God’s Goodness

After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation, but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings. You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all humankind, and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day. You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or follow your law; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them. See, the siege-ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can see. Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses” —though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans. (Jeremiah 32:16-25, NRSV)

I did not think what you were calling me to do would actually work. I know I have thought that so many times.

But where is the focus?

The focus on what I thought would happen. What I thought was going to transpire.

The focus was on me.

I wasn’t focusing on God and what God knew was going to happen.

You see here the field was purchased, and through that, the love of God was made clear.

We get so hung up on what might or could or could not happen we miss the focus.

God is the focus, not us.

So focus on God and go where God is leading.

The Wicked and the Righteous

Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying, “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!” But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good. (Psalm 52:1-9, NRSV)

Why do you boast?

Because of what you have?

Because of what you’ve done?

Because of who you are?

None of this is actually stuff we have done. All of it is a gift from God. God made you as you are to be a gift to the world. Live the love He gave you and show forth His tender mercy and compassion towards others.

What you have is what God has blessed you with. So use it for His glory not your own.

And what you’ve accomplished or done is what He has used you to do. Boast in God, not in yourself and give credit where credit is due.

The Community’s Generosity

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:32-37, NRSV)

Everything all of the believers had was held in common. And they distributed to anyone as they had need.

How many of us are ready to do that?

How many of us are willing to think about this?

The issue here is they didn’t own anything and saw everything they had as a blessing from God. This allowed everyone to sell all of their property and give all of the money to the disciples to use as it was needed.

Stuff is not bad. But when we give it too much value then it becomes an idol. We need to keep things in perspective, and the early church did that by selling everything and letting the apostles decide who needed what.

Are you ready for that?

David’s Words

For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ (Acts 2:25-28, NRSV)

David knew that his offspring would be the King and knew that they would save the world.

David was always pleased to be in God’s presence.

How do you love to be in the presence of God?

How can we have David’s understanding of Jesus?

The Ten Commandments

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire. (At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to declare to you the words of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. Neither shall you commit adultery. Neither shall you steal. Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor. Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Deuteronomy 5:1-21, NRSV)

The Ten Commandments are more like 13 at one count and probably more.

But also they are ways to help us live. Not so we can get to heaven, but ways to order our lives so we have better relationships both vertically and horizontally.

Vertically – how we are in relationship with God.

Horizontally – how we are in relationship with others around us.

You see it is all about us living the life that God called us to and living out the love that He has for us.

So look out for others, and share the love that God has given you!

God’s Riches

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:15-23, NRSV)

Who do you thank God for?

Who are the people you are always thanking God for having in your life?

God in His immeasurable greatness has placed people in your life for a reason. We are all surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who help us every day and we need to thank God for those people.

So who do you thank God for?

Stewardship and Generosity

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Mark 10:17-31, NRSV)

Can a rich person get into heaven?

Actually, that question is the same as can a poor person get into heaven?

You see it really depends on how we define rich and poor. Some of the people with the most financial resources in this world are the poorest people there are and some of those who couldn’t buy a hamburger are the richest people in the world.

It really boils down to the question, “What must I do to inherit…”

If you stop to think about it there is really nothing you can do to get an inheritance, it is all at the will of the one giving the inheritance. So nothing is what you can do…

That is why everything is impossible for mankind, but nothing is impossible for God.

So if the rich person knows where all their blessings come from they will be in heaven, just as the poor person won’t make it if they are not sure of where their blessings come from.

Know whose the stuff is and whose you are, and that will make a difference in your life and the lives of others.

David Calls upon the Lord

But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice. He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, and will humble them— because they do not change, and do not fear God. My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords. Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you. (Psalm 55:16-23, NRSV)

When we call out to the Lord, He will be there to answer us.

No matter what time of day or night or what our need is, God will never falter in His loving protection of us.

God is always there, put your trust in Him!

God’s Creation

 

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?— when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’? “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is dyed like a garment. Light is withheld from the wicked, and their uplifted arm is broken. “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens, or lie in wait in their covert? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food? (Job 38:1-15, 39-41, NRSV)

I have always said that God is big enough to take our questions and our shouting. Our anger and disdain. Because God is big enough to hear it. But if God’s emotions are like ours, there is bound to be a tipping point…

And Job finds it. God answers Job out of a whirlwind and basically answers his concerns with, were you there when I set all of creation in motion? Can you change anything about this world? I can. And I will do my will. God answers.

We can not change anything in the world, except through sharing God’s love with everyone we meet. Circumstances will come and go and some will be good and some will not. But God is always with us. God created everything and yet cares for you!

 

Here is a song I dearly love written about these verses:

Queen Sheba visits Solomon

When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, (fame due to the name of the Lord), she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his valets, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. So she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. Not even half had been told me; your wisdom and prosperity far surpass the report that I had heard. Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again did spices come in such quantity as that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (1 Kings 10:1-10, NRSV)

Have you heard something and thought that can’t be right, and I won’t believe that until I see it for myself?

We want to see things with our own eyes before we will believe them.

Why is that?

The Queen of Sheba traveled a great distance to question Solomon and then brought him a great deal of money and spices, and stones. She could have saved herself some time and travel and expenses if she would have believed the reports. But then again is it better to test the waters?

God will make clear to us our ways. He has blessed each of us with a gift. Solomon was wisdom, and because of that, he got many things which he used in mission to God.

How do you use your gift?