Life. Interrupted. Week 4 Day 2
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. " And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
"What have you done?" asked Samuel.
Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command." 1 Samuel 13:7-14 (NIV)
As a boy, I enjoyed building model cars. I even had a model of the lunar module with the lunar rover. (Readers born after about 1979 have no idea what that is. It’s not the space shuttle). I enjoyed working on the models, but I wasn’t very good at it.
Assembling models required more patience than was available to me at the time. I always wanted to finish the work in one sitting. As I charged through the steps, I soon found that pieces basically “melted” due to the over application of model glue. I ended up with a headache by the end of it. The car was a mess, and the model glue didn’t have a warning label back then.
Now, I could be spiritual and say that I was “compelled” to finish the entire model car right then and there. I would sound dignified and justified like Saul did in this passage. Saul ended up with a headache all his own.
Saul’s compulsion was driven by fear. Morale among his troops was at an all time low. The enemy was preparing for battle. Samuel was, well, tardy. Saul was compelled to break the rules and approach God on his own terms.
Samuel congratulates Saul’s efforts with a harsh word: foolish. It was foolish to presume that God wouldn’t act in due time. It was foolish to take matters into his own hands. It was foolish to assume that the offering of incense was more significant than his obedience. The whole thing just melted into a big mess.
When are we tempted to approach God on our own terms? Whether we feel that we’ve performed well as a Christian and deserve for God to act or whether we’ve entered into bargaining with God, these approaches fall into the same category as Saul and his incense.
Now, don’t get me wrong. You and I should never feel inhibited to boldly approach God. We live in a much different time than Saul. But, how are we approaching God? Are we coming with demands or asking for directions? Much of our frustration is over our unmet expectations. The closer that we can align our expectations with God’s will, the less frustrated we will become.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Are You Taking Initiative or Just Being Impatient?
Life. Interrupted. Week 4 Day 1
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. Exodus 2:11-15 (NIV)
Most of us haven’t killed a guy. (If you have, please don’t raise your hand.) Moses actions weren’t premeditated. It was the rage of the moment. His zeal for the oppression of God’s people got the best of him. He took matters into his own hands.
While most of us haven’t killed, we’re certainly taken matters into our own hands at one time or another. Maybe it was even for a good cause. Maybe God has given us a heart to see wrongs righted or the innocent protected. Maybe we have a passion to see people use their God-given gifts and talents and discover their purposes.
It’s one thing to follow God’s call on your life as a believer. It’s another if you must argue, fuss and fight to get there. Often when things aren’t moving according to plan (our plan), we take matters into our own hands and make things happen. Don’t we applaud those who take initiative? But, sometimes our initiative is really impatience.
Jesus said: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NIV). Nothing? Really? Those of us with Type A personalities struggle with this verse. (Type B’s can just chill at this point. Okay, you already are.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. Jesus wasn’t advocating that we do nothing. The reverse of this passage is also true: “If you do nothing, it will be apart from Jesus.” God has things for us to do. Often those things don’t follow our timing, our initiative, or our desired outcome. And, that’s okay.
The goal of this life is not to right every wrong. Our goal is not to singlehandedly change the world. Those jobs belong to Jesus. Our job is to surrender ourselves entirely to God. As we move closer to Him, we will be amazed at what He can accomplish through us.
What situation is eating at you these days? How have you prayed about it? Are you sure that the action you want to take is going to help or are you about to get in God’s way? He will give you clarity.
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. Exodus 2:11-15 (NIV)
Most of us haven’t killed a guy. (If you have, please don’t raise your hand.) Moses actions weren’t premeditated. It was the rage of the moment. His zeal for the oppression of God’s people got the best of him. He took matters into his own hands.
While most of us haven’t killed, we’re certainly taken matters into our own hands at one time or another. Maybe it was even for a good cause. Maybe God has given us a heart to see wrongs righted or the innocent protected. Maybe we have a passion to see people use their God-given gifts and talents and discover their purposes.
It’s one thing to follow God’s call on your life as a believer. It’s another if you must argue, fuss and fight to get there. Often when things aren’t moving according to plan (our plan), we take matters into our own hands and make things happen. Don’t we applaud those who take initiative? But, sometimes our initiative is really impatience.
Jesus said: I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NIV). Nothing? Really? Those of us with Type A personalities struggle with this verse. (Type B’s can just chill at this point. Okay, you already are.)
Now, don’t get me wrong. Jesus wasn’t advocating that we do nothing. The reverse of this passage is also true: “If you do nothing, it will be apart from Jesus.” God has things for us to do. Often those things don’t follow our timing, our initiative, or our desired outcome. And, that’s okay.
The goal of this life is not to right every wrong. Our goal is not to singlehandedly change the world. Those jobs belong to Jesus. Our job is to surrender ourselves entirely to God. As we move closer to Him, we will be amazed at what He can accomplish through us.
What situation is eating at you these days? How have you prayed about it? Are you sure that the action you want to take is going to help or are you about to get in God’s way? He will give you clarity.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Believe. Doubt. Believe. Doubt. (Repeat)
Life. Interrupted. Week 3 Day 5
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. James 2:23 (NIV)
Abraham believed God, but it sure took a lot of work to get there. He believed enough to leave what he had known to enter into the unknown based on God’s direction (Genesis 12). But the slogan about “God said it; I believe it; and that settles it” didn’t work for Abraham. Why? Abraham didn’t know God very well.
It would be easy to think “Gee whiz, Abraham had direct conversations with God. Why did he struggle with doubt? If I had those conversations with God, I would act immediately and wouldn’t doubt at all.” Well, don’t become so self-righteous so fast. We haven’t walked in his shoes.
Abraham did things for God that no one had ever done. Abraham also gave us an understanding of God that no one before had ever had. We have a greater understanding of God based on the understanding that Abraham pioneered about God’s nature and character. With the knowledge we have of God, you might wonder what Abraham would think of our faith.
Here’s the bottom line: the truth of God had to become familiar to Abraham. The process involved wrestling with doubts. God’s promise was great in theory, but the practical implementation was a whole other deal. Abraham is not so different from us.
There are many things that we understand in principle, but we don’t yet understand in our experience. If we could just read words on a page and have it instantly sink in, that would be something. But, there are those events in our lives that cause us to question everything. That doesn’t mean that we put on a “Bad Christian” name tag. The correct label would be “God’s Work in Progress.”
How are you challenged to fully believe God today? Do you wonder if His Word is true? Do you question God’s reality? Do you feel that God has forgotten you? Press into that and work it all of the way through. God will prove Himself to you. You will develop a fuller understanding of Him. Your faith will grow.
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. James 2:23 (NIV)
Abraham believed God, but it sure took a lot of work to get there. He believed enough to leave what he had known to enter into the unknown based on God’s direction (Genesis 12). But the slogan about “God said it; I believe it; and that settles it” didn’t work for Abraham. Why? Abraham didn’t know God very well.
It would be easy to think “Gee whiz, Abraham had direct conversations with God. Why did he struggle with doubt? If I had those conversations with God, I would act immediately and wouldn’t doubt at all.” Well, don’t become so self-righteous so fast. We haven’t walked in his shoes.
Abraham did things for God that no one had ever done. Abraham also gave us an understanding of God that no one before had ever had. We have a greater understanding of God based on the understanding that Abraham pioneered about God’s nature and character. With the knowledge we have of God, you might wonder what Abraham would think of our faith.
Here’s the bottom line: the truth of God had to become familiar to Abraham. The process involved wrestling with doubts. God’s promise was great in theory, but the practical implementation was a whole other deal. Abraham is not so different from us.
There are many things that we understand in principle, but we don’t yet understand in our experience. If we could just read words on a page and have it instantly sink in, that would be something. But, there are those events in our lives that cause us to question everything. That doesn’t mean that we put on a “Bad Christian” name tag. The correct label would be “God’s Work in Progress.”
How are you challenged to fully believe God today? Do you wonder if His Word is true? Do you question God’s reality? Do you feel that God has forgotten you? Press into that and work it all of the way through. God will prove Himself to you. You will develop a fuller understanding of Him. Your faith will grow.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Are You Suffering from the –Ites?
Life. Interrupted. Week 3 Day 4
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." Genesis 15:17-21 (NIV)
That’s a lot of –ites. Now, the land promised to Abram wasn’t the former home of all of these –ites. It was their present home. You would think that if God gave the land, He would just hand it over. All of the –ites would get some sort of eviction notice. Maybe they would leave with an apology, “We’re sorry we were living on your land. We’ve packed up and will leave it in good shape for you. We didn’t realize that this was your land.”
God was very clear about the obstacles that Abram would face: childlessness, opposition, slavery, and then more opposition. You wonder why God gave Abram so much advance warning. Was God outlining a clear path through the murkiness of Abram’s thinking? Was God’s direction such a new thing for Abram that God simply didn’t want to leave any room for misunderstanding? Considering that the last time God communicated with humans was at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11), Abram definitely needed to grow in his understanding of a relationship with God.
God didn’t paint a rosy picture for Abram. We don’t always have as much information in God’s leading, but what we do understand is the difficulties are not necessarily counter to God’s leading. We enter a “spin cycle of success: Change, Conflict, then Growth” as Ed Young, Jr. puts it. The challenge is not so much in the difficulties as it is in our persistence. Our success comes when we complete the process. Failure comes if we stop.
Where is God leading you today? While we shouldn’t be surprised by problems, they are never comfortable. God is not intentionally trying to frustrate you. He is causing you to grow. If it feels like too much, God provides the ability to continue. Just ask Him.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." Genesis 15:17-21 (NIV)
That’s a lot of –ites. Now, the land promised to Abram wasn’t the former home of all of these –ites. It was their present home. You would think that if God gave the land, He would just hand it over. All of the –ites would get some sort of eviction notice. Maybe they would leave with an apology, “We’re sorry we were living on your land. We’ve packed up and will leave it in good shape for you. We didn’t realize that this was your land.”
God was very clear about the obstacles that Abram would face: childlessness, opposition, slavery, and then more opposition. You wonder why God gave Abram so much advance warning. Was God outlining a clear path through the murkiness of Abram’s thinking? Was God’s direction such a new thing for Abram that God simply didn’t want to leave any room for misunderstanding? Considering that the last time God communicated with humans was at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11), Abram definitely needed to grow in his understanding of a relationship with God.
God didn’t paint a rosy picture for Abram. We don’t always have as much information in God’s leading, but what we do understand is the difficulties are not necessarily counter to God’s leading. We enter a “spin cycle of success: Change, Conflict, then Growth” as Ed Young, Jr. puts it. The challenge is not so much in the difficulties as it is in our persistence. Our success comes when we complete the process. Failure comes if we stop.
Where is God leading you today? While we shouldn’t be surprised by problems, they are never comfortable. God is not intentionally trying to frustrate you. He is causing you to grow. If it feels like too much, God provides the ability to continue. Just ask Him.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Too Much Information?
Life. Interrupted. Week 3 Day 3
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." Genesis 15:12-16 (NIV)
You have to wonder if Abram ended up with more than he bargained for. Out of his uncertainty, God leads him into a worship experience. Then, Abram falls into a deep sleep and receives maybe more information than he might have wanted.
In Abram’s quest for assurance, God reveals about the next 500 or so years of plan for Abram’s family. And, God doesn’t pad the future at all. Abram will have descendents who will become slaves for 400 years. The end result is that Abram’s descendents will have great possessions; the captors will be punished; and Abram will die in peace.
Just when circumstances were indicating that Abram’s “heir” would be Eliezer of Damascus, his servant (Genesis 15:2), God says, “Oh, I have a plan. Let me give you some details.” God wasn’t kidding, when the Bible says, “he chose us in him before the creation of the world” and that “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4, 11; NIV). There was a big plan, and it started with Abram.
Do you feel like maybe God has forgotten you? Be assured that He has a plan for your life. When you can’t trust your circumstances, you can trust in God’s character. He doesn’t waver. He never changes.
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." Genesis 15:12-16 (NIV)
You have to wonder if Abram ended up with more than he bargained for. Out of his uncertainty, God leads him into a worship experience. Then, Abram falls into a deep sleep and receives maybe more information than he might have wanted.
In Abram’s quest for assurance, God reveals about the next 500 or so years of plan for Abram’s family. And, God doesn’t pad the future at all. Abram will have descendents who will become slaves for 400 years. The end result is that Abram’s descendents will have great possessions; the captors will be punished; and Abram will die in peace.
Just when circumstances were indicating that Abram’s “heir” would be Eliezer of Damascus, his servant (Genesis 15:2), God says, “Oh, I have a plan. Let me give you some details.” God wasn’t kidding, when the Bible says, “he chose us in him before the creation of the world” and that “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4, 11; NIV). There was a big plan, and it started with Abram.
Do you feel like maybe God has forgotten you? Be assured that He has a plan for your life. When you can’t trust your circumstances, you can trust in God’s character. He doesn’t waver. He never changes.
Monday, February 1, 2010
God Is Faithful Even to the Faithless
Life. Interrupted. Week 7 Day 1
Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. Genesis 21:1-3 (NIV)
God could have easily said, “You know, Abraham and Sarah, I chose you and gave you my promise, but you doubted me, you laughed at me, and you sinned against me, so I’m going to find better people to fulfill this promise. I’m done.” But, that’s not the way God is. God is patient even when we’ve run out of patience for ourselves or for others.
Despite our doubts, fears and schemes, God is faithful. Even if we’ve given up on God, God never gives up on us. Now, there are times when it is hard to see much evidence of God’s presence or work in our lives. But, He is there and always will be.
God is not about to give up on you. Where are you today? Are you ready to give up on someone? God? Someone else? Yourself? God will give you all that He has promised, if you don’t give up (Galatians 6:9). God is faithful, even when we are faithless.
Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. Genesis 21:1-3 (NIV)
God could have easily said, “You know, Abraham and Sarah, I chose you and gave you my promise, but you doubted me, you laughed at me, and you sinned against me, so I’m going to find better people to fulfill this promise. I’m done.” But, that’s not the way God is. God is patient even when we’ve run out of patience for ourselves or for others.
Despite our doubts, fears and schemes, God is faithful. Even if we’ve given up on God, God never gives up on us. Now, there are times when it is hard to see much evidence of God’s presence or work in our lives. But, He is there and always will be.
God is not about to give up on you. Where are you today? Are you ready to give up on someone? God? Someone else? Yourself? God will give you all that He has promised, if you don’t give up (Galatians 6:9). God is faithful, even when we are faithless.
How Worship Can Bypass Our Fears
Life. Interrupted. Week 3 Day 2
So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. Genesis 15:9-11 (NIV)
I hope that didn’t just spoil your breakfast. This passage seems a bit unusual at first. From yesterday’s reading, we see Abram questioning how God will fulfill the promise. Abram even tells God what will happen if God doesn’t deliver on the promise: Abram’s servant will inherit everything. Abram needed to make sure that God understood the consequences of His inaction.
Isn’t it great that God is so patient with us? We can freely talk to God about anything. He won’t get angry. He won’t strike us dead. He’s a patient, loving Father.
In response to Abram’s doubts and fears, God instructs Abram to offer a sacrifice in worship to Him. There’s a principle here (and it’s not be careful that the financial vultures of the world don’t steal your tithe). The principle is that when we struggle with doubt and fear, it’s time to connect with God.
The great thing about worship, especially singing, is that worship can bypass all of the things our brains are stuck on and connect our hearts directly to God. Whether it’s psalms, hymns or spiritual songs, sung or recited, worship is the vehicle God can use to bring us to a more peaceful place.
Often I find myself reaching back to the old songs I learned as a child. Maybe that was a safer time. Maybe they’ve just been with me longer.
When you are anxious and afraid, get in your car, turn up some praise music, and make a joyful noise. Other drivers might think you’re insane. If you don’t sing, then open the Bible’s songbook, the Psalms, and read them aloud to yourself (not while you’re driving though).
As we worship God, we connect with Him. Our doubts and fears can melt away. “Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above, Sweep over my spirit forever I pray, In fathomless bellows of love…”
So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."
Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. Genesis 15:9-11 (NIV)
I hope that didn’t just spoil your breakfast. This passage seems a bit unusual at first. From yesterday’s reading, we see Abram questioning how God will fulfill the promise. Abram even tells God what will happen if God doesn’t deliver on the promise: Abram’s servant will inherit everything. Abram needed to make sure that God understood the consequences of His inaction.
Isn’t it great that God is so patient with us? We can freely talk to God about anything. He won’t get angry. He won’t strike us dead. He’s a patient, loving Father.
In response to Abram’s doubts and fears, God instructs Abram to offer a sacrifice in worship to Him. There’s a principle here (and it’s not be careful that the financial vultures of the world don’t steal your tithe). The principle is that when we struggle with doubt and fear, it’s time to connect with God.
The great thing about worship, especially singing, is that worship can bypass all of the things our brains are stuck on and connect our hearts directly to God. Whether it’s psalms, hymns or spiritual songs, sung or recited, worship is the vehicle God can use to bring us to a more peaceful place.
Often I find myself reaching back to the old songs I learned as a child. Maybe that was a safer time. Maybe they’ve just been with me longer.
When you are anxious and afraid, get in your car, turn up some praise music, and make a joyful noise. Other drivers might think you’re insane. If you don’t sing, then open the Bible’s songbook, the Psalms, and read them aloud to yourself (not while you’re driving though).
As we worship God, we connect with Him. Our doubts and fears can melt away. “Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above, Sweep over my spirit forever I pray, In fathomless bellows of love…”
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