Former US President Reagan loved a story which he said illustrated optimism. Seems a little boy hoped to get a pony for Christmas. Finding a room full of manure, he dug in saying, "if there is this much manure, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!" In same story he told a little boy who was shown a room full of new toys who wouldn't touch any of them fearing they might break. That, said, Reagan, is the world of the pessimist.
Which person are you?
Do you look for the best or fear the worst? Most of us, are something of a mixture.
I've been looking for the bright spot in the the events that are featured on cable news 24/7. The stories coming out of the Mississippi and Louisiana seem only to grow more grim with each passing hour. The impact on the nation's economy appears to be significant as well with energy prices sky-rocketing to new highs! There are spiritual ramifications, too. Today an editorial in our local newspaper used Hurricane Katrina as a primary argument to reject God's rule of our world. Robert Steinback writes: "Faith has a role in this modern world -- but it shouldn't be some sort of veto over scientific inquiry and knowledge. You can't pray away a hurricane -- unless you believe that you have the leverage to make it smash someone else's life instead of yours. This is what is so sad about the recent, contrived popularity of 'Intelligent Design,' which holds that the natural world is so intricate that only an intelligent designer -- that is, God -- could have created it. ... incredibly, President Bush endorses it -- placing the world's most powerful person squarely in the camp of the intellectually uncurious. The 'science' of intelligent design, of course, is utter nonsense."
I wonder how many Americans are drifting towards a similar conclusion, that faith in God is a relic of superstition, not a rock on which to build a life?
The truth is that while we are at a loss to explain the 'why' of a hurricane that destroys so much property and so many lives, we must not miss the power of faith in such times. Little stories tucked into the incessant stream of bad news, reveal the compassion of people of faith who are sharing, caring, loving at great personal expense. Contrast that with the gangs of thugs that are robbing and raping with only the thought of survival guiding them. Which world do you want? The world of faith in God that gives hope in the darkness or the grim world where might gives rights? If there is a bright spot, it is exactly that one. Faith is not optional, nor is it antithetical to science. Faith is what gives life meaning, what keeps us standing when we open the door to a roomful of manure!
Go with me to the 'Faith' chapter of the Bible where we read- "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see." (Hebrews 11:1, The Message) Faith enables me to turn to a God whose works I cannot understand, to sigh meaningfully, and to pray - "keep me faithful, grant me strength, let me see the Light again."
So, friend, let us pray. Perhaps for a day or two, our prayers will be "groans that words cannot express." Then, too, our prayers may be rivers of tears that flow down our faces that are turned to Heaven. And as we hold to the hope that He will give us Light and Life, we will find new strength to go and serve with the love of Jesus Christ.
__________________
I encourage you to be in church this Sunday morning. Don't let anything stand in your way. Make it a top priority to be standing with other Believers in worship and in prayer.
We will be praying together for those who are suffering as we gather here. (Remember, Sunday School at 9, Worship at 10:15) And we will be receiving an offering to send to Convoy of Hope to use in bringing help to those who need it most. (see www.ConvoyOfHope.org)
"In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:11-12, NIV)
Friday, September 02, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Tested, will you stand firm?
James wrote to us, "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides." (James 1:2, The Message) I want to embrace that command, but it is hard to do. Who likes hard times, those moments when questions are many and answers few? I am not talking about the 'mini-trials' that are common to life. We need to develop much greater patience when dealing with computers that don't work properly, cars that don't start, traffic that doesn't flow- life's normal headaches. The tests that steal my sleep and that stress me are the ones like the recent hurricane in the Gulf region. How do we reconcile our revelation of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving Father God with the scenes of devastation? For four years, since 9/11's tragic events shattered the illusion that we could live in perpetual peace, I have struggled with the stuff of tsunamis, hurricanes, fickle 'friends,' recurring temptations, and such things.
How does one consider Hurricane Katrina a gift? How does one rejoice when those on whom he leans let him fall? How does feel joy when the pull of the flesh is so strong that failure seems imminent? I'm still working that out! I imagine, in one way or the other, you are, too. I read the story of Abraham's journey to Mt. Moriah again yesterday. [Genesis 22, if you would like to read it] In that chapter, God tells him to take his beloved son, Isaac, and to sacrifice him.
I tried to think of the emotions that he felt on the 2 day journey to the site.
Testing can cause us to feel CONFUSION. Don't you think Abraham was more than a little confused by a God who gives him a miracle son and then asks for him back about 12-15 years later?
Testing can cause us to feel DOUBT. "God is that really your Voice? Why would You ask such a terrible thing?" I've wondered that more than once in my life when tested.
Testing can cause us to feel ALONE. That trip across the plains to the hills had to be one of the most lonely ones in Abraham's life. He even left his servant and traveled on with just Isaac. But how do you tell jokes and enjoy the company of a boy you're going to sacrifice tomorrow? But, I've learned that God often ministers to the deepest place in my life when I am feeling most alone and focused most intensely on Him.
Testing can cause us to feel THAT GOD IS UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS. When we feel abandoned by God, it is the most desperate feeling, especially for those who have loved Him intimately. When He asks the 'impossible' of us, we may cry out as His Son did, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Of course, He hasn't, but it can sure feel like it.
Testing can cause us to feel HOPELESS. Stand with Abraham on the top of that little hill called Moriah. Drag the rocks, one by one, into a heap called an altar, each one becoming heavier as you realize the moment of decision is imminent. Then ,raise the knife! The contents of your stomach rise in your throat. A sorrow beyond description wrenches sobs so violent from your body that you feel like you could die. Where are you, God?
Will you stay steady when the wind blows strong?
Will you obey when your natural self screams to take another way?
Hard questions, aren't they? In those moments, we desperately hold onto the only hope that remains -- "If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:11-13, NLT)
Abraham had known the faithfulness of God through times when he failed. So, he trusted - not in his own righteousness, his own ability to please God - but in the faithfulness of God to keep him. And in this most intense trial, at just the critical moment, God revealed Himself as "Yahweh Yireh, the Lord, my Provider." Remember the story? Just as Abraham was about to take his son's life, he looked up and saw a ram caught in the bushes, a substitute sacrifice provided by God, Himself!
Paul repeats this phrase again and again in his letters to Believers - "Stand firm!"
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV)
"He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on everything we taught you both in person and by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and in his special favor gave us everlasting comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do and say." (2 Thessalonians 2:14-17, NLT)
How does one consider Hurricane Katrina a gift? How does one rejoice when those on whom he leans let him fall? How does feel joy when the pull of the flesh is so strong that failure seems imminent? I'm still working that out! I imagine, in one way or the other, you are, too. I read the story of Abraham's journey to Mt. Moriah again yesterday. [Genesis 22, if you would like to read it] In that chapter, God tells him to take his beloved son, Isaac, and to sacrifice him.
I tried to think of the emotions that he felt on the 2 day journey to the site.
Testing can cause us to feel CONFUSION. Don't you think Abraham was more than a little confused by a God who gives him a miracle son and then asks for him back about 12-15 years later?
Testing can cause us to feel DOUBT. "God is that really your Voice? Why would You ask such a terrible thing?" I've wondered that more than once in my life when tested.
Testing can cause us to feel ALONE. That trip across the plains to the hills had to be one of the most lonely ones in Abraham's life. He even left his servant and traveled on with just Isaac. But how do you tell jokes and enjoy the company of a boy you're going to sacrifice tomorrow? But, I've learned that God often ministers to the deepest place in my life when I am feeling most alone and focused most intensely on Him.
Testing can cause us to feel THAT GOD IS UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS. When we feel abandoned by God, it is the most desperate feeling, especially for those who have loved Him intimately. When He asks the 'impossible' of us, we may cry out as His Son did, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Of course, He hasn't, but it can sure feel like it.
Testing can cause us to feel HOPELESS. Stand with Abraham on the top of that little hill called Moriah. Drag the rocks, one by one, into a heap called an altar, each one becoming heavier as you realize the moment of decision is imminent. Then ,raise the knife! The contents of your stomach rise in your throat. A sorrow beyond description wrenches sobs so violent from your body that you feel like you could die. Where are you, God?
Will you stay steady when the wind blows strong?
Will you obey when your natural self screams to take another way?
Hard questions, aren't they? In those moments, we desperately hold onto the only hope that remains -- "If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:11-13, NLT)
Abraham had known the faithfulness of God through times when he failed. So, he trusted - not in his own righteousness, his own ability to please God - but in the faithfulness of God to keep him. And in this most intense trial, at just the critical moment, God revealed Himself as "Yahweh Yireh, the Lord, my Provider." Remember the story? Just as Abraham was about to take his son's life, he looked up and saw a ram caught in the bushes, a substitute sacrifice provided by God, Himself!
Paul repeats this phrase again and again in his letters to Believers - "Stand firm!"
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13, NIV)
"He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on everything we taught you both in person and by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and in his special favor gave us everlasting comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do and say." (2 Thessalonians 2:14-17, NLT)
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Weep, Pray, and Work!
Some readers of yesterday's TFTD questioned if I had become a fatalist. By that, they wondered if I had concluded that the only response to sorrow, tragedy, and suffering is quiet resignation, accepting fate. Is that what trusting God means? Certainly not! My life is steadied by two truths that run side by side like the rails on which a train rides: the rail of the will of God and the rail of human responsibility. If I over-emphasize God's will, I risk fatalism. If I lean too far towards human responsibility, I will become fearful, neurotic even, trying to cope with life that is often beyond my understanding or control.
The story of Nehemiah informs me and inspires me in this. Some 6 centuries before the time of Jesus, the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were laid waste by the Assyrians. The walls were torn down, the temple of Yahweh destroyed, and the strongest young Jews were carried to Babylon to become slaves. About a century prior in a first invasion, the Northern Kingdom had been destroyed totally. So was there any hope of a restoration of the city and people of God? Years became decades and Jerusalem was still a place of ruins. A fatalist would have sung a funeral song and accepted this as the 'will of God,' which, the Bible teaches us, it was!
Yet, there was a man, serving in the courts of the pagan king, who dreamed of change. His name? Nehemiah. He received a report from some exiles who returned to their sacred city.
"They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’" (Nehemiah 1:3-9, NIV)
He wept, his heart moved by the needs of the people he loved.
He prayed, because he believed that God was the One who moved to change the world.
And, he worked! The rest of the book is the story of how this man risked his life and threw himself into making a difference.
Nehemiah, who worked directly for the king, asked permission to become a rebuilder. Blessed with God's favor, he received the king's release and traveled hundreds of miles to Jerusalem. Did he then sit down and wait for God to do something? Was he waiting for fate? No. He surveyed the need, set a plan in place, and gathered the support of the people. "I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work." (Nehemiah 2:15-18, NIV)
Nehemiah's willingness to work for God's purposes and the Lord's provisions for Nehemiah to get the job done are so interwoven that they become inseparable. This man of faith and works went on to rebuild his nation, to enlist men to work along side of him, not just to rebuild the infrastructure, but to restore the worship of God and to create a system for teaching God's ways to the people so they would remain true to their God.
Do you see need in your world? Do suffering people move your heart? Does human need - spiritual and material - break your heart? Then weep!
But don't cry the tears of a fatalist that bemoans the problem and then sighs, "that's life." Instead, go to your knees and pray for a revelation, a vision for transformation!
Ask God to show you a way to make a difference.
Then, work! Yes, friend, pour yourself and your resources into changing the world.
As we do this, we will rebuild His Kingdom for the glory of God, remembering the twin exhortations of Jesus:"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT) "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. ... you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5 NLT) ... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses (living demonstrators of God's power) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)
The world is waiting. Will you weep, pray, and work 'til Jesus, the King, returns?
The story of Nehemiah informs me and inspires me in this. Some 6 centuries before the time of Jesus, the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were laid waste by the Assyrians. The walls were torn down, the temple of Yahweh destroyed, and the strongest young Jews were carried to Babylon to become slaves. About a century prior in a first invasion, the Northern Kingdom had been destroyed totally. So was there any hope of a restoration of the city and people of God? Years became decades and Jerusalem was still a place of ruins. A fatalist would have sung a funeral song and accepted this as the 'will of God,' which, the Bible teaches us, it was!
Yet, there was a man, serving in the courts of the pagan king, who dreamed of change. His name? Nehemiah. He received a report from some exiles who returned to their sacred city.
"They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’" (Nehemiah 1:3-9, NIV)
He wept, his heart moved by the needs of the people he loved.
He prayed, because he believed that God was the One who moved to change the world.
And, he worked! The rest of the book is the story of how this man risked his life and threw himself into making a difference.
Nehemiah, who worked directly for the king, asked permission to become a rebuilder. Blessed with God's favor, he received the king's release and traveled hundreds of miles to Jerusalem. Did he then sit down and wait for God to do something? Was he waiting for fate? No. He surveyed the need, set a plan in place, and gathered the support of the people. "I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work. Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work." (Nehemiah 2:15-18, NIV)
Nehemiah's willingness to work for God's purposes and the Lord's provisions for Nehemiah to get the job done are so interwoven that they become inseparable. This man of faith and works went on to rebuild his nation, to enlist men to work along side of him, not just to rebuild the infrastructure, but to restore the worship of God and to create a system for teaching God's ways to the people so they would remain true to their God.
Do you see need in your world? Do suffering people move your heart? Does human need - spiritual and material - break your heart? Then weep!
But don't cry the tears of a fatalist that bemoans the problem and then sighs, "that's life." Instead, go to your knees and pray for a revelation, a vision for transformation!
Ask God to show you a way to make a difference.
Then, work! Yes, friend, pour yourself and your resources into changing the world.
As we do this, we will rebuild His Kingdom for the glory of God, remembering the twin exhortations of Jesus:"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT) "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. ... you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5 NLT) ... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses (living demonstrators of God's power) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)
The world is waiting. Will you weep, pray, and work 'til Jesus, the King, returns?
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Awesome, in the worst sense
The pictures and stories trickling out of Mississippi and Louisiana are simply awesome in the most fearful aspect of that word! One reporter blandly opined, "this is certainly a reminder of the power of Nature." I beg to differ. This is surely a reminder of the wonderful world that God made and of His awesome ways. Offended, are you? Does the thought that He knew the path of Hurricane Katrina make you angry? For me it is different. The disaster only deepens my wonder! I could not help but say, "What a God, how fearsome, how amazing, and how wonderful His ways."
No, I am not rejoicing in the suffering of those who lived in the path of the storm. On ABC's Good Morning, America, I watched residents of Gulfport and New Orleans interviewed this AM. I wept at their confusion and sorrow. Compassion well up in me as I thought what it must be like to look around and see what you have put together in life swept away or destroyed. I cannot even begin to feel what one man was feeling as he described how his house split in half in the ferocity of the storm and his wife was torn from his grasp and swallowed in the muddy flood! And I know God was there. But, then, why didn't He step in to stop it from happening? "Lord, increase our faith!" is all I can say.
It is pleasant to rejoice in the awesomeness of God when the sun rises beautifully or as we stand on the mountain and drink in the splendor of the landscape. If we praise Him then, should we not praise Him when the storm blows as well? If He is the Maker of the sunrise, is He not also the Maker of the winds? This is a terrible and wonderful truth. My mind asks, "But how could a good God allow such suffering? How does this fit with my understanding that He is a giver of good gifts?" It stretches our faith. This I affirm, that He is at work to accomplish His purposes - both in the sunshine and the storm, in those things we receive gladly and those things that break our hearts.
We be exceedingly careful about jumping to conclusions in the stormy times: "I am blessed because.... she suffers because...." Rather, in humility, we need to acknowledge the majesty of the Creator, and seek to know Him, to walk in His ways, thanking Him that He chooses, at His own impulse, to love us. Then, from that humility, we reach out to give our help, to share love, with those whose lives are broken by the storms.
The Psalm declares:
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord, Selah
to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice.
Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God! Psalm 68:32-35
_______________________
Oh, Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder,
consider all Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
"How great Thou art! How great Thou art!"
No, I am not rejoicing in the suffering of those who lived in the path of the storm. On ABC's Good Morning, America, I watched residents of Gulfport and New Orleans interviewed this AM. I wept at their confusion and sorrow. Compassion well up in me as I thought what it must be like to look around and see what you have put together in life swept away or destroyed. I cannot even begin to feel what one man was feeling as he described how his house split in half in the ferocity of the storm and his wife was torn from his grasp and swallowed in the muddy flood! And I know God was there. But, then, why didn't He step in to stop it from happening? "Lord, increase our faith!" is all I can say.
It is pleasant to rejoice in the awesomeness of God when the sun rises beautifully or as we stand on the mountain and drink in the splendor of the landscape. If we praise Him then, should we not praise Him when the storm blows as well? If He is the Maker of the sunrise, is He not also the Maker of the winds? This is a terrible and wonderful truth. My mind asks, "But how could a good God allow such suffering? How does this fit with my understanding that He is a giver of good gifts?" It stretches our faith. This I affirm, that He is at work to accomplish His purposes - both in the sunshine and the storm, in those things we receive gladly and those things that break our hearts.
We be exceedingly careful about jumping to conclusions in the stormy times: "I am blessed because.... she suffers because...." Rather, in humility, we need to acknowledge the majesty of the Creator, and seek to know Him, to walk in His ways, thanking Him that He chooses, at His own impulse, to love us. Then, from that humility, we reach out to give our help, to share love, with those whose lives are broken by the storms.
The Psalm declares:
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord, Selah
to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice.
Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God! Psalm 68:32-35
_______________________
Oh, Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder,
consider all Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
"How great Thou art! How great Thou art!"
Monday, August 29, 2005
Time to seek the Lord!
This morning (8/29/2005) the news networks are trumpeting the impending disaster in the Southeastern US from the storm named Katrina. Whether she will live up to the hype will be known in a few hours. Many are saying that the old city of New Orleans will be changed completely by this 'perfect storm.' Some say our whole nation may be effected, since a large part of our energy resources come to us through Southeastern ports and from the Gulf. Reflecting on this, I asked God, "are you speaking to us in the winds?" Many scoff at that notion; seeing the storms, wars, plagues, problems with the economy, and such things, as nothing more than natural events that come and go in the flow of human history. Humanism has so gripped our minds that even the 'godly' have no ears to hear, no eyes to see, what is the work of God's hand in this world.
While I am not proposing we descend into silly superstitions, I think it is time to seriously consider that the Lord is calling on America to be a people of righteousness, a nation that recognizes Him and His purposes. When disaster fell on God's people, Jeremiah preached to Israel:
But you, God, you have an eye for truth, don’t you?
You hit them hard, but it didn’t faze them.
You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
Hardheaded, harder than rock, they wouldn’t change.
Then I said to myself, “Well, these are just poor people.
They don’t know any better.
They were never taught anything about God.
They never went to prayer meetings.
I’ll find some people from the best families. I’ll talk to them.
They’ll know what’s going on, the way God works. They’ll know the score.”
But they were no better! Rebels all! Off doing their own thing.
The invaders are ready to pounce and kill, like a mountain lion, a wilderness wolf, panthers on the prowl.The streets aren’t safe anymore.
And why?
Because the people’s sins are piled sky-high; their betrayals are past counting. -- Jeremiah 5:3-6 (The Message)
This nation has multiplied her sins! Though there is much to admire in these United States today, there is spiritual decay evident in every part of the land.
Unquestionably we sit at the pinnacle of power in the world today, but are we using that position of influence to make it a better world filled with justice or just to build a bigger empire that feeds our ballooning appetites for more wealth? Corruption spreads like a cancer in our halls of government. From local precincts to the corridors of Congress, there are too many 'leaders' who are more interested in serving a coterie of cronies than the people who are poor and powerless. We are waging a war that many believe, despite the rhetoric justifying it, to be a war that is fought primarily for naked self-interest. If that is true, it invites God's judgment as He gives power to be used as a sacred trust.
Tragically, the culture that America exports around the world is a low and vile one, marked by lewdness and materialism. We produce $billions in pornography and sell it to the far corners of the globe.
The Christian scene in our nation features many churches that are big and rich. But is that power and wealth being used to serve those who are poor, both spiritually and naturally? Are Christians calling for justice, taking the Gospel where it is not yet preached? Sometimes, yes; but too often the answer is no. Instead we create institutions and 'ministries' that feed only our own needs. Many churches are entertainment centers, the message not Word-centered, but pop-psychology re-packaged with 'Bible-speak.'
Let me temper this jeremiad by recognizing that all is not lost! The Gospel is still preached, and there are those who still love God and His ways. If a faith-filled little remnant of people will speak truthfully to the land, will pray to be filled with the Spirit, and will do the works of God; we can see a new wave of holiness break across these United States. I pray it is a true holiness that goes heart-deep. It would be a tragedy if we thought a superficial legalism that focused on external sins alone is what God seeks! He wants our hearts- our passionate love for Himself and for His will. Let us pray, "May your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth- as it is in Heaven."
_________________________________________________
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
...Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.”
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD."
Haggai 1: 5-7; 10-12 (NIV)
While I am not proposing we descend into silly superstitions, I think it is time to seriously consider that the Lord is calling on America to be a people of righteousness, a nation that recognizes Him and His purposes. When disaster fell on God's people, Jeremiah preached to Israel:
But you, God, you have an eye for truth, don’t you?
You hit them hard, but it didn’t faze them.
You disciplined them, but they refused correction.
Hardheaded, harder than rock, they wouldn’t change.
Then I said to myself, “Well, these are just poor people.
They don’t know any better.
They were never taught anything about God.
They never went to prayer meetings.
I’ll find some people from the best families. I’ll talk to them.
They’ll know what’s going on, the way God works. They’ll know the score.”
But they were no better! Rebels all! Off doing their own thing.
The invaders are ready to pounce and kill, like a mountain lion, a wilderness wolf, panthers on the prowl.The streets aren’t safe anymore.
And why?
Because the people’s sins are piled sky-high; their betrayals are past counting. -- Jeremiah 5:3-6 (The Message)
This nation has multiplied her sins! Though there is much to admire in these United States today, there is spiritual decay evident in every part of the land.
Unquestionably we sit at the pinnacle of power in the world today, but are we using that position of influence to make it a better world filled with justice or just to build a bigger empire that feeds our ballooning appetites for more wealth? Corruption spreads like a cancer in our halls of government. From local precincts to the corridors of Congress, there are too many 'leaders' who are more interested in serving a coterie of cronies than the people who are poor and powerless. We are waging a war that many believe, despite the rhetoric justifying it, to be a war that is fought primarily for naked self-interest. If that is true, it invites God's judgment as He gives power to be used as a sacred trust.
Tragically, the culture that America exports around the world is a low and vile one, marked by lewdness and materialism. We produce $billions in pornography and sell it to the far corners of the globe.
The Christian scene in our nation features many churches that are big and rich. But is that power and wealth being used to serve those who are poor, both spiritually and naturally? Are Christians calling for justice, taking the Gospel where it is not yet preached? Sometimes, yes; but too often the answer is no. Instead we create institutions and 'ministries' that feed only our own needs. Many churches are entertainment centers, the message not Word-centered, but pop-psychology re-packaged with 'Bible-speak.'
Let me temper this jeremiad by recognizing that all is not lost! The Gospel is still preached, and there are those who still love God and His ways. If a faith-filled little remnant of people will speak truthfully to the land, will pray to be filled with the Spirit, and will do the works of God; we can see a new wave of holiness break across these United States. I pray it is a true holiness that goes heart-deep. It would be a tragedy if we thought a superficial legalism that focused on external sins alone is what God seeks! He wants our hearts- our passionate love for Himself and for His will. Let us pray, "May your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth- as it is in Heaven."
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Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.
...Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands.”
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD."
Haggai 1: 5-7; 10-12 (NIV)
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