Sure, I wonder about some things

Talking about spiritual matters with a skeptic is always interesting and challenging. As they prod the perimeters of my faith, I am the first to admit that there are some things in life and in the Scripture that defy my understanding. Some Christians are quick to declare that they are beyond doubts, that it all makes sense to them. I am not one of them. The bloody purges of populations during the conquest of the Promised Land are hard to reconcile with God’s love. The idea that God allows people to choose an eternal destiny of darkness separate from His Presence is another difficult truth for me. The famed quip of Mark Twain comes to mind, however. He said, "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

As much as I may wonder about a few matters, my faith is strong in what I do know. I am instructed and directed by the wisdom of God about life, love, and faith. How would I live without the promise of the Resurrection that was delivered to us, signed and sealed by our Savior, Jesus Christ? How would I find meaning for my life without the command to love God and others with my whole being?  Moses reminded the people of God (and us) of a great principle. “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions." (Deuteronomy 29:29, NLT)  Faith includes mystery, things that are beyond explanation, too big for my mind to comprehend. If I insist on making everything about God fit into my mind’s grasp, I will make Him too small.

He asks me to trust Him reminding me of His majesty and wisdom. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT)  This is not an excuse for ignorance, foolishness, or superstition. It is humble recognition that at the end of my best efforts at discovery, there are things too big, too mysterious, for me to know.

Because I know He loves me, I will trust Him until that moment when time gives out and I finally know the mysteries of the Eternal One. "But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (1 Corinthians 13:10-12, NLT)  What a glorious thing. All the questions that nag at us, that try to destroy our faith and hinder our worship, fully answered and our hearts will rest.

Until then, let’s trust and be faithful to what we do know, leaving the secret things to Him.

"Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God,
this deep, deep wisdom?
It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.
Is there anyone around who can explain God?
Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?
Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice?
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory!
Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes."

(Romans 11:33-36, The Message)

____________

Be Magnified

I have made You too small in my eyes,

O Lord, forgive me.

And I have believed in a lie

That You were unable to help me.

But now, O Lord, I see my wrong;

Heal my heart and show Yourself strong.

And in my eyes and with my song.

O Lord, be magnified,

O Lord, be magnified!

Be magnified, O Lord.

You are highly exalted.

And there is nothing You can't do,

O Lord, my eyes are on You.

Be magnified, O Lord,

Be magnified!

I have leaned on the wisdom of men,

O Lord, forgive me.

And I have responded to them

Instead of Your light and Your mercy.

But now, O Lord, I see my wrong.

Heal my heart and show Yourself strong,

And in my eyes and with my song,

O Lord, be magnified.

O Lord, be magnified!

Lynn DeShazo

© 1991 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI))

CCLI License # 810055

Do you remember to dance?

“Jerry, you ought to mow that lawn today.” “The wind in that storm blew branches all over the yard. You should make time to clean them up.”  “You must get prepared for that meeting now.”  Sometimes I awaken at 2 or 3 am and my mind starts in with the list!  My personality is a blessing in the sense that it makes me responsible and lets me get many things accomplished. It is a curse when I allow responsibility to push joy and peace out of my life, or worse, when I fail to love others because I am too focused on the task at hand.  Sometimes I forget that it’s just time to dance! Given my personality, I know that I must always guard against losing the joy of living to the drudgery of duty!

Is your practice of Christianity a list of duties done just because they must be done? Do you feel the weight of expectations, or a sense of compulsion that whispers: “Go to church! Read the Bible! Pray! Tithe! Deal with temptation! Serve!”?

All of those choices are worthy actions of a person who loves God. He desires that we gather with others to worship. When we open the Scripture, both privately and with others, we learn of Who He is. Prayer connects us to the Lord and brings His power to bear on this present world. Yes, each of those things is good when done for the right reason and not simply out of sense of dutiful obligation. We are beloved children of the Heavenly Father and more than what we do, He desires to own our heart, to be the focus of our passions. The Lord made this complaint - “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote." (Isaiah 29:13, NLT)  Now read this song - "I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10, NLT)  God’s desire of us is that we feel the same kind of joyfulness in Him that a newly married man finds in his beloved bride or that a bride feels on her wedding day.  

Have you just settled for a dutiful relationship with God? Yes, we need to do what God calls us to do. We need to override our emotions and make the choice to practice the disciplines responsibly. However, there is more for us. Our hearts can be presented to Christ. It is not wrong to expect to be ‘in love with Jesus,’ feeling His Presence, delighted by the life we find in Him.  If you are a joyless Christian, perhaps you need to re-examine your life. Honestly ask – is my heart aligned with my words? Do I find real joy in the Presence of the Lord?

This morning, in the stillness, with the sunshine splashing on the trees, God’s whisper in my heart was a reminder.  I knew again, what I have known in the past.  Even when I am doing ‘nothing’ the love of my Father is active. He is pursuing me, loving me, surrounding me with grace – everywhere and all the time.  He does not love me for what I do, but for who I am. And, as John says, “we love because He loved us first!”

So, here is the right order for life -  

Love, first; then the responsibilities.

Delight, then duty.

Here’s a word from the Word.
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and
beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you." (Psalm 63:1-5, NIV)
_______

You dance over me

While I am unaware

You sing all around

But I never hear the sound

Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

How You love me

You paint the morning sky

With miracles in mind

My hope will always stand

You hold me in Your hand

How wide how deep

How great is Your love for me

Amazed

-Jared Anderson

© 2004 Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (IMI))

CCLI License # 810055

When trouble comes and the heart aches

I awakened this morning to the bright sun of a summer day, streaming through the window at 5 AM. What a contrast to the crashing thunder and pounding rain that swept around my house as I drifted off to sleep last night! It is a parable for my life. Storms come. Darkness envelopes us. Then, the new day comes, the dawning brings light, the promise delayed is fulfilled. Today marks 6 months since Bev stepped into eternity and left me with a grieving heart. Too many of my friends are wrestling with sickness. The news is filled, again, with death and destruction; this time in Istanbul, where 41 people were killed yesterday by hate-filled men with bombs. It is stormy! But, God, in His mercy will provide a new day for me, for many of my friends, and for this old world so torn by fear, fanaticism, and hatred. Lord, come and save us! “May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done; on earth, as it is in Heaven.”

Today, my meditation took me to the words of the prophet Zephaniah. Moved by the Spirit, he noted the sinful sickness of his world. But he is not consumed by despair. His faith informs him that there is a reason for hope. Read these inspired words that are as timely today as they were 2500 years ago. God points out the sin of the nation - "Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning." (Zephaniah 3:1-3, NIV)  He says that He will move with judgment, the hope being that “Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ … But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger." (Zephaniah 3:7-8, NIV)  

Fearsome words, aren’t they?

Yes, but for the people of faith, those who love Him, the Lord says - "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:16-17, NIV)

Wherever you are in life today – in sorrow as I am, or struggling with sickness like some of my friends, or wrestling with temptation or doubt like others, or even in a stormy place where tomorrow seems threatened – Steady yourself in faith. “The LORD, your God, is with you!”  The Word is so abundant with promises of God’s Presence.

David, in a dark moment, remembers that “heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.” (Psalm 51:17)

Jesus promised “I will be with you, even to the end of the age.” 

The writer of Hebrews urges us to "Be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV)

This day may require us to walk by faith holding onto the unseen, but He is here, near, and the sun will shine again. The best promise is one centered in Christ’s Cross. We know that life eternal is ours not because we are good enough to merit it but because He perfectly provides that life to us, freely at His expense, through grace.  

Spend a few moments in meditation on this passage of amazing assurance. Do not just read it with your mind, absorb it into your spirit. Prayerfully invite God, the Holy Spirit, to make this a living Word for you today; then, stand and wait for the Lord. Here is a word from the Word -

"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?
If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us,
embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son,
is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen?
Who would dare even to point a finger?

The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—

is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.

Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge

between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way!

Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger,

not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing,

not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic,
today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—
absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love
because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (Romans 8:31-39, The Message)

___________

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.

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)

Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

Washington, NJ  07882

http://www.FaithDiscovery.com