Psalm 43; Jer. 23:11-14; Romans 9:1-18; John 6:60-71; Psalm 31
We are about to enter the Garden with Jesus as he walks to Jerusalem and faces the events of the cross. it is easy to get distracted from this event, walk past a garden that has yet to bloom again, that is smelling of old olive oil and decayed leaves. As I watch daffodils bloom and the grass green up, I am much more inclined to by pass the dark garden today and hurry to the empty tomb.
Jesus reminds us that many who were following him drifted away (John 6:65-66). His teaching was too difficult to understand. Some lost interest after awhile. Perhaps their families threatened to cut them off if they kept going. Perhaps other teachings were easier on their lifestyles and left room for other gods of their own making. Perhaps they had no one to encourage them to continue the difficult journey. Perhaps the journey got too treacherous, the death threats and all. Perhaps the grief of leaving everyone they cherished behind would be too much to ask, like Paul faced when his people rejected "The Way of Jesus" as the fulfillment of the promise to Israel (Romans 9).
By the time he reached the garden only 12 remained with him. But Jesus also reminds us that even those who entered the Garden would fall away - denying him with a kiss, or lie, or silence. Some scattered in fear, others gave up hope. But the truth Jesus tells us is this - our spirit may be willing but our flesh is weak. All the time. But it is only in the Spirit that we have life:
63It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
Yet thanks be to God for God's great mercy - a mystery really. That even those of us who believe, who have said we are followers, or want to be, would betray Jesus - with our apathy, our prayerless lives, when we fear sharing Christ with others, when we stay in destructive lifestyles or make excuses for our inattentiveness to God's ways. When we betray Jesus by arguing with Him for control, for praying our own will over God's. When we judge others when they fall, without looking at our own lives critically before God. When all this is going on in our lives, God can still show mercy on us! Says Paul,
4What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." 16So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
We stand at the entrance of the Garden and have a choice - to enter it with Jesus, to stay and pray with Him, agonize with Him and he with us over the change of direction our lives must make, counting the cost of following him all the way to wholeness, or we will return home by the same path we came.
If we don't land in a ditch somewhere first. Even then, there is a hand waiting to pull us out.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Daily Scriptures March 22 2007 First Thoughts
Ps 27; Jer. 22:13-23; Romans 8:12-27; John 6:41-51; Psalm 126:1-6
TV is flooded with so-called reality shows. I caught a few episodes of the Extreme Makeover Show last season, where a person who had struggled in life because of their appearance was freed from the bondage of their ugly body, and given a whole new body, thanks to plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, personal trainers and a fashion budget big as Montana. At the end of the hour, after watching all the groaning and suffering during the transformation, with nail-biting anticipation the "new person" was revealed at a bash with all their friends, family, the crew of the show, and of course, us, the viewers. The guest of honor was quoted with tears of glee about the new life she now can have, that the real person she always was can now come out. And with everyone there, I found myself saying Wow! Look at her! Free at last!
I've often wondered what happened to those people. Did this extreme bodily makeover change anything inside? Maybe their self-esteem went up a notch as heads turned for the first time. Maybe they got jobs at Mode Magazine, where Ugly Betty still groans and labors in her ugly body. But we all know God searches the heart - and a heart for God turns his head every time. Not what we look like, or do for a living, or drive, or can accomplish. Not because of what church we belong to, or who we hang out with. Not because we speak in tongues, or speak decently and in order, or speak at all.
We get God's attention because the Spirit of God is in us - we who believe, and the Spirit has set us free from the bondage we carry with us. This bondage of fear, and loneliness. Of failure and confusion. Of pride and disgust with ourselves, or others. We've been called children of God, and Abba Daddy has forgiven us for everything we have done or been, because of our brother, Jesus. We get God's attention when we can't even call God's name, or put words together in prayer. We are made new because we believe what we cannot see - that God sent Jesus to make us new.
2We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans)
And if we wait, instead of trying to make ourselves over, God will do the work in us from the inside out first, and there will be a "reveal" like Hollywood could only dream of. The Spirit of Jesus will be seen everywhere in you. And the full reveal may not come in this life, but God has already begun to arrange its completion in glory. A cosmic, eternal coming out party that will go for eternity, together with the audience of God and all the saints, and the heavenly hosts. In the meantime, we believe and we wait. We suffer our ugly parts, and rejoice with the rest of the family, as Paul says, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.
And I'll be there, saying Wow! Look at her! Free at last!
TV is flooded with so-called reality shows. I caught a few episodes of the Extreme Makeover Show last season, where a person who had struggled in life because of their appearance was freed from the bondage of their ugly body, and given a whole new body, thanks to plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, personal trainers and a fashion budget big as Montana. At the end of the hour, after watching all the groaning and suffering during the transformation, with nail-biting anticipation the "new person" was revealed at a bash with all their friends, family, the crew of the show, and of course, us, the viewers. The guest of honor was quoted with tears of glee about the new life she now can have, that the real person she always was can now come out. And with everyone there, I found myself saying Wow! Look at her! Free at last!
I've often wondered what happened to those people. Did this extreme bodily makeover change anything inside? Maybe their self-esteem went up a notch as heads turned for the first time. Maybe they got jobs at Mode Magazine, where Ugly Betty still groans and labors in her ugly body. But we all know God searches the heart - and a heart for God turns his head every time. Not what we look like, or do for a living, or drive, or can accomplish. Not because of what church we belong to, or who we hang out with. Not because we speak in tongues, or speak decently and in order, or speak at all.
We get God's attention because the Spirit of God is in us - we who believe, and the Spirit has set us free from the bondage we carry with us. This bondage of fear, and loneliness. Of failure and confusion. Of pride and disgust with ourselves, or others. We've been called children of God, and Abba Daddy has forgiven us for everything we have done or been, because of our brother, Jesus. We get God's attention when we can't even call God's name, or put words together in prayer. We are made new because we believe what we cannot see - that God sent Jesus to make us new.
2We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans)
And if we wait, instead of trying to make ourselves over, God will do the work in us from the inside out first, and there will be a "reveal" like Hollywood could only dream of. The Spirit of Jesus will be seen everywhere in you. And the full reveal may not come in this life, but God has already begun to arrange its completion in glory. A cosmic, eternal coming out party that will go for eternity, together with the audience of God and all the saints, and the heavenly hosts. In the meantime, we believe and we wait. We suffer our ugly parts, and rejoice with the rest of the family, as Paul says, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.
And I'll be there, saying Wow! Look at her! Free at last!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Daily Scriptures March 21 2007 First Thoughts
Psalm 5; Jeremiah 18:1-11; Romans 8:1-11; John 6:27-40; Psalm 27
Reading these scriptures through Lent, I am reminded that God wants God's way with me. Lent is a time people often give up something. I see it as a time to give up, period. Not on life or on myself. But to give myself up to God. God, the Potter, who will eventually have His way with me anyway, one way or the other. To give up my flesh - those desires that usually lead me astray, one way or the other. To give up being perfect and pleasing everyone, in one way or the other. To give myself over to the One who will supply for everything - not everything I want to be happy in this life, but everything I need to be God's gal forever. Lent is a time for me to stop living "in the flesh", and think about the Spirit who wants His way with me. "Set the mind on the Spirit" as Paul says.
Well, half way through Lent I'm hear to say, that ain't so easy. A girl's gotta eat. A girl's gotta shop, and sweat and make love and clean house and, well, the body must go on working. We live life "in the flesh" don't we? We work it out, if you will. So what does God mean, live in the Spirit?
John gives me a clue. The "work" we do in the spirit is to believe. And the good news is, the Spirit in us is already doing the work of faith. Our work is to believe in the One who brought us to God, perfect and whole and forgiven, as new vessels. To believe in Jesus, who came from God to shape us and to mold us and present us unblemished to God. It's a miracle, and it has a great outcome for us and for God if we give ourselves up to the process. We need not miss the reworking, if we think on the Spirit. Our "work, " is to let the Spirit exercise our mind and will around His Spirit: to think about the Spirit. And if we are not even thinking about the mystery of God, what we believe, in Whom we believe, then we remain living in the flesh, sweating over what we will eat, how we will get our way, putting energy into satisfying our cravings, hooking our wagon to "certainty" and reason, and becoming a vessel that isn't suitable for the Spiirt anymore. One way or the other, God will have God's way with us - smashing our desires and insatiable quest for knowledge and power, reworking us (Jeremiah), sooner or later. As I see it, that means there are consequences for us who think only on what we have made of ourselves and for ourselves.
And there is great joy and satisfaction, when we let our minds wander toward God, and visualize the beautiful vessel God intends to dwell - when we fix our minds on the Potter, not the clay. And excuse the mixed metaphors, but when we seek food that will fill us in eternity: the Potter's Spirit and the promise of eternal life.
This goes for the church - God is reworking this outworn and misshapen institution to be the true representation of HIS Kingdom, not ours. It will look very different than the church that offers only what satisfies the members, and preserves until death outdated programs that aren't reaching people anymore. God will smash down the doors that keep people out. If we pay attention to the Spirit - Who is alive in us and in the church - we will have the joy and privilege of participating in the mind of the Spirit and the Kingdom that has come.
Now that's worth giving up everything for.
Reading these scriptures through Lent, I am reminded that God wants God's way with me. Lent is a time people often give up something. I see it as a time to give up, period. Not on life or on myself. But to give myself up to God. God, the Potter, who will eventually have His way with me anyway, one way or the other. To give up my flesh - those desires that usually lead me astray, one way or the other. To give up being perfect and pleasing everyone, in one way or the other. To give myself over to the One who will supply for everything - not everything I want to be happy in this life, but everything I need to be God's gal forever. Lent is a time for me to stop living "in the flesh", and think about the Spirit who wants His way with me. "Set the mind on the Spirit" as Paul says.
Well, half way through Lent I'm hear to say, that ain't so easy. A girl's gotta eat. A girl's gotta shop, and sweat and make love and clean house and, well, the body must go on working. We live life "in the flesh" don't we? We work it out, if you will. So what does God mean, live in the Spirit?
John gives me a clue. The "work" we do in the spirit is to believe. And the good news is, the Spirit in us is already doing the work of faith. Our work is to believe in the One who brought us to God, perfect and whole and forgiven, as new vessels. To believe in Jesus, who came from God to shape us and to mold us and present us unblemished to God. It's a miracle, and it has a great outcome for us and for God if we give ourselves up to the process. We need not miss the reworking, if we think on the Spirit. Our "work, " is to let the Spirit exercise our mind and will around His Spirit: to think about the Spirit. And if we are not even thinking about the mystery of God, what we believe, in Whom we believe, then we remain living in the flesh, sweating over what we will eat, how we will get our way, putting energy into satisfying our cravings, hooking our wagon to "certainty" and reason, and becoming a vessel that isn't suitable for the Spiirt anymore. One way or the other, God will have God's way with us - smashing our desires and insatiable quest for knowledge and power, reworking us (Jeremiah), sooner or later. As I see it, that means there are consequences for us who think only on what we have made of ourselves and for ourselves.
And there is great joy and satisfaction, when we let our minds wander toward God, and visualize the beautiful vessel God intends to dwell - when we fix our minds on the Potter, not the clay. And excuse the mixed metaphors, but when we seek food that will fill us in eternity: the Potter's Spirit and the promise of eternal life.
This goes for the church - God is reworking this outworn and misshapen institution to be the true representation of HIS Kingdom, not ours. It will look very different than the church that offers only what satisfies the members, and preserves until death outdated programs that aren't reaching people anymore. God will smash down the doors that keep people out. If we pay attention to the Spirit - Who is alive in us and in the church - we will have the joy and privilege of participating in the mind of the Spirit and the Kingdom that has come.
Now that's worth giving up everything for.
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