CALLED AS WE'RE CALLING

There is a lot of destruction going on in and around us, even in this joyful season. Sunday's reading reminds me that as we call upon the Lord, we will also hear him calling out to us:

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved . . . there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. - Joel 2:32

You may find yourself standing in the middle of a lot of rubble, but you ARE standing, and you are a survivor in every way that matters. May you and yours walk in the joyful realization that God can be trusted to make us stand (see Romans 14:3-5).

CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it! I've put some thought into what I would ask of God as I prepare to enter the new year, since I know he will answer my prayers. Today I'm reminded of what can happen when we, God's people, insist on having our own way instead of following his. In Saturday's reading God spoke of Israel's request to be ruled by a monarch, just like the nations around them:

I gave you a king in my anger,

and I took him away in my wrath. - Hosea 13:11

How they cheated themselves! If you are like me, you might want what you've got it in your head to want; you may wish to have what everybody else seems to have. You could even strive with an angel and win, as Jacob did (Hosea 12:3-4), but is that what's best? I pray that God will will save us from our own dumbed-down desires, and open our eyes to see what's best. May he change our stubborn hearts to crave what he is willing and ready to lovingly supply.

I've prayed a wise prayer over you today, inspired by the words of the prophet (Hosea 14:3-7). May you not count on yourself or your very best friends, but on God himself. May our merciful God be like the dew to you, to cause you to blossom, and to cause your roots to spread out. May you find yourself beautiful, fragrant, and flourishing, dwelling in complete safety and comfort under the very shadow of the Almighty.

Let's not forget how utterly wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked we'd be, if not for the Lord in our lives (see Rev. 3:15-17). May we be continually strengthened to acknowledge him joyfully in all we say and do. May we find ourselves hot on the trail of his truth everyday, and unwilling to to ever, ever turn back. May you and I wisely ask God for nothing but his best, and then trust him relentlessly to fulfill his promises and purposes in us, now and always! AMEN.

More about POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS

Jerusalem was under a cloud of doom due to politically correct “friends”who said exactly what everyone wanted to hear. Nobody told the people they were doing wrong, or warned them of impending disaster. The November 10 reading, shows just how destructive PC friendship can be:

. . . who can heal you? Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. - from Lamentations 2:13-14

My responsibility, if I want to be a friend to those around me, is to tell the truth. It is correct for me to be politically INcorrect at times. In the November 12 reading, the prophet Ezekiel was sent to warn God’s people. He was instructed to speak truth regardless of whether his listeners were willing to hear him or not. Ezekiel was not to prejudge what people would think of him, or whether they would take his warning to heart.

In fact Ezekiel was to speak a non-PC message of condemnation, an unpleasant warning of impending disaster, even though he was quite certain to be unappreciated and ill-received. He was to go on talking in spite of his own extreme discomfort in the matter (shoot, the Lord took his wife, and the poor guy wasn't allowed to mourn). Yet Ezekiel's discomfort would have been far more extreme if he kept silent. If Ezekiel failed to deliver the warning, he would be held personally accountable for the people’s downfall:

If I [God] say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way . . . his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked . . . you will have delivered your soul. - from Ezekiel 3:18-19

At the end of the chapter, God reiterated his instructions to the prophet:

. . . I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse . . . - from Ezekiel 3:27

Ezekiel's example serves as a reminder to me. I read the Bible nearly every day, and it's a sure bet that some little bit of truth is always fresh in my mind. I am responsible to share that little bit of truth when it is fitting. I dare not keep silent for the sake of political correctness, even if I’m certain what I say will rub someone the wrong way. If I trust God and want to be a real friend to those around me, I'll speak Bible truth and leave the response in God's capable and loving hands.

CUT TO THE QUICK - Politically Incorrect!

Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. - Jeremiah 48:10

The words of warning from yesterday's reading are a potent metaphor against political correctness in my day-to-day dealings. The sword in my modern Christian arsenal is the word of God (per Ephesians 6:13-17). If I keep it sheathed in order to spare someone a little discomfort, I am asking for trouble.

Often I am guilty of "slackness" in the work of the Lord, and of holding back the sword of God's word. I avoid speaking Bible truth because I can't stand to hurt someone's feelings. I keep silent even though I see that a passage I've recently read pertains to a situation I'm hearing about. I fear my words might come across as criticism. I prejudge whether or how I'll be received if I speak up.

At the end of yesterday's calendar reading is a reminder about the power of the sword of the spirit. I hope I can take it to heart, and that I'll trust the Sword in my hand. Though it may seem to cut to the quick, may I trust that God's word does good work, and that sometimes hurt can be helpful. The wounds the truth inflicts are painful, but constructive in exposing the root of trouble.

. . . the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. - Hebrews 4:12-13

TWO-SIDED COIN

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

We believers love to claim blessings like this one for ourselves and those we love, but in today's reading I'm reminded that a blessing is the face of a two-sided coin. We all want that coin of blessing, but it is ignorant and irresponsible to palm it off or pocket it without examining the other side. The truth is that through our faithfulness or lack thereof, we choose which side of the coin is up. Heads, we win; tails, we lose.

The underside of the blessing is a loathsome curse. As a matter of fact, we have to get beyond the curse, in context, before we can lay claim to the blessing. It almost hurts my eyes to look at the dark side of this golden coin, in the preceding verses. Clearly engraved is the warning against any plan that takes us away from trust in God and obedience to his principles, whether inspired by self-confidence, counsel, or calculation:

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.” - Jeremiah 17:5-6

Obviously I prefer the blessing, the fruitful evergreen with roots sunk deep in the water of life, fearless against evil, peril and hardship. I can't hand out out the golden coin of blessing, though, or put it in my own purse, without acknowledging the warning on the other side. If we want to spend that coin and buy a blessing, we'll throw our money down, but it is not matter of chance! Whether the coin lands face-up is our choice.

QUALITY Over QUANTITY - a Message for Children

It's quality over quantity when reading through the Bible. Today in Isaiah 28, I see it's not so much about staying up-to-date with my Bible reading calendar as it is about taking time to take the truth to heart. I'm to apply the Bible's lessons little by little, a step at a time, like a little child learning to walk:

“. . . it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” - from verses 9-10

Like a child I'll stumble, but as I'm flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me I can be thankful that I'm learning to be careful with the truth I know. In the long run a few bumps and bruises are much less painful than the alternative described just a few verses further:

. . . the Lord will speak to this people . . . yet they would not hear. And the word of the Lord will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. - from verses 11-13

Yikes! The same truth that helps me learn to walk is the truth that can break me. Let me respect and heed the truth of God's word so that I won't be broken, snared, and taken, for I agree with Hebrews 10:31 when it says, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." What a scary thought!

Yet my walk is not meant to be difficult if I just keep on trying. In today's New Testament section, Ephesians 5, I can't help but picture a game of monkey-see-monkey-do or following-the-leader. I'm to be an imitator of God, as a beloved child. I'm to "walk in love, as Christ loved [me] and gave himself up for [me]" (from verse 1). How simple is that? One step at a time!

A WORD ABOUT MY PURPOSE

Throughout this month of September, I've been considering the purpose of this blog. I love to jot down thoughts about God's word, true. I use scripture daily to shape my prayers and to plan my course in life. There is just nothing that compares to personally looking into God's living and active word. It is so helpful to me!

Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you

and you be found a liar.

– Prov. 30:5-6

Though I love to write, I'd prefer to be proven a complete fool than to ever distort biblical meaning and sentiment. The Bible teaches us to interpret the text for ourselves (and not necessarily for others), so I want to take a moment to clearly express that my intention is not to interpret the Bible for you, but to encourage you to fearlessly dig into God's word for yourself.

Take my examples of interpretation, if they are helpful, and then go and do likewise. I know that God will reward your commitment to work your way through the entire Bible, reading on a regular and consistent basis. Each time you read, may the Holy Spirit speak truth to your heart! Don't let me (or anybody else) manipulate God's word, but KNOW THE SCRIPTURE FOR YOURSELF.

I pray that God will use his word in your daily life, and that:

. . . the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know . . . the hope to which he has called you . . . the riches of his glorious inheritance . . . and . . . the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might . . . – from Eph. 1:17-19