Word

The Beatles sang a song by that title.  A portion of the lyrics are:

Say the word and you'll be free

Say the word and be like me

Say the word I'm thinking of

Have you heard the word is love?

...

Spread the word and you'll be free

Spread the word and be like me

Spread the word I'm thinking of

Have you heard the word is love?

By contrast, in the 80's rap music started hitting the airwaves and "Word" became a thing to say.  In the urban city it meant or still means "well said" or "agree".  Seems like it was used to mean "what's up" also.  It was bolstered by Ice-T's rap "6'n The Mornin'".  A small portion of the lyrics:

6'n the mornin' police at my door

Fresh Adidas squeak across the bathroom floor

Out the back window I make an escape

Don't even get a chance to grab my old school tape

...

I'm a self-made monster of the city streets

Remotely controlled by hard hip hop beats

But just livin' in the city is a serious task

Didn't know what the cops wanted

Didn't have to time to ask

Word

Yesterday we read through Jesus' prayer in John 17.  In these verses He is praying regarding His disciples and  to all who believe upon Him because of these disciples.  Verse 8 says, "For I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."  Verse 14 says, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."

I find it interesting how the world sometimes hits the things of God without knowing it.  They often see beauty, peace, joy, and love but absolutely refuse to believe these things come from their Creator, or even that there is a Creator.

The Beatles song "Word" is clearly talking about love.  They sing to say the word and spread the word.  I find that pretty remarkable.  Mainly because the Beatles were insistent upon being agnostic.  Their press officer said in an 1964 interview that the Beatles were "completely anti-Christ. I mean, I am anti-Christ as well, but they're so anti-Christ they shock me which isn't an easy thing."  This same group sang the song, "All You Need is Love".  1 John 4:8 says, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."  When someone finds Christ and accept Him as the Son of God, when they accept that He paid for their sins because He wanted too, when they are willing to let go and believe in Him, they are filled with His love.  They say His name and they spread His name.  He overflows from within them to others.  This song seems to represent that. 

By contrast, I was reading this weekend of the son of the man who was one of the originators of the first home-grown terrorist in the U.S.  His father had been a part of killing a rabbi and planning the WTC first bombing.  He said that when he reached the age of 18 he told his mother that he would not harbor hate towards anyone because of race, gender, or religion.  He could not be a Muslim.  His mother responded saying, "I'm so tired of hating." 

God is love.  When I am close to God and He near me, I do not have hate and even the annoying things that people are apt to do, do not bother me.  My heart is different, my patience is different, my love is different, my joy is different.  I am more than willing to say why and to spread why.

The Ice-T song is talking about a life that is about living on the streets and it's all about self.  No respect for others, no respect for authority, no responsibility - hatred to anyone opposing his right to do what he wants to do.  Yet the person represented or wanting to be represented by this song believes this is freedom.  It is ironic.  There is rebellion represented in the song.

Jesus explains how the world will hate the disciples.  The world won't just dislike them, they won't just be annoyed with them, they won't not talk to them or ignore them, but they will hate them.  The disciples will be as rebels in a rebellion that the world will not like at all and will oppose them.  Isn't it interesting how this common vein can exist between the Christian disciple and the one who is rebelling against society?  If only they knew they could become a disciple and be made full and still have the whole world hate them, since they seem to want the world to oppose them.

Either way, the Word is Jesus the Christ.  He came from God and anyone who believes in Him is made whole.  Their sin is forgiven.  They are filled with love and the world hates them. 

Word.

Resentment

In Job 36:13 there is a very important aspect of human action, thought, and feeling that we need to understand regarding those who do not turn to obey God's command as indicated in verse 10 and suffer through the promise of verse 12.

"But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; they do not cry for help when He binds them." - Job 36:13

I looked up the word ‘resentment’ in Webster’s and it is defined as “a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury.”  So naturally I looked up indignant, or indignation, and it is defined as “anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean.”  So if I put these two together and make it personal to me, resentment becomes “a feeling of anger aroused by something I perceive to be unjust or mean towards me that is wrong, insulting, or injurious”.  Unfortunately, I think that’s pretty close to how I’ve felt before.  I know that this is exactly the description I'd use for how those who choose to remain in sin treat me when I try to address or get them to address the obvious conflict in their life.  They resent me with anger as they believe I am wrong, insulting, and even injurious to them.

"The hypocrites in heart".  This is the one who, as described in the preceding verses, knows he is sinning because God has told him, but he has chosen not to obey.  He knows the Word of God, but does not do it.  He is a hypocrite in his heart.  He says he believes in God, but he doesn't do what God says.  A person in this position has lost faith in God.  They are saying with their actions that they know the truth, but will not do it.  This means that they are putting themselves on the throne, they are their own god.  Their word has more authority than God's Word.  Because of this he "stores up wrath" - he holds anger, fury, and rage in his heart.  He will not cry for help.  And anyone who reminds them of the real truth is putting them in position to receive that anger. 

Resentment is like an iceberg, 90% of it is under the surface.  The small indications you get of someone resentful to you (or that you give of being resentful to them) are just a small fraction of the feelings inside.  The biggest problem with resentment is the person you are resentful to doesn’t have to know how intently you feel about them.  Too often, when a person tries to confront that resentment they are attacked ferociously, usually to their surprise.  If the resentment could be flushed out to be justified or declared wrongful then everyone could heal, otherwise grudges will build.  So when we or others have resentment we/they become a “harbor of ill will”.  The resentment is held inside and it starts eating from the inside out. 

I believe it is important for us to understand this.  We should not be surprised when we are attacked from our loved ones when we try to help them.  We should understand that this battle is really between them and God, and they are just delaying their judgment day.  So when we try to confront them, to speed up the process so they can turn and live in God's prosperity and pleasures (v11), which we know is the best life for them, we should be aware that they do not want that or they would have obeyed already.  Who wants to be pushed into a fire?  However, this should not stop our intentional and deliberate efforts to help those we love.

Turn, Sinner, Turn!

⁷ He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
  But they are on the throne with kings,
  For He has seated them forever,
  And they are exalted.
⁸ And if they are bound in fetters,
  Held in the cords of affliction,
⁹ Then He tells them their work and their transgressions—
  That they have acted defiantly.
¹⁰ He also opens their ear to instruction,
   And commands that they turn from iniquity.
¹¹ If they obey and serve Him,
   They shall spend their days in prosperity,
   And their years in pleasures.
¹² But if they do not obey,
   They shall perish by the sword,
   And they shall die as one without knowledge. - Job 36:7-12

This is a wonderful description of how our lives go.  God never turns His eyes from us and He has high places for those who love Him - they are exalted, lifted up.  What an awesome promise to those who love Him!  But if they are bound, "held by cords of affliction", God tells them their transgressions and their defiant actions.  He does not let them go forth and not know that they are sinning.  The Holy Spirit does this for Him.  And all of us Christians are very aware of when He is speaking to us, warning us, reminding us, pulling at us to turn away.

Verse 8 is where many people gain the idea that if someone is going through a trial or are afflicted that they have done some transgression or defiant act against God.  But this is not the intention of this verse.  Jesus' disciples asked on this topic regarding the blind man wondering who had sinned to cause him to be blind, his parents or him.  Jesus answered neither.  So, the affliction was not a product of sin.  Verses 8 and 9 are referring to the cords of consequences.  The afflictions binding these are consequences that result from their transgressions and defiant actions. 

God tells them what they have done against Him and opens their ear to hear His instruction and commands them to turn away from their sin.  Verse 10 is very, very powerful.  Oh, how crushing it is to know people who hear this but stand defiantly still!  We know that they have heard His Word because here we are told that God tells them.  We know that they have been told what they are doing wrong because here we are told that God tells them.  We know that God commanded them to turn away from their sin because here we are told that God Himself tells them.  Oh stubborn man!  Why do you stand against God? 

Following this, there are two directions to go.  You can obey and serve God.  Verse 11 is a promise that the days will be spent in prosperity and in pleasures.  I believe it is critical to understand that this prosperity and these pleasures are for the person who's heart wants only God.  Therefore, these things are not things at all, but the prosperity of peace, love, joy, knowledge of salvation, faith in God, etc.  Of which there are no higher pleasures or items of prosperity of equal value in creation.  Certainly, there is nothing else I would want more.

The other direction is to die by the sword.  To die as someone who does not know the truth.  Relating the sword as the Word of God, it can be said then that the person who does not obey the command of God will perish from His Word.  They will be as someone who knows not His Word.  They will die with their sin.  God will see their sin when He sees them.  What a terrible position to put oneself.  Turn sinner turn!  Do not put yourself under the curse of God!  Oh how much better it is to be someone who has never heard than to be one who has heard but rejected Him!

The Secret to Life

I find it necessary to repeat parts of a post and comment as a follow to the Desiring Death post as these topics go together.  It is clarifying to me to have them together as a follow through of thought.  Parts of the below are taken from Curved Inward.

James tells us that we conceive our own desires, the desires birth sin and it is born, and then sin grows up and brings death.  We can also follow the very first sin and see how Eve had desire for the forbidden, sinned by doing the forbidden, and death was a result.  If we are all descendants of Adam and Eve who had this sin nature and sinned while living by themselves in a perfect place with no stress while walking daily with God, then we have this sin nature and it is easy to argue that our environment isn't as nice.  So what chance do we have to overcome this "devil inside" that I believe the band INXS was singing about in their '80s hit.  (Lyrics; Song)

The truth is we have no chance.  We cannot overcome our sin nature.  We may have been created as a very strong person and we can stand up to it for a very long time, but at some point, it will crush us.  Jesus said in Matthew 7 :26-27 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."  No matter how strong we are, our house will fall and the stronger we are, the greater the fall.

Matt Ayers comments, "We have Good News today.  Through Jesus, we can rest from this battling.  Through the death of Christ, the “old sinful man” (Rom 6:6) can be put to death, once and for all.  We can rest in Jesus through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, replace all of our old habits that were formed out of sin nature with the holy habits of Jesus.  Habits driven by love for others; habits driven by compassion, joy and peace.  The exhaustion that comes from vainly battling the sin nature inside of us will only die when we die because we are one with it.  We must die to ourselves.  That’s what this means.  We must take up our cross.  That’s what this means.  This is one of the greatest features of resting in Jesus."

When we cry to God to forgive our sins we not only want our sin removed from His view of us, we want it removed from our shoulders so we don't have to carry it anymore.  We want our sin to no longer be a part of us.  But, we fail to realize that while the sin is erased, our sin nature too often remains because we don't want it to be removed.  Until we are willing to die so that not another single child of God will be hurt by our sin nature, we do not want to have it erased.  Matt continues, "You see, the death of Jesus not only washes away our sin-guilt, but it also puts to death our very sin nature.  ...  The entire point of Jesus life, death, and resurrection was to put to death the sin nature."  

The only way to live apart from the sin nature is to allow the Holy Spirit to have occupancy and ownership of all that we are or want to become.  When we do this we have freedom.  Russ Klug comments that "we misinterpret what freedom means.  ... freedom means that since Jesus was the perfect sacrificial lamb and our sin nature was conquered in that death, we are freed from the impossible task of perfect obedience to the law.  Instead, we have the Holy Spirit who can provide daily victory over our sin nature. This is freedom from sure failure."

When we live in that relationship with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit dominating our life, we are living in the victory of our Messiah, the Christ.  The victory is over that part of us that focuses on us first; that part that wants to be served first; that part that tells us we deserve anything; the part that is ungrateful or unthankful; the part that finds fault; the part that has no hope; that part that "conceives desire" (Js 1:14).  It is at that place that we are able to live in David's words "I shall not want" (Ps 23:1). 

Imagine there is a place where you don't want except what you are led to.  Where you don't have something in you that is against any other person.  Where you are full of purpose, joy, and life.  Where your faith is full and there is no doubt.  It is at this place where we are complete and Jesus is there. 

This is the secret to life.

The Struggle is Real

Philippians 2: 12b-13 continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

In addition to being made keenly aware of God's tremendous blessings in life, God has really been on me about faith and works working together as James put it so well in chapter 2.  Living a life of faith in America, however, is extremely difficult.  We really don't have to depend on God for much besides those things over which we have no control: health and death.  Don't believe me?  Listen carefully to prayer requests next time in church.  Because we are so materially blessed, we really don't have to live a life of deep and abiding faith depending on God to provide for our basic needs.  Instead we live lives of tremendous excess with very little faith required until we encounter issues that money simply cannot impact - dire health and death.  Even our churches suffer from this.  Our budgets are set by historical giving and economic projections verses starting with a blank sheet of paper and asking what God is calling each congregation to do for the next day, week, year, and so on.  We make ourselves feel better about this by "doing something for God" on occasion, but what has God called us to do besides love him and obey him?
I'm struggling with what God is calling me to do differently.  I can feel his constant urging to develop deeper faith, but it seems to me that most of the growth I see in my life and in the lives of the great people of faith in scripture came during times of trial.  Perhaps God is preparing me to live through another time of trial.  Perhaps God is calling me to do something differently in my personal, family, church, or work life.  I'm simply not sure.  What I am sure of, however, is a deep conviction that God is issuing a challenge.  A challenge to live a life that is more demonstrably dependent on Him. 

All Good Things

James 1: ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
As I reflect upon 2014, I realize that I have much for which to be thankful: family, friends, health, work, and hobbies shared with family and friends all add up to an idyllic life.  I could enumerate many specific events, occasions, and times that have meant much and would be a great exercise in journaling, but I'm also mindful that these gifts are from a single source: God.
It's not clear to me why God chose me to bless so immeasurably.  There are some 6 billion people on earth and why he chose to place me in my current situation isn't clear.  Some have opined that we are born into a situation and what becomes of it is a result of our own decisions.  There is a small sliver of truth in that, but to dwell on my contribution to my current situation is to place emphasis on me and that is dangerous and confusing at least to me.  The danger is to begin to believe that I am my own source of joy and contentment which is to make myself a god - a clear way to rob myself of that joy and contentment.  So my overriding theme from 2014 was great thankfulness for all He has done!
It is also clear to me is that I have the responsibility to be a good steward of that to which I'm entrusted (Luke 12:48) and that is much!  That realization leads to my second theme derived from 2014 which is the struggle to grow in faith.  My observation of life is that when one is comfortable, little growth occurs.  Even simple things like my children cutting new teeth when they were toddlers led to challenges, so I'm mindful that to face the great challenges of life require great faith.  More on that tomorrow.

Desiring Death

Sometimes, when you’ve been the one to make a great mistake, one that is incomprehensible to others, they often turn to you when someone else is doing something incomprehensible wondering how or why they are doing what they are doing.  It is, of course, an impossible question to answer without knowing what that person’s own desires are deep inside them.  I find that I do the same.  When a friend who is an alcoholic was having trouble, I went to another friend who has been an alcoholic looking for answers.  Sure, there can be similarities, but I quickly realized that it was impossible for one to answer my inquiries about the other.  The reason for this is each one had different desires inside of them that brought on the alcoholism.

“Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” – James 1:14-15

As I was reminded of this verse recently and read it again for the first time (many times when reading Bible verses, it is as if I have never read them even though I know them, they seem to strike me anew often), I was overwhelmed at how this seemingly complex subject is simply written.  The beginning of our downfall is selfish desire within us, which leads to sin, which brings death.  The writer describes this as a growth process.  It just doesn’t happen overnight.  We don’t just wake up and say “Today I will bring upon death.”  The death is the deception, the lie, and it lies in wait as a supreme contrast to the exciting newness and conceiving of a fake life from our desires.  The desires, conceived within us, are of our energy and so we fuel it.  But, as that sin nature can only conceive one thing, sin, it does, and sin is born.  Once it is born, it can’t be unborn.  It is there.  If it is allowed to grow it becomes death, your undoing.  The exact opposite of the initial exciting newness and conception, which appears as new life.

Man’s nature hasn’t changed since Adam and Eve.  I can see the evil one discussing this with Eve.  “Don’t you feel the excitement of doing something new?  This is your life, who can tell you how to live it.  You will not die!  You eat fruit every day, this is just a different kind.  Who gave Him the right to tell you what is right and what is wrong?  If everything He made is good then how can this be bad?  He just doesn’t want you to know that you can make your own rules and live your own way, as He does.”

   

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” – Genesis 3:6  

I can’t discern whether Eve’s desire for the fruit came from within her or if it was created through the lies of Satan.  I get the idea that the more he talked about it, the more she stared at it, and the more she stared at it, the more she wanted it.  Somewhere at some time, a desire was conceived for the fruit and it moved from something God instructed not to touch to being “good for food”, “pleasant to the eyes”, and “desirable”.  The desire conceived sin.  I am struck at the lack of conversation over this between Adam and Eve.  Where is the “Woman, what have you done?” from Adam.  This is the first recorded conflict avoidance.  Instead of addressing the conflict, man participates.  God does not avoid conflict and does ask her “What is this you have done?”  She responds honestly, something people today seem unwilling to do upon confrontation.  God then tells Adam that they shall die for this sin.  The desire was made into sin and the sin became death.

Currently, there are two situations that we are around that involve someone who should know God, has been taught His moral authority over what is right and what is wrong, and who has practiced living as a Christian, but has now rejected His authority as God over their lives.  His Word no longer reflects truth to them.  They have had some internal desire conceived and birthed a sin.  It is there.  This sin is growing and will lead to death in their lives.  It is just a matter of what, or who, and when.  Unlike Eve (whose name was woman until after all of this when Adam then named her Eve), these two people are not answering the question of “What is this you have done?” honestly.  In fact, it is very difficult to get them to discuss it at all.  It is as if they know it is there, but don't want you to know it is there and if they don't talk about it, then it doesn't exist.  They are just outright rejecting God’s authority. 

The only word I can use is heartbreaking.  My heart breaks for someone who is turned and twisted.  My heart breaks for my inability to have any consequence.  My heart breaks for their eventual consequence.  I want for these to be resolved.  I do not want to watch a slow drama filled destructive life that self-justifies and excuses everything they do and blames everyone else for their consequences.  My only voice is my heart broken cry upon the altar of God to speed up His pressure, His work in their life so they come back to His reality sooner and the consequences are minimal.

A Champion?

Someone once told me that “a champion is a person down on their knees, covered in sweat, gasping for breath … while no one is looking.”  The image is meant to convey someone doing something strenuous by themselves, for themselves, that improves them and not in front of others so they can benefit from their viewing their hard work.  I actually liked the saying at first.  It seems selfless and motivated.  We all admire that person who is willing to sacrifice to make themselves better and we admire them more when they do it solely for them to be better and not because they had to or wanted everyone to see them.  The simple fact is everyone wants to improve something about who they are and usually we haven’t worked hard on our on to change it.  So we admire that person who is self-motivated and who works to the point of exhaustion and pain to improve.

But to put so much emphasis on physical condition and beauty is, as Solomon says, “vanity”.  Beyond its desire to omit all things Godly, the single most influential aspect of our society that leads man away from God is the absolute stress on physical shape and appearance.  This is conditioned into the brain at every opportunity by a Godless society.  The evil searches and seeks for every entry into our conscious to promote, shove, cast, seep, and lure to tempt us to believe that this is the single most important thing about another person.  The damage from this is deep, affecting people their whole life, it changes their behavior and ruins their relationships, both existing and the could-have-been. 

The movie, Shallow Hal, does the best job of any current entertainment to describe how a guy seeing the world from a purely physical point-of-view is contrast from seeing the world from a beauty of a person’s soul point-of-view.  The concept of determining the worth of a girl based solely on her looks was drilled into my head in middle school.  Seemingly all the time, every guy was looking and evaluating every girl in this way all the time.  I remember not understanding what they were saying, but as the constant bombardment continues and our desire to be accepted rules, we quickly learn to catch up to and embrace what everyone thinks is important.  Then, without knowing it, our conscious has been retaught what is important and we only see people this way.  We become as the harlots in Proverbs 6 who reduce a man to a piece of bread.  A person no longer has value beyond what we hope to get from them.   

This happens everyday millions of times to every person and most don’t even know it.  Every commercial, every sitcom, every movie, every magazine ad, every online ad, every newspaper ad, and in every retail store, we are “taught” through a massive assault to see a person’s physical condition and make a decision about the person on that input.  This is not Godly.  Upon seeing Jesse’s son Eliab the prophet Samuel exclaimed “Surely the Lord’s appointed is before him!”  Obviously he looked like a king.  But God replied, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  As God sees a man so should we and we can’t see the depth of a person until we get to know their heart.

So then, what is a champion?  “A champion is a man down on his knees, submitting himself fully before God; desiring to have an unconquerable love for God, His Spirit, His wisdom, and His character above all that exists in Creation; asking God to provide continually the bread of life, Christ, so he might live … when he is alone, but especially when everyone is looking.”

New Year

Well, it’s a new year.  It will be interesting to see what it holds.  Personally, I find myself 15 lbs overweight and not in good shape.  I feel like I aged 5 or 10 years in the last year.  Physically, I am struggling.  However, many lessons were learned.  One of these is that it is necessary to have extraordinary faith and it should be a priority in my life to look for ways to grow my faith.  Everyday should be an exercise in faith.  I should know that if God is not in my day today, each hour and each minute, then the day is lost.  Another lesson is that love conquers all.  I should never give up hope.  The phrase “hope is eternal” has real meaning.  God can and will do anything.  He is not bound.  Hearts can change and the dead can live again.

There are some obvious challenges.  Family is one, both immediate and extended.  Some are running from God, some are aging, some are unmotivated.  I think the only solution is to get them closer to God, however possible.

This morning, as I lay in bed just as I woke up I found myself pondering the question of what are things I’d like to see in the new year.  I thought about how some people will want more money or things.  Some will want new relationships or a new body.  I have no such desires.  I am broken and so thankful that I can legitimately write this, but I want for Godly changes to occur.  I desire that I would be able to pick up the Godly sword and shield and be able to walk correctly in each day, slaying my sin nature and confronting sin where it exists around me.  I desire for those who know right and aren’t doing it, that they’d have a change in their heart to follow God.  That they would humble themselves and find their faith.

There is also potential for many blessings.  One will be to go to Haiti and start up the generators to get the new electrical system operating at the OMS main missionary campus.  I hope to take many members of my family.  Another will be to go on a vacation in Europe.  My wife has begun planning it even now.  I hope we can have the plans done within the month and begin securing reservations.  I think this can be a wonderful time for our family.

What about goals?  I do want to have a personal clarification for my purpose.  Why does God have me here?  I find myself often envying those who have their purpose defined.  They are secure in their direction.  My cousin met such a man recently.  He was on the side of the road hitchhiking.  He saw him and stopped and gave him all the change in his car and told him if he’d be there in a few hours he’d give him a ride to a nearby city.  He came back through in a few hours and found the man.  After picking him up he asked him why he was homeless and hitchhiking.  The man’s answer surprised him.  He said he had been in jail once and a lady came in and shared Christ with him and he received the invitation and accepted Him.  Not long after that, God called him to hitchhike around and tell everyone he meets about Jesus and how to be saved.  He told my cousin that he wasn't poor and was even willing to help him if he needed something.  My cousin asked him if he was an angel.  The man smiled and said no, just a disciple.

That man knew his purpose.  I find that many of us middle aged (40 something) have lost a purpose.  When we were young it was thrust upon us, get an education, get a job, and raise a family.  Now, the family is getting a little beyond us, we have an education and a job, we know how to survive.  So, what is our purpose?  For me, until I hear otherwise, my purpose is to: 1) Be a disciple, 2) Be a husband, 3) Be a father, 4) Be a friend; and each of these must be wrapped in purposeful action that has the single intent of serving God. 

How can my existence bring someone to a closer walk with God?  How can my existence demonstrate a Godly wisdom or character for someone to grab hold of and claim?  Answering these questions everyday will lead me to a purpose.

I Shall Not Want

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want. – Psalm 23:1

If I don’t ever understand another thing about God the rest of my life, I can only hope that I can grasp this single verse and live it.

“The Lord”, recognizing that there doesn’t exist “death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing” (Roman 8:38), that is my God, my Lord.  This is the concept presented by the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God …”  This is the recognition that everything will begin and end with the Lord.

“Is my shepherd”, mine, He is my shepherd.  Nothing else can or will be my shepherd.  He leads me, I do not lead myself nor does another thing or person.  He alone leads me.  I put my trust in Him and Him alone.  If trust exists, I trust in Him.  If faith exists, my faith is in Him.  My fate is in His hands.  I do not want to lead myself, but to follow my shepherd in whom I place my complete trust for my direction, strength, future, and for each added second to my life.

“I shall not want.”  I wonder often if this is an impossible concept.  I shall not want “death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing”.  I shall want only what the Lord my shepherd leads me to, guides me to, directs me to, and purposes for me to do.  Everything else, that is, all else in the created universe, is vanity.  I shall want nothing apart from my Lord in whom I put my complete faith in being. 

This means I shall not want another person to be different for my benefit.  I shall not want a situation to be different for my benefit.  I shall want circumstances to be different for my benefit.  I shall only want what God wants for that other person, for that situation, for that circumstance.  I shall not want my life to be easier or harder.  I shall not want to be a different person.  I shall not want to change my past or present.  I shall only want the life God intends for me to live, to be the person He wants me to become, to embrace where I’ve been and where He’s leading me to go. 

I … Shall … Not … Want!

Hosanna!

⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!” – Matthew 21:8-9

Hosanna is truly a unique word in the Bible.  A quick search reveals it is only used in Matthew, Mark, and John in reference to this event where Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem prior to his torture and death on the cross.

Dictionary.com defines Hosanna as “an exclamation, an appeal to God for deliverance, used in praise of God or Christ”.  Meriam-Webster.com says it is from the Hebrew word hōshīʽāh-nnā meaning “pray, save (us)!”  Vines Expository Dictionary confirms this describing the meaning as “save, we pray”.  Vines continues to describe hosanna by saying “the word seems to have become an utterance of praise rather than of prayer, though originally, probably, a cry for help”. 

²⁵ Save now, I pray, O Lord;
   O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
   We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. – Psalms 118:25-26

The text here in Psalms was traditionally a part of reading and response by the Jewish people during the Feast of Tabernacles and was accompanied by the waving of palm and willow branches.  Jesus took part in this Feast of Tabernacles and applied the traditional elements of water and light to His life and mission.  The last day of this feast was called “the great Hosanna”.  Or, the great “save, we pray”. 

I feel like Hosanna should become my battle cry.  Save, I Pray!!!  This is very much an accomplishment of exclamation combining praise, prayer, cry for help, and confidence in deliverance all in one word.  If there was ever something that should be on the edge of all my words, every single day, it is this: Hosanna Jesus!  Or should it be: Jesus Hosanna!

Either way, it embodies what should be my very existence.

I am the Bread

Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary his betrothed, who was with child. - Luke 2:4-5

Bethlehem is defined in the text as the city of David.  Why is it the city of David?  Best I can research, it is because that is where David is from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel.  1 Samuel 17:12 says that "David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah".  David grew up there and because of his life as a follower of the living God who received the promise of God that the Savior would be born of his lineage (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17), it is important to recognize that this birthplace is Bethlehem, the city of David.

The name Bethlehem means "house of bread".  I find that to be as spiritually significant as it being the city of David, but I don't hear this discussed too much.  I find it striking that Jesus, the Savior, the Christ, was born in the house of bread.  Further, He was placed in a manger.  The trough upon which animals feed.  I find this a little overwhelming. 

So many people discuss how He was born in a common man's town, and in a poor manner.  Is there rich or poor in the eyes of God?  Yes, but only in the spiritual sense.  There are those who know God personally and live to know Him in a closer way every day; these people are very, very rich.  There are those who do not know Him and refuse Him at every turn, they scorn His name and attack those who know Him; these people are very, very poor.  I find that Jesus was born in a kingly manner, the highest of the high and to royalty - given how God views the reality of rich and poor.  His Mom had been impregnated by God Himself, after seeing an archangel.  His father had seen visions in dreams.  Who else can say such a thing?  Angels reported His birth with heavenly host singing praises to God; a star was visible to show where He was; who else can report this at their birth?  "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)  Jesus was born, given, as the ultimate servant.  He came to serve all who will allow it.  It is not possible for there to be one who is greater.  This is the most royal birth ever, I'd say.

And there He lay, as bread in a feeding trough in the house of bread.  Bread to be eaten by all who will accept Him as God.  "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger" (Luke 2:6-7).  God sent Him, but she, a human with an internal deficiency called sin, placed Him in the feeding trough.  "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26)  Jesus broke His body willingly and gave it to those who will be His disciples. 

He was born in the house of bread, put into a feed trough by man as food for man to eat by God, and willingly broke Himself for us.  "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life ... I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty." (John 6:27,35)