It's 6:30 a.m. on a weekday, and I know I should be packing lunch or doing some kind of morning ritual, but I wanted to share this before I forgot it again...

When we were talking at Bible study about what Moses was doing or better yet, what God was doing with Moses for 40 years, I was again reminded of an encounter I hope I don't forget... I was dropping off a rental car and one of the gentlemen was assigned to get me to the Metro station. Mind you, it was a 10 minute or less trip...I can't remember how we got around to praising God but in retrospect the conversation must have gone from 0 to 60 in Christ. The gentleman was giving testimony that before he came to Christ he lived like there was no god but himself. And then the tugging began, and he finally answered God's call. He said that he asked God, why LORD did you wait 40 years before you called me? He said that the response was, 'because you didn't know anything yet 40 years ago.'

Even in our fleeing from God, He is working everything out for good. What the gentleman brought to the Body of Christ was compassion, understanding of what it is to be outside of God's will - in other words, a platform for reaching others based on his own experience that God allowed in his life. As we continue the account of Moses (next time Exodus chapters 4 and 5) let us each consider the episodes and circumstances God allowed in our lives  before we fully gave ourselves to him and ask God how he wants us to use those 'dark' days to his glory.

(ok so I was just about to sign off and my hands hit the keyboard in such a way that these references to Jesus' I AM statements jumped onto the screen. So, I located the references from Isaiah and added them too! - these are in reference to God's revelation to Moses - one of the most incredible episodes in the Bible - as to who He says He is; a look at the Hebrew for those words point not to the personal name Yahweh but to another name!)
John 6: 35, 48 I am the bread of life
John 8: 12, 9:5 I am the light of the world
John 8: 58 Before Abraham was, I am
John 10:9 I am the door
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 15:1 I am the true vine

The I AM statements in Isaiah
41:4, 10, and 13
42:8 I AM Yahweh (the LORD)
43:3, 10, 12 – I AM Yahweh your Elohim, Qedosh Ysrael (Holy One of Israel), the one who saves you
44:6 I AM the First and the Last
45:5, 6 18, 22
48:17 -  I AM … teach you what is best
49:26 I Am … that saves you
60:16 – I AM – Go’El your kinsman redeemer

Living Trophies

When I was in my early 30s, my friend and I signed up for a tae kwon do class. Little did we know how much we would enjoy it, and also be extremely challenged by it, and grow in confidence and in skills we did not realize we had. As the only two females in the class, we made every effort to keep up with the guys and were successful. Plus, we were two of the oldest members, which presented its own challenges. Yet, despite these and other ‘handicaps’, we worked very hard to accomplish our goals of reaching the black belt level. Part of the opportunities along the way included entering tournaments where we competed in forms and sparring contests. I am pleased to say that most times we took home trophies and medals – testaments to our hard, focused training and discipline.

In an excerpt from our dear brother Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest, regarding the cross in prayer, he notes that the true meaning of the ‘cross’ – what it truly represents – is  ‘complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer.’ He goes on to relate that ‘our spiritual irritation [with what we sense as unanswered prayer] shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God’s grace.’ [emphasis added]

We who are saved through the blood of Jesus on the cross, and in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, are beholden to God to yield ourselves fully, to allow Jesus’ life to be lived through us, to be walking Gospels (Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 9:23). To be truly united to and in union with Christ – being in Christ – is living yielded (a life-long disciplined journey), focusing on the cross and He who placed Christ on it (Hebrews 12:1-2), joining in prayer with Christ to the Father (John 16:26-27), growing in an intimate relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Galatians2:20), learning how to identify His voice and promptings. 

When we strive to do so, when our wills submit to God’s will for us (Luke 22:42; Philippians 2:5-8), we become living trophies of grace that God can use to show the world His love, His offer of forgiveness through the acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ for us, His holiness, all of which reflect His Grace and mercy. As living trophies, we are God's handiwork, His evidence of His salvific work in us, and His visible prize to a world that is in desperate need of God. (compare 1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 3:1-3) 

The trophies and rewards I won during my years in martial arts are packed away somewhere or hanging out of the way - I'd need to give locating most of them a lot of thought. I don't wear them or display them as part of my day-in day-out attire - unless I tell someone I am a black belt it is a secret. As living trophies of an Almighty God, our presence and interaction with others speaks in volumes,  As Paul wrote the Corinthians (recorded in the second letter, chapter 3), let this be true of our trophy ministry: "You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

We are compelled, then, to ask ourselves, do others see us as God’s trophies of grace? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

Putting on the New 'Man' - looking for God in the everyday plain things

As I contemplate the daily struggle of putting on tights - this is obviously a woman thing, not to mention new tights, I see myself with my tendinitis damaged right hand and emerging carpal tunnel left caught up in the battle. This is why I often try to purchase my tights (a very necessary accessory for my frigid office) in a little larger size. Even then, getting them on can be fierce whether my skin is moist or dry. I dread the fight.

Yet, today, it occurred to me - isn't this similar in some respects to putting on the new 'man' or the new self - the identity of Christ? Read Ephesians 4:17-24 and Colossians 3:5-10. God has gifted us this treasure - it is not an accessory that we put on and take off! This gift is intended to be worn through eternity, even if we must struggle into it daily while still in the flesh. This is not a surprise since Jesus tells us that we will struggle all the while the new identity - the new self - covers us. Read his words in the 'Beatitudes' in Matthew 5; also Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24/Mark 8:34, Matthew 10:22/Mark 13:13/Luke 21:17, John 15:18-19, John 17:14. Paul describes his personal battle in Romans 7:22-25. He speaks of our universal battle in Ephesians 6:10-13.

Thanks be to God for simple truths - as one of my beloved preachers often says, "the main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things." Look for God in your everyday plain things.

What's Wrong?

A woman arrives in the emergency room of the hospital in pain and distress. "What's wrong?" asks the technician or nurse on duty. "Pain - head - severe" are all that the woman can say in response. Immediately she's taken into the examination room and given a barrage of tests, various pain medications, etc. Hours later, she is still in acute pain in her head, neck, and elsewhere. The medical staff had been able to treat some of the symptoms, but could not identify the underlying problem. I continually ask blessings for medical staff who have such dilemmas day in and day out. Their hearts want to help, but often they have to work in the 'dark' to address what is really wrong.

So, what's wrong with us? What is wrong generally with all of us - whether in a medical emergency or not - is a problem that cannot be alleviated by intravenous chemical treatments or other less/more invasive procedures. We are in the 'dark' as we try to treat the problem in our own knowledge and efforts. What is wrong with us is our sin nature - the defective DNA, for lack of a better term, passed onto humanity by our first parents Adam and Eve. Their decision to live their lives independent of God's rule cast their offspring into a condition that they could not deliver themselves from. Every human ever born - save for one - inherited this condition that doesn't just cause physical problems, but also affects how our emotions work, impairs our psyches, has even brought disruption and imbalance to the rest of creation. How else can you explain the devastations of natural disasters that increasingly worsen? How else can you explain the devastations of man's inhumanity to his fellow man - holocausts and reigns of terror, mass destruction, indescribable depravity? There is no other causative but sin.

Sin - rebellion against God and His laws and principles - has supernatural implications. That is, there is more to it than meets the eye; more than an 'act'. It is ingrained, insinuated, pressed into our nature and natural bodies and cannot be excised out; our bodies are imperfect and subject to disease, psychoses, and other problems. Inexplicable things. We are born in sin and even our hearts are opposed to God from birth. God sees the condition as spiritual death - a separation between us and Him. Living in a spiritual darkness. Spiritually dead people cannot receive God naturally. There is nothing we can do in and of ourselves to cross that chasm. No religious professional can rectify the condition nor can anything a religious professional does - regardless of the religion - make it possible to become spiritually alive in God's sight. Nothing. So, what can be done?

What can be done has been done. Since it is God's law and sovereignty in question by Adam and Eve's rejection and hence the subsequent dilemma we are in, it would have to be God's act of resolution to the problem that must take place. (John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:2-4; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:1-10) Only God can fix what's wrong with us. And we must respond to his question, "what's wrong?" with the admission that what is truly wrong with us is our rejection of His Son - the only means through which we can truly be healed.

From the Bucket of "You Know You're a Grandma When"

from the bucket of 'you know you're a grandma when'... I mentioned to the grandkids that I hadn't seen Wizard of Oz in a while. "Ooo" they responded, "can we see it with you?" "Yay!" my heart said knowing I'd get to spend some cool quality time with the young'uns. So we huddle into my work room to all watch it. I'm humming some of the songs. And my grandson is asking questions, and my granddaughte...r is always inquisitive about Judy Garland and wants to know who in the movie is still alive today. So we're all there, and about 1/2 hr into the movie grandson says he has to go fetch something. So we pause the movie until he returns. Then 15 minutes later granddaughter says she'll be right back. So we pause the movie. She returns with her iPod which, after she's reseated herself, she plugs into her ears. My grandson bemoans the fact that his iPod is not charged. He has to go for water or some snack or something. I pause the dvd again. He's back shortly. So the witch has thrown fire at the scare crow, and the tin man is putting it out - you know, the exciting scene before they get close to the Emerald City. Then as they approach the field and are mesmerized by the sights, and the witch says uh unh, and the lion and Dorothy fall down asleep, grandson wants to know what's happening. Granddaughter is bobbing her head up and down listening to her music. Then a short while later - when the flying monkeys arrive, grandson says he has to go fetch something. I didn't pause the dvd this time. Which was just as well, since he didn't return. I think one of his Nick shows was on. Granddaughter did look up every now and then, but the earphones remained firmly plugged in her head. Well, at least she stayed. We remained together through Dorothy's recovery in her own bed, and the infamous "there's no place like home." And as soon as THE END rolled up, granddaughter told me how great it was and glad we could watch it together and rolled out. I now realize why I'm grateful that these modern music videos only last 5 or so minutes because I probably couldn't take much more of those either and would likewise do a bunk on the kiddies. Ahhh, the joys of grandmotherhood!

"For the LORD (EloHim, Yahweh) is a Jealous God" part 2

The Israelites had now experienced a great time of growth and prosperity and had gained considerable victories in the land to which God had brought them. They were living large. Their 'modern times' were in full swing! Modern housing - they no longer had to live in tents. A marketplace close to their settlements, social activity and times of celebration.  The 'latest' in fashionable clothing, meaningful work - this was living! There were still Canaanites living nearby who for some reason did not get removed from the land - some were kind of nice and kept their properties up and sometimes you would come across a marketplace that the Canaanites owned or visited. They looked different from the Israelites in some respects, and dressed and lived differently. They definitely worshiped differently ... 

A people of promise. God in His grace and providence had anointed/ordained a man named Abraham, who could trace his origins to the family of Shem, son of Noah. Because of his demonstrated faith and the grace of God, God promised Abraham that his descendants would become as numerous as the stars and the grains of sand. The people who would first be identified with this promise was the nation of Israel, descending from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As the Genesis record continues to show, the people of Jacob moved from Canaan during the famine to Egypt when one of Jacob's (aka Israel's) youngest sons had been elevated to the governor and second in command of the region and who administered the plenty that God had provided for that purpose in His providence. After 400 years in Egypt, according to God's divine timing, He redeemed the people from the bondage of slavery for the purpose of bringing them to a place where they could worship Him according to His determination outlined in the 10 commandments and laws that He would give the people to guide them to true blessings as He restored them to the land of their forefather Israel. 

The people of Israel did eventually occupy the land - God assigned areas for each tribe according to His will for them. (It is interesting who was given the northern region and who was given the southern region.) God did give them victory over those interlopers who had claimed the land for themselves and warred against God's purpose. However - and this is important to know - not all of the Canaanites were driven out, due in part to the unfaithfulness and disobedience of the Israelites to carry out God's command to drive the wicked from their midst.

Additionally, the Israelites, after re-inhabiting the land - were straightforwardly instructed not to intermingle with the people of the land - primarily because they were pagans who did not worship the true God, the Savior of Israel. The peoples of Canaan were not ignorant of who this God was, which is why God allowed for the proselyte (a converted Canaanite; also called stranger in some Bible translations) to become part of the blessing and not be annihilated with those rejecting God. (compare Romans 1:18-23; Exodus 12:9; 1 Chronicles 22:1-3; 2 Chronicles 2:16-18; 2 Chronicles 30:24-26; Ezekiel 14:6-8) 

Years would pass, and the initial generations of Israelites returning to the land would pass away. Judges 2 indicates that eventually generations were born who did not know the God of Israel, i.e., folks had turned to the pagan gods of their neighbors. Why would they do that - after all these were the people, or at least their grandparents and great grandparents were the people whom God had brought from captivity in Egypt after miraculous signs were performed to demonstrate God's glory and sovereignty. They and their parents and grandparents had witnessed God's saving hand against their enemies. They had witnessed and enjoyed the blessings of abundance in a land God had given to them. (compare Psalm 77-80) Why, then, would they turn their backs on God?

For the same reasons essentially that Adam and Eve, and us today, do so. To satisfy our own desires for dominance, self-rule and worship. To feel good and enjoy the fleeting pleasures disobedience gives. 

But our God is a Jealous God who will not tolerate forever the wandering away of His chosen people. (compare Exodus 20:4-6; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:23-25; 5:9; 6:15; Joshua 24:18-20) His perfect Jealousy, born of a sovereign right to command obedience and worship, is not to be toyed with. As in the example of the wayward child in Part 1 of this blog, God knows what is best for His created beings, despite what the lust of our hearts tell us. He has the right to chastise His people and set up the necessary guardrails to protect them and command their exclusive worship. He has provided the means and instrument to restore His people - which He provides at great cost. He has redeemed or purchased His people at great cost, in His grace and providence. HE HAS THE SOVEREIGN RIGHT and is worthy above all things to be praised and worshiped. 

We, too, are the people of the promise through the seed of Abraham - in the person of Jesus Christ. We thus need to recall that the reason that God had faithful men record the accounts of His chosen people, of His salvation plan and process, is for us, for those who would follow those generations. (compare 1 Corinthians 10:1-11) We, too, are chosen people in a 'promised land' - a place of relationship with God where we are to worship Him exclusively. God's holy Word, His record of the actions and consequences of His people in past days, are for our benefit so that we can discern and make choices in line with God's will for our lives through a careful review and consultation of those accounts. (compare 1 Corinthians 10:12-15; Psalm 119:66; Proverbs 1:1-2; 2:3-9; Philippians 1:9; Hebrews 5:13-14) Will we be enticed by or lured to the practices and culture of the world? Yes. Will we be tempted to think like the world? Yes. Jesus tells us that in His Gospels and we are warned about it in the letter of Revelation. We are still flesh, therefore, our divine 'war' is with those fleshly desires to subdue them by following the Holy Spirit's direction in our lives. Is it easy? No, nor was it easy to live in the culture and sensual environments in which God's people in the past lived. They, too, were tempted with sexual immorality, greed, and idolatry and many succumbed, just as many of God's people fall to those desires today, and become subjected to God's correction. We must take care to seek God's will in all things, or suffer the same consequences suffered by those in the past who chose to go their own way. 

For our God is still a Jealous God, who is jealous for the people whom He chooses! Let us 'work out our salvation', i.e., follow the course God has set for us with all determination, with fear and with trembling, as before a Great and Loving God, who has our best in mind at all times. (Philippians 2:12-13)