Busted!

[From Nov. 15, 2012]

"Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel... you who have been feeding yourselves!  Should not shepherds feed the sheep?  You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.  You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them."

(Ezekiel 23:2-4)

God will hold leaders accountable for their actions.  Including (especially?!) we leaders in the Church.  In Ezekiel 34, God speaks out against the spiritual leaders of Israel who have let the people down.  They've been more concerned with their own wants & needs than the needs of their people.  God sees.  God knows.  God will hold them accountable.

This should be quite awe-inspiring for us pastors.  God has entrusted to us a group of people (or, in Wesleyan terms, an area of the world to serve).  Are we seeking their welfare?  Are we strengthening, healing, binding up wounds, and bringing back the lost?  If not, shame on us.  We are called to serve, not to be served.

Forgive me, Lord.  Forgive.

"IS NOT!"

[From Nov. 14, 2012]

"And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was, is not, and is to come."

(Revelation 17:8b)

In the first chapter of Revelation, God declares, "I am the Alpha and the Omega... who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."  We in the Church like to use that phrase for God: who was, and is, and is to come. But later in Revelation, a variation of that same phrase is used for the devil's agent (aka "The Beast"): It was, is not, and is to come.

That's a brilliant statement!  The embodiment of evil has been around since the beginning... and will continue into the future.  We, as humans, tend to be drawn towards evil, as part of our sinful nature.  But as exciting, enticing, and alluring as evil may be (so seductive at times!), it really is hollow.  It doesn't fulfill.  It's emptiness, heartache, and destruction.  In short, despite what it promises, sin/evil "IS NOT" what it's cracked up to be.

Only God was, is, and is to come.  

AMEN.

No Taunting!

[From Nov. 7, 2012]

"For thus says the LORD God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within you against the land of Israel, therefore I have stretched out my hand against you..."

(Ezekiel 25:6-7a)

Yesterday was Election Day 2012.  Just about everyone was sick of the negative campaigning leading up to yesterday.  Not just campaigning, but also people expressing their political opinions quite openly.  That in and of itself shouldn't be a problem in this land of freedom & democracy.  But too many added their condemnation, scorn, and utter disdain for anyone who may have left differently from them.

I was reading Ezekiel 25 today.  God was calling the Ammonites to account.  They gloated and rejoiced when their neighbors, Israel & Judah, faced difficulty & ruin.  Now God is holding them responsible for their uncaring attitudes.

When I play tennis, one of my buddies jokingly says (always after his victory, of course), "Now, no taunting!"  It's actually good advice.  We need to treat each other with excellence - friends, family, political opponents, other countries, etc.  Just be excellent.  Period.  Definitely no taunting - because it'll eventually come right back at you!

For the YOUTH!

[From Nov. 5, 2012]

"I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not follow the statues of your parents, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.  I, the LORD, am your God; follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow my Sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I the LORD am your God."

(Ezekiel 20:18-20)

Yesterday I started teaching a new group of confirmation students.  11 total.  One group of 6.  Another group of 5.  18 weeks long.  Sunday nights.  90 minutes together each week.  It's a lot of work, but way cool!  I love getting to help young people come to know God and what it means to commit one's life to following Jesus.

Today I was reading Ezekiel 20 where God is fed up with the people of Israel.  So he spoke to the children... to give them a chance to follow God wholeheartedly.  To avoid the pitfalls their parents messed up with.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out well for those kids.  But it doesn't have to be that way all the time.

Dear Lord, I pray that our time in Confirmation will bring ALL of us closer to you, so the young people can follow you with all that they have!  And maybe they can even be a light of hope & inspiration to their parents & us other adults around them!  AMEN.

Restoring our Factory Settings

[From Oct. 24, 2012]

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."

(Jeremiah 29:11)

This passage has given hope and encouragement to so many over the years.  Confirmation that God knows and cares about us... and has a plan for our lives.  It's beautiful, really.  But it's even MORE POWERFUL when we see the context in which it was written.

Hundreds of years of sin and unfaithfulness has finally caught up to the people of Israel.  God has allowed the superpower nation of Babylon to march into Jerusalem, destroy the temple, trash the city, and take many people away into captivity.  Jeremiah has been fighting a "PR battle," too.  So many false prophets were counseling the king & people to stay and fight: "God will save us!" they predicted.  But Jeremiah knew otherwise.  He told people to surrender and submit.  It was not a popular message, as you might imagine.

Now in captivity, God sends the exiles a message via Jeremiah: build homes in Babylon, plant gardens, get married, have children, etc.  In short: LIFE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!  Don't lament & feel sorry for yourselves.  Make the best of it.  Then God tells them to pray for their new land.  Seek its welfare!  Rather than resentment, offer blessing!  This must have been a shocking message. Pray for and bless the very people who ruined your homeland and took you close to 1,000 miles away into captivity?  Yes.

It is into this "new reality" that God tells the people he has a PLAN for their lives - a plan for their benefit, not their destruction.  God will give them a FUTURE WITH HOPE!  It must have been one of the last things in their mind at that time.   How amazing!

God used the period of Babylonian captivity to bring the people's hearts back to him.  When everything was taken away, all they had left was God.  But that was enough.  They'd forgotten what it meant to trust the LORD with all their heart, soul, and might.  This was like restoring a computer back to the factory default settings.

I believe that God has dreams and plans for each of us.  The question is whether we'll submit & follow... or dig our heels in and fight for what we want?  Its' a plan for our benefit.  To give us a future and a hope.  Sometimes when it seems the darkest (ie. Babylonian captivity!), that's exactly where we need to be.  So don't be resentful and bitter.  Pray blessings on those around you.  You just might be amazed at where it leads.  AMEN.

Marvelous!

[From Oct. 23, 2012]

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes."

(Psalm 118:22-23)

New Testament writers have quoted this verse when speaking of Jesus.  The "builders" (Jewish leaders) rejected Jesus - though God was actually using him to become the Cornerstone of a new creation.  God's kingdom became a reality through Jesus.  But the religious leaders (for the most part) couldn't see it.  And although it led to Jesus' crucifixion, God used that moment to raise him from the dead and bring forgiveness to all.  Therefore, it's "marvelous!"

When Jody and I got married in 1990 (22+ years ago) we chose Psalm 118:23 to be printed on our wedding announcements.  We saw it on a sample card and thought it fit - God had brought us together.  Life together has been wonderful and average.  Easy and difficult.  Joy-filled and challenging.  Life and love is hard work - even for those things that are "the Lord's doing."  But above else, it's "marvelous," precisely because we believe it IS God's doing.  Life and love take hard work.  But it's so worth it.  Thank you, Jody!

Just ask!

[From Oct. 22, 2012]

"If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

(1 John 1:9)

It's part of our frailty.  Part of being human.  We mess up... fall short... disappoint... let others (and ourselves) down.  In short: we sin.  All of us.

But the good news is that God knows that.  And God doesn't expect us to be perfect (because it's not possible!).  So forgiveness from God abounds - if only we'll ask!

The author of 1 John reminds us of this simple truth.  If we confess our sins, God will forgive and cleanse us. Guaranteed.  Why? Because God is faithful and just. 

(PS. You know I'm talking to ME today, right?)