Where are you going?

Where are you going? I have been asking myself this question for a while now…

Where do I think my life is going and where am I leading my family? Do I have a clear picture of where I came from? Because the past is something that has helped to shape me, it in no way defines me, as my life is defined by Jesus, but my past and where I came from has shaped me and helped make me who I am today, and thus will have an effect on where I am going.

I remember a time when I thought everything was falling into place and it was all luck. Before I started attending worship regularly, after I had become disenchanted with the church my wife and I moved from Cincinnati to Gastonia. In this move we had a lease on an apartment we needed out of, and jobs to find. I had interviewed for a job in Cincinnati, I had to turn down as we were moving.

Well in the month before the move, I got offered a job in Charlotte, an hour from where we were moving, but they wanted me to start now. But we are not moving for a month. Not a problem was the response I got, we will fly you here and back for however long we need to, fly you in on Monday and home on Friday, give you a car and money for food. One thing fell into place.

The apartment was still under a lease with about 4 months to go. We went to the office and told them our current issue. They said they would list it as available but if they could not rent it we would need to pay through the end of our lease. That was a Friday. Monday we get a call, we have rented your apartment and we need you out by Friday. Now a new problem – what to do with the stuff. We are out of our lease, but not moving for 3 weeks and our stuff has to go somewhere. My wife can stay with her parents, as I fly back and forth between Charlotte and Cincinnati…

Well around the corner from our apartment was a storage facility doing a special, first month for $1. No minimum and you don’t have to rent a month to get a month for a $1. So we stored our stuff for 3 weeks for $1. I got a job, our apartment got taken out from under our lease, and everything fell right into place. We also found an apartment on our first trip down to Gastonia which is a miracle because we had a 50 lb Siberian Husky. Not many places will take a big dog in an apartment. Everything fell into place, because as I look back now I can see God’s hand moving through that move. But before I worshiped regularly I could not see that…

Do you know where you are going? In John 8:12-20 Jesus testifies to himself as being the light of the world and the Pharisees mock Him. They say He can not testify to himself. Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.” They do not know where he came from or where he is going, but we do!

And while in my life I may not know what the next step is, or my next destination, I know that Jesus knows where I have been, and He still loves me and He knows where I am going, so to me it doesn’t matter if my journey is clear. I know I am in good hands – nail scared ones!

Consider the steadfast love of the Lord

Psalm 107 is a wonderful psalm filled with things that have happened to people and how God has rescued them from the tribulation they find themselves in…

But what happens when you feel like God has not rescued you? Can you read psalm 107 and say, “But my issue is not listed here, does that mean that God doesn’t care about this?” Simply because they didn’t know about iPhone in biblical times and didn’t put down the malfunctioning of my electronic device does that mean that God does not care about this?

And what about the love shown by God in Numbers 20? The israelites are wandering and there is no fresh fruit or even any water. Remember yesterday’s reading had the water they found was bitter and God made it sweet with a plank of wood and then they found the 7 springs, but now there is no more water, so what do we do? We grumble and complain because that is our nature and our lot. If things are not the way we want them we moan and complain. And when God does not give us what we ask for, like the cosmic vending machine we use Him as, we get upset with Him, and don’t listen and think we can do it our own way. This is what Moses and Aaron did in Numbers 20. God told them to go and stand before the rock and to call on His name and call for the water to come out of the rock. But instead of trusting God, they went, stood before the rock and hit it twice with the staff, and the water flowed. Now why did God give them the water when they obviously disobeyed Him? Because of His steadfast love…

Even when we are stubborn and hard headed and do what we want in spite of what God has told us to do, He still loves us and cares for us. It never said that life would be all roses and cheese cake… But God’s steadfast love will endure forever.

So don’t go to God expecting to get ever thing you always wanted. He is not a cosmic vending machine for your amusement. Go to God humbly and falling on your knees, expecting Him to love you, and He will and take you on a ride you can’t possibly image.

God is Good

How many times have you heard this?

You know you are having a bad day, week, month, year… It seems everything possibly that could go wrong has gone wrong and your world is falling apart around you. And someone in the midst if this will say, “pray and ask God for guidance because He is good and He will rescue you from the tribulation you are in.”

Psalm 107: 1-9 says

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.

Yes OK the Bible does say that God will deliver those who cry out to him and feed the hungry and give the thirsty water. But in Exodus when the Israelites started out the first water they found could not be drunk because it was bitter. (Exodus 15:22-27 – of course God fixed this too…)

But what about the times it seems like God has left us? What about those times we have prayed and there seems to be no answer? Where is God when it seems like He is not there?

Of course I could offer the answers that no answer to prayer is actually an answer. Garth Brooks told us to thank God for unanswered prayers, because sometimes we ask for things that would not be good for us, and therefore God will not give it to us. He will always give us what we need and is in His mission not always what we want.

And then there is Mathew West’s Strong Enough. A song about how we are not strong enough to do this life alone, and that we need to rely on the strength of God to get us through. And I can agree with this on an intellectual level always, but sometimes it disconnects with where I am. I know it is true, I’ve seen it several times in the past and I know God will take care of us and He is in control of every situation and His will will be done.

But that still does not eradicate the suffering. That still does not take away the confusion. That still does not help me where I am – disconnected from the creator I want to feel deep within me and surrounding me. Where is God when I feel like He is no where to be found? How can I get to Him? I feel like Jesus on the cross crying out, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me!” I’ve done what you asked and followed where you led me and did the things you told me to, and now I’m here all alone? Did you bring me here for what? Like the Israelites in the wilderness, brought out here to die of starvation in the wilderness?

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

Lifted up

There are many serpents in the Bible, one in Genesis that sets a lot of things in motion and many others…

However there is only one that seems to link to Jesus – and that is the serpent in the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. This is the story we hear in Numbers 21:4-9.

I think it is interesting that this passage is partnered with John 3:14-21 where we hear tell of God loving the world so much that he gave His only son to die for us…

It is interesting in the passage from Numbers the response of God. And to that one could say which response of God…

You see the people are grumbling to Moses that he brought them out of Egypt to kill them off in the wilderness. So after their grumbling God sends poisonous serpents among the people to bite them and kill them. God does this, this is His first response to the situation. They start grumbling and God send poisonous snakes to kill them…

Then when the people get it and go to Moses, Moses goes to God and he tells Moses…

“Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”

He tells Moses to make a serpent and set it on a pole and allow people who get bite to look upon the snake that has been raised up and they shall live. Could not God have removed the snakes all together and gotten rid of the suffering of the people. He after all sent the snakes to them, so why didn’t he just get rid of them? Why make a snake and raise it up?

It is like something else that is raised up for people to behold and allow them to be healed. Jesus – the one and only Son who was raised up because God so loved the world that he gave His only Son so that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life, because God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved. Look upon Jesus lifted up and be healed…

God never said our lives would be without suffering, but he has given us Jesus to behold and to heal us through our trials and tribulations…

Nicodemus – Man of Growth

John 3:1-13 tells us the beginning of the story of Nicodemus…

And while it is the beginning, it is a wonderful story and one that should be the basis for all of our lives.

What can we learn about Nicodemus from this passage?

He is:

A Pharisee (v. 1)

A member of the Jewish Council (v. 1)

Jewish religious Leader who believed Jesus

A Teacher of Isreal (v. 10)

Nic (I’ll call him Nic for short – takes a lot of time to type Nicodemus…) is a Jewish Pharisee, a member of the council and someone who believes in Jesus.

He has to come to Jesus under the cover of darkness because he can not be seen coming to Jesus or someone might turn him in as a follower and not worthy to be on the council or a Pharisee anymore…

we also know he is a teacher but it seems he still has a lot to learn.

What in particular did Nic not understand about Jesus’ teaching? Jesus said a man must be born again… And Nic had a hard time comprehending this. I wonder if we understand what this means? There is a lot of emphasis put on baptism and faith and being born again, but really what does all of this mean?

Is it necessary to be baptized to enter the kingdom of God? Martin Luther said yes, and so do many in the church today. Yet I ask you were the disciples baptized? There is no biblical witness to them being baptized. And what about the thief on the cross, to whom Jesus says, “Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.” Was he baptized? We do not know, but Jesus told him he is going to be in paradise.

So what does it mean you have to be born again? Maybe the word is not born again…

The word translated again in the original Greek means of place from above or of future time, indicating repetition anew, again…

So maybe it is You must be born from above, or you must be born anew… It is what we Lutherans like to refer to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever…

Maybe when Jesus says you must be born of water and spirit this is what he is referring. All of us are born of water, there is water involved in our earthly birth and the spirit seals us when God moves in and through our lives with the gift of Faith that manifests itself in the way we live to point others to Jesus. Yet I digress… This is suppose to be about Nic and how he is a model fro us all…

Nic did not understand this, but he questioned and sought to understand. But is chapter 3 of John the last time we see Nic?

No…

Where else is the story of Nic told to us? John 7:50-52 Nic asks a question of the Jewish council trying to arrest and put him to trial. He makes a stand for Jesus in the Jewish Council. He stands up for Jesus publicly. He goes from a person seeking under the cover of darkness to a person who defends Jesus.

And again Nic comes to us in John 19:39-40 Nic with Joseph of Arimathea go and get Jesus’ body from the cross to bury him Here he is risking a lot coming and doing this. He shows a steady growth over the story of his life in the gospel John.

And you see that is what God wants from all of us, to seek him under darkness if we need to, to showing our faith out load in our daily lives, to openly living out our faith and showing the world how much Jesus means to us.

God seeks steady growth and not instant perfection!

Hope in Christ

Ephesians 1:7-14 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. ”

There is a lot of really good stuff in here…

We have redemption through the blood of Jesus to bring us the forgiveness of the sins we have committed. We are set right with the Father because of the relationship we have in Jesus. And that is great news, but it’s not the best thing this passage tells us…

With wisdom and insight He has revealed to us Hos plan that is a mystery. We can know the plan and mission of God the Father through our relationship with Jesus, and that is a wonderful thing, but not the best thing this passage tells us…

In Christ we have an inheritance and we have been destined through Him to accomplish all things according to His counsel. We have an inheritance given to us that is greater than anything you could ever possibly imagine. And we will be able to do all things through Him. But this is not the best thing here…

The best thing in this passage is “who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.” We who have set our hopes on Christ get the pleasure of living our lives for the praise of His glory, so that all who see us will not see us, but will see Him and be drawn to Him. You see it is not about us and what we get from Christ, it is always about Christ! He gives us wonderful things and redeems us to stand with Him before the throne of the Father, but it is all about the redemption of all creation, and the things we get are meant to help us live out our lives in a way that points to Christ, so that we show forth Him and not our selves.

So live your life so that others see Jesus and are drawn to Him.

Rainbow = promise

How many of you have ever seen a rainbow? It is a wonderful surprise when the water and light in the air hit in the right way so the light refracts and the colors in the light can come forth and show the beauty of creation…

But do you stop and think about what that rainbow actually is when you see it? Or is it only the beauty of it?

Genesis 9:8-17 says:

⁸Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ⁹“Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, ¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.¹¹ I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹²And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Here is the reason for the rainbow – or the bow in the sky. It is a reminder to us and to God of the covenant we have, that God made with Noah and his offspring, that the world would not be destroyed by a flood again. It is a beautiful wonder of nature that reminds us that God loves us and makes and keeps promises. The love the creator has for each of us is greater than anything else and there are clues through out all of nature to remind us…

So the next time you see a rainbow remember how much God loves you and that all of the promises He has made He will keep, this is a sign for us!

What is the temple for…

Mark 11:15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 11:16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 11:17 He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 11:18 And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 11:19 And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

This is a passage if you are like me we don’t like to think about…

I mean really who wants to talk about a Jesus who forms a whip from cords and then drives animals and people out of the temple, and overturns the tables of the money changers, and here in Mark he won’t let any one carry anything through the temple.

Were not these animals needed for sacrificial worship? These things that were happening here had been happening for a long time. The selling of animals for worship was not a new thing. People traveled long distances and did not want to bring or could not bring animals with them for worship. Maybe even Jesus’ mother and father when he was presented with their 2 turtle dove sacrifice bought them in the temple.

And the money changers were necessary because they were not allowed to have graven images and the coins most people had would have had the image of the leader of the country they were from on them, so it had to be exchanged for money that could be used in the temple. This was all nothing new…

So why does Jesus do this?

Because Jesus sees deeper than the surface, and the reasons people say they do the things they do. Jesus sees the heart and the intent. Jesus sees our motivations…

It is not that the system is not needed, but it has been corrupted by human greed and desires. It is no longer being handled in the right way or done for worship. It is now done for profit.

What is the motivation in our lives and what makes us do the things we do? Do we do it to make a dollar, or to show forth the love of God?

Called to minister

“do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence to minister to him, and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.” 2 Chronicles 29:11

Here Hezekiah is speaking to priests and Levites as he is preparing to put the temple back in order. It has fallen into disrepair because the nations have fallen away from following God. Hezekiah is trying to restore the temple and focus people back on God and not their own selfish wants/desires/notions…

And isn’t that what God calls each of us to do every day of our lives? To point others to Him…

We are called by God and given the example through Jesus’ life of how to live and love others. Jesus went to those on the fringes of society and showed them that they had value. Jesus went and sat with the outcasts, he partied with the prostitutes, he ate with the tax collectors. He showed those who the religious elite said were worthless and not loved by God that they were loved by God. He lived in a way that showed God’s love and calling to all. And that is our example. God calls each of us to minister to and with him.

What are you doing to point others to Jesus? Are you living in a way that shows others His love for all of creation?

One Day…

What would you do if today was your last day?

If you knew that today was the last day you would be alive, what would you want to do?

Where would you want to go?

What would you want to eat?

Who would you want to be with?

Would you want to do as the Psalmist says in Psalm 84:10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

If today was your last day would you want to spend it in the courts of the Lord? To be a doorman for the Lord?

It seems like this is really the place to be. Because 1 day in the courts of God are better than 1000 days somewhere else. That is impressive! And the Lord’s house is a lovely dwelling place, a place that is wonderful to be. Image how wonderful life would be, if being a doorman for the Lord was the best thing you could image…