God's Patience and Grace

     I passed a sign out in front of the Seventh Day Adventist church near our home the other day.  It says, "To Whom Do We Owe Thanks?"  Normally, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to church signs, but this one got me to thinking.  We talk about this time of year that we have a lot to be thankful for or at least some of us do.  But, sometimes we neglect to say to "whom" we owe our thanks.  More than that even, we sometimes are only talking about the temporary things of this world instead of things like eternal life.

      The longer I am a christian, the more amazed I am by the grace and patience of God.  I am amazed that God puts up with how slow I am to respond to him and to learn lessons of grace.  Not only that, but how many times I go backwards instead of forwards.  It is amazing that God forgives us, even the best of us.  It is amazing that he wants to have a relationship with us all. 

In working in mental health, I have some clients that I get along with and personally like more than others.  You can't and shouldn't play favorites and that doesn't mean that I do, but there are naturally some people whose personalities are kinder and easier to get along with.  Others, to be blunt, have made me a little reluctant to even work with them because they seem so self-destructive or dysfunctional.  I think to myself that there is nothing that I can do and nothing is going to help.  It makes you want to give up sometimes though you can't.  I wonder sometimes if God feels the same way about me?  Multiplied times 1,000.  Because he can see the heart and not just the exterior and see how black it is without the blood of Christ.

So, this thanksgiving, I am grateful for a lot of things.  I am grateful for a wife who puts up with me and two good kids.  I am thankful for my job and for the things that I have.  I am thankful for those I call my friends.  I am thankful for a lot, but most of all I am thankful for a gracious and merciful God who doesn't give up on me.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord. And to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; To declar Thy lovingkindness in the morning, And Thy faithfulness by night," Psalm 92:1-2

Brutality and the Bible

    I don't mean to make this sound like I am doubting God or the goodness of God.  I do believe that God is good.  I sometimes have trouble reconciling some views of God in the Old Testament with what I know of Him in the New Testament.  There is a lot of brutality in the Old Testament.  Anyone who doesn't see that must not have read much of it.  One example that I have been pondering over is what happens to Achan in Joshua 7.
    Achan was one of the ones who paraded around Jericho and was there when the walls fall.  He was told along with the others that they were not to take spoil for themselves, but to destroy everything.  It seems that this was too difficult for him and he took several things some silver and some gold and a mntle from Shinar.  He hid them in this tent after the rout of Jericho.  We don't know if he told his family or not, but it seems unlikely to me that he could have kept the news to himself.
   So, the next battle comes along and Israel is defeated before Ai.  Joshua is stunned at this defeat since Jericho was much bigger and he cries out to God.  God reveals to him that someone has kept some of the spoil from Jericho and that is why they could not stand before Ai.  I wonder at why this news was kept from Joshua before the battle.  At any rate, the battle of Ai results in 36 men dying on the Israelites side.
  So, to find out who has kept the spoil, the people come before Joshua by lot and Achan is chosen.  He confesses what he kept for himself (Joshua 7:20-21).  Joshua sends men to Achan's tent and they find what he has hidden.  As a result, everyone and everything Achan owns is brought to the valley and there they stoned and burned all that he had including his daughters and sons and possessions.
   This action is said to turn God fierce wrath away from the people of God and allows them victories in the war effort.  But, what it doesn't say is why God would want to punish the sons and daughters as well as Achan for his sins.  Why is his whole family judged along with him including the poor animals and children?  Unless I am reading this wrong or missing something in the interpretation that is what it says to me.  How do I reconcile that with a merciful, loving God who sent Jesus to die for us? 
   I don't have a position on this at this moment.  It is something I am pondering about.  I asked this question on a forum I use to be moderator on and I have not gotten an answer yet.  There is a possible explanation that Adam Clark mentions in  his commentary that his children were not killed, but witnessed Achan's death that they might take more seriously the sins of their father.  Certainly, this verse takes punishment for stealing or disobeying God's word to a whole new level.  A level that was not typical even for most of Israels history.

Deut 24:16- "Father shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin."
Also 2 Kings 14:6

Does God speak to you?

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold, I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God."  Psalm 62:5-7

    Most christians have times in their lives when it doesn't appear that God is saying much or they struggle to understand God's will for they're lives.  I've had several long periods where God seemed distant and others times when he seemed as close as a person could be.  What do you do when it seems God is hiding and is unwilling to be found?  Even when you feel the need for a direct word from God so you can make a choice or decision.

   I find that when I really want to hear a word from God it often seems it is at that specific point that God seems harder to find.  It really causes me to seek after him.  Like trying to find a treasure a mile under water.  At the very moment I want God to shout, He whispers.  It's frustrating.  It's also tempting at times like that to just do whatever I want and not to wait.

   There is a story in the Bible that I love about King David.  He goes into battle against his enemy and is victorious.  It really isn't close.  Then he goes into battle again against the same enemy.  It would be easy to assume and just do the same thing the second time, but David stops and asks God what he should do.  God tells him to set an ambush and when the enemy is drawn out to move.  Specifically, God says when he hears the sound of a great army in the treetops overhead then it is time to move.  (see 2 Samuel 5:23-25)  It is almost as if he can hear the sound of the army of God going out before him to fight.  The point is, that David didn't assume.  Other times, he does assume and the results are dramatically different.

  An example would be when an enemy of the people of God come and make a treaty with Joshua and his  people.  They dress up as if they have come a long ways.  God specifically told Joshua not to make a treaty with any of the nearby neighbors,but to destroy them completely.  Instead, Joshua hears these mens stories and sees that it appears they came on a long journey and doesn't consult with God.  In Joshua 9:14 it says, "So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord."  As a result, they can never overcome this enemy and it becomes a burden to the people for centuries to come afterward.

  Truth be told, I like to do things my own way most of the time.  And silence from God can sometimes seem like a written invite to do whatever I want.  But, I think rather God is trying to tell us to slow down, to focus on him and not ourselves and to take the time to seek Him.  The hard part is sometimes being silent and waiting on God and being still.

How does God speak to you?  Does he speak to you? 

     So, I am trying to lose a few pounds and get my blood sugar under better control.  In the process of doing that, I am also going to they gym and working out.  I've gone 6 weeks so far and lost about 7 pounds.  It is difficult!  Especially the first two weeks or so I thought I might die.  But, now I actually look forward to it.  The hard part for me now is eating right.  It is so easy to eat something, especially as a snack that is unhealthy.

    Yesterday, we had someone bring some snacks to work.  Some of my favorite all time chocolate bars "Crunch" bars and Kit Kats and stuff like that along with a lot of bread and stuff.  I had to walk past that all day long.  I thought to myself, "Why is it that saying no to yourself is so easy in some cases and so hard in others."  "No" seems to be the first word every child learns as they learn to assert their indpendence.  But, saying "no" and practicing some self-discipline at times seems to be about the hardest thing I have to do.

    After saying "no" once or twice, I find myself thinking up ways I can try and justify eating one or two candy bars.  I might say to myself "Well, I'll just work harder when I get to the gym today."  Or something like that.  In other words, I am already thinking of a way to compromise.  But, don't we do that alot with things?  Isn't that the first hook that usually trips people up, that trips me up.  I try to find a way to eat what I want and lose weight to.  

   Practicing that self-discipline, especially when nobody is watching is a tough thing.  I am still stumbling around at times and having some difficulties.  But, overall doing better than I was. . .

you have not passed this way before

   In Joshua 3:4 it says that the officers of the Israelites went through the camp and told the people who were preparing to enter into the promise land "you have not passed this way before."  In other words, for fourty years they have been wandering around in the desert under the leadership of Moses.  But, now Joshua is taking the helm and a new way is being forged.  No more wandering in circles, now it's time to claim what is yours.

   A lot of us growing up in churches have heard the story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.  But, there was also another parting, perhaps less dramatic, the parting of the Jordan River.  It is also mentioned in these verses in Chapter 3 of Joshua.  God parts a sea at the beginning and now here at the end, another body of water parts.  Have you ever wondered why?

  You might say "Well, isn't it obvious, they needed to get to the other side!"  But, that really isn't the point.  There are places where it would have been relatively easy to cross the Jordan.  Historically significant and now a place of a great deal of conflict, it isn't that big of a river.  Certainly, not one of the great waters of the world.  I think rather, God is doing several things here, some for Joshua and some for the people and then also for those who would try and fight against the Israelites.

   Rahab mentioned the Red Sea in Joshua 2:10 even though that event had happened about 40 years prior to the Israelites arrival in Jericho.  Most of them couldn't even remember leaving Egypt since most had been born in the wilderness.  But, as it always does, word had traveled around about what God had done.  They knew the victories and also the defeats of the people of God.  Rahab gives a pretty good testimony herself of what God had done by the way she receives the spies.  But, now God puts his handprint on a new generation.  It is almost as if he is saying to them, "I brought you into the wilderness and now I am taking you out."  To a newly appointed Joshua, who is just getting use to Moses not being there, that must have been a comfort to him.

    It was also a comfort to the people of God themselves.  Slow to follow Moses, they were not use to seeing someone else guiding them.  They rebelled repeatedly against Moses, but they knew him.  Here was Joshua and human nature being what it is I am sure some had doubts about him.  Just seeing the waters part as the started getting there feet wet must have been comforting and reassuring.  God was still with them even if they did have a new leader.  If God had not acted in this manner, it may have been that the people would not have been so willing to follow him when times got tougher, which they would.

   But, it also served as a warning to the enemies of God.  The same God that Rahab had heard about was still present with his people.  It put everyone on notice.  You notice that when the people of God arrive in Jericho, they may have been in awe of the huge wall around the city, but the city itself was shut up tightly.  They were afraid (Joshua 6:1)  Not because of the people, but becasue of what God had done through them.

Who is Really Rich?

      I met a really rich lady the other day living in a trailer park.  You might be surprised by that since most rich people live in nice, big  houses, but yes she is rich.  She made a statement to me while we were visiting that proves it.  She said all she had was Jesus.  I thought to myself, "Then your better off than most people who don't have him."  To truly have Christ and to know Him is what it means to be spiritually rich.  This is what Paul said about this.

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ." Philippians 3:8

   So, while the world would look at this lady and see someone who is near destitute, spiritually she has something far more valueable than gold or material possessions.  While it may appear that she is very alone, she is actually never alone.  Paul said he counted all things as trash compared to knowing Jesus.  It didn't even compare in value.

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them." Psalm 34:7

   The people of Laodicea in contrast to my new client and friend thought they were rich, but God called them poor.  This is the church known as the lukewarm church.  I believe it is symbolic of the church of today.  Jesus said to them.  "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked..  I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may  not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see." Revelation 3:17-18

  We could just as well cry out this statement in Hollywood or Wall Street today to those who think they are self-sufficient and not in need, "You are poor."  To those who walk the red carpet and have pictures taken of them now and don't know Jesus.  "Enjoy it now because this is your full reward.  You are poor."  To the lady in the trailer park, whose family lives far away and can't get enough money together to afford her copayment on her medication, "You are rich.  You know Jesus.  You are never alone."

  We need to remember this in these hard economic times, that those who know Jesus are truly rich.  We have something that nobody can take from us.  He is always there for us and has promised not to leave or forsake us.

My First Bible Study

   When I was a teenager, our youth group had an informal bible study that was led by a guy named Jim on Wednesdays.  We would meet at people's houses and have refreshments and Jim or someone would lead a study.  I remember first really feeling inspired to read the Bible through that Wednesday study.  I remember telling Jim one day that he should do a study on the book of Job.  He told me instead that I should do it.  So, I told him I would.  A few weeks later, I led the study. 

  The thing that amazed me about the book of Job is that in the first two chapters it looks like God and Satan are making wagers on if Job will cave in or not and curse God.  First, God allows Satan to take away everything except his health.  Then, God allows Satan to take away his health, but not to kill him.  It tells us that Job was inflicted with painful sores and boils.  If you just look at the first two chapters, God looks kinda juvenile.

   But, the book does draw attention to an important issue, one of pain and why it happens.  In the end, the book actually doesn't answer this question.  In fact, for quite a while the book discusses the old reasons why people give for suffering from Job's friends and Job's responses.  Job craves an answer from God Himself since he feels he is innocent.  Then in the end of the book, God shows up in a whirlwind.  Basically, he tells Job that he is creator and that He does not have to justify himself to Job.   In a sense, God tells Job to trust Him even when he does not understand.

   As you may have noticed from my last post, this has been a difficult issue for me.  No more so, then when I was a chaplain at a trauma hospital in 2006.  I saw people come in who had been stabbed and several very bad car accidents.  I remember they taped one poor guy up from the middle of his chest down after surgery.  He didn't make it to the next morning from internal bleeding.  When you work in a setting like that, you see how quickly life can change.  How often unreal and unexpected things change life in a nanosecond.  You realize that life is not secure, safe and it makes you want to hug your kids harder.  It makes you realize that we are not promised a tomorrow and then we need to make the most of our time.

  Making the most of my time for me means doing things in my life that make an eternal difference in people's lives.  Doing things that help people and encourage them.  Really being salt and light in a dark place.  That is what making the most means to me because people are eternal and all the stuff in this world is not.  So, that is where I want to make a difference.  I see the hurts of other people as an opportunity for ministry.

  There is a parable that Jesus tells of the sheep and the goats.  One is on his left and the other on his right.  One is judged and condemned and the other is not.  In the end, the ones who are condemned think that they should not be.  The others ask Jesus when did they see him in hunger, naked, or thirsty or in need and help him.  Jesus replies that when you do it to the least of these it is like you are doing it for him.  That is an awesome thought to think that when we do something out of kindest for someone else in Jesus' name it is like we are doing it for him.