Wisdom

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.    Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. (Proverbs 4:7,8 ESV)

Wisdom

Our society thinks wisdom is applied experience, but that is difficult to gain.  Our society thinks wisdom is common sense, but that is uncommon.  Our society thinks wisdom is earned, fought for, or acquired, but that is a difficult process.

Wisdom, according to God, is simply choosing to do things HIS way.

That is why children, in the Bible, can be wise.

That is why inexperienced, uneducated, and humble people can be wise, in the Bible.

Wisdom is a found in a simple decision.

Say, “yes” to Christ. Say “yes” to God’s way.

We are peculiar, we know what wisdom is.

Ahead

That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.  (II Corinthians 5:6,7 The Message)

Ahead

Long car trips can be miserable.  Cars are cramped, smelly, too warm or two cool,  Even with pleasant views out the window, it would be better to be AT the scenic spots than driving past.  Even with pleasant company, it would be better stretching our legs than sitting far too still.  Even with tasty snacks, it would be better to eat at a table, or in front of the television.

But what makes it okay is the destination.

Whether the drive ends with a sporting event, a friend’s residence, a new home, a historical wonder, or the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota, we can put up with a lot for a grand destination.

That is Paul’s point, here.  Christians are heading Home.

Jesus is preparing that place for us.

Where we are going gives light on our present shadows.  Where we are going gives hope in our present fears.  Where we are going gives rest for our present labors.

Because Jesus is there.

We are peculiar, Ahead is grand.

Reliability

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6 ESV)

Reliability

God’s people have not been faithful.  And if God words meant as little as our words often do, God’s people would be in serious trouble.

But God has promised to be our God.  Not because we are so cool, but because Jesus Christ is willing to take our sin on Himself. 

And God reliably keeps that promise.

God does not say, “I will forgive your sins because of Christ’s death, but I might forget, so keep worrying.”

God does not say, “I will adopt you as my children, riding on Christ’s coattails, but I might stop caring.”

God does not say, “I will welcome you into the perfection of heaven, using Christ’s ticket, but I might change my mind.”

We are peculiar, God’s reliability is a grand thing for us.

Outrage

The Glory of the God of Israel ascended from his usual place above the cherubim-angels, moved to the threshold of the Temple, and called to the man with the writing case who was dressed in linen: “Go through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is in anguish over the outrageous obscenities being done in the city.” (Ezekiel 9: 3,4 The Message)

Outraged

Outrage is preferable to passivity.

But I have been outraged about some silly things.  I was outraged when a referee made a bad call and my beloved Cincinnati Reds lost a key game.  I was outraged when Walmart stopped selling caffeine-free diet coke.  I was outraged when a hurried driver changed lanes at an inconvenient time for me.  I was outraged an author stopped writing a series that I enjoy, before it was finished.

And I ended up feeling silly.  Being outraged is certainly better than passivity, but outrage comes with it’s own dangers and troubles.

But God’s people know there are things to really be outraged about.  And outrage based on injustice according to God’s standards is not silly.  Outrage based on open rebellion against God, not merely against a nation, is not silly.  Outrage based on a holy fear of the Lord, rather than on fear of physical loss is not silly.  Outrage based on the triumph of evil, rather than on the triumph of an idea we do not like is not silly.

We see a lot of things that make us outraged.  But outrage based on God’s Word is worthy. 

We are peculiar, we can avoid silly outrage.

Variety

And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9 ESV)

Variety

Babel was a place of grand human accomplishment.  More than just a tower, Babel displayed human unity, human communication, and human focus.

But from Noah’s time, God had something else in mind.  He instructed Noah, after the flood, to, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1 ESV) Community is good, unless it narrows our minds.  Banding together is good, unless it stops us from growing.  Being with folk who are like us is pleasant, unless we forget that there is beauty outside of ourselves, too.

I can relate to those Babel-folk.  I like to stay home, I like to be with like-minded people, I like to have absolute unity.  But God knows how He made us… and broader is better.

Without a steady rock to stand on, though, being in the midst of wild ideas and new concepts is dangerous.  I think the Babel-tower was being built to give the newly forming society something solid to look at, and to feel a false safety.

We do not need a tower to steady us in the midst of variety.

We do not need a tower to lean against when spreading out feels uncomfortable.

We do not need a tower because we have a Something better.

This is what the Psalmist has in mind when He tells God, “for You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” (Psalm 61:3 ESV)

It is good to explore new ideas, locations, and people, as long as we have our feet planted on God and His Word.

It is good to spread out physically, socially, and emotionally, as long as we have our hearts planted on God and His Word.

It is good to be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, as long as our tower is the One True Living God.

We are peculiar, because of our Rock, variety can be exciting and safe.

Our King

Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness. (II Chronicles 9:8 ESV)

Our King

The Queen of Sheba was very impressed with King Solomon and the nation of Israel.  She saw the wealth, the power, the knowledge, and the Wisdom, and if ancient languages had a word for, “WOW,” she would have shouted it.

But when we read her words today, we wonder.  We know how Solomon ended up.  We know that Solomon, among Israel’s greatest Kings, failed to be great. 

God did that for a reason.  He gives great kings warts, so we hope for someone better.  He gives great nations troubles, so we hope for something better.  He gives great people thorns, so we hope for that One person… who has no failings, warts, or thorns.

Of course, I am talking about our real King, Jesus.

Every failure of leadership, knowledge, institution, or personality is displayed to us to point us towards Jesus.

Every success of leadership, knowledge, institution, or personality is displayed to us to point us towards Jesus.

Are we looking?

We are peculiar, we understand failures and successes.

Prayer

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.  (Acts 1:14 ESV)

Prayer

I suppose it is one of those chicken-and-egg things.  But unity and prayer are intertwined.  The apostles were united as they prayed.  It does not really  matter whether they were united because they prayed together, or prayed together because they were united… they were both praying and united.

Our churches struggle with a lack of unity.  Both within individual congregations, as well as between churches and denominations.  Churches in general are also not well-known for praying publicly.

Maybe the answer is found in upping our prayer game.

Within our churches, and among our churches.

This modern world emphasizes division and separation.  This modern world emphasizes individualism and self-sufficiency.  This modern world says “I” matters more than “us.”

Unity is a grand thing.  And God has given us a way to accomplish it.  Prayer.

Prayer is a grand thing.  And God has given us a way to improve it.  Unity.

We are peculiar, we can pray together.

Leviathans

Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? (Job 41:1,2 ESV)

Leviathans

I used to wonder what a Leviathan was.  I remember reading that a Leviathan was a dinosaur still lurking in the ocean’s depths, coming up occasionally to swamp the Israelites’ ships and cause nightmares.  I remember reading that a Leviathan was a demonic creature, huge and impossible to tame.  I remember reading that a Leviathan was a mythical creature conjured in ancient children’s tales to frighten disobedient kids towards obedience.

But I do not wonder these days, because I have experienced frightening things enough in my life.  Whether it was a near car accident, a terrible storm, an angry terrorist on the news, or the howl of a beast somewhere in the nearby woods… in a way, those things are all Leviathan for me.

I have no influence or control over those things that might frighten me.   But God reminds Job that we do not have to control them.  Because our God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, does.  Those things are nothing to Him.  Because He made them, whatever they are.  Because He uses them, whatever they are.  Because He makes them appear (and be!) tiny compared to Him.

It is not that scary things are not scary.  It is that our Jesus is bigger.

We are peculiar, we do not need to fear Leviathans.

Names

I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people. (I Corinthians 16: 17, 18 ESV)

Names

Who were Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus?  We do not really know.  They are some folk that Paul and the Corinthians knew.  And Paul showed he knew them by recognizing them.  I imagine that they felt pretty good in the coming years, when they saw their names at the end of Paul’s letters, that already then were a part of God’s written Word.

Recently, I was able to be involved in the production of a film.  And it was pretty fun.  But for me, one of the best parts was watching the credits, where my name was listed in cast, crew, and even my land.  It felt good to be recognized.

Christians, like Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, are recognized by God!  He knows your name, He knows who you are, and He knows you.

Individual Christians are not merely part of a group.  We each matter to Him.  He loves His church, and He loves each of us in her. Paul knew those three names, and demonstrates that.  God knows our names and will demonstrate it throughout eternity.

We are peculiar, God knows our names.

False Dependencies

And on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. (Zechariah 13:2 ESV)

False Dependencies

Theodore Roosevelt was a tricky politician.  As soon as he attained power, whether as police commissioner of New York, ranch owner in North Dakota, or President of the United States, the first thing he did was sideline anyone who seemed to want his position, power, or praise.  In that way, he was known to get rid of Senators, cabinet members, postmasters, and dog-catchers.

But Roosevelt was an amateur compared to God.  And even more importantly, Roosevelt did those things selfishly, ambitiously, and cruelly.  But God, when He removes His opponents, does so because God loves His people.

We, as God’s people have always done, struggle with false Gods.  Whether it was the tower of Babel, or Baal, or the Roman emperors, they found it too easy to slip into trusting the wrong thing.  And so do we.

And God promises Zechariah that one of the ways God helps us is to remove those other things we trust.

That is wonderful and scary at the same time.  It is wonderful because it shows how much He loves us.  He not only took away the sins of God’s people through the cross, He also works to take away those false things we falsely trust.

It is scary because we do not want Him to take away the things we trust.  When we lose what we have been trusting in, it hurts.  We miss that thing.  But God is saying, you do not need THAT.  You have me.

When we depend too much on our money, He not only forgives our falseness… but He takes away that money.  When we depend too much on a form of government, He takes away that form of government.  When we depend too much on our health, He takes away that health.  When we depend too much on our abilities, He takes away those abilities.

And He replaces them with Jesus.

That is a good trade.

We are peculiar, God takes away our false dependencies.

Dismay

Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment. (Ezekiel 4:16,17 ESV)

Dismay

God’s people were in trouble.  And here He tells Ezekiel that troubles were going to come.  And it might seem that God was punishing them for their disobedience.  But He was not punishing them, as we usually think of punishment.

He was about to make them suffer.  But not simply because they had done wrong.  Rather, He was sending them troubles so they would finally learn to look to HIM instead of anything else.  He would make them hungry so they would learn to seek sustenance from Him.  He would make them afraid so they would learn to depend on Him.  He would take away their comfort so they would learn to take comfort in Him.

From, on, and in Him.  Alone.

Because God knows that He was what they need.  Because God loves them enough to push them into what they really needed.  More Him, less everything else.

And He continues to do that.  We will face troubles in life whenever we start to depend on something other than Him.  We can count on Him taking away our false hopes, our false crutches, our false providers.  So that we will look desperately to Him.

This is not punishment, even when it is a direct result of our sins.  Because Christ has already taken our punishment on His back.

But when it happens, our troubles are God getting our attention.  Our troubles are God removing what we are depending on instead of Him.  Our troubles are God saying, “Come to me… Come to Jesus… Come to what you really need, and you will be astonished at how GOOD life in Him is.”

We are peculiar, our dismay is a step on the way to peace.

Un-Banished

But God will not take away life, and He devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. (II Samuel 14:14 ESV)

Un-banished

Absalom was a bad son.  He rebelled against his father, David’s, authority and tried to take the king’s authority, power, and crown.  Common sense, historical analysis, and self-protection would all require that King David get rid of Absalom.

But David was a man after God’s own heart.

And even though Absalom should have been punished, should have been banished, should have been removed from David forever, David showed grace and mercy.

All the world told David, reject Absalom.  But David’s heart said, ‘forgive.’  Human wisdom told David, reject Absalom as he rejected you.  But David’s heart said, “grace.”  The power of the kingship said, hate Absalom, as he has hated you.  But David’s heart said, “mercy.”

Because David was a man after God’s own heart.

We Christians are just like Absalom.  We have claimed, along with all humankind, to have the authority of God in our grip.  We have attempted to kick God out of our lives, our communities, our decision-making, our purposes, and His throne.

And He ‘should’ have banished us.  In fact, He did.

But because of God’s heart, we do not remain outcasts.

Through the costly work of the Christ, He forgives, He is merciful, and He has restored us to being His children.

We are peculiar, we are un-banished.

Fixed

And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths… And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (Genesis 3: 7, 21 ESV)

Fixed

I learned how to tune a guitar the hard way.  No electronic devices, no built-in tuners, no tricks.  Listen and turn the knob till the tone was correct.  But my guitar teacher was a skilled tuner.  Even when I brought my guitar to the lesson all tuned up, he would tweak it.  My efforts, due to inexperience and lack of awareness were never quite enough.

Adam and Eve knew they had sinned and tried to fix it on their own.  The covered the symbol of their sinfulness, their nakedness, with garments made of leaves.  But just like my tuning-efforts, it was not enough.  Whether the leaves were physically insufficient, or the leaves would decay too quickly, or some other lack (I do not know, because I have never worn a fig leaf bathing suit) God saw, and God knew He had to fix it.

God made clothes for Adam and Eve, better than what they had attempted to make, because He knew more.  He had skills they lacked.  He had awareness they lacked.  And far more than mere tweaking, He fixed their efforts to fix their sinfulness.

More than that, God’s fixing through those clothes was symbolic.  He was giving a hint of things to come.  The only way to really fix their sin, and their sin’s effects required sacrifice.  Something, or someOne had to die for their rebellion.

Those skin clothes were a hint of the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.

Which was, in turn, a hint of THE sacrifice of Christ Himself to fix their sin… and ours.

Christians have been given better than animal skins to wear in God’s sight.  We have been given the robes of Christ.

We are peculiar, we are fixed.

Freedom

and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:15 ESV)

Freedom

We like to claim freedoms all across the board, but only Christians are free from all slavery. Fear of death is overwhelming.  People fear death and therefore worry about health.  People fear death and therefore worry about our future.  People fear death and therefore worry about our family.  People fear death and worry about nearly everything.

And those fears enslave us.

They can control our every thought, word, and deed.  They own our past, our present, and our future.  If we make almost every decision in fear of death, we would be slaves to death.

But Jesus not only defeated death, He turned it into a blessing.  Because of what Jesus did to death, death is now the gateway into the fantastic presence of God.  Death is the first and final step into heaven.  Death is a blink of our eyes before they open and see Jesus, forever.

And that frees us from everything.

We are peculiar, we are truly not slaves.

Labor

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15 ESV)

Labor

Mankind was created to work.  We might not like to hear that, these days.  We relish rest, we tire of tasks, we lament our lists. 

But we still work.

When God cursed Adam by declaring that from then on, Adam would work by the sweat of his brow, God did not remove work from Adam’s responsibility. 

In fact, remembering that while work is yet another thing Adam ruined when he first sinned, work, like all of creation, was given to us as a blessing.  Work gives us purpose here, work allows us to use our abilities and gifts, work can change the world.  Work can undo some of the effects of Adam’s sin, and ours.

We not only must work, we get to work.

In fact, rather than bemoan work and attempt to escape it, we can celebrate that God trusts us enough to give us work.

And of course, Jesus works on our behalf!  He empowers our work.  He fixes our errors in work.  He sanctifies our work. 

And He loves it when we work.

We are peculiar, we get to work.

Church and State

Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. (Zechariah 8:22, 23 ESV)

Church and State

These days, we hear a lot about the conflict between Church and State.  God speaks a surprising truth, though, through Zechariah.  God says that the nations of the world come to the Church for blessing.

The Church, you see, is the new Jerusalem.  And God intends the whole world to come to the Church seeking Him, seeking His favor, seeking His blessing.

Both the world and we, the Church do not seem to understand this, lately.

We have built up a competition instead of a cooperation.  We have built up hostility instead of help-a-bility. We have built up mistrust, jealousy, and anger instead of seeking the Lord, or aiding others to seek Him.

It does not matter if the nation is worthy, right-minded, or good.  They need the Lord, and it is our job to help them to Him.  It does not matter if they do not yet understand.  They need the Lord, and it is our duty to help them to Him.  It does not matter if they are antagonistic, conspiratorial, or sneaky.  They need the Lord, and it is our joy to help them to Him.

We do not need to win a cultural war, a political war, or an educational war.  But we do need to bring them to Jesus, to find the Lord’s favor.

We are peculiar, we know our job.

Again

And the Syrians AGAIN fled before Israel,  (II Samuel 10:18 ESV)

Again

I heard on the radio this week an announcer declaring how boring it has become to watch Alabama play college football.  “They just win again, and again, and again!” He complained.

While I might disagree with his analysis, and while you might not care about college football, it did remind me of David’s wars.  He won again, and again, and again.

Syrians, Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, even Egyptians and rebels.

David won again.

Because David knew that David never won.

God won.  Using David’s arm.  Using David’s brain.  Using David’s tactics.  Using David’s mighty men.  But it was always God.

Really, God wins again, and again, and again.

And we are on His side!

We are peculiar, we win again.

Fine Linens

herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:7,8 ESV)

Fine Linens

We are attending a fun celebratory media event in a few days.  A formal, nearly red-carpet event. We do not do this often.  And we ended up finding some fancy dress-up clothes.

We practiced the other day, and took pictures.  And we do not look like ourselves.  As I surveyed the attire in the mirror, I recalled the old phrase, “the clothes make the man.”

I usually do not agree with that proverb.  And even in that mirror, my clothes, as nice as they were, were not the real me.

But when it comes to the church, or bride of Christ, wearing our apparel before the groom, Christ Himself, things might be a bit different.

Those linens John wrote about, are actually clothes we get from our savior, Christ Jesus.

And somehow, wearing the clothes He gives us, we become different.  We become righteous in God’s eyes.  We  become fine, as we reflect Him.  We become bright in Spirit.  We become pure through His purity.

As Christians we wear Christ’s robes, and that is fine.

We are peculiar, we have fancy clothes.

Mysteries

There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. (I Corinthians 15:40 ESV)

Mysteries

The church of Corinth was arguing.  Not in a pleasant, resolution-seeking way; but in an angry, arrogant, competitive way.  Most of the letter of I Corinthians is Paul’s effort to bring them back into a state of unity.

One of the things they argued about was apparently heaven.

For good reason.  Scripture presents many hints and metaphors about heaven, but does not give as clear and dogmatic a description as we might like.  Paul presents this verse as a way to persuade the Corinthians to be gracious and tolerant of each other, within certain boundaries.

“Heavenly bodies” here are not describing angels and mansions.  Rather, Paul is comparing those objects on earth that we can see, touch, sense, and understand (the earthly bodies) with those objects that we can see, accept as reality, but not understand.  Things, for them, like stars, the sun, the moon, clouds, wind, and maybe even birds.

Paul is showing that just like there are things in our experience that our beyond our ability to grasp, there are things about heaven that we cannot grasp.  So, he is saying, stop pretending you can.

There are mysteries in Scripture.  Mysteries that we are not able to grasp.  And those things cause more fights amongst Christians than anything else.

Because we want to feel like WE have the better understanding.

I am not saying we should not form opinions or attempt to understand the mysteries.

But they are not a reason to fight.

If for no other reason, we do not need to understand those things fully, yet.  We will!  And meanwhile God does! 

Secrets

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV)

Secrets

Secrets normally cause division and conflict.  It hurts to be the foundation of a secret.  Secrets often come from arrogance and pride.  Keeping secrets is the cause of many broken relationships, and not keep secrets break different relationships.

Yet God has secrets.

He knows every motivation, every unspoken selfishness, every truth and every lie.

Beyond individual relationships, God also knows the reason behind every political upheaval, the true reason for the rise and fall of every nation, and the purpose of every cultural development.

Beyond human interaction, God knows every geological formation, every weather pattern, and the movement of each star and planet.

Not only do we NOT have that level of knowledge, but we could not process it if we did somehow know.

But God has revealed enough to us.  God has revealed more than enough to us.  God has revealed to us His plan of salvation, about which even the angels are unsure.  God has revealed to us the most important “Why” of the universe…  God has revealed to us Jesus.  God has revealed to us what He knows we can handle.

We are peculiar, we know God’s secrets. (At least some of them…)