It's Who You Know

As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, does great things and unsearchable,

marvelous things without number: (Job 5:8,9 ESV)

It’s Who You Know

The other day, while watching a football game, I called up the well-known coach of the college team on television and asked him some advice.  I also gave him a nudge in the direction his team should be going during this game.  After a bit of a chat, we hung up… and we each clearly had listened to the other.

Ok, that did not happen.

I do not personally know any college football team coaches.  I am pretty sure I do not even know anyone who knows such a coach.  If I had to suddenly get an idea for the perfect play, or find out what the team’s favorite pizza was, I would be in trouble.

On the other hand, if I experience grievous loss, if I am overwhelmed by troubles, if I am afraid, if I do not know the correct decision, if I am confused, if I am hurting, if I am lost… I know the One who can help.

And He is bigger than a famous football coach.  And He is more knowledgeable  than a triple PhD.  And He is more powerful than the Big Bang.  And He is more gentle than a teddy bear.  And He has better ears any listening device.  And He loves me more than I can imagine.

I’m talking about the One True Living God.

And I know Someone who knows Him.

And He listens to me, and therefore I can speak to Him.

And He knows me, and therefore I know Him.

And my connection to Him is through His Son, Christ Jesus.

No one else but His people know Him!  And He uniquely knows each one of us.

We are peculiar, we actually know Him.

Death

 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  (I Corinthians 15:12 ESV)

Death

Superman is not afraid of bullets.  He has tough skin that will not be pierced by any caliber of bullet.  Wouldn’t he be foolish to be afraid if a bad guy pulls out a submachine gun?  He should laugh.  Even if the bullets sting a little, he would have nothing to be afraid of.

We have death-proof souls.  Death can not hurt us, it is merely an entrance into heaven.  Christ’s resurrection has defeated our death before it happens.

Yet we, it seems to me, remain afraid of death.

The fear of death causes us to approach old age with trepidation.  The fear of death has created huge industries to prolong life as if nothing else matters.  The fear of death causes nightmares, neurosis, overcaution, and numerous other fears.

Yet we Christians, alone in the world have nothing to fear.

We are peculiar, laugh at death.

Forgiveness

If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17:3,4 ESV)

Forgiveness

I had one job.  I had been instructed to remove all of the books from a friend’s library and place them in a particular room.  But with good intentions, I thought I knew more than my friend.  Surely, he had not meant every single book, but only the books that were in the way of a particular project.  Surely, he had not meant to move all the books in that particular room, when there was a closer room available. Surely, he had not meant for me to move books that I did not think really belonged in his library.

So, I moved some of the books to a different new room, and made a pile of books for him to approve disposal.

I smiled proudly when he entered the apartment… and then he laughed at me.  His explanation of what he had asked me to do made sense, once I understood it… once I stopped trying to be smarter than him… once I stopped trying to fix his intentions.

This is one of the most powerful, yet ignored, statements of Christ. 

The job of every Christian is to forgive each other.  We add conditions, though, like me and the library, that are not found in Christ’s words. 

Such as: “I only need to forgive her when she proves how sorry she is.”

Such as: “I only need to forgive her when she stops behaving badly.”

Such as: “I only need to forgive her when he has learned his lesson.”

Such as: “I only need to forgive her if he forms new good habits.”

You might expect me to write at this point, that a peculiar thing about being a Christian is that we can be forgiven.  And indeed, that is a peculiar thing in the world.

But these verses instead show us that not only are we forgiven, but we GET to forgive.

No burdens of grudges need to be born.  No anger that cannot be quenched till someone else does something needs to burn.  No hurt because of the actions, words, or thoughts of another need to be felt anymore.

We get to forgive!  Even if the world calls it naïve.  Even if our neighbor calls us foolish.  Even if our fears push against us.  Even if we do not really want to forgive…

We are peculiar, we get to forgive.

Know Who Is In Charge

And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. (Ezra 6:2,3 ESV)

Know Who Is In Charge

When the Jews were coming back gradually from exile, they met with obstacle after obstacle.  Anyone looking at the series of events might be confused.  Until this verse, the Hand behind the events is unclear.  But suddenly, when an old record of King Cyrus was examined, both God’s people and those who opposed God’s people could discern a plan that was being followed.

God was bringing His people home. Sometimes obviously, sometimes behind the scenes, sometimes hidden for now… God brings His people home.

History can be hard to understand.  Civilizations rise and fall, seemingly without purpose.  Plans of great and lesser folk come to fruition or fall by the wayside, seemingly without purpose.  Events are chaotic, without clear cause or profitable result. 

Every time analysts think they understand what the key motivators of history, some new facet casts doubt on the previous theories.

But God’s people are unique.  We might not know exactly what is happening, but we know WHO is happening.  Every event, whether we understand it or not, is under the authority of God.  Every event, whether bringing immediate sorrow or joy, is under the authority of God. Every event, whether in the past, present, or future, is under the authority of God.

And we are that God’s people, through Christ Jesus.

We are peculiar, we know what is going on.

Know What God Says

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25 ESV)

Know What God Says

I collect Christmas Nutcrackers.  One year a neighbor offered me any of his nutcrackers. They had been collected by his mother for decades, and now they were filling boxes that filled his garage.  So I went to his garage and looked.

I experienced sensory overload.

So… many… nutcrackers!

I certainly did not need them all, but it was very difficult analyzing which nutcrackers to accept.  Too many nutcrackers of too many varieties, sizes, styles, colors, ages, and sets.

Our senses are overloaded with information all the time.  How do we know which piece of information to accept?  How do we know what is true, and what is fake?  I feel sorry, sometimes, for people without a steady place to stand when taking in information.

The last words of the fourth gospel tell us something cool.  Out of all the events of Jesus’ life on earth, the Holy Spirit has already figured out for us which parts we need to know.  In this case, all of the events were true, but we do not need every bit of every event of Jesus’ life ensconced in our brains.

We just need what God gives us in His Bible.

Unlike the rest of the world, who are not sure what to think, believe, conclude, understand, or grasp… we can know what we know.

We’re peculiar, we know what God says.

Treasure

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples. (Exodus 19:5 ESV)

Treasure

One of my favorite childhood games is called sardines.  This game is simply a reverse of hide-and-seek.   One person hides, and the rest of the players try to find that hiding person. Perhaps it is too deep a look into my own insecurities, but it feels really good to have the whole crowd looking for me.

In that game, I am the treasure.

Most of us yearn to be someone’s treasure.  We like to have our jokes laughed at.  We like it when our friends smile at us.  We like being chosen, enjoyed, sought after, and valued.

God tells us here that we can be God’s treasure. 

There is one way, only one way, to be God’s treasure.  God describes it as obeying His voice and keeping His covenant.  And how do we do that?  Not by achieving or even striving for perfect obedience.  We’ve already failed to do that.  But instead, God provided an exchange.  His Son, Jesus, lived a perfect life.  And that perfect life gets exchanged for our imperfect life. 

In other words, the way to be God’s treasure is to accept Jesus’ obedience exchange plan.

I am God’s treasure, whether I am anyone else’s treasure or not.  Because of Jesus.  I am God’s treasure, even when I am feeling untreasured by my community.  Because of Jesus.  I am God’s treasure, and in that thought is found peace and joy!  Because of Jesus.

Everyone wants to be a treasure.  But few folk are.

We’re peculiar, we are God’s treasure.

Not Alone

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;” (Genesis2:18 ESV)

Not Alone

The lights were off, and I thought no one was home.  But when I came into the living room, I was greeted by an exuberant, “SURPRISE!”  It was my birthday, and my friends had gathered to surprise me with a celebration.

Even though it seemed like it moments before, I was not alone.

God had created Adam, and even though He had declared that creation, ‘very good,’ God now introduces another factor.  God knew that Adam was going to be alone.    Adam had not been alone so far in his life, because Adam was hanging around with God.  But that unity was going to end when Adam disobeyed God… and then Adam would be alone.

So, God did two things to help Adam.  First, God gave Adam a companion.  He gave Adam Eve.  And therefore, even after Adam’s fall into sin, Adam was not alone.  Because God knew that being alone was not good.

Even better, though, God began getting things ready to fix Adam’s loneliness absolutely.  We see it a few verses later, when God foretells that a savior would come. (Genesis 3:15) That savior would eventually bring Adam back into fellowship with God.  Ultimately, Adam would never be alone, again… because of that savior.

But not just Adam, of course.  Every child of God from Adam through (at least) today is also not alone.  Christians, by the very way we are saved, are in God’s presence.  We are not alone.

Loneliness runs rampant in our society.  That emptiness causes so many to attempt to fill that emptiness through dangerous, inappropriate, and even unrighteous things.  That emptiness also causes so many to attempt to fill that emptiness through pleasant, appropriate, and normal things.

But only One can fill the void left in mankind’s heart when they are not in fellowship with God.  Christians are unique because we do not have to be lonely.  In fact, like me on my birthday, Christians are NOT alone… even if it seems like it.

The world wants what Christians have… an end to loneliness.

We’re peculiar, we are not alone.

Peculiar People (Introduction)

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (II Corinthians 4:15 ESV)

Peculiar People (Final Introduction)

When Americans travel overseas, sometimes we stand out as loudmouths.  When Canadians travel overseas they stand out as very polite.  When Australians travel overseas, they stand out as curious.  When Brits travel overseas… they are… British.

One of the most peculiar things about God’s people should be that we are thankful.  We have a heaven-eye-view that allows us to know that God is not only in charge, but is good.  We have the examples in Scripture of things that seemed dreadful, but God was creating something wonderful.  We have God’s commands to be thankful and to give thanks. 

We have faith, which nudges us towards gratitude, hope, which nudges us towards gratitude, and love, which nudges us towards gratitude.

That is a lot of nudges.

And now we have a nudge towards gratitude on our calendar.

Give thanks without a sense that you deserved the blessings.

Give thanks without fear that the blessing will end.

Give thanks without taking credit yourself.

Give thanks without greed.

Be different, be thankful.

(Our examination of Peculiar People will start in full next week.  Happy Thanksgiving!)

Peculiar People (Introduction)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31 ESV)

Peculiar People (Introduction)

Little Roxanne, the redhaired girl who lived down the street, was annoying.  Not only was she a GIRL, but she followed me around and fluttered her eyelids at me.  One day, just to get rid of her, I gave her my allowance.  I hoped she would take the quarter and go down the street to the candy store and leave me alone!

My mother saw me give Rozanne the money, and chose to interpret it as an act of kindness.  She rewarded me, in fact.  But she should not have.

I had done a right thing for a wrong reason.

The peculiarity of God’s people often depends on our motivation.  More than what we do (although what we do matters, too,) we need to look at why we do things.

Why we do what we do, when we do what we do.

Paul instructs us to do things so that those around us will be impressed with God.   We have so many lesser motivations.  We want to impress others with our own selves.  We want to ease the troubles of our lives.  We want to be noticed, appreciated, valued, liked, and loved. 

But a peculiar thing about God’s people is that we have the capability of doing things for God’s glory.

We’ll be looking at how to make that alteration in our life’s trajectories.

Be peculiar, do everything for God.

Peculiar People

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9 KJV)

Peculiar People (introduction)

Who likes to be called peculiar?

The King James Version is almost alone calling God’s people, peculiar.  Other translations of this verse opted to use English words such as unique, special, treasured, unusual, or even weird. 

Perhaps those other words feel more comfortable, Bbut for the next months, we will be examining what it means to be one of God’s peculiar people.

Peculiar is actually a pretty good word.

Peculiar refers to how God treats His people… differently than how He treats the rest of the world.

Peculiar refers to how we, God’s people, think about Him, respond to Him, learn about Him, and live in His light.

Peculiar refers to the fact that there is something strange about us.  Yes, it is wonderfully strange, but it IS strange.

Peculiar refers to God’s desire that His people do not try to fit in with the world, be like the world, be loyal to the world, or desire what the world desires.

Perhaps today our culture, even our Christian culture, yearns to be like everyone else.  But we are not.  God does not want us to be.  And after we contemplate His word a bit on the subject, I hope that we will find that we ourselves no longer want to be.

We are a peculiar people!  And that is a grand thing!

Fear Not... Then Worry Better

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:3,4 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Worry Better

While in high school, I spent a week driving my grandparents back home to Michigan from Florida.  It should have been a time of learning, or mentorship, and of listening.  But I was focused on the wrong things.  I wanted to actually drive the car.  I wanted to eat out at exotic restaurants.  I wanted to read in the back seat.  I was worried about the wrong things.

We worry, yes?  But the things we worry about are windows into our souls.  Do we worry more about having enough time to finish our chores, or about having enough time to study God’s Word?  Do we worry more about our declining checkbook balance, or about our declining Biblical knowledge?  Do we worry more about our friendships, or about our relationship with the One True Living God?  Do we worry more about the taste of our next meal, or about the quality of our prayer time?

Jesus, hungry in the desert, tired from the heat, sore from too much walking, knew the food was not the main concern of His humanity.  Even for Him, God’s Word was more important. 

Fear not, then worry better.

Fear Not... THen Keep Doing the Right Thing

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. (II Chronicles 32:1 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Keep Doing the Right Thing

Many years ago, I decided to branch out and pick up some extra money with my father’s lawnmower.  The whole experience was dreadful.  I hated mowing lawns.   My father’s lawn mower was electronic, with a long, often entangled, cord.  The summer heat was almost unbearable.  I underestimated the time required.  Bees were involved.

But worst of all… the homeowner never paid me.  For days I visited him, but he was always busy, without cash, or absent. 

I worked for nothing.

Hezekiah might have felt like I did that summer.  We’ve got to have some sympathy for King Hezekiah.  He could have felt like he worked for God, without payment.  He was faithful to God, but still Sennacherib came.  Hezekiah overcome opposition to his good policies, but still Assyria attacked.  Hezekiah faced unpopularity, near-rebellion, and nay-sayers, still sticking to God’s revealed way, but still, out of the blue, destruction was knocking at Jerusalem’s door.

We see from Hezekiah that faithfulness to God is actually its own rich reward.  Hezekiah was not faithful because he profited from it.  Hezekiah was not faithful because faithfulness caused great results.  Hezekiah was not faithful because it led to geo-political, economic, or international success.  Hezekiah was not faithful because, ‘it works.’

He was faithful because he was faithful.  Knowing God, knowing grace, knowing truth left Hezekiah no real choice.

God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah had to keep serving.  God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah got to keep serving.  God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah just kept serving.

Christ Jesus might have felt God was unfair, too.  He, perfectly obedient, was killed.  He, perfectly righteous, was left alone by His Father.  He, perfectly holy, was never paid.  But Jesus lived, suffered, and died anyway.

Be like Hezekiah.  Serving God is what God deserves.  Loving God is what God deserves.  Believing God is what God deserves.  Living for God is what God deserves.

Even if the Assyrians come knocking.

Fear not, then keep doing the right thing.

Fear Not... Then Behold

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! (Song of Songs 4:10 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Behold

When my mom looked at my barely recognizable stick figure portrait, she smiled and declared that it was beautiful.  I knew better.  When I brought home a bust of the prophet Jeremiah, my family praised me for my artistry in sculpting what they assumed was either my father or my dog.  They said how beautiful it was.  I knew better.  The first song I wrote was praised by my high school easy listening band.  They said it brought tears to their eyes from the beauty of the music.  But I knew the real reason they cried.

We say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  But it seems to me that we misunderstand that quote.  Beauty is not defined by our flip-flopping likes and dislikes.  Beauty has real objective truth, defined by God and God alone.

But in this verse, we see a connection between our eyes and the thing being considered.

It is not merely eyes that declare beauty… it is love that gives rise to beauty.

The love of the speaker inserts the beauty into the beautiful.  The love of the speaker makes the beautiful, beautiful.  The love of the speaker is more than naïve niceness, or expressed loyalty to the beloved, or willingness to overlook faults.

Love transforms the ugly into the beautiful.  Love transforms the mundane into the exciting.  Love transforms the boring into the exhilarating.

When we look at each other with love, we do not simply ‘see’ things other than what we first thought.  Our loving look changes the thing itself. 

We do not have that power in and of ourselves.  But Christ does.  He created, and He now makes new.  He formed the dust, and now He makes glorious.  He changes, through His love, everything broken into everything made new.

And we, if we love unconditionally, whole-heartedly, and well… lovingly… make beauty, too.

Once we are past the fears of the ugly, broken, shattered, dead world, drenched in the power of sin… we can see things as He has made them.

Fear not, then behold.

Fear Not... Then Give God Credit

(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:4-6 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Give God Credit

After a concert, I had the chance to examine the artist’s guitar.  I will not bore you with brand names, but THIS was a guitar’s guitar.  It was well crafted, well seasoned, and had been well protected.  In the hands of the artist, this guitar sang deeply into every observer’s heart.

I, too, know how to play the guitar.

But somehow, when I attempted a strum, it did not sound as rich.  When I attempted an arpeggio, it did not sound as magical.  When I attempted a tune, it was technically correct… but something was missing. The artist’s touch made the music’s beauty… not merely the guitar itself.

Tools are great, but greater credit goes to the craftsman.  Tools are great, but greater credit goes to the artistry of the artist.  Tools are great, but the wielder of the tool is the greater part of the performance.

For us, too, beyond music, art, and creativity, the wielder of the tool deserves more credit, acknowledgement, and praise than is often our habit.

And these verses remind us that behind every good thing is Christ.  The author points out that as admirable as Moses was, Christ is more.  As wonderful as the House of God is, its wonderfulness is birthed in the builder, Christ.  We are His house, but He is the builder.

That idea can be helpful when we see the cracks in our “building’s” foundations.  That idea can be comforting when we become aware of faulty plumbing.  That idea can be useful when we, in honest moments, realize that the parts of our house that our US, are faulty.

Fear not, then give God credit

Fear Not... Then Attack

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. (Luke 22:39  ESV)

Fear Not… Then Attack!

The last supper was over, and Jesus did not hide.  He knew what was coming.  And He went to face it.  The Mount of Olives was not just a random place for Jesus to go.  It was a familiar, symbolic, and necessary place.

The Mount of Olives was a place Jesus frequently prayed.  In fact, Luke tells us that He often went there.  As Jesus moves ahead towards His death, He chooses a familiar place, where He did a familiar activity.  He prayed.   This is no hidden closet of prayer… this is Jesus praying in the face of His enemies.

The Mount of Olives was a symbolic place.  Here, David experienced failure with his son, Absalom. (II Samuel 15)  Here, Solomon worshiped idols. (I Kings 11)  Here, Zechariah (Zechariah 14:) foretold that the Messiah would stand.  The Mount of Olives was a gospely place… and Jesus went there knowing that the gospel path required His presence there.

The Mount of Olives was a necessary place.  Judas, perhaps knowing Jesus’ usual presence there, was bringing the Jewish leaders to arrest Him.  While we despair, thinking of Judas’s decision and action, Jesus knew that it was necessary. 

The Mount of Olives was the path to our salvation.

And Jesus did not avoid that path, sneak along the path, or hide along the way.

He knew what was ahead, and heroically jumped into the face of His combined enemies.

Because He knew His Father was with Him.  He knew that He acted in obedience.  He knew that He was doing, living, acting in the gospel.

We do not need to hide, either.  We can speak loudly of our need for our Savior… and His salvation!  We can act boldly in obedience, even when it causes us embarrassment, opposition, and problems.  Jesus showed us how to attack.

Fear not, then attack like Jesus.

Fear Not... Then Laugh

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:6 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Laugh

I realize that there is nothing funny about the plagues.  They were God’s finger of judgment against Egypt.  God’s wrath is not a laughing matter.

Yet the picture of this plague usually makes me smile.  A horde of lions do not descend on Egypt, only frogs.  Children rarely tell their parents of a nightmare that involved a frog.  Frogs in fairy tales are pitiable, unimportant, and mundane. 

On the one hand, God’s choice of plague here should induce awe.  God even turns FRONGS into instruments of His wrath.  There is nothing so small or so large that God does not take into His mighty hand.  Jesus turns water into wine at a minor wedding feast.  God uses a donkey to speak.  Jesus expects roadside stones to sing and shout His Name.

But on the other hand, maybe this is an example of God laughing at His enemies.  God is pre-fulfilling these words from Psalm 2, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

This is a key difference between the way God deals with His beloved people and His enemies.

He laughs at them… He laughs WITH us.

Fear not, then laugh.

Fear Not.. Then Do Not Be Surprised

And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another,

every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. (Isaiah 3:4,5 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Do Not Be Surprised

It was obvious that I was going to get punched in the face.  The drunk man had moved from car to car ahead of me, demanding windows be rolled down.  I could not hear or clearly see what was occurring, but the general idea was right there.  He asked for something, did not receive it, and so tried to attack the driver, being blocked by the windows being rolled back up.

When he arrived at my car, the process began the same.  He asked… I refused… He reached… but I somehow thought he would not try to hit ME.  I was so nice, so pleasant, so likeable, so polite. 

So, I got punched in the face.

I was disappointed.  I was angry.  I was vengeful.  I was disgusted.  And I had every right to react in those ways.

But I was not surprised.

And I should not have been.

Throughout history societies, cultures, and civilization that reject God have run into trouble.  Babylon fell, Rome fell, France fell, Britain fell, and even now…

And as disappointed, concerned, and righteously angry as we might be… we have no reason or right to be surprised.  It has happened before.  It will happen again.

Not because of a cyclical nature of governments, not because of any practical results of poor decisions, not because of anything, in fact but God’s promises.

Rejection of God will equal disaster.  It should surprise no one.

It might be what is happening today.  But today it is not merely a nation that is rejecting God, it is God’s people themselves.  We turn to our favorite news to understand events, rather than turning to God’s word.  We rely medicine rather than look to the Great Healer.  We trust in the security of the US Armed Forces rather than trust in the Almighty God.  We ignore or even praise the reigning false religions of humanism, equality, capitalism (or any economic theory,) or knowledge.

Isaiah describes what God imposes on such societies.   Immature leadership… human cruelty… and disrespect of authority.   Does that sound familiar?

We can be disappointed in our observation.  We can be disgusted at those who participate.  We can be dismayed at the downward slide of obedience to God…

But we have no reason to be surprised.  It’s what God does.  It’s what God promises.

But do not despair.  Because that same God ALSO promises to always retain a remnant… to rebuilt His people… to bring us to the happy ending.

That should not surprise us either!

Fear not, then do not be surprised.

Fear Not... Then Reason

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Reason

I had to throw away one of my favorite shirts.  I carelessly stained it with tomato sauce, and probably a few other ingredients.  DeAnne graciously tried to clean it.  But sometimes a stain is a stain is a stain.

No amount of elbow grease, powerful chemicals, or soaking could get rid of it.

God’s people in Isaiah’s time were trying so very hard.   Their souls were stained.  They (as God’s people always do!) know how much trouble they were in.  And so, they tried (read about it in the earlier verses of Isaiah’s book) ceremonies, sacrifices performed with mathematical precision, national laws, and condemnation of other people’s sinfulness.  But the stain, in God’s eyes, was still there.

And now God offers them a deal.

That is what reasoning together refers to.

Changing scarlet cloth into white cloth is so very difficult.  Once white wool is no longer white wool, it won’t be white wool again.

Other than when God is involved.  Other than when grace is involved.  Other than when Jesus is involved.

The deal is so good that it seems too good to be true.

Jesus takes our stains on His pure robes, and gives us HIS pure robes to wear instead of our stained set.

Stop trying other things.  Reason with God.

Fear not, then reason

Fear Not... Then Fix Something

The people of Judah then took Uzziah, who was only sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. The first thing he did after his father was dead and buried was to recover Elath for Judah and rebuild it. (II Chronicles 26:1,2 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Fix Something

The kingdom of Israel had been in turmoil.  For many years, the crown had been coveted by aspirants, conspired about, and fought over. Young Uzziah ascended the thrown with insecurity and perhaps low expectations.

But he got right to work.

Scripture does not divulge Uzziah’s motivation for rebuilding the city of Elath.  But some of his reasons are deductible.

First, he rebuilt Elath to reinvigorate Israel’s knowledge of the past.  Elath was a key city in the wanderings of God’s people on the way to the promised land. (Deuteronomy 2:8) In a way, it formed a border between wilderness and home.  Elath was the sort of city that might have held a monument or two.  On the southern border of the Promised Land, Elath was rebuilt to rebuild Judah’s memories of who they had once been, despite how far they had slipped in recent years.

Second, he rebuilt Elath to reinvigorate Judah’s hope for the future.  Elath was King Solomon’s shipbuilding port.  (I Kings 9:26) Solomon’s world-stretching empire centered in Elath.  As Uzziah began his reign, he hoped Judah would be profitable, successful, and notable again.

Uzziah followed God, as King of Judah.  Admittedly, he erred.  But he gives a good example at the beginning of his rule.

We have things worth fixing, too.

When fear has been overcome, or even diminished, we can repair our relationships, commitments, and dreams. Consider God’s love for us in our past.   Remember His blessings with fondness, joy, and excitement.  Rebuild some of those broken things from yesteryear.  As we begin each day like Uzziah, starting fresh, reclaim our broken past.

When fear has been overcome, or even diminished, we can repair our future. Consider what our intentions were, our plans entailed, and our hopes described.  Trust God’s promises enough to know that tomorrow is a good place.  Hope for heaven manifested here today.  Hope for blessings that are sure.  Hope for the increase of God’s kingdom, found among the actions of God’s people.

Fear not, then fix something.

Fear Not... Then Be an Optimist

Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Be an Optimist

Is the glass half full?  Or half empty?  It feels like cautious wisdom to declare it half empty.  Lately, we seem to cling to pessimism and call it wisdom. 

But really, it is just fear.  Pessimism is not realism, it is fear.  Pessimism does not come from experience, but from fear.  Pessimism is not low expectations to avoid disappointment, it is fear.  Pessimism is not a good understanding of current events and trends, it is fear.  Pessimism is not merely our personality, our choice, or our nature.  It is fear.

God Himself gives an optimistic view of His people’s future in the book of Hosea.

Astonishingly, to our pessimistic ears, God says that things are going to turn out fine.  Great, even.  Grand, even.  Good, even.

He does not promise that we will have a good day tomorrow.  But He promises that we, if we are His people, will know our King, David’s heir, Jesus, and gladly cling to Him.  He promises that we will be in a perfect relationship with God.  He promises that we will know His goodness.

Optimism IS realism. 

Fear not, then be an optimist.