"Yokes!"

Nahum 1.12-13 NAS

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Though they are at full strength and likewise many, even so, they will be cut off and pass away.

Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no longer. So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,
and I will tear off your shackles.’”

God uses His enemies to shape the character of those He loves. The book of Nahum is an oracle against Assyria’s capital city Nineveh. The prophecy was first delivered on the threshold of the fall of Assyria’s great empire around 600 B.C. Nahum acknowledged God’s hand in both the affliction suffered by his beloved Judah and its vindication at Assyria’s downfall.

According to the prophet, God was behind the affliction and the comfort He sent Judah’s way. He used Assyria to execute His wrath upon His people when they were apathetic and too comfortable. But things would change…

“Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no

longer. So now, I will break [Assyria’s] yoke bar from

upon you, and I will tear off your shackles.”

God uses the empires of people and circumstance to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. That’s how He dealt with Judah and that’s how He deals with you and me. This Bible verse reminds me that I must not make the pursuit of comfort my primary objective. It would be better for me to voluntarily don the harness and “yoke bar” of Christ.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your

souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Jesus, Matthew 11.28-30 NKJV

---

"Freedom from Not-So-Imaginary Fears"

Micah 4.1a, 3b-4 NIV

“And it will come about in the last days that…”

“…they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”

The popular notion that no one can make you feel anything, that each person is entirely responsible for his or her own feelings, is not necessarily biblical and not always true. If a crazy man brandishes a loaded gun in my face, he has made me afraid. He is responsible for my feelings. His action made me feel fear.

Micah the prophet describes a fear-less future. He promised,

“And it will come about in the last days that...

every man will sit… under his own fig tree,

and no one will make them afraid.”

What a day that will be! Today there may be reason to fear. Then there will be ‘nothing to fear’. “In the last days” no one will lock their doors, wear protective armor, prepare for war, engage in politics, suffer from gossip, battle public opinion, reach for a gun, look over their shoulder, feel abandoned, know terror, or support a budget for defense.

Children often suffer from imaginary fears. I used to call it the ‘boogie-man’. He and others like him lived under my bed, behind the shower curtain, and in the basement of my house. They mostly came out when I was alone and it was dark. Monsters never dared to reveal themselves when my parents were nearby.

My mom and dad are no longer here to protect me. I sometimes suffer from not-so-imaginary fears. Death, illness, wars, famine, crime, nuclear proliferation, holocausts, car wrecks, terrorist attacks, personal failure, public speaking, financial loss, recession, inflation, confrontation, rejection, embarrassment, impotence, chaos, confusion, old age, or a crazy man with a gun. These things can possibly happen. If I live long enough, some of them most certainly will. Maybe I have good reason to fear.

And yet...

Jesus is always with me and quietly reminds me, “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul”. Yes, Christ’s voice to my heart is unmistakable: “Fear not” (Matthew 10.28, 31 ESV).

Perhaps today...

I can calmly ‘sit under my own fig tree
with no one to make me afraid’.

Perhaps today...

I can have courage and confidence in the
midst of a broken and imperfect world.

Perhaps today...

I can experience “the last days” in my heart
even before they come on earth.

Perhaps today...

I can enjoy a little freedom from my private
collection of not-so-imaginary fears.

___________________

The photgraph at the top of today's post is from a series entitled Childhood Fears by Joshua Hoffine whose additional photos you can view at http://www.hemmy.net/2008/04/29/childhood-fears-photography-by-joshua-hoffine/. Please be advised that the images are graphic in their portrayal of the terror many of us felt as children. In the artist's own words, "I believe that the horror story is ultimately concerned with the imminence and randomness of death, and the implication that there is no certainty to existence. The experience of horror resides in this confrontation with uncertainty. Horror tells us that our belief in security is delusional, and that monsters are all around us." I have never heard a better description of the reality of horror than these words by Mr. Hoffine. While "horor tells us that our belief in security is delusional", God is able to break the bondage of fear common to the human soul by the power of His Word. Christ-followers find inner security to face and combat their fears, both those real and imagined, from the words of Jesus: "Have faith" (Mark 11.22) and "Fear not" (Matthew 10.28).

"Thankfully, God Does Not Always Do What He Said He Would Do"

Jonah 3.10-4.2a

“Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord…” NKJV

“God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn’t do. Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God…” The Message

Jonah was angry because God did not keep His promise. God told the prophet He would overthrow Nineveh and instead He forgave the inhabitants of this godless city. When the God Jonah served did not perform in the way the Jonah expected, the prophet got just a little steamed. In fact, Jonah was so mad he “yelled at God”. Luckily for Jonah, God is a secure being and did not react to Jonah’s tirade. (I yelled at God once. I was so angry I threw my Bible at the wall across the room. No lightning bolts. I’m still alive.)

In 48 verses the author of this book describes a redemptive process that transcends the rational mind and leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Jonah’s story wrecks my preconceived notions about the nature of God. I think should always do what He says He’ll do. But God is apparently free to perform in distinctly un-God-like ways. If I try to place God in a box, even a beautifully designed and perfectly constructed theological one, the tale of Jonah shows how grossly limited my container is. As soon as I have God figured out, He will surprise, dismay, or even anger me. Or, He may delight, bless, and forgive when I expect exactly the opposite. God is God and can do whatever He wants to do. That is the message of Jonah and the message of Jesus (whose life and calling, incidentally, parallels Jonah’s in more ways than one).[1]

A friend recently told me, “There are only two things you must remember: There is a God and you’re not it!” His advise is summarized in a bumper sticker I once saw: “Let God be God”. William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-44) said, “If your conception of God is radically false, then the more devout you are the worse it will be for you. You had better be an atheist.” Mr. Temple’s advise is bad news for modern day Jonah’s. A legalistic concept of God simply doesn’t work. Of course, this is good news for Ninevites everywhere. Temple is also quoted as saying, “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” More good news for Ninevites. Jonah totally missed that part.

Clearly God did not do what He said He would do. He commanded Jonah to preach, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3.4). But when He saw that the Ninevites “turned from their evil way”, then “God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Instead, “What he [God] said he would do… he didn’t do”. That angered Jonah. The prophet became “furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God.”

I have the same choice Jonah had. We all do. Embrace a God who is bigger than my understanding of Him, or keep the one I got.
___________________

[1] Jonah went "below in the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep" during "a great storm on the sea" that threatened sink the boat. A frightened the crew woke Jonah and begged him: "Get up, call on your god" (Jonah 1.4, 5). Something similar happened when the disciples found Jesus sleeping when their "boat was being covered with waves" on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples (Matthew 8.23-27 and parallels Mark 4.35-41; Luke 8.22-25). Jonah was "in the stomach of the fish tree days and three nights" (Jonah 1.17) and Jesus prophesied of Himself: "...so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12.40). And, just as "the fish... vomited Jonah up onto the dry land" (Jonah 2.10), Christ "was buried, and... raised on the third day" (1st Corinthians 15.3-4).

Upper right stained glass window is from Choir of the City/Parish Church St.Dionysus, Steinhövel window in Speyer, Germany, dated approximately 1280 AD. The lower left stained glass is from the 14th century and on display at Protestant St. Stephen's Church (Temple Saint-Étienne) in Mulhouse, France.

"The Practice of Best Practices"

Amos 8.5-6 NCV [1]

“When will the New Moon festival be over so we can sell grain? When will the Sabbath be over so we can bring out wheat to sell?

We can charge them more and give them less,...

...and we can change the scales to cheat the people. We will buy poor people for silver, and needy people for the price of a pair of sandals. We will even sell the wheat that was swept up from the floor.”

Business hasn’t changed much through the centuries. There were, are, and always will be cheats who give less and take more. It’s the business strategy of choice for unethical vendors. Increase profits by adding hidden fees and reducing actual goods or services on every transaction. “We can charge them more and give them less.” This practice is never disclosed. Buyers are swindled in a multitude of ways so small they are detected only by the Lord.

A business person is only as good as his or her word. Best ethical business practice is simple. Tell the client what you will do for them, then do it. Don’t puff it up or exaggerate. Make sure the consumer understands what you will offer and make promises you intend to keep. Set up deadlines for performance and publish them for the buyer. Make yourself accountable to the customer. Let them know in writing what you will do and when you will do it. Hold yourself to a higher standard than even your client does. Surprise the customer with a level of service that exceeds expectations. Strive to obtain a fair wage for an honest day’s work. But if necessary, always err on the side of giving more and taking less. Insist on customer satisfaction.

Obedience to the words of Jesus was good business then, and it’s good business now:

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure,

pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap.

For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Jesus, Luke 6:38 NASB

The practice of best practices is simple, but not necessarily easy. The concept is not hard to grasp but the execution takes effort. It’s called work. But, of course, that’s what you get paid for and, in the end, you always get exactly what you deserve.
__________________

[1] A more literally accurate translation of the words of verse 5 (“We can charge them more and give them less”) is rendered by the English Standard Version (“…that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great”). According to the New English Bible footnotes on Amos 8.5, “The ‘ephah’ was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the ‘shekel’ was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (‘sell less for a higher price’) by cheating the buyer.”

I found the excellent photo of an antique cash register at the top right of this post at http://www.digitalapoptosis.com/archives/miscellaneous/000885.html

"The Covenant of Brotherhood"

Amos 1.9 ESV

“Thus says the Lord:
‘For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.”

God was unhappy with the land of Tyre because they “did not remember the covenant of brotherhood”. We must never forget those to whom we are connected. I cannot cut off my right arm, nor can I ignore my fellow human. “The covenant of brotherhood” is a sacred reality.

My kids were famous for their sales ability. From a very young age they believed mom and dad were their ultimate ‘wish list’ providers. When we showed sales resistance, the children were all too willing (and never too embarrassed) to ‘go for the close’ and ‘ask for the order’. By adolescence the stakes became higher and their powers of persuasion even more finely tuned and impassioned. Price tags took a major hike… designer jeans, IPODs, Play Stations, trips to Mexico, hover crafts, horses, cars, etc., etc. Mom and I never caved on the high-ticket items and the kids never quit kept trying. Here’s a common teenager-parent scenario from our recent past...

So-Called Legitimate Question: “Jack got skis. Why can’t I have skis?”

Apparently Wrong Answer: “Well son, we don’t have the money for that.”

Teenage Wisdom: “Well dad, just go to the bank and get some!”

“Money in the bank”. Hmmm. The thought resonated with me. It became a concept to embrace and eventually a child-raising theme of mine. I tried to explain that “money in the bank” did not just appear. Someone had to put it there. I told my kids they could have anything they wanted if they would just put “money in the bank”. This principle is not financial only. It applies to far more than the acquisition of material things. It’s an emotional, relational, and spiritual truism. If you put “money in the bank”, you can have anything you want.

My wife does a fair amount of child care for our neighbors (i.e., transporting kids, babysitting, gift giving, meals, play dates, etc.). Interestingly, our youngest children are the recipients of ample and similar child care from the neighbors. Hmmm (again). Every time the wonderful woman I married gives to a neighborhood child, it’s “money in the bank”. She is investing favors and can easily withdraw a few whenever she needs them.

This is “the covenant of brotherhood”. We give and take. We reap and sow. We invest and withdraw. We share and receive. “What goes around…”

“The covenant of brotherhood” must never be forgotten. We are here for each other. We must give when we can and receive when we must. We take care of each other. Without “the covenant of brotherhood” our society of fellowship, our community of faith, our network of business, our culture of connection, our bond of friendship simply fail. We need each other.

“Remember the covenant of brotherhood”.

"Have Hope!"

Joel 2.3 NLT

“Fire burns in front of them, and flames follow after them.

Ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden.

Behind them is nothing but desolation; not one thing escapes.”

This morning I read the book of Joel. What a glorious piece of work! The prophet describes a plague of “gnawing”, “swarming”, “creeping”, and “stripping” locusts. They swarm Palestine in such numbers the sky turns black on the “day of darkness and gloom” (Joel 2.2). The devastation of this devouring army of insects is nearly indescribable. The wind carries them to fertile lands of lush, green vegetation. They leave behind only barrenness and desolation.[1]

The words of the prophet offer hope to those who suffer from a painful and disappointing past. Like the locust, “behind them is nothing but desolation”. This may be good news. Their worst days are truly “behind them”. Things will get better because “ahead of them the land lies as beautiful as the Garden of Eden”. There’s hope from the heart of Joel this morning...

A bright “Garden of Eden” lies at the end of your long, dark tunnel of “desolation”. A silver lining “as beautiful as the Garden of Eden” lies behind your temporary cloud of “desolation”. Jesus will “prepare a table before” you and He will make certain your “cup overflows” (Psalm 23.5) with “rivers of living water” (John 7.38) in the “beautiful” land of “Eden”.

God loves you. Forget the nothingness of “desolation” all too visible in the “behind” part of your life. Stop looking in the rear view mirror of loss and barrenness. Look instead to “the land” that “lies ahead as beautiful as the Garden of Eden”.

Today, have hope.
____________________

[1] This plague, which probably occurred about 800 B.C., foreshadowed at least three historical events which were to come:

1. The Babylonian and Assyrian invasions suffered by Israel and Judah in the middle of the millennium preceding the first coming of Jesus Christ.


2. The birthday of the Church when, on the day of Pentecost, Peter identified Joel’s prophecy with a unique visitation of the Holy Spirit causing a handful of believers “to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2. 4, 14-21).


3. The great tribulation preceding the second coming of Christ sometime in the future when, as seen in the vision of John’s revelation, “the sun became black… and the whole moon became like blood” (Revelation 6.12).

"A Divine Pick-Me-Up"

Hosea 11.4 NAS

“I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, and I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;

And I bent down and fed them.” NAS

“and I bent down to them and gently laid food before them.” AMP

“I stooped and fed them.” NKJV

I heard the rustle of happy sounds coming from the entry of our home. “Come here Daddy. Hurry!” I played dumb. Mom hung mistletoe and the kids wanted to give it a test drive. My two youngest children and their mother met my approach with lots of giggling. I pretended not to notice the Christmas decoration hanging over their heads. My 5-year old Rachel cried, “Pick me up Daddy.” “Why?”, I inquired. “Please Daddy. Just pick me up. Hurry!” I knew what was coming. I bent over and lifted her to face level. She kissed my cheek over and over. My wife and boy joined the fun. There was lots of kissing and laughter. Thank God for mistletoe!

I “bent down”. I “stooped” over. I had to. There was no other way to pick up my little girl.

I need Jesus bend down and pick me up…

...when I fall and hurt myself
...when I’m lonely and wonder if I’m --------loved
...when I want to show affection
...when I need some attention
...when I’m looking for direction
...when I want a better view of things
...when I feel unworthy
...when I need to feel His warmth

Call it a ‘divine pick-me-up’. It’s better than caffeine, vitamins, or sugar. I was unable to jump into His strong arms. He’s too big for me. Jesus “stooped” over to embrace me. He “bent down” and picked me up. When I’m in His arms, I never want to get down.


I’m glad for God’s gracious condescension. He “stooped” over and “bent down” when He heard the urgent prayer of my heart:

“Come here Jesus. Hurry! Pick me up. Please!”

________________

Photograph "Pick Me Up Daddy" from Heart of the Father Art (http://heartofthefatherart.com/first.html).

"These Little Ones"

Hosea 9.10d AMP

“…they became detestable and loathsome like that which they loved.”

The following subject matter is almost too horrific to print. If it were not true, then no decent person would dare to speak of this “detestable and loathsome” thing. But it is true.

Many of us have the bad habit of reading ourselves into every Bible verse. We read about God’s wrath (as in Hosea, chapter 9 for example), and react with, “How can God be so heartless? The Bible is too judgmental. I want nothing to do with an angry God.” We don’t relate to a God like that because we’re not supposed to. This text was not intended as a rebuke against us. Hosea wrote these words specifically to godless people in Israel over 2,700 years ago! Here’s a revelation… it’s not all about you or me. Here’s another one… there are some “detestable and loathsome” characters who deserve God’s wrath. Maybe not you, but some do. There are a few bad guys out there.

In the holiday edition of the World Vision 2007 “Gift Catalog”, subscribers were invited to purchase life-sustaining Christmas gifts for a less fortunate human being in other parts of the world. My son Robert was seven years old when he heard about this opportunity at school. He decided to buy a couple of chickens for a needy family with money that would otherwise have been spent on another toy for his December birthday. It was his choice. I was very proud of him.

I first heard about the horrors of human trafficking from this magazine. On page 27 of this World Vision catalog was story entitled “Sold. Trafficked. Abused.” The article described the plight of 14 year old Lan from Cambodia...

“After arriving at the [World Vision] center, I felt like I was coming over the hill to heaven, because just the day before I was imprisoned in a dark room with my legs and arms tied and had nothing to eat. The center staff loved me a took care of me like their own daughter. I found it enjoyable to learn new skills at the center, especially hairdressing… [now] I want to learn more, so I can qualify to work for a big company or start my own business.”

And more from Lea’s journey…

“‘My mother sold me for $500 to the brothel owner [to buy] food,’ says Lea, who was required to serve eight to 12 ‘clients’ a day until being rescued and brought to a World Vision-supported shelter.”

It’s hard to imagine there are people so “detestable and loathsome” they would make a business of robbing little girls of their virginity by catering to those who want to satisfy their twisted idea of sexual fulfillment. I would hate to be them when they stand before Jesus on Judgment Day and He reminds them of this little Bible verse...

“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble,

it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around

his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Jesus, Matthew 18.5-6 NASU

Some people deserve the wrath of God. They’ve earned it.

________________

Note: Below are organizations and resources to help you help children, some as young as 7 years old, trapped in the illegal sex trade.

World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/

International Justice Mission: http://www.ijm.org/. I was deeply moved when I heard IJM president, Gary Haugen, speak at our church. He is an attorney working with governments world-wide to abolish modern day slavery in all ugly manifestations (child sex trafficking, illegal detention and property seizure, sexual violence, etc.).

U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2004/33186.htm.

"Ishi"

Hosea 2:16-17 (18-19) CJB

“On that day,” says Adonai
“you will call me Ishi [My Husband];
you will no longer call me Ba‘ali [My Master].
For I will remove the names
of the ba‘alim from her mouth;
they will never again be mentioned by name.”

My dad went through a phase when I was about seven or eight years old. I think he wanted to teach my brother and me a little respect. We were to refer to him as “Sir”. If asked a question by dad, from now on it was “Yes sir” and “No sir”. I didn’t quite get it but I tried. When I forgot, I was reminded. “I’m not ‘daddy’. I’m ‘Sir’”. “OK, Sir”, I said.

This phase didn’t last long. Somehow, even my father recognized the silliness of it all. But I now understand his reasoning. He was an officer, a military commander, a pilot trainer in the United States Air Force. He had to command respect. That was his job. He could not allow familiarity to breed contempt with his cadets. My father probably needed somebody to practice on so my brother and I were enlisted as little soldiers. Eventually, my mother’s wishes prevailed and it back to “dad”. I liked it better that way.

The Complete Jewish Version of Hosea 2.16-17 provides the best Bible in plain English clarity I can find for this amazing text. The Lord (Adonai) offers us a term of endearment… Ishi (my husband). It’s a relational word inviting closeness and communion with someone you trust. Ishi is pure love and acceptance. It is the whisper of lovers and the proud announcement of a woman who knows deeply and believes fully in her man. Nothing’s held back. There are no secrets between Ishi and the object of his love. Above all else, Ishi means friendship. Pure, lasting, fully devoted, and mutual friendship.

Ba’ali, on the other hand, is a legal term meaning “my master”. It implies ownership and reduces its subject to slavery. Besides being the name of the fertility god Baal, the word was used by ancient Hebrews to show respect for a husband. It would be like a princess calling her prince “My Lord”, or Beaver’s mom referring to her husband as “Mr. Cleaver”, or my wife (and kids) calling me “Sir”. (I am actually repulsed by the thought!)

Jesus is my Lord. Yes, it’s true. But He is far more than that to me. He is my friend. I love Him and He loves me. We are tight for life, forever. He loves you, by the way, in exactly the same way.

“You are my friends if you do what I command.

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves.

Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.”
Jesus, John 15.14-15 NLT

I always respected my dad and I didn’t need to call him “sir” to prove it. I knew he would take a bullet for me. That was enough. “Sir” and “dad” eventually became united in my heart. The last time we spoke, Dad was suffering badly from cancer. I cuddled up beside him on his bed and read from the Bible. He acknowledged his friend and Savior Jesus. He told me how much he loved me and how very proud he was of me. We spoke about the times we would enjoy together again someday in heaven.

Jesus is Ishi to me. So was my dad. So is my wife and children and a few very dear people I am privileged to call friends. I can’t wait to see Ishi Jesus and my Ishi dad again face to face.

____________________

The beautiful drawings on this post are entitled "Snuggling Infant", "Playful Boys", and "Laughing Baby" by artist and mother Jean Keaton whose children are pictured in these images with Christ. Her amazing and personal artwork perfectly communicates in graphic form the message I heard from Hosea, chapter 2. You can view and purchase Jean's wonderful works of love at http://www.keatonprints.com/.

"Despicable!"

Daniel 11.21a, 29-30, 45c NASB

“…a despicable person will arise.”

“At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened, and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action...”

“…he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”

In his counsel to Darius, King of Persia, the prophet Daniel warned of “a despicable person” who would arise “in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue”. This vile character will “practice deception” and set up the infamous “abomination of desolation” referred to by Jesus Christ just prior to “a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”[1]

“The appointed time” has not yet to occur, but when it does, according our text in Daniel, the “despicable” guy will…

• …return to southern Palestine but to his disappointment, his visit “will not turn out the way it did before”.
  


• …become “disheartened” and “enraged” and “take [evil] action”.

Perhaps the villain of our text is one in the same with the “antichrist” of 1st and 2nd John.[2] Or, maybe he’s Wormwood the fallen star (Revelation 10-11), or the “beast” from the book of Revelation, or the “false prophet”, or the “devil” himself, all of whom will eventually be “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone”.[3] I’ll leave his identity to the scholars of eschatology.

Mine is the more enriching work of personal application. It may be ‘anti-christian’ to compare oneself to the antichrist, nevertheless I can fall easily into a milder version of the very same pattern as the bad guy in Daniel’s prophesy. When things don’t “turn out the way” I had hoped, I can become “disheartened” and ‘act out’.

Nothing good came from this pattern for “the despicable person” and nothing good ever comes of it for me…

“…he will come to his end, and no one will help him.”

When things do “not turn out the way” I’d like, it’s natural to become “disheartened” and “take [undesirable] action”. In the end, however, “no one will help” me except Jesus. His answer is generally more weighted on the side of repentance and than on the side of excessive sympathy.

“Repent”[4] is probably the best advise I give myself when I discover I am behaving like “a despicable person”.

___________________

[1] Matthew 24.15, 21 and parallel passage Mark 13.14, 18. This period of tribulation was predicted by Daniel 600 years before the ministry of Jesus: “And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred” (Daniel 12.1).

[2] 1st John 2.18, 22; 4.3; 2nd John 7.

[3] Revelation 20.10.

[4]“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4.17).

"The Truth Fairy"

Daniel 8.12b NET

“It hurled truth to the ground and enjoyed success.”

Jesus claimed, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18.37-38). Pontius Pilate, with the passivity typical of weak leadership, washed his hands of Christ’s claim with the question, “What is truth?”

Sometimes I wonder the same thing. What is truth, really? I do not question the reality of Jesus or the reliability of the Bible. In those truths I am secure. But what about lesser truths?

Daniel the prophet saw a vision of a goat with four horns on his head. The smallest horn grew to be the largest and “even magnified itself to be equal” with the Lord. One of the chief characteristics of this evil being was its complete disregard for truth in the pursuit of its personal success.

“It hurled truth to the ground and enjoyed success.”

When my son was 8 years old and lost a tooth. He carefully placed it in the “Tooth Fairy Pillow” my wife had lovingly embroidered for occasions like this. When she went to his room about 10 p.m. to exchange money for a molar, my wife was surprised to discover Robert was still awake. “Are you the tooth fairy Mom?” Mom was caught off guard and denied any relationship with the magical being. The job of slipping the tooth out and the money in was now left to me.

About 5:30 the next morning, I crept into his room with 50¢ and quietly removed the tooth from under my son’s pillow. With it, I found a handwritten note from Robert revealing his quest for truth...

“Dear Tooth Fairy,

Where do you live?
What do you believe in?

I want your autograph, please.

sign here ________________________

Please answer my questions. Thanks.

(Other side)

I charge 3 bucks!! (not kidding)”

I was dumbfounded. I forged my best authorized “Tooth Fairy” signature with the flourish warranted by such a famous “autograph” and slipped my answers back under the pillow with a quarter, two dimes, and a nickel…

[Where do you live?] “In the love between you and your family.”

[What do you believe in?] “Having fun with your family
and laughing all the time.”

[Other side] “I pay only 50¢! Sorry!”

Did I lie? Did I “hurl truth to the ground”? Should I have come clean with my son about the Tooth Fairy? We teach him about Jesus Christ and claim the Bible is the living Word of God. I certainly didn’t want to lump Jesus into the same category as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy!

Maybe he was smarter than I thought. I suspect Robert already knew the difference between truth and make-believe. I think he knew the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real. I even think he knew I knew he knew. But he enjoyed the game. So did his mother and I. If I chose to answer his questions with complete honesty, the game would be over. I did not think Robert was ready for that. Besides, this silly make-believe ritual helped to foster the “truth” of a few of our family values... share joy, laughter, and fun. We kept the “Tooth Fairy” game going and extended Robert’s childhood for about another year.

Lesser truths disappear. We outgrow them. Eventually, they fail us or we learn to live without them. In the end, however, I want Robert to know what I know… that Jesus is the real thing. He is the truth above all other truths. I want my boy to know with certainty that Jesus will always be with him when all other lesser truths fall away. Jesus said...

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

John 14.6; Hebrews 13.5

Like every other earthly relationship, the Tooth Fairy will come and she will go. But the truth about Jesus Christ must never be “hurled… to the ground”.

"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin"

Daniel 5.17 CJB

“Dani’el answered the king,
‘Keep your gifts, and give
your rewards to someone
else. However, I will read the
inscription to the king and tell
him what it means.’”

Can I be bought? It’s an important question. Are my ethics for sale? Will I falter in my resolve for the right price? Do I cower before the god of public opinion? Would I trade my values for a chance at fortune and fame? Will I forsake what I know to be right so people will think well of me? Who do I serve... money, approval, comfort, things, self or... God?

King Belshazzar dishonored the things of God. He drank freely from the holy vessels stolen from the temple in Jerusalem and “praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Daniel 5.4). God crashed the royal party with a divine message written by the finger of God on the palace wall in the presence of a thousand noble guests:

מ נ א מ נ א ת ק ל ו פ ר ס י ן

Belshazzar could not read the handwriting on the wall (and neither can you, unless you know Hebrew). He offered Daniel royal garments, “a necklace of gold” and “authority as the third ruler in the kingdom” (Daniel 5.16) if he would reveal the meaning of the menacing words. I love Daniel’s response:

“Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else.

However, I will read the inscription to the king and tell him what it means.”

Daniel could not be bought. What about me? What about you? It’s an important question.
___________________

You may find the prophet's interpretation of the handwriting on the wall (MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN) in Daniel, chapter 5, verses 25-28.

"The Ultimate Consequence"

Daniel 3.16-18 NIV

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”

What happens when a man or woman faces the ultimate consequence of obedience?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew the consequence… death by burning. What an awful way to go. Call them naïve, idealistic, stupid. Call them anything you like, but one fact remains. They would obey God NO MATTER WHAT. These young men fully expected to suffer for their decision of faith. Nothing moved them, not even Nebuchadnezzar’s death threat. Everyone else could bow before the king’s 90 foot golden statue, but they would not.

History is filled with heroes of faith who, like these young Hebrew men, faced the ultimate consequence of obedience to God. Some made it, others did not. Some were rescued by divine intervention. Others got an early one-way ticket to paradise.

• Abraham was willing to sacrifice of his son, Isaac (Genesis 22)
• The mother of Moses set her baby son afloat in a wicker basket (Exodus 2)
• Daniel was thrown to the lions when he refused to stop praying (Daniel 6)
• Esther risked her life to before the golden scepter of King Ahasuerus (Esther 5)
• Nehemiah undertook the dangerous mission of rebuilding the city walls (Nehemiah 4)
• Peter claimed “We must obey God rather than men” and kept on preaching (Acts 5)
• Stephen chose death by stoning for his belief in Jesus Christ (Acts 7)
• Others were tortured, slain with swords, stoned to death, and “sawn in two” for their faith (Hebrews 11)

Stories of martyrs inspire me. Survivors like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego also inspire me.

“…the God we serve is

able to save us from it

[the blazing furnace], and

He will rescue us from

your hand, O king.

But even if He does not,

we want you to know, O king,...

we will not serve your gods

or worship the image of gold

you have set up.”

Jesus did not promise me a life of comfort. If I think He did, I will feel betrayed when things get difficult. I do not wish to face any consequence for my obedience to God, certainly not the ultimate one. I’m far too comfortable for that. I need a shot of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego mixed with the power of God and the words of Job...

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
Job 13.15 KJV

__________________

The beautiful watercolor painting at the top right of this post is entitled "Fiery Furnace" by artist Margrit Roussos whose amazing Biblical art you can view and purchase at http://magritpriggeart.co.za/. When Nebuchadnezzar peered into the fiery furnace he was amazed to find (in the king's own words) "four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods". The traditional interpretation claims the fourth being was an angel. I think this may have been a pre-incarnate visitation of Jesus Christ Himself.

Heroes of the faith live on and continue to face the ultimate consequence. Read about documented reports of modern day martyrdom in James Dobson’s 1999 article entitled “Modern Day Martyrs” at http://www.focusonthefamily.com/docstudy/newsletters/A000000358.cfm.

"Fragile Feet"

Daniel 2.34-35 NASU

“…a stone… struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.”

“But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”


The prophet Daniel displayed amazing supernatural ability in his interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which predicted with absolute historical accuracy the world powers following the rise and fall of Babylon. The king saw a “great statue… of extraordinary splendor” and “awesome in appearance” (v. 31). Its head was gold; its breast and arms were silver. It had a belly of bronze and feet made “partly of iron and partly of clay” (v. 33). A stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” (v. 45) fell on the “feet of iron and clay and crushed them”. The whole statue fell before the superior power of God whose kingdom of heaven would “endure forever” (v. 44).

Daniel outlined a future chronology starting with the prophet’s own time period by informing the King of Babylon, “You are the head of gold” (v. 38). Using the imagery of the statue’s elements, Daniel predicted the world powers that would follow Babylon over the next 600 years… Persia (silver), Greece (bronze), and Rome (iron). The Roman empire would be a kingdom with feet of “iron mixed with common clay” (v 41) whose influential men sought, but ultimately failed, to consolidate massive political forces and become a lasting super power. Daniel prophesied, “They [the leadership of Rome] will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery” (v.43).


Daniel clearly referred of the day when a virgin would give “birth to her firstborn son; and [wrap] Him in cloths, and [lay] Him in a manger” (Luke 2.7). This is the pivotal event of all human history and occurred during the “iron” rule of Rome when Caesar Augustus was the Emperor (Luke 2.1). This baby established an eternal kingdom we now call the Church of Jesus Christ and will someday “crush and put an end to all these kingdoms” (v. 44).

I have “feet of clay” and with one blow from the Rock of Ages, I would fall helplessly to my knees. It would be wise for me to voluntarily kneel before I badly stub my fragile feet.
__________________

Note: The book of Daniel is comprised of five stories and five visions. You can find an entire outline of this glorious book entitled “Faith on Trial” by pressing on the link below. I hope you enjoy it: An Outline of the Book of Daniel.

I appreciate any help in locating the artist of the painting of Mary and the baby Jesus above so I can ask permission and give credit for displaying it on my site. I cannot make out the name at the lower right corner.

"Leave Different than You Came"

Ezekiel 46.9 NKJV

“But when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate.”

This verse speaks to me about the impact of worship. No one leaves true worship the way they entered. If you come in from the north, you leave by way of the south. If you come in “by way of the south gate [you] shall go out by way of the north gate”. No exceptions. A true worshipper…

“…shall not return by way of the gate through which he came,

but shall go out through the opposite gate.”

Be wary of those who claim they worship continually. No one does that. While it is theoretically possible, human beings, even mature believers, are simply not yet perfect in their practice of the presence of Christ.

Our day of perfection will come. Jesus promised, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5.48). “Perfect” is something for which we strive by the grace of God. But perfection is a future hope, not a present reality. In heaven we will live each eternal moment in the glorious bliss of ecstatic worship. Until then, moments of true connection with God through the practice of Biblical worship comes in spurts. Like a drowning man gasping for air, we surface occasionally for enough life-giving breath of worship to sustain us until we reach heaven’s shore.

Ezekiel’s Jews were reminded of the value of worship “when the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days”. Christians historically celebrate their “appointed feast days” each Sunday morning at their local church.[1] Prepare to leave your house of worship different than the way you arrived. If you are determined to remain unchanged by the worship event, Jesus will regretfully grant your request. Stubborn pew-warmers always leave church the same way they came. Let the Divine-human encounter affect you. Be a true worshipper who…

“…shall not return by way of the gate through which he came,

but shall go out through the opposite gate.”

_______________

[1] My Seventh Day Adventist brothers and sisters do this on Saturday to “honor the Sabbath” according to the Hebrew tradition. They claim that since God “rested on the seventh day” (Genesis 2.2), we should too. There is ample Biblical evidence for the practice of honoring the Christian Sabbath on Sunday. On “the first day of the week” (Sunday) Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Mary and His disciples (Mark 16.9; John 20.19). On the first day of the week Paul “gathered together to break bread” with the followers of Christ in Troas (Acts 20.7). Paul also instructed the Corinthian believers to take “a collection for the saints” on “the first day of every week” (1st Corinthians 16.1-2). As a former Presbyterian pastor, I can assure you that most clergy “work hard at preaching and teaching” (1st Timothy 5.17) on whatever day they worship. I normally took Mondays off to rest after my most challenging work day of the week. Its not easy leading worship or delivering effective sermons. I assume many Seventh Day Adventist preachers really rest on Sundays! Paul wrote to the Romans “One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike” (Romans 14.5) implying that, while special days of worship are important, precisely which days those are matter not.

"Muśhü Limalicuy"

Ezekiel 43.10-11 NIV

“Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple — its arrangement, its exits and entrances — its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.”

I am holding in my hand a copy of the Muśhü Limalicuy. It’s a miracle.

My friends Rick and Melanie Floyd lived most of their adult lives, 26 years, in Peru. Much of that time was spent in San Pedro de Pihuas, a village of about a thousand Wanca speaking people in the Andes Mountains of central Peru. An estimated 250,000 people speak Wanca Quechua, one of many dialects within the Quechua language family. The Quechua people, descendants of the Inca Empire, are mostly potato farmers and shepherds. Prior to the arrival of the Floyd’s in 1981, there was no written form of the Wanca dialect. Rick, who holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and fluent in both English, Spanish, and now Wanca, went about the task of learning the language and culture of these people.

Rick and Melanie’s home had dirt floors and no running water. In that home they raised three very fine sons. The Floyd’s are missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Rick created a Wanca alphabet and lexicon of words. Together with the help of a small team of nationals, they translated the entire New Testament into Wanca Quechua. It took 2 ½ decades but today the Muśhü Limalicuy is available to all Wanca speakers who want to read the Word of God for themselves.

Rick has been my friend for the past 37 years since we first met as college kids. My wife and I make a small (very small) contribution each month to Wycliffe in the name of the Floyd’s work. Rick and Melanie came to our home a few days ago and presented us with our own personal copy of the Wanca New Testament. They claimed we played a part in its creation.

By making the decision to support the Floyd’s, my family had a hand in bringing to a precious group of people in another part of the world the Bible in their own language. I held a copy of the Muśhü Limalicuy and wept. I couldn’t help it.

Rick told me there is no word in Wanca for “disciple” which presented an interesting translation dilemma for him. Instead of introducing a new word into the language, his team selected the Wanca word yaćhapacü, which literally means “apprentice”. An apprentice is a person who learns from the master. The prophet Ezekiel was commanded to write down the inspired words of God:

“Write these down before them so that they may be faithful

to its design and follow all its regulations.”

The Floyd’s were called to do exactly what Ezekiel did. They ‘wrote down’ the words of God. Rick and Melanie and their supporters fulfilled the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to “go therefore and make disciples [apprentices, yaćhapacücuna] of all the nations” (Matthew 28.19). Another

250,000 souls now have access to the Word of God. Armed with the Muśhü Limalicuy new Quechua ‘apprentices’ will inspire Wanca speakers everywhere to pick up their very own Bible, “be faithful to its design and follow” its Author into everlasting life.

Pretty mind-boggling, huh?
___________________

The amazing three photographs on this post are entitled "Madre y Niño", "Quechua", and "Hermanas" from the Peruvian Portfolio of artist and photographer John Farnsworth whose incredible work you can view at http://www.johnfarnsworth.com/. You may also see some of John’s photography on display while enjoying Peruvian cuisine at Andina Restaurant (13th and NW Glisan in the Pearl District). These beautiful images are available for purchase on John's site. ©John Farnsworth http://www.johnfarnsworth.com/.

Check out the dedication ceremony of this incredible project at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUeQSqKr3KQ. If you would like to contact Rick and Melanie Floyd, you may reach them by mail at Wycliffe Bible Translators, Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8033 or by email rick_floyd@sil.org. Rick continues to work as a translation consultant with Wycliffe worldwide and currently assists a new team charged with the translation of the Old Testament into Wanca Quechua. I hope you will consider supporting the Floyd's work.

"My Personal Armageddon"

Ezekiel 39.14-16 NLT

“After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skele- tons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried… And so the land will finally be cleansed.”

The prophet Ezekiel describes “the actual invasion of Palestine by a great northern confederacy, ostensibly headed by Russia [or nations of central Asia in the region of Turkestan]. The scene depicts a gigantic outburst of anti-Semitism and a colossal attempt to overrun Palestine and annihilate the Jews.”[1] Ezekiel’s prophesy recorded in chapters 38-39 belongs to the future “Day of the Lord” (Isaiah 13.6-9) and evidently precedes the battle of Armageddon described by John in the last book in the Bible (Revelation 6.16; 20.7-10). The invading force led by prince Gog from the land of Magog will suffer an overwhelming defeat and their bodies will litter the Palestinian landscape. “Teams of men will be appointed to search for skeletons to bury… and so the land will be finally cleansed”.

Seems like all good news for devoted followers of Christ in the end times. But how does the text relate to believers right here and right now?

Some days my mind is a battlefield. I am embroiled in a personal Armageddon where the Word of God collides with my sense of reality. Old and decaying bodies of thought litter my mental landscape like the rotting corpses in Ezekiel’s vision. On days like that, I need my brain “cleansed”.

These prophetic verses inspire to take action. I will ask Jesus to dispatch angelic “burial crews” charged with the task of disposing of the decomposing remains of ugly thoughts. “Whenever bones [of unhelpful thinking patterns] are found”, I will set up “a marker” so they may “be buried” and my mind may “be cleansed”.

Some memories, images, and notions need to be buried and forgotten so I can make space for the good thoughts.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or

praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Philippians 4.8 NIV

____________

[1] The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, 1988.

"Magic Wind"

Ezekiel 36.9 NASU

“For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown.”

At the end of our Thanksgiving celebration a few years back, as I walked my wife’s parents to their car, my mother-in-law commented on how nice our lawn looked. The large trees lining the sidewalk at the front of our house shed most of their leaves by this time of the year. About a month ago, I silently recalled, the yard was covered with a thick layer of golden brown leaves, but tonight the leaves were gone. I remarked to my in-laws, “It’s amazing how the wind cam from nowhere and blew these leaves away, isn’t it? I never even had to rake!” My wife overheard our conversation and rejoined, “Yeah. It must be the same wind that blows clean underwear into your dresser drawer every day!”

Apparently, there was a reason for our yard’s nice appearance. My wife informed us that she spends an average of an hour every week during the fall raking, bagging, and dumping leaves. Somehow that little cause-and-effect factoid entirely escaped my notice.

The Lord promised the land of Israel would be “cultivated and sown”. That’s a promise I wish to personalize and claim for myself today.

“For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you,

and you will be cultivated and sown.”

In truth, God has been ‘for me’ for a long time. He has ‘turned to me’ many, many times in the past. I have been “cultivated and sown” by the Lord for years. I am blessed for a reason. It isn’t magic nor is it fate. I’ts not an accident. I have an actual reason to be grateful and a being toward whom to direct my thanksgiving. There is Divine intentionality behind the events I benefit from. I am blessed because God keeps His promises.

Jesus has “cultivated and sown” my family, my home, my finances, my career, and my ministry. All that is good is good for a reason. God did that. The magic wind of fate did not happen to blow in my favor. I didn’t get lucky. The Lord planned it and made it happen.

I better not let that little fact escape my notice.

"Ark Building for Dummies"

Ezekiel 33.24-26 NET

“Son of man, the ones living in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land, but we are many; surely the land has been given to us for a possession.’ Therefore say to them, ‘…Do you really think you will possess the land? You rely on your swords and commit abominable deeds; each of you defiles his neighbor's wife. Will you possess the land?’”

In the wonderful and funny movie “Evan Almighty”, junior congressman Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) primps admiringly in the mirror and flippantly reminds himself, “I am successful. I am powerful. I am handsome. I am happy. Successful, powerful, handsome, happy.” Baxter must have attended a motivational seminars where you learn...

• You are what you think you are and
• You possess what you think you do.

If you can dream it, you can have it. Name it and claim it. Fake it till you make it. After all (so we’re told), it’s in the Bible. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”, (Proverbs 23.7 KJV).[1] The new politician plans to change the world and he knows just how he will do it. God (Morgan Freeman) however, has different plans. He offers Evan a copy of Ark Building for Dummies and patiently leads Evan down a most unusual path.

The Jews living in Jerusalem during the time of Ezekiel faced opposition from an enemy intent on destroying Jewish culture and possessing the land of Israel. Those who survived deportation were barely able to withstand the assault of Babylon and tried to encourage themselves with Evan Baxter-type motivational pep talks...

“Abraham was only one man,

yet he possessed the land, but we are many;

surely the land has been given to us for a possession.”

The rationale went like this: “There are no secrets of success here. If Abraham could do it, so can we.” Israel failed to correctly discern what they saw in the mirror. No matter what they said to the contrary, the nation was anything but “successful, powerful, handsome, happy”. It takes more than saying the right kind of things. It takes being the right kind of person.

God has different plans for His chosen people. “Do you really think you will possess the land?” , inquired God. Surprise, surprise! It turns out Jesus actually cares about the behavior of His children. It matters that they “rely” on their own power, “commit abominable deeds”, and mentally ravish their “neighbor’s wife”. God’s blessing is unavailable to those of us who consciously act in self-serving ways… no matter what we think and say about ourselves.

This truth hasn’t changed since the time of Noah, Abraham, Ezekiel, or Jesus.
_____________________________

[1] Check out the context for this verse by reading Proverbs 23.6-8 in any version. The passage has more to do with the wisdom of understanding what others think of you than what you think of yourself.

"Lie Still?"

Ezekiel 32.21 NAS

“The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, ‘They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’”

When our youngest child was a baby, she exhibited involuntary tongue tremors. Our family doctor sent us to a specialist who said these tremors were known as “fasciculations” and diagnosed Rachel with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy).[1] We were told she would soon be unable to lift her head or even swallow. She would eat by use of feeding tubes and would not live past her teen years, if we were lucky. Her mother and I were crushed. We wept and prayed hard. So did many others. After three months of trying to learn how to accept our baby’s condition, we obtained an appointment with a nationally recognized authority on SMA. He quickly analyzed her tongue and reversed the earlier diagnosis with words I shall never forget: “I’m not sure what it is, but its not SMA.” My wife and I wept again, this time for joy.

Today at seven years old, my youngest child is a whirlwind of activity. She’s always on the go. Her every moving part is in constant locomotion. The tremor is gone and her tongue seems to work just fine. Rachel talks unceasingly. If no one is listening, she talks to herself or the cats or her Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop. I am sometimes tempted to say, “Lie still” but of course, I hold my tongue and quickly recall my SMA baby and God’s healing power. I fully accept my daughter exactly as she is, an amazing gift from Jesus.

Our bodies will “lie still” soon enough. I, for one, do not want to waste one minute of Christ’s precious gift of life. I’m taking my cue from Rachel and other children who aren’t so blessed. Until I’ve “gone down” to Sheol and “lie still” in my grave, I plan to make the very most of this life Jesus gave me.

“I came that they may have and enjoy life,

and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
Jesus Christ, John 10.10 Amplified Bible

______________

[1] Find more about SMA at the “Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy” website at http://www.fsma.org/. Prepare to have your heart broken.

"It's Better the Second Time Around"

Ezekiel 28.6-8, 17 The Message

“Therefore, God, the Master, says:
‘Because you’re acting like a god,
pretending to be a god,
I’m giving fair warning:
I’m bringing strangers down on you,
the most vicious of all nations.
They’ll pull their swords and make hash
of your reputation for knowing it all.

They’ll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They’ll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea.’

‘Your beauty went to your head.
You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame.’”

I like Denzel Washington and now I know why. His father was a Pentecostal minister and he attended the University of Oregon for a season. He’s starred in some great films and helps to support notable charities. Washington is an Academy Award winner and (I’ve heard) a happily married man and devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Unlike the demigods of Ezekiel’s time and many modern icons of the silver screen, Denzel Washington’s “worldly fame” never “went to [his] head”. Why not?

Last night I read a 2007 Reader’s Digest interview with Denzel Washington.[1] It referred to the actor’s daily discipline of Bible reading... “It’s better the second time around.” Here’s a few excerpts:

RD: Do you think of yourself as a spiritual person?
Washington: Definitely.

RD: In what way?
Washington: I read the Bible every day. I’m in my second pass-through now, in the Book of John. My pastor told me to start with the New Testament, so I did, maybe two years ago. Worked my way through it, then through the Old Testament. Now I’m back in the New Testament. It’s better the second time around. (italics mine)

And, later in the interview:

RD: What are you reading?
Washington: Books? I don’t have time. Except for the Bible, the No. 1 bestseller.

I’m glad there are role models like Mr. Washington who remind me that “worldly fame” is nothing without Christ and His Word. A man who gets a jolt out of “acting like a god” will eventually fall from his “self-made pedestal”. God promises to “puncture the balloon of [his] god-pretensions”.

Thanksgiving is one week from today and next week is National Bible Week. I am thankful for the Bible and for people like Denzel Washington who admit their need for it even “the second time around”.
_______________________

[1]"Denzel Washington Interview: Devoted to Family and Faith", Reader's Digest, December 2007 (http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/denzel-washington-interview-devoted/article49236.html).

"Real"

Ezekiel 27.10-11 NCV

“Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put were warriors in your navy and hung their shields and helmets on your sides.

They made you look beautiful.

Men of Arvad and Cilicia guarded your city walls all around. Men of Gammad were in your watchtowers and hung their shields around your walls.

They made your beauty perfect.”

A few years ago I visited a female friend in the hospital after she had surgery. I was taken aback by what I saw. She was recovering well, sat upright in a chair, and was genuinely happy to see me. Knowing her the way I do, it was no surprise to find my friend communicative and cheery. What surprised me was her appearance without makeup. I’d never seen her that way. She looked different and truthfully, a little plain.

I have a beautiful wife. But she looks even more beautiful with some makeup. I love her just the same either way, but makeup makes a visual difference. Properly applied, makeup hides blemishes, covers wrinkles, and accentuates positive features. Many women are meticulous about their appearance and will not start their day without giving careful attention to their faces. I’ve actually witnessed women applying make-up using the rear view mirror while driving in morning traffic![1]

Ezekiel described the land of Tyre before its demise as having “men of Persia, Lydia, and Put” at its disposal. They “hung their shields and helmets” on this once mighty nation. The walls of Tyre’s castles were decorated with the “shields” of powerful and famous warriors. Like exquisite makeup on a gorgeous woman, these fighters made Tyre “look beautiful”.

“…your army, your men of war… they perfected your beauty”.

Ezek 27:10-11 NAS

I am super conscientious about my appearance. I do not wear makeup but I clamor for anything that makes me “look beautiful”. I decorate the walls of my soul with “shields and helmets” of past victories, which I recall often and display readily. I thank Jesus for my achievements and the life I now enjoy. But today’s reading in Ezekiel prompts me to get real and stay grounded. Stripped of makeup, I might appear just a little plain. That’s how God made me. That’s how He sees me and that’s how He loves me... naked, plain, unaccomplished, and destined to become the dirt from which I came.

“For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3.19 NAS

_______________________

There's not much difference between women who apply makeup while driving so they can look good when they arrive at work and me fumbling with my Blackberry searching for a number while weaving through high speed traffic so I can make another call and earn one more sales award. Both behaviors are dangerous and stupid.

"You are Your Message"

Ezekiel 24.16-18 NLT

“Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”

“So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died.”

I would not want to be Ezekiel. If he loved his wife, as I do mine, then the price of prophetic service is just too high. I get what happened… God warned Ezekiel that He would take the life of his “dearest treasure”, his beloved wife. The prophet was not to weep or “perform the usual rituals of mourning”. By so doing, Ezekiel was “a sign” (Ezekiel 24.24) to the exiled Jews who would soon experience the loss of their “dearest treasure”, Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The Babylonian army would burn and destroy this monument to Jewish glory and the prophet would profoundly identify with their pain in the loss of his wife. Ezekiel was more than a preacher. He was the message. Ezekiel became the sermon he preached.

People who espouse, “Do as I say, not as I do”, are ineffective leaders. It’s hard to get a following when they don’t “practice what they preach”. When the alcoholic father chastises his son for drinking, the boy will likely think, “Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear what you are saying”.

If you have a message to impart, prepare to pay the price for that privilege. Personalize and practice the truth you teach or stop proclaiming it. Could this be why the younger brother of Jesus commented, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3.1)? That’s a Biblical way of saying, “Walk the talk or shut up!” We should not try to export what we can’t import.

Hopefully, you and I will never be required to pay Ezekiel’s price to bear God’s truth. But there is a price for prophetic service. Words are cheap. So are small actions. Nothing less than total identification will do.

You are your message.

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by

just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it...”
2nd Corinthians 3.2-3 The Message

_________________

The wonderful image of the man with the sandwich board at the top left of this post is by talented illustrator Erwin Sherman whose artwork you can view at http://www.theispot.com/portfolios/index.cfm?clientnumber=a2559&artistName=Erwin%20Sherman. The original piece contains the words "Hire the Best" on the sandwich board.

"How Could I Not Know?"

Ezekiel 20.9 AMP

“…I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.”

Can you prove the existence of God? I can, at least to my own satisfaction. I am convinced He is real because He acted on my behalf. The Lord made Himself known to the nation of Israel thousands of years ago “by bringing them out of the land of Egypt”. He revealed Himself to me in exactly the same way. I know the reality of Christ because of what He did for me. Like the Israelites, Jesus brought me out of the land of bondage. My deliverance proves His existence.

Some of you know my story. Sixteen years ago I was homeless, living in my car and desperate for help. If you are unfamiliar with the details, I invite you to press this link: "My Story" and read about it now. Here’s a couple of excerpts…

“I well remember my lowest point. My mind was occupied with persistent and nagging thoughts of hatred, bitterness, and self-destruction. I was on emotional autopilot, intent only on surviving one miserable day at a time. Life, it appeared, had played a cruel joke on me. I could not even imagine myself as a pastor of a church, a husband, or a real dad. That life was gone forever. My calling to the ministry, my dream of a happy home, my desire to father my children was nothing more than a quickly fading memory and replaced with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.”

“Yet I recognized the still small voice of Jesus from somewhere in my past. I truly had ‘hit the bottom’ and it was now time to choose life or death. I found out I really wanted to live and I needed Christ to do it. He was summoning me to rely on Him. Jesus Christ would never forsake me. I became aware of my need for a Savior more than ever before. I humbly asked Jesus to give me a second chance. I decided to live.”

And “live” I did. I experienced a wonderful ending to an incredibly difficult story. I am Ebenezer Scrooge. I woke up from a very bad dream and was given a second chance at life! This is how I know God is real… He delivered me!

“I made Myself known

to them by bringing them out

of the land of Egypt.”

I am the “them” of whom God speaks. I have a beautiful wife, seven fabulous children, a nice home, a great job and excellent reputation, wonderful friends, a new ministry, self-respect, and even A+ credit. Based on where I came from, how could I possibly not believe Jesus Christ loves me?

How could I not know God is real?

"It's Better to be Blessed Than Good"

Ezekiel 18.31 NLT

“Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.”

“It’s better to be blessed than good.” “What a great concept”, I thought inwardly. My friend shared this profound thought with me at lunch recently. “It’s better to be blessed than good.” I immediately wrote the words on a napkin and informed my buddy, “Don’t be surprised if you see your words on my blog soon” and, well, here they are… “It’s better to be blessed than good.”

I can only be so good. There’s a ceiling on my goodness. No matter how hard I try to learn, practice, and apply myself, I only achieve a level of personal and professional goodness that falls within the limits of my God-given capacity. I need more.

I was recently driving east on Tualatin Valley Highway and beheld the most gorgeous rainbow I ever saw. The colors were incredible and the arch was complete. It was so vivid I could almost reach out and touch it. I felt compelled to drive to either end and collect a pot of gold. What a blessing that would be!

A blessing is unearned. It supersedes my abilities. God’s blessing is a gift. He chooses to bless me for no reason other than… He loves me. I could never be good enough to deserve it. The blessing of God is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s there and it’s free. I just have to find it.

I try. I try hard to be good at what I do. But it’s not that easy. I am bombarded with options that restrict, rather than expand my pursuit of goodness. I need more. I need God’s blessing of “a new heart and a new spirit”. That’s the pot at the end of His rainbow for me.

I’m there, right there with Ezekiel. I’m in his audience of Jewish captives 590 years before the birth of Christ. He is speaking directly to my tired heart…

“…find yourselves a new heart

and a new spirit.”

I must find my pot of gold. I must have the blessing of God. Being good is just not good enough.

“Its better to be blessed than good.”

“…you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him

if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.”
God, Deuteronomy 4.29

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Jesus, Matthew 7.7

"The Languishing Heart"

Ezekiel 16.30 NAS

“How languishing is your heart,” declares the Lord God, “while you do all these things,
the actions of a bold-faced harlot.”

• Have you ever slammed a door after an argument with your wife? I have.
• Did you ever say something you regretted? Me too.
• Has your thought life ever offended God? Mine has.
• Ever break a promise to your kids? Guilty!
• Have you procrastinated when you should have taken action? Yes.
• Did you use your time very unwisely on more than one occasion? I have done that.

What do all these behaviors have in common? Each one produces inner turmoil. The “languishing” heart is God’s gift to sinners. The Hebrew root verb for “languishing” is ‘amal and literally means ‘to droop’. The word may be translated sick, mourn, feeble, wither, weak, weak-willed, and spent with longing. King David used the word to describe his condition in the book of Psalms:

“Have mercy on me and be gracious to me,

O Lord, for I am weak (faint and withered away);

O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”

Psalm 6.2 AMP

Whenever I make a wrong choice, I feel it in “my bones” just like David did. My insides ‘droop’ with despair. I possess a “languishing… heart”.

The biblical solution for this spiritual condition is called repentance. Repentance, of course, requires humility, something I’m not fully familiar with. Yet humility is the path of healing for the “languishing… heart”. It’s the path Jesus took when He “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”(Philippians 2.8). It’s the path He chooses for you and me.

“God is opposed to the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4.6 NASU from Psalm 138.6

Lord, thank you for the gift of a “languishing… heart” reminding me to embark on a new journey along the path of humility. “O Lord, heal me” and lift my drooping spirit. I repent.
___________________

The wonderful image above entitled "a broken heart" comes from sodahead.com (http://www.sodahead.com/other/what-would-hurt-you-the-most/question-230127/?link=ibaf).

Unfortunately, I am unable to locate or read the signature of the artist who painted the man at the lower left of the above post. Can anyone help me with that? I'd like to obtain permission for use and give credit for this amazing artwork.

"What Would You Do?"

Ezekiel 13.14 NAS

“So I shall tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be consumed in its midst. And you will know that I am the Lord.”

I offered to do some simple yard work at my friend’s vacant house. I parked in her drive-way and exited the car. Looking down I saw in the grass a folded piece of green paper with the face of Benjamin Franklin. I reached down and picked it up the cash. “This is my lucky day!”, I thought. “God has blessed me with a gift of $100!” I couldn’t wait to go home and tell my wife about my once-in-a-lifetime good fortune.

Driving from my friend’s home, I began to think this was not my money. Maybe this $100 was not a gift from God, but rather a test. A test of my integrity. It obviously belonged to someone who was presumably searching for their lost cash. But how could I find the rightful owner? My friend did not live in this empty house so it was not likely her’s. The bill probably blew in with the wind from who-knows-where. But clearly, I could not keep the money without exercising some minimum due diligence to locate its owner.

I decided to call all recent showing Realtors® and ask them if they (or their buyers) had “lost anything of value” while previewing this vacant house. If a buyer’s agent accurately described the loss, I would turn the money over without question. That scenario was easy.

Additionally, I would contact the owner of the home (my friend). This was a little more delicate. If I was cryptic and required her to describe the loss, then it would appear as though I did not trust her.

Since I did trust my friend, I decided come right out with it. I planned to inquire, “Did you lose $100?” to which she would respond “Yes” or “No”. If my friend said “Yes”, then no problem. I would simply turn the money over to her. If she said “No”, then I had a new ethical dilemma problem... should the $100 go to the owner of the property on which it was found (my friend) or the lucky and blessed finder of the cash (me)?”

What would you do?

I learned something about my foundational belief system. I learned there were three things I really wanted to keep…

-------1. $100
-------2. my friend
-------3. my integrity

It became obvious that I could not keep all three. I probably could keep any two of the above, but not all three. The decision was made. I would keep my friend and my integrity. If she had not lost the money, I would give it to her anyway because, well, I found it on her property. I would give my friend $100 not because I could not justify keeping it, but because I did not want to risk losing her friendship. This was not not an easy decision for me. I truly wanted to keep the cash. I guess I wanted my friend and peace of mind more.

I called J_________ and inquired, “Did you lose $100?” “Yes”, she blurted out. “I’ve been looking all over for it. I folded it carefully and thought I put it in my pocket. I’ve checked all my pockets and everywhere in my house. Where did you find it?” I became a hero. I saved my friendship and my integrity. It only cost me $100 (which wasn’t mine to begin with).

Back to Ezekiel 13...

When the “wall” of my existence, defined by a lifetime of decisions, comes to an end and all my personal “whitewash” rubs off and the ‘plaster’ of my frail body crumbles to dust and I “fall to the ground” and my “foundation is laid bare” before Jesus, what will He see?

"The Dark Room"

Ezekiel 8.7-10a, 12 NET

“He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, I noticed a hole in the wall. He said to me, ‘Son of man, dig into the wall.’ So I dug into the wall and discovered a doorway.”

“He said to me, ‘Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing here.’ So I went in and looked.”

“He said to me, ‘Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they think, “The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned the land!”’”

I would be mortified if others knew exactly what I was thinking. If the images of my mind were projected on a wide-screen television for all to see, presumably most people would remain fairly disinterested. However, for those who chose to watch, I would be more than just a little embarrassed.

If I imagine myself as an ancient city, the wall around the city is what I project to the outside world. I welcome friends through the proper gate into the town square. There I present entertaining shows and engage in inspirational conversation. My most trusted friends may receive an invitation to my personal residence where they may observe how I actually live.

But there is a room in my imaginary home no one is invited to enter. I call it the “dark” room and I try never to go in there. In this “chamber of… idolatrous images” hangs pictures of lust and greed. It is decorated with idols of jealousy and selfish ambition. In one corner is a dart board with the faces of people I despise. I am ashamed of this room and I put a lock on the door and try to forget where I threw the key. Though it beckons me relentlessly. I’m afraid of this room. It’s dark in there.

The Lord found “a hole in the wall” of my fortified city of self. He “dug into the wall and discovered a doorway”. It’s the door to my “dark” room! He “went in and looked” around. I was mortified. I thought “the Lord does not see”. But He does. I thought “the Lord… abandoned” me to my room alone. But He didn’t.

Instead of politely avoiding this area of my abode, Jesus found His way in, flipped light switch, and began some serious house cleaning. With the same righteous anger He exhibited in the Temple at Jerusalem [1], Jesus went into a cleaning frenzy. The junk in my “dark” room was exposed to the light, ripped from their sacred shrines, and thrown out with the trash.

Sometimes I feel sad, lonely, afraid, or otherwise “abandoned” by God. I am tempted to sneak back into my “chamber of… idolatrous images” and close the door behind me. I know this room well. I can hide from my outside realities, fully embrace my pity, and practice the “evil abominations” of my secret sin.

How thankful I am for the “Son of man” who will “dig into the wall” of my dark and private obstinance and expose me to the light of His unending love.
______________________

[1] John 2:13-16a The Message

13 “When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. 14 He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength.”

15 “Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. 16 He told the dove merchants, ‘Get your things out of here!...’”

"This Incredible Prophet"

Ezekiel 2.1 NIV

“Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

Over the next three weeks I will read the book of Ezekiel and, Lord willing, post 15 journal entries from its 48 chapters. I hope to discover the personality of the man behind the book, who at about the age of 25, was exiled to Babylon along with thousands of other Jewish captives. His prophetic calling began five years later and was characterized by apocalyptic visions and powerful images of God’s glory. Here’s what I know about Ezekiel from the written record…

• He offered hope to his fellow captives for their eventual return to the Jewish homeland.[1]


• Ezekiel was a man of fearless conviction and strong emotions.[2]


• The Lord used a personal tragedy in Ezekiel’s life to develop true and lasting empathy for the plight of God’s people.[3]

Ezekiel was the lesser known contemporary of two other major prophets, Jeremiah (mainly a prophet to the Jews in Jerusalem prior to its fall to Babylon) and Daniel (a prophet in the court of Babylon’s kings Nebuchadnezzar and successors). Daniel is referred to three times in the writings of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14.14, 20; 28.3) while Ezekiel is never mentioned in the books of Jeremiah or Daniel.

Ezekiel related well to the common man. He found himself in the exactly same circumstance as his Hebrew brothers and sisters. He could be called the ‘blue collar’ prophet or even the prophet of the captivity. You might even say Ezekiel became his message in his willingness to suffer for its cause.

There are similarities between the book of Ezekiel and key portions of the New Testament including the allegorical teachings of Jesus’ parables and the fantastic imagery of John’s Revelation. I am intrigued by the symbolic title “son of man” used almost exclusively by Ezekiel (over 90 times) in the Hebrew Scriptures. “Son of Man” became Jesus’ favorite title for Himself, appearing nearly 90 times in the four Gospels.

The name Ezekiel means “God will strengthen”. I hope God will strengthen me like Ezekiel to “stand up on [my] feet” and better hear God “speak to [me]” about the things I must learn from this incredible prophet.
__________________

Note: The sculpture above is entitled “The Prophet” by sculptor and medical historian, Doris Leavitt Appel (1904-1995). This work of art was inspired her grandfather.

[1] “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again”, (Ezekiel 11.17 NIV).

[2] “I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels.” “The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went bitterly and angrily. I didn't want to go. But God had me in his grip”, (Ezekiel 3:9, 14 The Message).

[3] “So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.” “Thus Ezekiel will be a sign to you”, (Ezekiel 24.18, 24 NASB).

"Looking for Help in All the Wrong Places"

Lamentations 4.17 NET

“Our eyes continually failed us
as we looked in vain for help.
From our watchtowers we watched
for a nation that could not rescue us.”

Have “our eyes continually failed us”? We climbed to the top of “our watchtowers [and] we watched”. From our high perch we thought we could see farther and discover more. Somewhere out there was a solution to our troubles. But what we found “could not rescue us”. Did “our eyes” fail us? I think not. Our eyes were fine. We were looking in all the wrong places.

The Hebrew text uses the double verb for emphasis. “From our watchtowers we watched” is literally “in our watching we have watched”. The verse suggests an intense investigation, not a casual observing. Jeremiah’s Jews needed rescuing from their evil oppressor Babylon. They were serious about getting help. But the help they so desperately needed, was not forthcoming because they were looking “for a nation” rather than God to save them.

To see farther, I must go higher. Like the short man Zaccheus who wishe to see Jesus (Luke 19.3), I might climb a tree for a better view. The Jews built taller watchtowers to expand their vision of the horizon. From Seattle’s Space Needle observation deck, Queen Anne Hill and Lake Union unfold before me. If I were an astronaut, my perspective would expand to the entire world. But my vision would be pointless if, like country star Waylon Jennings, “I was looking for love [or help] in all the wrong places”.

It’s not a matter of perspective; it’s a matter a direction. It’s not how far I can see; it’s where I’m looking. I could look the universe wide and still not find the help I need. Real help is closer than I think. “The message [of help] is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it”, (Deuteronomy 30.14 HCSB). Jesus promised, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17.21 NAS). You don’t have to look far for help.

Mimicking the captives of his people, Jeremiah claimed, “Our eyes continually failed us”. There was nothing wrong with their eyes and the prophet knew it. Exiled Jews “looked in vain for help” because they looked amiss.

The last time I went golfing, I swung and watched my ball veer way off to the right, landing two fairways over. At first I thought, “What’s wrong with my six iron”? You are correct. The golfer was defective, not the golf club. Ancient Jew is no different than you and me. There is nothing wrong with our eyes. They “failed us” only because we are looking for help in all the wrong places. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12.2 NIV) and find in Him the help we need.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121.1-2 KJV