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Old vs. New

I struggle with the Old Testament.  It seems so different than the new.  So many rules, and anger and “fire and brimstone.”  Its different than the love that pours out of the New Testament.  I have questioned why God seems so different in the Old Testament as compared to the New.  Today I think I found an answer.

Today, the Bible opened to Galatians:

Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed.  Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.  For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.

I mean that as long as the heir is not of age, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, but he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were not of age, were enslaved to the elemental powers of the world.  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.  As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Galatians 3:23-29; 4:1-7

Initially humans were like infants.  We needed rules and discipline.  We were not able to understand or have faith — so we had to be told what to do.   We needed supervision and guidance.  We were “enslaved to the elemental powers of the world.”  God knew what we needed.  He had a plan.  And when the world was ready, He sent His Son, so that we might have faith, see faith in action, believe and know God.  He “sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts.”  That one is powerful:

“God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts”

We were ready to no longer be slaves to rules without understanding.  We were ready to live by faith, so we could know God.  God sent us Jesus so we could know Him, so we could have faith.  With faith — we are no longer enslaved to the elemental powers of the world.  The world has nothing on us, on our faith.  How blessed we are to know God.  To live in the time of faith, instead of fear and wrath.  To know God’s love through His Son, Jesus.  To know the Truth.

Thank you Lord!  Thank you for creating us to know you.  Thank you for sacrificing yourself so that we might believe.  Thank you for saving me!  Please send your spirit into our hearts!

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God loves you

I was reminded of this today.  A fairly simple thought.  God loves you.  God loves me.  What else do we need?

A friend reminded me of this verse from Joel:

Yet even now—oracle of the LORD—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God, For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment.

Joel 2:12-13

God loves us and is always asking us to return to Him.  He is always waiting for us.

Whenever my son did not know the answer to a religion test question, he would answer “because God loves us very much.”  We still laugh about it — but he was right every single time.  Why?  Because that is the answer . . . to everything.

Tonight, I opened the Bible to Psalms:

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of anguish? My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no relief.

Psalms 22:2-3

Although the Psalm started off in what seemed like a cry of despair.  It actually foretold of God’s greatest act of love: sending His only son to die on the cross for us.  The Psalm goes on to state:

They have pierced my hands and my feet I can count all my bones.  They stare at me and gloat; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots.

As Good Friday approaches, the similarities between the psalm and Jesus’ suffering are fresh in my mind.  In the gospels, Jesus tells us that he must fulfill what is written.  This never made sense to me, until I read the rest of this Psalm:

Then I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the assembly I will praise you: “You who fear the LORD, give praise! All descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants of Israel!  For he has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch, Did not turn away from me, but heard me when I cried out. I will offer praise in the great assembly; my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him. The poor will eat their fill; those who seek the LORD will offer praise.  May your hearts enjoy life forever!”

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD; All the families of nations will bow low before him.  For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations.  All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you.  The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.

The Lord is great!  Although God may not answer every prayer in the way that we hope (we are often wrong in what we think we need or want), through His greatest act of love He has shown us without question that He does not turn away from us.  He hears us when we cry out.  He hears us, He loves us, He sacrificed for us, so that we would know.

All glory and praise to God! God, I wish I knew how to rightly pay you homage — but nothing seems adequate.  I find guidance in the Psalm: “And I will live for the Lord.”

Lord, may I show you homage through my life!  I love you.

 

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Help me be subordinate!

Oh I needed this one!  (It probably would have been even more helpful, if I had read it before I got frustrated with my husband.)

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them.  Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.  Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.

Slaves, obey your human masters in everything, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.  For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality.

Colossians 3: 18-25

This is another one for which I could probably use a daily reminder.  Usually I get hung up on the subordinate language (which I don’t particularly love), but today I focused on: “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ.”   Here is what I heard when I read this: Do everything from the heart — from goodness.  Everything is for the Lord.  I think sometimes I let myself get trapped into reacting to how others treat me.  But really every action we take is for the Lord — and if I remember it in that context, instead of whether the other person deserves goodness or whether I need to respond to  what they have said or done, then my response will be better.  I just need to love — I don’t necessarily need to correct, or judge, or prove that I am right.  My attitude, my response, my heart needs to be for the Lord, and I suspect if I do that, my interactions with others will be more loving, humble/subordinate, obedient and unprovoking (which is how God calls us all to be).

Dear God,

Grant me the grace to be humble, to be loving, to be obedient to you.  Help me fill all of my relationships with your love.  Help me treat everyone as I would treat you, instead of how I might feel treated by them.  Help me to do everything from my heart — the heart that you gave me.  Help me to place my desires subordinate to the needs of others.

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Palm Sunday Wisdom

It’s Palm Sunday!  Which means today’s Gospel at church was the long gospel where we hear about the last days and hours of Jesus’ human life.  Where we shout out “crucify him” in imitation of the crowd — and in recognition of our own sin for which He died.

This afternoon, the Bible opened to the book of Wisdom.  It is a long section, so I will break it up a bit:

For, not thinking rightly, they said among themselves:

“Brief and troubled is our lifetime; there is no remedy for our dying, nor is anyone known to have come back from Hades.  For by mere chance were we born, and hereafter we shall be as though we had not been; Because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason a spark from the beating of our hearts, And when this is quenched, our body will be ashes and our spirit will be poured abroad like empty air.  Even our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will recall our deeds.  So our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and will be dispersed like a mist Pursued by the sun’s rays and overpowered by its heat.  For our lifetime is the passing of a shadow; and our dying cannot be deferred because it is fixed with a seal; and no one returns.

What a very sad way to think of life.  How very sad and desolate must it feel to not believe in God.  To not know that there is so much more to life than what we experience here on earth.

Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that are here, and make use of creation with youthful zest.  Let us have our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no springtime blossom pass us by; let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.  Let no meadow be free from our wantonness; everywhere let us leave tokens of our merriment, for this is our portion, and this our lot.  Let us oppress the righteous poor; let us neither spare the widow nor revere the aged for hair grown white with time.  But let our strength be our norm of righteousness; for weakness proves itself useless.

When it is put this way, it is easy to see why some who do not know God, have no care for those around them.  Why not enjoy life and center on me — if this is all there is…

But then what is my excuse when I fall into similar behavior?  Is this what is meant when they say that sin pulls us away from God?  Because if I believe, as I do, that God is present, and that there is life after death, then when I act out of selfishness or out of me-centeredness, I am surely acting as though I believe this is it — I am acting as though I do not believe that there is much more waiting for me.  I am not trusting God, not trusting that following Him is better than doing something for me or doing something for immediate gratification.

Let us lie in wait for the righteous one, because he is annoying to us; he opposes our actions, Reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.  He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself a child of the LORD.  To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways.  He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.  He calls blest the destiny of the righteous and boasts that God is his Father.  Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him in the end.  For if the righteous one is the son of God, God will help him and deliver him from the hand of his foes.  With violence and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.  These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them,

This sounds very much like the crowd taunting Jesus at His death.

And they did not know the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense for holiness nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.  For God formed us to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made us. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it.

Wisdom 2:1-24

Lord,

Thank you for this beautiful day!  I am not worthy of it.  Thank you for sending us your only Son, to show us what true love, true selflessness, true faith and trust in you is.  Help me to remember that this is not my home.  This life is only temporary and is just a small part of your plan.  My home is with you!  Guide me with wisdom that can only come from you!  Help me to reject the devil.  Bring me close to you always.

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“It is I”

Wouldn’t it be great if we could actually see what is right in front of us?  Today, the Bible opened in Mark:

Then he made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,* while he dismissed the crowd.  And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray.  When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.  Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea.  He meant to pass by them.  But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out.  They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”  He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were [completely] astounded.  They had not understood the incident of the loaves.  On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

Mark 6:45-52

Jesus had just fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, but His disciples had not fully understood.  They still did not grasp who He was.  He walked on water and they were afraid, thought he was a ghost.  They did not understand.  Today it is easy to think how much more obvious could it be.  But He had to tell them “it is I”.

How many times in my life is it obvious.  How many times is God at work in our lives and we ignore it, look the other way or take credit for it ourselves.  God is calling out to us and telling us, It is I.  He is here.  Do not be afraid.

God,

Help me to see you!  Help me to know your presence. Thank you for taking care of me and those around me.

 

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Send me your Spirit!

Tonight I attended a friend’s confirmation and when I arrived home, the Bible opened here:

Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,” let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.  Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.  We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.  We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:19-25

I can feel the Spirit rushing around us!

Tonight I watched 40 teenagers enter into the church, become adults in the church.  Let us rouse them to love and do good works.

I used to think I did not need the church or other people to find God.  Maybe not.  But it sure helps to have others encouraging us, praying with us, strengthening us.  “We should not stay away from our assembly” but “encourage one another.”  Oh, you teenagers who are just entering the church, I pray that you find comfort, encouragement, and strength in the assembly that God has gathered in His church.  Consider it not an obligation, but a home,  a family, God’s family.  Your role in it is so important!  Do not stay away!

Lord, help me to encourage others as those you have sent around me, encourage me.  Give me a sincere heart — a clean heart — wiped clean from my sins! My hope and my trust is in you! Send me your spirit, oh Lord!

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God or Robert Redford?

Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek are in town.  And everyone is milling around the streets hoping to catch a glimpse.  I admit I was one of the gawkers.  Drove through town a couple of times trying to see something besides the big movie trailers and security personnel.  Why?  So I can tell people I saw Robert Redford or was this close to Sissy Spacek.  I assume the same reason the small-town streets that are normally empty are suddenly streaming with people.

This morning when I opened the Bible, it opened to the story of Peter’s denial of Christ in Luke.

After arresting him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance.  They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them.  When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, “This man too was with him.”  But he denied it saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”  A short while later someone else saw him and said, “You too are one of them”; but Peter answered, “My friend, I am not.”  About an hour later, still another insisted, “Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.” Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.”

Luke 22:54-61

I am struck by how many people are desperate to be able to say they met Robert Redford (or insert any celebrity here), a man who they know primarily through the make believe that he creates.  And yet here is Peter who is desperate to hide that he knows Jesus.  The Truth.

We want to be around fame and fortune, fleeting as both may be.  And hide from God and truth, and eternity.  And of course it is easy to say , if I had known Jesus, I would not have been like Peter (I remember thinking that as a child), but now I recognize how many times I, in fact, do deny Him. How many times I hide knowing Him or having a relationship with Him.

So I may not meet Robert Redford, but that is ok.  I think I would rather brag that I met God, that I know God, and that I will one day see God.

(No disrespect meant to Mr. Redford, who seems like a very nice man, its just that God is better —  But I would still be happy to meet Mr. Redford too!)

God, I am sorry for the times I deny you.  I am sorry for the times I look for happiness in fame, fortune and worldly treasures.  I want to know you better!  I want to be with you.

 

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The Book of Ruth

God sent me another reminder today — do unto others…

The Bible opened to the Book of Ruth.  If you have not read it, it is worth the read.  It’s a relatively short chapter and tells the story of Ruth, who stands by her mother-in-law, Naomi, when Ruth’s husband (Naomi’s son) dies.  Naomi begs Ruth to abandon her, and essentially save herself, telling her that she is too old, but Ruth can go on and find a new husband. Ruth refuses.

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to go back and abandon you!  Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people and your God, my God.  Where you die I will die, and there be buried. May the LORD do thus to me, and more, if even death separates me from you!”

Ruth 1:16-17

Ruth does unto others as she would have them do unto her.  She puts Naomi’s needs above her own.  And she finds the way to happiness for both her and Naomi.  Without abandoning Naomi, she finds a new husband and gives birth to a child, who will become the grandfather to David.  And along the way she helps Naomi, who initially appeared to have given up.  After her husband and then her sons died, Naomi felt that God was against her.  But by the end, thanks to Ruth’s faithfulness, Naomi is being reminded of how great God is:

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the LORD who has not failed to provide you today with a redeemer. May he become famous in Israel!  He will restore your life and be the support of your old age, for his mother is the daughter-in-law who loves you. She is worth more to you than seven sons!”  Naomi took the boy, cradled him against her breast, and cared for him.   The neighbor women joined the celebration: “A son has been born to Naomi!”   They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Ruth 4:14-17

The Book of Ruth told me two things:  Do good for others and good will come to you.  And don’t doubt God’s plan.  It was certainly a hard journey for both Ruth and Naomi, but how important the journey was.

Dear God,

Your plans are great and sometimes mystical to me.  Sometimes, I just don’t understand.  Help me to never give up.  Help me to trust in you.  Help me to put the needs of others ahead of my own, even when doing so seems to be against my interests.  Help me to realize that your interests are my interests.

Amen

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Daily reminder

Today the Bible opened to a verse of which I could use a daily reminder.

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.   And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.  If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit [is] that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.  But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.  Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.

Luke 6:27-36

Sometimes it is hard to do good to those who are good to me, let alone those who are not.  It is easy to get wrapped up in myself and my own needs.

Help me Lord to be more giving.  Help me be good to those who are not good to me.  Help me to remember to pray for those around me — in particular those who have hurt me (and pray more than just “Lord help them not to hurt me anymore.”)  Help me to do good and not expect anything in return.  Help me to show love and mercy, even when I am hurting. And God, please remind me of these words every day.

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Rejoice!

I want to rejoice in the Lord!  That is what I woke up thinking.  And I thought to myself, I hope the Bible opens to a joyful section.  It opened to the book of Micah, and not knowing much about Micah, my first thought was a groan.  But once I started reading Micah, I could not put it down!  (Micah is not a long book, so again don’t be overly impressed.)  It is chock full of goodness, particularly if you skip over the first section, “Oracles of Punishment,” and dive right into “Oracles of Salvation.”  Allow me to share my favorite passages:

On that day—oracle of the LORD—I will gather the lame, And I will assemble the outcasts, and those whom I have afflicted.  I will make of the lame a remnant, and of the weak a strong nation; The LORD shall be king over them on Mount Zion, from now on and forever.

Micah 4:6-7

I love the idea of forever!  And love that our physical limitations will be meaningless!

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.  He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the LORD, by the majestic name of the LORD, his God; And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace.

Micah 5:1-4

How can I not rejoice about the foretelling of Jesus’ birth!  The last line sends warm love through me, each time I read over it: “he shall be peace.”

With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow before God most high?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my crime, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:6-8

What God asks of us, is really quite simple: do justice, love goodness, walk humbly with God.  I am struck by the juxtaposition of this with the question right before it: “shall I give my firstborn for my crime, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”  As a mother, I cannot even imagine the thought of doing this.  But of course, God does not require anything like this from us.  His request of us, really is quite simple, and quite painless, and indeed will make us happy.  But still we struggle with it. So God takes on the ultimate sacrifice for us, He gives His son as a sacrifice for our sins.

And then Micah shouts out in confidence in the Lord:

But as for me, I will look to the LORD, I will wait for God my savior; my God will hear me! Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD is my light. I will endure the wrath of the LORD because I have sinned against him, Until he pleads my case, and establishes my right. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see his righteousness.

Micah 7:7-9

I echo these words.  I look to the Lord!  I wait for God my savior!  Though I have fallen, I will rise!  Though I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light!  Despite my sin, the Lord will bring me forth to light and I will see His righteousness!

Who is a God like you, who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but instead delights in mercy, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our iniquities?  You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.

Micah 7:18-19

Praise God!