Humility

Readings for today: John 3-5

I grew up the “hero” of an alcoholic family system. For those who may be unfamiliar with family systems theory, it’s the idea that everyone within a dysfunctional family plays a particular role. Each individual role is designed consciously or subconsciously to help the individual cope with the shame of the brokenness of the particular system. In my family’s case, it was the shame of alcoholism and since I was the hero, I attempted to draw everyone’s attention away from the source of our shame by over-achieving. I did my best to be perfect. I wanted to prove to everyone how I had escaped the system. Overcome the shame. Achieved success despite my background. The result was deep insecurity covered over by an inflated ego.

Naturally, I brought this with me into my work as a pastor. The “hero” mentality in me feasted on the help I was able to provide, the success I had in leading churches, and the praise I received for my pastoral work. This led me to try even harder and achieve even more and I soon found myself burning out. I went to a counselor. He asked me a question in our first session that hit my like a ton of bricks, “Who are you trying to impress, Doug?” For the first time, I began to question my approach to life. Who was I trying to impress? Why was I trying so hard? Why did I live with such deep insecurity? I wish I could say I found answers to these questions right away but it took me several more years and a truly brutal 19 months in Wisconsin to figure things out. God humbled me in Wisconsin in ways that can’t be expressed in words. He broke me utterly. He crucified my ego. He exposed my empty ambitions and vain conceit. He stripped my life down to the studs. Took away all I held dear. Made me the “villain” in my own story and helped me see my desperate need for grace. It was like a 2nd conversion. It was like I was born again…again.

I think this is why I love John the Baptist so much. He has absolute clarity about the real “Hero” of the story. It’s not him. Despite his popularity and fame, he recognizes he is simply a witness. A man called to prepare the way for someone greater than himself. Yes, he has launched a successful ministry. One that changed the lives of who knows how many people. But he recognizes this is not his own work but the work of the Father. “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” (John 3:27) So when his disciples come to him to complain about the growing popularity of Jesus, John’s answer is easy. “He must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30) John knows he is the not the bridegroom. He is like the best man, rejoicing greatly to see the bridegroom and hear His voice. Having seen the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus, John’s joy is now complete. His work is done. It is enough. He is content.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the founder of the Moravians. A man by the name of the Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf. He is reputed to have once said, “Preach the gospel. Die. Be forgotten.” I love it. It expresses with clarity the greatest desire of my heart. No matter how significant my influence, how large my church, how successful my ministry, how faithful I am over years of ministry, when I finally retire or pass on I want no one to remember my name. I want no one to give me any credit for what I have done. I have received nothing except that which God has placed in my hands. I have accomplished nothing except through Christ and by His Spirit. I have done nothing worth mentioning except that which God has taken and multiplied many times over. I am simply a vessel through which He does His work. A servant who serves at His pleasure. A lump of clay He has molded for His purposes. May He increase to such an extent in my life that I am completely obscured by His glory and all the credit goes to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 8:1-4, 9:1-17, 12:1-21, Mark 1:40-45, 2:1-3:21, Luke 5:12-6:19

Signs and Wonders

Readings for today: Matthew 4:23-25, 8:14-17, Mark 1:21-39, Luke 4:31-44

I have felt for a few years now that we are seeing the beginnings of a tsunami of pain that is just starting to hit our shores. More and more families are breaking down. Our children are suffering from increasing rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Our culture is filled with an increasing amount of rage and anger. Death threats are now common against those with whom we disagree. It seems like everything is taken to the extreme. It makes for a very hostile and dangerous environment. Of course it must be acknowledged that what seems new to many of us has been the normative experience for so many of our friends of color or members of the LGBTQ community. They have lived with these threats for decades or more. But is this all there is? Are we doomed to live our lives in a never ending cycle of self-destruction? Constantly drawing and re-drawing our boundaries ever tighter in order to protect those we love? Isolating ourselves more and more from the complexities of the world in order to stay safe? Or is there a different way? A more excellent way?

First century culture in Palestine was little different than our own. Pharisees. Saduccees. Essenes. Herodians. Roman collaborators. It was a divided society where different religious/political factions dotted the landscape. Each vying for power. Each seeking supremacy so they could eradicate their opposition. This was the world into which Jesus was born. It was a world full of violence and pain. A world full of life-threatening poverty and deprivation. A world where death was a daily companion. This was the world in which Jesus launched his ministry. And what a ministry it was! So different than all the rest! Jesus welcomed the outcast. Ate with sinners. Spent time with the ritually unclean. He lifted up women. He cleansed lepers. He restored the isolated and lonely to community. As His fame grew, many people came from all over to bring Him their sick. Their diseased. Their hurting. Their wounded. The demon-possessed were set free. He healed all their afflictions. These were the signs and wonders of a new kind of Kingdom being born. A new kind of King had come into the world. And these were just the “edges of His ways.” (Job 26:14)

Jesus said those who followed Him would do even greater works than He…is that even possible? Can you fathom a world where the church builds on the work Jesus began? What if the church made it her aim to serve her community? Going out each and every week - having been filled and equipped in worship - to share the good news of the gospel? Bring healing in Jesus’ name? Freedom in Jesus’ name? Hope in Jesus’ name? What if the church was known as a refuge? A place of safety and security amidst the turmoil and violence of our world? What if the church was known for love rather than hate? Authenticity and honesty rather than hypocrisy? Would not the fame of Jesus increase? Would not people be drawn to the care and comfort we provide? What if we laid aside our internal theological fights and squabbles and instead linked arms to serve? What if we stopped stabbing our wounded in the back and instead embraced grace as a way of life? What if we put aside our need for political influence and power and instead sought to prayerfully and thoughtfully engage across the political spectrum? And what stops us? Why not start right now? Even today?  

Friends, true followers of Jesus should be known more by what they’re for than what they’re against. Jesus was certainly against many things in his day but he was known for his love and compassion and ministry among the poor. The outcast. The sinner. What is your church known for? And how can you - as a member of that local church - represent Christ more faithfully today?  

Readings for tomorrow: John 3-5

Temptation

Readings for today: Matthew 4:1-22, 13:54-58, Mark 1:12-20, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:1-30, 5:1-11, John 1:35-51, 2:1-12

One of the more powerful experiences of my recent trip to Israel was visiting the Mount of Temptation. Tradition holds this is where the Spirit drove Jesus after His baptism. It’s located in the hills outside of Jericho in a desolate region of the country. For centuries, many devout believers have come to this mountain to live as hermits. They come to dedicate their lives to fasting and prayer. You can see some of the original caves in the mountainside. You can even visit a Greek Orthodox Monastery that was built on the slopes overlooking both Jericho and the Jordan River valley. Some of the structures date back to the 6th century and supposedly at it’s heart lies the very cave where Jesus spent His forty days and forty nights.

I took the journey all the way into the heart of the monastery to see the place where Jesus is said to have been tempted. I stood in front of the stone where He sat and looked out the window. I tried to imagine myself in this dry, deserted place without food or water for forty days. I looked at the stones on the mountainside and thought to myself, “These stones? These are the stones He could have made into bread?” I looked out at Jericho to the place where Herod the Great built his winter palace and thought to myself, “This is the kind of power and authority the devil offered Jesus if He simply would fall down and worship him?” I thought of the Temple complex in Jerusalem where the devil tempted Jesus to make a spectacle of Himself and again was struck by the humility and trust and dependence of Jesus. He truly trusted His Father to provide for all His needs. He truly sought the affirmation of His Father above all earthly praise. He truly believed in His Father’s plan for His life.

What about me? Do I trust Jesus in the same way? How do I respond when temptation comes? Am I willing to fast and pray and place myself and my future in my Father’s hands? Am I humble enough to admit my brokenness before Him? Trusting enough to let Him guide and direct my steps? Dependent enough to surrender my will and my life and my hopes and my dreams into His hands? All these questions ran though my mind that day. I don’t know that I came to any hard and fast answers but I did find comfort in reciting Jesus’ words to myself. Claiming His promises and protection for my life. “Do not live by bread alone, Doug, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Do not try to satisfy your every longing but instead let those longings remind you of your even greater longing for God. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, Doug.” Do not presume upon His grace. Do not take His love for granted. “Worship the Lord your God, Doug, and serve Him alone.” Make God the supreme treasure of your life and prioritize accordingly. In this way, you will find yourself resisting every temptation the enemy might throw your way.

Readings for tomorrow: None

John the Baptist

Readings for today: Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3, John 1:15-34

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." (Malachi‬ ‭4:5-6‬)

John the Baptist is one of the most fascinating figures in all the Bible. He is Elijah reborn. The one whom Malachi prophesied would prefigure the coming of the Messiah. He is the messenger. The final Old Testament prophet. Like the prophets of old, he lives an ascetic lifestyle. He dwells in the desert. Survives on locusts and wild honey. Wears clothing made from wild camel hide. From birth, he was set apart as a Nazarite which meant no wine touched his lips nor would he cut his hair. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and he was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. 

John preached a message of repentance. In keeping with his prophetic forebears, he pulled no punches. He showed no fear. In the face of political and religious opposition, he spoke the truth. He called out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He called out the immoral behavior of Herod the tetrarch. He called out the sins of the people as they came to be baptized. He called them to obedience. Called them to surrender. To sacrifice. To devote their lives to Yahweh. And revival began sweeping the region. 

God called John to serve a very special purpose. Though it meant prison. Though it would eventually cost him his life. John was called to prepare the way for Jesus. To make His path straight. To lift up every valley. To tear down every mountain. To straighten out the crooked and smooth the rough edges. He was called to lay the groundwork for the ministry of the Messiah so that all people might see the salvation of God. His calling was not to fame. Fortune. Safety. Security. Comfort. Peace. As soon as his ministry gets rolling, he hands it off. As soon as he is becoming popular, Jesus shows up on the scene. As soon as he really starts getting traction, he steps aside.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John‬ ‭1:29‬) This is our calling as well. To step aside. To get out of the limelight. To do all we can to point everyone to Christ. It may not make us popular. It may not gain us fame or fortune or a good reputation. It may cost us some of our rights. Some of our freedoms. Some of us may indeed be put in prison. Some of us indeed may lose our lives. (Not necessarily here in America but certainly in many places around the world.) The calling John received from God has been given to the church. To preach the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth. To call people to repentance before the Lord. To call people to surrender their lives to Jesus before it’s too late. Before the day of judgment comes. Before the ax is laid to the root of the tree and the wicked are cut off. We too must make straight the path for Jesus. We too must lift up every valley. Tear down every mountain. Straighten out the crooked and smooth over the rough edges. In short, we must do all we can to remove every barrier to Christ. We must ourselves get out of the way so that others will see Jesus. 

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 4:1-22, 13:54-58, Mark 1:12-20, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:1-30, 5:1-11, John 1:35-51, 2:1-12

Reaction to Jesus

Readings for today: Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52

Jesus evokes the strongest of reactions. Wise men from the east. Probably pagan astrologers who watched the skies over Babylon. Men who possibly had been raised on the stories of their fabled Jewish forebears, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, come to Israel following a star. The heavenly sign was so compelling they traveled who knows how many miles over how many weeks to worship and offer gifts to a newborn king.  

Jesus evokes the strongest of reactions. The king of Israel. Descendent of Esau through his father who had converted, Herod was raised a Jew. However, he was not of the Davidic line and therefore was a pretender at best to the throne. Furthermore, he reigned at the whim of Caesar, his first allegiance being to the Roman Empire rather than Yahweh. He received the news the wise men brought and was troubled. The news of a new king being born would be a threat to his own power. So he marshals his forces and lays waste to the entire region surrounding Bethlehem, killing all the male children under two years of age. 

Jesus evokes the strongest of reactions. Joseph and Mary are traveling home from their annual trek to Jerusalem. After they make camp for the night, they realize Jesus is not with them. He has remained behind. So back they go frantic in their search for their now 12 year old son. For three days, they searched high and low throughout the city only to find him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. “Why have you treated us like this?” Why disrespect us? Why not obey us? Why did you not come when it was time to go? Their anger and frustration is palpable. And Jesus humbles himself and returns with them to Nazareth. 

Jesus evokes the strongest of reactions. The Heavenly Father looks down on His Son. Sees Him in danger in Bethlehem and sends an angel to warn his parents to flee the coming massacre. Sees him at the Temple listening and learning from the teachers of the Law. Sees him as he grows up under the love and guidance of Joseph and Mary. The Father sees it all and grants the Son favor. Blessing. Wisdom. Strength. Preparing him for the day when he would launch his ministry. Laying the groundwork for what’s to come. 

What’s your reaction to Jesus? How do you receive Him? Is it with a glad heart? Do you feel yourself compelled to seek Him and grow a relationship with Him like the wise men? Is it fear? Do you, like Herod, respond in fear and anxiety to the idea that Jesus would be your Lord and Savior? Is it frustration? Like Joseph and Mary, does Jesus sometimes confound your expectations? Or do you respond with love and devotion? Is Jesus finding greater “favor” with you with each passing year? 

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 3, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3, John 1:15-34

The Calling of God

Readings for today: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38

There’s a church in Israel built over the top of Zechariah’s home. It’s in the hill country of Judah. It commemorates the place where Mary and Elizabeth met after receiving the incredible news that their two boys would change the world. I love the statue pictured above. It’s a beautiful depiction of both women, both pregnant, marveling at all God had done for them. They were the most unlikely participants in God’s divine drama. One woman, Elizabeth, barren and advanced in years past the point of ever getting pregnant. Another woman, Mary, still very much a teenager, unmarried, and a virgin. Both women receive an angelic visitation from Gabriel who “stands in the presence of God” and is sent to deliver the good news of John and Jesus’ births. Both women are overshadowed by the Holy Spirit as their wombs are blessed with the miracle of new life.

And what a life they were given! Their boys would be great before the Lord. One would be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception. His call would be to turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to God. He preach in the spirit and power of Elijah and he would prepare the way for his cousin who would be called Son of the Most High. He would be conceived by the Holy Spirit and would be given the throne of David in order to reign over the house of Jacob forever. He would be called holy and the Son of God. The first of these two boys would be named John. The second would be named Jesus. One can only imagine the conversations Elizabeth and Mary had during the three months Mary stayed with them.

It’s tempting to read these stories and believe that these women were somehow different than us. More holy. More righteous. More special in some way. Nothing could be further from the truth. God simply chose them to play a particular role in His great salvation plan. You and I have been called to play particular roles as well. Roles only we can play. Roles specifically suited for our unique mix of personality, passion, and ability. Yes, we may not receive angelic visitations but the call of God comes to us just the same. It comes through His Word and in prayer. It comes to us through our brothers and sisters in Christ. It comes to us as we survey the great needs of the world around us. And those whom God calls, God equips. Those whom God calls, He qualifies. He sends His Holy Spirit to “overshadow” all the work we do in His name. Friends, if you trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you have been called and invited to play a vital role in God’s salvation plan! God wants to use YOU to help bring about His Kingdom on this earth! Seek His wisdom so you may know not only what your role may be but how best to fulfill that role in your life.

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52

God’s Answer to Our Deepest Cry

Readings for today: Psalm 106, John 1:4-14

Over the last 10+ years, I have been blessed to travel the world. I have been to China, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Jordan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda. I have met men and women from South Sudan, North Korea, Iraq, Palestinian territories, Somalia, Djibouti, Cambodia, and a host of other nations. They all speak different languages. They all belong to different tribes. They all come from different cultures. But as I’ve listened to them share their stories, there is a common thread. A common cry that arises from the depths of every human heart. It doesn’t seem to matter if one holds to a particular faith tradition or not. It’s a cry for salvation. A cry for deliverance from all the evil and suffering in our world.

Listen to how an ancient song-writer once put it, “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” (Psalm 106:47) After cataloging all the different ways his people shamed, disobeyed, and rejected God, the Psalmist also is quick to remind his readers of the many ways God had saved them. He is confident not in the faithfulness of his own people but in the faithfulness of God which He demonstrates throughout their shared history. This is a great lead-in to the New Testament and the reading from the Gospel of John where the most marvelous thing takes place. A miracle much greater than the parting of the Red Sea. A promise much greater than the Promised Land. A salvation much greater than the temporary respites won against their enemies. God has indeed looked on their distress. God has indeed heard their cry. For their sake and for the sake of all those who would come after them, God remembers His covenant and acts in accordance to His steadfast love.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Friends, this is the central mystery of the Christian faith. Christ was born. Christ has died. Christ was risen. Christ will come again. The mystery of the incarnation - God literally taking on human flesh and human nature to become one of us - is God’s great answer to the deepest cries of our hearts. He comes to be with us. He comes to meet us in our suffering. He comes to sit with us in the dust and ashes of our lives. God is faithful and true. He will not override the freedom He instilled in us at the dawn of creation. He will not abrogate the authority He gave us when He made us stewards over all He has made. This world has been entrusted into our care. The pain and suffering of this world is a result of the many, many choices human beings have made throughout history. Stacking sin upon sin, we are constantly reaping what we have sown. Nation rages against nation. Tribe rages against tribe. Clan against clan. Family against family. This is the story of the human race and yet God refuses to let us go. He refuses to abandon us to our fate. He willingly enters human history to become one of us, die for us, rise for us, and show us a different way. He willingly enters the heart of “all who would receive Him, who believe in His name” and He gives them the right to be called His children. Children not born of blood or of the flesh but of the will of God.

God has stayed true to His plan. He has come to save us from ourselves. He has come to set us free from our captivity to our basest desires and instincts. He has come to deliver us from evil…primarily the evil that reside within each one of us. He has come to offer us life and that life is the light of all humanity. It shines in the darkness of our world and great news of the gospel is that the darkness can never overcome it!

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38

A Futile Hope

Readings for today: Nehemiah 11-13, Psalm 126

I grew up watching Star Wars as a kid and it is generally accepted that The Empire Strikes Back  is the best of the original trilogy, if not the best in the entire series. It’s a very dark movie. Evil is on the move and in fact, seems to be winning. The end of this second installment finds the heroes in disarray. Luke Skywalker has lost a hand and his innocence as he finds out Darth Vader is his father. Han Solo has been captured and frozen in carbonite so he can be delivered to Jabba the Hut. Leia, Chewbacca, the droids, and Lando aren’t quite sure what to do and the hopes of the rebellion seem very slim. It’s all a set up of course. The final installment of the series will see the heroes overcome all these obstacles to win an improbable victory against a seemingly invincible enemy. Stop me if this plot seems familiar at all. 

The Old Testament doesn’t end well. It doesn’t matter if you read it canonically (Genesis - Malachi) or chronologically as we have done this year. The bottom line is the same. Israel is in disarray. Despite their return to the Promised Land, they simply cannot get it right. They are unable to remain faithful. They intermarry. They profane the Sabbath. They worship other gods. It’s enough to drive us to despair. And that’s the point. Throughout the Old Testament, God is at work bringing us to the end of ourselves. The end of our strength. The end of our resources. The end of our wisdom so we will cry out to Him. He’s preparing His people for the coming of the Savior. Because it is impossible for us to remain faithful, He must do it for us. Because it is impossible for us to obey God’s Law, He must do it for us. Because the sacrifices are only temporary, Jesus must become the perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Hanging between heaven and earth. Representing both God and humanity. He intercedes for us even as He takes our place.  

If you are wired like me, you find the end of the Old Testament incredibly unsatisfying. It goes over like a lead balloon. A wet blanket. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The reason I feel this way is because deep down I want to believe I can be a good person. Deep down I want to believe that if I work hard enough, stay disciplined enough, read the Bible enough, pray enough, worship enough, you name it; I can work my way to God. I can find favor with Him. I can earn His praise. But Ephesians 2:8-9 confronts me with the truth, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Saved by grace. Saved through faith which is itself a gift from God. None of my works matter in the grand scheme of things because God will not allow me to boast in anything except Christ. 

We’ve spent nine months in the Old Testament. It’s a long, hard slog no doubt. We have watched the same pattern repeat itself over and over again. God raises up His people only to watch them fall into sin. Adam and Eve. Noah and his family. Abraham and Sarah. Moses and the Exodus. Joshua and the Judges. Samuel and Saul. David and Bathsheba. On and on the list goes until you get to Ezra, Nehemiah and the Exiles. All of them sin and fall short of the glory of God. All of them are like sheep who have gone astray. All of them unworthy of anything but God’s judgment. So how does God respond?  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”‭‭ (John‬ ‭1:14‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Psalm 106, John 1:4-14

God’s Story, Our Story

Readings for today: Nehemiah 8-10

Creation. Abraham. Egypt. Exodus. Judges. Promised Land. Kings. Temple. Priests. Prophets. Exile. Return. Whenever the people of God renew their covenant with the Lord, they take time to remember their story. They understood their current situation was but the latest link in a chain of events stretching all the way back to the Garden. All the way back to God Himself at the dawn of creation. But for God, they would have been destroyed. But for God, they would have been erased. But for God, there would be no history. No story to tell. Listen to them tell it again and think about how far they’ve come...

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. You found his heart faithful before you, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And you have kept your promise, for you are righteous. "And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them. "But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies, you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. "And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness. "Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. "Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works. Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress.” (Nehemiah‬ ‭9:6-37‬)

Those of you who have been tracking with us through the Bible this year know these stories. You’ve read them in great detail. You’ve pondered them. You’ve prayed over them. You’ve listened for the voice of God in them. Some of you grew frustrated at times. You couldn’t understand why they kept making the same mistakes. Others of you got angry at times. You couldn’t understand the righteous judgment of God. Many of you laughed and cried and wrestled and struggled with the lessons the people were learning. About themselves. About their God. About His plan and His future.  

It’s important for us to remember this story. To read it over and over again for it is our story as well. As Christians, we are grafted into this story. Adopted into this family. Warts and all. These people are our people. They are our mothers and fathers. Sisters and brothers in the faith. And we are so like them. If we’re honest with ourselves, we too make the same mistakes over and over again. We too sin and fall short of the glory of God. We too deserve judgment and death. Punishment and exile. But we have the benefit of living after Christ. Jesus Christ took the punishment we deserved. He went into exile for us. He endured the righteous wrath of God on our behalf. He stood in our place just as surely as He stands in the place of the Old Testament saints who came before us. He is Savior of the world. Past. Present. Future. He is the Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End. His blood is sufficient to cover every sin. As we head into the New Testament, we must hold onto our history. Christ came as the climax of this history. He is the One to whom the Old Testament points. He is the One in whom all prophecies are fulfilled. He is the One every single saint from Abraham forward looked to by faith. May we look to Him as well!

Readings for tomorrow: None

Punching Down

Readings for today: Nehemiah 5-7

I am the oldest of three boys. Growing up, we spent a lot of time together. Most of it good. Most of it fun. We remain close to this day. However, we had our moments. There were times we’d get frustrated with each other. Times we’d fight and get into it. Times we’d get in trouble or get busted for doing things we shouldn’t. That’s when mom or dad would step in and level consequences. As the oldest I often bore the brunt of the punishment. This bred a certain amount of resentment which I would proceed to take out on my younger brother and he would, in turn, take out his resentment on our youngest brother and he would, in turn, take out his resentment on our dog. ;-) Just kidding. In all seriousness, though, human beings are like that. We have a tendency to punch down. To exploit those who are weaker than us. Take advantage of those who have less power than us. To take out our own anger and bitterness and frustration on those who do not have the ability to retaliate.

Consider what happens in our text today. The people who returned to Jerusalem do not have it easy. They engage in back-breaking work day after day as they try to scrape out an existence in a city that lies in ruins. Due to their lack of a protective wall, they live under constant threat of attack. Despite their return from exile, they are not free. They live and serve at the pleasure of a pagan empire. All of this stress and pressure built resentment and bitterness in people which caused them to turn inward. To focus on controlling what they could control. So those with power - like the nobles and officials - did what they could to line their own pockets. They punched down against their brothers and sisters, exploiting the poor and powerless among them. Fields were mortgaged. Loans were taken out. Economic slavery ensued.

Thankfully, Nehemiah was a godly leader. A man who sought the Lord with all his heart. He did not “punch down” when given the opportunity but instead did all he could to build others up. From the time he was appointed governor in the land of Judah, he refused to take the food allowance. He rejected the oppressive practices of those who had served as governor before him. He persevered in his work on the wall in a valiant attempt to protect the most vulnerable. He acquired no land. He was inclusive as a leader, inviting 150 different officials to feast with him at his own expense. He was generous. He was magnanimous. All because he feared the Lord and wanted to bring honor and glory to His great name.

Nehemiah’s example is a powerful one. He shows us in real time what a life looks like that is lived for God. He cares nothing for the riches of this world. He cares nothing for temporal, earthly power. He cares nothing for the benefits and privileges he’s been given. He walks with open hands before the Lord. He walks with a pure heart before the Lord. He keeps his eyes fixed on the mission God has called him to and he is blessed as a result. What would that look like in my life? In your life? What would change if we kept our eyes fixed on Jesus and worked for His eternal rewards? What would happen if we held onto all we have loosely and walked with open hands before the Lord? Like Nehemiah, we would become conduits of blessing to our families, friends, co-workers, and community.

Readings for tomorrow: Nehemiah 8-10

Power of Prayer

Readings for today: Nehemiah 1-4

What is your first response when facing a crisis? What is your initial instinct when you receive bad news? When life seems to be falling apart, what do you turn to? For many, it is alcohol or drugs. Opioids. Marijuana. Psychedelics. All are readily available in my community. For many, it is sex. Porn. Tinder. Hook-up apps. All pose very real temptations to those who in need of a “fix.” For many, it is work. Longer hours. Longer days. More gratification. More achievement. More success. It can be intoxicating. However, all these behaviors only postpone the inevitable. At some point in time, we have to face our fear. We have to enter the darkness. We have to deal with the heartbreak and pain. 

Nehemiah receives the worst news imaginable. He had asked about his people. How many had survived? How many were still living in Jerusalem? What was life like for them? The news was grim. The people were helpless. Vulnerable. Weak. They were barely hanging on. Without a wall to protect them, there was no way they would survive. So how does Nehemiah respond? With prayer and fasting. Weeping and mourning before the Lord for days. Many would argue he’s wasting valuable time. He should use his position of influence to get what he needs to save his people. He should run to the king immediately to let him know what’s happening. Why waste time in prayer? Surely God understands! And can’t Nehemiah pray along the way? Why now? Why wait? When there’s so much work to be done? 

We live in a busy world. A world that puts the pedal to the metal 24/7. A world that sets a relentless pace. It is easy to get caught up in the race. It is easy to pull up anchor and let yourself be driven by all the activities and opportunities the world puts in front of us. It’s easy to go from crisis to crisis without ever stopping to ask why? Why am I trying so hard? Why am I running so hard? What am I trying to avoid? Who am I trying to impress? What’s the cost? Prayer forces us to slow down. It forces us to sit in the Lord’s presence and wait for His Word. Prayer silences the cacophony of voices that fill our head every single day. Or at least quiets them for a few moments. Prayer brings us in touch with what is truly real and noble and true and allows us to identify the lies we so often believe. Prayer gives time for wisdom to sink in. For plans to be made. For actions to be mapped out. 

Consider again the example of Nehemiah. After praying and fasting for days, he wipes his tears and resumes his post as cupbearer before the king. The king sensed his mood however and asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah clearly had prepared for this moment. When asked, he laid out his concern and his plan. “I said to the king, "Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it." And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), "How long will you be gone, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy." And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” (Nehemiah‬ ‭2:3-8‬) Nehemiah left nothing to chance. In prayer, he had sought the wisdom and counsel of God. He waited for days until the Lord revealed His will. He emptied himself through fasting in order that he may receive. And God was faithful. God gave him a plan to present to the king. Furthermore, because Nehemiah appealed to God first, God gave him favor when it came time to appeal to the king. 

Too often prayer is an afterthought. A last resort. Something we do when it’s time to “break glass in case of emergency.”  Too often we look at prayer as a passive exercise. We assume it is a way of avoiding hard work or hard conversations. We don’t value prayer as we should. Instead, we are people of action. We want to move and move now! We want to act and act now! We demand instant gratification and instant success and instant feedback. Especially in a social media world. But prayer is vital to the life of a believer. It slows us down. It calms us down. It gives us perspective. All good things in our world today! 

What’s your prayer life like? Do you make time to pray each day? What do you pray for? Wisdom? Understanding? Insight? Strength? Peace? All these things and more are available to you through our Heavenly Father. All you have to do is ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. 

Readings for tomorrow: Nehemiah 5-7

Overcoming Cultural Distance

Readings for today: Ezra 7-10

Today’s reading definitely presents a challenge. Particularly since we are so far removed from the specific cultural situation Ezra faced as the Israelites returned from exile. It is deeply offensive to our 21st century Western cultural sensibilities to imagine a group of men initiating a mass divorce over race and/or nationality. We rightly wonder what happens to the women and children who are kicked to the curb? Are they left destitute? Is this of the will of God? Was this an example of early Pharisaism rearing it’s ugly head? Zealousness for the Law of God taken to a logical extreme? Moreover, many wonder if this is yet another example of God’s Law remaining culturally bound? Irrelevant to our modern lives? After all, how can we respect a God who commands the breakup of so many families?  

This is what makes Bible reading such a challenge. We can’t just read the words on the page and accept them at face value. We have to work hard to overcome the cultural distance between ourselves and the text. We have to dive deeper to understand the cultural currents of the day and how this story fits if we want to understand. Furthermore, we have to acknowledge the cultural assumptions we ourselves bring to the text. We are not objective observers. We too have biases and perspectives that are shaped by current cultural movements like #MeToo, feminism, and, at a more fundamental level, the US Bill of Rights. These things will shape how we respond to the text and make it incredibly difficult as we try to walk a mile in Ezra’s shoes.  

So why was Ezra so upset over the intermarriage of Israel with their pagan neighbors? And why does he call for them to “put aside” the foreign women and their children? And what were the social ramifications of such a drastic move? First and foremost, we need to understand that in Ancient Near East culture, ethnicity, tribal identity, and religion all overlapped. You see something similar in the world today where Islam is so closely identified with an Arabic ethnicity. Tribal kingdoms in the ancient world were defined in a very real sense by the god they worshipped. Each nation had their own god and their own unique religious practices. Their god ruled over a specific territorial boundary which defined the geographic limits of a particular kingdom. Other features that defined tribal and/or national identity had to do with the personality of the king who ruled, the language they spoke, and then, downstream from the rest, the particular physical features of the people themselves. One can see how different this is from modern racial theory forged in the 19th century to support chattel slavery, ethnic purges, and eventually the Holocaust.

From a Biblical standpoint, if one married a pagan, one pledged allegiance in a certain sense to their god. This obviously represents a fundamental break with the First Commandment which is why Ezra reacts so strongly to the news. Furthermore, intermarriage also brought into question one’s tribal and/or national identity and allegiance. It was an open question whether one could actually be an Israelite if one married a non-Israelite. One would always be suspect as would one’s children. If/when an invasion took place, whose side would you be on? Could you be trusted? All these were real, practical questions for a fragile group of people seeking to reestablish themselves and rebuild their nation. Certainly there were options for non-Israelites to become Israelites. The book of Ruth is a great example and a story the people in Ezra’s time would have known well. However, in order to become an Israelite one had to renounce any connection to their former god and their former people. “Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Hopefully, this helps us understand Ezra’s dilemma and heartbreak. He is ashamed. He is afraid. He knows his history well and he knows what happens when God’s people are unfaithful. "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.” (Ezra 9:6-7) He tears his robe. He rips his beard. He falls on his face before God and intercedes for the people. 

As he prays, a few men come forward with a solution. What if everyone who has taken a foreign wife puts her aside? What if they separated out the foreign women and children as an act of repentance? This seems good to Ezra. The proclamation goes forth. Those found guilty repent. And the story ends. We don’t know how it turns out for the women and children. Are they simply cast side? Left to fend for themselves? Surely not as God’s Law is just as clear about how we treat the foreigner and stranger, the orphan and widow, and the most vulnerable in our midst.

So what happened? No one can say with certainty. I can only here offer a modern day analogy. In many places in Africa, it is common for the men to take more than one wife. Polygamy is not God’s design for marriage so I’ve encouraged them to choose one wife and essentially “put away” the others. They remain in the household under the economic care and protection of the man of the house but he lives in covenant faithfulness with only one woman. He provides for them. He takes care of their children. He still fulfills all his responsibilities as a husband and father so they are not left destitute on the streets. It’s not a perfect solution but it is one offered in an attempt to bring the family into covenant faithfulness to the gospel. 

So what do we takeaway from a passage like this? Well, think about your own life. What does covenant faithfulness look like for you? Where are you living in covenant obedience? Where are you living in disobedience? Is your heart grieved by the brokenness and sin of your life? What do you need to confess before your Heavenly Father today? Where do you need His grace to cover your sin?

Readings for tomorrow: Nehemiah 1-4

Hard Questions

Readings for today: Malachi 1-4, Psalm 50

We love to make God in our own image. We are so prone to project onto Him our own notions of justice and goodness and righteousness and peace. We struggle to understand a God who would confront us, challenge us, discipline us, say “no” to us. Instead, we challenge Him. We question Him. We put Him on trial because of all the suffering and evil we see in the world. Is it any wonder then that the heavens so often seem closed to our prayers? Is it any wonder then that God seems so distant? Is it any wonder that we struggle so much to hear His voice and experience His abiding presence in our lives?

The people of God have always had this problem. We are constantly putting God to the test. Constantly rationalizing our sin. Constantly justifying our rebellious behavior. Listen again to the many different ways the people of God were challenging God in Malachi’s day…

• “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” (Mal. 1:2)

• “A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name. But you say, “How have we despised Your name?” (Mal. 1:6)

• “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts…But you say, “What weariness this is and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts.” (Mal 1:11, 13)

• “You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied Him?” (Mal. 2:17)

• “Return to Me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return? Will man rob God?” Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” (Mal. 3:7-8)

• “Your words have been hard against Me, says the Lord. But you say, “How have we spoken against You?” (Mal. 3:13)

Over and over again, the people of God challenge God. Accuse God. Defy God. Ignore God. Demand from God. And the wonder of it all is that God never loses patience. Never lashes out in anger. Never walks away from His people. Instead, He loves them. He is patient with them. He continues to work with them and walk with them in faithfulness. Canonically, Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament and the final words from the final book set up the opening act of the New Testament. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Mal. 4:5-6) Fast forward a few hundred years and a man named John the Baptist begins preaching repentance in the wilderness. His self-proclaimed mission is to “prepare the way of the Lord.” He is Elijah reborn, come to make way for the Messiah. Emmanuel. God with us.

God is amazing. He never gives up on us despite all our questions and doubts and fears and failures. He perseveres with us through every trial and temptation. He holds onto us in all our pain and heartache and suffering. He walks with us through the darkest valleys of life. All He asks in return is that we trust Him. Believe Him. Turn to Him. Draw near to Him. Walk with Him. Surrender to Him. He knows what’s best. He knows the way. And if we will let Him, He will lead us on paths of righteousness for His names’ sake.

Readings for tomorrow: Ezra 7-10

Divine Reversals

Readings for today: Esther 6-10

At a fundamental level, Esther is a story of divine reversals. God turning things on their heads in order to save His people. Mordechai is lifted up. Haman is brought low. Esther becomes Queen after Vashti is deposed. The Jewish people go from mourning to joy. From defeat to victory. From death to life almost overnight. Purim is inaugurated to commemorate the incredible miracle of God’s deliverance and many Jews believe this is the one festival they will continue to celebrate even after Messiah comes.  

It is impossible to imagine the emotions behind such a dramatic turn of events. One moment, you are cowering in your home in fear as the mob gathers to bring death and destruction. Local authorities are no help. In fact, they are leading the charge at the king’s order. I think of my African-American friends who tell stories about the lynchings they witnessed during the Civil Rights struggle of the 20th century. I think of my South Sudanese friends who live in fear of violent retribution by their own government. I think of my Somali friends who are planting churches under the shadow of Islamic extremism. They know this fear well. It is a constant companion. I think of the women I’ve met who’ve suffered abuse, sexual or physical or otherwise. They often feel trapped and alone and afraid. I think of the children I’ve met who’ve been violently treated within their own family. I have seen the same fear in their eyes. It is crippling. It is paralyzing. It is dreadful. 

But then a new edict is read! A new proclamation is issued! Freedom! Deliverance! Salvation! Think of the joy the Jewish people must have felt, living in the midst of a hostile, pagan empire. They were not helpless! They were not alone! God had raised up a deliverer! A savior! A messiah! In the person of Esther. In the person of Mordechai. God was acting anew to protect His chosen people. Now think of the joy that accompanied the Emancipation Proclamation or the Civil Rights Act in our own time. Think of the joy that accompanied the permanent cease-fire agreement in South Sudan. (The terms of which were unfortunately violated almost immediately...) Think of the joy that comes when entire villages are saved by the gospel and delivered from the influence of Islamic extremism. Think of the joy that comes to a woman when she finally finds the courage to leave her abuser, seek healing and help, and start a new life. Think of the joy that comes to children when they experience love for the first time. These too are Purim. 

And what about your life? What about the bondage you have faced or are currently facing? Is it addiction? Is it slavery to sin of some sort? Is it the darkness of depression? The painful affliction of a mental, emotional, or physical illness? Where do you need deliverance today? Where do you need a savior? In what corners of your heart do you still cower in fear? Afraid of what tomorrow may bring? Let Esther’s example give you hope! Even at the 11th hour, God is still working to bring salvation! 

Readings for tomorrow: Malachi 1-4, Psalm 50

For Such A Time As This…

Readings for today: Esther 1-5

Nothing is new under the sun. Humanity seems perpetually committed to “rinse, wash, repeat” their sinful ways. Today’s story from Esther could have just as easily been ripped from our own headlines. Lavish parties. Drunken orgies. Garish displays of wealth and excess. Sexual harassment. Abuse of power. Outrage and anger. Corrupt, political manipulation. Unjust and immoral laws. Plans for mass violence and genocide. We see it all the time. Substitute Ahasuerus for Jeffrey Epstein or Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby or Deshaun Watson or Vince McMahon or Mark Driscoll or Ravi Zacharias or numerous Roman Catholic priests or Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping and you begin to get the point. We are utterly broken. Given the right conditions and access to the right amount of wealth and power and we are capable of just about anything.

Thankfully, God is not blind to our condition. He knows our weak and helpless estate. He knows we are conceived in iniquity and born into sin. He knows sin’s power over us. He knows we are enslaved to our basest appetites. This is why He sets apart a people for Himself. He always preserves a remnant in order to save humanity from itself. Esther and Mordecai are just the latest players in the divine drama God has been working out since the beginning of time. They are called “for such a time as this” to serve and protect God’s people from annihilation and to confront the pagan powers of this world. It is not an easy call. It doesn’t come at a convenient time. It will potentially cost Esther her life should she fail to gain the king’s favor. However, Esther knows she is not alone. She knows God is on her side. Though He is never mentioned in the book, the attentive reader sees His presence everywhere like in the days of fasting and prayer Esther calls for as she prepares to go before the king.

Friends, God has not turned His face away from our world. He sees all the pain and suffering. He sees all the injustice and oppression. He sees all the excess and licentiousness. He is deeply aware of the evil that is continually perpetuated by the creatures He made in His own image. This is why He still sets apart a people for Himself. He preserves a faithful remnant He calls the “church” and His purpose is to work through the church to save humanity from itself. We are just the latest players in God’s divine drama of salvation. We walk in the footsteps of faithful people like Esther and Mordecai and all those who have gone before us. We are called for “such a time as this” to serve and protect the lost and most vulnerable and to confront the pagan powers of this world. It is not an easy call. It will never come at a convenient time. It will potentially cost us everything, including our very lives. But we are not alone. God is with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even in those moments when we cannot sense His presence, He is at work to bring about His good and perfect will for our lives and for the world.

Readings for tomorrow: None

God is with you

Readings for today: Zechariah 8-14

I love these words from Zechariah today, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zech. 8:23) Can you imagine? Can you imagine a day where God’s people are so marked by His grace and peace and steadfast love and righteousness and holiness that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the earth would lay hold of us just to be in God’s presence? Can you imagine a day when the culture wars cease and the perpetual outrage cycle ends and people turn in exhaustion to those who walk humbly before their God? Can you imagine a day when we lay aside all our selfishness, greed, lust for power, and love of deception and instead cling to those who follow Jesus?

The Apostle Paul says, “All creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God.” (Romans 8:19) The whole world is looking forward to a day when the people of God, filled with the Spirit of God, will answer the call of God and walk in the ways of God to fulfill the mission of God. Read that sentence again to yourself. Read it slowly. Read it carefully. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the message is clear. The world is waiting for you! The world is waiting for me! The world is groaning under the weight of sin, longing for release! Longing for freedom! Longing for the day when the people of God will take up their mandate once again to care for and steward all God has made, especially the creatures made in His image.

This is God’s plan. He reveals it clearly to His prophet. Over and over again, Zechariah declares the truth of God. Over and over again, Zechariah proclaims the promises of God. The Lord will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. (Zech. 8:3) The Lord will save His people and gather them from the east and the west to live with Him in Jerusalem. (Zech. 8:7-8) The Lord will return in righteousness, humble and riding a donkey. (Zech. 9:9) The Lord will make His people like jewels in a crown. They shall shine like stars in the land. (Zech. 9:16) The Lord will protect His people. He will make the weak as strong as David. The strong like angels in all their glorious splendor. He will pour out a spirit of grace and mercy upon them. (Zech. 12:8-10) The Lord will do all these things and more as He establishes His reign and rule over all the earth. (Zech. 14:9)

Friends, the message to us could not be more clear. We are to live as citizens of heaven here on earth. The church is created to be a community of life in the midst of a culture of death. We are called to be salt and light in the world. We must live and love and serve and speak in such a way that those around us who do not yet know God will sense His Spirit within us. Today is an opportunity for us to walk with Christ. Today is an opportunity for us to be like Christ. Today is an opportunity for us to share Christ with those around us who do not yet know God so that they too may experience the joy and peace and grace that comes with His abiding presence.

Readings for tomorrow: Esther 1-5

God is Gracious

Readings for today: Zechariah 1-7

I love these words from Zechariah 1:2, “Return to Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you.” It’s an amazingly gracious promise from an amazingly gracious God who never lets go of His promise to love us unconditionally. I have to admit I had a harder time appreciating passages like this when I was younger. Then I had kids of my own. ;-) And like any family, we’ve had our ups and our downs. There have been times when I have been so angry with them like when they lie to me or ignore my rules. But after I’ve cooled down, my deep love and affection for them always returns. I hold them in my arms. I let them know I will never stop loving them. Never stop fighting for them. Never give up on them. It’s in those moments that I often feel a tap on the shoulder from God letting me know that’s exactly how He feels about me.

God has always felt this way about His people. Psalms 30:5 says, “His anger lasts only a moment but His favor lasts a lifetime.” Numbers 14:18 says, “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and forgiving sin and rebellion.” We see God’s gracious character on display over and over again in our reading today. “Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Cry out again, thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1:16-17) “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zech. 2:4) “Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to Joshua he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” (Zech. 3:3-4) Over and over again throughout these chapters, God speaks words of forgiveness and mercy and grace over His people. It’s truly amazing.

And what does God ask in return? He asks us to return to Him. To love Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls. To give Him the honor and glory due His name. What does such love and devotion look like in real life? In the day to day? Listen to what the Lord shares with Zechariah, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zech. 7:9-10) Returning to God means repenting of our sin and submitting our lives to Him. True repentance means embracing the ways of God in our lives and refusing to walk in the ways of this world. It means rejecting all the anger, all the hate, all the outrage, all the violence, all the neglect, all the greed, and all the selfishness that consumes so much of our time and attention and energy. It means living for something greater than ourselves…the Kingdom of God. It means loving someone other than ourselves…God and our neighbor. If we will do these things, God promises to dwell in our midst. The nations of the earth will experience revival and we will know the Lord of hosts is with us.

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 8-14

Putting God First

Readings for today: Haggai 1-2

I once had neighbors who tried to have it all. They both held lucrative jobs that paid six figures annually but caused them to travel most of the year. Their two kids were in competitive sports which held practices before and after school almost every day. Weekends were spent traveling to games all over the country. They rarely took a season off. They had a beautiful home they rarely slept in. Two new cars they rarely drove. They had so little time left over for friends or family or even each other. Sadly, it came as no surprise that they were soon divorced and their kids estranged. Their home sold. Their possessions divided. Both of them relocating to different parts of the country to start over.

I was reminded of their story when I read these words from Haggai today, “Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:5-6) I meet people all the time who fall into this trap. They chase the world’s promises only to end up running on empty. They spend their lives acquiring possessions. Achieving success at all costs. Moving up the corporate ladder. Allowing their kids’ activities to eat up all of their extra time. The results are not pretty. Divorce. The breakdown of the family. A deep sense of isolation and loneliness. Superficial friendships. And definitely no room for God.

Haggai calls us to a different way. He calls us to put God first. To honor God with our time and our talent and our treasure. To give God the firstfruits of our labors not the leftovers. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld their dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” (Haggai 1:7-11) This passage isn’t really about the Temple. God doesn’t need us to build Him a home. It’s not like God lacks a place to live. What this is really about is the priority of our hearts. Do we put God first? Are we willing to take care of the things He cares about before we take care of the things we care about? Is He number one in our lives or is that just lip service? Do we order our lives around His ways and His commands or do we take Him for granted?

All of us have a chance today to “consider our ways.” All of us have an opportunity to sit down with our schedules and our bank statements and evaluate where we spend our time and money. All of us can take stock of where we put our energy and talent and resources. Do we spend time with God every day? Do we gather in person with God’s people every week? Are we building deep, spiritually friendships with those we love? Have we set apart time to serve Christ in His mission in the world? These questions serve as a kind of diagnostic that reveals the truest desires of our hearts.

Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 1-7

Faith over Fear

Readings for today: Ezra 4-6

I am turning fifty in March and as I think back over my life, I can point to many places where I faced a choice between fear or faith. When I chose the path of fear, I ended up in a dark place. I became anxious and depressed. I didn’t sleep well. I lacked motivation. I made all kinds of excuses. I blamed everyone and everything around me. My heart was full of regrets. When I chose the path of faith, I found my spirits lifted. I experienced freedom. Peace that passed all understanding. I slept well. I woke up energized every morning. I took responsibility. I owned my successes and my failures. I had no regrets. No second guessing. My life was rich and full.

Our reading from Ezra today illustrates what God’s people can do when they walk by faith. Sadly, it also illustrates what can happen when God’s people walk in fear. “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:4-5) Zerubbabel and leaders of God’s people had rightly rejected the offer of help from the people of the land for the god they worshipped was not the God of Israel. The people who had been resettled in the land after the Assyrian Empire wiped out the Northern Kingdom of Israel were a mixed group culled from different tribes and nations. They each brought their own ideas of god to the table and the result was a syncretized view of god that bore no resemblance to the God of Israel. If Zerubbabel allowed them to work alongside God’s people as they rebuilt the Temple, there was a very real danger that the worship of God would become polluted and corrupt. The people of the land didn’t take their rejection well. They embarked on a campaign of intimidation, threatening God’s people with the very real consequences of opposing the might of the Persian Empire. The rebuilding work was hanging by a thread.

Thankfully, there were those who chose a different path. The path of faith. Haggai and Zechariah rose up to prophesy. Prophesy in this case had little to do with future-telling and more to do with truth-telling. They preached in the name of the God of Israel. Reminding God’s people of God’s sovereign power and authority. They encouraged the leaders of God’s people to renew the work and trust in God’s faithfulness and so the work resumed. It’s important to note that the people still faced opposition. They still had to overcome all kinds of resistance. The factors that made them afraid in the first place didn’t magically disappear. The difference now was that their focus was on God and not on all the obstacles standing in their way. Their eyes were fixed on God’s mission rather than on all the reasons they couldn’t or wouldn’t be successful. Their faith gave them the strength to persevere through the challenges and setbacks rather than succumb to them.

What about you? Where does life find you today? As you think about the challenges you face in your own life, are you choosing the path of faith or the path of fear? Are you fixing your eyes on Jesus or do you find yourself consumed by all the stress and anxiety of your circumstances? Are you clinging to hope or are you paralyzed by doubt and indecision? Friends, God is with you! He promises to walk by your side every step of the way. Trust Him. Listen to Him. Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Readings for tomorrow: Haggai 1-2

Rebuilding

Readings for today: 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1-3

Our God specializes in rebuilding. He takes what is broken and He builds it back up. He takes what is ruined and He raises it back up. He takes what’s been torn down and He pulls it back together. We see it over and over again throughout the Scriptures. After Adam and Eve sin, humanity descends into evil and chaos resulting in a great flood. God rebuilds using Noah. Humanity scatters in confusion at the Tower of Babel when their languages are confused. God rebuilds using Abram. Abram’s descendants are enslaved and brutally oppressed in Egypt. God rebuilds using Moses. Israel plunges into complete anarchy at the end of the Book of Judges. God rebuilds using a prophet named Samuel and a king named David. Both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel fall into idolatry and are invaded. Their way of life destroyed and the people carried off into exile. God rebuilds using men like Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel.

God rebuilds His Temple. God rebuilds His city. Most importantly, God rebuilds His people. He brings them back home just as He promised. He stirs the heart of a pagan king. A Persian named Cyrus who has destroyed the Babylonian empire. A royal decree is issued. Sacred elements are gathered. The people begin their journey back home. It’s a massive undertaking involving thousands of people. Genealogical records are consulted to make sure the leaders all come from the correct lineage. Those eligible for the priesthood are identified. Those eligible to serve from the Levite tribe are identified. The direct descendants of the temple servants and royal servants are identified so they can all be restored to their rightful place, God leaving no detail left to chance. When they arrive, the first thing they do is rebuild the altar so they can worship. They keep the Feast of Booths according to God’s Word. And most importantly, they lay the foundation of a new Temple which causes the old to weep and the young to praise. It had to be quite a moment. 

Sadly sin will run its course once more. God’s people will struggle and suffer yet again. As Daniel foretold, they will become a pawn in a much greater conflict as kingdoms clash over the legacy left by Alexander the Great. Eventually, Rome will rise and crush all in her path. Herod the Great will be installed as a “client king” set to rule over Israel. In a bid to curry favor, he will refurbish the Temple but his corruption and penchant for violence is evident to all. Tensions rise. Factions jockey for power and influence. Israel is a powderkeg ready to blow at anytime. And into this mess, a baby is born. A child grows up. His name is Jesus. Come to save His people from their sins. Come to rebuild the ancient ruins. Come to restore God’s Kingdom once and for all. He dies on a cross. An apparent failure. But three days later, He rises from the dead in glorious triumph! Delivering the final, decisive blow to sin and evil in this world. Right before He ascends into heaven, He commissions His disciples. His followers. Those who would eventually be called “Christian” to carry on His rebuilding work. Armed with tools like compassion and grace and mercy, they are to go out into the world proclaiming the gospel to every tribe, tongue and nation. They are charged to build up a spiritual house. Equipping the saints for the work of God’s Kingdom. 

So what about you? Where is God at work in your life today? Where is He rebuilding? Where is He restoring? How is He using you to rebuild and restore others in His name? 

Readings for tomorrow: Ezra 4-6