Breaking The Rules

Leviticus 14; Psalm 17; Proverbs 28; 2 Thessalonians 2

Don’t tell me what to think or do!

Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.-Proverbs 28:14

I was never one that could follow instructions very well. If I had to read them, forget it, I never did. From my earliest memories the way I went through life was to do as I pleased. If I had to figure something out, I just jumped in usually failing. One thing I was really good at was taking things apart. The putting back together part, not so much.

“How did that all work out?” You might ask. Honestly, in some ways very well. I learned self reliance, how to adapt and innovate. I was a creative type and received some attention for that too. But that’s where the story turns. You see for me, and perhaps all of us, despite my independent spirit, I needed something more. I was searching for truth. Within my heart was the need to worship God, but even in the absence of God I was still made to worship something.

Without God, my purposes were self directed. Born to be a rule breaker, the idea of law to me was more like a game or a puzzle than something to take seriously. Discipline was a disruption to the freedom of my rebellious spirit.

Since I didn’t really know God, I was missing the point of it all. Surprisingly life really wasn’t about me, it was about God and other people. When I came to this understanding I wanted to know who God really was, and in that exploration, I came to know that God was Holy. Everything about God was above us. He was set apart and pure — flawless in goodness and righteousness.

To have fellowship with a holy God I needed purification because of my unholiness. For the Israelites this sanctification came from ritual sacrifice. And all the ritual sacrifice prescribed in the law of the Old Testament demonstrated how far from God even His chosen people were. There was intentional and unintentional sin. Even the the need for purification from contact with anything or anyone that was “unclean.” God’s ways were above ours and it was impossible to earn the right to have fellowship with God. Stay with me now.

When I was introduced to the idea of grace through faith, things started to change. I came to see God’s law as a representation of who He was compared to who I was. It wasn’t possible to earn my way back to God. If I was to be restored to fellowship with God that existed before sin came into the world, I needed grace — the grace that God poured out on the world through the blood of Jesus. Reconciliation with God was offered to everyone by grace, through faith. The righteousness through faith that Abraham received (Romans 4:13) was the same thing offered to me and all creation through Jesus. This was the freedom I was looking for and it came from love, not from following rules.

Eventually I understood the law for what it was which wasn’t just following a bunch of rules (important as they are). We are called to pursue holiness in the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We are called to follow the righteous path which turned out to be the path back to the God who had already restored me in fellowship. It was the path of love. As God loved me I was supposed to love others as I loved myself. I was supposed to seek God first in all things. This was the actual path to God that I could walk in freedom and in truth.

The Bible is the story of how God in the flesh reconciled the judgement of the law with the power of grace. It was in His sacrifice that God demonstrated His love of the world and by which he perfected His creation. In this transaction, God for man, he allowed us to be united with God, by Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. -John 3:16

God please make me whole. Restore me to your perfect will in the knowledge of your love and grace, by faith and through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge

Today’s reading: Leviticus 9; Psalm 10; Proverbs 24; 1 Thessalonians 3

April 6th, 2016

Through wisdom is an house builded;
And by understanding it is established:
And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.
– Proverbs 24:3–4

Are wisdom, understanding and knowledge the same thing or are they different? I have come to believe the answer: yes. They all come from the same source: God. They all point to the same thing: truth. However, three distinctions are made and I am inclined to believe so with reason. In seeking answers in the scriptures and by older wiser Christians, I have come to adopt what I call a working definition of each. I’ll share these definitions with you that you can work them out for yourself. Weather these or others, I encourage you to find a working definition of these words that go past the worldly and draw from God’s word. As we read through God’s word seeking out these definitions, God will show us the truth.

Wisdom, is seeing things as God sees things.
Understanding, is knowing how a thing will end.
Knowledge, is discerning the truth.

An important distinction, there are two types of each of these: worldly and heavenly. Here we wrestle with the heavenly.

Wisdom

Seeing things as God sees them is, to me, a tall order. My question when hearing this was, “is that possible?”. Searching the scripture leads me to believe that it is. Wisdom, as understanding and knowledge, are given by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:18, Isaiah 11:2), and so my estimation is that we can rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom. Scripture tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), and so I surmise that to the degree we are inclined to seek out how God views something, through a right fear of His perspective (the truth), is the degree to which God will aid us in our quest. Wisdom is seeing things as God sees things. Those with wisdom have a right fear of the LORD which leads them to seek His way in all things. God is sovereign in all things. Wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). It is foundational. This longing to search for the truth is the source of achieving understanding and knowledge.

Understanding

Understanding how something will come out and acting in our best interest is something we all do to a certain degree. From not touching the hot stove to saving for retirement, we all consider the future and move to avoid pain and get what we desire. Heavenly understanding depends on applying God’s law being the source of this principle. If we miss the source we end up in a perverted place and are deceived. Understanding with this world as its source would have us plan and toil for our temporal future. Brothers and Sisters, I am here to tell you this world is a lie. It will not deliver on what your soul was designed for and pines for. Sunny sandy beaches without bosses will not give you freedom from tears and pain and sorrow. This destination lies in eternity (Rev 21:4) and we as followers of Christ are called to have eternal understanding. Consider the truth of the future and plan according. Use what you have been given to store up treasure in heaven. Have eternal understanding. Those with eternal understanding seek out and obey God’s law because they have seen the future and know how things will end. Ecclesiastes, the book where Solomon, the wisest to ever live, seeks out all things with the wisdom God gave him, concludes this way:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. – Ecclesiastes 12:13–14

Knowledge

The deceiver is the prince of this world and so the world is full of lies. God shows those who fear Him the truth. Consider the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Once the ability to discern is had, the receiver is responsible for their choices. Bad move in my book (and God’s). I would rather depend on God for all things. Adam and Eve were deceived and thought, “If we eat this we will be like God and not need to depend on him, wouldn’t that be great?” All we like sheep have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). Think about what a sheep does. They are constantly unaware of reality and paying the price. They see green grass in the distance so they think, “that looks great to me, I’m going to go get some.” Not realizing all the danger that lies where their desires leading them (Proverbs 18:1, James 1:14-15). The Good Shepherd all the while is leading the sheep to green pastures, unbeknownst to them. Those with knowledge are able to discern the truth from lies. May we all depend on God to show us all things in truth, turning away from the lies of the deceiver that we can make our own way. May we depend on the LORD in all things. May we trust in the LORD with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. May we acknowledge him in all our ways and He always direct our paths. Amen.

Extra Credit

Consider why Proverbs 24:3-4 echoes Proverbs 3:19-20.
Hold a working definition for wisdom, understanding and knowledge as you read through Proverbs 2:1-11 to wrestle with defining these terms for yourself.

Light in the Darkness

Links to today’s reading: Exodus 31; John 10; Proverbs 7; Galatians 6

What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? -Job 38:19

Early one morning I was trying to understand the multitude of world religions; many of which were compelling in some way. Could different belief systems be pointing to the same God like some people said? Was it possible to reconcile these without taking glory away from God, not ignoring the urgency and importance of sharing God’s story? I believed truth was found everywhere; but that didn’t mean everything was true. If there was a specific, profound, absolute truth that all people could discover, I wanted to know it; if it was applicable for everyone, I wanted to share it.

As I contemplated the idea of truth, the image of a large stone temple atop a great pyramid popped into my head. There were hundreds of meticulously cut stone steps, leading past sprawling terraces, to the massive doors of a mighty fortress on high.

Along the steps, and throughout the terraces, were statues of great men and women that had lived extraordinary lives, and of the world’s great beasts, elephants, lions and bears, all carved from the finest marble. On each terrace were courtyards where splendid gardens grew; these were also decorated with statues of animals, and jeweled models of planets, solar systems and galaxies. Attached to well shaped trees were reptiles, mollusks and insects, formed from precious metals.

The air was heavy with moisture and the smell of spring and nectar. As inviting as this place was, something very important was missing — there was no light. None. The world that surround the Temple Mount was enveloped in total darkness, leaving the sojourners to wander these grounds, and climb the great steps; forever groping in the dark. They spoke to each other, describing the statues and models, which they often felt with their hands. Each believed they described a greater truth about this world they were blind to; some in wonder, some in humility, and some with arrogance. Each in their own way believed that something pointed the way (perhaps even offering a key) to the entrance of the temple, a thing, somehow, they knew in their hearts. Inside the temple, they believed, resided every good thing which was missing from their present lives. And each was certain that the entrance was at hand, calling out to the others, “come hither.”

One day the door of the temple opened, and out shone the most brilliant light, blinding the sojourners at first. Then, at the door of the temple, a lamb appeared, wearing a crown of light and calling out, “follow me.”

Now as the sojourners’ eyes adjusted to the light, they saw the things they had been describing to each other for the first time. Some were embarrassed that they had been so sure about the location of the door, or the ridiculous descriptions of things they could only feel. Others, when they saw the lamb at the door, immediately bowed down, knowing it was he who had opened the door to the fortress they had been searching for. Those who knew the truth then arose, and climbed the stairs to the entrance, there they were embraced by the king, who welcomed them. Surprisingly, many of the others remained behind, in disbelief. They were certain that which they had described in the darkness was still true; clues that would someday reveal the key and the door. Then the lamb called out, “come to me,”over and over to those who remained, but they could not hear. Eventually the door closed, and the darkness returned forever.

When Jesus spoke to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. -John 8:12

Try Again, Go Deeper

1.18.16

Today’s reading: Genesis 19; Matthew 18; Nehemiah 8; Acts 18

In Matthew 18 Jesus tells a story of a King who calls to account his people, finding among them a debtor. The debtor unable to pay. His sum too great to bear; he begs for mercy promising to pay all. The King moved, forgives all and sets him free. What a beautiful story.

Until one day some of the King’s servants bring report of a great atrocity. The debtor had been found giving no mercy to those who owed him little. Upon receiving this report the King seized the debtor and handed him over to the tormentors. What a shame.

Had the debtor not received mercy to extend on? Had his debts not been forgiven? Should not margin abound so that he could extend mercy too? It does not make sense to me why he would act this way. Perhaps, could he have had trouble receiving the freedom? Could it have been because he didn’t really believe he’d been forgiven that he turned so ruthlessly in the shadow of his great grace to collect? How could this be? What a tragedy. He had it all!

I recall the first time I read the Parable of the Prodigal Son and realized who I was in the story. It hit me quite hard. So hard I had a defensive response to laugh at my grand oversight. I suppose it was one of those ‘laugh or cry moments’ and I took the weaker way, not wanting to face straight on to wretchedness deep in my heart.

The Bible is full of lessons for us that come through stories. When we read of a protagonist, let us not be too quick to say, ‘that’s me alright’, but instead might we say “how can I become more like them”? When we read through the proverbs let us not be too quick to give ourselves a pat on the back that could end up deep in our hearts. Let us be careful what we believe for out of our hearts’ come the issues of life. More still, when we read of an antagonist let us not be too quick to dismiss; asking from the outside looking in saying ‘how could they?’ Instead, let us look from the inside out and say ‘how could I have?’ Then we go deeper. What is God teaching us? Who are you in the today’s story?

Oh God please forgive me of my wickedness, would You? LORD that I would even notice offenses towards me from others, which are so little and insignificant, within the shadow of Your beautiful and perfect and steadfast forgiveness of my great wickedness, pains my soul. God if you leave me to myself I will continue in my wickedness. Oh God, would You please rescue me from myself? God would you please help me extend a measure of the Grace You afford me for Your Namesake? God would You please be gentle with me for I am weak? I ask this in Jesus Name. Thank You God! You are good and worthy of all praise! Amen.

From today’s reading, after the king receives the tragic report:

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. – Matthew 18: 32-34

From Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount:

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. – Matthew 6:12

The first thing Jesus Says after the Sermon on the Mount:

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. -Matthew 6:14–15

On the benefit of believing and understanding the gravity of the truth; that we are who God says we are: sinners deserving of all tournament; and that God is who He says He is: our Redeemer; and that Jesus can do what He says he can do: save us.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; -Ephesians 3:8