’s only natural.  We’re just protecting what we think is ours, what we worked for, what we think we’ve earned.  We forget that all good gifts come from heaven. 

Especially for anyone who has benefitted from capitalism, finding out we really don’t own what we thought we owned is bitter medicine indeed.  We might, in fact, lose our motivation to improve things once we figure out there isn’t really much in it for us at the end of the day.  But on the other hand, if we cannot see and celebrate that we are working for Christ, if we are not dedicated to that end from the beginning, our motivation is misplaced anyway. God isn’t requiring socialism here. He’s mandating monotheism.  He knows that when we give anything greater import than Him, when we work for anything other than Him, we are headed down a very rough road.  Because no other priority is as worthwhile, as eternally important, as working for the whole Kingdom of God. 

The Lord knows we cannot serve God and money, even if we won’t acknowledge that limitation ourselves. So, every fifty years, He gave the Israelites a lesson in forced generosity.  He taught them to hold onto life with an open palm.  I’d like to think at least some of them even understood the greater lesson:  we’re all going back home sometime.  When we get there, no less than the Creator Himself plans to overwhelm us with blessings.  We will all reap where we have not sown.  We will all benefit from Another’s work.  It will be far better than anything we might have thought we owned here. 

Just maybe, if I keep that in mind, I will be a little less inclined to claim exclusive ownership, and a little more willing to share what was never really mine in the first place.

IN RECOGNITION AND EXPECTATION OF GRACE

Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19

“Do not present an animal with defects, because the Lord will not accept it on your behalf.”

 “He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.  He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.’”

“They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
 It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.”

God never gives second best.  He provides only the finest guidance, protection, strength, light and victory.  He offered His own Son, the perfect, flawless sacrifice.  He shares His love, unconditionally.  It’s no wonder He isn’t delighted when we respond with defective sacrifices, tainted tithes and hollow worship.  I tend to give Christ only what I can safely lose, attempting to “sacrifice” without real cost.  In responding to grace, I need to do better. 

Emptying ourselves, sharing our valued resources, actually frees us to more fully accept the bounty of God.  If our hands and hearts are full of earthly things, we cannot grasp Christ’s blessings.  We rely too much on the material, and ourselves.  Our good becomes the enemy of His best.  God recognizes this; it is why He calls us to a life of service, and radical reliance on His power and provision.  He knows that, when we shortchange the Spirit, we actually shortchange ourselves.

That’s why tithes, sacrifices and worship are supposed to cost something.  They represent an offering of ourselves, not as a condition of salvation, but in recognition of exactly what that salvation cost God, and in expectation of His daily blessings.  In that light, my “sacrifices” of only what I think I can afford are just pitiful.  God freely showers us with grace.  When I treat that grace as mundane or unworthy of great thanksgiving, I demean not just the Gift, but the Giver.

It shames me to think of how much I hold back from Jesus, especially in light of what He gave for me.  I have to fight the tendency to do or offer the acceptable minimum.  God has no acceptable minimum.  When He talks of making our bodies living sacrifices, He’s not kidding.  I am not ready to give at all until I am ready to literally offer a piece of myself for His redemption and use.  

FEARLESS FAITH

Leviticus 20:22-22:16; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 10:18

“The evil spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”

 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’

“The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me not to doubt!’”

“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.
 There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy.”

“Help me not to doubt!”  I understand that father’s lament.  It is the worry of every man and woman who is serious about learning to trust God.  Lord, help thou my unbelief; overcome that part of me which keeps wondering if you’re going to drop the ball after I give it to you.  Supernaturally cut off the lack of faith that keeps me from trusting You.  (Note: all the above could be read as, “Make it easy on me, will you, Lord?”)

God does not work that way.  The step of belief is the one step we must take toward Him on our own.  Just one small step, and His Spirit can and will do the rest.  Still, it is a step many are afraid to take.  Perversely, they would rather be stuck in their situations without God than to risk the change He promises.  Sometimes, more fundamentally, they actually choose to suffer “little defeats” rather than risk (they fear) the loss of their last great hope.  They may be willing to open their lives to Christ, but actually specifically relying on the Spirit for the fundamentals is another thing entirely.  It’s scary.  Perhaps that’s why one of the most quoted statements of God in the Bible is “Fear not!”  It is a command, something we have to will ourselves to do.  It is not optional.

So, how do we learn to fearlessly believe God?  Three words: practice, practice, practice.  Understand why Jesus never said another word to the father after challenging his lack of faith.  Even the Lord cannot – will not - talk us out of our unbelief.  Jesus instead simply did what He does best, and will do for us given the chance – ACT!  He leaves it up to us to decide what to think about the consistency of His actions (especially when they include a decision not to act). 

Words are cheap in any time of crisis (or blessing, for that matter).  Jesus knew this and let His actions speak for Him.  If we are to truly believe, to abide in Christ, and He in us, we have to get in the habit of giving Him unconditional permission to act (or not) as He sees fit.  When I doubt – a not infrequent occurrence – I have to remember that, in fifty some-odd years of life, I cannot think of a single time God has failed me.  Not once.  As in never.  To be sure, some “victories” are only realized in retrospect.  But if I am patient and fair, God has been absolutely consistent in showing me He is dead serious about making all things work to good.  In fact, some of my worst temporary defeats have turned into God’s greatest victories.  I just need to pay attention and let His Light and truth guide me.

We wrestle with belief because we don’t trust God absolutely.  We don’t trust because we are reluctant to give Him free reign to act in the way that His sovereign Spirit says is best.  Consequently, we don’t see the results of faith.  Let me be absolutely clear, and personal: when I interfere with God’s work in my life, trying to limit His sovereignty and His Lordship, it is me, not Him, who fails.  When I wrestle with doubt, inevitably, it is because I am not paying close enough attention to all the blessings in my life, and the Lord’s hand in every one!

GREED KILLS

Leviticus 19:1-20:21; Mark 8:11-38; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 10:17

“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop.  It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.”

“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?’”

“Why am I discouraged?  Why is my heart so sad?  I will put my hope in God!  I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!”

“People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray.”

What’s wrong with grabbing every grape?  If it’s my field, and I’ve done all the work, then it’s my crop and my right to harvest every grape.  Right?  Wrong!  But not just because “the Bible says so.”  And not just because “it all belongs to God” – even though it does.  God tells us not to take every grape because He knows greed kills.

Greed kills relationships.  My wife was in a long line for a sandwich at an airport shop when the cashier started waiving.  Thinking she was waiving at him, a flight attendant boldly pushed forward, presented his order… and risked a lynching.  Several minutes were spent in shouts and gestures.  Turned out, the cashier was waiving at a friend and ended up surrounded by enemies.  My wife lost her appetite, and brought back only disillusionment.  It is hard to befriend anyone who puts self above all.  When selfishness is so ingrained that we automatically assume life is all about us, life as God intended it is lost altogether. 

Greed kills sensitivity.  See above.  When our focus is on ourselves, our needs, our schedules, there is little to no tolerance for, or appreciation of, others’ issues.  We tend not even to notice other’s needs.  Ever get on the wrong elevator, just assuming those waiting are going the same direction?  Who hasn’t honked at the slow starter when a red light turns green?  These are simple symptoms of a deadly disease.

Greed kills our souls.  It has been said – or should have been – that the soul is our divine connection with each other.  When we wrap our hearts in a shroud of self-interest, we suffocate our souls and bind our emotions to the point of atrophy.  The best part of us – that which would lead us to the Body of Christ – eventually dies.  Or is, at least, forcibly evicted.  Our world contracts.  We isolate ourselves, creating barriers even the most generous cannot hurdle.  We become black holes of the spiritual world, sucking everything in and giving nothing back.

Only the provision of God, only His abundance, can satisfy our desperately empty and voracious souls; can restore our sensitivity; and rebuild our relationships.  So, why not take every grape, really?  Just to prove we don’t have to – to ourselves and to the world.  Christians have an abundance that utterly transcends our grain, our grapes and any amount of any other stuff we may or may not have.  This is a great time to remember that we don’t need every single grape.  Sometimes, simple generosity is the best witness of all!

WORDS, AND EARS

Leviticus 16:29-18:30; Mark 7:24-8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 10:15-16

“So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life.  You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God.  If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them.  I am the Lord.  Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways.  Because the entire land has become defiled, I am punishing the people who live there.  I will cause the land to vomit them out.”

“A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.  Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the man’s tongue. Looking up to heaven, he sighed and said, ‘Ephphatha,’ which means, ‘Be opened!’ Instantly the man could hear perfectly, and his tongue was freed so he could speak plainly!”

“‘O Lord,’ I prayed, ‘have mercy on me.
 Heal me, for I have sinned against you.’”

Does anyone besides me wonder if the world has abandoned plain talk?  It is important that our language not alienate unnecessarily.  However, wrong is still wrong, right has not changed, and calling a square a circle does not round its corners off.  God created boundaries for a reason.  So, how long will I put up with my own disobedience and excessive tolerance?  I continue to excuse my own sins on the flimsiest of reasons, to the point it has become automatic and my conscience is muted.  God wants it to stop.

Life has clear rules.  We cheat at our peril.  Many of the Lord’s commands in Leviticus actually make good, sanitary sense, for example.  Had the Hebrews disregarded them, a lot of genealogies would be radically different today.  But the bottom line is sin is a self-centered affront to our Creator and, often, others as well.  It needs to be identified, acknowledged and removed.  When we fail to deal aggressively with sin, we become captive to its effects: depression, greed, addiction, laziness… the list is daunting.  And it has very little to do with the way any sane person would want to live for very long. 

We have obscured and qualified the truth of God to the point we no longer know our boundaries.  I, for one, am glad to worship a God who is not afraid to offend, if that’s what it takes to heal me.  Because God’s ability to heal is impacted by my decision to stop listening.  Sometimes, Christ has to go beyond blunt to get my attention.

I am much better at not listening than hearing.  I practice deafness.  Today, everyone who has an opinion or thought seems to fear being ignored and compensates by being louder and more repetitive.  We substitute length for depth.  We interrupt without apology.  It is no wonder we stopped listening: there is little worth hearing, but much to confuse and mislead us.  Still, when these habits extend to our prayers and relationship with God, they have gone too far.

God never stopped speaking plainly.  We just aren’t focused on His voice or direction.  We have to be willing to listen when His Spirit calls to our conscience.  We need to start listening to the right things.  Sometimes, the things we most don’t want to hear are the things we most need to hear.

LESSONS OF THE SCAPEGOAT

Leviticus 15:1-16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 10:13-14

“The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the Lord. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the Lord.”

“Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’  For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition. Then he said, ‘You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.’”

“As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. 
You are my helper and my savior.  O my God, do not delay.”

There is more than one way to die, and there are worse things than physical death.  Isolation is both a way to die and can be worse than physical death.  Make no mistake: isolation is very different from being alone.  One can be alone yet not isolated, and one can be isolated in a crowd.  Regardless of how it occurs, though, little is worse than being isolated by our sins and left in a desolate place to wander without companionship, guidance or solace.  The irony is that, sometimes, our sin is found in our very religiosity, and it is our sense of spiritual superiority or immunity which condemns us to the life of “dead men walking.”

Jesus’ death did not relieve me or any of us from personal responsibility for sin.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins, but my sins sent Him to the Cross as surely as if I had been the Roman guard who nailed Him there.  Any refusal to admit that, or blaming others instead, only separates me from the Body of Christ and condemns me to wander in isolation.  In fact, my reluctance to admit my own role in Christ’s death also separates me from the grace His death purchased for me!  That’s why Jesus made no bones about it: making others our personal scapegoats unwittingly makes us the most unfortunate goats of all!

Christ had no tolerance for those who misused what they claimed was God’s law to make spiritual scapegoats of others.  We should not tolerate the tendency to elevate ourselves at the expense of others any more than Jesus did.  It would be helpful if we started by refusing to blame others for our own shortcomings.  Jesus cannot, will not clean up anything we refuse to see as dirty.  And what He does not clean – we may rest assured! – eventually will leave us alone and isolated.  

Yes, the secret to success IS knowing who to blame.  But we don't need to look very far....

PERILS OF A HARDENED HEART

Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalm 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12

“Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things…. They still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.”

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the Lord….  Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand —
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.”

“Their hearts were too hard to take it in.”  Is there a sadder line in all of Scripture?  Jesus wants to teach us a new way of thinking, a new way of seeing His world.  He wants to give us abundance before we even ask for it.  He wants to put a song on our lips and in our hearts.  People will be amazed at the Lord’s power to lift us up and steady us.  But somehow, the Spirit has to make us listen before we will understand.  Otherwise, we miss it all, even with blessings right in front of us.  Because we are a hard hearted bunch….

God doesn’t want our external gifts and sacrifices if they do not represent an offering of ourselves.  He wants our hearts, completely, all or nothing.  He knows – and we should admit – that we have never fully trusted Christ until we have allowed Him in the very center of our lives.  Until His Spirit can work on us from the heart out, we are no more than interested observers at a hockey game who don’t quite grasp what is going on.  We can still appreciate and wonder at the great plays and talents of those who are actually in the game, but everything we see leaves us personally unaffected and strangely cold.

Christianity is not a spectator sport.  It is, in a word, transformation: recovery and renovation from the inside out.  Whatever is not Christ at our center has got to go, and we have to be willing to let it go.  Jesus is like an architect/builder who has to tear down some interior walls before He can remodel and improve the home.  We are like homeowners who cannot (or worse, will not) read the plans and so can’t appreciate or accept the beauty of their (our) design.

When I look at all the things that separate me from Christ, they all come down to one thing – a hard heart that resists remodeling.  I hold back my heart even knowing, absolutely, that His way is best.  I stubbornly refuse to follow His plans.  Consequently, I miss much of the beauty of the life He actually created me to live.  No wonder David implored God to, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God!”  Transformation begins with the heart, or it doesn’t begin at all.