Face the Facts

"The LORD said to Joshua,

'Stand up!

What are you doing down on your face?

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, 

Which I commanded them to keep.

They have taken some of the devoted things;

they have stolen,

they have lied,

they have put them with their own possessions.

That is why the Israelites 

cannot stand against their enemies;

they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.

I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy

whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

Go, consecrate the people.  

Tell them, "Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, 

the God of Israel says:

There are devoted things among you, Israel.

You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them."'"

Joshua 7:10-13

He must have felt like the world was against him.  The hearts of the people turned away from him, favoring instead the younger, likable lad who it seemed could do no wrong.  He was tormented in his soul, finding no peace even in the solace of beautiful music, seductive women or mind-numbing wine.  What once was a life to be envied now became a tortuous quest to kill the one who seemed to be the root of all his troubles.  If only he could extinguish David, Saul believed everything would fall back in place and things would begin to go his way(1 Samuel 18-20).

Unfortunately, Saul was deceived in his own mind.  What he may have perceived as injustice and unfairness was really the result of his own disobedience to God.  Once Saul ceased yielding to God and His ways, instead choosing to rule the kingdom of Israel in the way he saw fit, everything went downhill(1 Samuel 13:13-14). Saul found out the hard way that it is impossible to succeed without God's blessing.

While it may be easy to blame circumstances, bad luck or even God for the mess my life has become, I had better take a lesson from Saul.  While Saul never returned to the favor of God, Joshua did heed the warning.  In today's scripture reading, Joshua groveled before the Lord, lamenting the defeat of his army.  God, however, brought the new leader of His people back to reality with the thought that the sin of the people is what brought destruction upon themselves.  In the same way that Saul had no one to blame but himself for the downward spiral his life had become, Joshua needed to look no further than the disobedience of Achan to find the root of their problem.

In a similar way, I must face the facts.  When I live in sin, failing to repent of its destructive ways, there are consequences.

Bought at a Price

His agony was palpable as He hung on the cruel cross.  Blood caking to his body, streaming from his hands and feet and pouring forth from a gash on his head:Blood seemed to best represent the harsh scene. The moans of this man who was so much more than mere appearances suggested pierced the heart of even the harshest soldiers who stood by observing the scene.  The suffering of Christ as He withstood the punishment meant for me cannot be denied.  He paid a steep price to free me from the death sentence my sins have earned me(Isaiah 53:4-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

As a result of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, I enjoy new life that will last an eternity.  As I live each moment with the hope of such glorious riches, I must remember that the way I choose to live is no longer a choice that belongs solely to me.  Instead, my life has been bought at a price so I am called to honor God in the decisions I make(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Even though I may view my body and the blood that pumps through it as my very own to do with as I please, the price Jesus paid to redeem me back from the grave gives Him a kind of entitlement to my every moment.

Most of the time, though, I admit that I do what I want in order to please myself. I don't often think of the price Jesus paid for me, instead taking for granted the precious gift of life I've been given.  Instead of living in a way that honors His sacrifice, I often minimize His suffering by doing things that I know are displeasing to God. True worship of the One who makes life possible, however, is to offer my very life as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, my life is no longer mine to do with as I please.

Judge Rightly

I live in a world that despises judgement of any kind.  If I say a certain lifestyle is wrong, I am said to be intolerant.  If I don't embrace the latest liberal agenda, I am called a bigot.  If I stand up for what is right, I am ridiculed.  

Since I am discouraged from making any kind of judgement call in today's free-wheeling society, it would be easy to cut myself some slack as well.  After all, I'm only human, right?  I may console myself with the idea that nobody's perfect; we all make mistakes.

The problem with this attitude is that I end up giving myself leniency as a result.  God has called me to strive for holiness because He is a holy God(1 Peter 1:13-16).  If I am to judge myself rightly, using God's intended purpose for my life as a measure, I will know whether or not I'm on the right track (Romans 12:3).  If, however, I use my own kind of ruler, I will either think I'm doing better than I am or I will judge myself as worthless.  Either way, I'm way off.

I remember one of the many moves my family made as a part of my husband's military career.  When we arrived at our new home, we discovered several boxes were missing.  I called the moving company, describing the contents which included a slow cooker.  I talked about how I didn't want to do without that particular piece and looked forward to using it again.  The company representative later called to tell me that they had located our belongings and would have them brought over to our home.

When that day finally came, I excitedly opened up the boxes, feeling like a kid on Christmas morn.  I could not wait to see my precious belongings.  With the picture of the gleaming Crock Pot firmly ingrained in my mind, I carefully removed the packing material in order to free my favorite cooking appliance from it's prison.  As the man from the moving company watched, I lifted the cooker from it's nest of paper.  Much to my surprise, the item I held in my hand did not match the memory I held in my mind.  Instead of a shiny, polished pot, what I saw was a dingy, brown antique. My recollection of the condition of that Crock Pot was not accurate.

This is what normally happens when I think of myself, as well.  I tend to see myself as better than I really am.  If I want to judge rightly, then, I'll need to use the faith God has given me to see myself through His eyes.  Then I will know more accurately the ways I have offended God with the sin I allow into my life, kind of like when I saw my slow cooker with new eyes; it wasn't as great as I thought it was.

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, I must judge myself rightly.

Examine my Heart

I felt perfectly justified in my anger.  After all, my family had given so much to the boy.  We welcomed him in as one of our own, spent time helping him with his schoolwork, taking him to church and giving him a ride when needed.  My husband and I loved him as one of our very own; there was nothing we wouldn't do for him.

It hurt all the more, then, to see him go downhill, succumbing to the pressures of the group of boys he chose to hang out with.  When he rang our bell one night at midnight, high on drugs and pushing his way into our home in order to clean a wound he received from a street fight, I felt nothing but anger.  How could he treat us this way after all we've done for him?

Later, when I asked the Lord to examine my heart, He pointed out my own selfish point-of-view.  In the same way that God loves freely, I am expected to do the same.  His love is not conditional nor is it earned.  As a result, this young man's behavior should in no way diminish the compassion I have for him.  Instead, I expected him to reciprocate with gratitude and a show of respect.

There are many times when doing things God's way will result in poor treatment from others.  While I may think I'm justified in my disappointment, only God can show me where my attitude is wrong.  Once He points out the error of my thinking, then, I can turn away from my wicked, selfish ways and let Him show me the path He would have me take.

This could mean that others will think I'm a pushover as I show grace and mercy to those who don't deserve it.  Other times, it could result in making a decision that seems risky and foolish as I let God give me His perspective.  I could even end up moving toward pain and suffering when I'm naturally inclined to avoid it at all costs.  Whatever the path, though, I can be sure that letting God reveal my selfish motives will end in pleasing Him.

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, only God can accurately read my motives.

It's easy for me to think the difficulties I find in my life are unfair.  While I can complain to God, begging Him to take away the suffering, there are times when I must face the facts.  Sometimes, my current circumstances are nothing more than a consequence of sin.  Instead of blaming others, then, I had better buck up and come to terms with the truth.  I must remember that I'm bought at a price and therefore cannot live just any old way, I must see myself with accurate, godly eyes, and I must let God examine my heart to reveal my true motives.  In these ways, I'll be facing the facts that will bring me back in a right relationship with God.  While my circumstances may not change, at least I'll be walking with my Father who loves me too much to leave me the way I am.  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can stop fooling myself into thinking I'm good enough just the way I am.

When do I cut myself slack instead of asking God what He thinks about my current choices?

How do I live just any old way instead of intentionally choosing to honor the sacrifice Jesus made for me?


Originally published on March 5, 2014

The Heart of a Weeping Prophet

"Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:

'Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.

I cannot stop weeping,

for my virgin daughter--my precious people--

has been struck down and lies mortally wounded.

If I go out into the fields,

I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.

If I walk the city streets,

I see people who have died of starvation.

The prophets and priests continue with their work,

but they don't know what they're doing.'"

Jeremiah 14:17-18 NLT

The people had made their bed and now they must lie in it, so to speak.  They would reap what their seeds of destructive rebellion had produced.  He might have been tempted to gloat or to smugly proclaim to the people of Israel that they were only getting what was coming to them.  But God gave him a different response.

What can I learn by examining the heart of a weeping prophet and thus the heart of God that will help me live in such a dark and twisted world?

Sanctity of Life.  Today's cultural and political climate treats human beings as disposable entities.  Respect of the viewpoint others hold has entirely been lost.  If I disagree with someone, it seems right to demonize them, labeling them as not just wrong but evil and the root of all that is wrong.  I am encouraged to look at those who live in a way I don't agree with as if they are less than human, inferior, and even enemies.  This leads to seeing those who are on the path that leads to destruction as one-dimensional beings, characters without a past or a family who love them, devoid of dreams and passions, regrets and struggles.    It's easy to dismiss someone as invaluable if I never find common ground or acknowledge their humanness.

The message God sent through Jeremiah revealed His attitude toward His image bearers.  Their lives are precious and each person, no matter how rebellious or thick-headed, is equally as valuable.  While God was preparing to lower the boom on His people, it was always with the hope that they would repent and return to Him.  It was never His intention to simply cast them away or cause them to suffer for the sake of making them hurt.  Each life is instead seen as sacred, and He goes to great lengths to try and draw each back to Him, holding back His wrath for longer than any deserve (Luke 15:1-7, Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9).

Jeremiah the weeping prophet reveals the heart of God who values each life as sacred, and it is time that I treasure each human as He does, leaving any revenge to Him alone (Matthew 10:29-31, Romans 12:19).

Humble Lament.  I live in a culture that is uncomfortable with grief and sorrow.  I'm taught to never wallow in my sadness or troubles, but to heal and move on and quickly as possible.  As a result, I fail to fully feel the weight of my sorrow and find the acting of mourning quite difficult and unpleasant.  I tend to take on this same attitude when it comes to sin, as well.  I fail to spend any time feeling the full weight of my sin; how it affects others, the impact it has on my future, and how it hurts God.  Instead, I try not to think too much about it, attempting to unload it like a hot-potato.

Here God demonstrates through His prophet Jeremiah how to humbly lament over the suffering caused by the sins of the people.  Even though they are only experiencing the consequence of their own selfish, hard-headed, stiff-necked choices, the hurt that results is nonetheless painful.  If I turn away from my coldness of heart, this compassion of God will flow through me as well, allowing me to mourn for those who are disobedient to God (Psalm 119:136).  And when I do, God's lovingkindness may draw others to the eternal well where they will find everlasting healing (John 4:14).

Jeremiah the weeping prophet reveals the heart of God who grieves over the sin of mankind, and it is time that I humbly lament as He does.

Sobering Reality.  I don't understand why he would make such a foolish choice that is destroying his marriage and family.  She knows exactly what she's doing, I guess she's just a glutton for punishment.  He's beyond my help, I just can't reach him no matter what I do.  It can be frustrating to stand by and watch people I care about self-destruct.  And it's easy to chalk it all up to stupidity, foolishness or stubbornness.  But there is a truth that better explains their behavior, and it will help me to interact with them in a more godly manner.

Jesus modeled this for me as He hung suffering on the cross, pleading with God to forgive the men who caused him such pain.  "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NLT)  Jesus knew something I need to realize:  the lost are blinded by Satan who holds them captive to do his own destructive will and are filled with darkness that confuses their minds and closes them off from the truth (2 Timothy 2:26, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 4:18).  Any who do not know Christ truly don't know any better than to sin.  I was the same way until God rescued me from my ignorance (Ephesians 2:1-3).   Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord who has liberated mankind from the power of sin and Satan (Romans 8:2, Hebrews 2:14). 

Jeremiah the weeping prophet reveals the heart of God who knows the power of the flesh and man's enemy yet offers the overwhelming victory that comes through faith in Christ, and it is time that I accept this sobering reality as He does.

I look around me in disgust, failing to see how people could be so blind as to live in such a destructive way and bring society down with them .  It's easy to take on a cynical attitude and scorn my fellow man.  But God used Jeremiah, the prophet to His people during a time of great rebellion, to reveal His own heart.  When I take note, I realize how much God values every human life, that He grieves over the suffering that comes as a result of their own foolish and stubborn choices and attitudes, and the sobering reality that they truly don't know what they do but are victims of Satan and sin.  As God's perspective sinks in and I turn away from my own prideful perspective, I take on the heart of the weeping prophet and let the heart of God shine through.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to refrain from looking down on the lost, knowing that He values each one enough to have gone to great lengths to win them back (Romans 8:32).

How do I dismiss the lost as beyond all hope because they are so deep in their sin?

How can I take steps to lament, grieving and weeping over the sins of the nation?

      

True Freedom

"In the past you have encouraged many people;

you have strengthened those who were weak.

Your words have supported those who were falling;

you encouraged those with shaky knees.

But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart.

You are terrified when it touches you.

Doesn't your reverence for God give you confidence?

Doesn't your life of integrity give you hope?"

Job 4:3-6 NLT

Job's friends started off on the right foot.  They supported their friend in silence, sitting with him in loving comfort while he grieved the loss of his children and wealth.  It was their intention to console him in his suffering.  So deep was his sorrow and severe his physical condition that they hardly recognized him.  They mourned with him and recognized his suffering as "too great for words" (Job 2:13).

Then they opened their mouths.  

The first to speak, Eliphaz, had the audacity to rob Job of his need to lament.  Even worse, he failed to empathize, minimizing Job's suffering.  Somehow, this insensitive, cold-hearted friend had come to believe that life would be peachy-keen as long as one does the right thing.  Unfortunately for him, he fell into believing the fallacy of the formula for a happy, carefree life.

Power.  Life is what you make it.  

              You are the author of your own life story. 

              "Believe in yourself.  Have faith in your abilities.  Without a humble but reasonable                  confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."  Norman                        Vincent Peale

              "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's                     plan.  And guess what they have planned for you?  Not much."  Jim Rohn

I'm surrounded by worldly messages telling me to make my own way in life. That it's up to me whether or not I succeed.  I'm told that I have what it takes to make my life what I want it to be.  

Using this mindset, then, it follows that I have the power to live right, to plan my own destiny, to write my own ending.  Accordingly, it follows that it is up to me to go after the life I want without ever asking God what it is He has planned for me.  I end up applying my own limited capacity toward my efforts to be self-disciplined, trying hard to keep away from what is bad and stick to what is good.  Thinking I can conform my life into my own mold, I assume anyone who is experiencing hardship or trial must be doing something wrong.  All it takes, I reason, is for them to get back on track and things will fall into place.

In reality, I have neither the capacity to do good nor the ability to save myself (Romans 7:18-20).  I'm hopelessly lost without the God who graciously gives me each breathe I take (Acts 17:25).  Without Jesus, I am nothing and can do nothing of worth (John 15:5).  

Buying into the belief that I have the power to make something good out of my life denies God's sovereign power.

Pride.  "Look at this great city of Babylon!  By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor" (Daniel 4:30 NLT).  Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon did not suffer from a lack of self-confidence.  He drew such pleasure in admiring his handiwork and liked to think it all came about by his own savvy planning, through the sweat of his brow and as a result of his hard-fought position and authority as king.

Then God set about humbling him.  After seven years of living like an animal in solitude among the beasts of the field, he acknowledged God's position, giving Him praise and glory (Daniel 4:28-37).  He came to know the hard way that, "those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Daniel 4:37).

I often need a similar season of chastening.  I begin to think it was my hard work that got me where I am, that any success I enjoy is by the sweat of my brow, and while God may have opened the door, it wouldn't have flourished if it wasn't for my consistent effort.

The reality is that only God has the plan for my life and it is only His wisdom that can choose the right path for me.  Thinking otherwise drives me to judge others, determining that their struggle is due to a lack of focus or an unwillingness to apply common sense to their problems.  In other words, I begin to think I can fix anyone's problems by using my own formula for living.

In the same way that God placed Nebuchadnezzar in his position as king for His own purposes, He has a reason for placing me where I am (Jeremiah 27:4-7).  Once I begin to deny this truth, I start believing man has what it takes to direct his own paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

Buying into the belief that I have the wisdom to know which path is best for me denies God's purpose and unknowable plan (Jeremiah 29:11).

Penance.  It seems too easy.  There must be more.  Surely I can't get off Scott-free?  

Forgiveness for sins through faith in Jesus Christ does seem too easy.  Even though Jesus declared atonement finished and salvation secured as He suffered on the cross and gave up His life, I often think there must be some part I must play, a role I am required to fill, or a duty I must carry out (John 19:30).  After all, I think, it's my sin so I must receive some kind of punishment.  Right?  Wrong!

In dying on the cross out of obedience to His Father's plan, Jesus accomplished all that is necessary to cover my sins and usher me into my Father's holy presence (Hebrews 10:19-22).  It was His blood that cleansed me from all unrighteousness (Isaiah 1:18).  Forgiveness is already mine due to what Jesus has done (1 John 1:9).  There is nothing left for me to do but simply believe (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Oswald Chambers explains it this way.  "When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God;  and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done."

I often slip into the belief that I must suffer a bit for my sin, that there must be some kind of punishment due me for how I have fallen short, or that I am not worthy to receive forgiveness unless I make some kind of effort to do better.  This mentality leads me to project this lie onto others, refusing them the absolution that is freely theirs through faith in Christ.  Instead, I expect others to try harder, to get their act together, or to be truly sorry for their sin.  Instead, all it takes is simple faith in what Jesus has already done to secure their salvation. 

Buying into the belief that I have to perform some kind of penance in order to receive forgiveness denies the power of Jesus' blood to cover all sin.

It's easy to think my life will be fine as long as I work hard, do what is right, and make up for my sins through selfless service or some other form of penance.  This line of thinking is all wrong, though, as it denies God's sovereign power, His perfect purpose, and the power of Jesus' blood.  When I fall into this fallacy of the formula for a happy life, I'll soon find I'm projecting my faulty expectations on others.  Instead, it is my desire that I let God choose for me, trust in His plan for my life, and fully realize my dependency upon what Jesus has already done.  In these ways I'll walk in true freedom.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God fully with my life.

How do I attempt to control certain facets of my life in an effort to follow my own path?

When am I most at risk of thinking I am the captain of my own destiny?