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With Jesus: Freedom from Prefabbed Religion

2010-04-27T13:20:00.002-05:00

Colossians 2:8-23

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Biblical Redefinitions: Love Does & Love Does Not

2010-02-27T21:06:00.002-06:00

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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Making Wise Decisions

2010-01-31T15:18:00.002-06:00

Proverbs & Ecclesiastes

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Wise Compassion

2009-12-14T13:18:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 3:27-35

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Wealth Wisdom

2009-11-16T12:33:00.002-06:00

The Book of Proverbs

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Do Diligence: God's Wisdom for the Workplace

2009-10-05T20:28:00.002-05:00

The Book of Proverbs

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My Heart is Full

2009-08-15T09:29:00.003-05:00

...who can live except Yahweh has ordained it?

Pagan Prophet in Numbers 24:23

Good morning, Father. It's 7 o'clock in the morning. The past 2 ½ days have been emotionally exhilarating. Elijah Michael Priestley was ushered into life on the outside two days ago at 2:07 PM. He weighed 5 lbs., 14 oz. and measured 20 in. And he is altogether adorable. Father, at the moment of his appearing, I was once again overtaken by the unlimited depths of your creativity, marvelous design, and fathomless faithfulness.

God, sitting here keeping watch over him as he sleeps in his hospital bassinet as well as Elizabeth as she sleeps in her bed, I’m overwhelmed with the goodness of your gifts. This new sensation of caring intensely for the well-being, righteousness, happiness, and safety of two people instead of one is something entirely new to me.

Thank you for new life. Thank you for ordaining the development of these bright colorful eyes, tiny fingernails, and skillful lungs. Thank you for the blessing of togetherness throughout the duration of delivery, and please, please comfort and encourage those young women who were obviously laboring alone that night across the hall. If the fathers are elsewhere, please consume them with conviction and motivation for being with their children throughout the rest of their lives.

Enable Elizabeth and me through your awesome wisdom to take advantage of every God-moment and opportunity to show your glory and greatness to Elijah. May no single second pass by when we are not revealing to Him the security, joy, and awe of trusting in his Abba, and the passionate pursuit of people who do not yet trust you. I look forward with anticipation to the days when Elijah considers whether or not he will also become a Jesus Follower. May we remove all obstacles that would stand in his way, and may he be targeted by your Holy Spirit with sovereign grace.

So this is daddyhood. My heart is full.

The Jesus Followers

2009-07-06T12:46:00.003-05:00

Luke 14:25-35

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Covenant: How God Relates to His People

2009-06-06T15:44:00.002-05:00

Deuteronomy 26:15-29:1

Covenant: How God Relates to His People

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What God Thinks about Wallets & Purses

2009-03-23T20:09:00.002-05:00

Deuteronomy 14:22-15:23
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Boundaries

2009-02-13T07:16:00.000-06:00

Do not move an ancient boundary stone
Set up by your forefathers. Proverbs 22:28

The boundary stone described here was a marker for setting limits for farming or grazing because it represented where one person’s or one tribe’s land ended and another one began. Why would someone move a boundary stone? They would be underhandedly taking from their neighbors (or literally their fellow brothers) and adding to their wealth. It would be the equivalent of moving someone’s saved parking spot in a Chicago winter so that you can take their spot. More importantly, it’s addressing the secret desire to take something while no one is looking and won’t miss it, and adding it your own possession. Tipping the scales in your favor. Taking stuff. Taking money. Taking time. Giving to self while no one can catch you. And specifically, the outcome in this passage is not just a one time action, but leads to continuous favor on your part because once a boundary stone has been moved, it’s unlikely anyone is going to realize that it has been moved, so you will continue to reap the rewards of the dirty deed. It’s sinister and selfish. It’s underhanded and continuous. With time, no one will ever be able to catch you because they won’t remember where the boundary is truly supposed to sit.

This is equivalent to breaking your parents’ password protection on the computer and allowing your free access to any information they do not want you to have. It would be changing the settings at work on the computer so that you can surf the Internet even though you are not supposed to. It would be finding a secret way of making the soda machine give you two cans instead of one. Or taking two newspapers instead of one. Or maybe even lying about your age so that you can get certain privileges (free meal for your kid when he doesn’t actually qualify, going to a movie that you are supposed to be banned from, etc.).

Father, forgive me for living for self. Forgive me for worshipping myself so much so that I actually believe that all rules and boundaries can and should be changed in my favor. Forgive me for thinking I’m right because I can or have done it. Forgive me for thinking that the person I’m stealing from or manipulating is just too sensitive or touchy or selfish themselves when they call me out on it. Forgive me for moving the boundaries of time so that areas of life like work or play override other areas like time with you or time with Elizabeth. In effect, I have stolen from you and Elizabeth when I allow this to happen. Help me to see my own selfish ambition when an opportunity arises to secretly move a boundary or a rule in my favor to add to my pleasure or possession at another’s expense. Grant me your sight and your wisdom, and soften my heart when the conviction comes. And if I move the boundary, make my life miserable until I put it back.

Bed Snatching & Contentment

2009-02-10T07:12:00.001-06:00

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge
Or puts up security for debts;
If you lack the means to pay,
Your very bed will be snatched from under you. Proverbs 22:26-27

This doesn’t appear to be referring to just any contract or agreement, but to those in which someone places their house up for collateral. If hard times come, and you are unable to meet the payments, you lose your bed right out from under you and become homeless. This is proving true across our nation right now, Father. I wish I could have shared this simple concept with the growing mass of people who have lost their homes this past year. Some are in their predicament due to rising unemployment, for which no one can plan. But many others are losing their beds from under them because they did not have the means to pay even when they made their pledge to pay for it. I would think a man would not “strike his hand in a pledge” (sign a contract) or “put up security for debts” (put up his home as collateral) unless his desire for something was so great that it was perceived as a “need” that he cannot go without.

God, make me acutely aware of my ambition to possess things. To possess stuff. Help me to see through the false lies my heart sometimes speaks regarding what I “need” or even “want,” if I do not have the means to sustain the cost.

I believe herein lies an additional layer of “me” which I desperately need you to help me remove, Father. It is the western belief that if I do not have certain luxuries, I am poor, and to be poor is an epidemic with which I cannot live. And so, in the flight to not be poor or “without,” I make deals, pledges, or contracts with creditors. I place my bed on the line for the niceties of cell phones, Internet, or another cool pair of jeans to hang in my closet 5 days out of the week.

Father, thank you that I am not currently in debt. Thank you for saving me from the cultural trappings of living on plastic and believing in this twisted equation of buy now, pay later. But work on my heart’s expectations. I have no debt. And yet I have so much stuff. Free me from the love of stuff, and overwhelm me with a love for people. Convince me that my stuff is worthless. Mud pies, as C.S. Lewis would say. The clothes and electronic gadgets and furniture and carpet and running water and air conditioning and car. They are all luxuries. If you took them, would I still think that you are God enough? Or would I sadly cling to my lost stuff?

Father, please be my all.

Power: Where Our Deficit & God's Sufficiency Meet

2009-02-02T19:42:00.003-06:00

Deuteronomy 2:24-3:20
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Power: Where Our D...

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Robbery

2009-01-17T09:33:00.000-06:00

Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them. (Proverbs 22:22-23, ESV)

This is the first of Solomon’s 30 wise “sayings” which he has given for true and reliable counsel. My first thought after reading this is “Why would someone need to be told to not take advantage of the poor?” Perhaps our first instinct is to get what we can gain with the least amount of effort. And those who fall into the category of “poor,” or literally “lower ones,” are good, marketable targets. These are the lower class of Israel, those who do not have lawyers because they can’t afford them, and are weak from a social and economical standpoint. Robbing or oppressing them is easy. Who’s going to come to their aid and keep us from getting what we want? The “gate” is the place of business and law. It’s the central activity point for the city. This is talking about taking someone to court to take advantage of them because they are not well represented. But the attorney who rises up to the victory of the poor is Yahweh Himself.

So, God, it appears that it is possible to proceed with court cases or issues of legality which are perfectly acceptable from a standpoint of law, but completely unacceptable in your sight due to issues of justice and inequality. And Solomon is pointing out that it is very unwise to make business or personal decisions according to whether or not you will gain from them without considering the just/unjust outcome, and who might be exploited as a result.

Father, I am guilty of this lack of wisdom. I think purely in terms of numbers, and not in terms of people. I’m much happier when the issue is resolved according to law and not according to fairness. It’s so much more difficult, and requires so much more time and thought when issues of fairness and justice must be considered, and not merely the law. I’ve been known to think, “Don’t trifle with the details of who will get hurt or who is at a disadvantage; simply deal out the law.” After all, there’s no such thing as a “disadvantage” in this country, right? All is fair in America.

God forgive us, as a culture and a nation, for being quick to identify those situations in which we can sue, exploit, or take advantage of a weaker person in order to walk off with extra money in the bank. We are quick to set our targets on the easy kills. Corporations who sue small businesses for trifle reasons come to mind immediately. Also local governments evicting the elderly and poor from their homes without grace appears to fall here. And what about a white, middle-class, red-blooded American taking advantage of his Mexican-American neighbor’s lack of English skills for personal gain?

Yahweh, will rob souls.

Soul Craving

2009-01-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

[The following was written in response to Dustin Williams' Facebook Note "loneliness."]

I have to admit that I am not the poster child for loneliness. I’m one of those introverts who actually has to work at being a people person, and derives great pleasure from spending time immersed in books, thoughts, and reflection. But I don’t believe anyone, introvert or not, is exempt from the silent pain of feeling forsaken and forgotten even in the midst of crowds of people.

Probably my worst experience with loneliness came when I moved to Chicago to begin studying at seminary in a new urban environment while leaving behind a fiancée to finish her degree in West Virginia. This translated into 500 miles of separation between my best friend and soon-to-be wife for practically the entire duration of our engagement—one very troubling year. So while Elizabeth planned the wedding, and clung to my weekly phone calls, I tried to bury myself in my studies and hide from the horrific volume of husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend couples which surrounded me.

I remember sinking into a semi-depressive funk during a weekend retreat in Wisconsin. The seminary required this beginning of the year retreat for all students to spend time at a camp, getting to know one another, growing in community, and preparing our minds for the smorgasbord of life-altering learning in the semester to come. In one sense, every conversation with others during that first retreat ignited a flame within me as I realized how much of God they had and how little of Him I possessed; however, the funk crept in as I also realized how much of each other they enjoyed (husbands with wives, friends with friends), and I stood longing on the outside for my best friend to be with me. The idiocy of it all stunned me. How can you be so happy and so perplexingly dismal at the same time? I was on a spiritual high and low simultaneously. I wish I could say that I grew in the midst of it and walked away a changed person, but that did not come until much later. I walked away from the spiritual high, transformed and ever growing in my appreciation for people who are in love with Jesus as well as a love for Jesus Himself. However, I also walked away sulky, continuing to wallow in loneliness.

Since then, I’ve come to learn a few things about loneliness. I’ve shared a little bit of what I’ve learned below.

There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being alone is the very first thing in the history of our planet that God has ever referred to as “not good.” I mean, He speaks galaxies and DNA into existence, creates photons, neurons, and protons, whips out sea anemones, cactuses, Palominos, and bald eagles, and looks around and says, “this is good!” Then He scoops together some dust, and forms a guy, and looks at everything He has created and says, “this is very good!” But when the Creator of the universe takes a look at this guy in his private little world of me, myself, and I, He says, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). So He basically creates the first community and first marriage and first “we,” by putting His best work into a counterpart, a helper, a support, a female to complement and be with the guy, to eliminate the badness of being alone, and create the wonder of togetherness. Being together is good! Being alone is not!

But there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being alone is bad. We introverts can do it for a little bit, but long extended periods of time of being alone is inhuman. It’s wrong. It’s bad. It’s not healthy. God sees being alone as an incomplete human experience. We need each other.

However, you can be lonely even when people are around, and that’s what I felt when I was immersed in biblical community in Wisconsin while Elizabeth was 500 miles away. Loneliness can stretch even deeper than this. Even now with Elizabeth by my side every single day as my wife, it is possible for loneliness to rear its ugly head. Loneliness is different than being alone.

I believe loneliness is a tool God uses to make us realize a need. It’s like any other pain; it’s an indicator that something in the world (or our bodies) is not right and needs to be made better. Band-aids and Advils will not do the trick. They’ll just mask the problem. Loneliness is like the little indicator light on your dash that you ignore because you don’t understand the acronym (what does check “EGR” mean??), and your car’s manual is buried somewhere in the glove compartment underneath a ton of other documents and junk which you never consult. So you put tape over the little LED display and hope it fixes whatever root problem is buried beneath the hood of the car.

Loneliness is a craving for fellowship of the soul. To know and be known on the deepest and most transparent of levels. And in spite of the claims of millions of ballads and love songs, companionship with another human being will not satisfy this craving. I love my wife. She is the most satisfying woman and companion to have ever graced this earth, but she cannot and will not ever satisfy the craving. Someone once described the craving like this: “Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.” Then the writer described the soul satisfaction he longed for: “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:4-9).

For those of you who have been trapped in churchianity for over a decade, this is not the proverbial “Sunday School answer.” I have not really begun to grasp the craving of the soul and the satisfaction of God until only recently, and I believe it is far more relevant to our loneliness than those who have been gorged on pat answers might think.

How often have you stared loneliness, not aloneness, but loneliness, in the face, and actually begged God from the depths of your heart to satisfy your longing? I can’t say that I have always believed God could satisfy such a craving early in my relationship with Him. He was just a Savior who gave me a Heaven; not a glorious soul satisfaction to treasure.

"Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins." (Psalm 25:16-18)

My God was too little and too trite. Similar to something you might pick up at the dollar store or the clearance rack, He wasn’t something to get excited about. And so when the craving made itself known, I was not quick to run to Him for satisfaction.

“My spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (David, Psalm 143:4-8)

Quite honestly, I do not think I was believing in the same God as David. Somewhere in my walk; however, the truth of God’s value and worth not only to my eternal destiny but to my soul’s satisfaction and present reality began to dawn, and though I can’t say I fully treasure Him for His worth now, I do now see that He can fully satisfy the soul craving.

One guy put it this way: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me" (Jesus, John 16:32). I’m pretty certain that He, the creator of companionship, had the loneliness thing figured out. And yet, Jesus, the God-man, also experienced the ravages of the craving. “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me...My God, my God, why have you forsaken me [left me alone]?!” (Matthew 26:38; 27:46) He knew the reality of the craving, and He also knew the remedy, the soul satisfaction. He cried out to the source of the satisfaction, but God had left Jesus alone due to our sin being placed on Him at the cross. The man felt true loneliness.

It’s interesting to see what Jesus might have said if he’d had the strength to continue quoting Psalm 22 when He was on the cross. Try reading through it at the bottom of this post, especially if you are currently experiencing the craving. Note who the psalmist is crying out to for fulfillment and soul satisfaction and release from the turmoil of heart.

Loneliness is a craving for fellowship of the soul. And the Creator God is big and good enough to satisfy it. Churchy catch-phrases will not satisfy; nor will the companionship of another. You can’t get the soul satisfaction from anyone or anything other than the One who is infinitely good and satisfying.

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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it." (Psalm 22)

Obsession with Answers

2008-12-31T07:39:00.000-06:00

He who answers before listening--
That is his folly and his shame.
Proverbs 18:13

Father, you have shown me that I am guilty of answering before listening. And this is foolishness and shame. I do this at work. Quick to supply a solution, I will cut people off, especially the VP, and finish their sentences for them, only to find that I had misunderstood what they were talking about. Lord, this is shameful and inconsiderate. Please forgive me for my keen awareness of my own knowledge base and my total lack of understanding of others’ expertise. I trust in myself way too much. And I disregard the abilities and knowledge of others. Please forgive me. And help me to remember this passage whenever someone is speaking. I need to listen. Listen and listen well. This applies to counseling, to conversations with Elizabeth, to discussions at work, and any interaction in which another human being is taking the energy and effort to string words together. Forgive me for ever being arrogant enough to think that the words coming out of their mouth do not deserve my utmost attention. Teach me patient understanding and a love for listening.

Lesser Than

2008-12-18T07:12:00.002-06:00

He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
Whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. Proverbs 17:5

It's pretty clear, God, that my view of the guys bumming for change on Jackson directly correlate to my view of you. May the slightest hint of elite gloating, whether evidenced by a proud smirk or a "why-don't-you-just-go-get-a-job" thinking never accuse me of holding you in disdain.

Forgive me for those low moments when I have entertained silent amusement if not glee at the thought of disaster. Disaster towards political entities, people I just don't like, or general strangers who "deserved it."

General arrogance appears to be the root cause. Confound my wisdom with your own, and reveal to me my utter lack. Remove all possibility for the "better than" complex.

You are better than.

Just When You Thought Nobody Knew

2008-10-15T13:32:00.002-05:00

Acts 4:32-5:11

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Community Life: Walking Differently

2008-09-25T15:41:00.003-05:00

Ephesians 5:1-21

From the Ephesians series Reconcilable Differences: God's Plan for Community.

Community Life - W...

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Equal Opportunity Savior: Why You Belong in the Community

2008-08-14T07:37:00.004-05:00

Ephesians 2:11-22

From the Ephesians series Reconcilable Differences: God's Plan for Community.

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Cornerstones of Reality

2008-04-27T19:59:00.003-05:00

The 1st in a 3-part series entitled Living Truth: A Response to Post-modernity
Portions from John 17

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Resurrection Now: Between the Grave and the Glory

2008-03-29T21:06:00.003-05:00

Romans 6:1-14

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Samson: Playboy of Israel

2008-03-06T20:05:00.002-06:00

Judges 13-16

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God is Constant

2008-01-29T21:06:00.002-06:00

He is perfect; He doesn’t need to change...

I once worked with a guy who always wanted to debate "religion" with me. He didn't know God personally, but he wanted to convince me that he knew plenty about God, and how everyone else had the subject completely wrong. Our conversations didn't typically last very long because it's really difficult to try to describe the most amazing relationship imaginable to someone when the other person is attempting to prove that the one you are relating to adheres to his own personal religious formula. Can you imagine this happening in other relational introductions?

"Hey, Joe, meet my wife Elizabeth. I love her very much, and she loves me in return even when I don't deserve it."

"You know, Craig, I hate to break it to you, but your wife doesn't exist. She's a figment of your imagination, created to fulfill your felt needs."

Or

"Craig, let me explain to you the fine details of your wife. I don't have a relationship with her, but I think I can school you pretty well on what she's like and how she responds in any given situation."

Yeah, Joe and I shared some real heart to hearts about God. He would end every conversation with the emphatic statement, "To live is to change." He'd say that with a really philosophical look in his eye and then repeat it in case I didn't understand the depths of his thinking. Then he would say that God is alive and thus must change, which would always lead to his venting about people who believe in a God who does not change His mind about evil or sin or laughing at crude jokes or some other concept which he believed wholeheartedly in. I would always simply listen and nod my head from time to time to indicate that I was hanging on his every word. I completely disagreed with him, but whenever I offered my thoughts from God's autobiography, he'd change the subject. Joe really didn't need his philosophy changed. He needed to meet God personally.

But I'm going to interact here with the concept of whether or not God indeed changes with the times. If you are out there reading this, Joe, I don't want to change your mind. I'd rather you go read "God is Not a Gas Bubble," and come to speaking terms with Him. For the rest of you, any absolute statements I make come from God’s autobiography the Bible. Truth is relative to the distance that exists between one’s statement and the statements made by God Himself.

Joe was right when he stated that "to live is to change." Everything created changes--it either breaks down or gets upgraded--but God cannot and does not change. He exists outside of imperfection. We are imperfect. Our world is imperfect. Our parents are imperfect. Our spouses and children are imperfect. So we naturally begin to think that nothing exists outside of imperfection. But God is absolutely perfect and no change for the better within His character or mind is possible. Whatever God does, says, or lives for is right the first time.

God’s Hatred for Evil and Injustice is Constant

“So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty. “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty (Malachi 3:5-7).

God judges unholiness and junk in our lives like sleeping around outside of marriage, and lying. He hates it when employers steal from their workers’ wages, when individuals oppress the helpless, and when people mistreat immigrants. God will never change His mind about these things. He will always get angry about it.

God still hates evil. He always will. God still offers mercy to the undeserving who still draw breath. He will until they die. God doesn’t get desensitized. He doesn’t hear the F-word five hundred times, and then on the 501st time not blush. It still ticks him off even after hearing it 500 times before. God doesn’t get used to the fact that the rich oppress the poor. He doesn’t think it’s old news when another minimum wage employee gets the raw end of an unjust deal. God’s hatred for evil will not change because God does not change. God also does not change in His proposal of mercy. He offers mercy even to those who have neglected Him, rejected Him, and cheated on Him. He always has. That’s who God is. He’s the unchanging, evil-hating, mercy-lover.

God’s expectations do not change. No matter what your circumstances are, no matter who your parents are, no matter what kind of energy you have, no matter what childhood experiences you’ve had, God’s expectations for you do not change. God’s desires are set, and the reason they are set is because they are perfect, and good, and the best we could possibly ever conceive.

God’s Promises are Constant

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it (Numbers 23:19-20; see also 1 Sam. 15:24-31).

Balaam, a guy who got paid big bucks to bless or curse people, couldn’t change God’s promise to bless Israel when they obeyed Him even though he would have received a fat paycheck to do so. God isn't a man. He's a person, but he's not a man. Men change their minds because their first choice is not always the best or correct choice.

God cannot lie (Titus 1:1-3). He is unchanging and true. Some people think that God can do anything. This is actually not true. He cannot lie. It’s impossible. It goes against His very existence. Not only does God not lie, but He also does not change His mind (meaning He doesn’t make one choice and then realize that another choice is better). He never changes His mind because His first choice is always perfect. This doesn’t mean He won’t change things, situations, or people. It just means He does not change Himself.

In this way, other relationships can never satisfy. You desire an unchanging love, but no one in your life will ever be able to offer changeless, pure, constancy. Only God can achieve this. Your Mom and Dad can’t keep every promise. Your husband or wife can't keep that standard. That’s a role only God can fill.

God's Person and Presence are Constant

He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Hebrews 1:10-12; see also Hebrews 13:7-8).

God remains the same for eternity. God will never die. God’s love for you, if you have been freed from sin, is constant. It doesn’t go up and down with your unfaithfulness. Jesus, God’s Son, is consistent. He doesn’t say one thing one day, and then say a different thing the next. Jesus doesn’t give up on you. He doesn’t leave you to your sin or your relationship problems.

God is completely and utterly trustworthy. He is a clinger. He is faithful. He is true. God is the giver of good things like peace, joy, hope, and anything else worth experiencing in this life. God does not change. He will always be good.

Perfection has no need for change; we like things to change because all we know and experience is imperfection.

God is Not a Gas Bubble

2008-01-20T17:28:00.000-06:00

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The Lord performs righteous deeds

And judgments for all who are oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the sons of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He Himself knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,

And its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

To those who keep His covenant

And remember His precepts to do them.

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,

And His sovereignty rules over all.

Bless the Lord, you His angels,

Mighty in strength, who perform His word,

Obeying the voice of His word!

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,

You who serve Him, doing His will.

Bless the Lord, all you works of His,

In all places of His dominion;

Bless the Lord, O my soul!
David, Psalm 103

I think a lot of us have it all wrong. I think when we hear the word “God,” we immediately get this picture of a hazy, abstract sort of cloud-being-thing which divvies out punishment and reward according to the likes of those hard-nosed celebrity judges on TV. We tend to not put a face on God. You know, keep the guy, or “thing,” distant, and don’t let “it” get to close to you because if you do, you might catch the religious bug and end up stuffing cartoon caricatures about Heaven and Hell into people’s hands on the corner of Jackson and State or maybe drinking Kool-Aid laced with arsenic. Yeah, we try to keep the God-thing distant. Or at best we’re not quite sure how to relate.

But if you read God’s autobiography, the Bible, you come away with a completely different portrait of the divine. You come face to face with Yahweh, not an inanimate object, not an abstract set of ideas or principles, but a person with a name who relates with individuals by name through friendship (Exodus 33:17), who grieves and feels emotional pain due to rejection (Genesis 6:5-8), who exhibits hatred toward injustices (Proverbs 6:16-19), who embraces compassion, graciousness, and love (Psalm 103:8-13), and who fully desires to connect with individual men and women in relationship accompanied by mutual understanding (Isaiah 43:10-11). In fact, “salvation”—a word which gets tossed around in religious circles about as much as “fare hike,” in Chicago public transportation realms—salvation is defined by Jesus Himself as a relationship with this personal God (John 17:1-5).

God is not an idea. God is not an object. God is not a thought. God, Yahweh, is a person.

If you’ve missed this somewhere along the way, please understand that people can be grossly misrepresented. Yahweh is a person. And He’s not escaped that detriment to personhood.

So if you think you may not have a grasp on the God-thing, do yourself a favor, and discard the preconceived notions, and acquaint yourself with God, the person. For starters, as in any relationship, contact has to be made between two people, and God has already initiated contact. In fact, he offers a relationship proposal, much the same as a man makes a marriage proposal to a woman. We were born dead to God and any relationship to Him as a result of our own self-addiction (you know, the egocentric realm you rule in your heart as king of the universe). But the beautiful conspiracy of history was initiated when God’s Son, Jesus, sacrificed His life for the correction of the human condition and then conquered death by rising back to life. As a result, the divine proposal now stands.

God wants to marry you.

He wants to relate. And once you accept His relationship proposal, that is, substituting the death of Jesus in place of your very tangible guilt and moral failure, you become family for life. Comment on this post with any questions you may have about accepting God’s proposal; I’d love to discuss it with you in more detail.

If you’ve already accepted God’s proposal, then talk to Him as if He were your best friend. We typically call that prayer. Share your concerns with Him. Confess the junk of your life to Him and ask for His forgiveness. Tell Him what you appreciate about Him. Understand that God knows all about you, better than anyone else, and He’s really tired of you putting on a mask any time you spend time with Him. Open up His autobiography, the Bible, and find out what He cares about, how He demonstrates His love, what He gets ticked about, and what brings Him the greatest thrills. Yahweh really wants to be on speaking terms with you. So start relating.

“God is better than my most ideal thought of the most delightful thing or person.” –Bill Thrasher

disCOVER

2008-01-18T18:41:00.000-06:00

The word discover goes back to Latin dis- and cooperire, meaning 'to remove the covering; completely uncover.' By 1553, it was used to mean 'seeing or gaining knowledge of something previously unknown' and 'finding out; bringing to light.' You invent something that has never existed before, but you discover ('uncover') something that is already there, something that has existed but is generally unknown.

Thoughts posted here are my discovery moments. They are life attachments which I have uncovered while swimming in the Scriptures, the Holy Bible.

If you find value here it's not because I'm a guru (because I'm not). I do not invent truth. I simply discover it. It has existed before me, and it will exist after me. Even the discovery is not my own. I am led to it by a God who is crazy about people living transformed lives and transformed relationships. And He's interested enough in me to show me truth, just as He does anyone, who cares to read His autobiography.

I've found that God isn't really all too keen about holding truth from people. He actually gets pretty excited when we search after wisdom. Again, if you find value in this blog it is due to the truth I've discovered, and not the truth which I have invented.

You may catch bits and pieces of who I am as I blog, but I'm really not into talking about me as much as how the truth impacts me (and you). I'm also not interested in trying to prove points or debate.

Posts will likely be sporadic. I have a healthy fear of living in front of a computer screen. One thing I have discovered is that people are much more valuable when you can see their eyes and touch their hearts than when you peer at them through a Cat5. So with all due respect to those of you who lurk and surf like there's no tomorrow, read my blog and then give it a rest. Go love some flesh and blood people before your eyes rot out and you forget how to interact in a social environment.

There are times when you should probably laugh at me instead of getting offended.

Welcome to disCOVER-truth.

Craig