Power

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 9 ESV)

Power

I would not be a good bomb disposal officer.  Those moments in films or on tv where the bomb expert is holding a wire-snipper and contemplate either cutting the red wire, the blue wire, or the polka-dot wire would be the worst moments in my day.  I would be insecure in my authority.  I would not believe that I knew enough.  I would be very aware of the consequences of the wrong decision.

Exerting authority, wielding power, or expressing command can be scary things.  Because even the most type-A leaders can know that they might be wrong. 

The archangel Michael had authority and power.  Angels are amazing.  But even Michael knew (and knows) where his authority and power comes from.  In the middle of what might have been the battle of his life, Michael knows he is nothing more than a conduit for Jesus’ power.

The same is true for us.  God’s people have no authority.  So, we do not need to fear being in positions where we have to decide.  The Lord rebukes all of His enemies that trouble us. The Lord rebukes all of His enemies that make decisions difficult.  The Lord rebukes all of His enemies that give us insecurity.  The Lord rebukes all of His enemies.

It is not up to us.

We are peculiar, Jesus is our power.

Purpose

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14 ESV)

Purpose

Young whippersnappers annoy me with their miss-grammars regarding “on purpose,” and “by accident.”  Commonly, we now hear the prepositions confused.  “I did that on accident,” one might explain incorrectly.  And recently, I even heard a student accuse, “you did that by purpose!”

I scowled, and imagined terrible punishments for abusing the English language. 

But perhaps, while I hate to admit it, the idea of something happening BY purpose should not be so abhorrent to me.

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, muses in this verse about God’s purpose in Esther’s life.  He is acknowledging that God has a plan, a grand one, a good one… and that even when we do not understand it, His plan is behind every event.

In other words, things happen by purpose.   By God’s purpose.  By God’s loving purpose.

Jesus knew this, dying on the cross.  His death was not by accident.  His death was by necessary purpose.

The Spiritually blind do not comprehend God’s purpose.  And while we might not always comprehend it, either, we trust the planner.

We are peculiar, we know He has a purpose.

Rising and Light

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. (Micah 7:8 ESV)

Rising and Light

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is an idea in Mathematics and Physics that states we are unable to ‘know’ both what something is, and what it is doing.  For example, we cannot study what an automobile IS without stopping it from driving.  And we are unable to know where a car is going while it is stalled in the shop. 

When things are dark and low… we examine our lives sometimes, and despair.  We see our troubles, our pains, and our sorrows.  And we hear Gods enemies laugh.

But Micah reminds us that where we might be at the moment is NOT where we will be!

No matter how truly dark our night, the light is coming! No matter how truly low we have fallen, God will raise us!

Jesus is the ideal example of this.  If you were peaking into that tomb between Good Friday and Easter, things would be dark… and the fate of the universe was low.

But He arose!  Light returned!

Without Christ, dark is dark, and low is low.

But we are peculiar, we will be raised.  We have light.

Requirements

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 ESV)

Requirements

When I was learning how to play chess, my instructor kept changing the rules of the game… or at least that was how it seemed to me.  He kept throwing in new ideas, just when I thought I had it figured out.  Pawns can not move backwards?  You can not move into check? You can trade a pawn for any other piece if it reaches the far side of the board?  And what is castling??

Life sometimes seems like we are learning chess.  And the rules might seem to be changing.  It would be unnerving, difficult, and unfair if the standards for success changed half-way through life.

And it might seem like that to the world.

But God is consistent in His requirements.  He wants to see justice, He wants to see us loving mercy, and He wants us to be humble before Him.

And all of those are really summarized by the idea of putting others before ourselves.

We might not like His standards.  We might find them incredibly difficult to honestly keep.  We might despair of impressing Him.

But He has made His requirements plain to His people.

And even better… He gives us Jesus to keep His requirements on our behalf.  In fact, He is really the only requirement God’s given us.

We are peculiar, we know God’s requirements.

Repentance

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18 ESV)

Repentance

Fonzie from Happy Days was unable to pronounce the words, “I’m wrong.”  When he occasionally tried, it sounded like, “I-ooom raahunnka…”

Fonzie is a lot like most of the world.  We humans have a hard time admitting we are wrong.  Whether it is pride, insecurity, ignorance, or immaturity, humans imitate Fonzie often.

But some of the richest moments in my life have come when I have realized how deeply wrong I have been.

Christians should be able to admit when we are wrong.  Because while such admission for the world seems like jumping out of a burning building, Christians know that Jesus is the safety net waiting at the bottom. 

In fact, admitting how deeply wrong we are is the first step we consciously make in being a Christian.  Saying, “oh, how I need Jesus,” necessarily comes before, “Jesus I trust You.”

And once we have made that declaration, jumping is easier… and it becomes a pretty good habit.

We are peculiar, we know repentance.

Stable

…and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.  (Isaish 33:5,6 ESV)

Stability

I was pre-training on a yacht, so that if things went well, I would be a deckhand in sailing-ship race.  One of the training exercises involved climbing the mast.  It was a very tall mast.  At the top, or at least as high as I dared climb, I found myself tilting back and forth, swinging through the air.  Looking at the horizon was scary, looking at the yardarms was terrifying, and looking down at the deck was almost enough to make me faint.  I felt unloosed, disconnected, and in danger.

The sailor who was training me gave me good advice.  He told me to look at the place where the mast connected with the deck.  I am sure he told me the exact nautical word, but to me it was simply the one place that did not seem to rock.

It was stable.

Isaiah encourages God’s people to realize that HE is that spot for us. 

Though the world seems to tilt, twirl, and rock… Jesus provides stability. 

He holds the laws of the universe in one hand, and His good plans for your life in the other.

It might seem to be out of control, but look to Him… and you will find that the rocking is not as real as He is.

We are peculiar, we can be stable.

Do Good

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9,10 ESV)

Do Good

I am learning to play the Mandolin.  I practice a little bit, nearly every day.  And honestly, most days I do not see much progress. Some days I seem to lose ground.

But I keep at it.  Because I know that in dues season, I will reap, if I do not give up.

When Paul urges the Galatians to keep doing good things, he was not describing, of course,  the process of salvation.  The entire book of Galatians is making the point that we are saved by grace, not works.

But doing good helps those around us.  Doing good honors God.  Doing good brings Christ’s kingdom into this reality.  Doing good is what we get to do.

Even if we can not see the results right now.

We are peculiar, we can do good.

Angel Faces

And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:15 ESV)

Angel Faces

I have performed a lot of weddings.  And something happens while the groom waits for the bride… the bride, walking down the aisle, looks different.  It is not merely the makeup or hairstyle.  It is not merely the dress or the flowers.  It is not merely the excitement of the day.

She usually reflects something.  Maybe it is commitment.  Maybe it is tradition. Maybe it is love.

Perhaps that is similar to what happened to Stephen’s face as he was in the synagogue.

Or perhaps it was something more straightforward.  Stephen, with his heart, mind, soul, strength, body, and emotions focused on Jesus might have somehow reflected Jesus.

It probably was not something you could paint, or photograph, or sculpt.  Medieval artists painted halos on the heads of Christians because they knew that something, perhaps not something visible, but something somehow sense-able was present when Christians were ‘looking’ to Jesus.

Luke called it an angel face.

We are concerned about our physical appearance. 

But we have an appearance even richer.

We can, with our actions, with our words, with our thoughts, with our emotions, with our decisions, with our relationships, with our motivations, with our attention, with our very lives, reflect Jesus, too.

We are peculiar, we can have angel faces.

Words of Life

“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”  And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. (Acts 5:20,21 ESV)

Words of Life

I once had to explain to a group of Board Members that their business was failing.  I once had to tell a teenager that the love of his life was breaking up with him.  I once had to tell a kindly old farmer that I had totally wrecked his pristine automobile.  I once had to tell a landlord that I was breaking our lease, early. 

Those things made me nervous.  Perhaps for good reason.

But Christ’s Apostles had to tell religious leaders that their beliefs were wrong.  Christ’s Apostles had to tell political leaders that we have a higher King.  Christ’s Apostles had to tell arrogant men and women that submission to Jesus was the only way to eternal life.

And they did it.

I do not know if they were nervous, but if they were, they did it anyway.  I do not know if they were gifted speakers, persuaders, or scholars, but if they were not, they did it anyway.  I do not know what their expectations were, but it does not matter.  They spoke the Words of Life.

And we can, too.

No matter how much you lisp or stutter, you can point people to Jesus.  No matter how insecure you are, or nervous, or afraid, you can point people to Jesus.  No matter how much you expect pushback and hostility, you can point people to Jesus.

In fact, when we know how amazingly gracious, merciful, and loving our Jesus is, how can we not?

We are peculiar, we can speak the Words of Life.

Instructions

When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work. (Exodus 40:32,33 ESV)

Instructions

One year in high school, a new teacher was hired.  He had a doctorate, and displayed a powerful, intense personality.  Every student was intimidated.

Mostly because now, unlike with the teacher he replaced, we no longer knew what was expected of us.  How important were daily assignments?  How necessary was good spelling?  What form of documentation was required for large papers?  Could we joke in class?  Could we sleep in class?  Should we take notes?  Should we ask questions to appear engaged?

We just did not know. 

But we know that knowing those things was very important, and guessing was dangerous.

When God introduced Himself to the Israelites, He answered all of their similar questions.  He told them what He expected from them, often in fine detail.  And not only regarding issues like murder and thievery, but also specific instructions about how God wanted to be worshipped.

And Moses kept those instructions.

While we live in an era of individual freedom and personal choice, God actually does care how we worship Him.  And He gave us principles in His Word for us to follow. 

Because guessing is dangerous.

But we know, for instance, that the only way to approach God is through His Son, Christ Jesus. 

We do not have to guess about that.  He has given us instructions.

We are peculiar, God has given us instructions.

Grass

My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. (Isaiah 32:18 ESV)

Grass

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, we say.  Other houses seem more statuesque.  Other trees seem more bountiful.  Other yards seem to need less mowing to look manicured.  Other cars, clothes, hairstyles, mustaches, and education seem to be better than ours.

But not if we see things as they really are.  Because God’s people have God on our side.  He might not be giving us what we want, but He absolutely gives us what is absolutely best for us.  When we live trusting Jesus’ kingship, we have peaceful habitations, even if missiles are flying.  If we live trusting Jesus’ kingship, our dwellings are secure, even if a mudslide is on the way.  Ef we live trusting Jesus’ kingship, we can rest quietly in His arms, even if chaos makes a lot of noise.

It is not a matter of what we have, or where we live, or what we can see.

It is a matter of living in His protection, provision, and progression.

We are peculiar, we are among the green grass.

Light

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (I John 1:5 ESV)

Light

It was a dark and stormy night, and the power had gone out.  It was dark, and I am sometimes scared of the dark.  Down in the basement, checking the circuit breaker box, my flashlight also went dead.  It was doubly dark, and I was doubly scared.  Flipping circuits did not help, so I shuffled and stumbled upstairs and huddled in a dark corner of the dark house and pretended to be brave, for my children’s sake.

And then gloriously, the power returned!  I could have danced if I knew how to dance… but instead I mostly grinned.

But I am so scared of the dark, that I sometimes do not trust the light.  What if the power had only returned temporarily?  What if the dark was about to return?  What if the light did not last?

I wonder if this unreliability of our light is what John had in mind here.  Good news is often followed by bad news.  Fixed things breakdown again.  Victories easily slide back into defeat.  Troubles vanquished are imitate the Phoenix and rise to trouble us again.

But God is true light.

And darkness can not hold a candle to Him.

The rest of the world has good reason to worry about darkness… but we have the light.

We are peculiar, God’s light is permanent in our lives.

Unlame

And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. (Acts 3:7 ESV)

Unlame

I used to suffer with an ingrown toenail.  It is surprising how a little thing like a sore toe can have such devastating effects.  Walking was painful, not walking was painful, sitting was painful, reclining was painful, even sleeping was painful.

Self-remedies were ineffective, careful trimming was temporary, relief was brief.  Finally, I underwent a procedure by a podiatrist.  And I’ve been walking pain free for nearly twenty years.

While I was not exactly lame, I have sympathy for the lame in the Bible.

And I believe God frequently (from Jacob’s limping, through Mephibosheth, through the healing of the lame in the gospels and Acts) makes use of the lame as a metaphor for our broken lives for good reason.

Being lame effects everything.  Being lame is hopeless.  Being lame brings ridicule, insecurity, and sorrow.

Just like sin.

But God fixes the lame in the Bible, and He fixes our sin and sin’s effects, too.

In fact, really, the whole world is lame, because the whole world is enmeshed in sin’s troubles.

But God has unlamed His people, through Christ alone.

We are peculiar, we are unlamed.

Eager

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. (Isaiah 30:18 ESV)

Eager

Mr. Grumm lived next door when I was a child.  He was a dour-faced, gray-haired, heavily-muscled old man.  And he did not seem to like anyone.  He scowled at most people in the neighborhood, threw potatoes at dogs, yelled at the postman, and never answered the door at Christmas for carolers.

But Mr. Grumm gave me candy.

I do not really know why.  I was as annoying a kid as any.  I, too, trespassed, ignored his warnings, made fun of his gait, and threw snowballs near his precious old automobile. 

But he was eager to be kind to me.

He smiled at me.

He greeted me.

And in that way, Mr. Grumm reminds me of our loving God.

God has many good reasons to be wrathful.  Isaiah 30 lists not only the faults of enemy lands, but also those of troublesome Israel and even Judah, His own people.

But God is eager to be kind to them.  God not only does all things for His own glory, but He acts to be merciful to His beloved people.

God is eager to be kind to us.

God favors us.

God welcomes us.

That is why God saved His people through His Son, Jesus.  He wants to be merciful to us, gracious to us, and love us.

We are peculiar, God is eager to love us.

Talk

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. (Acts16:14 ESV)

Talk

Evangelism can seem like a scary thing.  People’s eternal souls are at stake!  The Bible is a huge book, with complicated concepts! We just are not that good at talking!  We are not good examples of Christ, how can we convince anyone else?!

But we can relax.

Paul might just be the most famous gospel-teller in history.  We read the letters he wrote, and we easily imagine that he was knowledgeable, articulate, passionate, and personal.  He was a great evangelist.

But Paul persuaded no one into Christianity, the Lord did.  Paul argued no one into faith, the Lord did.  Paul debated no unbeliever into belief.  The Lord did.

The Lord opened Lydia’s heart.  Paul did not.

And that is how everyone comes to faith, today, too.  We have one job.  We simply have to speak about what Jesus means to us.  We do not have to use big words, or fancy theology, or emotional tricks.  Jesus matters to us.  All we have to do is talk about that.  Using our own knowledge, personalities, situations, histories, passions, and experience.  No matter how new, or boring-seeming, or confusing, or embarrassing our relationship with Jesus might seem to us… talk about it.

The Lord will open the hearts of our listeners.

We are peculiar, God carries the heavy burden of evangelism.

Goodness

You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.  And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10-11 ESV)

Goodness

Our God, maybe particularly the God of the Old Testament is often seen by the ignorant or uneducated as an angry being.  His wrath seems to be His primary characteristic.  He seems to desire punishment, suffering, and human tears.

But God’s people know better.

And God’s choices and actions in the book of Jonah make it clear that while God does have wrath, He prefers mercy.  In fact, Jonah is far more angry, mean, and grumpy than God!

I wonder, sometimes, if the reason that God has the reputation of cruelty because we, His people, display that characteristic.  We are more often merciless against sinners than merciful.  We are more often angry at sinners than hopeful.  We are more often revengers, rather than redeemers.

But we know better.

We are peculiar, we know God’s goodness.

Something To Do

And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God. (Nehemiah 9:3,4 ESV)

Something To Do

Today, we are busy.  We are often overcommitted, overscheduled, and overworked.  Our calendars are so full we now use computers to arrange our days.  Our hours are so filled we measure time in seconds.  Free time has become the most expensive time.

And yet the world is often bored.

Perhaps it is overstimulated.  Perhaps it is incorrectly focused.  Perhaps it is lack of vision.

But even though we are busy, I often hear complaints about having “nothing to do.”  Parents hear it.  City planners hear it.  Entertainers hear it.  Investors hear it.

Nehemiah’s people had been wildly busy.  They had built walls, restored buildings, organized society, fought enemies, relearned God’s Word, and began a complex agricultural economy from scratch.

And when they were done… they knew they had something to do.

They read God’s Word, and worshipped Him.

The rest of the world might not know what to do.

But Christians do.  And it is not an unpleasant task, or difficult chore, or tiresome duty.  We get to listen to God, and talk to Him.

THAT is something to do!

We are peculiar, we have something to do.

News

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (I Peter 5:10 ESV)

News

Bad news sells subscriptions.  Passing on bad news makes us feel superior.  Receiving bad news makes us feel prepared.  Bad news feeds the pessimistic part of our hearts.

We think, it seems, that bad news is better than any other form of news.

But bad news is inaccurate.  Bad news is blind.  Bad news is wrong.

For Christians, the all-powerful Son of God ensures that all news, actually, is good news.  When it seems it is bad news, it is really just news that is not observably good, yet.

He promises to restore us, confirm us, strengthen us, and establish us.  That is good news!

We are unique, our news is good.

Rocks

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6 ESV)

Rocks

I once caught a friend cheating in a contest.  Our school was having a competition building card houses.  The winning team was to receive some nifty, teen-age-popular prize.  I do not remember what it was.  My friend, though, and his team really wanted to win!

So, they used some clear glue (technologically advanced in those days) to solidify the first layer of card architecture.  My friends knew that a strong steady foundation is a comfortable and valuable thing.

Our society pretends to relish only change, but we also cling to those things that do not change.  We build houses on the rock, not the sand.  We quote constitutions, even when we do not understand them.  We promise to be home for Christmas. 

And the gospel does not change.  Christ Jesus is the only solution.

In our world of changing principles, ideas, philosophies, plans, agendas, and promises, we can know that one thing is as solid as a rock.  God’s gospel.

We are unique, the gospel is a rock.

Osmosis

 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. (John 18:14 ESV)

Osmosis

I admit that I am not absolutely sure if ‘osmosis’ is the technical term for the process that is found in this passage.  But it is close!

Being a nerd, I used to keep ball point pens in my pocket.  One particular day, one of those pens started to leak.  It soaked through my pocket, the shirt, a t-shirt, and my skin.  I imagined that after that day of leakage, the soak continued through my inner skin, muscle layers, skeleton, and organs. 

The wonderful powerful ink of that pen went beyond its usual intended location.

God’s truth soaks in like that, too.

God’s truth, salvific as well as mundane, is intended for His people. 

But the rest of the world sometimes receives some of that truth, too.  Caiaphas, a part of the world that rejected God’s Gospel Truth, still had an inkling of truth.

If we are observant, we can see God’s truth in all sorts of places.  Those extra soakings can give us pleasure, peace, and persuasive power.

We are unique, we can see osmosis.