Fast and pray

Our congregation is fasting today in preparation for two hours of prayer tonight for the upcoming election. It occurred to me at 5 o'clock this evening that technically I probably did not fast because I had several cups of hot green tea with splenda. Oops. Going without food for a single day isn't terribly difficult or uncomfortable but it is inconvenient. Just the mention of the word conjures up thoughts of headaches and dizziness. That might be from the times I have attempted a 3 day fast. Now there's real sacrifice. On one such occasion I was experiencing leg pains on day three while my husband insisted I eat. But one day? That's nothing, right? Unlike the lion in Madagascar I am not so famished as to see everything that moves as a t-bone steak but I am mindful of a little hunger and aware that I am skipping meals. Why is that? I mean some people skip meals all the time because of busy schedules. I know a few people who never eat lunch. But at least three times a day I am reminded that I will not be eating. I will go without. I will even prepare food for others but not partake. And I'm somewhat preoccupied by it, if even momentarily. That's a bit annoying to me. I want to be able to determine to fast and float through the day with a superior sense of spirituality, forgetting that I am mortal and susceptible to such temporal urges. I don't want to have a slight headache and have to remind myself that tomorrow I can eat.

Lots of books have been written about fasting. Why to fast, how to fast, who should fast, step by step plans and methods to encourage you to fast, medical reasons to fast (did you know it's the worst possible way to try and lose weight?) and medical reasons not to fast. Fasting is so undesirable we've created new ways to avoid the technicalities of biblical definitions. In fact we've borrowed from the bible to do so! Partial fasts, “Daniel” fasts, juice fasts. Daniel fasts? Seriously, could we just admit that we hate fasting so much and hate feeling guilty about it even more? No we need to make stuff up. If Daniels diet from Daniel chapter 1 can be considered a fast then what was his fasting called? The ultra-Daniel fast? The new and improved, medically approved, post-exile guilt free way to fast? And here I am feeling like, “technically”, I blew my fast with that first cup of tea this morning. All this and people speak of fasting in non food terms as well. Fasting T.V. (I've aced that one), fasting talking (I would have to be in a coma) and other such valiant efforts as these. I also wonder if fasting today, in America is so much harder because we are so unaccustomed to doing without a single thing, necessity or luxury. When I'm hungry I eat. When I'm tired I sleep. When I am bored I...whatever. I wonder if fasting was easier when food wasn't so convenient. You didn't just pop open a can or tear open a bag or box of food minutes after deciding you'd like to eat. There was no fast food. I often wondered how long the Lord and his two angels had to wait while Abraham ran around in a flurry slaughtering the fattened calf, while Sarah made bread from scratch.

To top off the whole day, I learned at 6 pm that the prayer meeting was cancelled due to weather concerns! So,do I continue to fast when I am clearly only doing it for the meeting that is now no more? Let the justifications begin! Well, the meeting is cancelled, technically I was only fasting for the prayer meeting. It's after sunset, doesn't that count? I really don't have to be legalistic about this. What is it about fasting that I find so distasteful (no pun intended)? Sigh. Maybe now I can understand why people have gone to such lengths to make fasting more appealing.

Jesus said, “...someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. “ (Mark 2:20, Luke 5:35)

In Matt 6:16-18 Jesus mentions fasting 3 times “when you fast”, “when you fast”, “you are fasting” It doesn't sound like the Jews were unaquainted with regular fasting. It was normal to fast for them. For us we say we're “starving” when we've had two meals and snacks already that day.

I know that fasting was something that was a given for the church. I believe our attempts at fasting, however lame, can only further us along on the path of living sacrifically in this way. That we will get better at whatever it is fasting produces in a person if we just continue to fast in some way. One thing I noticed tonight is that I appreciate my food more than usual. I might even stop complaining about not knowing what to make for dinner...right after I finish this turkey sandwich and chips.

Bible Reading Day 28

But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.

Psalm 11:4

Our ladies bible study is studying Revelation. Chapter four has brought us into an amazing look at the very throne of God in heaven. The throne itself, the One who sits on the throne, the beings around the throne, the fire, the thunder, the lightning, the praise. All of this we are studying in the midst of an unstable world economy, global terror and the U.S. worshiping a presidential candidate as savior. It seems fitting to remember that “the Lord still rules from heaven”. The verse just before Psalm 11:4 says; “The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?” We find ourselves today in such a sad questioning state. What can the righteous do? Yes we pray. Yes we vote. And when that is done we pray more. In truth our relationship to the Lord is what will save us. No amount of money, or safety should ever satisfy us. No man should be worshiped as God. Yet people have to worship. We were created to worship. If we do not worship the Creator then we will worship the creation. Having a person to worship actually makes us feel better than say, worshiping our own selves or our stuff. It feels more outward, less selfish, righteous even. And so while it seems that the whole world has gone mad in pagan idol worship, we gaze into heaven. We allow ourselves to experience the wonder of amazement at the descriptions of the living beings worshiping our God around His throne. The power and majesty that surround Him. He is nothing like man. He far surpasses our most active imaginations. How can people be satisfied to rally around a single man as though he were any kind of answer to any kind of problem?

The Lord is in his holy Temple, He still rules from heaven. How comforting in such unsure times. Praise the Lord!

Joshua and a "Palestinian" State

Day 27 of my bible reading has brought me to Israeli cartographers heaven. The book of Joshua states clearly all the boundaries for all the tribes of Israel, including the outer borders of the entire land of Israel. Today's chapters are tedious in detail of the names of towns and villages, rivers and valley's and boundary lines.

Joshua 18:1-6

The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control, but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you? Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts...”

I don't know how long they had been in the land and had not taken full possession of it all, except that Joshua was old now. Wars and conquering take time but apparently they should have been further along by now. I'm intrigued by all the specifics even though most of it means nothing to me in terms of location (or even pronunciation!) except that it obviously means a lot to God. Joshua is sending 21 men out survey the land, write a detailed description and report back so that the land can be given to his people.

So, why now after all these years do people think they can divide up the land of Israel and give it to non-Jews? Why would bible reading people think its ok to do this? Just read chapters 13-21 in Joshua. Just read the subtitles. It's 9 chapters on the land of Israel belonging to the children of Israel. Not to Arabs. Sorry. And it's not just the book of Joshua. It's repeated again in Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Ezekiel and more. Not to mention the promise to Abraham in Genesis. Yet, we've got Christian people, prominent political policy-maker people, saying it's a good idea to give away part of that same land, that God, in very specific terms, has already given to His people, the Jews.

And yet here is what Micah also says;

In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you:
“We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us.
He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”
Others will set your boundaries then, and the Lord’s people will have no say in how the land is divided.

(Micah 2:4-5)

This is saying that the enemies of Israel will divide up the land and do with it as they please. No nation that considers itself allied with Israel should have any conversations about dividing up that land. In truth it makes no sense to me whatsoever to be, on the one hand, fighting a war on terror and on the other hand, saying, gee I think giving some land of Israel's to terrorists might work for peace. The interesting thing about this line of thinking is that, after having forcibly removed Jewish families from their homes to give Gaza to the “Palestinians”, the peaceful reciprocation became the daily launching of Qassam rockets over the border. Nice. I think this is called Land for Peace. Apparently, the land allotment wasn't big enough or something. Unless the definition of peace changed recently without my knowledge. So, I guess we need a Joshua or two to step up to the plate. I don't know. But if the ancient Jews had trouble securing the land thousands of years ago it should come as no surprise that it's difficult today. I just don't like being under governmental leadership that advocates messing with those ancient boundary lines. That makes us as an enemy of Israel and not an ally. And if you think the scriptures are clear on boundary lines you should see what it says about Israel's enemies. Oy.

My daughter used to get a Christian magazine in the mail for young people, high school and college age. I absentmindedly flipped through a recent issue and found a misc. quiz entitled The Jesus Quiz. “How much do you really know about Jesus? Take this quiz and find out.” I had, at that time, also been thinking about the monumental question, “Who do you say that I am” from Jesus to his disciples, so I was intrigued. The question of who Jesus is, really is THE central question of our faith, our history, our lives – our eternal lives. I'd like to say that the quiz was challenging, thought provoking and conjured up images of the eternal God fully existing in the person of Jesus Christ. I'd like to say that quiz explored areas of theology and doctrine that can sharpen young peoples discernment and encouraged radical commitment in them. I'd like to say that I was not disappointed. But if I said any of those things I'd be lying. Here's a sample.

Question #1; “Which of the Gospels calls Jesus the 'Word'?” Ok, so this might be a warm up question right?

Question # 4; “What was the name of the demon that Jesus sent into a herd of pigs?” Would knowing that strengthen me against the barrage of lies about the identity of Jesus Christ from prominent cults of our day? Sorry but it doesn't get much better.

Question # 7; “Who was Mary and Martha's brother and what made him so special?” Would you believe these question even provide multiple choice answers? Ok, one more.

Question # 11; “Jesus saw a disciple by a fig tree. Who was it?” And my answer, strangely enough is not provided in the 3 multiple choice answers: “Who cares?”

Seriously, if this quiz was in a magazine for elementary school children, maybe, but for a high school, college crowd? Are you kidding me? I won't even go on to tell you what they say about how you rate depending on how many answers you got wrong. It's just plain empty, trivial fluff. Is this the best we can expect from our young people? Hey boys and girls, can you say irrelevant?

So, I am perplexed and a bit mortified that we have fallen to this place in our pursuit of God. What kind of people are we that these questions even appear in a magazine for people in this age group? Why not meaty articles on the deity of Christ? Who is he really? The Son of God? A created being? An angel? Why not reprint the early church fathers hashing out these questions and more about Jesus Christ? Even Jesus's teachings on any number of pertanant subjects; eternal life, the kingdom of God, forgiveness of sins. I mean I am barely scratching the surface here. There are just a gazillion topics that could be written on and taught in a format like this and we get kindergarten questions?! And we wonder why our young people go off to college and leave the faith?! What difference does it make if I know who's ear got chopped off when Jesus was arrested, or where he performed his first miracle at a wedding? But Is Jesus God? That one counts. It's a sad indictment against the church that we produce this kind of tripe and pawn it off onto the next generation of believers thinking they will be able to carry the precious banner of Christianity into the age of Apostasy to come.

“And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:10-14)

Question: When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Bible Reading Plan - Still Reading!

Day 15

Well, I did get behind on my bible reading plan I didn't quit. Catching up on all those chapters was quite the incentive to never let THAT happen again and I feel as though I am going strong. I am really enjoying this! Rather than still being in Genesis I have been in 7 different books of the bible. What fun! I've been in the Garden with the Eve, screaming “Don't listen to the snake!”, I've been in the land of Canaan with Joshua while he and his army kills everything in sight (eew), I've had to endure the first of the 3 worthless friends of Jobs, and much more. I've enjoyed remembering much of what I studied in my ladies bible study when we did the book of Isaiah too. I've stopped and cross referenced, stopped to meditate, stopped to pray. I feel good about my focus and consistancy. I know that if I stick with this I can say this time next year that for sure I've read the entire bible through. I'll no longer have even the shadow of a doubt that I've read every word of it. Very satisfying. I'm looking forward to that. Now if I could just find a plan that helps me get through all of my other reading as well, I could better justify buying all those new books I want...hmm.

Day 5 - still on my bible reading plan!

Just a quick update on my bible reading plan. I'm on day 5 today! For me this might be a record. Blogging has helped me stay on task. Thank you to my 5 readers! Well today I read the first 5 chapters of Joshua (there's that number again!). I could say much about a lot here but honestly there isn't really anything that zings a pertinent comment out of me. Yesterday I read Genesis 1-3 and I can't say that reading made me sit up and take notice either but reading this blog post, watching the video and reading the verse posted after it was beyond stunning in terms of our Creator and His love for us. I find it soothing to think about these kinds of things when there is so much in the world to weigh us down.

Bible Reading Day 2!

Ok, I'm only two day's into this bible reading plan and I've made a colossal blunder already. I absent-mindedly assumed today I would be reading Job 3 and 4 since yesterday's reading was Job 1 and 2. I was rather pleased with myself for doing my reading today, putting effort into analyzing what I was reading and taking note of the verses that impacted me the most. Only I was doing my reading for next week!

Today I am in the prophecy books and I've really got to hustle because it's not only late in the day but I've got 6 chapters to read! How on earth am I supposed to read 6 chapters in Isaiah and make comments on a small portion?! How can I ignore the throne room scene of chapter 6? And what about the beautiful song of chapter 5? Arg. But I'm committed to reading and journaling my journey, not writing novellas every day. Truly this is a difficult task.

The weird thing about reading Isaiah is that our ladies bible study did the entire book of Isaiah and I feel like I don't remember a thing! I will blame that on the fact that I was new to serious bible study and I was transitioning through some faith issues at the time. Still I have absorbed much more than I can articulate because as I read these chapters they seem to make sense in a way that only serious study could have grated me. Thank you Liz!

So I have chosen Isaiah 3: 18-23

“On that day of judgment the Lord will strip awayeverything that makes her (Judah) beautiful:
ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,
earrings, bracelets, and veils;
scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes,
perfumes, and charms; rings, jewels,
party clothes, gowns, capes, and purses;
mirrors, fine linen garments, head ornaments, and shawls.”

Here the Lord is speaking a metaphorical warning to the people of Judah using the actual appearance of the women of Judah. I was thinking recently how much time and money we put into nonessentials and how dependent we've become on them. I've noticed it more since having read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. We love to acquire things that are not necessary for survival or happiness. Can I live without jewelry? How about collectibles? Purses, Porcelains and Shoes. Ok, shoes can go under essentials but how many pairs? ipods, cellphones, magazine subscriptions, gps systems. How do I know when I've gone too far ? What about sports memorabilia? Season tickets? Hours spent watching games and following sports figures? Where does it end? In this passage God is saying to the women of Judah, “You're a perfect example of the waste and self interest that I am going to strip off of Judah for all of her sins. You are more concerned about looking good than about being good. You've got your priorities all upside down. And because you refuse to listen to me I'm going to have to change all of that - the hard way” We all own stuff. We all have stronger interests in some areas than others. And we are all susceptible to consumerism. How much money is wasted on all this stuff? Purse parties, jewelry parties, candle parties, little plastic trinkets that cost America's into the billions of dollars (I'm not kidding). Do we really need any of it? Maybe I've still got enough of the idealist in me to think that we could do a lot better with our money if we weren't such self indulgent consumers. I know I sound grumpy but what if we didn't buy anything that we couldn't honestly live without? Would we die? Would we starve to death? No ones going to do that but thinking that way opens our eyes, I think, to see where we have excess that needs to be trimmed. Maybe it would make a good experiment. Try not acquiring any more of what we don't really need and live as though we didn't own so much of it already for a time. Like say 4 hours. Like voluntarily stripping ourselves of our vanity and greed so that God doesn't have to do it for us.

I'll start right after I finish this blog, reply to that text message, gulp down a latte and powder my nose.

Bible Reading Plan Day 1

Today, I embark on my bible reading plan. Being the student of my realist husband and acutely familiar with my own lack of discipline and focus, I am less than optimistic about sticking with it even though I am inspired by the new yearly bible reading plan I discovered on the internet. I've tried reading programs in the past. They just didn't appeal to me. To dry. To boring. Who wants to spend weeks reading through genealogies or archaic laws about issues of blood? Combine that with the fact that routine and I don't mesh so beautifully. This new reading program shows promise, even for me. Rather than read straight from Genesis to Revelation or Genesis to Malachi and Matthew to Revelation, this plan has you reading different types of books each day. Sunday's are for the Epistles (another added bonus is that the plan sets Sunday as the first day of the week – very Jewish), Monday - The Law (Genesis – Deuteronomy), Wednesday - the Psalms, Thursday - Poetry, Friday - Prophecy and finally Saturday - the Gospels. I'm excited about this layout, so much so that I printed out three copies and foisted two of them on my children. They were equally thrilled as you can image. “You want me to read every day?!”

So already it's later in the morning than I'd like although I got up in plenty of time to read and sit with God. But of course I had to write this and putz with the dishwasher. Undaunted I begin my reading. Today's entry is Job 1-2. I am delighted because Job is one of my favorite books of the bible and I have been studying Job with a friend several times a month. There is so much in the first two chapters that I could write a book. I have so much to comment about. But I am determined not to babble. Just find one small thing that makes an impact on me personally and comment on it. Hmmm. Ok, I am honing in on verses 20 and the all famous 21. I really like verse 20 though, specifically the first three words. I don't know what there is about it that strikes me so.

“ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God.”

Job stood up. Wow. I don't know if you've ever experience real grief and shock but standing up doesn't sound like something I'd be capable of after such news as Job received that day. In fact, I have received terrible news that struck close to home and I did just the opposite. I fell to the floor wailing. Job stands up, tears he robe (now I can relate), shaves his head (another sign of mourning) and then falls down. A very deliberate move to follow the proper mourning protocol of the day. Torn robe, shaved head, on the ground. I'm not sure why the phrase “Job stood up” strikes me as it does. But I think it has to do with acceptance. Job didn't succumb to the horrors around him based on his feelings or even his own imaginations. He heard the awful report and did what was expected of a man in mourning. Job is a man dedicated to the traditions of his faith. Providing sacrifices for his family as the priestly patriarch. Offering up prayers to the invisible God he loves. Obeying the oral law of this God with all of his heart. Helping the less fortunate, giving wise counsel, being completely honest in all his business transactions. This was the life of Job. It was programmed into him to follow the ancient paths (albeit rather young paths by our time frame). He found joy in following the Lord. Belonging to God didn't mean ease and comfort for Job, even though he enjoyed it for much of his life. As he states in verse 21, “The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” Job does not ascribe to the entitlement theory here. He knew he hadn't really earned his great wealth himself. He knew that riches were fleeting. He never trusted in them. He knew also that life is fleeting, as a vapor. And he ascribes the terror that has struck him as coming from the hand of the LORD. Verse 22 says “In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God”. In other words, Job knew God was responsible for his calamity but he didn't say “You have no right to do this”. Job was no Word of Faither. You can't talk like this in the Word of Faith camp. You cannot assign any blame for any evil to God. And you cannot accept a “bad report”. Today Job would have been instructed to ignore the tidings of the four remaining servants and continue to claim all his wealth as though it still existed. I'm not sure how they would have you speak of ten dead children, no amount of word gymnastics can bring them back, but you would not under any circumstance be allowed to say that God did this. Today's Word of Faith teachers would rebuke you soundly for even thinking such things. You would immediately begin “binding and rebuking” whatever spirit you had in mind to be angry at about this; “I rebuke the Chaldean spirit of death...I rebuke the wind” and then top it all off with those ever magical words “In Jesus name”. Perhaps Job would have said “In the name of the LORD”. Incantation complete. Then Job's friends would have coached him relentlessly to keep claiming his victory until such time as they tire with his stubborn reliance on the sovereignty of God and abandon him to his sorrows. Only to learn later that he triumphed over them without their help. I love the book of Job. I love the plan of God overarching our lives. I love living in the reality that bad things happen to all of us, not because Satan slipped in there but because God allowed it for His higher reasons. Sigh. Day 1 and I'm exhausted already.

The Year of Living Biblically

I just finished reading The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It was such a quick read that I hadn't time to add it to my blog list of “books I'm reading right now”. I began reading on Sunday afternoon and finished it Tuesday night reading nothing during the day. Delightful, informative, funny (laugh out loud funny in several parts), and well written, Jacobs embarks on a daunting experiment, mainly with the intent of writing the book, to live the bible literally. He grows a gigantic beard, wears interesting clothes, and eats a bug. He dances with Hasidic Jews in New York, tours the not yet complete Creation Museum in Kentucky and takes a pilgrimage to Israel. He learns what a compulsive liar he is, that resting isn't such a bad idea after all and that it really is possible to out talk a Jehovah's Witness (a feat he is rather proud of). I learned I still have an envy problem (wish I could write like this and had time to read this much!), that I am still sometimes confused about what parts of the first testament are fulfilled in Christ and which parts are to be practiced diligently, and that I am very very grateful for the love between God and myself which keeps me anchored against the storms of diverse doctrines, error and heresy. Not that I have God and the bible nailed down to simple formulas but I know that loving him and being loved by him is the bottom line whether or not I get sidetracked by contrasting beliefs within the Christian religion. Like when Jacobs visits a small bible study of homosexual evangelicals who call themselves Concerned Evangelicals. To me the term homosexual positively pared with evangelical is an oxymoron. I have always understood homosexuality to be a deviance from normal and natural. All religions across the globe, at least the major ones, have denounced homosexuality as sin. So to hear this rather learned bible study leader explaining away the most obvious verses against homosexuality makes me somewhat confused and rather saddened. Just read the prophets. Isn't that like what the Israelites where doing that forced our loving, patient and merciful God to bring judgment against them? Lying about who God is and forgetting his commandments. Couple this with the two “scholars” mentioned in the book who believe that historically no one took the biblical account of events literally and you've got quite a slippery slope to navigate. We would discount the entire bible as an analogy and have no foundation for truth of any kind. Apparently this is a relief to many moral relativist. I return to my Anchor and sigh my love for Him.

I am somewhat inspired by the journey the author takes and the format he uses to document it. He journals his days (not all 365) and begins each entry with a random scripture verse that he relates to for that day. I thought I might try the same method for myself here on my blog. Taking a verse that speaks something to me and write about how it has impacted me for that day or that week as the case may be. Just journal my life in terms of the bible reading I'm doing and how I'm wrestling with it. This is what Jacobs does for an entire year with the added purpose of living it all literally, with the sometime exception of overly obvious hyperbole which believe it or not some have applied jot and tittle.

Jacobs tells a very interesting story in The Year of Living Biblically. His journey begins a work of subtle transformation in his heart and mind that I believe will be with him the rest of his life, compelling him to further spiritual growth. I think he manages to enjoy the process and the outcome. I know the things I learned and the questions I was forced to ask myself will continue working in me especially as I take my own challenge to journal my bible readings on the world wide web. One thing remains unchanged, Jesus did the biblical living for me on the points where the law was unable to save me and he lives that biblical life through me today by my yielding to his Holy Spirit.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are." Romans 3:21-22

"But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)" Romans 8:9

Hey I'm going politial - who can resist!

I think this photo pretty much speaks for itself. So who are YOU going to vote for in November?

The Trojan Horse

I can't seem to get this theme out of my heart. The get rich thing. I apologize for sounding the alarm repeatedly here but if the soldiers sleep while the enemy approaches then we're all at risk, are we not? Not only has the enemy been sighted but the Trojan horse is being dragged into the city now.

In the Trojan Horse story, the city is besieged for some 10 years. 10 years the Trojans keep the Greeks at bay. That's a long time to resist an army. In the end it was a simple trick that got them all the access they needed to enter the impenetrable city and concur the unconquerable. One day the enemy forces just up and retreat, leaving behind the Trojan Horse (most likely the seige tower/battering ram) on the open plain. A spy withing the city walls convinces them to go out and bring the horse in as a trophy of sorts. Once inside and under cover of darkness the Greek soldiers hidden inside, descend upon the sleeping Trojans.

The prosperity gospel heard from the pulpits of so many America churches and around the world today (God forgive us for exporting this) needs to be seen as what it really is – a Trojan Horse of Satan. The lure of earthly riches: large incomes, great monetary wealth, excessive possessions, temporal comforts and all the things that moth and rust destroy is just a trap. Nothing but the same technique the serpent used on Eve in the Garden of Eden. He's packaged it up nicely and dressed it up in Scripture – twisted, misapplied, out of context Scripture – and made it so appealing, thanks to our modern day “God Wants You Rich” preachers that we have no idea that this “gift” is NOT from God. Its a Trojan Horse from hell.

Look at this passage;

People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. (1 Tim. 6:9)

I don't know, this passage seems pretty straight forward to me. What am I missing here? The people who long to be rich are the ones buying into (literally) the prosperity message. Making it's proponents very rich indeed. And in turn making themselves proponents. It seems from this passage that it's just the longing to be rich that causes the trouble.

According to this verse, you don't get freedom or happiness or peace or anything else good from pursuing riches. You get trapped. You begin to desire harmful and foolish things. You get ruin and destruction. How can this be made any clearer? How can this be a good thing? Are we just that stupid?

Lets go back and look at the verse just before this one.

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So, if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Tim6:8)

Have you EVER heard anyone preach a message like that? Have you ever seen a book title like that? New York Times best seller: Food and Clothing Only: Be Content! No way! No one, and I mean NO ONE is going to buy that book!

So was Paul delusional? Was Jesus?

I don't know about you but I'm often discontent owning a ton more than just food and clothing. Here lies the key to discontentment. The more we have the more we want. It's like some law. The more we acquire the more we want to acquire. We find more ways to acquire and more ways to justify our acquisitions until...how did Jesus put it;

You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Could this be the trap?

Hey, lets get the next best seller on how to become a millionare. Let's get the CD set. Let's go to the seminar. Whatever it takes to get that income up, up, up. I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing. So we really don't need God but He does makes a great endorsement on the cover of our new book.

Now lets look at the rest of this passage.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wanderer from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Only some people craving money have wanderer from the true faith. The others repented before it was too late. You just can't run after money and run after Jesus at the same time. You just can't.

Slowly and steadily the message to the church has been that getting rich was the answer to so many of our problems. It used to be that the lie sat outside the city limits, an enemy army, waiting us out. Then the message began to look appealing to a much larger number of Kingdom dwellers until the day came when the army vanished and all that was left was the amazing gift of the Trojan Horse. There is sat beckoning, “Take me as your prize. Come and get me. I will be the symbol of your great achievement.” So we've wheeled the monster past our safe and secure borders to the sounds of jubilant singing. Empty songs of battles won but never fought. Rejoicing over a victory that is never to come.

True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wanderer from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 6:6-10)

Inspired

Waiting in the Dr. office today I noticed the cover of the Readers Digest someone was reading; “35 People Who Inspire Us”. It sent my thought processes churning about the word inspire. Inspiration always conjures up good feelings doesn't it? Inspired to achieve great goals in life. To 'become” somebody. To take that risk and venture into those uncharted waters. Accomplishing things we never dreamed possible. I mean you wouldn't ever want to be inspired to commit a crime or develop a character flaw would you? And yet we have people in our society (or in our small social circle) who do just that, intentionally or not. Take for instance, sex. Are we not bombarded daily with inspiration to sin sexually, whether it be premarital or extra-marital? And our appearance. Are we not inspired to “worship” our bodies and how we look? That's not exactly the noblest attribute to possess; vanity. Vanity that leads to sexual sin and self exaltation. Gang members inspire there “brothers” to commit crimes and live atrociously sinful lives. Friends inspire friends to drink, do drugs, lie, steal, fornicate (that's a very old fashioned word which here means “to fornicate”) and live generally self centered lives. So, what exactly should we be inspired to do? I think as Christians we often get 'inspired” by things that sound good but are not at all God's will for his people. Phrases like “be all you can be” “aspire to new heights” “become all you were made for” and my personal favorite “find your purpose in life” can certainly inspire us but to what end? Are we on this earth to find our life or to loose it? Yikes, if you really read the bible you'll see that many so called Christian people are inspiring us to nothing but secularism. We are told 5 times in the gospels to not cling to this life but to give it up.

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”(Matt. 10:39 and 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24 and 17:33).

I mean how many times do we have to be told, that this life is passing away?

Psalm 39:4
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.

James 4:13-14

"Look here, you who say, ' Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.' How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog- it's here a little while and then it's gone."

That our lives do not consist of our possessions...

Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Matthew, Mark and Luke all had this message in their gospels;

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matt 16:26, Mark 8:36 and Luke 9:25)

Is this not clear enough? He's talking about material possessions, power, and prestige. Things Christians should NOT be inspired to acquire.

But we are inspired to gain earthly wealth – by Christians, even though Jesus clearly taught us;

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The kind of people who should inspire us are the ones who challenge us to live as close as possible to the true teachings of Christ. Not the ones who use the bible as some kind of tool to justify completely un-Christ like lifestyles. I just can't imagine a picture of Jesus on the cover of a book entitled “3 Simple Keys to the Life You've Only Dreamed Of” The inside flap reading something like,

“Ever wonder why life is so difficult? Why everyone else seems to be getting ahead and you, a child of God, are struggling? In his book, 3 Simple Keys to the Life You've Only Dreamed Of, best selling author Jesus Christ reveals the 3 simple keys to the “abundant life” you have always heard about but could never quite grasp. He will show you how to;

• double your income without doubling your work load

• speak the words that will get you anything you want anytime you want it

• get on the top of the heap and stay there

• realize all your dreams and your full potential

• live the stress free, overcomers lifestyle

• how to look good and feel great all the time!
  

• get the benefits of heaven, here on earth now!
  

So, I like to be inspired but I want to make sure that I'm inspired towards the life that Jesus has designed for me. The life of looking toward eternity, not living for the here and now. The life that goes against the flow of the “world” and strives towards holy living. The carry your cross lifestyle that Jesus embraced. I want to be inspired to read the Word, live it in it's simplicity and repent when I don't.

Hey, I wonder if Jesus was in that list of 35 people? Probably not.

The Prosperity Gospel

“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Col 2:8 )

When I hear people called Christians promoting prosperity, health, wealth and happiness, sometimes I am stunned. I see the banner for the prosperity conference, I see the website for millionaires for Jesus or the six figure people, and I tip my head to the side, furrow by brow and stare. I read about a million dollar wedding after reading about the subsequent divorce, I see preachers with jets and huge homes and expensive cars and I shake my head in wonder. Other times I see bible verses twisted out of context, misapplied to support anti-Christ teachings and my muscles knots, my teeth clench, my fury stirs. And then a great sadness washes over me when I think about Jesus. What he must be thinking as he watches his children. I read the bible and I cry. I tremble in fear at the wrath to come on such seemingly nice people. Such rich and beautiful people, teaching what they call freedom, what Jesus always called slavery. Finally I can't contain my sarcasm in the irony of it all when I read things from other followers of Jesus like,

“Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.”
-The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians

Paul was not rich. Jesus was not rich. None of the apostles were rich. None of them taught the prosperity gospel, none of them lived that way. They never, ever, ever raked in millions of dollars for any cause. Jesus never told any of us to do that either.

“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,
for you have your only happiness now.
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,
for a time of awful hunger awaits you. (Luke 6:24-25)

How do you fit THAT into a wealth and prosperity message?

Did you ever notice too, that the preachers preaching money riches are always saying give your money to them, partner with them, donate to them, sow into their ministry? What did Jesus tell the rich man to do?

Matt 19:21-23 says;

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus repeated himself for emphasis. He said things twice to make sure he had people's attention. I guess He missed that “Empowered to Prosper” seminar. And the mega synagogue that taught regularly how to have a cushy life today being the best 'you' must have been too crowded the day he was in town. I guess he didn't really have a complete revelation about this issue of money, wealth and possessions. Just think of what Jesus could have done for the kingdom with that kind of money.

A few verses later he says

“And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then. (v. 29-30)

Silly Jesus. He was just a story teller. He didn't really mean anything by any of it. He was a good entertainer that Jesus but not real swift when it came to “claiming that inheritance”.

Here's a funny story he told.

“A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

And just a few verses later;

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (Luke 12:33-34)

Now isn't that silly? Did you notice that Jesus never said 'give ME money'? Did you also notice that he never said 'get yourself rich so you can have free time' or 'get yourself rich so you can do My work' or 'get yourself rich so you can be rich and everyone will want to be my disciples too so they can be rich''? Give to those in need?! Oh! Like give to the already rich preacher with her own personal jet? That ministry? Or the revival preacher who says he's not like ordinary people needing to have faith in God to pay a $500 dollar bill, he's got millions to deal with. That needy person? Or maybe it's the guy who stands on a platform among thousand of people chanting with them “Money-coming-to-me-now!” as some sort of incantation to produce wealth among the crowd. Wait I know, give to the needy...that must be the hugely famous (and need I say fabulously wealthy) evangelist who told a group of South Africans that God was going to make millionaires out of every $1,000 dollar donor to his ministry - but the offer was only good for 2 minutes - credit cards accepted. Yes those are the needy Jesus said to give to I'm sure. You think I'm making this stuff up?

Here's another example of what Jesus thought of rich people's contribution to the kingdom of God.

“Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (mark 12:41-44)

So here you have people saying they follow the teachings of Jesus, when they actually live, preach, teach and encourage others to do just he opposite of what Jesus taught. They teach you how to get rich so you can give more. Jesus honored those who gave it ALL away.

Here's a cute rich man, poor man story Jesus told.

“Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. (now he's preaching!) At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham.The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead.There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

Finally, let's take a peek at the Old Testament wisdom book of Proverbs. Some prosperity teachers like to talk about rich Abraham or Job or Jacob. I don't know why those rich men were never teaching others the “secrets” to great wealth and financial success. (Wait I know, God was waiting to pour out the better wine later, right?)

Riches won’t help on the day of judgment,but right living can save you from death. (11:4)
Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;wealth from hard work grows over time. (13:11)
The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many “friends.” (14:20)
Better to have little, with godliness,than to be rich and dishonest. (16:8)
The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. (18:11)
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. (24:4)
Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and rich. (28:6)

Proverbs has a strange little prayer in chapter 30 verses 7-9

O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.
First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

Give me just enough to satisfy my needs? What? If I grow rich I may deny God? That can't be right? What translation of the bible is that? That's just crazy talk. As one holy man of God recently said “Have I ever heard anyone pray that, in my life?”

It echoes more of what Jesus said in the famous "Lords Prayer", and how he said elsewhere, 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul"

Lastly, Jesus said “Be doers of the word and not hearers only”

So now then, in light of these things, how ought we to live?

The Power of God

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

Somehow the message of the cross has been lost in Christendom. I hear a lot of talk about a lot of things but not so much about the cross. And I see that we are very excited about a lot of things but the cross, not so much. We look for the power of God in our spoken words, in our prayers, in miracles or experiences, in great preaching or in outreach efforts but not so much in the cross.

Its not my intelligence or education or my ability to argue or debate that's going to win anyone over to Christ. It's the message of the cross. It's not miracles or stunning prayers or great books (unless they are about the cross!) that get people saved. It's the message of the cross. This is foolishness to our “Greek” minds. It makes no scientific sense. It makes no logical sense. But it is the power of God. We need to carry around his death. That the infinite God, the Almighty, the Creator of the universe would limit himself and enter humanity, experiencing everything we experience so that he could bridge the gap between us that sin created b/c he loves us that much - that is the power of God. And so when my son speaks to his unsaved friends, if he carries the death of Jesus about with him then whatever he talks about to them, comes from that perspective. If the cross is all we carry. Whatever the issue of conversation may be he sees it through the glass of Christ crucified. So the underlying issue is always, "Why did Christ come?" "What did he accomplish on that cross?" This is the power of God! It's not whether or not I fully understand the second coming, or miracles or eternal security, or any other thing. These are wonderful subjects to search out in the scriptures to know Him better by(not to know the subject matter better!) and they are interesting, but the message of the cross is the power of God. It's not about being a gifted speaker, or a bible scholar, being good at debate or rhetorical speech although those things are fun and stimulating and entertaining. It's not about having all the answers. The power of God is not in those things. It's in the message of the cross. And so I tell my son, when you are with your unsaved friends carry the cross with you. Not on a necklace but in your soul. And pray that God will make their hearts able to receive it because it is foolishness to them. Paul said they have a veil over their minds. Pray that the veil be removed. And it is like the parable of the sower and the seed that Jesus told. I tell my son, pray for your friends because their hearts need to be prepared by God to receive this foolish message! If they have rocks or weed seeds in their hearts even if the word is received it will die. And certainly the ground needs to be broken up if they are hardened like a well worn path. But we can not do this – only the cross can.

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Cor. 4:10

We carry around the death of Christ and preach the foolish message of the cross and pray that He will lift the veil and work the soil of people's hearts. Then and only then do we have something to offer the world.

Modern Christianity

I'm don't watch televangelist. I frankly can't stomach the idea much less the individuals. It's completely unnatural. If we are following Christ then we should be in fellowship with his body. Plain and simple. We waste more time listening to some stranger preach some message – which is NOT the gospel of Jesus Christ - than we do listening to God ourselves i.e. reading our bibles and living it out among others. There is no interaction with the word or other believers. It is both unnatural and unhealthy. And so we have an obese church laying on the comfortable couch, slugging down alcohol free beers, making snacks during the commercials. We no longer engage in discussion because our skins have grown so thin. We no longer wrestle with the scriptures because our backs are weak. Thankfully we have no format for response because our reflexes have grown sluggish. And the atrophy of our souls has leeched into our excursions into reality. When (or if) we do attend a real meeting with real people we're not much more engaged. It's like going to the gym for the first time after high school graduation. “Hey it's only been 10 years. I'm still in pretty good shape. After all I used to play on the volleyball team.” But the format of most modern church services doesn't lend itself to interactive dialog either and so we've drifted. We no longer care much about doctrine, or theology. Since we have no real format for conversation we no longer think at all. We just consume and emote and drift...que sera sera. And then the message of the Cross, the reality of it's impact on our souls, the supernatural power of salvation becomes boring! We are actually bored with God. And more than that, since we have failed to keep our senses sharp – remember iron sharpens iron – by engaging with other believers intellectually, we are now both easily offended and offensive. We need to turn off the t.v., crack open our bibles, find other believers who will sand the burrs off our prickly selves, make a commitment to them (you may need to consult a dictionary for that one) and grow up. We have grown yes, but it's not more mature, we've just grown fat.

God of our own design

Yes the love of God should make a difference in my life. Yes, I struggle to believe that he could love me, since he knows me so well. Yes, I have a warped perspective.
What exactly do I suppose the love of God should look like in my life? What exactly do I want it to be for me? Do I want God's love to make me feel good? To make me happy? To make my journey on earth a little (or a lot) less unpleasant? Yes , yes, and yes. But should I? No, no, and no. I cannot make the love of God what I want it to be. He is love. So what his love is to me is what he is to me. Who he is to me. Who he is period. I cannot change him or I make another god and break the first of the 10 commandments. And this my friends is what I believe has lulled the American Church (perhaps I should say Western church) into our present pitiful coma. We are not asleep. We are on life support. Our false teachers and our insatiable desire for comfortable lifestyles keep the monitor bleeping out false signs of life. We have made God into the image we want him to be. We make bold and incredible statements of idolatry when we grant God only certain of his attributes to fit our comfort level. What Jesus has become to us is like the child's toy, Mr. Potato Head. "I like him without the glasses. I like his nose on top of his head. I like him with ears where his arms should be. Ha-ha. Isn't this fun." Because we can't reconcile God's love with our own suffering then we make him out to be something other than he is. And in reality the full expression of his love is lost on us. Yes God loves us! That is the very essence of the Gospel! Why else did he send his son? To save a disgusting, wretched, despicable people from disgusting, wretched, despicable sins because he loves us! So this is the difference the love of God makes in my life. That I yield myself to all of his workings so that his love can transform me. Not that his love makes me cozy. Not that his love is about making me happy. Filled with Joy unspeakable yes, happy, well...no. And so I am confused about his love. If you love someone don't you want to make them happy? Don't you want to make all the bad things go away for them? And what really is making me confused is my limited perspective. I have believed the lie that this life is about a loving God, who has a wonderful plan for my life (no martydom here!), making me wealthy, confident, happy, without any ailment of any sort and well...just plain "blessed". What I have forgotten is that nothing I will ever need is outside of Christ and what he has done on the cross. "For what is your life? It is but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14b) If I forget who I am (a vapor) and make God into a lie ("my jesus wouldn't do that"), then I am left depraved and hungry. Ever searching, never satisfied, believing God's love is about my present comfort, my personal finances, my health, my marriage, my this, my that...my, my, my. God's love is about the forgiveness of my many, many gross and unlovely sins. God's love is about making a people who are conformed to the image of his son. God in all his wrath, in all his mercy, in all he severity, in all is grace. God who receives some to heaven and sends more to hell. God who gives and God who takes away. He is not made according to my design and he never will be. So I must understand who he really is if I want his love to truly make a difference in my life.

First Love - Part III

My friend Lizzie is always saying how important it is to look at the things that Jesus values. First Love is something he clearly values from his admonition to the Church in Ephesus in Rev. 2. Devotion is something he clearly values from looking at the life of Mary of Bethany. I'd like to open this post up for discussion about some recent thoughts I have on Mary's big sister Martha. You know the one who's always getting the bad rap for being a...well...a Martha. Look at that. We've used her name to coin a phrase. A phrase which would be commonly known in the bible world as less than complimentary. Being a Martha. We've taken that to mean, being too busy to love God. Being concerned with nonessentials. Fussin' over stuff that's not important, at least not priority. And yet I like to eat a good meal every day (several actually) and since I don't care so much for cooking I really appreciate people who do.
We find Martha busy in the kitchen at the end of Luke chapter 10. You'd think this story had taken an entire chapter to tell the way it's been written about and preached on. Are there not dozens of books and sermons about these two women? And yet the entire "story" takes only 5 verses. Let's look at them here.

"As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus isn't saying to Martha "ya know, it would do you good to come in here and just sit down. What's your problem Martha? Be more like Mary will ya?" Here's a little insight I have about Martha that I'd like to discuss. If first love is to love God and others, then Martha needed an attitude adjustment not a new vocation. Man, isn't that true for all of us!
Martha is distracted. Distracted because she wasn't supposed to be in the kitchen at all or distracted because she was making a bigger deal out the meal than need be? Or distracted by her attitude? First love is to NOT be distracted in our hearts.
I love studying the temperaments. The ancient four Greek "humors" as taught by Tim LaHaye, Florence Littauer, and Gary Smalley (to name the ones I'm familiar with). I can see Martha's temperament at work here. She's not a sitter. She is just NOT going to sit still. She can't. And I don't believe Jesus is telling her to. He's not the type to compare and scold like we might be tempted to do; "Why can't you be like your sister?" "Your brother Billy never acted that way". Could you hear Jesus saying anything like that? But Martha is distracted and Jesus is clearly admonishing her here. From the text it seems that Martha is distracted from sitting at his feet and listening b/c that is the description of Mary in the preceding line. But the passage begins, "...Martha welcomed him into her home." She knows he's a rabbi and she knows he teaches. So why did she welcome him? To make an impression on him and his disciples as to what a great hostess she was? We learn from other passages about these women that they were actually very good friends of the Rabbi. I don't usually try to impress my best friends. I just want them near me. In fact the closer I am to them the less inclined I am to try and impress them. They know me too well. They would see through any phony charade in a heart beat. Jesus knows the heart beat of Martha. He knows she's more driven than Mary. He knows she has to be doing things.
I have a friend who doesn't like to take walks for the sake of taking a walk. She wants to go somewhere. "What's the point of just walking around the block?" This woman runs circles around me in terms of activity level (not mindless busyness - real accomplishments) She's driven. I love walking. Walking no where for no reason. I could spend an entire day sitting reading a book, rocking on the front porch, just sitting and thinking. Martha isn't like that. She's got business to accomplish. And I know Jesus loves her for it. What he is trying to teach her (I think) is that she can't be dissin' her sister or anyone else for not being like her, for not doing things her way. That Mary is worshipping Jesus her way and that Martha could be doing the same thing; worshipping Jesus her way. I picture Martha figuring this out later. Pouting maybe in the kitchen, maybe going a bit passive aggresive; "Fine don't make her help me. She always was your favorite. Why do the men always like the quite type with the big eyes?" And then later, as the love of Jesus sinks deeper and deeper into her being, she realizes her childishness, and wonders what it means for her to discover the one thing worth being concerned about. Which I believe the scripture tells us clearly is, loving God and loving others. Martha isn't demonstrating a lot of love here for her little sister. Jealousy, anger, resentment, yes, what's best for Mary, no. So, I can see Martha in the kitchen some time later when Jesus is passing through town. She's invited him over again. Now she's humming a hymn and "eaves dropping" on the conversation in the other room. She pauses to listen to the quieter parts. She peeks in to admire her little sister Mary as she looks up adoringly at Jesus. She is proud of Mary's expression of devotion. She smiles, her heart full of joy. She thinks about the privelege of serving the Master Rabbi and his disciples with the giftings God has given her. She's busy in the kitchen and loving it! She's not all worried about the details b/c her heart is really more absorbed with who she's doing all this for. She understands why Jesus didn't take away Mary's place and now she's found her own. May we do the same.

First Love - Part II

I stated in Part I of First Love that I would be talking about Martha and Mary (or at least Martha) in Part II but I won't be getting to it here b/c we definitely need to look at the context of the First Love passage in Revelation chapter 2 verse 4 first. I don't pretend to know all there is to know about Church history or the early church in Ephesus but I would like to forge on with what knowledge I have. In Acts 18 we see the church in Ephesus encouraging Apollos to journey to Achaia. Verse 25 tells us that Apollos "taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy." Apparently the church in Ephesus was concerned that other believers be strengthened in their faith, that there was church grow and that the gospel be spread. As Acts 18:28 tells us "He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate." We see some interesting activity in Ephesus in Acts 19 (the trouncing of the Seven Sons of Sceva - by a demon no less!) that leads the entire city into a reverence for the name of Jesus and causes those who are added to the faith to "confess their sinful practices" and "burn their incantation books". Such was the dedication of the believers in Ephesus. Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus with the church teaching them "the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus." (Acts 20:21)
The word first here in Revelation 2:4 is defined by Strong's as first in time or place in any succession of things or persons; first in rank; influence, honor, chief, principal. Couple this with the experiences of the early church in Ephesus and their actions or "works" as Jesus puts it and we could be onto something. Lets look at the Revelation 2:4-5 passage again:

"But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first."

The Church in Ephesus put the greatest two commandments to work here. They demonstrated their love for God by being concerned with their own hearts as individuals (repenting), the local church (publicly and collectively burning sorcery books), the church at large and the world in general (sending their best teacher). Loving God foremost then has a very outward look. Which makes sense in light of the whole of scripture. I like the way the Message states 1 Corinthians 10:25 "We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well." And this is consistent with the life of Christ and the gospel message. We do not live to please ourselves (Romans 15:1) First Love is about loving God and others (Luke 10:27) Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (5:2) Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Let's quickly look at what the church was commended for in Revelation 2. Hard work, perseverance, intolerance of evil people, careful scrutiny of so called apostles and the routing out of liars, patient suffering and not quitting! This is quite an impressive list. Have I been so diligent? Has the church today? And yet what is the Lords primary concern? All of these things? They aren't bad, he commends them. But they aren't priority. It makes me think of the mysterious (to me) passage in Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” This is the love Jesus has for us. I can't imagine the relief that the church in Ephesus must have felt reading this letter from John - repent and do the works you did at first. Whew! That's easy. That's not a burden! Are we now doing other things (individually and as a "church") forgetting that Jesus is the foremost, the preeminent one? Has life become a drag?
We have a tendency (I speak for myself only?) to see a call to repentance as a scolding. Warnings given by Jesus as frightening, severe. When in reality he is always calling us to himself. Is that a bad thing!?! Never. So a call to repentance with a warning is a blessing. A mercy. A kindness. Let us love God and each other as we did at first. He is worthy of this.

First Love - part I

Recent discussions on Revelation 2:4 at our ladies bible study have caused me to think. As we went around the room sharing what it is that we feel personally keeps up from loving God as we did "at first" it occurred to me that most of us were associating quiet time with love. And while the merits of quiet time need no defending, I was, and am, slightly troubled by our view of how we relate to God, how we love him. Apparently by the comments around the room that night, I'm not the only one who struggles to maintain that quiet undistracted time alone with God. But what I (we?) also struggle with is the whole concept of having a real relationship with God. What does it mean to love God? What does it mean to love him as we did at first? How can I have a relationship with him that is meaningful, rich, full and genuine? When am I being a hypocrite? And so I've titled this post part I b/c this is a big issue that will take some time to look at.
I think what bothers me about thinking of quiet time as love and devotion to God is that we therefore of necessity have to look at our jobs our husbands our children our hobbies our time spent with friends, etc as distractions. Eventually with this line of thinking they would actually become evil things that separate us from God. I know that sounds extreme, an exaggeration, but in reality this type of thinking has to produce that. I know it to be true in my own life. I've heard it joked about among women with small children. If quiet time alone is our gage for love and devotion to God then we are all woefully in love with other things. We won't admit that we so closely correlate quiet time with first love to God but when asked what hinders us from loving him as first love we turn to the things of life that "distract" us from that "quiet time". Again, I'm not discounting a set aside time to be with God undistracted, I have a room devoted to that very purpose in my home, but I am troubled that we can't seem to integrate all of life into this thing called a relationship with God. Look at it this way; lets say that I am "distracted" preparing an elaborate meal (I'll talk about Martha and Mary in Part II !), or that I am playing a game with my child or I am digging in my garden or any number of other activities, and I think "Gee, I really wish I could just go have time alone with God" does that make it a sin that I continue to do what I am doing? Doesn't the mere fact that I long for more of God mean that I am in fact loving him more than anything else? Often if the activity is "essential" we feel less guilty because of course we have to change the babies diaper or do laundry. We have the hardest time "justifying" more recreational things. Is God disappointed with me, even angry that I am laughing over a You Tube video instead of weeping over my bible? Do I feel that twinge of conviction on the less essential activities? Then surely my heart is devoted and His Holy Spirit is reminding me! My burden of concern is for the newer believer, the young mom, the working woman (I know we all work) anyone, myself(!), that we would learn that devotion and first love are not just set aside times, boxed into a routine or formula but that it is a state of the heart. When I am vacuuming my rug I am loving God, when I am shopping I am loving God, when I am reading a book I am loving God. Has he not made the vast world we live in? Did he not give Adam a job (ugh such a distraction!) in the Garden?
Keith and Melody Green edited and paraphrased (because modern man is so ignorant?) an article Charles Finney wrote in 1839 entitled "Devotion". I think Finney stated it best, " ...to attempt to please Him by isolated acts of devotion (when it is not the habit and state of our minds) is far more abominable that for a wife to attempt to please her husband with an occasional smile, while she lives only to please and gain the affections of another man."
Oh that we would learn what first love is - God of love do teach.