Simple Prayer

Ephesians 6:18-20, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

James 1:5-8 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

                Prayer is our life line to God.  I remember as a new father when my son started to learn to walk he chaffed at being in the stroller when we went to the mall or somewhere else that had a lot of neat things to see.  It soon became clear that I would lose track of him if I allowed him to wander as he wished.  So being a new dad and not having a clue how to deal with this I went to Walmart and looked for a solution.  I soon found a leash contraption that I could strap to my child and hold the other end.  This allowed him to have some freedom and for me to still have some control.  Even now I shudder a little bit when I think that I “leashed” my child; but for whatever reason it worked for us for that time.  It did not work well with my next three children. 

                Say what you want to about the “leashing” of children it has clear and obvious analogies to our own Christian lives.  That leash or tether that we have trough the Holy Spirit is the ability to be in constant contact with the creator of the universe.  That is a powerful concept!  Just a cursory reading in the New Testament on the subject of prayer brings this out in a clear and crazy way.  Most Christians have a poor and in some cases a distorted view of prayer.  Some think that there is some heavenly switchboard that is constantly receiving calls and that there is a hierarchy or a priority system.  For instance a little girl praying for ice cream after a dinner out with family is somehow a lower priority then the boy in Haiti that is starving and is praying that today will be the day that he eats.  We can easily prioritize these two prayers but the crazy part is that God does not.  He listens to both prayers and answers both in His way and according to His will.  Both prayers are important to Him and He takes both requests seriously.

                Now I may have used a simplistic example but you can see that when Jesus says; “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” (Mathew 16:19)  He means it!  He even repeated this later in the same gospel Matthew 18:18.  Prayer changes things because He has called us to be His image bearers here on earth.  We are chosen to be His agents of change in this dark and dying world.  We bear the words of life from His lips and when we pray for anything He listens.

                In light of this I began to look for examples of prayer in the Old and New Testaments and there are a lot of examples.  The funny thing is that aside from the prayers of Jesus, nearly every other prayer is short simple and to the point.  Look at some of them; (Some I have taken poetic license with)

• ·         Adam – We were hiding because we were naked…
• ·         Cain – I don’t know where my brother is…
• ·         Noah – You want me to build what…
• ·         Abraham – You want me to go where…
• ·         Isaac – You want me to marry some woman I have never met…
• ·         Jacob – How many kids…
• ·         Moses – What name shall I use when I go to the people…
• ·         Joshua – How do I take down the city of Jericho? – No really I need a battle plan…
• ·         Elijah – Lord, deal this my enemies… (and the fire fell)
• ·         Elisha – (to his servant in a moment of crisis) Lord, open this man’s eyes…
• ·         Isaiah – Here am I send me…
• ·         Jerimiah – I am too young they will not listen to me…
• ·         Mary – How can this be since I am a virgin…
• ·         Joseph – O.K. Lord I will Marry Mary no questions asked the child is yours…
• ·         John the Baptist – Behold the Lamb of God…
• ·         Peter – You are the Christ the son of the Living God…
• ·         A desperate father with a son afflicted with a strange disease – Lord I believe, please help my unbelief…
• ·         James and John – We want to be your right hand men in the coming kingdom…

And on and on the list can go.  Some of the names and “prayers” are paraphrased or comedic but the point is that God loves when we talk to Him and He loves short simple prayers.  Sometimes just a simple recognition that He is God and in control like what Thomas said when confronted with the risen Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” 

Paul teaches in Romans 8: 26-27; “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”  In short even when we don’t know what to say He still hears our heart cry and is there for us.  So when thinking on prayer…KEEP IT SIMPLE!

The Problem of Evil Part 3

Good

            Defining good is not as easy as it first seems.  We want to define good as anything that happens to me that is pleasing and brings me joy or happiness.  In that sense a cold soft drink on a hot day could be defined as good.  A warm puppy snuggling down into your arms can be thought of as good.  Now while these things are interesting and may be pleasant but to ascribe the title of good to it might be a bit of a stretch.  When we look at the life of Jesus, who as the Son of the Living God, the very incarnation of God Himself when He was confronted with a young man who called him good he replied, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” (Mark 10:18b NASB)  Even Jesus was hesitant to label Himself good (of course we know that He was making a point and at the same time exhibiting humility).  This points the fact that our definition of good is skewed.  We cannot help but explain things in an anthropomorphic sense.  We have to constantly put our own thoughts, ideas, commentaries and wants into the words and actions of God.  As Job found out when he went through his ordeal, God is God and He does what He pleases to His creation. 

            As His creation we have no right to complain when the creator chooses, for whatever reason, to cause a vessel He has created to die or become broken.  We cannot throw around the idea of good and evil like we understand them.  These titles have eternal and divine meaning that we have yet to comprehend.  Good is not nice things that happen to me.  Good is God.  Another theologian says, “God is by definition beyond moral evaluation.”[1]  We, like Job, have not the right to question the fundamental nature of God. 

Evil

            A theologian had this to say;

“Christian orthodoxy has always dealt with this problem by trying to explain evil and suffering in a way that resolves the inconsistency without eliminating any of the divine attributes.  Some have argued that evil is only apparent and not ultimately real. Things may appear evil to us but that is to perceive things from our limited perspective; it is to view things in light of what we like or do not like. If we could see things from God's eternal perspective, we would see them very differently.”[2]

Another theologian says, “God is by definition beyond moral evaluation.”[3] 

These two men seem to have the best combined answer to how we are to look at the question.  There are problems with both of these approaches. 

The first one suggests that there is really no evil that all things will eventually work out into some future hidden good.  The problem with this is that if we go down this road then it is likely that we will become rather callus or immune to the evils that do happen in the world.  Evils like famine, plague, murder, rape, war, and others.  It seems clear that these things are hated by God.  Jesus taught that we are to love and show love to all men regardless of whether or not they are our enemies.  We are to give cold water in His name and to help the widows and orphans in their distress.  An Anglican Preacher by the name of Eric Delve delivered a sermon in the International Baptist Church of Jurbise, Belgium in the winter of 2010 and in that sermon he told of an encounter that he had.  He shared that after he finished a service an older woman came up to him and told him that God had sent her to him to have him pray over her dying son.  The preacher was tired and did not really feel like doing it but he reluctantly agreed to follow the woman home.  When he got there he met the young man dying of a rare form of cancer that had affected the bones of his back, neck and legs.  It was spreading into his brain and the doctors only gave the boy days to live.  The moment that Eric Delve walked into the room he was overcome with an intense and righteous fury that did not come from him.  He claims that it came from God.  The anger was at the cancer that had hurt this poor boy so badly.  He prayed long, loud and hard for the boy and after he said good-bye and left.  He did not see the boy or the mother again for a long time, so long in-fact that he was certain that the boy was dead.  He received a call from the mother a few years later thanking him for his prayers.  The child recovered and the doctors did not know why, the child was alive and well.  In the mind of Eric Delve God hates evil and has commanded us to hate it as well. 

Conclusion

Looking at this story and the quotes from the two theologians from the beginning of these sections this makes the argument that we can become immune to evil as a very real possibility.  I would have to say that yes we have become immune to a degree to the evil that exists in the world.  While God may not be judged by our moral standards we still will be by His.  How do we deal with the apparent evil that is rampant in our world?  We hate it just as God does.  We struggle against it, just as Jesus did while He walked the earth.  We seek to have our heart break for the things that breaks God’s heart.  We are His hands and feet, we are His free-agents of change in this wicked, rebellious, and evil world.  There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that believes in the revealed Sovereign God that He hates evil.  The problem that we are confronted with every day is what are we individually doing about the evil that we face?  To take a step back away from evil that we face is to tacitly allow it to go on.  It is easy to do nothing when we see bad things happen, and as God’s free-agents we can choose to do nothing, but for whatever reason He has chosen us to fight these battles.  We are called to confront evil to face the consequences of that conrontation. 

All that being said the answer to the problem of evil is that we need to adjust our perspective and look at it from the perspective of a Holy all-powerful, all-knowing God.  The same God who looked at the totality of creation from the garden through the cross to the end of time and said it is very good.  God as we have described Him is not trapped in time with us.  He is outside of time.  It is though He is looking at a finished painting that is our time line hanging in His gallery.  The macroscopic point of all creation is to glorify God the microscopic point of creation is to create a bride that loves and chooses Him. He is glorified in the bad that happens and the good.  Even though we may not see it now we can be assured that even in the evil that is so pervasive in the world God is able to be glorified.  There will come a day when we will look back on this and see the truth to the verse, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NASB)  Paul confirms this in 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (NASB) 

It is sure that this answer will not sit well with many theologians but the truth is, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4 NASB)  “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place?” (Job 38:12 NASB)  “The ostriches’ wings flap joyously with the pinion and plumage of love, for she abandons her eggs to the earth and warms them in the dust, and she forgets that a foot may crush them, or that a wild beast may trample them. She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned; because God has made her forget wisdom, and has not given her a share of understanding.”  (Job 39:13-18 NASB)  We are no better than the ostrich in reality.  We flap our wings to try to make ourselves feel important and we walk through this world unaware of what the creator God gives us.  We are totally without a clue.  God is the definition of Good and He is opposed to Evil.  We are to live like Him in that we are to attempt to be good and eschew evil.  We are to live for him and him alone.

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[1] Bruce Ballard, The Problem of Evil: A Review Essay (McMaster Journal of Theology & Ministry; 2007, Vol. 9) pg. 40

[2] James Danaher, The Problem of Evil from a Gospel Perspective (Evangelical Review of Theology, April 2012 Volume 36 Issue 2) p 137

[3] Bruce Ballard, The Problem of Evil: A Review Essay (McMaster Journal of Theology & Ministry; 2007, Vol. 9) pg. 40

The Problem of Evil Part 2

Sovereignty of God

            The concept of a sovereign God is one that has been challenged over the intervening years from the days of creation till now.  All it takes is for one innocent child to die early in a horrible fashion for us to begin to question the goodness and all-powerful and all-knowing nature of God.  There are a number of permutations of the question of why God would allow this bad thing to happen to this person at this time.  The sovereignty of God though a separate concept from the problem of evil is intrinsic to the discussion.  If we accept that God is all the things that we say that He is then we have to follow the line of reasoning that as the creator of all things at some point in creation He created a creature that was capable of rebellion and evil thus God created evil.  This as you can imagine has never sat well with any theologian.  Of course we can take the Zoroastrinistic approach and say that there were two creators one good and one evil and they have been at war every day since the day they co-created the earth.  But then we would no longer be talking about Christianity.[1]

            Many people try at this point to limit in some way the power of God.  The problem in that approach is that any limiting of the God that we have revealed to us in the pages of scripture is to nullify the concept of God all together.  The arguments for and against the limiting the scope and ability of God are vast and in some ways far beyond the limited understanding of this writer.  The one thing that most of the problem solvers try to do is define God, Evil, and Good without using the Bible.  There needs to be a base line established for us to move on.  There needs to be somewhere a reference that we can turn to that contains truth that is not relative to our understanding.  If we do not have such a document then we cannot ever resolve this issue.  If we are a creature and He is the creator and He has not revealed Himself to us then we cannot begin to comprehend Him.  This is where we have to turn to the only document that has ever made the claim of being the Revelation of God to men, the bible. 

            “The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand.” (Isaiah 14:24 NASB)

            “Also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-12 NASB)

            “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” (John 1”1-3 NASB)

            “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17 NASB)

            There are more verses then can be fit into this blog, suffice it to say that the bible teaches that God not only created everything but He also sustains everything.  This pretty much tears apart every argument that begins with the premise that God is not all-powerful or all-knowing.  If we attempt still to argue the prospect that God has limited Himself or is somehow constrained this ultimately undermines the concept of God.  Either He is sovereign or He is not.  If He is then He either He allowed Evil to exist and at the very least tacitly allowed it to come into being or He did not.  If God did  not allow evil to come into existence then there is a power out there that is at the very least equal to God or greater as it would have been able to “sneak one past” the big guy Himself. 

            What is left is that He is either an absent creator in the lives of His creation, or he is just evil.   Either He loves us or He is playing a cruel joke on all of humanity.  Either He is trustworthy or He is not.  That last statement speaks to heart of the sovereignty of God.  If we cannot trust His word even in a small part how can we trust Him or His word in the big parts?  The fact is the only document on earth that purports to be the very word of the living God is the bible and the bible says that He is all-knowing and all-powerful. 

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[1] Zoroastrianism claims to be the world's oldest supposed monotheistic religion. It was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran about 3500 years ago and as its main tenet there is a duality of good and evil deities.  While there is a supreme god that is all good there seems to be warring lesser deities that represent good and evil.  There are some that claim that Zoroastrianism influenced Judaism and all other Monotheistic religions but a closer look at the actual tenets of that faith will reveal that it is in fact a polytheistic faith.  

The Problem of Evil and the Sovereignty of God, Part 1

The problem of evil in light of the sovereignty of God is one that has plagued the mind of sinful man for thousands of years.  Theologians have been debating this very question for a long time.  It is very likely that Adam had the very same thoughts as he and Eve were leaving the Garden of Eden.  If a question could be asked of God it would be; “Was He setting Adam up for failure?”  The idea that preachers of old have been teaching that when God said “it is very good” in reference to creation on the sixth day that meant that there was no sin and everything was great.  This raises the natural question; if God is sovereign and is omniscient and all powerful then why did He allow Satan in the garden knowing what he was going to do?  Did He not know that Satan was going to fall?  Did He hope that Adam would choose differently?  These questions speak to the heart of the human experience.  We need answer that makes sense, not pleasant platitudes that whitewash the problem but real answers. 

            James Danaher has this to say, “What theologians refer to as 'the problem of evil results from the fact that if God is all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, and the sole creator of the universe, how should we explain the existence of evil? This creates what logicians call inconsistency. We can resolve the inconsistency by removing any one of the above-mentioned attributes of God.  If God were not all-good there would obviously be evil in the world because of the evil in the creator. Likewise, if God were not all-knowing he could have created a world, which he thought would be free of evil without knowing that evil would result from his creation. Equally, we could understand God to be less than all-powerful.”[1]

            Ron Highfield has this to say, “In theology old problems never die, and, unlike old soldiers, they rarely fade away for long. Instead, they return in fresh formulations accompanied by ingenious solutions written by a new-sprung generation of young theologians. The perennial problem of evil—between wars, episodes of genocide, plagues, battles with cancer, and that periodic migraine headache—recedes into the back of our consciousness. But when trouble crashes through the gates, we ask, "Why?" "Why me?" "Why anyone?" Suddenly, the old problem has become my problem, present, vivid, urgent, and anything but faded.”[2]

The voluminous amounts of answers that people have tried to give still have never really dealt with the problem of the existence of evil in the world today.  There are two issues with this problem of evil that needs to be defined.  The first one is the understanding of the term “Sovereignty of God.”  The second is the definition of good and evil.  To attempt to get a hold of this problem we need to break down the parts and look at it the right way.  When the word sovereignty is used in this blog it is will always be in the context and understanding of an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving creator that not only created all things but also sustains all things. 

In relation the understanding of the definition of evil, there needs to be a clear line drawn.  Evil is the things that God hates.  There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19 NASB)  What this passage is saying is that what God hates is the very definition of evil.  From the beginning of evil in mankind it was a selfish rebellion from the law of God and a desire to be a god ourselves.  This character flaw has remained with mankind to this day.  John puts it this way, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16 NASB)  He is intimating that all sin has a root in one or more of these things.  We, mankind, have for too long looked at the problem of evil from a man centered creaturely perspective and not from a divine perspective, when you shift the focus from man to God then you can see it the right way.  In the need to really define what evil is we can look at what it is not.  Evil is not bad things that happen to me.  Evil is not people that do things that we think is not right.  Evil can only be defined from the perspective of the divine.  Evil is the opposite of good and good is defined as a characteristic of God, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Psalm 137:1 NASB) 

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[1] James Danaher, The Problem of Evil from a Gospel Perspective (Evangelical Review of Theology, April 2012 Volume 36 Issue 2) p 137

[2] Ron Highfield, The Problem with “The Problem of Evil”: A Response to Gregory Boyd’s Open Theist Solution (Restoration Quarterly 45 no 3 2003) p. 165

Christmas, Pagan or Sacred...?

   One question that I get almost every year at this time is about the origins of Christmas.  The question may take different forms; some ask if it has pagan origins, others might ask if Jesus was really born on or around the 25^th of December, some just ask if we have lost the meaning in this over commercialized and stuff focused culture that we have found ourselves in.  My answer to all these questions and any other that may be along these lines is, “What is the reason why you are asking this question?”  If we are asking this question because someone else is questioning our faith or prodding us to draw us into an argument that will not end well, than we are asking this question for the wrong reasons.  If we are asking because we truly want to know in order to deepen our faith and make sure we are living the life that Christ wants us to, well that is a whole other reason and I think the right one.

          There will always be people that push this question out there to further an agenda of their own.  They will say things like; Jesus was not born on the 25^th of December and that the holiday was begun by a pagan emperor (Constantine) and that it is a compromise with the pagan elements of the empire to keep some of the population happy with the new state religion.  These folks will often claim that the “True Church” in the first thru third centuries was the pure faith and that all the rest was corrupted.  That sounds good and on the surface it sound like it is true.  But it is based on four false arguments.

1.   That Constantine was a pagan emperor.  The truth is he like all men needed a savior and he made the claim that Jesus saved him and after 324 A.D. and he had control over the entire empire he banned pagan celebrations and embraced Christ.  Whether or not he was a true believer is between him and God, I can only speak for me, no one else.

2.   That Constantine made it a state religion.  He did not do that.  It was Theodosius I that did this.  He was the last man to rule both the east and west parts of the Roman Empire.

3.   That the “true and pure” church was the first thru third centuries before Constantine allowed it.  The idea that the first church was somehow pure and true is false and smacks of a failure to understand even the most basic of readings of the letters in the New Testaments.  The truth was that the first century church was drifting from its true center almost from its inception.  The apostles were constantly writing about heresies that were creeping in.  Any church that is not focused on Jesus and Jesus alone (as revealed to us by His word) then that church has drifted from the truth and is not healthy.  As long as man is involved with church here on earth we will always be in danger of drifting because man is sinful. 

4.   That is was based on a pagan holiday and adopted into the church by the Catholics.  While it is true that the Catholics did pick the date and that there was a pagan holiday on that day as well it true.  I have found that the same people that push this question also talk about worship on Sunday and other parts of the church as we have it today.  If we use that standard though we would not worship on Saturday either, as it was dedicated to the pagan god Saturn and on and on it would go.  The month of December is and was special to many religions from the dawn of sin.  When man drifted from God due to sin there has been a desire to have special days to celebrate in their own sinful manner what they want to celebrate.  Jesus did celebrate Hanukkah according to John 10.  It was a winter feast day.  I don’t know of any document or writing from the 3^rd century or after that specifically says that the Catholic Church was adopting the date of a pagan god. 

So now on to the answer (sort of).  First of all there is evidence in the writings of the some of the early church fathers from 200 A.D. and on that there was a desire to know the date of the birth of Christ.  None of them put the date in December but most believe that Jesus’ baptism by John was in January and so some linked the two dates to celebrate as one.  The truth is we do not know when Jesus was born.  There are enough scholars that have tried to pin the date down over the years and they all have good reasons for their dates.  Personally I think that Jesus was born sometime in the spring when all the other lambs were born.  Not because of the account of the shepherds in the fields but because He was the ultimate sacrificial lamb.  Now I know that this is not necessary and my not be really theological but it is what I think.  Either way the first church was interested in the birthday of Jesus.

As I don’t think that Jesus was born on the 25^th of December then why do I celebrate Christmas?  That is a good question and I am glad that you asked.  Jesus did have a day that He was born into real history.  We do not know when that was but we know that He did have a day that He was born.  For that reason alone it is good to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the 25^th of December is a good enough day as any to do it.  When we celebrate the day of the birth of the Messiah what are we really celebrating and what is the purpose of “Advent”?  These are the real questions that we should be asking.

We celebrate the entrance of God into real history and into flesh, blood and bone.  That is an amazing and mysterious thing. To have the creator of the universe that is larger than the universe itself somehow fit Himself into the body of a tiny child that grew in the womb of a young girl is truly amazing and a mystery that we will never know more about until we see Him face to face.  That alone should be celebrated.  But why the 25^th of December?  This is the crux of the issue.  We can all agree that Jesus coming the way He did and the why He did is something that could and should be celebrated even if He Himself did not command us to.  The best reason I have as to why we celebrate on the day that we do is because of the reason of the advent in the first place.  He came to seek and to save the lost.  In the entire world you would be hard pressed to find a place that does not at least acknowledge that Jesus’ birth is celebrated on that day.  If the majority of the world is celebrating on that day and they are at least acknowledging that Jesus the Messiah was born then we are doing what Jesus wants.  We are lifting the name of Jesus up so that all the world will see and that is powerful. 

In conclusion, the truth is that the reason for the season is to remember the entrance of God in the flesh into real history.  The majority of the world celebrates this day and so at this time we as the specially selected agents of change that are the image bearers of Christ should use this day to do just that.  If we don’t than we will miss a great opportunity to share the love of God with a lost, sin filled and dying world.  We are to be ready to give a defense for the hope that lies within us at any moment.  What better moment then when the whole world is thinking about Jesus and His birth.

In Troubling Times Turn to the Peace that He has Given Us!

In the wake of the crisis du jour in America, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Honduras, and all the others that are really too numerous to list it is easy to really lose our focus.  I awoke this morning to the news pundits sharing the devastation of the town of Ferguson in Missouri.  My oldest son is a Police Officer in Kansas City and a member of the State National Guard.  I could be worried for him, in fact after seeing all that has happened I should be worried, but I am not.  The truth is I know the condition of his soul.  I know that while he serves in these dangerous positions he is protected by God.  He like all those that have tasted of the sweetness of the spirit of life from Christ has a home that is not here.

The biggest problem that I see here and abroad is that we spend way too much time trying to find our identity in the wrong things.  We look for reasons to be divided.  Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4:4-6; “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”   Any attempt to divide is the enemy trying to sew destruction and devastation.  We may not always agree on all things but we are still all one body of believers and as such we are called to one hope.  That hope is what the world lacks.  That is why those that seek to divide us succeed it is because they have lost hope and we the representatives of God here have not done a good enough job sharing that hope. 

Today take some time to read the 14^th chapter of John.  Jesus is about to head to the cross and He is having some final talks with the 12 men that He is closest to in all the world at that moment in time.  They were confused and worried.  Jesus was telling them that He was leaving and they had no idea what He meant.  Phillip even asked that Jesus would show them the Father in some veiled way to reassure them that He (Jesus) was the Christ.  Near the end Jesus says this to them; “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” 

He is leaving His peace with them and with us.  In other parts of the New Testament the peace that passes all understanding is brought out.  Ultimately this peace stems from the Hope that we have in Jesus.  Share that hope and His peace and remember that we are just pilgrims passing through this world.  Our home is still being prepared by Jesus and when He is ready for us we will be called home, until then remember the Hope and Peace that He has given us! 

There is a Fury to the Love of God!

Two of my favorite authors (one a singer and a song writer as well) talk about the fury of God’s love or the furious nature of God’s love. (Andrew Peterson and Brennan Manning)  I remember the first time that I heard this quote from the song Rise and Shine by Andrew Peterson and I could not shake the thought that God’s love can be furious.  It seems like an oxymoron.  Then you read in the news about a famous person beating his/her significant other and then we get a skewed perspective on this term. Paul said, “To be angry but sin not.”  Jesus demonstrated this in the temple and on the cross.  Still I have a hard time reconciling the two concepts. 

As I muse on this furious love my mind is drawn to almost every fairy-tale and heroic story where there was a damsel in distress and a warrior drawn to rescue her.  When I think of Jesus in this light I can begin to get a glimpse of this love that carries with it a weight of fury.

 

I can imagine Jesus armor clad, sword in hand, muscles rippling as He runs across the rickety rope bridge charging a crusty, craggy, horned fire breathing dragon.  I see Him battling His way through every obstacle only to arrive at the final door behind which we (the bride of Christ waits) bound with chains of our own making to walls of sin, grief, depression, and pride. 

I wonder if He pauses there outside the door and knocks gently with knuckles still bleeding from recent battles.  The more I think of Jesus (the lover of my soul) the more I feel that He would not stand outside that door for even a second.  He would kick it to splinters and fall on His knees before His beloved and gently ask for her hand.  He said He came to set the captives free; He said that he would leave the 99 safe to save the one.  He somehow emptied Himself and became flesh to walk among us.  Too hold us, laugh with us, cry with us, and touch us in ways that would leave a lasting impression. 

In the end of this musing I can only say that there is a fury to the love of God.  He stormed the stronghold of Satan and freed me to love Him for all eternity!  It is not His will that any perish but that all would come to repentance, oh how it must break His heart to get to that final point and face the individual chained to their own sin only to be rejected. 

Jesus, let me experience the fury and intensity of your love and allow me to feel the same toward You.  Help me to Love the Unlovable, and to seek opportunities to share the story of Your love.  Amen.