Day 228: Out of the Box

John 9:1-23; 2 Chronicles 6; Malachi 2:17-3:18

The poor guy had been blind his whole life, and it doesn't sound like he was a kid either. This was a grown man. The disciples ask Jesus why he was born that way. What if the reason was so that on this particular day, years into his life, on this road, Jesus could walk by and heal him? What if the decades that he had struggled were for this purpose only? Everyone thought it was because of a sin that the parents or he had committed, but it might actually have been so that God could work a miracle. We still see life this way: "God, why did I lose my job? How come he got sick? How could my house get repossessed? Why did they lose the baby?" Jesus heals. He doesn't enjoy seeing us in distress and pain; he could have left the blind man the way he was if that was how Jesus worked. But what if these difficult things in our life happen so that God can step in and do his work? Some might wonder, "But is that it? Just so God could work?" But does there need to be more? Isn't it enough that The Lord of the Universe paused on that road on that day to heal a man? Isn't it enough that The Lord of the Universe would place his hand in our lives to stir things up?

Over and over again in Solomon's prayer he says "Listen from your home in heaven." Sometimes humans like to build temples or boxes for God to live in. We say this is where God lives in my life and this is where he should stay. We put God in the "Sunday Morning" box. We put him in a "Just my Religion" box. We put God in an "Only When I Need Him" box. We put him in a "Denomination" box. The temple that Solomon built could very easily become one of those boxes. The place could have become the worshipped, rather than God being worshipped in that place. Solomon over and over says "from your home in heaven" maybe reminding himself and the people that God isn't confined to something build by human hands; even heaven cannot contain him (verse 18). I used to have God in a box. It was kind of like an "I'm a Christian" box. The problem was that that is all I was, a Christian. I didn't live my life any differently than someone who wasn't a Christian, except I got up earlier on Sunday mornings and gave some of my money to the church. I realized that I had limited God, put him a box made by my heart and life. God showed me that he cannot be contained, that he should not be contained. Now I'm trying to figure out how to live my life with God outside of the box and pervading my whole life. I still don't have it figured out, but at least I'm not putting God in a box anymore.

In Malachi, God warns the people that he will send his messenger (Jesus ) to purify the people. They had been thinking that God was fine with the evil they were doing. They believed that since the wicked were still happy and successful, that God was ok with it. That's not the case. God simply allows those who want their reward now to have it now, and those who want their reward for eternity, can enjoy it for the rest of time. However, God doesn't say, you've messed up once, and now you're done for. He reminds them "if you return to me, I will return to you." In this chapter, the main things that he talks about is how to stop robbing and disobeying him is with their money and wealth. He wants them to bring their ten percent to him, to sacrifice the first of their paycheck, as well as be faithful in marriage, tell the truth, and care for orphans and widows. The whole point is that "everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong." The way we live our lives, deal with truth, spend our money, demonstrate how faithful we are to our Lord.