Are you mad at me?

He was angry.  His eyes narrowed and his voice rose as he told me how terrible I was, describing me as a liar, a cheat – and those were the nice things he said!  I knew that what he was saying had no basis in fact but I still felt terrible, even afraid, because of his tirade.  All these years later, the memory at that encounter stirs up tension.  Most of us do not like to feel the wrath of another, do we?  It’s even worse when we know that we deserve it!

Do you know that humanity’s refusal of their Creator stirs up His wrath?  Nobody likes to think that God, the loving Father is capable of anger, but He is!  His perfect holiness is offended by rejection.  His wrath is righteous, not resulting from misunderstanding or some twisted ego. He sees evil and the terrible toll it takes on people and He hates it! In words that are hard to read the Spirit tells us the plight of humanity, one that we have brought on ourselves. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. . . . For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. . . .  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:18-25, NIV)

God says that He makes Himself known as both majestic and benevolent in the very acts of Creation but people who are determined to live on their own terms, suppress the truth. Refusing to acknowledge God has consequences.  Worshipping the living God, something that makes humans noble, gets traded for religion, slavery to gods of their own making. “Exchanged” is a word that is used three times in that chapter.  God’s majestic glory exchanged for mere idols; God’s truth about who we are exchanged for a lie that turns life upside down;  God’s purpose for people which is to know and love Him exchanged for an animalistic pursuit of pleasure!  Those exchanges are not just regrettable, they are deathly. “Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth.”  (Romans 1:28-29, The Message)

The wonderful relief from the gloom of that passage breaks over me as I read that "We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins." (Romans 3:22-24, NLT)   Evil’s power has been shattered by Christ Jesus. 

Radical love for Jesus comes when we make no excuse for sin, when stop renaming evil, and admit our desperate plight. Yes the horror of His wrath makes the glory and wonder of His salvation all the more wonderful!  Here’s the word from the Word.  Christian, rejoice in grace. "God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21, NLT)

No, He’s no longer angry with me.  I need not tremble at His wrath. Why?  Because I am safe in the arms of Jesus, forgiven, reconciled; a recipient of a righteousness I could never earn. How about you?

___________

Lord I Need You

Lord I come, I confess,

Bowing here, I find my rest.

And without You, I fall apart,

You're the one that guides my heart.

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You,

Ev'ry hour I need You.

My one defense, my righteousness,

Oh God, how I need You.

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more!

Where grace is found is where You are.

And where You are, Lord, I am free.

Holiness is Christ in me.

So teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way.

And when I cannot stand, I'll fall on You.

Jesus, You're my hope and stay.

Lord, I need You, oh I need You,

Ev'ry hour I need You.

My one defense, my righteousness,

Oh God, how I need You.

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

© 2011 sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Sweater Weather Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Gone AWOL?

“He’s gone AWOL.”  The military term, meaning Absent Without Leave, is part of our language now. The short story of Jonah starts with this arresting sentence: "Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD." (Jonah 1:3, NIV)   Asked by God to go preach to a pagan city that he really wanted to see destroyed, Jonah went AWOL!  He found a ship headed in the exact opposite direction.  You know the rest of that story – God arrested him, changed him, and sent him to serve.

Ever gone AWOL, perhaps not from your military unit, but from your family, your church, or from God Himself?  There are many reasons people run from God.  Sometimes like Jonah, we come to think that God is unfair or perhaps even wrong,  so we run off on our own way.  Sometimes we grow fearful like the disciples on the night that Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane and we take off into the dark.  Sometimes we let distractions take the place of love and like Demas of whom Paul wrote, “he loved this present world,”  we go our own way.  

Jesus spoke of being the Bread of Life.  He told the crowds of people who loved his miracles and the free lunches that there was more to following him than that. He called them to eat his flesh and drink his blood. It was a powerful way to tell them that if they wanted to know him and serve him, they would be required to trust him for their very life sustenance!  It was hard, uncompromising.  What happened?  "After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?”   I love Peter’s commitment, though we know that at that moment he was speaking without being tested.  Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”  (John 6:66-69, The Message)  Peter did end up AWOL for a short time after the Cross, but Jesus found him, arrested him, and sent him to serve – which he did to the day of his own death.

“Master, to whom would we go?” are words that we need to think through.
If you run away from the LORD, what are you running to? What do you hope to find there? Will it (he, she) satisfy and keep you in the same way that Jesus does?

Thinking about going AWOL?  Doubting, fearful, distracted?  Consider these passages about running TO God, not FROM Him.

"God! God! I am running to you for dear life; the chase is wild." (Psalm 7:1, The Message)

"God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout." (Psalm 18:2, The Message)

"How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, " (Psalm 36:7, The Message)

"Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:11-12, The Message)

Jesus will come and with Him comes the life beyond temptation, fear, and sorrow for which we long.   Here’s the word from the Word. "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Revelation 3:10-12, NIV)

“Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of Life!”

__________

Lord I Need You
(listen on this link)

Lord, I come, I confess;

Bowing here, I find my rest,

And without You I fall apart.

You're the one that guides my heart.

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You.

Ev'ry hour I need You.

My one defense, my righteousness,

Oh God, how I need You.

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.

Where grace is found is where You are.

And where You are, Lord, I am free,

Holiness is Christ in me.

Where You are Lord, I am free,

Holiness is Christ in me.

So teach my song to rise to You,

When temptation comes my way.

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You,

Jesus, You're my hope and stay.

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You,

Jesus, You're my hope and stay.

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

© 2011 sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Sweater Weather Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Does God Know What He's Doing?

“I am so sorry.  I have bad news,” Bev’s physician announced to us as he entered the exam room.  We would like to have heard that she is healthy, that there are no complications.  But …  I have no simple answers to the why of this and I am not sure it would make much difference anyway.  We are not the first to be disappointed.  Surely there are thousands in the city of Baltimore this morning that are struggling with broken dreams and disappointment.  How did a young man die in police custody?  Why did throngs of primarily young men decide to riot, loot, and burn their own city?  Are they just lawless or does hopelessness play a part in their violence? Closer to home, most likely you have a few hopes that have gone unmet, some plans that are frustrated by ‘life!’

 It may sound like a cliché but here is what I know today – at the end of my dreams there is the plan of my loving Father!  The Jews who had found themselves overtaken by the Assyrians, their nation destroyed, their dreams shattered – received a promise from the LORD: "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen." (Jeremiah 29:11-12, The Message)   

 Naomi moved to Moab with her husband and two sons to escape a famine. It looked like finally they were getting life together, then Elimelech died. Naomi, picked up the pieces of her life and went on. Her two sons married Moabite women and for 10 years, life was good, then... both sons died! Naomi's life was tragic, her dreams shattered. Where was God in all that happened to her? Right there with her. Now that might just seem to the 'right' answer, but it is the true answer.

After learning of the tragic circumstances of her life, we read the end of Naomi's story... "Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. Boaz slept with her. By God's gracious gift she conceived and had a son. The town women said to Naomi, "Blessed be God! He didn't leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He'll make you young again! He'll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she's worth more to you than seven sons!" Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot." (Ruth 4:13-16, The Message)  That baby became the grandfather of Israel's great king, David! God used Naomi, to touch an alien woman’s life. Ruth, was brought to Israel and included in the line of David and the line of the Messiah, Jesus. You might read that and say, "So, does that make the pain Naomi had to endure all right?" I cannot answer that, nor can you! 

Our dreams must be shattered so we can find God's dreams for us. When God doesn't make OUR dreams come true, we are faced with a huge choice. Will we trust Him and wait for a new dream to replace the shattered one OR will we descend into bitterness and unbelief? In such moments, I borrow the prayer of a desperate father who brought his son for healing to Jesus and cried out when the Lord asked him to believe: "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" (Mark 9.24)

IF we will trust Him, He can give us a new dream, a new life that recovers HOPE! Life is not about us living in a perfectly balanced scale where the pain is always offset by the blessings, where the hard times are offset by the good times. Life is about living in full faith, trusting that He is able to keep us secure in His love through the shattered dreams! 

Are your dreams for life shattered today? Reach out to people who will love you, weep with you, and hold you up until your faith is strong enough to touch the heart of God again.

Reject the easy answers, the psycho-babble, the half- truths..... but do not reject God. Ask Him for courage to weep yet keep hope and faith intact as you pray --- "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!"

"We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead!

And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.

Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that we’ve come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised." (2 Corinthians 1:8-12, The Message)

________________

O love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow,
May richer fuller be.

O light that foll'west all my way,
I yield my flick'ring torch to Thee.
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in Thy sunshine's blaze it's day,
May brighter fairer be.

O joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee.
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Matteson © Public Domain