Cheater!!!

An unusual thing happened this morning, I decided to change up my reading plan a bit.  I went to the end of the Old Testament and picked up reading Malachi this morning.  It was kind of interesting and I thought I'd share a verse with this morning.  Malachi 1:14 says, Cursed is the cheat who has a acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. 

Wow!  Those are some pretty strong words from God here!  Cursed is the cheat!  People must have been having this problem when Malachi wrote this letter.  They must have been falling prey to the temptation to say they were going to give to the Lord, say they were going to support his work, say they were behind it lock-stock-and-barrel.  But when push came to shove something else took a higher priority.  Something else took God's place. 

At first glance we might sit in our easy chair, or comfy office chair, and begin shaking our finger at those horrible Israelites.  How could they live like that?  How could they cheat God? How could they have an acceptable gift and then turn around and give something less desirable?  That's just not right!  You know what...you're right!  It's detestable to do this.  Not because God needs the gift or anything but because God wants the heart of the giver. 

You see that's what God is so upset about here.  I'm pretty sure he could care less about the animal itself.  I'm pretty sure the size of the animal isn't what really got him all upset.  From what I've read about God in the rest of the Bible, it seems that he's probably more interested in the heart, attitude, mind of the giver than the gift itself.  And the scary part is - these Israelites are not alone!  They are not the only ones who cheat God out of what is promised him.  They are not the only ones who say one thing and do something totally different.  They're not the only ones who replace God with some other worthless idol.  We all do it!  Each and every one of us has done this at some point. 

I'm convinced that this problem of replacing God with some idol is the reason that churches are in decline in America.  It's the reason that churches are suffering the way they are today - because we've lost focus!  We've turned to our own idols.  We've taken our eyes off of Christ and focused more on budgets, buildings, and butts in seats - than on the love, forgiveness, and salvation given freely in Christ.  I'm a firm believer that all of Scripture has its fulfillment in Christ, so with that said - there is no law about our giving - just that we give to God first!  We give God ourselves - all of our time, all of our finances, all of our abilities should be used to give God glory. Not just a small portion. Not just a little piece. Not just when it's convenient.  God wants you!  Your heart!  Your passion!  Your gifts! 

Today take a moment to thank God for blessing you. Pray about what he would have you set apart for his work.  Then set it aside.  Whatever it is, set it aside first and then give it to him.  Let him do with it what he will do.  It's time that the church put God back in charge.  Set God back in the driver seat - not the latest program or the newest thing - but GOD!  It's his church - why not look to him to lead it, guide it, direct it, and provide for it through us. 

Lord - use your word to shape us.  Shape us into the people that you would have us be. Never let us settle for second place.  Never let us be content with the status quo .  Never let us stop until you call us home.  We are part of your church.  We ask you today to take the driver seat of your church again.  Wake the sleeping giant of your church.  Forgive our cheating lifestyles and restore us to your generous people once again.  In Christ we pray!  AMEN. 

In all things God works...

Do you really believe that statement above?  I mean do you really believe that God is at work right now in the terrible things you're facing?  I've got to be honest - the past few days, I think I forgot that.  I knew it.  I preached it.  I told that to others.  But somehow or another I forgot it until this morning that is. 

In my quiet time with God this morning I was led to John 11.  And these words really stuck out to me: No it is for God's glory that God's Son may be glorified through it.  Jesus speaks these words to his disciples in response to the news that Jesus' good friend has died.  Sure Jesus was sad by his death, after all he cries over the news.  But Jesus was able to look past the doom and gloom to the assurance that God has something great in store through this. 

Wouldn't that be nice!  Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to be going through the crappy things of life only to see the hand of God moving more prominently in your life!  I pray for this ability.  Jesus takes a situation that has caused this family and many of their friends to stop dead in their tracks, and he turns it into a way to rejoice and honor God.  The people are moping around and not giving God the time of day, but Jesus knows that it is God alone who can turn our darkness into light.  God alone can turn our mourning into rejoicing.  God alone can take our weaknesses and show his power for us. 

I wonder what terrifying situation are you living with right now?  What thing has happened to take your eyes off of Jesus?  I know that churches and Christians are not immune from this type of reaction.  Often churches will lose focus of Christ when unexpected things happen: pastor takes another call, natural disaster destroys the building, and even when the budget takes a major hit.  In this economy, the latter is a pretty common occurrence.  But Jesus reminds us that this is for God's glory too.  All of the struggles and all of the hard times that we face will bring God glory when we stay faithful to him through them. 

Take time today to rejoice in the midst of the pain and uncertainty.  Don't rejoice for the pain, because that's just ridiculous, but rejoice through it!  Don't lose focus of the things that God would have you see.  Don't turn a deaf ear to the promises of God, because there is no time like the present to dive head first into his word that you might rest securely in his promises. 

Lord thank you for adversity.  We thank you for challenges and struggles because they allow us to see you more clearly.  We want to see you again Lord.  We've turned our faces away from  you and taken our eyes off of you.  Now we cry out to you asking you to recognize us and renew us by your Spirit.  Amen. 

FIRE!!!

Have you ever seen a forest fire?  Not just a little fire that burns in a fire-ring but a full out forest fire...They are terrible.  They are devastating. They consume anything in their path.  Not much good can be seen in a forest fire.  People lose their homes.  Animals die. Trees and wildlife are destroyed.  But after the fire is gone something happens - new life begins.  I've lived in Denver and had a chance to see areas ravaged by forest fires, and the aftermath is terrifying.  But I've also seen those devastated areas weeks and months later and they show signs of new life.  Little bits of green start to pop back through the charred mountainside.  Eventually, the forest replenishes itself and the vegetation grows back in.   But the thing that doesn't grow back as quickly are the weeds!  The fire kills the weeds and allows the good plants to grow back healthy and strong. 

The writer to the Hebrews says that God is a consuming fire.  I can't help but think of these forest fires when I read this verse (Hebrews 12:29).  Just like forest fires devastate the countryside - the consuming fires of God will destroy anything in their path, because a fire does not discriminate!  It will consume anything in its path.  The whole of chapter 12 deals with God's punishment and discipline.  God uses the things of this world to bring us back to him.  He burns off the weeds and our weaknesses with the devastation of these all consuming fires. 

Think for a moment about you own life - what fires are you going through right now? What things are burning around you?  What situation is God using to make you stronger?  As far as the eye can see there are small fires burning that are eating up the weeds in our world.  But God isn't only at work all around us - he's at work in us as well.  God is burning these fires right inside of us as well.  He's burning up our sinfulness and disobedience.  He's consuming our selfishness and developing a new character within us.  He's making us into his image bearers.  He's replacing the old us with the new person he's called us to be through his death and resurrection.  Because of Jesus' work on our behalf, these fires are not all consuming and devastating - they are bringing new life to us and to those around us. 

May God light a fire around us today.  May he burn off the weeds and the wickedness of mankind. May he nurture the new growth that is coming up all around us.  May he continue to take care of his people wherever they go. 

Lord today we ask that you protect us in the midst of these terrifying fires.  AMEN. 

Do you believe? I mean do you really believe?!?!

We talk all the time about faith and what that means, but do we really have it?  The author to the Hebrews says that faith is being sure of what is hoped for and certain of what we do not see.  I think that's some pretty powerful stuff.  A few days ago I talked about confidence, now this description of faith - I wonder what God's trying to tell me? 

So often we speak the words I believe, but do we really mean it?  Do we really believe that Jesus died and rose?  Do we really believe that we goes with us everywhere we go?  Do we really believe that he's coming back again?  Do we really believe that we're forgiven, that our wrongs are completely gone, that Jesus paid our debts in full? 

If the answer is yes, then I wonder why we don't live like it more.  It seems easy to say the words I believe, but to actually live it out is a whole other story!  Here God's word reminds us that if we believe, if we have faith, then we'll be certain and sure of what we can't see.  Wow! Certain.  That means no question at all in our minds.  It means that we'll most definitely be affected in some way.  Our faith will become evident through our words, actions, and even our attitudes. 

Is this you?  Do you have this kind of faith - the faith that is certain and sure?  Jesus did die to pay for your sins.  He did rise to give you free entrance into heaven.  And he is coming back to gather you by his side and welcome you to his family.  Now our challenge is to let that positively affect how we live today.  Go through today with a constant reminder that Jesus is by your side.  Live today with the sure and certain hope that all is not lost.  Know today that God is bigger than anything you're going through and that he'll never leave you.  Live this new life starting right here and right now!  Be changed not by your circumstance but by the absolute certainty that Jesus is your savior!  Heaven is your home!  You have been saved from this life of woes for a life filled with worship and praise! 

Lord - give me the sure and certain attitudes to match my faith.  Help me to live out my faith in all I do today.  AMEN.

Now that's bold!

I've always been one for getting to the point.  I've been called bold and even abrasive at times.  But this morning I think Jesus was even more bold than I'll ever be!  In John 8 Jesus makes probably one of the boldest statements that I can even think of.  He calls himself I am.

To some that may not sound all that bold.  Actually it might not even make a lot of sense to many of us, but let me explain for a moment.  Jesus is in a bit of a squabble with the pharisees and other officials in the church.  They were trying to trap him in some sort of misquote or slip of the tongue.  The overall argument is about who he is and what authority he has to do and say what he's doing and saying. 

Well, Jesus ends the chapter by telling the hearers that (a) they don't understand this because they don't know God and (b) before Abraham was I am!  The last part here is the doozie!  In the old testament there is a name for God in the Hebrew language that many of us simply pass over dozens of times and don't even realize it.  It's the name "I AM."  Actually it's the name LORD in the old testament.  The very name of God in the old testament is a form of the verb to be.  This means that there never was a time when God wasn't and there will never be a time when God isn't.  Pretty cool stuff, and what's more - the Jews believed that whole-heartedly.  The problem lied in the fact that they didn't believe that Jesus was part of that promise! 

When Jesus claimed to be the I am, he was signing his own death wish.  He knew that they had an issue with this.  He knew that it would ultimately mean that they would capture him and kill him, but he wasn't about to lie.  The authority to do what he was doing simply rested in the fact that he is the son of God and nothing can change that fact! 

So what's it mean for you and me today?  It means that God still is.  He still is right here with us.  He still is walking with you in all that you go through, still talking with you through his word and in worship, and he's still with you surrounding you with the forgiveness and promise of eternal life.  It means that there's nothing too big for him to handle - so unload your burden on him today.  It means that there is nothing that he can't handle - so let him handle it! 

Today you're going to be tempted to live your life like you've always lived, but remember this promise of Jesus - I am.  Remember that Jesus is with you when life seems hopeless.  He is with you can't see any sign of help.  He is with you and he did die for you.  He also rose to guarantee you that there is a place set aside for you in heaven. What a joy we get to live in today!  Live with God!  May this truth of your ever present Jesus set you free to live the amazing life that God has placed before you today! 

Lord - today we need a reminder that you are here with us.  Touch us with your power and your presence.  Amen.

Confident Faith

I've never really been one who deals with situations by walking all around and trying to find the right words, and then being super politically correct.  Maybe that's why I love today's passage.  The writer to the Hebrews, which I will call Paul because I believe it was he who wrote this letter, says some pretty cool stuff in Hebrews 10.   Today was a really hard day for me in my devotional time though, because I make it my practice to read several chapters of the bible every morning and journal/write my devotion on just one verse.  Today's verse is Hebrews 10:35 and says this, So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

How cool is that!  Don't throw away your confidence!  God wants us to be bold in our decisions. He tells us here to not look back.  We're not supposed to second-guess ourselves.  We're not supposed to walk super gently and have to think through every word before we say it.  He tells us through these words that we are to be confident! 

But what does confidence look like?  Are you a confident person?  I'm reminded of the bible story of Lot and his wife.  God said don't look back!  So what did she do?  She looked back!  Then came the punishment - she was seized in her steps, well literally she turned into a pillar of salt but I think the image we should get is that living in the past, always looking over our shoulder prevents us from moving forward!  Confidence is thinking and praying through a decision before you make it, then moving forward and not being super apologetic about it. 

Martin Luther said some pretty neat words somewhere in one of his writings - sin boldly!  I love that.  It means that we are to be so moved by the power of Christ that we're going to run headlong into any situation and give it our all.  If it ends up being the wrong decision, we'll know.  It will be brutally obvious!  If it's the right one we'll find that out too.  The challenge is are we running headlong or are we just sissy-footing our way into something.  Often we move into a new situation or make a big decision and then the result isn't what we hoped it would be.  The problem is - we didn't move in with confidence! 

I'm thinking of many of my own decisions right now and wondering if I moved with confidence.  I've often pulled the plug on a new idea because it wasn't going right, only to find out that it failed because I didn't give it everything I should have given it!  What problems are you facing right now?  What challenges are present in your life today?  Take a second, and not much longer than that, and think about it - did you give it everything you had available to you?  Did you move forward with confidence and total commitment?  Did you pour every available resource into this new venture? 

If the answer is "no" to any of the questions above, then chances are it's not God telling you to quit.  It's more a lack of your own confidence that God is big enough to make it happen!  Think about confidence in this way for a minute: while we were sinners Christ died for us.  If Jesus would not been confident and committed to doing whatever it took to forgive us for our sins, then it wouldn't have worked!  If Jesus didn't go headlong right into the wall of death and pay our penalty for us, then we would be in a hopeless situation.  If God would have pulled the plug on the decision to save the world after the flood event, we wouldn't be here! 

Paul says to move with confidence!  Give it your all!  Don't look back!  And you will be richly rewarded!  You will receive a rich reward when you move with confidence.  So pray today, and do it with confidence that he'll hear and answer you!  Read the bible today, and do it with confidence that he wrote those words just for you!  Live today, and do it unapologetically with faith in your Savior Jesus!  Live with a crazy and confident faith, knowing that God is bigger than anything you get yourself into.  Today is the day that God made just for you - live it with the confidence that comes from knowing Jesus is surrounding you in all you do today. 

Jesus, we tend to be pretty weak sometimes.  We have a tendency to ask of you in prayer and then back away as if we've asked something wrong.  You tell us to have confidence.  So today Lord, we pray that you clear up the bad choices we've made.  We pray that you give us the confidence to live by faith today and not by fear.  Thank you for your confident sacrifice for us. Now lead us to live confident in your promises!  AMEN. 

Man am I dense!

I finally got it!  Just this morning after 34 years of saying it, I finally got it!  It's often referred to as the common table prayer and most of us know it as - Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed. Some add to the end and that's cool but the first three words have never really had much meaning to me. Honestly the prayer was always about asking God to make the food good enough that I didn't choke to death on it. 

But look again - Come Lord Jesus.  How cool is that!  We're praying in these words for Jesus to come back.  The book of Hebrews (9) is what reminded me of this today.  In 9:26, the writer says - But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Then again at the end of the chapter the writer reminds us that when he comes it won't be to destroy and deal with sin anymore but to bring salvation to those who are waiting. 

So we pray come Lord Jesus.  We want him to return. We pray that Jesus will come back to bring us, to show us, to help us realize that he's done everything necessary to take away our wrongs.  Most Christians would admit that Jesus died and rose to forgive them and give them heaven - blah, blah, blah...but it doesn't seem to sink in!  I know way too many people who say they believe in Jesus but their actions and their words don't really indicate that.  They generally don't go out and live it up. Rather they can't let go of the things they've done wrong. 

How can Jesus forgive our sins if we won't let him forget about them?  How can Jesus remove our sins as far as the east is from the west if we keep running to the east and west to pick them up and beat ourselves up with them?  I'm not saying that we shouldn't be sorry for our wrongs, nor am I saying that there's no need for repentance.  Actually quite the opposite is true.  I believe that we do need to lay these things before God and let him deal with them but we need to leave them there.  God wants us to live our lives with the joy and happiness that comes from knowing that Jesus came once to deal with sin - he forgave it and now because of Jesus' death we are declared innocent before God. 

But he didn't leave us there, forgiven but without a home, no Jesus then rose to give us the promise of heaven to hold onto.  And now Jesus promises to return to give us our salvation, to welcome us home, to bring us back into the family forever.  So we pray...come Lord Jesus!  Some of the last words of the Bible include that very prayer.  Come Lord Jesus! Come Quickly!  So let that prayer be yours today.  Don't hold onto your sins, faults, shortcomings, wrongs, failures, misdeeds, inabilities, and fears - hold onto Jesus.  Hold onto the promise that Jesus is coming back.  Hold onto that common prayer that keeps us ever looking forward - Come Lord Jesus. 

Lord, we pray that you come to us today.  Come to us that we might let go of our pasts and cling to the future that we have in you.  Come Lord Jesus - Come Quickly!  AMEN.