Stop the 'snitch'

A new movement is gaining momentum within the urban culture: “Stop Snitching.” Put simply its not cool to point your finger and say, “He (or she) did it.” It is the new code of the street; the cool rapper knows when to zip it and just keep quiet. From drugs to all kinds of violence the quickest way to lose friends is to help the police by telling them what you know.

One example is Busta Rhymes. This hip-hop star has refused to help the police solve the February 2006 murder of his body guard Israel Ramirez. Rhymes is not alone; as many as 50 other people may have witnessed the shooting and their silence has echoed throughout the New York police departments investigation. No one is willing to talk.[1]

Police and prosecutors have their theories as to why the “Stop Snitching” movement is growing. I have one that I doubt they have thought of: They want to silent the ‘snitch’ that continually points an accusing finger at them and says, “You’re guilty.”

It’s not a case of an over active conscience; I believe it is the condemnation of Satan that these people want to hush by their new code of silence. Who knows it just might work . . . for now.

The Bible describes the devil as “the accuser;” it is Satan who wants to make us feel guilty, to make us feel so bad that we believe even God will turn His back on us because of our sin. Nothing could be further from the truth.

• [8] The one who pronounces me innocent is near. Who will bring a case against me? Let us confront each other! Who accuses me? Let him confront me! [9] The Almighty Lord helps me. Who will find me guilty? They will all wear out like a garment. Moths will eat them.
  Isaiah 50:8-9 (GW)

God’s love for me will never fail! His forgiveness and mercy covers all my sin; I’m free! The charges brought against me have been dropped; through Jesus I’m declared innocent.

The ‘snitch’ Satan can point his finger at me all he wants. His accusations will wear out like old clothes. God has clothed me with His robes of righteousness. God is by my side to defend me from all Satan’s accusations. That’s something no one should keep quiet!

[1] USA Today; Anti-snitch campaign riles police, prosecutors. By Rick Hampson; http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-28-stop-snitching_x.htm

Who hurts more?

“This hurts me more than it is going to hurt you.” How often has a parent said something like that when they are about to punish a son or daughter? If you’re a parent you have probably said it yourself.

As a child I for one can remember thinking to myself, “Well gee dad if it’s going to hurt you that much then lets just forget about the whole thing!” Yet now that I’m older and wiser with kids of my own I must confess that I have said and thought this many times. Why? It’s not because a spanking or any other form of discipline hurts me more than my kids; it’s because I am hurt by their disobedience.

Did you know that God has said as much to us as His children?

• [10] See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. [11] For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.
  Isaiah 48:10-11 (NIV)

Think about what God is really saying here. The first thing God tells us is that He knows punishment hurts us. God doesn’t just give us a spanking; God refines us in the fire. I know from experience that the furnace of affliction is hot and very uncomfortable, and God knows it too. “Child, I know this hurts.”

But God doesn’t stop there; the Lord goes on to say that it hurts Him more than it hurts us. Do you see it in what God said through Isaiah? Look at it again: “For my own sake, for my own sake I do this.” God disciplines us to teach us how to live a righteous and holy life, but His discipline is not just to teach us right from wrong. God said He takes us through the furnace of affliction for His benefit!

Notice what God said next: “How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” In other words, “It hurts me more than it does you.” God asks, “How can I continue to let you drag me through the mud; why should I continue to let you stab me in the back?”

Our sin hurts God, and the amazing thing is that His pain is greater than our spanking. Our willful disobedience is an attempt to rob God of His glory, to profane His holiness and make Him like us, and God won’t stand for it. His pain motivates Him to action and He disciplines us.

I don’t know what affliction or suffering you may be facing today, but have you asked yourself if it is because of your personal sin and disobedience? Is it God’s discipline to instruct you in righteousness? Can you hear God saying, “This hurts me more than it does you?”

Seeking Truth

Pilate questioned Jesus about the charges brought the religious leaders had made against Him. Pilate could find no reason for Jesus to be sentenced to death; nevertheless he knew that outside an angry mob was on the verge of rioting because of Jesus. Pilate finished his questioning of Jesus by asking, “What is truth?” Pilate never gave Jesus the chance to answer that question. Instead it seems Pilate made his own truth. Trying to set Jesus free he finally washed his hands of the whole situation and turned Jesus over to be crucified. At least Pilate could say he was innocent of his death.

It seems that Pilate is not the only politician who invents his own truth. Democrats and Republicans both claim to support our troops and justify their votes in speeches while our soldiers are still waiting for funding for the supplies they so desperately need. Who is right? What is truth? I guess it all depends upon which side of the political isle you favor.

Now before you tune me out because you think I’m only pondering politics understand that we all do the same thing with truth in one way or another. How often have you or I invented ‘truth’ that causes others to scratch their head and wonder what we were thinking?

Our culture claims that truth is relative, that we all can have our own personal truth, but by definition truth is absolute. A truth cannot be both true for me and false for you. It is like believing that 2+2=5 (or any other number besides 4) and then justifying your answer as being valid!

Is there a way that we can know the truth? Or is the truth a mystery that cannot be solved? I think Isaiah offers an answer.

• This lover of emptiness, of nothing, is so out of touch with reality, so far gone, that he can't even look at what he's doing, can't even look at the no-god stick of wood in his hand and say, "This is crazy."
  Isaiah 44:20 (MsgB)

Isaiah describes the idolatry of those who worship false gods; those who cut down a tree and use some of the wood for a fire but take one log and carve it into the shape of a god, overlay it with gold and then worship it. And when they are in trouble they come to their carved firewood and pray for help. Such a person “feeds on ashes” deluded and unable to even ask themselves “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

If we are going to discover the truth I think it begins by asking some honest questions. Lies and fabricated truth will crumble under examination, but genuine truth will withstand the onslaught of testing and inquiry. Truth can be validated.

So is what you believe true? Do your actions line up with what you say you believe? Ask yourself some tough questions and uncover the truth. The good news is that God stands ready to forgive all those who will expose the lie they have believed.

• I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."
  Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)

An Umbrella Day

Do you ever find yourself just floundering, to lack purpose and motivation? We all do from time to time.

Today was kind of like that for me; maybe it was the rain. Susie had asked me to take a half day of my vacation to clean the carpets; today was the day I set aside for this purpose. The job got done, but I wasn’t as glad to do it because all I could see was mud getting tracked in once it was done. On top of that I would have liked to have done some other things around the house but couldn’t because of the weather; bummer. I guess it was a good thing Susie thanked the Lord this morning for today’s rain that holds the promise of May flowers because I certainly needed the reminder to look beyond myself.

Maybe, just maybe that’s the real cause of our struggle to get moving in a purposeful direction. Perhaps we lose sight of our purpose when we focus on ourselves and what we want. I’m thankful that the Lord has given us a reason for being that is greater than ourselves, and I’m glad He is faithful to remind me of His purpose for my life even on rainy days.

• [6] I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. [7] You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.
  Isaiah 42:6-7 (NLT)

Put simply God let’s me share in His divine purpose and plan. God wants to show the world His righteousness through my life; He wants to prove His unfailing promise of love and mercy. The Lord wants my life to be a light shining in the darkness to offer hope and direction to those who are lost. Through me God wants to give sight to the blind and freedom to those in bondage. No doubt about it; God’s purpose for my life is bigger than I am (and His purpose is the same for you too).

God not only gives us a purpose, but He has also promised to be our ‘umbrella on a rainy day.’ The Lord will protect and sustain us as we fulfill His desire for our lives. Even when the day is dreary God will lift our spirits to bring His love and life to those around us. So let the rain keep on falling and I’ll keep smiling with God’s love overflowing from my heart.

Lay it on the line.

King Hezekiah and the people of Judah had a problem and everyone knew it. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, camped with his army with hundreds of thousand of soldiers just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Sennacherib and the Assyrians were an unstoppable force; they had destroyed many other nations. Now they were poised to do the same to the nation of Judah.

Sennacherib boasted of his victories and stated his intention to overthrow Hezekiah in the hearing of all the people at the wall; he bragged that none of the other gods of any of the nations that had opposed the kings of Assyria were able to stop them from being victorious. What then could the God of Israel do to help Hezekiah and his people? Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah with the same boastful threat.

Sennacherib was confident of his military strength to bring the people of Jerusalem to their knees leaving their city as well as their God nothing more than a pile of rubble. Fear gripped the hearts of all those living in Jerusalem. Would their God do anything to help them in the face of certain defeat?

• [14] Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. [15] And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord.
  Isaiah 37:14-15 (NIV)

Hezekiah did not prepare for battle. He did not plan his escape from the city; nor did Hezekiah sit and worry or become paralyzed by fear. Hezekiah prayed. But more than just a prayer; Hezekiah laid it all out before the Lord.

Sometimes I think our prayers make a quick request for help but we never even let God have a chance to answer our prayer because we immediately try to solve our problem by ourselves. Maybe I’m the only one with that problem? With an arrogant pride we never stop and just get real with God. When was the last time any of us prayed something like this?

“Lord here is my problem and it is bigger than I am; I don’t know which way to turn. God without your help I’m as good as beaten before the fight even starts.”

I notice something else though about Hezekiah’s prayer. It’s not just a helpless cry for help. Hezekiah’s request is not just for God to come to his rescue, but that God will prove Himself as the Living God, the Almighty. Hezekiah’s request wasn’t so much about his need as God being glorified. God would get all the credit for the victory not Hezekiah.

I think those are the kind of prayers God likes to answer; it’s an honest prayer with a pure motive. For me I think it is time to get real with God and stop pretending that I can make it on my own; I think it is time to lay it all on the line and let God be the one who not only handles it but gets the credit too. How about you?

Everything

A father stood at his seventeen year old daughter’s side and never opened his mouth. She stood before the judge who read the charge on the traffic ticket and then asked, “How do you plead.”

“Guilty,” was all she said.

The judge proceeded to access the fine and the two walked side by side out of the courtroom. At the clerks window the father surprised his daughter and pulled out his checkbook and paid her fine. “I’ll take care of this one for you because I love you; just don’t let it happen again.” For the father the $100 fine was a day’s work, but for his daughter it was all she had. I can just imagine how this girl must have felt giving her daddy a big hug. Her fine was paid, a gift from a loving father.

Some may argue that this father kept his daughter from experiencing the consequences of her actions. While we may debate his actions I see not only a picture of our heavenly Father’s love for us, but also our response to the Lord for the great gift He has given to us.

• [4] Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you” . . . [10] Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness.
  Isaiah 35:4, 10 (NLT)

God stands beside us in the courtroom of heaven. The charges of a lifetime of sin are read; we hang our head in shame. All we can say is, “Guilty.”

But then the Father says, “Guilty yes, but you have accepted my gift; I sent my Son to pay the penalty for you. You are free.”

I’m thankful that God was willing to pay my “fine” and didn’t just stand there and make me pay it. It truly would have cost me EVERYTHING. But God has rescued me; He paid the ransom so I can be free. Hallelujah! Everlasting joy will break forth in song.

I think that’s the thing about genuine repentance; it knows the price that was paid; just like the daughter knew what it cost for her to be free. She hasn’t done it again; maybe it’s gratitude.

The Teacher

My heart goes out to so many in our church family. Right now it seems that so many are facing difficulties of one kind or another. Some are dealing with a variety of health issues; others are dealing with financial troubles of one size or another. Death is looming around the corner for a loved one; for another it appears that death may be knocking soon on their door. Some families are dealing with relational conflicts. Our family is still taking one day at a time as we have been entrusted with the guardianship of my sister’s kids.

Crisis and difficulty do not come ‘one size fits all.’ Problems come in all shapes and sizes, but when it is ours it is always bigger than we are. What one person may overlook or think is trivial is a real heartache for another. The truth of the matter is that there are no small predicaments; every uncertainty grows seeking to overwhelm us. Yes, molehills really do become mountains we are incapable of climbing.

Many of us may already feel as though we are teetering on the edge of a cliff, so what are we to do when we face our growing mountains of trouble? Could it be that we just need to stop looking at our problems long enough to see that God is with us?

• [20] The Lord may give you troubles and hardships. But your teacher will no longer be hidden from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. [21] You will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left."
  Isaiah 30:20-21 (GW)

Every moment of every day, the good and the bad, comes to us with God’s full knowledge of it. God is never surprised by a crisis. What Satan intends to use to tear you down, God uses to teach you. The Lord is our teacher and is revealed to us through hardships. God is not hiding or away on vacation leaving us to try to figure things out on our own. God is right there with us. The Lord is our Teacher; He not only points out the problem, but will also show us the solution.

Whatever you may be facing today trust the Teacher. God will direct you; He will show you which way to turn, when to stop and when to go. So take your eyes off the problem for a moment and look around the classroom. God is right there with you to help you take the next step.

Fallen Branches

Winter has tied to keep it’s hold on Northeastern Ohio, but I think the winds of spring have blown old man winter into next October or November. The winds the last few days have been gusting; I’ve felt the wind want to blow me over or push our van off the road. Yesterday I noticed two trees that could not withstand the force of the wind; uprooted they were lying on the ground where they had once offered shade.

The trees in my yard and neighborhood are all still standing, but I’ve noticed that scattered all around are twigs and even some branches that have broken off the tree. I find this to be true throughout the summer; each time I mow the yard there are always sticks to be picked up. The trees live on, but the fallen twigs and branches are only good for the fire.

• When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
  Isaiah 27:11 (NIV)

The word of the Lord to Isaiah compares the spiritual condition of some people to that of twigs that are only good for kindling a fire. With no life in them they are broken from the tree and burned. Jesus used much the same imagery calling Himself the vine and his disciples as the branches; dead braches would be cut off and thrown into the fire while others would be trimmed to be even more fruitful (see John 15: 1-6).

Throughout the Bible the tree is often used as a symbol of spiritual life. The trunk can be thought of as the strength and stability God provides; from the roots the tree receives all the nourishment needed for life through the trunk. The branches often represent God’s people. Blown by the wind the branches can move back and forth; those that have rotted and dried up within often break off and fall to the ground.

As branches what is our spiritual condition today? God provides us with everything we need for spiritual health; God’s supply is not limited or cut off. Through His Holy Spirit, the scriptures, prayer and other believers there is nothing we lack unless we have shut ourselves off from the source.

Take time today to examine yourself as a branch. Are there healthy signs of life; is there evidence of God’s grace living within you? Or are you becoming a dried out branch in danger of dying and being broken off by the winds of adversity? Drink deeply today from the Lord before it is too late.

Fear or Peace

Violence can erupt suddenly and without warning like a volcano. Brutality can shake us unexpectedly like an earthquake. The destruction of human lives amidst the shootings at Virginia Tec is devastating for both the victims and survivors.

The ripple effect of these senseless murders is felt across our nation. When I heard about these events my mind immediately flashed to my girls attending college hundreds of miles from home. While they are at a Christian college, they are just miles from downtown Philadelphia; the city of brotherly love has its own dark shadows. What stops someone from coming onto their campus with the intent to kill? What is to prevent such a heinous act from happening where we live? How can we have any assurance that we or those we love are safe?

The fact of the matter is that we cannot have any guarantee of peace and safety in our world. Without warning the evil in our world can spill out upon us. Just this past Sunday at the community service Susie and I sat behind a woman whose daughter had been murdered. Just when you think such violence won’t come near your family, you find it dangerously close.

If my thoughts or yours were to be fixated upon the terror that fills the evening newscast, then I’m sure we would be paralyzed with fear. And with our 24/7 news media we don’t have to wait; we can watch as the bad news happens with increasing regularity. What are we to do?

• [3] You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! [4] Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
  Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT)

God wants us to have a change of thinking. It’s not that we stick our heads in the sand and ignore what is happening around us. Instead the things that cause us fear are kept in our peripheral vision and we focus our attention upon the Lord. Our confidence and hope is in God who will never fail us and will keep us in perfect peace even through the worst storms.

These words of hope come from Isaiah’s apocalypse; in chapters 24-27 Isaiah saw the days before us, the end of the world as we know it. It’s true; things will only go from bad to worse. But we do not need to fear! When we see the increase of evil and violence we can know that we remain safe in the hands of God who knows the end from the beginning. God is in control; He has ordered the events of our lives and will give us peace regardless of what happens around us.

The Daily Grind

Sometimes life can seem like a grind. Day after day the millstone rolls on churning out more of the same. Unfortunately the circumstances of life sometimes run us through the mill and we feel crushed. We feel forsaken and alone. Does anyone notice or care? Is God even there to hear our cry?

Has life been pounding you lately? Are you doing your best to ‘keep your nose to the grindstone’ while all the while you feel it pressing down upon you?

It’s not just the grindstone that is rubbing you the wrong way. Your patience is cut short by people with short fuses and seemingly no compassion. Everyone’s attitude can be summed up in the phrase, “Look out for number one,” and it shows.

Everyone has their own problems whether big or small, so we are all alone to face the challenges of each new day. Is it any wonder we refer to our work week as “the daily grind?”

If that sounds like you today then I’ve got good news. God has not abandoned you. The Lord wants to renew your hope—no more than that, God wants to renew your joy.

• You, my people, have been threshed and winnowed. I make known to you what I heard from the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel.
  Isaiah 21:10 (GW)

The nation of Israel was an agricultural society so they understood the imagery of being threshed and winnowed, but most of us don’t get it. When grain is harvested it goes through a two step process. First it is threshed, beaten on the ground, trampled or put through the mill; this opens the seed to expose the valuable grain inside. Second the grain is winnowed, thrown up into the air separating the grain from the chaff that is blown away in the wind. Both of these steps happen in the modern combines; the grain is kept within the combine and the chaff is blown out the back.

When we go through the grind we experience the same thing. As a nation Israel was being crushed, but afterward the righteous would be separated from the wicked. Likewise God works the same way within us as individuals; we are threshed and winnowed to separate our evil desires from the righteous life God wants us to live.

Perhaps now we can face the daily grind with a new attitude. The process isn’t easy, but God knows how to bring a harvest of righteousness from our lives. That’s why Isaiah makes known the good news God has spoken, and that’s why I want you to know God will renew your joy as He separates the wheat from the chaff of your life. You are not alone.

Sleepless and Godless

Many of us go through our day like a rocket; we blast through our day and never have enough time to slow down. At the end of the day we crash. All of our gadgets and gizmos that are supposed to save us time and make our lives easier end up only quickening our pace and forcing us to squeeze one more thing into an already busy day. Surely I’m not the only one.

Our busy lives and 24/7 culture keeps us busy doing more and more things. One hundred years ago the average American got 9 hours of sleep each night (that means for everyone who only slept 8, someone slept 10). Today we are skimping even more on our sleep averaging only 6 ½ to 7 hours each nigh (an hour less than 20 to 30 years ago).1

So do you go through your day tired? Are you always racing to finish one more project at the end of the day? We are doing more but being less (we are human beings, not human doings). With all of out activity we pile up more and more stuff until we finally don’t have enough room in the house for anything else, so we go out and rent storage space for the overflow.

• [7] Yes, the Day is coming when people will notice The One Who Made Them, take a long hard look at The Holy of Israel. [8] They'll lose interest in all the stuff they've made . . . however impressive it is.
  Isaiah 17:7-8 (MsgB)

You may have notice I left part of the eighth verse out. I did that intentionally because I want us to think about all the stuff we have made and accumulated with all the time we spend doing stuff. Could it be that our ‘stuff’ has become our gods, the Asherah poles and “altars and monuments and rituals” of our “homemade, handmade religion” that Isaiah mentioned?

The day is coming when all our stuff will come to nothing. On that day will we know our Creator? Or will God be a stranger to us because we never took the time to get to know the Lord in our rush to accumulate more stuff?

The Bible says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Isn’t it time that we slow down and stop worrying about all the things that we have accumulated and get acquainted with our Creator, who by the way has invited us to come to Him for rest? Who knows if you take the time to know God you may even have more time to sleep at night. But don’t take my word for it, sleep on it and see what you think. (See Psalm 46:10; Matthew 11:28)

1 http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/2005/04/fibromyalgia-eight-hours.htm

Water in the Desert

I remember reading a story about a man lost in the desert. The sun was beating down upon him as he forced himself to keep walking; he was tired and thirsty. Just when he was about to give up and die he thought he saw something in the distance. While he feared it may only be a mirage manufactured by his weary mind he forced himself to keep walking. Finally he arrived at a small oasis in which he found an old hand pump. Next to the pump was a crate with a jug of water that had a worn leather pouch with a note in it.

The note read, “Pour the water down the hole at the base of the pump priming it to supply you with gallons of fresh water. Drink all you like; then refill the jug, seal it and leave it for the next traveler. Warning you must not drink any of the water in the jug as it contains just enough water to prime the pump.”

As the note promised the jug was full of water. If you were this man what would you do? Would you be willing to pour the water into what looks like an empty whole in the dry desert ground believing that the pump would draw up water from the well below? Or would you drink the water in the jug to save your life only to leave the jug empty with nothing to prime the pump for the next traveler?

• [2] Look! God is my Savior. I am confident and unafraid, because the Lord is my strength and my song. He is my Savior. [3] With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation.
  Isaiah 12:2-3 (GW)

Trusting God for salvation is a lot like pouring the water from the jug into the well believing that the pump will draw up more water than you could ever hope for. We come to God with weighed down by guilt; our burden of sin that promised us happiness has left us empty and dry. Could God save us?

The jug filled with water assures us that others have found life giving water from this well. The promise of water was not empty for them, but it is so hot and dry. Will the well still provide the cool clear water to satisfy our thirst?

Faith believes in the unseen and is willing to step out and do what God says. With faith we pour the water into the dry hole. With faith we trust God for salvation. God never leaves us high and dry; Jesus Christ has opened the way for us freely drink from the water of life. With joy our thirst is satisfied with eternal life through Him. (See Revelation 21:6)

Trapped

Have you ever felt utterly trapped with no way of escape? Circumstances of life can sometimes hem us in from every side. We may have lost our job, face the uncertainty of sickness and disease, stand beside the casket of someone we love, feel the betrayal of love turned to hate or fear for tomorrow in so many other ways. Where will we turn when we find ourselves ensnared and held captive?

I remember a time in college when I had painted myself into a corner with no way out. I was panicked and didn’t know what to do. I thought I could escape by going home, but mine was a trap of my own making, so I could not free myself by running away. I had to face God with my sin and in turn those whom I had wronged; that was the only way to break out of my prison.

• [3] What will you do when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe? [4] I will not help you. You will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the dead. But even then the Lord's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.
  Isaiah 10:3-4 (NLT)

Isaiah prophesied of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, that God would judge His people for their sin and rebellion. When the time comes for God to unleash His anger there will be no place to hide. All will be taken captive by their enemies or be piled among the dead—no escape.

God has set a day of reckoning, a day of judgment for all of us. When that day comes upon us where will we turn for help? On that day we will find no way of escape and no relief from our pain and grief. When the wrath of God is poured out upon us for our sin it will be too late to seek His help for it will be His hand of judgment upon us.

I’m glad to know that before the coming of that day God has made a way of escape, that we can find the favor of the Lord and experience His love instead of His wrath.

• [2] The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned . . . [6] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  Isaiah 9:2, 6 (NIV)

Today is the day of salvation; today is that day that we can come to God through Jesus and find peace. Jesus is the only way of escape from a trap made by our sin and rebellion. Tomorrow it may be too late.

Father knows best

A father asked me, “I just don’t understand my son; he can be so stubborn. He has an opinion about everything and in his mind he is never wrong and will argue with anyone who disagrees. What am I to do with him?” Perhaps you know someone like that, or maybe you might admit that this father’s son sounds a lot like you. I wish I knew what to say to this father; the fact is I’m still learning how to raise a teenage son myself. Sometimes parenting requires on the job training; we do our best and when necessary ask for forgiveness.

One thing I have learned over the years is that I can learn a lot as a parent from watching how God deals with His children. Our heavenly Father is the perfect parent, but His kids are anything but perfect (I’m one so I should know). I may not always understand why God disciplines us as He does, or why the Lord responds in certain ways, but if I look to God for wisdom then He will help me to be a better parent.

When God called Isaiah as a prophet, Isaiah saw the Lord seated upon His throne in heaven. Amidst the perfection that Isaiah saw, he became aware of his own sin and confesses it to the Lord. God then cleanses Isaiah and gives him a message for the people of Israel. In this message I see how our heavenly Father responds to His children who are stubborn know-it-alls.

• [9] And he said, "Yes, go. But tell my people this: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.' [10] Harden the hearts of these people. Close their ears, and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn to me for healing."
  Isaiah 6:9-10 (NLT)

God, the perfect parent, knows that He can’t force His children to listen to His instruction. With hardened hearts God kids will sometimes ignore their heavenly Father in much the same way that our kids seem to have every word we say go in one ear and out the other. How does God respond to their stubbornness? He doesn’t shout louder; He doesn’t argue with them or try to prove that He knows what He is talking about.

God does something I don’t fully understand; God hardens their hearts and blinds their eyes. In other words God makes stubborn children even more obstinate!

Perhaps God knows the best teacher is experience; that only as He releases His children to go their own stubborn way will they ever have the chance to repent. That’s what the father did for the prodigal son. It’s a hard thing to do, but maybe our heavenly Father knows best.

A Spoonful of Sugar

How many times have you heard someone say, “Alright, I’ve got some good news and some bad news; what do you want to hear first?” It seems that we are always trying to find the good with the bad. As Mary Poppins says, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

Often the prophets of the Old Testament are thought of as the bearers of ‘bad news.’ Ahab referred to Elijah as “the troubler of Israel.” I guess it goes to show just how predisposed we are to sin that when someone speaks out for the Lord against our sin and His judgment we see that as something bad. Let’s face it the human race is comfortable in the muck and mire of sin. Yet God’s message of judgment often also brings the promise of salvation for those who repent of their sin.

The prophet Isaiah would be for some the bearer of bad news. Isaiah prophesied the coming destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel which he lived to see fulfilled; he also spoke of God’s wrath that would come against the southern kingdom of Judah who was following in the evil footsteps of their brothers. But interwoven throughout Isaiah’s message is the promised hope of God’s salvation for all who trust in Him.

Isaiah’s name means “the salvation of the Lord.” God calls upon His people to come and reason together with Him about their sin. God does not want to destroy His people; the Lord wants to lovingly restore them as a righteous and holy people. Unfortunately, many were unwilling to sit down and have a heart to heart talk with God (see Isaiah 1:18-20).

Right from the beginning Isaiah brings the good news that God wants to cleanse His people from their sins and restore them to a right relationship with God. And that’s not all. Before the judgment and wrath of God is revealed, the prophet Isaiah is shown the fulfillment of God’s salvation, not in a picture of Jesus as the Lamb of God, but of the ultimate triumph for all who repent and return to the Lord.

• In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
  Isaiah 2:2 (NIV)

Before God shows Isaiah the cross He shows him the New Jerusalem where God’s presence will fill the city and people from all nations will come to Him. We who believe in Christ are among those who have been cleansed of our sin and will enter into that city.

One of the best ways to live today in a way that is pleasing to God and not succumb to temptation and the evil that surrounds us is to remember the future. God will dwell with His people. That’s a spoonful of sugar that will help us take the medicine of God’s judgment upon sin. We can escape His wrath and be welcomed into His presence. That’s good news!

Just a Man

Like so many young men Greg is into being physically fit. For his birthday he got a weight set, and he has been working out regularly. I remember going through the same thing at his age. Yet I’ve notice over time that even the strongest men grow old and weak; I mean have you looked at ‘Mr. Universe’ now Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lately? What happened to all his muscle?

I don’t dispute that we should try to be healthy and keep our bodies in good shape. However, of greater importance is that we be spiritually fit, that our faith not only grows strong, but remains strong throughout our lives. The problem most of us have is that we think such faith is impossible to have.

• [17] Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
  James 5:17-18 (NIV)

I’ll be honest I sometimes have a hard time thinking of Elijah as “a man just like us.” I mean think about some of the things Elijah did for God! He was one of the best known prophets in all Israel. And Elijah at times was seems invincible as he would stand before kings and proclaim God’s word, and Elijah didn’t bring a message of encouragement or comfort; Elijah confronted them with God’s judgment for their sin.

But it wasn’t just the word he spoke; the power of God was evident because things happened as a result of what Elijah said. God revealed to Elijah that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t until Elijah spoke the word to open the skies again three years later. Elijah was given power over death as he restored a young child’s life and gave him back to his mother. And who can forget the showdown on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal? With a short prayer Elijah called fire from heaven! Then years later Elijah is seen standing together with Moses at Jesus’ side on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Still Elijah was only a man. Like us he struggled at times to trust God and even became depressed (that I can identify with). But Elijah began where we all must begin. As a man Elijah had to choose to believe God had created him, and more that this same God wanted a relationship with him. As a man Elijah learned to listen to the voice of the Lord and in faith obey. The incredible reality God wants to make Himself known to us.

We all come to know God by faith, but God will continually work to strengthen our faith like a muscle through consistent use and testing. As a man Elijah’s faith grew strong in the Lord and was able to do the impossible. Our faith can likewise grow strong and withstand every trial taking us from victory to victory.

Resisting

Most of us have been on a diet at one time or another; it is then that we must say, “Yes” to eating healthy and “No” to junk food. Yet our challenge is to really mean it. Many Americans lose weight only to put the lost weight plus more back on. Their desire for junk food remains and they are never really free from the struggle of guilt and associated health problems that come from being over weight.

Now my purpose isn’t to talk about dieting; I just want to use it as an illustration, because many of us approach our relationship with God in the same way. You see most of us diet with one eye on the scale and the other on all the things we want so badly to eat; once we’re satisfied with the number on the scale we go right back to eating the way we used to.

Likewise as Christians many of us have one eye on God and the other on the world, and we continue to struggle with the same ‘secret sins.’ How can we break free and live the righteous life God desires?

• Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
  James 4:7 (NIV)

I think many of us don’t understand what it means to resist the devil. For many it’s like pushing away the dessert when we are dieting; we don’t eat it, but our mouth is watering. (Or for us tough guys, we resist the devil in a hand to hand combat; we may give in to sin and be beaten from time to time, but we somehow convince ourselves that we are getting stronger.)

That’s not what it means to resist the devil. When we resist Satan flees, but how does that happen?

Many of us overlook what James says first: “Submit to God.” We have to turn our backs to the devil, together with the temptation to sin, and put both eyes on God and His will for our lives. When we do all the devil sees is what we are looking at; when Satan sees God he runs away.

I like how the Message Bible puts it: “So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.” We resist the devil when we learn to let God fight our battles and keep Jesus as the center of our heart’s desires. Paul told Timothy, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.”* In other words run away from the devil and temptation; run to God. Let’s keep both eyes on Jesus and shout a loud “No” at the devil.
*2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)