Daily Scriptures, First Thoughts May 4 2007

Colossians 2:8-3:11; Jeremiah 31:18-24; Luke

I thank God that though God has created me with a memory of things good and evil, of my shame and errors, this memory is for my good and for my hope. Jeremiah reminds me that discipline for sin is part of God's love and care, though it is painful and embarrassing. It causes me to give up my convictions and passions and I don't like that. Yet the discipline changes me if I allow it to - it forges a new self - and I need only look back to see the crooked path I once led, and remember I am on a new one.

The new path is with Jesus - who has restored me when I did not deserve to be restored. But he heard my cries of regret and repentance - muffled often with all kinds of justifications and rationalizations and human longings and desires. He saw my stubborn heart and found me in my pride, and hauled me out of the ditch anyway. He sees our faith when no one else can. He knows what to make of it, when we don't. Like for the Centurion, Jesus healed his slave, not because he was a believer following all the rules of faith, but because he knew Jesus was the only one who could save his slave, and so he called on him. Jesus will heal and save whom Jesus wants. Radical love, which now he has called me to consider in my new life. Radical love, that sets aside the legalism and rules and judgment that once were important and opens the way for all people to come to Christ and be healed.

Paul calls us to put away earthly things that get in the way of this relationship with Jesus and with others, that conflict with the character of God. He writes about the religious rules, ²All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. ²³These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence. Now that's interesting to me. He seems to be saying, keep the rules that lead to self-control and that keep us from being so self-absorbed, selfish and preoccupied with self-gratification.

For he goes on, ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. ⁸But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.

Looking back, God has given me a perspective on my self-indulgent ways and continues to govern me in them. I need to be reminded of where I've come, and where God wants me to go and be. I pray we as a church will have the boldness and obedience to do the same when it comes to matters of behavior toward one another, sexual purity, peace with our neighbors, justice, and unity in the things that matter to God - not just to us. I will continue to be open to God's discipline, so that I will grow day by day in my new self, for God's glory - not mine.

Daily Scriptures, First Thoughts May 1 2007

Psalms 98 and 66; Jeremiah 30:10-17; Luke 6:12-26; Colossians 1:15-23

It bewilders me to consider that as I put my hope and faith in Jesus who died on the cross to save me, to remember that Jesus is God - that it is God who saves. Jesus and God are not separate beings, at cross purposes, or in conflict. God is not bad, Jesus good. God is consistent in how God deals with sin and restores and reconciles. The God who creates and reigns and judges and punishes is the God who saves us from our enemies, and from ourselves, from death. The God of Israel is the God of the cross, who was raised from the dead. The prologue to John's gospel (John 1:1-3) and now Colossians affirm this: ¹⁹For in [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

The way I see it, God intended peace and intimate relationship with God and creation since creation. Peace with the earth, with each other, with God. So God's created intent was to create a way from the beginning - that way is Jesus, the cross and the resurrection. It took a long time for God's people to find God, to trust God. Perhaps God knew it would, since God created us with wills to wander. Scripture tells us Jesus was there through it all, the Savior-Son-ManGod. When the enemies of God came against Israel, and when Israel turned away from God; when our wounds were grievous and we were "hostile to God," Jesus was there with and as God. Says the Lord in Jeremiah, ¹¹For I am with you, says the LORD, to save you; I will make an end of all the nations among which I scattered you, but of you I will not make an end. I will chastise you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. With us from the beginning was truth, justice and grace, mercy and wrath, protection and discipline, all in the One true God.

As I come close to Jesus in prayer, and if I pray like Jesus, deeply - as he prayed all night long, I hear him call my name. And he draws me to God. And he tells me not to fear, even though God's character is both to save and to judge. On this side of heaven, I am still puzzled by the mystery of the Trinity - of Jesus being God, however distinct in time and economy - yet one.

This I know, God's ways are Jesus' ways, and vice verse. God's will for our lives is still relevant and necessary for us today and is manifest in Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit may we have ears to hear, and hearts to follow, minds to obey, and wills to trust to accept what God has for us, in Christ. Says Paul, ²¹And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²²he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— ²³provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.