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Joshua 22-24, Psalm 116, Luke 19

I like the parable of the ten servants (Luke 19:11-27).  At least I like it as long as I am the one that gets the most minas (money).  Do you remember what he did with his?  He doubled them.  As a reward, the governor gave him ten cities.   Not only that, the governor gave him all the money from the lazy guy.  That’s who I am, right?

Truth is, we have to look at this story from the other angle.   The story is not so fun when I become the lazy guy.  He’s ruled by fear and lives in safety.  Of course, that’s not me.  Is it?

To answer that question, let’s first understand that Jesus is not talking about money here.  He is talking about the kingdom of God.  As such, God has invested in us.  In fact, I quickly become overwhelmed when I think of all his benefits to me.  I can start with bountiful earth.  He gave it to us and commanded us to be fruitful and multiply.  He wants us to fill the earth and subdue it, giving us dominion over the fish and birds and every living thing (Genesis 1:28).  How’s that for an investment?  But wait, there’s more.

To cover the crazy mess that humans were making, God went all in on his investment.  He sent his son.  Now, God promises you are guaranteed salvation.  Now, he vows, you can have abundant life.  Now, he asks gently, do you love me?

You don’t want me to respond, do you, God?  I mean, yes, I appreciate all that you’ve done, and I know you to be an angry and vengeful God, so I’ve just been hanging out over here in the corner, trying to mind my own business.  You know, over here where I can’t get into any trouble. I sure don’t want to make you mad.

And just like that, I’ve become the lazy guy.  Choosing to rest on what I have been given for fear that I might say something offensive.  Equally bad, I might do something that doesn’t work.

This isn’t the way God designed it. This is not why he invested in us.  The Psalmist in Psalm 116 gets it right with one single question.  He asks, “What can I offer to the Lord for all he’s done for me?” (v12).  That is a good question for me to answer.  Right now.

The Psalmist responds this way:

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.

I will keep my promises to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

Deuteronomy 32-34, Psalm 13, Luke 13

Deuteronomy 34:1-4 (NLT) Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan;  all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea;  the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar.  Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”

What kind of cruel trick is this?  For the last 40 years, Moses has led the Israelites faithfully.  He’s endured wars, famine, rebellion, and every kind of struggle.  His calling kept him strong; the promised land.  Get the people there, God told him.  But, this is the end for Moses.  He will not enter.  Instead, he will die.

It makes me mad.  The pain he endured, and the faithfulness he gave, weren’t enough. Instead of a victory lap, God says, stand here next to me and watch.  Let me show you what you are missing out on.  What?!

My thoughts and questions reveal the trouble of my own heart.  Think about it.   If God pulled you aside today and said someone else is about to accomplish everything you dreamed, but sorry, your time has come.  Now, stand here next to me and watch.  How would you feel?

Anger is first for me.  You just experienced that.  Thankfully, it is short-lived.  I push through the anger and ask God to help me see.  He presents me with humility. This comes with the reminder that Moses messed up pretty badly.  So have I.  But God loves anyway.  This love gives way to worship.

Moses had it right.  He knew that the promised land wasn’t the real prize.  God was the prize.  Because of this, Moses saw his death as an opportunity.  It’s no different than Paul.   Remember when Paul said, “to live is Christ, but to die is gain?” (Phil 1:21)  Moses knew this too.  God has finally freed him from all of life’s troubles.  He gets to be with God for all of eternity.

Clearly, I have work to do.  My failure to see God as the prize for Moses tells me that there is something in this life that I have idolized.   There is something in this life that I am making all about me.  This is where Moses got it right.  He looks God straight on and sees everything he ever wanted, so he follows him up the mountain with great anticipation.

When I was thirteen years old I shot a BB gun and broke a very expensive window of a nearby home. It wasn’t intentional nor an act of aggression, it was a thoughtless and irresponsible act by a kid who knew nothing about guns. I’d like to say it was “unlucky” but the immediate response would be “and what did you think would happen when you pointed a gun at someone’s home, then pulled the trigger?”

To make matters worse, I tried to hide the crime. I was fearful and filled with regret and sadness. When the whole thing came to light of course I was in serious trouble with my parents and our neighbors.

Corrective Actions

To reconcile, it was decided that I would be paying for that window, and first I must apologize in person to our neighbors. They were an older, retired couple who were known for being kind and generous (especially with Halloween candy). They accepted my apology and reminded me how much the window would cost to replace. I reassured them that I’d be paying for it but it would take some time.

In today’s dollars, the window would cost about $2,000 to replace so there was a lot of work to be done! My dad helped me by creating a paper ledger (my first lesson in the world of accounting) that would show the starting balance, and with each chore or paid task I’d write the description and update the balance. Since it was autumn there would be no high-paying lawn mowing or landscaping gigs so, unfortunately, the main thing I could do was babysit. No more weekend fun until the debt was paid and after three months I hardly made a dent in the amount due. It was going to take a long, long time to repay and I was miserable.

God, Justice, and Mercy

Yesterday at a Bible study meeting we discussed how God is both merciful and just, and I recalled my crime as a kid. God keeps his promises and he also loves us so he also shows us mercy. Here’s a great resource from The Bible Project which beautifully presents the Character of God.

For three months I labored heavily so that justice would be served, yet I received no mercy. For Christmas, I had hoped for some cash to help pay off the debt quicker. After the presents were unwrapped, my parents reminded me to open my stocking. Great, maybe I can sell some of the candy at school (in those days I was known as the candyman as I often sold candy to other kids).

My parents were watching me intently sifting through the contents of the stocking when suddenly there was a piece of paper; the ledger. Not understanding why the ledger was in the stocking, I looked at my parents, and they said, “look at it”. Then I realized, my parents crossed out the balance and had written “paid” on it. I couldn’t believe it! We all suddenly had tears in our eyes; it was the best gift I’d ever received.

My parents gave me a good lesson in justice and an even better lesson in mercy which better equips me to understand what Christ did for us in his work on the cross. Our debt of sin is astronomical and impossible for us to pay on our own.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT)

Call to Action

Think of a time when you were shown mercy and think through how you would retell the story, then pray for an opportunity to share with a non-believer. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the words and that the other person’s heart will start to soften to the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Let your mercy story stand on its own until the right time for the parallel to be drawn. This is what I’m praying for. If one heart moves closer to eternity with God then shooting that window was very much worthwhile.

Today’s reading: Deuteronomy 23-26 and Luke 11

Deuteronomy 15-18, Psalm 115, Luke 9

Can you remember the last time you were alone?  No, I am not talking about being by yourself; I am talking about being alone.  Just you and your thoughts.  Unless you are intentional about it, it happens less often than you think.  Not because we don’t have the opportunity but because we extinguish the opportunity.  That means when we find ourselves alone, we do everything possible not to be alone.  Think television, the internet, social media, and maybe even alcohol.  If I am honest, being alone terrifies me.  But Jesus sought it out.

Jesus sought out alone time. A closer look through Luke 9 is surprising to see.  Starting in verse 9, “he slipped quietly away” (NLT).  Verse 18 explains that Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. He even took advantage of being alone while the others were sleeping (V32.) Clearly, Jesus understood the need to recharge.  We all do.  But Jesus wasn’t about “time off.”  He didn’t want to be alone.  He wanted to be alone with God.  And that is even more terrifying than being alone.

As CS Lewis writes in The Lion, in The witch and the Wardrobe, “Is he-quite safe?  I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…” safe?” said Mr. Beaver … “Who said anything about safe?  ‘Course he isn’t safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.”

You see, something happens when we are in the presence of the King. Respect and humility are only part of it.  When you get alone with God, he will change you.  Problem is you may not want to change.  Or, maybe God wants to change you a lot, and you’re only willing to change a little.  Perhaps, you are not willing to change at all?  There is a simple solution to all of those.  Don’t get alone with God.

Of course, that is no answer.  To give up Jesus is to give up life.  But, if we are to live fully, we must make time to be with him.  The results will be unmistakable, just like Jesus.  As he prayed, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white (v29).