This morning I was reading Ezekiel when I came across a very interesting set of verses. In the 16th Chapter of Ezekiel God describes how Israel became a nation. Through an allegory of a newborn baby growing into adulthood, God describes how His hand has been upon Israel and its growth. God talks of how He had given Israel "fame" and "beauty". But then He talks of how Israel has now trusted in its fame and beauty instead of God. How Israel has used its fame and beauty to "get ahead" and how its used the things God had given it to satisfy her own desires.
As I read this I had an interesting thought. Israel was not trusting in God, rather it was trusting in the things God had given it. Israel had forgotten that it was God who gave her the fame and beauty to begin with. Its like looking at a beautiful painting and saying the painting is beautiful but giving no credit to the artist ability to paint.
Then I thought of how often in my life I have put trust in the things of God instead of God. How I had put trust in God's people, or church, or books about God, etc. but not in God. And so many times I have put my trust in me or my abilities instead of God forgetting that it was God who made me in the first place and gave me my abilities.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
What My 6 Month Old Daughter Taught Me
So, I was hanging out with my 6 month old daughter, Taylor, yesterday when she taught me an amazing lesson. We were just sitting on the couch playing. I was just holding her and she was looking around, moving around, jumping around...basically just being a restless 6 month old. She has just started sitting up on her own so I put her on the couch next to me with my arm around her. Well she continued to look all over, taking everything in, screaming in joy paying no attention to me but then something incredible happened. My daughter stopped looking around and moving around. She stopped making noise and then she put her head in my chest and just laid there. I don't know if there is any greater feeling in the world for a dad then the one I felt when she did this. I could stay in that moment forever with my child just resting on me quietly. She laid like that for a few short moments and then it was back to moving around and looking around, however I learned so much in those few moments.
In that moment, I was reminded of Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." Watching my daughter, I realized that we are so much like her. We have this Father who wants to spend time with us, who loves us, who wants nothing more than for His children to put their heads in His chest and rest in Him. But most of the time we are too much involved with what is going on around us. See my daughter was trying to figure everything out. She was too interested in the amazing red drapes and the flashy television with all of its amazing colors. She was so distracted by all the things around her that she was not paying attention to the one who had provided all of those for her. In the same way, we are so distracted by all the things going on around us that too often we fail to pay attention to the one who not only provides everything but created everything.
But fortunately for me Taylor did have a moment where she stopped and realized her loving father was right there next to her. And the feeling that I got when she rested on me cannot be put into words and I would not trade it in for the world. I have to believe that God gets the same feeling when, in the midst of all the craziness in our lives, we stop...put our heads on our daddy's chest and rest in Him. I believe that is why over and over in His word He is trying to tell us to slow down and realize that we can find rest in Him. So when you find yourself caught up in the craziness of this life, when your distracted by all the things going on around you, may you realize that your Father is right there sitting on the couch next to you with His loving arm around you and may you turn off all the distractions, put your head on His chest and rest in Him.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
WWJDTY?
If your a Christian then you know what the letters WWJD stand for. They stand for What Would Jesus Do. It was meant to help Christians live a life that would more closely resemble Jesus. It became a huge thing a couple of years ago and there were WWJD bracelets, hats, shirts, watches....you name the product and you could get one with a WWJD tag on it. Again the point was that when you were in a moment of decision, you would look at your bracelet and that would remind you to think "If Jesus were in my shoes, what would He do?" and then you would do that.
However, I always have had a problem with that. I mean I think we are suppose to live a life that closely resembles the life Jesus lived but I am not sure this is the best way.
First of all, we have to assume we know what Jesus would do in our situation. We can guess what He would do based on what we know of Him and what we Have seen Him do in the Gospels but realistically we don't know what He would do. In fact there were many times when Jesus disciples, who might I add were with Him 24-7, thought they knew what Jesus was going to do but then Jesus would do something totally unexpected right up to and including dying on a cross.
Second, there are times when we know what Jesus would do but since we are not Jesus and never will be, we are not capable of doing what He would do. For example, if we see a blind man on the street asking us for help, Jesus would go and put some mud on his eyes and heal the man but you and I cannot do that. Don't get me wrong, I believe the Holy Spirit can heal anyone and He can do it using us but Jesus was God and He Himself had the ability and the power to heal people. I can go on and on about healing the sick and feeding thousands of people but I think you get my point.
So here is my suggestion. I think we need to modify, What Would Jesus Do Through You? Again, we are not Jesus, we are not God, we are not all powerful...however we can and are still used by God and we have the Power of the Holy Spirit in us. So, the question then becomes not What Jesus Would Do but what does Jesus want me.... (insert your name here) with all my weaknesses, shortcoming and faults, what does God want me to do in this situation as me trying to be more like Him?
Now this means that because your constantly changing, the answer to that question is always changing because it takes into your account who you are and your spiritual maturity. For example, lets say your a new Christian and you have faith in God but it may not be as strong as it could be and you come across someone in need of financial help. You open your wallet and you see you have a 100, 20 and 5 dollar bill inside. So because things are tight financially you pull out the $5 and give it to the person. Maybe that is what Jesus wanted you to do at that moment in your life.
But lets say 20 years down the line you are faced with a similar situation with the same bills in your wallet. But now you have seen God come through for you financially many times that you now realize that God can see you through anything. So even though things are still tight financially, you now trust that God will take care of you so you decide this person really needs the $100 dollar bill more than your do. Maybe that's what Jesus wanted you to do that time.
The fact is that we don't know a lot of things but we do know that God wants us to be more like His Son but God also knows are shortcomings and I think we can only do what we can do where God has us right now.
However, I always have had a problem with that. I mean I think we are suppose to live a life that closely resembles the life Jesus lived but I am not sure this is the best way.
First of all, we have to assume we know what Jesus would do in our situation. We can guess what He would do based on what we know of Him and what we Have seen Him do in the Gospels but realistically we don't know what He would do. In fact there were many times when Jesus disciples, who might I add were with Him 24-7, thought they knew what Jesus was going to do but then Jesus would do something totally unexpected right up to and including dying on a cross.
Second, there are times when we know what Jesus would do but since we are not Jesus and never will be, we are not capable of doing what He would do. For example, if we see a blind man on the street asking us for help, Jesus would go and put some mud on his eyes and heal the man but you and I cannot do that. Don't get me wrong, I believe the Holy Spirit can heal anyone and He can do it using us but Jesus was God and He Himself had the ability and the power to heal people. I can go on and on about healing the sick and feeding thousands of people but I think you get my point.
So here is my suggestion. I think we need to modify, What Would Jesus Do Through You? Again, we are not Jesus, we are not God, we are not all powerful...however we can and are still used by God and we have the Power of the Holy Spirit in us. So, the question then becomes not What Jesus Would Do but what does Jesus want me.... (insert your name here) with all my weaknesses, shortcoming and faults, what does God want me to do in this situation as me trying to be more like Him?
Now this means that because your constantly changing, the answer to that question is always changing because it takes into your account who you are and your spiritual maturity. For example, lets say your a new Christian and you have faith in God but it may not be as strong as it could be and you come across someone in need of financial help. You open your wallet and you see you have a 100, 20 and 5 dollar bill inside. So because things are tight financially you pull out the $5 and give it to the person. Maybe that is what Jesus wanted you to do at that moment in your life.
But lets say 20 years down the line you are faced with a similar situation with the same bills in your wallet. But now you have seen God come through for you financially many times that you now realize that God can see you through anything. So even though things are still tight financially, you now trust that God will take care of you so you decide this person really needs the $100 dollar bill more than your do. Maybe that's what Jesus wanted you to do that time.
The fact is that we don't know a lot of things but we do know that God wants us to be more like His Son but God also knows are shortcomings and I think we can only do what we can do where God has us right now.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Dangerously Close
The other day I was reading about Moses and Joshua in Exodus, when something I read struck me. Before I go on, let me tell you why I was reading about Moses and Joshua. This being a new year I am really set on following God with a Passion. I mean, I love God and I would consider myself a follower of Christ but I want to follow Him with a passion I have never felt. So I thought I would read about some people who I think had a passion for following God, which would be Moses and Joshua. So I was reading where Moses goes up to Mount Sinai to speak to God.
So, I was reading and I came upon verse 10 in chapter 19 which says; "And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live."
My first thought was "wow...that's harsh." I mean these are the Lord's people and they are not even permitted to touch the foot of the mountain which the Lord sat upon, or they would be put to death. That just sounded very strange to me. I thought it was a good thing to want to be close to God. I would think, God wants us to seek to be close to Him. But then I realized that Moses was allowed to be close to God. Later, the Lord permits Aaron to come to the mountain.
So, what's the deal? And then it hit me. It is dangerous to be close to God! It is so dangerous that you must be completely sold out for Him to get real close. The Israelites were God's people but they were the same people that continually grumbled and worshiped false idols. They were not completely sold out so it was dangerous for them to get close too close to God.
As this idea was floating in my head, I read on and it got real interesting in chapter 33 starting in verse 7 which says; "Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend."
This passage says that Moses set-up the tent (where God would be) some distance outside of the camp. Why? Because it is dangerous to be close to God! For the safety of the people in the camp, they would keep their distance from God. The interesting thing is that when the people saw the pillar of cloud they would stand up and worship God. These people loved God, they were God's people and they worshipped Him....but did you read the last part of that line..."each at the entrance of his tent." Again, these people loved God, they followed God and they worshipped God...at a safe distance. Is that not the case with Christians today. We love God, we follow God and we worship God but we keep Him at a safe distance. But look at what happens to Moses as a result of being dangerously close to God..."The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." WOW! That gives me goosebumps. Don't you want that? Can you imagine how amazing that would be? Can you imagine talking to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend?" But that can happen if you are willing to be dangerously close to Him. So the question is...are you willing to be dangerously close to Him? If you are, are you completely sold out for Him or are you OK worshipping God at the entrance of your own tent? Let me challenge you this year to come dangerously close to God and find yourself face to face with the Creator of the universe!
So, I was reading and I came upon verse 10 in chapter 19 which says; "And the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live."
My first thought was "wow...that's harsh." I mean these are the Lord's people and they are not even permitted to touch the foot of the mountain which the Lord sat upon, or they would be put to death. That just sounded very strange to me. I thought it was a good thing to want to be close to God. I would think, God wants us to seek to be close to Him. But then I realized that Moses was allowed to be close to God. Later, the Lord permits Aaron to come to the mountain.
So, what's the deal? And then it hit me. It is dangerous to be close to God! It is so dangerous that you must be completely sold out for Him to get real close. The Israelites were God's people but they were the same people that continually grumbled and worshiped false idols. They were not completely sold out so it was dangerous for them to get close too close to God.
As this idea was floating in my head, I read on and it got real interesting in chapter 33 starting in verse 7 which says; "Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the "tent of meeting." Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend."
This passage says that Moses set-up the tent (where God would be) some distance outside of the camp. Why? Because it is dangerous to be close to God! For the safety of the people in the camp, they would keep their distance from God. The interesting thing is that when the people saw the pillar of cloud they would stand up and worship God. These people loved God, they were God's people and they worshipped Him....but did you read the last part of that line..."each at the entrance of his tent." Again, these people loved God, they followed God and they worshipped God...at a safe distance. Is that not the case with Christians today. We love God, we follow God and we worship God but we keep Him at a safe distance. But look at what happens to Moses as a result of being dangerously close to God..."The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." WOW! That gives me goosebumps. Don't you want that? Can you imagine how amazing that would be? Can you imagine talking to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend?" But that can happen if you are willing to be dangerously close to Him. So the question is...are you willing to be dangerously close to Him? If you are, are you completely sold out for Him or are you OK worshipping God at the entrance of your own tent? Let me challenge you this year to come dangerously close to God and find yourself face to face with the Creator of the universe!
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