Ezk 1-4 390 Days!

Ezk 1-4   390 Days!

Guest Blogger Cheri Hudspith – sister to Terry

As I was reading the first four chapters of Ezekiel, I was feeling anxious.  I believe these chapters relate to why so many of us express fear about discovering what God desires from us! 

What if He asks us to do the equivalent of lying down on our left side and talking about things people don’t want to hear about for 390 days?!? And then, flip to our right side for 40 more days.  Think about that for a minute. 430 days!

Ezekiel inspires me. He has a very submissive response. He expresses one simple concern. May my heart be like that when God wants me to do something that seems impossible from the very beginning. Wow! Even the concern Ezekiel voices is related to his desire to honor God with his life. What a picture of devotion and submission.

I find comfort in thinking that if I’d seen the vision that Ezekiel saw that I’d be feeling pretty submissive too. Maybe... hopefully. I am reminded that God gives us what we need to avoid running scared. Part of my journey has been learning to assume this is true about God. At this point, I am persuaded that He prepares both our lives and the pathway forward.  I’m grateful to be reminded of this again today.

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Lamentations 3-5 God Cares About It, We Should Too

August 29th, Lamentations 3-5

       Today I am reminded of good ol' AW Tozer. Tozer was a modern day prophet, wrote a lot of books. He is famous for his 5 vows which are as follows, I vow to...

1. Deal thoroughly with sin
2. Give God glory in all things
3. Never speak negatively about anyone
4. Never own anything
5. Never defend myself

       If you want to know more about that list, just type "Tozers 5 Vows" in your web browser and you'll find lots of articles by him and others. It's a good read.

       Today I am reminded of the first vow...deal thoroughly with sin. Sin is like the weeds in my flowerbeds. I don't seem to have enough energy to fight it all the time, and yet if I don't the weeds get big, produce seed and make my work even bigger. Sin has a way of creating a mess in our lives. Sin created a huge mess in this passage.

"The kings of the earth did not believe, 

nor any of the inhabitants of the world, 

that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem."

       Sin is a lot more costly than we think. It costs our lives, families, churches, and our nation. Sin really matters and a vow of our life should be to deal thoroughly with it. I even think people have changed Tozer's expression. I think he used to say "deal ruthlessly with sin." One way or another sin will be ruthless on us or us on it. Take note of the path of God's chosen people and see how much God cares about sin.

Lam 1-3.5 Ghost Towns and Empty Bedrooms

August 28th, Lamentations 1-3.5

       When I started reading Lamentations this morning I thought of ghost towns. Growing up in Colorado there are a lot of ghost towns. Mining and agriculture, falling prices and dustbowls create a lot of people, followed by a lot of leaving. Structures abandoned, left to stand alone for ages.
       I see the prophet wandering the streets of Jerusalem...a tumbleweed(my Colorado heritage) rolling across a street where thousands used to walk. It's a little eerie, sad, "what's become of this once great place?" For the writer of Lamentations it's a loss.
       "How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she was great among the nations."..."Your ruin is as vast as the sea; who can heal you?"
       We could certainly enter into thoughts of why this has happened, but we have a lot of "Prophets" to go. What interests me more is the thought of mourning our losses well. Being able to identify some of the hurt that comes from letting something go.
       My daughter just moved out for college. While she's only 6 miles away there is a recognition of loss. Less laughter, less friends, less enjoyable chaos in the house. Our relationship is changing. I've turned the reins over to the Holy Spirit. It's time for her to follow God, live in conviction that comes from Him and not from me.
       Cleaning out some church closets I sort through pictures of different times. Times when the church was filled to the brim, now their is a remnant seeking God, but it's different. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Without mourning there is no comfort.
       The prophet here mourns the loss he sees in the ghost town of Jerusalem, through his mourning he comes to a great conclusion..."The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him" Lam 3:22-24

Jer 51-52 Flags Flown

August 27th, Jeremiah 51-52

       God has used the Kingdom of Babylon to bring punishment to Israel for the total systemic failure of following Him. It is also clear that God's loyalties are with His people and not Babylon. Even in the midst of getting disciplined the hand is not bigger than the heart, even though the hand hurts a little.
       All of this will raise questions in our future in these books of prophets. Lest I jump ahead of myself, today's scripture makes it clear that God's loyalties have never changed in the midst of the discipline of His children. It's not like God decided to get chummy with Babylon to the exclusion of Israel. Sometimes famine, pestilence, and disease is not enough to get their attention. The loss of identity through another flag flying on your headquarters will get your attention...now here's a devotional thought...
       Identity, whose am I? How much shock do I need to get my attention? When Babylon reigns over us, we'll finally know something is wrong. When their flag is flying  over Jerusalem and not ours. What flag flys over your head? Whose colors do you display?
       There's an old song... "Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart." A great invitation to consider the flag we're flying. Israel replaced God's flag with their own. God invited them to put His flag back up but they wouldn't, so Babylon came in and hung theirs by God's permission. In the end God's flag should be the flyover. May the correct one be unfurled in our lives and bring honor to God, and life to those around us in the name of the King of a great Kingdom.
     

Jer 49-50 Very Great and Precious Promises

August 26th, Jeremiah 49-50

       Remember that part where God said, "Don't go to Egypt, I'll take care of the king of Bablylon, don't be afraid of him." UHHHHH, Apparently God knows what he's talking about. Even after Israel fails... 50:9 "For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken." You see when Babylon invaded, you were afraid of what they would do to you. God was stirring up trouble for Babylon that would have taken their attention off of you.
       It's almost as if God knows what he's doing and that if he tells you something it will be done.

I will Go and prepare a place for you...
I will supply all your needs according the riches in Glory
God's grace is sufficient for us
All things work together for the good of those who love Him
The Holy Spirit is deposited as a guarantee of what is to come
If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
As far as the east is from the west so our sin is removed from us
He has delivered me from all my fears
Power. Love. Sound Mind

Joshua 23:14, NIV. "You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."

       What promises do you need to hold onto or discover for the first time?? Since we have this great cloud of witnesses, let us embark on running this race...together, bringing glory to God through our trust we place in Him!!

Jer 46-48 Hint: it's not really about Jer 46-48 today

August 25th, Jeremiah 46-48( not really)

I exercise the right to jump off of the usual train of thought and onto one pressing in on me this month. My son got married, my daughter moved out for college and this song from Wayne Watson has been remembered, enjoy...

There are watercolour ponies
On my refrigerator door
And the shape of something I don't really recognize
Brushed with careful little fingers
And put proudly on display
A reminded to us all of how time flies

Seems an endless mound of laundry
And a stairway laced with toys
Gives a blow by blow reminder of the war
That we fight for their well-being
For their greater understanding
To impart a holy reverence for the Lord

But baby, what will we do
When it comes back to me and you
They look a little less like little boys every day
Oh the pleasure of watchin' the children growin'
Is mixed with a bitter cup
Of knowin' the watercolour ponies
Will one day ride away

And the vision can get so narrow
As you view thru your tiny world
And little victories can go by with no applause
But in the greater evaluation
As they fly from your nest of love
May they mount up with wings as eagles for His cause

Enjoy the watercolor ponies while they last and keep an eye on the future, that they would have their hearts pointed towards Christ and His Cause!!

Jer 42-45 Loving Back

August 24th, Jeremiah 42-45

       Maybe Jeremiah should have tried reverse psychology. God said go to Egypt and be blessed, then they would have rejected the word of the Lord and done what God wanted. I don't know about you, but if I was a parent, boss, coach, etc... and people who were supposed to listen to me, always did the exact opposite of what I asked, it would get a little old! If they did that for 1,000 years...it's time to drive a point home.

       God says to you..."if you remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I will relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him declares the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land...if you go to Egypt, then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt."

       Not a tricky statement, no fine print, strange clauses to try and decipher. Plain. Simple.

       People's response to God(Jeremiah)... "You are telling a lie, the Lord our God did not send you to say, Do not go to Egypt to live there." 

"As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you."

Not an uncommon problem then or now, may it not be so, may we learn from their folly and walk a different path. Hear God's heart for his people including you and I in the first verse. Hear their response, note the vast difference. Lord thank you for your stance toward me, remove my hard heart to love you and respond, in kind, to you.

Jer 38-41, Good Definitions for a life of Learning!!

August 23rd, Jeremiah 38-41

       Take your punishment and move on. Confession is good for the soul! Your ego won't help. All of these are good lines for the king, good lines for us. The trouble for the king is much like the trouble for a sea captain who has been trained to go down with his ship. Make sure everyone else is okay before your exit. Like a field general who is hoping that some last ditch effort might bail us out of our situation and bring victory.
       The king wants to listen to Jeremiah, he knows it is God's voice and yet the instruction..."Give into the king of Babylon, go willingly into his hands and save yourself and others is too tough to take." Going down in the history books as a coward who gave in is not appealing. The problem is he went into the history books as the one who wouldn't listen to God and everything prophesied about the situation came true. You could have been a hero, instead you got voted off Survivor with an immunity idol in your pocket... misplayed!!
       Hindsight is 20/20, I can see the problems making the decisions. Decisions for your self: fighting your own ego, fighting perception, fighting the counsel of fellow leaders. Decisions for your nation: losing a kingdom to another, blame from every side, the look of cowardice instead of strength, giving in to the advice of a madman(God's Prophet). What would you do??
       God's judgement is inevitable. Like the kid who has pushed his parent too far: no groveling, no repeating how sorry you are, no tears are going to keep you from the naughty chair or a spanking. Take your punishment, learn from it and move on. The key is learn from it. If you don't you'll find yourself in the same confrontation again and a parent's statement... "How many times do I have to ask..."
        The king made a poor decision, so have I, so have you. How well do we learn from those moments and make a change will define much about us, so let's press into good definitions!!

Jer 35-37 Having/Hearing a voice

August 22nd, Jeremiah 35-37

       In a story of national upheaval and systemic religious failure along comes a family that's very different. Jonadab is the son of Rechab, their family has been faithful, listened and obeyed, generation after generation. A strange subset in the midst of all that is wrong...strange for doing right. It's always a little reminder of the irony of being a rebel. Most people are rebellious by being like everyone else. What's rebellious about that? If you really want to be a rebel, do what's right...it's a small irritating crowd.
       Speaking of irritating...Jeremiah dictates letters and seeks out meetings with kings to speak clearly and plainly. It's a high stakes game in general to speak the truth, much less to speak the truth to people who can deal with you as they wish. Of all the ways we could go with that thought, today I simply ask us to pray for people who will take a tough stand today and speak the truth. Maybe it's an intervention, maybe a missionary, maybe a friend, maybe a king who will hear tough words today. Pray that God would speak through bold voices that are led by the Spirit. That the promise of God to give people words to speak would ring true and by God's power lives would be changed.
       I pray for you. Maybe today you have words to say or words you need to hear. May people like Rechab and Jeremiah be our role models today.

Jer 32-34 A Tragedy of Theology

August 21st, Jeremiah 32-34

       I made a covenant(promise). It is easy in our world to blow off that phrase, promises don't mean much to many. To God it means everything, a Being of His word, doesn't even have a hint of change like the shifting shadows cast by the sun's rising and falling. Speaking of sun...
       God reminds Jeremiah, it is as impossible for God to reject his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as it would be to reject the covenant made for day and night to be fixed in the order of the heavens. Maybe you've noticed: the sun, moon and stars are so consistent you can set your watch, calendar by them!!
       God's promise, God's commitment to His people needs to stand front and center on stage throughout the prophets. God's anger is what people notice too often and with a new look my prayer is that we could come to some great understanding about a covenant promise. I promise to love you is not rooted in your behavior, for God it's rooted in his character. It's not a blind love that ignores reality. God says in 32:33 "they have turned their back to me and not their face" God notices everything.
       I think some Christians are so afraid of Universalism that we sell God's love short. There is certainly a balance needed in coming to grips with what you believe about God and these two issues. I certainly don't believe in Universalism, however many people don't allow for God's love to be very big either, this too is a tragedy of theology.
       What do you believe? Like Goldilocks, some things are too small, some things are too big, some things are JUST RIGHT!
     

Jer 30-31 Internal Change or External Pressure

August 20th, Jeremiah 30-31

       If you could sneak a peak into the future what would you want to find out. I could imagine several things that would be fun, interesting. lucrative, sad, and heart-warming. Knowing the future has a settling impact on us and yet at the same time it might mess with it. Back to the Future movies have a funny twist as Twin Pines mall becomes Lone Pine mall. Looking into the future is why people love to study the book of Revelation. What will become of us?
       Jeremiah has a great experience of looking into the future. Seeing a promise from God that will be carried out in a distance. Something new, something better, something to write and speak about. Jeremiah speaks about this in a couple of places. The second is the better version, but we'll just stick to today's revelation with hope in learning more in a few days!!
       31:33-34 A New Covenant. A new promise and new thing God is doing. God has always wanted an internal reality to be evident in our lives but two very important things are external all throughout the OT. 1. The law was written on a stone. 2. The Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in people except for on certain occasions for the purpose of doing some great Kingdom thing!
        In our day God's law is written on our hearts, not on some tablet of stone somewhere in an Ark. Upon salvation the Holy Spirit is placed in us as a deposit, guaranteeing a future inheritance. It's a very different thing for us. To intuitively have God's word stamped inside and the Spirit to guide, correct, empower us to walk His way. The prophet saw a day in the future when God's word would be fashioned and molded inside of us. Internal change has dramatic power over external pressure.
       Then finally, the weight of all this message in the prophets is met with a great line for us to remember God's committed love..."For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." I'm rejoicing in this new day we get to live in. The day of a new covenant that is radically different than before. I look forward to the complete fulfillment of that covenant, when we will no longer have to teach anyone how to love like Christ, it will just be. Amen! and Amen!!!

Jer 26-29 Decisions are hard sometimes!!

August 19th, Jeremiah 26-29

       Who do you listen to? I've never really thought about this until today, but part of the problem for residents of the Israel and Judah in this day was the competing voices. Prophets like Hananiah that speak their own message and not God's.
       In times of trouble it's easy to get a lot of advice. Ironically the people least able to speak wisdom, sometimes speak the most and the ones who actually have something to say, wait a little too long. The real time dilemma...imagine yourself in the Temple courts and two guys stand up and make a proclamation, who do you believe?
       Add to that the prophets message...for the time being, Nebuchadnezzar is your ruler and Babylon is the kingdom you are going to be part of. 27:12-13 "bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken of any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon."
A.       That's a tough pill to swallow, even if God came down and spoke it himself!!
B.       It's tough to choose the voice to listen to when false prophets proclaim..."Never will we do that"
       This is the backdrop for a verse we all know and love, Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not hurt you, to give you hope and a future." That  plan includes captivity and release. In some ways I can see the difficulty of listening to God's prophets. It doesn't really make sense, that's why it's called faith and that's what we are invited into.
       In chapter 26:16-24 there is a humorously painful discussion. The heart of it is this...these prophets keep saying stuff that comes true. Jeremiah has spoken in the name of the Lord, we shouldn't kill him...but we're not going to do anything either!! This paralysis of making a Godly decision when faced with the truth is not just a story for generations gone by. It's our story, a storyline that needs to be enveloped by faith rather than fear, action instead of passivity, decisions..."As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

       Whose voice will you listen to? How will you discern God's will over your own or your counsel's?

Jer 23-25 What is God up to Today!?!?!

August 18th, Jeremiah 23-25

       God is always wanting to make something new to be excited about. It always pains me when a person's testimony can only speak about what God did for them 40 years ago. Like God hasn't been alive and doing anything else since. Tell me what great thing God has shown you lately.
       Chapter 23:7-8 "Therefore behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they will no longer say, As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, but, As the lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel...they will live on their own soil."
       Maybe it's hard to get to excited about what God did 1500 years ago. Maybe it's better to discover some new thing that God is up to, that we could rejoice in. Maybe that is not just true for people from of old, but ourselves as well. What is God up to in your life? What is God teaching you? What have you learned this week to propel you forward walking with Christ? What needs revealed?What strength gained? How big and wonderful things have you discovered about the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords?
       May your testimony be bigger than what God did in your life at camp or on a mission trip 5,10, 20 years ago, but the fresh work of God's life-changing power that is alive today!!

Jer 18-22 Saying NO for the bigger picture

August 17th, Jeremiah 18-22

       When our kids were growing up, we had a pretty strict policy of not rescuing them from their irresponsibility. There are lots of stories, but one that proves the point well had to do with bringing home permission slips for school outings. In short, if you don't get your permission slip in you don't get to go...wherever. One of our children missed out on a couple of events because they couldn't make it happen. Sure enough our child calls from school..."please come over and sign this." To which we replied..."Learn how to take care of your business by not going on this field trip."
       God is working out this same story with a nation of people when he makes, what feels like, uncomfortable statements like in 21:5 The people are asking God to fight for them(come sign my permission slip) "I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath." If this feels like a strange stance on behalf of God, I think parents know the full brunt of God's heart hear. Your asking me to fight for you while your doing everything wrong. Running in to rescue you will not help you, there is something more profound that needs to happen here. God, being the good God he is, let's them know how this could go different if they wanted...
      "Do Justice and Righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people."
       I am always for my kids, but there are moments when greater things are to be learned than "daddy will always fix everything for you all the time no matter how irresponsible you are." God's doing the same thing here, a blessing through punishment with a clear picture of how to do things his way.

Jer 14-17 What do you believe about God

August 16th, Jeremiah 14-17

OMNIPOTENT, ALL-POWERFUL, MIGHTY

       In the end, what do you believe about God? How capable is He? How strong are we? How delusional are we? What would happen in life if we really trusted in the power of the almighty? What would we attempt? How would we make choices day to day? What would our prayer requests become? How much weight would we feel? How much hope would we have? How much despair could we look at and still know something new could be made?

      

       "It took the hand of God almighty to part the waters in the sea, 

but it only took one little lie, to separate you and me,

       OH we are not as strong, as we think we are...

       They say that one day Joshua, he made the sun stand still in the sky,

but I can barely keep these thoughts of You from passing by, 

       OH we are not as strong, as we think we are."

       Jeremiah 17:5 "Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in man

              and makes man his strength,

       Whose heart turns away from the Lord.

       Conversely, blessed are those who trusts in God and makes God his strength, Whose heart turns to the Lord. The Bible's word spoken over you and I is that we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS! Conqueror sounds pretty good, most will settle for that. In Christ, conquering is just the tip of the iceberg.

"You are cordially invited to Conquer sin and death today

 through the power of the Holy Spirit alive in you."

I must become lesser, He must become greater!! Believe that today!

Jer 10-13 God has some snappy comebacks!!

August 15th, Jeremiah 10-13

       I love the Q and A session between God and Jeremiah, I especially love God's answer in chapter 12..."If you have raced with men on foot and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?" We try to come up with some sort of logic to find answers we want. When it comes to asking God questions, you really need to be prepared for answers that might be at the speed of a race horse and not the speed of mankind.
       Jeremah asks the same questions many prophets and many people ask.."Why does the way of the wicked prosper, why do all who are treacherous thrive?" Part of the irritaing answer for people is simple...God Loves People. We don't serve a petty God who gives favors to the teacher's pets and sends everyone else to detention. The cows on Christian dairy farms don't give more milk that cows on non-Christian dairy farms, because God loves people. This is the good news for all of us, as all of us were once enemies of God. If God didn't love his enemies he would have never loved any of us after the fall.
       So the real question is why does God discipline his children. I have different expectations of my children than I do of my children's friends who spent the night. We used to tease one of CJ's friends that CJ was my "Blood Boy," and that his friend was my "Water Boy." I feed, house, provide for, love and discipline my blood boy. For my water boy, I provide the recipe for Dump Cake!!
       God disciplines his children because his children want to play in the street, eat sugar, be mean to their siblings, lack respect that is due theirs authorities, all in all need correction and a good path to walk on. When it's time, correction is needed because there is a realization of a better way to walk in life. God knows this better way with a clarity that is spot on. If he's speaking to you...just listen and stop asking the questions people ask.

Jer 7-9 God wants to solve the heartache.

August 14, Jeremiah 7-9

       Some people might not have the stomach for the level of stress and heartache recorded in the prophets. People come to the simple conclusion that God is mad and leave it at that. But if a situation was translated to an issue in our day, I think we'd understand better.
       1993, Denver Colorado a time known as "The Summer of Violence." It was the peak summer of a season of five summers where gang violence spilled into the everyday lives of Denver residents. Gang on gang violence was common, 1993 began stories like a child shot at the Denver Zoo, a child shot in the head, a 10-month old shot on the front porch, a young husband murdered and his wife abducted on the way to the grocery store. None of the people with any gang affiliations or drug connections or use. One violent act after another creating fear in the Denver community.
       These stories hit home. In the prophets these are the stories of people who should know better. In 1993 citizens of Denver were outraged... God was too. Just like these stories where the prophets were calling for a change. In 1993 lawmakers convened to call for a change. Prophets called for change long ago and one can't read too much of the Bible to realize some change us necessary in our day.
       God is never to blame for our mess, He is the answer for it. May the voice if the prophets remind us of our solution.

Jer 4-6, Finding Rest is Hard Work

August 13th, Jeremiah 4-6

Random thoughts from today's passage...

4:22       May it never be said of me that I was wise at being evil...
5:12       May I not speak falsely saying "God won't care if I walk in sin"...
5:22       God placed the boundary of the sea, waves toss but won't prevail, they can roar all they want.
5:24       I serve a God who gives rain in season and maintains us 'til the harvest.
6:14       I don't want to offer people false hope, saying "peace, peace" when there is no peace.

6:16      A favorite verse....

"Stand at the crossroads and look;

 ask for ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls."

Can't top that!!

Finding rest,

Terry

Jer 1-3 Best Choice by Far

August 12th, Jeremiah 1-3

       You have two choices...the sweetest boat ever to grace Lake Superior. Take your pic a large quiet sailboat with all the trimmings, a speedboat to get your from point A to point B "Miami Vice" style or a big cabin cruiser. You can have one of those OR you can have a dingy 50 year old 12 foot alumicraft with holes and no engine(and a $50 budget to buy one.) Which would you choose?
       You have two choices in a relationship, you can pick someone who is toxic, defensive, selfish, blaming, abusive and jealous OR you can find someone generous, growing, loving, giving, caring and kind. Which would you choose?
       Or from today's scripture you could choose a whore for a wife. One who sleeps around and cheats on you all of your days. Always crying out to you when they need help but also always going back to being a whore everytime. OR you could choose someone who knows about faithfulness, promise, covenant, and keeping a vow.
       The final OR is too cliche to mention but the choice we all have. Which God will you choose, and how faithful will you be? Somethings are so obvious it's painful to watch the choice...just ask God.

Isaiah 64-66 A whole different scale

August 11th, Isaiah 64-66

       All of Isaiah is an inspiration and the last few chapters don't disappoint. It recognizes the grand scale of God, whether it be his might, miracles or mercy, nothing is on earth is on par with God. You will never see anything more powerful, more tender or impossibilities become possible than with our God. Always ready to come back into relationship with us, chapter 65 paints the real picture and a future hope that more compelling than present reality.
        Chapter 66 asks a question that sets us in our correct position. The heavens are God's throne, the earth is his footstool, where is the house your gonna build for God? If the earth is God's ottoman where he puts his feet, the construction project for his house might be overwhelming. Just a reminder that God isn't really like us, just better. God is one a whole different scale. It is a privilege to invited into his presence!!

Isaiah 59-63 Strength, Mission, Identity, Goal

August 10th, Isaiah 59-63

       One of my all-time favorite sections of scripture is part of today's reading!! It is the mission of God and an attempt on my part to make it the mission of my life... Isaiah 61:1-3
        The strength of almighty God is upon us. That's great news by itself, but it goes on to inform us of our mission for life...
       Preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captive, freedom for prisoners, proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance, comfort those who mourn. That is our mission in life. We get caught up in what job do I want, what house should I buy, how will the Denver Broncos do this season...our mission gets muddled like "Fox in Socks" (great book, pithy mission)!
       The passage goes on to talk about our identity, what defines you and I, and gives us clarity about God's desires for us.  That we would know beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Try on the first of those pairs and put off the second and see how different life can be.
        Finally the goal for you and I, that we would be oaks of righteousness. I think of the tall powerful, twisted, weathered, mighty oak trees I have seen. No doubt about their age, no doubt about their strength, no doubt about the acorns, shade, blessing they provide to others. This is what we would grow into.
       So God gives us his strength in His Spirit, a mission, an identity, and a vision for our future. Let us press into walking side by side with God in this adventure of faith and provision.

       God thank you for clarity about core issues in my life. And for confusion about other things, may I learn to trust and walk with you!!

Isaiah 54-58 I can't get no....satisfaction

August 9th, Isaiah 55-58

       I love irony in music and in the written word. It captures my attention quickly. Chapter 55 has a zinger. It starts off with an invitation to people who are thirsty and without money. The invite is to come, buy, and eat... Come buy, without money and without cost. Now that's a market I have never been to. The irony makes you wonder what they are getting at.
       Then the next question is posed..."Why do you spend your money on what is not bread, your labor for what does not satisfy." A call to evaluation. Of all the things to spend money on, why buy something that doesn't provide for you. Considering the time this was written it is a big question. Now days they call it disposable income, not something many people in the world have ever heard of...our limited money goes to buy things we actually need...bread.
       All the while everyone needs to know this, there is something grand that is not for sale. Something's that won't cost and will satisfy. If you can get past a world screaming for your money to erase a lack of contentment in your spirit... You and I could live off of the richest of fare. A product that could cause the 'Stones to write a new song. Are we wise enough to purchase that which is not for sale?

Isaiah 49-53 Pictures on the Fridge

August 8th, Isaiah 49-53

       The impression this morning impressed upon me is the intimacy that God has with messed up people. We tend to disassociate ourselves with people who let us down again and again and again and again... There is a breadth to God's grace that I am unfamiliar with, that reminds me quickly that I seldom love as God does.
       49:15-16 speaks of the impossibility of a woman forgetting her child, that God has an image of you engraved on the palm of his hand. Like a mom carrying pictures of her kids in her purse (on her phone: it's a new day!). You pull out your phone to show people your children.  Your proud to show them to anyone who will look. God does the same thing with you. With your picture on his palm, he says "look, here's my kid!" With a bold proclamation God says "you belong!"
       These messages of connection live in the midst of a prophets call out of a lot of personal and national mistakes. It is a curiosity in the midst of Gods love and expectation. As people we probably live in the error of enjoying the first too much or beating ourselves up for the second.
    Go check out verses 50:4,7-10, 52:5-8, 53:2-6... Let us step into a love that God is offering us, shed the confused feelings about our identity with God and live as the loved, dear children of the King of all kings.

       Hey look, it's your face on Gods palm... He must really love you!!

Isaiah 45-48 Either/Or

August 7th, Isaiah 45-48

       Our stories have a flow. There is a context of the previous that informs and gives structure to the present and certainly has bearing and sway on the future. Missing a couple of days blogging as we were on a camping trip has me wondering how much to look through the missed chapters would give a little context for today's word.
       Prophets have a big challenge. Convince a nation they are wrong, that their trouble comes from disobedience, that God cares, that they should change, that they don't need to fear change, which leads to some convincing happening in the chapter's today.
       "I call you by name, though you do not know me. I am the Lord and their is no other, besides me there is no God. I equip you though you do not know me." Some great promises in those words. God does much for us even though we are far from him sometmes.
       I always enjoy God's comparison of himself and idols. "Who is my equal?" I think saying things out loud and then listening to your self is a good way to tell if you've lost it. I pray to a hunk of metal that has ear but can't hear. I rescue it because it can't rescue me, I carry it around like my 6-month old because it has no ability to do anything by itself...it is my god.
       In the end God wants to be head over us and bless us. 49:17 " I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the wave of the sea; your offspring would have been like sand, your descendants like it's grains; There name would have never been cut-off or destroyed from before me." 
       A warning from the past, how the past determined their current state and their current state will determine their future. It's the same for us...what will our tomorrow hold...well...some(not all) actually depends on us!

Isaiah 31-35 Satan tried to out ask God!!

August 4th, Isaiah 31-35

       A ransom: someone  is taken by a group who wants to use that as leverage for gain. That gain might be money or the return of something or the freedom of a political prisoner. It's a picture of a bad moment in the life of people. We've all seen some sort of movie that had this as part of the plot. As you enter in to how you might feel if such a thing happened with one of your cherished loved ones, it would be hard to bear.
       This mornings passage speaks of us as the ransomed. The one for which a great price was paid. "The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing." A ransom is paid to one who is using a victim, ransoms are generally an exorbitant cost, ransom situations are never clear about the outcome of the one being held, there is much danger to it. Over the years I've talked a lot about being redeemed(bought and set free), but a ransom is a different situation. A ransom has to do with evil. There is an enemy who wants our soul.
       Good news for us is that if you have chosen Christ, you and I stand as the ransomed. God has stepped in and dealt with an enemy of His and ours. Satan thought he could ask a high price, but he couldn't out ask God's provision! For that there is much rejoicing!!!

       I'm glad you were ransomed, if you haven't been yet, lets talk...soon!

Isaiah 28-30 Trusting/Praising the Potter

August 1st, Isaiah 28-30

       There are two well known sets of verses from chapter 29. The first one says... People draw near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Their fear is a commandment taught by men.  I've heard people quote that verse often but never hear the next verse which says in essence...because of this I will do wonder upon wonder. God's response to mankind's failure is not what you would think.
       The second is the reference to the potter and the clay. Who are we, as the clay, to question how the potter chooses to create us. Or to accuse our creator of  lacking understanding. A right perspective  changes how you see things.
       Simple instructions... Offer an honest heartfelt praise and celebrate how the potter has made you!!

Isaiah 23-26 and yet...

When you start reading this portion of Isaiah, you see destruction, Tyre is fallen and there is a call for people to mourn.  It gets no more rosy as the next chapter begins by describing God's judgement of the earth, and yet, there's a change.

Following verse about an outcry of things that are gone, comes Is 24:14, "They raise their voices, they shout for joy; They cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the Lord."  What is it, what about any of that makes sense?  It's stories of judgement, sorrow, death, kingdoms falling, and yet..."they shout for joy"

The book of Isaiah is one of my favorites, because it showcases how this works, this is Gospel.  Throughout all of this judgement and punishment, righteousness can be restored.  The evil are put down and the good may rise.  Isaiah makes no attempt to make it sound happy or easy though, because it's not easy.

The idea that wicked will be punished so that the righteous can live is not just confined to nations, though we can certainly pull out many examples, it is also found on smaller scales, in organizations, office spaces and the very heart of each person.

There is a punishment for sin, whether is pride followed by a downfall, financial poverty after foolish spending, or being worn down by trying to bear the weight of your own sin.  See though, how in Isaiah the praising of God comes after the judgement.  It is much the same with us, when we sin, we set ourselves up for our own punishment, the punishment brings pain, the pain brings a choice.

The choice is God or not God.  This is why so many conversion stories begin with a description of rock-bottom, the punishment for sin is felt and a choice is made. 

Isaiah 18-22 The Two most important things in discipline!!

August 1st, Isaiah 18-22

       If reconciliation is the goal, then the punishment is separation. Yesterday I had a fun conversation reminiscing about disciplining our children. It sure was a lot more fun to talk about it in past tense than to be in the midst of it. But one thing came up that is also evident in these issues surrounding the discipline of God's people.
       Children have no boundaries, they are made by parents. Boundaries that keep them from going to far(don't run out into the street) and boundaries that keep them from getting too close (I told you once that we are not getting that, when you keep asking you are being disrespectful of me and you will stop). R.E.S.P.E.C.T. find out what it means to me!!(I sang that a lot to my kids)
       When authority is challenged it is always time for discipline. In our family sometimes it involved a spanking, sometimes sitting in a certain spot, it depended on the crime. But discipline has something to do with saying NO to little tyrants who intentionally cross boundaries. Parents fail to do this all the time. Don't fail because it will come back to bite you pretty hard.
       The other failure is the one that breaks my heart most and that is this... after the time of separation, of saying NO... there is a time for unconditional love. I disciplined my kids and it's over, now is the time to show them how much I love them, reconcilation. I wanted them to feel the weight of being separate and the contrast of the joy and the great knowledge of being one with me. My kids wanted to know they were loved by me after getting in trouble. I went way out of my way to give them as big a hug as they wanted, to read or play or just be with them. I wanted them to also know they were loved.  To create in them the awareness of not wanting to be distant from the ones they love.  To learning the same with God. I don't want to be distant from Him.
       The Israelites are distant from God, They have separated themselves, they are living in a moment of discipline. As rough as the moment feels, God steps in to remind us of his love that is constant. The time of separation comes to a close and to feel close in the arms of a loving God. We live in this cycle as an individual, as a family, as a church, as a nation. Knowing where your at in the cycle will help with growth and understanding where you should be or where you should stay!!