It'll catch up with us... trust me.

"But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.  Build towns for your little ones, and folds for your flocks; but do what you have promised."
(Numbers 32:23-24)

The 12 tribes of Israel were about to embark on a long military campaign as they settled into the "Promised Land" they believed was given them by God.  All were expected to participate.  Land would be divided equitably afterwards.

The Reubenites & Gadites were cattle ranchers.  They surveyed the land of Gilead as prime cattle-raising country.  The only problem was that Gilead wasn't int he official "Promised Land" area of Canaan they were going to be living.  So they asked Moses if they could remain on this side of the Jordan River in Gilead.  Simple request, right?  Not like you'd think...

Moses, being the "brains of the unit" could immediately see a problem.  Anytime one moves into a new place, one's immediate foreseeable future will be bound up with "settling in."  Moses was afraid they'd be too busy to help the rest of the tribes int eh upcoming battle(s).  So he made a deal: they could take the land of Gilead (and get their flocks & family "comfy"), but they themselves couldn't settle in until AFTER they fought with their brothers in battle.  The tribes of Reuben & Gad wholeheartedly agreed.

Moses then set before them an oath, which they willingly took.  And he said he'd hold them to their word.  Then he concluded with this caveat: "But if you do not do this, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out" (v.23).

How true.  Our sins will find us out.  Maybe not immediately (though it often happens that way)... maybe not in this lifetime (though often it happens this way)... but ultimately, our sins will find us out.  And as Moses implied, all sin is sin against God.  We may think it's only against another, but it's so much more. 

So be forewarned...

But thanks be to God that we have a remedy for our sin... Grace, forgiveness, & reconciliation is available 100% of the time - if we seek it!  Jesus stands ready to forgive us when our sins find us out.  Over, and over, and over, and over...

Sick hearts

[From Wednesday, 11/3/10]

"How sick is your heart, says the LORD God, that you did all these things..."

(Ezekiel 16:30)

Ezekiel 16 is a very interesting allegory. God is comparing the people of Israel to a young woman.  He chronicles her development from birth (thrown into the fields without pity or compassion, v.5)... to puberty (womanhood, v.7)... to "the age of love" (v.8).  That's when God came, wooed her, cleaned her up and made covenant with her (v.8-14).  Her beauty & fame spread!


"But you trusted in your beauty," says God (v.15) and it all went downhill from there.  Using the metaphor of adultery, God outlines how His people "lusted after" others and gave themselves away to those who were not God, forgetting all that the LORD had done for them.  Eventually God exclaims, "How sick is your heart that you did all these things..."

For some reason, this morning I was struck by that phrase: "How sick is your heart."  When I read it, I didn't hear condemnation, reproach or shame.  Instead, I hear sorrow.  Deep, deep sorrow.  God is lamenting over the sickness that has engulfed his beloved "bride."  It's just not rational for Israel to have behaved that way - knowing all she had going for her because of God's amazing love.  But oftentimes sin is not rational.

So you know where I'm going with this, right?  We're also God's "bride" - God's beloved ones.  We're the people God has sought out, wooed, cleaned up, made a commitment to, adorned with honor, and surrounded with love.  It's an amazing gift to be in a relationship with the Almighty!  But we screw it up (no pun intended) when we put other things, people, & pleasures before God.  We lose our focus.  Our hearts get sick.

Why?  Why do we, as human beings do this over and over and over?  Don't we realize what we have in God's love?  Why aren't we content with God's provisions in our life?

In the end, God's love & grace remains steadfast.  We may have to face the repercussions of our sinful behavior.  But God will not abandon us completely: 

"Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth... I will (re)establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD... when I forgive you for all that you've done." (v.60, 62-63)

 Amen to that!

The Sadness

"So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified."

(1 Corinthians 9:26-27)

In early December, Sports Illustrated had a feature article on Tiger Woods titled "The Sadness."  It came on the heels of Tiger's admission to multiple affairs.  The article was a well-written journey into not only the sadness of all involved in Tiger's life (his wife, two kids, plus the various other women)... but also for those of us who are fans of his.  We tend to demand that our heroes be larger than life.  When one has grown as large as Tiger has, the fall can be quite steep.

The apostle Paul understood the challenges, struggles, and temptations that face people in positions of influence.  He lived it.  He even used the world of athletics to talk about the discipline of self-control needed - as an athlete trains & disciplines his/her body for the purpose of excellence.  The consequences of failing to do so - disqualification!

The occupation of pastor is no stranger to this very same controversy.  Marital infidelity and sexual deviation unfortunately crop up quite often among us pastors.  In fact, quite recently some high-profile clergy (both locally & nationally) have been "disqualified" from ministry because of infidelity.  This has devastating consequences not only on those pastors and their families... not only on the churches they've served... but on all those outside the faith who hear their story, then automatically equate God (and the Church) with the hypocritical actions of its servants.  Truly, Sports Illustrated had it right with its title: THE SADNESS.

So Paul calls us all to redouble our efforts toward SELF CONTROL.  Heck, it's one of the "Fruit of the Spirit" (see Galatians 5:22-24)!  It's evidence of God's presence in our life.  This doesn't mean it will be easy - as many, many, many, many, many people have (unfortunately) shown us.  May the grace and power of God help all of us maintain our self-control... to avoid the sadness.  AMEN.

No Remedy?!?

"The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy."

(2 Chronicles 36:15-16)

The ends of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles recount the fall of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army and the subsequent exile/captivity for the Hebrews.  But this passage in 2 Chronicles 36 gives a very succint explanation of "WHY?!"  It was not an isolated incident.  It was the result of generation upon generation of people who refused to listen to, be led by, and follow the LORD.  And it's not like God was distant and aloof all those years either, telling the people, "You know where to find me if you want me."  No.  God sent messengers and prophets - but they ignored and mocked and despised and scoffed at them.  Until "there was no remedy."  They finally had to face the consequences of centuries of sin.

I wonder if we're guilty of the same today?  Oh, maybe not the same sins as our ancient Hebrew ancestors on the eve of the Babylonian invasion... but might we be guilty of "mocking the messengers of God" (especially if they're from another denomination or have a different "theological persuasion" than us?)... or "despising God's words" (which are available to us in abundance through the bible - if only we'd read/listen)... or "scoffing at his prophets" (our church leaders/visionaries who might be asking us to consider new opportunities God has placed before us)?  The risk we face by following this path is that, over time, we might spur God's wrath to such an extent that there would be NO REMEDY.

And yet... and yet... (here's the Good News, friends!)... there still is hope.  For as followers of Jesus, we believe that no matter how hopeless we may be - no matter how messed up we allow our lives to get - no matter how far away from God we stray... JESUS is our remedy.  He stands in the gap between God and our sinfulness... and brings reconciliation.  That's love.  that's grace.  That's Jesus.

PS>  The David Crowder Band has a song called "Remedy" that would serve as a great "soundtrack' for this reflection today.  Check it out on i-Tunes or Youtube today!

Heart Transplant

"When they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them."

(Ezekiel 11:18-20)

I remember a story from my Greek mythology studies (9th grade English!!?!) where a person had the power to turn whatever he or she touched into stone (or am I confusing that with the story of Midas' golden touch? Was the stone guy a Saturday morning cartoon? Or a scene from "The Chronicles of Narnia"!?!). Anyway, Ezekiel writes about the opposite of that today: the people have hearts of stone and need God's touch to turn them into hearts of flesh.

We might say "cold hearts" instead of stone hearts. Uncaring, unfeeling, unaffected hearts that are not moved to compassion or shamed into righteousness based on our actions. The people of Israel apparently weren't affected by the many sins they propagated in the temple itself - in the very house of worship that was supposed to be Holy! That must change, God said. And God wasn't waitng around for the people to "come to their senses" and willingly return to Him. No, God would take matters into His own hands and perform a "heart transplant." No more stone cold hearts. Now we'd have God-created, living hearts! Hearts that would desire to know and follow God's ways.

I think it's a human condition to need a divine heart transplant. We are easily distracted, amused, and led astray. We know what we want to do, but often can't (or choose not to) do it. We have wandering hearts far too often. It must break God's heart to see how easily we stray. We allow sin to harden our hearts over time - it happens to us all. And yet God doens't give up on us. God still gives divine heart transplants! We are saved from our own frailties, by the grace of God.

PRAYER: I so want a heart of flesh, not stone, God. Keep my mind & heart focused on Your word and Your will so I can stay in line with what you want for my life. Thank You for Your Holy Transplant! AMEN.

The Deep End of the Ocean

"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity & passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

(Micah 7:18-19)

The Old Testament prophets were masters at identifying the ways God's people had forsaken Him by their sins. Humanity has always preferred ignorance and/or avoidance over accountability when it comes to our sinfulness. Thus many came to "dislike" the prophets, immensely! But they weren't only "gloom & doom" messengers. They also conveyed God's grace! Here at the end of Micah we encounter a reminder of God's forgiveness & compassion. The end result? Our sins are cast into the deep blue sea!

Living in Hawaii, the ocean is a part of our life. We're surrounded by it, connected to it, and sometimes even dependent upon it. We know it can generate fun, joy & recreation... but it can also be foreboding, dangerous, and deadly. In short, we have a genuine respect for the ocean around us.

Micah tells us that god's plan is to cast our sins into the DEPTHS of the sea. Not the "shoreline," where the waves wash over & over, bringing items up & down the beach. This would be like being constantly reminded of our sins during every "tide change"! God doesn't dump them onto the "reef structures," in the ocean, either... below the surface, yes, but still within recreational diving range... where people can search for and discover our "treasure chests of iniquity." Micah went out of his way to use the word depths for a reason. I envision a place like the Mariana Trench, off the coast of Japan. It's not only the deepest part of the ocean, but the deepest location on the earth's crust... with a depth of almost 7 miles below sea-level (how's that for a divine number?!). It's so deep, no submersibles can even venture. It's so dark, it's pitch black. Once there, sins will be "lost" forever. how comforting to know that we're not only forgiven, but that God also gets rid of the evidence, too. Forever!

PRAYER: We've all messed up, God. Too often WE keep reminding ourselves of our past sins. But You don't! You forgive us and cast away our sins. Forever. Thank you. Help me to better trust Your grace. Help me to model Your example in my own relationships, too... as I forgive those who have hurt me. AMEN.