Day 177: God's Whispers vs. Other's Messages

1 Corinthians 1:1-17; 1 Kings 12:32-13:34; Joel 1

In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he makes what I think are some interesting points with some subtle statements. For instance: "And until the day Christ does return he will keep you completely innocent." What strikes me about that is how we have been made completely innocent. We are saved from most of our sins. We aren't saved from just the big ones or little ones. We are saved from all of our sins and made completely innocent. Pretty incredible if you think about all the sins we have committed and will commit in our lives. And how long will Christ's death cover us? As long as it needs to; until he returns a second time. That's big stuff.

The other statement that sticks out to me is when he writes that "he sent me to tell the good news without using big words that would make the cross of Christ lose its power." I think what he might mean is that the cross of Christ speaks for itself. When we try to explain it away or figure out how such an act can actually save the whole world, we complicate it and it can lose its significance in our lives. When we think about it simply as Jesus, God's son, suffered the wrath of God and died on the cross to save the world from their sins, and was raised to life so that we can have life in him--that's all that needs to be said. Yes, you could talk about the significance of the darkness, the two criminals, the words he spoke, the people that watched--and I would love to spend time looking at that--but what does it all really mean? That God loves us so much and wanted to make us acceptable that his son took our place on the cross. When you focus on the simple act of love and justice, it makes it a whole lot more powerful.

In Kings, Jeroboam is sacrificing to idols and even when God punishes him momentarily with a stiff hand, when he asks the prophet to heal it, God does! It's crazy that God would have that kind of mercy. If it were me, I would have told him to deal with it, that that is part of his punishment for disobeying. But not God! Even to those who have rejected him, he still shows mercy.

Then you have the mix up of the prophets. The old prophet lies to the one from Judah in order to provide hospitality to him. That's not a bad reason to want someone to come to your house (to serve them dinner), but to use God as your trump card IS wrong. So when the prophet from Judah hears this, he goes against what God told him and follows what this old dude says. We need to be careful to follow God's whispers in our own hearts. Other people may think they get messages from God about us, but what God places in our hearts should be our first priority and focus. The disobedient prophet from Judah unfortunately got attacked and killed by a lion right after this. Not cool. So, the message here is clear: obey the Lord's word in your heart so you don't get mauled by a lion.

Joel and the people there are experiencing the worst drought ever. God has dried up all of their crops and water, and they have nothing, not even things to sacrifice to The Lord. It doesn't say in this chapter, but my guess is that in later chapters, we will learn that it is because of their disobedience to The Lord that this has happened. That's speculation and we will find out.

Day 176: Love Without Limit

Mark 16; 1 Kings 12:1-31; Hosea 14

Jesus appears to people 4 times before the disciples believe. He appears to some women first, then Mary again, then two other disciples, and finally to all 11. I get their doubt--it isn't everyday that people are raised to life. But this wasn't just any person, this was Jesus, the Son of God. He tells them that people who believe in him will be able to do wonderful things: force out demons, speak new languages, handle snakes and poison and not get hurt, and heal people. I know that I can't do all those things (and I've never tried the snake or poison thing. Call me a wimp), but the point is, Jesus Christ equips his followers to do amazing things. Once we believe Jesus is who he says he is, and he did what scripture says he did, and that he is still with us today, we aren't just our plain ol' selves--we have the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit within us. If we really believe that, then we can do amazing things; but if we discount ourselves and just sit around and mope about how terrible we are, God can't use us like he intended. The disciples, after they heard this message from Jesus, "left and preached everywhere" and they did do miracles. The disciples were empowered and emboldened by the message of Jesus and they went and did amazing things. I believe that God wants that same response from us, today.

Rehoboam did what so many people do: he asked for advice but refused it from the elders (who know from experience) and instead goes to his buddies who give him the answer he wants to hear. All of us need to start listening to those older than us, not because they are better or know everything, but simply because they have a greater perspective due to their longer lives on earth. Each young generation thinks that the older generations are outdated and old fashioned. But, they have wisdom and knowledge that the younger generation has not gained yet. Because Rehoboam did not listen to the elders, he ruined his chance to be king of Israel. He wanted to be tough, protect his image, and it destroyed what his father and grandfather had helped to build with God.

Then, because Rehoboam lost Israel, Jeroboam took over and created gold calves for the people to worship. They started worshiping other gods and he lead everyone astray. All of our actions have consequences, and reading the chronology of the Old Testament and the families, helps to show that. Even insignificant, spur of the moment decisions have serious (and lasting) effects. That is why taking the advice of our elders will help us to make right and wise decisions.

Whoa! God says in Hosea: "Israel, you have REJECTED me, but my anger is GONE; I will HEAL you and LOVE you WITHOUT LIMIT." Wow! Talk about unconditional love. Imagine someone saying that to their unfaithful spouse today: Honey, you were completely unfaithful, but I'm not mad anymore. I want to restore this relationship and love you no matter what." People in our world would call that person stupid. But that is the kind of love that God has for his people: completely unselfish, unwarranted, unmerited, and unconditional love.

Day 175: The Cross

Mark 15:21-47; 1 Kings 11; Hosea 13

Jesus, while suffering on the cross, refused to drink a concoction that would have eased the pain. He died fully aware and fully feeling not only the physical pain, but the emotional and spiritual agony. One of the things that I have sort of come to realize better in the last few months is just what happened on that cross. It wasn't that Jesus just chose to be there and God looked away. Jesus was sent for the purpose to suffer the wrath of God for all mankind's sin. Jesus didn't just die; he was punished. I believe that if it wasn't for punishment for sin, then it wasn't accomplishing what it was supposed to. When he cries out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I believe that he is experiencing what Hell is. I don't know if Hell will literally be fire and brimstone, but personally, I think that would be better than a world without God at all (which is what I think Hell will be). In those few hours, Jesus is suffering not just physical torment, but spiritual torment: life where God is absent because that is what we deserve for our sin and unfaithfulness to The Lord. Wow. To think that Jesus did that for you and me.

Solomon had lady problems, but when you have 1000 wives, that's bound to happen. He was yoked with women who did not believe what he believed and they led him astray. Solomon compromises; in all his wisdom, he thought it would be ok to worship other gods. Maybe he thought that it would be more diplomatic to do so, or maybe he thought that it would be more pleasing to his wives. You know, like how our society works: however and whatever you want to do is fine with me so long as it doesn't effect me. Whatever the reason, he was well aware that what he was doing would not please God--God had given him the wisdom to know that! Solomon was wrong to compromise, wrong to let his wives worship other gods, and wrong to join in the act of worshiping other gods. He gave up the long term promise of God (that his descendants would rule Israel) for false gods and temporary worship.

Idols are a big issue. Here in Hosea that is Israel's problem too, just like Solomon. Humans have, for a long time, put other stuff before God and worshiped those things. We focus on money, sex, success, fame, popularity, sports, family, more than God--and that is wrong. God needs to be our everything. That doesn't mean we quit our job, throw away our money, and forget our friends and family; what it means is that our worship belongs to God, and everything else falls into place behind that. It's about the purpose of our life and our decisions; if the purpose isn't to honor and glorify God, then it's for something else, an idol. There is not enough room in our hearts to serve God and something else with all our hearts. In this passage in Hosea, it is clear that God is angry and he can and will and does take his anger out on the very people that caused it. Serve The Lord first, above everything else! That is what I'm trying to make the goal and focus of my life.

Day 174: Crowd Mentality

Mark 15:1-20; 1 Kings 10; Hosea 11:12-12:14

The chief priests tell the crowd what to say. Pilate wants to please the crowd. No one in this story is really thinking for themselves or standing up for what is right. The crowd is being told what to do and Pilate is completely under the control of the people. Yes, Jesus had to die in order to save the world, but the way people act in this story, I think seems to be a significant thing. Today, the same "crowd mentality" is strong. People believe what they are told and do what they think will make them most acceptable to others. What has happened to standing up and standing out?

Everyone, everywhere had heard about Solomon, his wisdom and his riches. He was humble at the beginning and so God was able to bless him. But this story isn't really about how God can make us rich (though he could), it is more about what God can do when we are usable by him.

In Hosea, God is still going off about Israel and Judah. God says that he is "faithful and holy." I think one of the things that bothers me from time to time is that we sing so much worship music about ourselves: God help me, give me faith, I will worship, etc. One thing that I think we need to focus on more is who God is. There is a new worship song (well, I don't know if it is actually new; it's new to me), that just focuses on who God is and how powerful he is: The Great I Am. It talks about the mountains shaking before him, the demons run and flee at the mention of his name, there is no power in hell, or any who can stand before the power and the presence of the Great I Am! Then the chorus just sings: Hallelujah, Holy Holy, God Almighty, the Great I Am, who is worthy, none besides thee, God Almighty, the Great I Am. It is so awesome. I think there is power in realizing that our relationship with God is not about us really. It is about God.

Then, later in Hosea, it says that people say to themselves "I'm rich! I earned it all on my own without committing a sin!" The truth is, just like Solomon, all of what we have comes from God and is his. When we start thinking that we did it on our own, then we ARE sinning, because we are taking credit away from the faithful and holy God that gave it to us.

Day 173: Sleeping Disciples

Mark 14:32-72; 1 Kings 9; Hosea 11:1-11

Jesus finds his disciples sleeping, when they should have been praying or keeping watch. How often am I caught "sleeping" when I should be focused on The Lord or invested in prayer? I, and I suppose we, need to be deliberate and dilligent about prayer and seeking God's help, not lazy or relaxed about our spiritual wellbeing. What I also find interesting is that when Jesus comes back the second time, he tells them to stay awake and pray that THEY won't be tested. Hang on a sec, Jesus is about to take on the wrath of God, and Jesus is worried about how the disciples will be tested? That does not make sense. If it were me, I'd be saying "guys! pray for me! I'm going through a tough thing right now!" But then again, that's why Jesus is God and I'm not. Jesus wants his followers to be awake, alive, ready to follow him and serve.

And then there's Peter. Poor Peter, struggles in his faith. Later he becomes a pillar of the church, but pillars dont get strong without going through some kind of pressure. Peter walks through the fire and gets burned, bad. But it is through that that he learns what it means to fail, so that strength in faith and success mean so much more to him. Plus, it shows him just how much he needs God. I think Peter is great.

God wants to bless his people. He wants to care for humans. He loves us. But, just as in his warning to Solomon, if people reject him, he will pull away. He doesn't force people worship him, it is completely a choice, but there are consequences for not honoring our maker. I totally believe the same principle applies today. People are made needing God, that is why people spend their lives trying to find something or chase something. So when people decide they don't need The Lord, God can't and won't force them. All he says is that he will not let them live in the promised land (heaven?) and he will desert the temple he built (people or the community?). As so many in our country wish for God to leave, I believe that in those people's lives and those communities, he has in a sense, left. But, where people are faithful in following him, he is there and we can trust in that.

In these verses in Hosea, there is such longing from God to have his people back. He says, "Israel, I can't let you go, I can't give you up." God loves us so much. It isn't that he just needs to feel control over something; I don't think God has control or security issues. God leads his people "with kindness and with love, not with ropes." This passage in Hosea is very powerful. God loves his people so much that despite their rebellion and unfaithfulness, he can't let them go or give them up. Wow, how often do we see that kind of love in our world today?

Day 172: Being Critical

Mark 14:1-31; 1 Kings 8; Hosea 9:17-10:15

The woman pours expensive perfume on Jesus' head, and people criticized her for it. She was honoring and worshiping The Lord, and yet people judged and looked down on her for it. Today, people are going to judge us for the decisions we make. We will receive criticism for how we honor or serve The Lord. Part of me feels like if we haven't, then we haven't been serving The Lord long enough, radically enough, or sacrificially. What's even worse, is that these weren't just people off the streets criticising her, but followers of Jesus, other believers. It's sad that so often those with cutting words and biting remarks are other Christians; I know that I'm guilty of being critical of other believers' actions or choices. Jesus teaches that whatever we do to honor him is a beautiful thing, and should be more important than anything else.

Peter is a great character: he is bold, vocal, opinionated. But Jesus points out that even he is human and can be fearful, insecure, and unfaithful. But, that should give us hope, because God chose Peter and his faith to build his church upon. It was this imperfect human that God's power worked through to do amazing things. The same is true for us. If we think we are just little specks on this earth without a purpose, think again. God can and will use each of us if we let him. That's what is so awesome about God. Because he is so amazing and perfect, he can make wonderful things out of us fearful, insecure, and unfaithful people.

Solomon's prayer acknowledges that God is bigger and greater than to actually live in the temple built by human hands. Throughout his prayer he says "your home in heaven," I think as a reminder to  himself and the people that they cannot contain God in this temple. Solomon's prayer also acknowledges that people are going to sin and turn away from The Lord, but he prays that God would not abandon them in these times, but would continue to care for them so that they could turn back.  

In Hosea, he says that the people were like a grape vine who started to produce a lot of grapes, so they started to think highly of themselves and started to build more altars, then when they realized how awesome those were, they began to set up shrines for other gods. I think about myself when I'm in prosperity: do I turn and humble myself and give glory to God for the goodness in my life? or do I begin to worship my own skills and abilities? When we trust in our own power and think that it is us who makes us successful, God does not get the glory he deserve and he gets angry. When things start to go well for us, we need to be conscious of how much we are focusing on him for our provisions and how much we are focusing on ourselves. We need God in both prosperity and hardship. He deserves praise and worship in both success and failure.

Day 171: We Become Like What We Worship

Mark 13:14-37; 1 Kings 7; Hosea 9:1-16

This passage about the coming trouble, about the horrible suffering, I think was written as much for the disciples as it is for each successive generation. The first clue is when Jesus says "Everyone who reads this." He was speaking at the time, and he knew that they would write this down and people would read it in the future. That's why he says that "some people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens." I don't think he is just talking about the disciples. He's talking about (possibly) you and me. And so in talking to us, he warns about false prophets, about terrible suffering, and about being ready. We have to expect all of that every day, because only The Lord knows the time he's coming back and how much persecution we may face.

So reading in 1st Kings about all the stuff that was put into the temple is not the most exciting thing. However, it is good to visualize what this looked like and the purpose it served. All that was done to honor and connect with God. Because they did not have Jesus, they had to perform these rituals to remain on God's good side and remain acceptable to him. Because later generations have Jesus, the separation is broken and we don't need bronze or gold altars for sacrifices. Our hearts are our altar.

In Hosea he warns them about the punishment that God is going to inflict on them. One thing that he says is that the grain and wine will run short. I truly believe that apart from God, we are limited on what we can do, on the blessings we can receive, on the hope we can draw from. Literally in Hosea, it was food, but I think perhaps it applies to our spiritual feeding. When we turn from God, we stop drawing strength and hope and peace from him--they run short. But if we remain in him, we have a never-ending supply of these things.

Later Hosea says that they became as disgusting as the idols they worshiped. Think about people and what they idolize. We become like that which we worship. People who worship bad stuff, in a sense, become "bad"; people who worship destructive things and habits, are destroyed by them and often become destructive themselves; and so when we worship Jesus, we become more like him. So, we need to choose what we worship wisely.

Day 170: Being Sucked In

Mark 13:1-13; 1 Kings 6; Hosea 8

Jesus teaches about coming trouble. He says that many will come and claim to be Jesus, that they will use his name and fool many people. I truly believe that this has already begun to happen. People think they are believing in Jesus, but really, who they say Jesus is is not scriptural. What if we think we are following the real deal, but they turn out to be preaching something different from what God really says? We have got to be a generation that investigates the claims of Christ ourselves; we need to be reading scripture (Old and New Testament) and believe according to God's word, not according to a church. And yet, Jesus promises that many will still be fooled. I'm so afraid that people out there are getting sucked into to "Christian" religions that aren't truly Christian. How do we make sure that we aren't getting sucked in? Read the Word.

Then Jesus goes on to say that followers of him are going to suffer, and not just suffer, but experience judgment, betrayal, and death. How about that for some uplifting news. However, there is hope: Jesus says that when these things happen, if we stay faithful, we WILL be saved. This also means that Jesus is about to return and set up his kingdom here on earth!

Israel is not in a very good position in Hosea. They have rejected The Lord and he is ticked. It says that they chose leaders without consulting The Lord, made idols, and turned altars for sin sacrifices into places of sin. God wants people to call on him for making decisions, for guidance. He deserves our devotion and our worship--more than I am sometimes remember to or am willing to give. The spiritual practices meant for redemption need to remain pure and not be destroyed by selfishness or worldly practices. What does this mean for me? For us? We need to pray for anything and everything. That doesn't always mean asking for stuff, but simply lifting up our thoughts and heart to The Lord. We also need to put him first and worship him only, not money, not success, not family--sometimes difficult to do and to recognize. We need to worship just him. And finally, we need to stay true to his word, not making up religious practices that distract from God's true purpose. God can completely destroy a nation in his anger, and if Israel was in danger of this, how much more so are we and our generation? May we learn to truly worship and devote our lives to The Lord God.

Day 169: God Isn't a Good 2nd Place Finisher

Mark 12:28-44; 1 Kings 4-5; Hosea 7:3-16

The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. As Christians we know this, it's in our brain, but how often do I not live like this? We need to love God with our hearts and lives and THEN love our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers. God is not a good second place finisher. This means that I need to love The Lord and serve him, MORE than I love my husband, my family, my friends. I need to follow God's will for my life MORE than I listen to the input from my husband, family, my friends. I challenge us to take a look at our lives and figure out what holds the primary spot of importance. Is it ourselves? Our family? or God?

I find it very interesting that Jesus says that the religious leaders will be punished most of all. Say what?! The religious people? But they are so "religious," right? This is a dangerous misconception that our American society has adopted. Religion has nothing to do with a relationship, and everything to do with rituals. Through rituals people try to earn a spot in heaven by following guidelines; a relationship has to do with learning, growing, following, living. The reason that Jesus says these religious people will be punished most of all is because they know the truth, and yet they abuse it and the people around them. Then you have people like the widow in the story who gives two small coins, but Jesus praises her because she sacrificed all that she had for The Lord. This story is directly related to the previous thoughts. Want to know what people care about most? If we love God more than anything else, our giving will be the first thing out of our paycheck every month. If I love God with all my heart, I will be generous with my money, not stingy or greedy. If people love God with everything they are, they will sacrifice their finances for The Lord. What people do with their money is a great indicator of what they care about. And since we are to care about The Lord first, our money needs to go to him first.

Solomon had it going on. His kingdom was at peace, they were well provided for, and he had lots of stuff. He also was really wise; so wise that people would travel all over the world just to listen to him teach. And where did he get all of that? God. One of the really interesting things that Solomon does is how he works his workers. Each region provided food for him--for only one month of the year. They had eleven months where they could focus solely on themselves. Then, the workers that were to cut trees for the temple worked one month and had TWO months off. If people only worked 1/3 of the time, or even 1/12th of the time, bosses everywhere would freak out. So instead, our society overworks in overtime in overdrive. Are we that much more productive? Maybe. But Solomon recognized that people needed breaks. He had to power to say, "you are going to work 23 1/2 hours a day!" and they would have to, until they died of exhaustion. But he didn't do that. He didn't need to. He wasn't in a hurry to get done, because he trusted God and cared about his people.

I cannot help but hear "America" when I read these passages in Hosea. The people are angry, they have turned from God, they plot against him, they cry out in pain to other gods. We need to take note as a nation and stop living for other junk.

Day 168: Living Real

Mark 12:1-27; 1Kings 3; Hosea 6:1-7:2

The story in Mark about the renters of the vineyard killing the owners son really makes me sad. Imagine, this guy thought, or hoped, that they would respect the son, but the renters were evil and killed him. First of all, these are just renters--we are just renters. We don't own this world, we aren't in control of our lives, we don't make our lungs take the next breath, we are just temporary residents. Secondly, the owner of the vineyard trusted these renters to care for the land, help it to produce, and share the harvest. Instead, they were selfish, greedy, and hateful. How often do I live my life selfishly, only for myself, or greedily, trying to acquire more and more of something that isn't really mine to keep. And then, when we have lived this way, the owner of the vineyard will return to carry out justice. God has put us in charge of this world in order that we might help to produce other followers of Christ, and be servants of him. Then, when he returns, he will bless us instead.

The next story in Mark is also interesting. The point here is that you can't trick God. Jesus knew they were trying to catch him somehow so they would have an excuse to rescue him. They sweet-talked him, but God isn't fooled. And he isn't fooled by us either. I can act holy, say complex prayers, wear my best clothes to church, and even call myself a Christian, but never truly give my life to Jesus. And God isn't fooled by that. He knows, and he's going to call people out on this one day.

What did Solomon want most? Wisdom. I'm sure he wanted riches too, and a long life, and to defeat his enemies. He would have been silly to not want those things. But he understood that those things will come if he understood how to lead and rule the kingdom. As soon as Solomon realized that God had spoken to him, he goes to offer sacrifices and celebrates. Our walk with The Lord is something we should give God glory for and celebrate.

So the people in Hosea want to return to The Lord. They believe that in just a few days that God will restore them and heal them. They believed that God would be merciful, and he is. But, God reminds them that their love for him disappears like a mist and it is that reason that he punished them. God knows that if he forgives these people and restores them, they are going to turn away again. Then he makes a very significant comment for the Old Testament: "I'd rather for you to be faithful and to know me than to offer sacrifices." Whoa. In the OT, they were all about sacrifices. But here, God reveals his heart. He doesn't just want rituals and dead animals--he wants our deep down, heart devotion. He wants to heal these people, he wants to restore them, but all he sees are their wicked deeds. God can change people's lives, he can even work in people's hearts, but ultimately, they have to decide who they will follow and what they will choose.

Day 167: Jesus, Teacher of the Millennia

Mark 11:15-33; 1 Kings 2; Hosea 5:4-15

Jesus is a rockin' teacher. He gives hands-on lessons, does botany experiments, asks critical thinking questions, silences the naughty kids--he would definitely be teacher of the millennia in my book. In these verses, Jesus shows how angry he gets when people abuse the church and make it all about themselves and money and not about the gospel. When he gets to the fig tree that he cursed yesterday, he focuses on the power of prayer and faith. The point of the fig tree wasn't that it whithered, it was that Jesus prayed, had faith, and God answered his prayer. Then, Jesus is so smart that he outwits the Pharisees. He wasn't messing around. These stories all put people or things in their place--Jesus has no sympathy for the selfish, the unfruitful, and the schemers.

David's last words to his son, the new king, Solomon, include obeying everything that God teaches. He says "then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go." So many people think that they need to be a walking success before they bring Jesus into their lives; others think that by being a follower of Christ, we are guaranteed good times. Neither are right. Jesus needs to be Lord and Savior of our lives right now, but in no way does God promise a perfect life, even when we do follow Christ. What this verse is revealing is that when we obey God and love him and follow his commands, God's goodness and blessing will pour out on us whether we are in good times or bad. Whether we are on the mountain tops of life or in the valleys of darkness and despair, if we follow The Lord we will overcome and he will lead us to goodness.

One thing Solomon does right is honoring his mother. When she enters he bows and then brings her another throne so that she could sit at his right side. Women had very few rights during this time period and so Solomon's actions were very honorable. People should honor their parents. Now, some people have parents that have left their families or are untrustworthy, and in those cases I don't think children are required to trust their parents, but we can still give them some respect without fully relying on or trusting them. But then Solomon does something silly: he tells his mom he will do whatever she asks. That's just a bad idea and several people throughout scripture get in trouble for those types of statements. We have got to learn to be cautious with our words and our promises. God doesn't take promises lightly and neither should we.        

Solomon destroys the people that will get in the way of his purpose as king. While God does not call us to destroy other people, we do have a purpose and their are things that get in the way of that. Similarly to how Solomon kills the men who would betray him and cause him harm, we need to kill the desires, the sins, the selfishness in our lives that would do us harm. If Solomon would have kept those men around, he would have been living in a constant danger zone, not knowing who was faithful and what was going on. We don't need to live with sin or evil in our hearts and minds. By the power of God we can overcome those things, we can destroy them, and live a free life for Jesus.

If people think that God is some soft, gentle, wimpy God, they haven't read these passages in Hosea. God says that he will "become a fierce lion attacking Israel and Judah. I'll snatch and carry off what I want, and no one can stop me." Whoa. I've seen lions at the zoo, and even when they are napping they are frightening. I can't imagine one charging me with his teeth barred and ready to eat me. God isn't messing around; and yet so many people are so casual about him, like he doesn't care that they dishonor him. Reality check: he does, and he gets mad. God deserves our humble reverence and worship. We should have a healthy fear of him because he is God Almighty, maker of the universe, giver and taker of life.

Day 166: Bearing Fruit even in the Off Season

Mark 11:1-14; 1 Kings 1; Hosea 4:11-5:3

I have always thought the fig tree thing was weird. Even though it wasn't the season for figs, Jesus still expected fruit. Part of what I think this might mean is that when Christ comes (on that unexpected day) he will expect our lives to be bearing fruit. If they are, we will be rewarded, and if they aren't, that's it. That final day will be the day when Christ comes to judge all people, and those that lived their lives for the kingdom of God will get to spend eternity with The Lord; those that have lived their lives for themselves or their own dreams will spend eternity separated from God. I think, that is the point of that story.

A whole lot of trouble is caused in this first chapter of Kings, mostly because David did not want to hurt his son's feelings. His son, Adonijah, was preparing to become king, but because David was a cowardly parent, he didn't say anything. So then a big fiasco happens, it is eventually fixed by the wisdom of the prophets, but not without some stress and fear by many. David, even in his old age had flaws that he still struggled with. Perhaps because I do not have children, it is hard for me to understand this story completely. However, Solomon becomes king and his first act as king is an act of mercy, not to kill his brother who tried to beat him to the throne. Hopefully such an act will bode well for Solomon.

So often we think that our generation is the worst to come along--so much idolatry, prostitution, debauchery, sin--but really, we are no worse than Hosea's time. The picture painted in this chapter is very revealing of the kind of culture it was. They were not a firmly grounded group of followers of The Lord. Israel was unfaithful and corrupted by sin. However, God promises that he will still accept them back if they turn to him. God's mercy is so extensive!

Day 165: Serving Seems Countercultural

Mark 10:32-52; 2 Samuel 24; Hosea 4:1-10

If you want to be first, if you want to great, you must serve. So much of what Jesus teaches is contradictory to our culture, especially American culture. Our American culture says work hard to beat out everyone else. Jesus says serve them, be their slave. The gospel is all about putting God and others first, not putting ourselves first. And I think that is something that a lot of people miss.

Then you have the blind man who is stifled by the crowd. He called out to Jesus, he needed and wanted him. But the churchy people were too caught up in their own affairs to serve and help this man come to Jesus. Rather than being a servant to all, they were concerned about staying up with Jesus. That's a good thing to do too, but there were times when Jesus wanted to rest and be alone, but instead he taught and served the crowds that he felt compassion for. And this blind man gets lost in the church crowd instead of them leading them to Jesus.

Why does David get in trouble for counting his people? I think it has to do with knowing your kingdom's power, when God wanted David to rely on the Almighty's power. But even in his justice, we see God's compassion. He felt sad for all the killing and wanted to stop it. God is both a God of justice and of love. I think sometimes we forget that he is both. We've all heard the questions like "how could a loving God let ___ happen?" Well, the answer to that is probably either, he is just or he gives us freedom. In this story of David, we see that as a result of David's wrong choice, there was a lot of suffering. God gave justice and then he gave love.

These verses in Hosea sound awfully familiar. I always thought that in this century, it is the worst it has ever been. Nope. Israel, God's chosen people(!) were just as unfaithful and sexualized and disobedient as we are today. And part of the problem that God points out is that it is because of the priests. The spiritual leaders were not doing their job to speak truth and instead were encouraging sin. It is so important that we learn scripture ourselves and not put so much pressure on our spiritual leaders. They need support, but we need to take responsibility for the right and wrong in our lives. That way, even if everyone else is doing it wrong, we can do it right.

Day 164: Childlike

Mark 10:1-31; 2 Samuel 23; Hosea 3

Jesus says that we must be like children. Children believe with all their being, they mimic those they love, many have rich compassion for others. Little children aren't skeptics, they don't need justification for something, and they don't question the truth. But there is a difference between being childlike and being immature. I'm sure some people read these verses and think that Jesus is saying they need to be uninformed, or inexperienced, or unimportant. That's not it at all. Jesus made sure to spend time with these children because they are valuable. It's important that as followers of Jesus, we learn to believe with all our being, mimic the one we love, and have rich compassion.

The rich young ruler didn't have to go away sad. If he really wanted to follow Jesus, and that was where he heart was, he would have rejoiced knowing how to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells us that we will be rewarded if we give up father, mother, siblings, children, and possessions. What's the reward? A hundred-times more awesomeness. By giving up worshiping our biological family and personal possessions, we can worship the Creator and gain the connection to a huge spiritual family and eternal life. I think when it comes to this decision, we often focus too much on what we have to give up for Jesus, rather than focusing on all that we gain.

Why does 2 Samuel chronicle the warriors and their deeds? The Israelites liked their chronology and history, but I also think that as David was dying, this was an encouragement to the people. It showed them that hey, look how awesome these dudes are because "the Lord gave Israel a great victory." It would be awesome to have a story (of real people) who have done such amazing things. Take today's icons, people who have accomplished incredible feats--they are our inspiration. See, just like we have awesome famous people, Israel did, too.

Then you have Hosea who keeps getting told to marry disgraced or unfaithful women, all to prove a point from God. That would be rough. But the whole point is that Hosea was to love his unfaithful wife no matter what. Even more powerful, God loves people even though we are so unfaithful to him. This isn't really a story about poor Hosea (even though I do feel a little sorry for the fella), but it is about God's devotion to us. That's real love, people.

Day 163: Emotional Highs

Mark 9:2-50; 2 Samuel 22; Hosea 2:2-23

Peter, James and John have an incredibly powerful experience. They see Jesus revealed, they hear the voice of God, and they worship The Lord with reverent fear. However, they think that this kind of thing will last. They eventually come down the mountain and get back to regular life. So many people and churches depend on those emotional highs to get people to "accept Jesus," or fall on their knees, or come to the altar or lift their hands. There is nothing wrong with any of that scripturally, but if the only time you feel close to Jesus is during one of the moments, then you are going to struggle in your faith. Peter, James, and John had to come down the mountain, return to real life, but did Jesus expect less fervent devotion since they weren't on a spiritual high? Of course not! As they coming down the mountain, Jesus reprimands the disciples for not having enough faith to heal a boy, and the father of the boy questions if Jesus could actually heal him. They were trying to live out their faith but were struggling. It's going to be hard no matter what, but we have to learn to trust the Lord on a daily basis. We can go to the altar one hundred times, weeping all the way, but unless we follow Jesus in our day to day lives, those emotional highs experienced in services designed to create them, are not helpful or beneficial.

At the end of this story, Jesus says that only prayer can force out that kind of demon. To me, this is Jesus saying that prayer is a powerful tool for healing and for life.

A few other powerful thoughts that come from this chapter in Mark: if you want a place of honor in heaven, serve, serve serve. We need to work together as the various denominations of Christianity, not against one another; there are bigger battles to fight than with other Christians.  And finally, we need to take sin seriously. If there is sin in our lives, we need to completely destroy it, not just live in denial or be flippant about it. Man, if followers of Christ would really, actually, truly follow the teachings of Jesus, the culture of Christianity would be so different!

In this song that David sings in 2 Samuel, he cries out with praise about the victory that God had given him. I've noticed that a lot of Christians don't live victoriously, but actually live like victims. Who is our God? He's a fortress, a shield, a rock! He can make the heavens shake and the mountains crumble! Why are people acting so victimized? The thing that also strikes me about this passage is that for the whole first half of the song, David talks about God being a great defender, not a weapon. God is our defense, our protector first. We are not to use him or his word as a weapon to hurt others. Later David goes on to say that God helped him defeat his enemies and use is bow, but his first comments focus on God as defense, not offense. If believers would view the word of God that way, I think Christians would be viewed as a lot less judgmental and hypocritical.

Then in his song, David is thankful that God rescued him, but it didn't happen as soon as there was a problem on the horizon. David was knocking at death's door, it was the end of the line for him before God rescued him. We can't assume that God is going to keep us from troubles. David was staring death in the face before God showed his.

I know this is long. Almost done...

Why do people who chase everything besides God end up in ruins? Why does a church, who is pursuing the wrong things often crumble? It is because God doesn't want us to sin. In this passage in Hosea he says of this woman who represents his people, that he will build a fence of thorns to block the path. He doesn't want us to destroy ourselves and I think that is one reason why life gets so messy when people are living in sin. That's what a life outside of God is. But God wants to help the unfaithful. How does he do that? He will take them into the "desert." I think what this means for us today is that he will take us into a place that is desolate and hopeless and foreign where we have nothing left in life that matters so we turn back to him. Not pretty, but it often works. God wants to give us good things, but when we run away, he finds ways to direct us back again.

Day 162: Holy Spit

Mark 8:22-9:1; 2 Samuel 20-21; Hosea 1:1-2:1

There's a blind man that Jesus heals. Jesus performs his procedure on this man twice. The first time, when asked what he can see, the blind man says that he sees mostly shapes. He could have said, "Oh my! I can see! Wow!" and been satisfied with seeing only shapes for the rest of his life. But he knew there was more to it, so he tells Jesus the truth and seeks greater healing through the holy spit of Jesus. I suppose that would be the one time that being spit on would be awesome. After the second round of mud and spit, the man can actually see. How often to people want to be healed or have wisdom but they settle for a vague imitation of healing or the truth? We need to be satisfied only with complete healing in Jesus or the full truth of The Lord, and that takes honesty that we can only see in part.

The gospel is not some feel good message and sinners' prayer. Jesus says that if we want to "follow" him (not just "accept" him), we need to take up a mechanism for torture and give up our lives. I think so many people--myself included--have walked around thinking that we are "following" Jesus when our lives look NOTHING like Jesus's. Jesus didn't acquire stuff for himself, he didn't concern himself with his career, he wasn't worried about what his family or friends thought. He spoke truth boldly. And he died for us. This kind of living is what we should imitate.

There were some evil dudes in David's time: Absalom, Joab, Sheba, etc. They killed people who were on the same side as them. Maybe David should have stepped in more, but it was probably custom for the ruler to stay back and let others do battle for them. Either way, scripture is not a kiddy story and the 21st century is not necessarily worse than David's era.

Hosea's life was completely guided by The Lord: God told him who to marry so that he could demonstrate a certain marriage and he named his children according to God's anger and wrath. Was Hosea excited about marrying a temple prostitute and naming his child "no mercy"? Probably not. But his life was not his own. He was devoted to The Lord and had a heart for his people so he obeyed God and it ends up being a beautiful message from The Lord.

Day 161: Have Faith

Mark 8:1-21; 2 Samuel 19; Daniel 12

I like that Jesus fed thousands of people not once, but twice. And both times, the disciples aren't sure it's possible. This second time around, they insist that the place is a desert--not a good place to acquire food for thousands. And yet, the desert doesn't hinder, his disciples' lack of faith doesn't restrict, the seven SMALL loaves don't limit what Jesus can do and will do. However, the disciples lack of faith in this moment reveals that we humans will struggle with belief. These guys walked, talked, ate, and lived with Jesus and they still couldn't believe it. We need to trust that God can do the impossible. He demonstrated to the disciples (twice) that he can do more than they could imagine.  They get lectured a little later because they are still focused on the material aspects of life, not trusting that God can do the supernatural.

I don't know which one is right: David or Joab. David is weeping for his mutinous son, but Joab says that he has shamed his loyal soldiers. Which is more important? The family relation or the kingdom? David  seems like he is falling apart, and yet he listens to his heart rather than his emotionally charged military leaders. David has a heart of mercy and kindness despite the thousands he had killed in battle over the years.

As scary as the end times sound, there is hope that is given to Daniel and all who follow The Lord. Each generation has believed that they are a part of the end times, and our generation will be no different. It will be a terrible time, but at the end of it, believers will receive a reward that surpasses anything we could imagine.  The message is simple throughout scripture: have faith in God.

Day 160: Jesus and the Heart

Mark 7:14-37; 2 Samuel 18; Daniel 11:21-45

Jesus is so focused on the heart. Yes, we are going to make mistakes; yes, we can have traditions; but what really determines who I live my life for is my heart. And that is what Jesus was focused on for his whole ministry, however, he did heal the body of many people. He healed even those that would not have been considered worthwhile humans like women and Greeks. What I have always found interesting is that he heals them with no strings attached. He doesn't offer them a condition, say they have to repeat the sinner's prayer, tell them to clean up their life first--he just heals them and often they just go on their merry way.

The other thing that always strikes me is how he constantly told people not to say anything about the miracle he had done. Why not!? To me, I would want everyone to know! More people will come to see Jesus. But, that kind of "show" goes against what Jesus stands for: close, intimate community. Jesus bore the wrath of God so that we are no longer separated from The Lord. We can grow closer, more intimate with our Lord through reading scripture and praying. It isn't some great big show that will draw our hearts to deeper communion with God, but little moments here and there of pouring our hearts out to him and soaking up his Holy Spirit.

David's perspective on enemies was different from everyone else's. David didn't want to destroy his enemies, but simply put them in their place. He wept for Saul's death, and he wept for his mutinous son. Those that hurt us should cause us pain--pain that they have chosen a life of destruction. Each human is valuable, God gave them their life, their soul; they were created to be a child of God. So, when they destroy that by being evil or wicked, it should make us sad, just as David was sad about the deaths of those who were trying to kill him.

In Daniel, there is warning that followers of God and Christianity will be attacked. No only will the churches and practices be destoryed, but believers will suffer. God's anger at his followers for not being faithful will burn for a time, but after many have shown themselves loyal, God will be appeased and will give them a place of honor in heaven. The point of all of this is that in the end times, Christians are going to face extreme persecution, not just in countries like China, where it is already happening, but everywhere. That is why we need to be prepared to live and die for Christ. Is he worth it to you and me?

Day 159: Traditions

Mark 7:1-13; 2 Samuel 17; Daniel 11:2-20

The Pharisees essentially ask Jesus, "why don't your followers perform all the rituals that we've been doing from hundreds of years?" Traditions are great, having special rituals can be very cool. But what is the point? Is the point to honor God with our actions, or is it to perform something because that is the way it has always been done? Jesus responds by saying that they perform or speak these traditions, but there is nothing meaningful there. That they have created or continued these practices that have no biblical reference. Why do we bow our heads and close our eyes when we pray? Did Jesus ever say that you had to do that? Or is that how our mothers taught us so that we wouldn't be distracted? It's a great way to teach children to focus, but the actual ritual of it is quite meaningless. The real danger here is this: "You disobey God's commands in order to obey what humans have taught. You are good at rejecting God's commands so that you can follow your own teachings!" The book Radical, by David Platt focuses on this. This is what he talks about: American churches and Christians have adopted practices and beliefs that are very unbiblical. We have got to investigate scripture for ourselves, not relying on our churches to teach us.

Jesus uses the example of not respecting parents or using some spiritual thing to ignore needy (not in Marie Barrone way) parents. Obviously children have always struggled to obey their parents (it is not a 21st century problem). Jesus is not saying that we are to give up our lives or our mission for our parents, but this simple command from God goes ignored in favor of personal agendas and "spiritual" phrases. We have got to stick to the Bible and to living and loving like Jesus. Simple as that. Even our parents.

This Ahithophel guy was pretty smart. David knew it, Absalom knew it, everyone knew it. David, back in chapter 15 prays that A-man's plans would be kept from working. So...just a couple of chapters later, God answers David's prayer!  And because of that, A-man's plans DON'T work, he realizes that his job is over, and so he goes and hangs himself. That's pretty brutal. But, the whole point is that David prayed and God answered.

Day 158: YOU DO IT

Mark 6:30-56; 2 Samuel 16; Daniel 10:1- 11:2

The story of Jesus feeding the 5 thousand is a nice story. We hear about it a lot in church and we think it is really neat. But how much do we actually apply it to our lives? Jesus wanted to spend some time resting with his disciples, but the crowds kept pursuing him. Even Jesus felt the need to recharge his physical and spiritual batteries.

Then, because of how much he loved them, he foregoes the little vacay and instead gets back to work teaching them. After a while, the disciples come up and sound very caring, saying that "hey, we should send these people to get something to eat! Surely they are hungry and we don't want them to starve!" I bet the believed that Jesus would respond saying, "Aw man, guys, that is really thoughtful of you. Way to go." Not so much. INSTEAD, Jesus said: YOU DO IT. Say what? There are thousands of people, and there are towns and stuff where the hungry people could pick up some stuff off the dollar menu. Jesus said: YOU DO IT. But that's what the programs that the government has set up is for, to care for the people that can't or don't do it. Jesus said: YOU DO IT. We care about other people, we just don't want to expend our own energy to actually help them. We want to just pass them along to another organization or program. Jesus says: YOU DO IT. So after several excuses, Jesus simply tells them to see how much they have. He knows they have some leftovers because when they were on their donkey in the ride-through at McDamascus they bought way too many number 5's. What I find funny is that as Jesus wanted them to show him how much food they had left over, the disciples made sure to explain that they have five SMALL loaves and two fish. Not just five loaves. Five SMALL loaves.

It is so interesting how we know we are in the presence of The Lord. We know that God has the power to move mountains, heal the sick, raise the dead, save the world. And yet, we try to act spiritual rather than being spiritual. We question God. We think that who we are or what we have doesn't amount to much when we are dealing with the one who put the stars in the sky.  Don't think you will be able to get funding for your mission trip? God filled the oceans. Can't figure out how to get the ministry off the ground? God raised the mountains. Struggling to connect with someone and make a relationship work? God created Adam out of dirt. Having a hard time forgiving someone? God sent Jesus to die for us.

Why do we put God in a box and limit our own purpose on this earth? Jesus says: YOU DO IT, because HE WILL HELP.

There is a man cursing David as he and his followers go by. One of David's right hand men, says "let me at him!" but David stops him. Lots of people don't like followers of Christ. Ever notice that? David gives a very courageous response to this man who is hurling insults at him: he says, leave him alone. If God told this man to hollar at them, then they shouldn't interfere, but if he shouldn't be doing that, then God will take care of it.

Day 157: Family Matters

Mark 6:1-29; 2 Samuel 15; Daniel 9

When Jesus visits his hometown, they have a parade, square dancing, a potluck...wait, they don't? You would think that Jesus would be a hometown hero and his friends and family would be thrilled to have such an amazing person come and visit. Instead, they start wondering how he got this power, and couldn't believe that he was real, since they knew the family he came from. "Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary?" they ask. They don't like what he is doing. I think they were probably partly afraid, partly skeptical.The people that know us the best are often our biggest critics. They may think that we aren't capable of something, that because of how we were raised that we shouldn't be doing that, that we are breaking the tradition of the family, etc. If our family members are following Christ, then we need to be supportive of them, even if what they are doing seems to be crazy. If we are the one doing something crazy, don't be surprised if you get the most judgment from your family. That's how it worked for Jesus, but it didn't keep him from his purpose. He still went there and taught. He didn't skip over meeting with his family and friends despite their differing attitudes. He could have passed right by and ignored the skeptic cousins, but he didn't, he took the time to teach and heal.

There is a line in here that say "Jesus could not work any miracles there, except to heal a few sick people by placing his hands on them. He was surprised that the people did not have any faith." My question is, could he NOT HEAL them BECAUSE they didn't have faith? Or did he CHOOSE not to heal them because they didn't have faith? Part of what makes Christ so awesome is that there is no forcing himself into our lives. He can't make us love him. He can't make us have faith in him. That's the only thing we have total control over. So I suppose that either way, the people limited what Jesus did.

When Jesus sends out his disciples, there are a couple of interesting factors. First, he sends them out in pairs. They were not expected to do ministry alone--neither are we. As a group, even a small one, there is support that allows for us to be encouraged, strengthened, held accountable. He says to take a walking stick: this is a tool for helping with the journey, for fending off lions, to help keep our footing. To me, for the 21st century follower of Christ, this is God's word. What else helps us with our journey, allows us to fend off evil, and keeps us from slipping into sin? Then Jesus tells them what NOT to take: food, bag, and money. What? Most of us, if we were going on a trip, would skip the stick/bible, and grab some snacks, clothes, and definitely money. Why were they not suppose to take that stuff? Because, God wants to be the one that provides. If we think that food, stuff, money are what keeps us safe and alive, we are mistaken. Now, the next time you go on vacation, I still recommend you grab some clothes and money. This mission was a special one for the disciples. I think there is another time in scripture where Jesus tells the disciples to bring money--so unless you feel like God is telling you to take your family to Disney world with just you bible and hope for the best....some clothes might be helpful. But the point of this is, TRUST IN THE LORD. HE WILL PROVIDE. I know it is sometimes hard to believe, but just like his family, Jesus couldn't work because they didn't have faith. Have faith.

Because Herod was caught up in the moment, the girl had no concept of self, and the mother had a grudge, John the Baptist was killed. Herod had to save face from his stupidity. The daughter didn't know what she wanted, had probably never thought for herself, and could have been the richest person in the kingdom, but didn't make her own decision. And Herodias, because she had been called out for her sin, was angry about it, took it out on John. Sin, sin, sin, death. Sadly, it still kind of works that way. Because of all the sin in the world, people either literally lose their lives or are persecuted by others. A boss tries to save his image at work after making a mistake, so he fires an innocent employee. A girl, in an attempt to figure out what she wants to do with her life, takes the first person's advice that she hears and finds herself in a place down the road that is unfulfilling, destructive, or lonely. Or the bitterness of a parent causes pain and hurt for their family. This stuff isn't limited to the Old Testament, we see it everyday.

In Samuel, there's another example of family not supporting one another. Absalom was a controlling man, and he spoke against David, causing people to turn from God's chosen king to this selfish young man. David trusts in the Lord's purposes and plan though, and knows that God will do with him what he wants. What is interesting is that Absalom's hurtful words and plans didn't just affect David, the entire kingdom was impacted. Hundreds fled the city and were weeping as they went. Because most people don't live isolated from the rest of the world, when a family is destroying itself, lots of people feel the pain. God  gives us our families for a reason. The wisdom they can provide can be so beautiful, but when we disrespect one another or become selfish, that's when families break, as demonstrated here.

Daniel realizes that the great disaster that fell upon the Israelites was their own doing. How much of the pain that we suffer in our lives is a result of our own choices? Daniel begs God to be merciful, not because the people deserve it, but to bring glory to God's name. Something I struggle with is remembering that life is not all about me. I'm not here on earth to make myself happy, to live a peaceful life, to just bask in the blessings of The Lord. I'm here to make a difference, to further God's kingdom, to bring glory to him. And we need to trust in God, not for what he does for us, but simply because of who he is.

Day 156: Jesus Heals

Mark 5:21-43; 2 Samuel 14; Daniel 8

In the last several months I have heard a lot about the healing power of Jesus. In this story in Mark, this woman had tried every doctor that was available, had given all her money, and had only been put in more pain. Jesus was her last resort. The lady is an example of our culture today. Can Jesus still heal? How often do we run to the doctors first before lifting our pain and sickness to the Lord? The man my brother currently works for heals in the name of Jesus. What if Jesus still has the power to heal today? I hope that we can take things before The Lord and trust in his power. I know there is a place for doctors and many perform medical miracles of sorts and heal people. It is a blessing for us humans provided by God. But, what if we started praying more, trust Jesus with things, even of the physical body?

Family tension. All of us have experenced it at one time. David was very angry that Absalom killed his brother (rightfully so). But David should have done something about Amnon violating Tamar. David tells Absalom to come back from hiding but refuses to see him. He hadn't really forgiven his son, and there was still tension. Absalom wanted to make peace and even says that being in the same city is no different than being miles away. Not forgiving someone is like being miles away. When they finally do meet (after TWO YEARS), Absalom shows David respect and they welcome one another back into their lives.

Daniel's vision is frightening; it definitely takes it out of him. We don't know when the end times will happen, but I think that Daniel's visions provide some interesting (and scary) clues about how it will happen. The thing to hold on to is that despite the destruction, God will win. Doesn't it feel good to be on the "winning team"?

Day 155: Destructive Thoughts Destroy Life

Mark 5:1-20; 2 Samuel 13; Daniel 7

The man with evil spirits is healed. He wants to follow Jesus around, be close to him, stay in his holy presence. But Jesus says that that is not what this man should do. Instead, he should go tell his family how good God has been to him. Whether he ever makes it to his family or not, I don't know. He goes instead to the city and shares about Jesus. So often we, too, want to simply follow Jesus around--going to church, summer camps, conferences, bible studies. There is nothing wrong with those things, but we cannot live our lives at bible study, nor is that what we are called to do. Jesus sends this man out to share what God has done for him to those around him. It would have been much safer for this man to stay with Jesus. Jesus told him to go, take a risk, live his new life among the world, and share his story so that others may know the power of Jesus.

The story of Tamar and Amnon is so sad. Here, this sister is trying to help her brother, who she assumes is actually sick. She had saved herself for marriage, something that determined a woman's value in that day. Amnon thought he loved her, but his deception, power, coercion, and ultimately hate, has nothing that is even related to love. Many people live in destructive relationships everyday. Love has nothing to do with deceit, or overpowering, or forcefulness. May God protect and rescue people who are in those relationships. Amnon hurt both himself and Tamar long term. For what? For a few minutes of his pleasure. He doesn't realize it at that moment, but he has sealed his fate. Hatred breeds more hatred. It doesn't fix things.

What I also find interesting is David's parenting. He gives in to Amnon's request. Didn't he find it just a little fishy? Then when he finds out about it, he doesn't discipline Amnon for fear up upsetting him. (For goodness sake! The man is a rapist! Ground him at the very least!)  Then, when David is invited to Absalom's party, where he could have protected his son, he declines, is absent, univolved. So he gives in to Absalom's prodding and sends Amnon. Amnon gets killed. I can't say I'm terribly sad about that. I don't think that is the way God wanted it to happen, but I'm sure Absalom was so frustrated at this point that no one had done anything to protect his sister.

But, the truth is Absalom and Amnon are not that much different. Amnon's lust and hate drove him to destroy a life. Absalom's hate and anger drove him to destroy a life. That just shows how powerful those emotions are and how incredibly powerful sin is. We need to be careful. Each of these terrible things started with a thought. These men thought and thought and eventually it manifested itself into action. That's how sin creeps in. We need to make sure that we are cognizant of our thoughts so that they do not lead to horrible things.

Daniel's vision is crazy! It has to do with end times. If you haven't read the Left Behind series, I would recommend it. They turn these prophesies into fiction. But as Daniel shares, there is going to be destruction and pain. These are beasts, not bunny rabbits. However, God is going to send HIS King to defeat and rule, and THAT is the hope that we look forward to.

Day 154: David's Discontent

Mark 4:21-41; 2 Samuel 11-12; Daniel 6

 Even the wind and the waves obey him. The disciples had put Jesus in a box. The only reason I see this story this way, is because I've done the same thing. I've had moments where I was shocked at what God had done; I've been surprised by how good things turned out; or amazed at the power of Jesus. Why am I so surprised? This is God, creator of the universe, omniscient, omnipotent! The disciples asked one of the stupidest questions of all time, "Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?" They assumed that because their circumstances were so terrible, that even God wouldn't help them out. Especially since he seemed so uninterested. First, God cares SO much. Secondly, God is WAY stronger and bigger than our circumstances, so even when our trials seem insurmountable, God's got it. Third, God does seem distant today for two reasons: he doesn't send out pillars of fire, and people don't spend time reading the Bible. The more time I spend in the word, the more I feel God's presence in my heart and life. So this story, despite the many times we've heard it, still holds important messages. Don't put God in a box. Yes, he cares. God will take care of it. Get to know him through your Bible.

Ah, Bathsheba. The lure of a woman. Ok, so first, I don't know if she was supposed to be bathing in her courtyard. Maybe that was common, maybe she should have taken her bath inside. Second, if we are tempted, we should run away. David knew what would happen if he pursued Bathsheba.  But he asked for more information anyway. Had he fought the temptation to ask who she was, he may never have sinned. How often do we sometimes go out of our way to lure sin or find out more that we really don't need to know?

Then, David puts on this show, that he cares about Uriah, that he has a message for Joab, and that he is shocked about Uriah dying. David wanted more and more; he was not content with all that God had given him. Sin does that, it makes us discontent. If ever we feel that what we haven't isn't good enough, we need to evaluate why we feel that way.  When sin clouds our vision, often we put on this mask that everything is ok. Uriah was a good man, and because of David's selfishness and sin, Uriah lost his life. What casualties occur because of our sin? Broken families? Hurt feelings? Lost innocence? Our sins never just affect us.

When Nathan shows up and tells his story, David is able to see the sin in someone else, but cannot identify it in himself, either because he doesn't want to or he can't. We all need faithful friends who are willing to keep us on the right track and call us out when we are waist deep in sin.

And finally, there are consequences for sin. David's son dies. That's really sad. But, the beauty of the story is that David believed in the power of God to heal his son, and when he didn't, he still worshipped God. Then, God blessed David and Bathsheba when they did their relationship the right way. There is redemption and healing in The Lord.

Even though the world was against God and Daniel, both God and Daniel remained faithful. Daniel trusted in The Lord, and God saw him through. That is so reassuring. Trust in The Lord to provide, even when the world is attacking us like hungry lions.

153: Scattered Seeds

Mark 4:1-20; 2 Samuel 9-10; Daniel 5

The story of the sower is one we have heard a lot. Each of these can be seen in our American culture and while Jesus goes on to explain it, here are some of the things that come to mind when I read this:
The seed on the road is people who do the worldy thing and decide they don't need God. They don't grow, have no opportunity to grow, are picked off by sin, and do not make a meaningful impact in the world. The seed that is scattered on the rocky soil is fairly common in churches. The seed that fell among rocks are people who come to church but refuse to let go of their past, their baggage, their sins, their attitudes. These people try to grow spiritually, but they can't because there is no room for God to work. Their lives are so filled with junk (the rocks) that they refuse to surrender and so when they are tested, they don't last. Often, these are the people that show up to church a few times a year, they say they are Christians but don't really help or serve people, and there is no spiritual growth in their life because they don't spend time in the word. Then you have those seeds that are among the thorns. These are the people who may want to follow Jesus, they may want salvation and a relationship with him, but because they don't remove themselves from their toxic friends, environments, attitudes, they can't grow.

Then you get to the good part of the story. The reason this last bit of seed grew is that the soil was clear of debris, there was space to grow, and the roots were deep so that they could reach water and support the crop. People who surrender their life to Jesus (not just "Christians") and follow him, have given up the things of this world. Money, fame, success, popularity, possessions, are not important; all that matters is their relationship with The Lord and growing in that. Because of that, they are not hindered in their growth and they have freedom in Christ to be everything that they were created to be. By doing this, they impact many around them and leave a lasting, meaningful impression on this world. Which one are we?

"These people will look and look but never see, listen and listen but never hear." It is so sad to me that there are people out there wasting their lives on worthless things. Don't people realize that they are going to die one day? What is the point of chasing after money, possessions, junk? Others think they have found the secret to life, or they are "Christians" and so they are saved from hell, but the sad part is, these people are missing the point too. This verse that Jesus brings up is all about those people who search for something but never really have their eyes opened to what is important.

David didn't have to be kind and generous to Mephibosheth. No one was around that knew he made a promise to Jonathan (except God). But that's the kicker: God sees us, he knows our hearts, he watches our lives. David gave Mep what may or may not have rightfully been his, but the important thing was the David was generous with what God had given him, he fulfilled a promise he had made, and he was a blessing to someone else.

The story in Daniel of the mysterious hand on the wall is sort of cool and sort of creepy. What I find interesting is the timing of the message. The people are living it up: drinking, partying, worshipping idols. That's the life, right? It is in the midst of this cavorting that God reveals himself and gives him message. Unfortunately they cannot understand it. Why not? Because they were too much in the ways of this world to understand God's message. What is sad is that this partying king was the son of the king whose life had been radically changed by God. People make their own decisions. You can tell a child to live a certain way, but ultimately, people have free choice.

Day 152: King Neb

Mark 3:20-35; 2 Samuel 7-8; Daniel 4

There are a couple of verses in Mark that talk about Jesus' family. The first says that they heard what he was doing and thought he was crazy. Then they show up while he is teaching, but won't go inside. They send a message to him telling him to come talk to them outside, refusing to meet him where he is. Sometimes the very people we expect or need support from are the ones who question or doubt us. But did his family's lack of faith in him get him down or hinder is purpose? Nope. He used it to teach a lesson and bless others.

In Samuel, David actually makes a pretty good point: he is living in a palace while the ark is in a tent. He thought that it didn't exactly seem right. But God actually got on to him about it. Maybe he knew that building a temple would go to David's head. Maybe he had already planned it out for David's son, maybe David's motives were not pure. Did God need a temple in order to show how awesome he was? Does God need big new churches to show how awesome he is? I'd venture to say no, on both accounts.

God put king Nebuchadnezzar through a time in the wilderness where he had to face the untamed and live off of virtually nothing. Why was he forced to live like a wild animal? So that he could learn to respect and worship God. Hm, I wonder if the same is true for us? That the difficult times, the times when we feel we are in the wilderness are so that we learn to better honor and praise The Lord. Then, when Neb (his name is too long), had this experience, he sent out a letter to all the nations proclaiming what God had done. He was sharing his testimony. He was being honest about his struggles. I'm sure that as one of the strongest kings of that time, to say that he had been living among the birds out in the prairie and eating grass was sort of dishonoring. But he understood the purpose and his temporary shame was worth the understanding of God that he gained. What if we were able to look at our troubles in this way? That each obstacle or dark time was God's way of teaching us more about him so that later we could proclaim truth and help others. That might be tough in the midst of those struggles, but if we trust that God is who he says he is and that he works out all things for the good of those that love him, then our struggles have purpose.

Day 151: Church Rules and Fire

Mark 3:1-19; 2 Samuel 6; Daniel 3

Jesus got mad and felt sorry for the people who were so stubborn about the church rules. Jesus is not a fan. Which is more important: the good deeds of our lives or the church practices in our lives (which Jesus calls "evil" and "destorying")? Doesn't sound like a tough question. What if I put it another way: helping others on a Sunday morning or attending church? giving money to someone who needs it or giving it to the church? giving someone an opportunity to hear about Jesus, or allowing just church members to attend? spreading the news about Jesus or working on church programs? making a new person feel comfortable, or showing up to church in your "Sunday best"? playing secular music that someone can relate to, or just hymns? accepting people for where they are on their journey or saying that only the baptized can be involved? I don't know how these questions affect you, but some of them used to bother me. Jesus doesn't care about church rules or doctrine! That isn't going to be a part of heaven! As the body of Christ we have to realize that SO MUCH of what we do at churches across the nation is human-made, human-designed. Hymns vs. contemporary, instruments vs. no instruments, long hair and dresses vs. haircuts and jeans, church clothes vs. street clothes, wine vs. grape juice, membership vs. attendance, adult baptism vs. infant baptisms, sacrements being vs. representing the body and blood...the list goes on for ever. We have got to realize that what Jesus cares about, as shown in the gospels, is how much love we can show others.

Why would God kill Uzzah for trying to protect the ark from falling? This website (http://www.gotquestions.org/Uzzah.html) helps to explain it. First, it shouldn't have been on a cart because it was supposed to be carried using the poles. Second, it represented God's holiness and to touch it was to show a lack of respect for God. Uzzah probably felt it was his job to protect it, when God Almighty would have taken care of it. This sounds a lot like church rules that we were just saying were so bad. So what is the difference? This Old Testament passage was before Jesus came to bridge the gap and separation between God and people. There was no lasting sin offering in the Old Testament times and so people were not holy enough to come into the presence of God. He had to have rules because Jesus had not come to offer salvation from the sins.

Rach, Shach, and Benny. What an awesome story. Here's what stands out to me: these three would not comform to the standards of the world, they recognized that God may choose not to save them from death, but that it was worth it anyway, and that their actions made the fire even hotter than normal. These young men need to be our examples. I know that I need to examine my life and make sure that no part of me is conforming. Part of what we are attempting to do is get out of debt and cut up our credit cards. People will think we are crazy--and that's how I kind of judge that it is right. Then, by standing up for what they believed in they knew they were in trouble. God doesn't guarantee that we won't have struggles or even that we will survive those struggles. God doesn't promise that he will save Christians from cancer, persecution, or natural disaster. Then, because we stand for something totally radical, the fire is going to be hotter...yep, it is. Christians who live radical, sold out, 100% all in for Jesus type of lives, receive so much judgment and persecution by our modern culture. Should we be surprised? Nope. The king made the fire seven-times hotter for these three--we need to expect the fire to be seven-times hotter for us today. But is all that worth it? I believe with all my heart that it is.