July

Revelation 3:14-16
 
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

I Don't Care
    I remember when I first read that passage in Revelation; it gave me chills. That was my first time to understand that you better decide who you believe, what you believe, and make sure you are on the right side. I am a big sci-fi/action movie watcher, and I always love it when it comes down to the wavering hero to have to make that choice. The choice of choosing which side they are on and what they believe and then seeing them act on that belief and saving the day!
     Complacency is not a mark of a hero. The word complacent is defined as ‘self-satisfied and contented to a fault’1 . Those who are in the business of helping others and obeying God have no room to be self satisfied or to be neutral when it comes to right and wrong. In this passage, God is speaking to the church of Laodicea. They have become self-satisfied and have no real need for God. His words to them are very powerful and almost scary. “I am about to spit you out of my mouth. “ Why? Because they have not chosen one way or the other when it comes to God, and that is not acceptable. To be lukewarm, to be on the fence, doesn’t count for anything. God is asking for boldness, not just to believe in Him, but boldness in committing to what you believe and living it out. Moses comes to mind when I think of someone who could have wavered so easily. He had the luxury of Egypt and the burden of his people. He did not choose the best of both worlds. He chose God and His people and his life was different ever since. Because of his unwavering decision in God, he was used beyond his own abilities and imagination. Just think if Moses chose to be complacent, to be self satisfied in his life as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter or even as a shepherd for Jethro. We would be reading a different story about Moses.
     Let us be real. Our faith wavers, doubts can deter us at times, and God’s silence can even make us feel angry and forgotten. Our decision makes the difference on whether we are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ for God. Emotions can wreak havoc on our faith. When we feel angry or confused or hurt or abandoned, it is then that we must rely on our faith or facts, not on our emotions or feelings. What I mean by facts, are those things we believe and know to be true about God. They don’t change because we feel one way or the other, although it does seem to cause our faith to feel this way or the other. When we come to ‘our senses’, we see that what our faith has been in hasn’t changed. This is why we must choose whom we will serve now, so that when the attacks of the enemies come or even when our own emotions get the best of us, we have already made our choice; we have already chosen which side of the fence our feet will rest on.
     As the years go by, some things we never imagined that would be ‘normal’ are just that, normal. New forms of religion come out every few years. Ways of doing things are repackaged and sold to us as ‘new’. What shouldn’t be acceptable is forced to be acceptable. Our faith must weather all these changes and disguises. Our faith must hold firm and fast, our faith must credit to us righteousness.

“then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” 

-Joshua 24:15-

1 http://www.webster-dictionary.org

June

Genesis 24:15, 16, 29: 9
 “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again” …”While he [Jacob] was still talking with them [shepherds], Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess”

   Rebekah and Rachel were ordinary women that God used in extraordinary ways. They were hard workers and as they went about their daily responsibilities, God opened up amazing doors for them. This is good news for most of us who have ordinary lives. We work, take care of the family, maybe have a hobby, and our responsibilities are an ordinary routine. I have to be honest; sometimes I get bored of the routine and want something else, something more. Quite frankly, I’m not always sure what that something else or more is. What I am sure of, and I have to remind myself many times, is that God has a purpose for me and that He is working that purpose out in my life even in the ordinary things.
   Rebekah and Rachel came from the line of Abraham. Abraham was Rebekah’s granduncle and Rachel’s great granduncle. God had a purpose for each of these women. They may not have been used as dramatically as their husbands were, but they still had a purpose in God’s will. Their life shows us how the sovereignty of God in their lives was also an example of His goodness in their lives. His sovereignty or control of our lives is part of His goodness towards us. Even though these women are not spoken about in the Bible the same way the men are, don’t for one second think that God cared any less for them. What these women did and who these women married was His divine will. Rebekah and Rachel were part of delivering the bloodline of Jesus. Isn’t that amazing?! They didn’t even know how important their role was at the time. They were also used in fulfilling the promise God made to Abraham of making his people as numerous as the sand and the stars. They were part of something so great and that was part of God’s plan for them.
   I’m sure at times their life was mundane or hard, but they were faithful to serve where God had planted them. It was all part of God’s plan to fulfill His will through them. It’s in the little things of life that sometimes we really see the measure of our faithfulness to God. There is nothing glorious about cleaning house or taking care of family. It’s tiring and sometimes it just gets old because we are doing it over and over. Yet in the midst of all that faithful work to God, God faithfully works in you and through you at the right time in a mighty way. Listen to Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” This verse is in the context of how you handle your finances, but I believe that you could apply this verse to how you handle every little thing that God gives you to manage, be it money, a house, family, or a career. Sometimes I think I could be doing something really awesome for the Lord instead of being at a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Wouldn’t I be of better use somewhere else, really helping His kingdom? I don’t always get the answer I am looking for because I’m still going to that job every day.
   So how do we stay faithful doing the routine and mundane without losing our joy and serving the Lord? It goes back to what we believe. If I believe that God’s sovereignty over my life, His sovereignty over where I work, live, and play, are part of His goodness in my life, then I can stay faithful where I am. Does it get old or boring or seem like we are not doing anything for God? Yes! But we stay faithful. That’s why we are told to stay faithful. If being obedient was always awesome, fun, and easy, then being faithful wouldn’t be an issue, right? So today, do your mundane routine with joy and faithfulness because in the midst of this, you are serving and loving God. Who knows how He will choose to use you, whether in little things or big things.

May

Proverbs 3:1-3 “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart”

Proverbs 4:1-2 “Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.”

Genesis 6:13-14 ”So, God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.”

Genesis 6:22 “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

Genesis 7:1 “The Lord then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation”

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

Proverbs 30:25 “Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer.” 

Where is wisdom?
Where is wisdom to be found? Wisdom, it’s something we all want. In the book of Proverbs, there is a pattern that emerges when it comes to wisdom. Wisdom is found in those who have already experienced folly and have learned from it. It is found with our parents, our elders, our peers, strangers, and many times out of the mouths of babes. We are constantly correcting, constantly teaching children so that they may not make the same mistakes as us, so that they may be spared the consequences, so that they may live a more godly life. Wisdom is not about being right or knowing the right things; it is about putting into practice what is right. In other words, it’s about obedience. To practice wisdom is to practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Knowledge serves you best when you know what to do with it.
   Where was wisdom found when Noah was told of the impending flood and the end of all people? There was no handy Bible around and no one else to seek guidance from. He didn’t know what rain was and who was he going to ask? Noah, however, had knowledge and he knew what to do with that knowledge. He had the knowledge of the Almighty and all powerful God. He knew God’s heart and what he did was trust God. He didn’t have written knowledge, but he did have a relationship with God and so his knowledge and relationship with God gave him the wisdom to trust God.
   Wisdom is also found in creation. God uses the tiniest of creatures as an example of wisdom. The ant is a hard worker and its efforts ensure the survival or destruction of the rest of the colony. They are all connected and their hard work keeps them alive and protected. There is wisdom everywhere if we look in creation. One thing creation has in common is obedience. They are obedient to their purpose and what they are created for. Ants don’t try to fly, elephants don’t hunt gazelles, and fish don’t try to slither on land. God created them physically and mentally for unique purposes and reasons and they live accordingly. Yet how many times do we as humans try to live for something we were not created for? Wisdom escapes us if we are running against the grain. We do it ignorantly as children, but knowingly as adults. The result always ends up the same: we are frustrated and tired when it’s over.
   We must always be seeking wisdom and have a heart of teach-ability. We must always be a student of God and His character. He makes this quite easy for us because wisdom is found everywhere. Those that are living and those that are dead speak to us. Creation lives out wisdom every day. God’s word is living and active and ready for us to heed its instructions and warnings. Like many other virtues, wisdom is not about a good feeling, but simple obedience.