COP-OUT OBEDIENCE

As children we are taught that obedience is a good thing, and for little ones that is almost always the case. Obedience to "authority" can be a cop-out, however, if it is in contradiction to God's specific instructions. I Kings 13:1-24 tells the sad account of a prophet and his reward. A young man was sent by God to deliver a specific message to the king of Israel, but his job did not end there. God warned him to go away hungry, along an unfamiliar path . . . and he did everything God instructed him to do, almost!

This young prophet had no trouble following his instructions until he was challenged by a peer, a man of God like himself (re-read verses 11-18). That's when he lost his way! The man who challenged the young prophet's direction was an older (and surely wiser) prophet, who spoke with the voice of experience. The young man must have felt it was safe to defer to him, but he paid dearly for substituting obedience to "authority" for true obedience to God. It was a cop-out, and a fatal misstep.

It is hard to imagine why this happened, or what could have motivated the older prophet to lead the younger man astray, but Wednesday's reading is speaking to my heart today: there is no substitute for direct obedience to God's word! No matter how convenient it may seem for me to "fall in line" and unquestioningly follow God's order of authority, whether in the church or in my home, I am first and always accountable to honor the principles laid out in the Bible. I must measure all human authority against the specific instructions and guiding principles of God's word.

This is my prayer for you:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

"This is the way; walk in it." - Isaiah 30:21

GOOD P.R. for GOD

We Christians are involved in public relations, whether we know it or not. Last Saturday's reading shows the difference between good and bad PR for God's kingdom. We see that Hiram, the king of Sidon, though he was not "a believer," still he blessed God because of the conduct and bearing of his neighbor, King Solomon of Israel:

As soon as Hiram heard the words

of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said,

“Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David

a wise son to be over this great people.”

- 1 Kings 5:7

King Solomon's conduct in business and acumen toward his peer showed not only that he was a formidable force in his world, but that he honored God in word and in deed. How do we inspire the non-believers around us? Do we cause them to bless the Lord by our conduct in our day-to-day affairs?

What a contrast we see in the New Testament reading! What must Gov. Pilate have thought of the people of God as they stirred up an ugly commotion over an innocent man?

. . . they began to accuse him, saying,

“We found this man misleading our nation

and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying

that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him,

“Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him,

“You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests

and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”

- from Luke 23: 3-4

How did these false accusations make the Jews look to their neighbors in the community? We modern followers of Christ need to be aware that the testimony of God's people hinges on the attitudes and actions of individual Christians in the community at large. Do we inspire people to bless the Lord, or do they shake their heads and wonder how we could be so unreasonable, unprofessional, or downright ugly?

I pray that today (and always) the Lord will make us conscious of our influence for his kingdom -- whether for bad or for good. I pray we'll be blessed with the vision and the power to influence our neighbors for GOOD in our day-to-day public relations. May we honor Jesus in all we say and do today. AMEN.

NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR GOD?

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Save the best for the Lord, and honor him with a public display of sacrifice . . . but that is not what God asked us to do! God said to get rid of all that is to be “devoted to destruction,” without sparing any part of it – not even the very best:

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good . . . 1 Samuel 15:9

Do we hold back the very best for God? Do we make exceptions for ourselves, with valid reasons in our heads why it is OKAY to live a little differently than the way we’re called, or do we strive to set our minds in complete agreement with what God says in his word?

Tuesday's reading strikes fear in my soul! I do not want to be guilty of saving “the best” of what God has told me to get rid of, even if I could justify it in the most plausible way. The reading goes on to say:

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you . . . (from verses 22-23)

There is a time when it is too late to say, “Oops, I’m sorry, I messed up!” The results of holding back from God can be permanent and unyielding, just as Samuel stated:

. . . the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret. (from verse 29), see also Numbers 23:19.

In the New Testament, Jesus said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:17). Without a doubt, each of us has our own, personal cross to bear! What is your cross today? Regarding what has the Lord spoken to you in your own private heart-of-hearts, without demanding a public display of sacrifice, but simply requesting a quick and quiet act of faith?

I pray the Lord will help you and me both today, to hold nothing back, but to do all that God has requested of us with NO EXCEPTIONS OR EXCUSES!

BIZARRE ROLLER COASTER RIDE

After reading a third of the book of Judges in a single sitting, I'm struck by how far and fast God's people went astray without tangible leadership. Judges describes the bizarre roller coaster ride of Israel's unfaithfulness and oppression (the low points), as well as their renewed faithfulness and deliverance (the high points), with no middle ground in between. Rather than following God steadily from day to day, God's people went whizzing along either completely off-course and out of control, or riding the rails to the heights of victory and freedom behind their judges. They seemed helpless in spite of their good intentions, strapped in for a bumpy ride.

It is a lot like that with me. I take roller coaster rides between oppression and deliverance, either on course and willing to honor Christ in every detail, or way off (off track, off my rocker, "off" like something left in the 'fridge too long). When I spend time in God's word from day to day, it is a lot easier for me to stay on course, but when I get out of the habit of reading the Bible, I can quickly get off course. God's word provides me tangible direction, and I pray the Lord will use his word in your daily life as well, to guide your prayers, your conversation, and your thinking. May he use it to enable you to withstand the distractions that try to take your focus off Jesus.

The word is unique when it comes to keeping us on track. Look at our armor, described in Ephesians 6:11-18. Every piece except one is an abstract concept (truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation). There is only one piece of our spiritual armor which is tangible. We can hold it in our hands and view it in printed form. The Bible is also unique in its use. Each piece of armor save one we use for our spiritual defense: belt, breastplate, boots, shield, and helmet are all to keep us safe, but the sword -- now that's different! With the sword you reach out and advance forward, claiming ground. I pray you will continue to pick up your sword, and practice wielding it even if it feels heavy and awkward at times.

God's word IS heavy and awkward at times, especially the current Old Testament readings, like Judges, which describe things like tent pegs struck through temples (Judges 4:21), wars waged with trumpets and torches (Judges 7:20-21 -- think about it. With a jar trumpet in one hand and a torch in the other, in what hand did the soldiers hold their weapons? Yet the enemy ran for their lives!), and a father's sorry oath before God which resulted in human sacrifice (Judges 11:35). It is almost too much to process. It might seem preferable to choose some intermediary (a teacher, preacher, writer, or mentor) to stand between you and the word of God. It might seem safer to have somebody tell you what the Bible means, to insulate you from the hard facts and harsh realities contained in scripture -- yet I hope the Spirit will call you to keep reading!

May the Lord bring his word alive to you, and use it to speak to your heart. God promises his word is living, active, and sharper than a two-edged sword (that wonderful weapon analogy again). Learning to use a sword is an awesome undertaking, one that calls for practice and patience. To use it responsibly, we often turn that sharp point inward to cut away falsehood and hypocritical thinking. It takes a lot of guts to pick up the sword and point it at the enemy of our souls, to swing it and cut down the devil's lies. It takes precise control to use the sword with authority, praying the truth of scripture in intercession on behalf of others and not in judgment or condemnation. May God continue to bless you and keep you on track in your training from day to day.

Trust God's Good Intentions

In today's reading, I can't help but notice how God's people doubted his good intentions.

The people of Israel wandered in the wilderness when they could have possessed the Promised Land simply because of their bitter doubts. See Deuteronomy 1:27-33, where Moses recounts the heart-struggles of God's people.

That's why I pray for your HEART -- and mine! I pray that the Lord will help us to fully trust his good intentions today, and that our trust will work itself out in our walk.

I love this definition of trust: "to put our full weight on," like sitting on a chair. May the Lord help us to trust him the way we trust that we can plop down on a favorite chair, knowing it will hold us. May we trust God the way we trust that the light will turn on when we flip the switch.

May the Lord work in your heart and mine, to give us grace to trust in his good intentions for us today:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will

make straight your paths. - Prov. 3:5-6

YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT

What a scary thought, and yet how true, that my sins will and often do find me out! In the time of Moses, as the people were beginning to settle the Promised Land, some of the Hebrews struck a deal to claim a certain parcel of land. Moses agreed, but knew he would not be live long enough to see that they kept their end of the bargain. Moses' words sent a chill down my spine, as he warned of their accountability to God in case the agreement fell through:

“ . . . be sure your sin will find you out.” - from Numbers 32:23

Nowadays, it seems that if one person - or even a whole group or corporate entity - does something amiss, it is like a drop in the bucket or a needle in a haystack, with all that's going on in our society and economy. Misdeeds seem to be swept under the rug, yet Moses assured the people under his leadership that the record of their wrongs would by no means fall through the cracks.

It is the same for God's people today, or at least it holds true in my case. I can't get by with anything! It seems God has his watchful eye on me, and holds me to a very personal standard of conduct. That's why it is especially chilling to see what God said of the specific ramifications if the people of Israel failed to do what they had agreed to:

“ . . . But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” (Numbers 33:55-56)

That's creepy, especially since I can really relate! Just as in the case of the Israelites under the direction of Moses, I have agreed to follow through with a few things, and only God can know for certain whether I comply. I'm referring to my personal obedience to Christ, things God has asked me to do for my own benefit (such as read and study the word). These little details of life I have willingly agreed to, yet they become a daily challenge.

I'm accountable to God in a personal way, and day-to-day obedience is what is called for. Jesus' words in the New Testament provide help for my daily challenge; an attitude of simple trust toward the Lord and his promises is all I really need. Jesus said:

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15)

If you're like me, that's a challenge, in and of itself! It's hard to think like a child, and yet it is imperative. The Bible describes a very good man who went away from the Lord dejected because although he did everything right, he just couldn't trust Jesus. He was sure that he had way too much to lose. The disciples watched this model citizen walk away, and asked Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” (Mark 10:26)

I am eternally thankful for the reply:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” - Mark 10:27

There is no way I can unravel all the doubt which has entangled me over the years against simple faith and obedience. Yet God can, by his grace, free me to trust him like a child. My prayer for me - and for you - is that day by day we will take one baby step at a time into transforming trust:

. . . be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2 (DARBY, paraphrase)

AMAZING UNBELIEF

Jesus was not able to do many miracles in his hometown (see Mark 6:5-6) where people knew Him before he was famous. Lack of faith wasn't a new problem, though. In the days when Moses led the Hebrews through the wilderness, God's people stubbornly doubted His promises.

Moses sent twelve spies to see what the Promised Land had to offer -- which was plenty -- but of the twelve, only two believed God would give them the land, just as He said He would. The two who believed (Joshua and Caleb) tried to convince the others to trust God's promise:

“If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land . . . the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” - from Numbers 14: 8-9

Later, even those who lived and worked close with Jesus Christ suffered an acute lack of faith. Doesn't that surprise you? Wouldn't you think if you had daily contact with a person who routinely did the impossible, you might come to expect the unexpected? But no! An everyday miracle did more than surprise the disciples; it scared them half to death:

. . . [Jesus] came to them, walking on the sea . . . when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for . . . their hearts were hardened. - from Mark 6:48-52

I, too, have trouble believing God's promises, and I know I'm not alone in my lack of faith. I'm thankful God understands our small-mindedness. He even addressed our frailty of faith in scripture when He made a promise about His promises. Let's mull this over until we are brave enough to believe what it says:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Numbers 23:19