Month: September 2019

In the Hands of a Rational God

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

Consider this. God’s entire plan for mankind seems irrational. If you have to ask. I’ve just read about God coming to earth as a newborn babe. He had to grow and mature. Just like us. He had to experience life as his people did. The hurts. And fears. And failures. Temptations. Trials. Bullying. False accusations. He didn’t survive it. Not physically. But that was the master plan.

There was that one time when God asked his people to walk across a moving river. He said the waters would part. So they walked right in. Fully clothed. Faith filled. And the waters parted.

Then there was the time He told an old woman that she would give birth to a long desired child. When she was way past the age of childbearing. He heard her laugh. But somehow. Someway. The old fashioned way. She gave birth to a baby boy.

And many years later, He sent an angel to tell a young virgin that she would have a baby. And that baby would be God as a person. He would die to save all of the human race from their sins. And he asked her fiance to trust him on this one. The baby was His. God’s baby. God was the baby. Unexplainable. Unbelievable. Undeniable. They trusted. The baby was born. He died as a young man to save all mankind from their sins.

Sure. These are all historical facts. But they’re truth. They actually happened. Believe it or not.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord . “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Consider this. God heals people today. He cures diseases. He provides jobs at just the time they’re needed. He walks through dark valleys with those who call on him. He allows tough times to fall on those who call him Lord. He doesn’t forget them. He gives rest to the weary and strength to the weak.
He doesn’t always straighten the crooked roads. He allows the bends to occur. God doesn’t always remove us from our troubles. He walks with us through them. He gives us the strength and ability to survive the tough times. When we call on Him.

If we didn’t go through suffering,  we wouldn’t know God was able. We wouldn’t know he could provide. We wouldn’t know he could heal. It’s in the irrational, ugly, unbelievable, seemingly impossible times that God shines the brightest.  That’s when God is rational. Sometimes in ways that seem irrational to man.

He does straighten crooked paths. He does forgive sins. Even the worst sins. And how do you rate a sin? Forgiving any sin seems irrational unless you’re the sinner begging to be forgiven.

These ways aren’t irrational to God. They’re proof of his love and endurance. They’re showing God’s grace and mercy. They prove that God is in control and His will and ways are perfect. Whether we believe it or like it, God’s love is rational and purposeful.  God knows what he is doing.

So what may seem irrational to a human is completely logical to God. He has a purpose and a plan for everything. All his moves are ordained. His wisdom defies human logic. His timing is spot on. His ways are unexplainable. He doesn’t need to explain himself.

Secret Sins

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He was coming over to the house after work. We had scheduled an appointment to have a couple of minor household repairs done. The day before the appointment, I realized my house wasn’t in order. My house wasn’t ready to be seen by someone who didn’t live there. I needed to make it presentable. I needed to clean up and put things away.

So I started cleaning. Straightening up the areas the man would walk by in order to get to the repairs. I didn’t want him to see the clutter. The stacks of papers I hadn’t gotten around to filing or tossing. I didn’t want him to see how we really lived. I cleaned up the island cluttered with mail. Why do we keep piles of unread mail on it, anyway? Why don’t we keep the house straightened up? Just in case someone would stop by at a moment’s notice? Why don’t I live prepared for unexpected guests?

You may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23

We reconfigured the cubicles at work. The problem workers are now seated where their computer monitors are in full view of passersby.  They don’t know it, but rumor has it that they’re being watched. They’re frantically trying to position their monitors so they’re out of  view. They’re profusely and loudly complaining about their newly assigned seats.  I want to tell them that if they’re only displaying work on their monitors, there’s no need to be concerned.  If they’re doing nothing wrong, why are they acting so guilty? 

They’ve got to realize that our employer is in the business of watching. We help companies protect their information. So why do my coworkers think they should be above the law? Why do they not realize their every move is monitored? Why don’t they remember that we have experts in our office who hack into other websites for a living? And they do it legally and ethically to help our clients. But these coworkers of mine are doing things openly, yet they think they’re flying under the radar. Don’t they realize it’s not just what can be seen on their monitors that’s being watched? It’s also the contents behind the scenes that are being recorded.

For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. Luke 8:17

There is someone else. He didn’t know his world was about to come crashing down.  But when the doorbell rang that morning, he was arrested for obscene behavior. Taken to jail in his pajamas. Oh.  He made the news that morning. His job was usually to provide the news. But now he is the news.

He is well known.  well liked.  trusted. For thirty plus years, he has been a public voice in the community.  His world was turned upside down when he opened the front door that morning. Now he’s no longer employed. His career is ruined.  No one knew the secret he was hiding.  or did they?  Was someone shielding him?  Who turned him in?  How was his private life discovered?

And in one moment, everything changed for this man. Oh. Things had already changed for him some time ago. Things began to change when he make a conscious choice to do wrong. Hoping he wouldn’t be discovered.

Do we all have a private life waiting to be discovered?  good?  bad?  ugly?  What will we find when we open the front door? What does our browser history show? What messes are hiding behind our closet doors?  Are we ready to face the piper?  Are we ready to stand in judgment?  On a moment’s notice?

Your sins will find you out. You won’t get away with it. There will be justice. In this life or the next. Or both.

–Jared C. Wilson

Sin is like cancer. It starts small with a bad attitude. Or a sharp word. A poor decision. It slowly builds to another bad decision that over time becomes commonplace. A bad attitude becomes a burnt bridge where there’s no return. A sharp word turns into gossip or lies that grow out of control until false words are accepted as truth.

You can fool all the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you can’t fool all the people all the time.  And you can’t fool God. Ever.

God knows and sees everything all the time.

In the Hands of a Patient God

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There are time God’s patience astounds me.  He can hold out forever in fulfilling his promises. He takes his time to provide. He willingly waits for the right moment to endow me with unexpected blessings.

I am thankful for his patience. His slowness to respond at times has allowed my faith to grow. His timeline has given me opportunities to become more like him. To learn patience when I’m in a hurry. To show mercy to someone struggling. To extend grace when I’ve been wronged.

Oh. He could come back to earth at anytime to gather his faithful followers. He could drop everything and rescue us from this dog eat dog world. But he’s waiting.  Patiently waiting. He wants no one to perish. He doesn’t want anyone to waste their eternity in hell. So he’s waiting as long as possible for anyone and everyone to repent and call on his name. 

He’s waiting alright.  God is a patient God. In Hebrews 13:5, God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”’ It’s only through our trust and obedience that God proves this promise to be fact. It isn’t easy. It isn’t simple. But it is. Trust and obey. Believe. Hope. Persevere. And wait. No matter how long it takes. Wait for God to act.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

Oh. He sees us stumble. He watches us falter. He patiently looks over us as we try to guide ourselves or follow a lesser god. He allows us to try our hand at playing God. He patiently waits for us to come crawling back pleading for mercy and forgiveness. So many times. So often we try to take control. And we fail miserably. He did the same thing for the Israelites. He waited. He was patient. But time ran out for them. 

Today God is patiently waiting for us to surrender to his will. He’s waiting for all to repent and follow him. He’s waiting as long as he can. But time will run out. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. Next year. Who knows? Only a patient God knows. 

Left to our own devices, we are trouble. Lying. Cheating. Stealing. We break every last one of the ten commandments without a second thought. If we can get away with it. 

Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. ~C.S. Lewis

God allowed the Israelites to run amok for years. Hundreds of years. They pursued their own dreams. Lived their lives according to their plan. They ignored God’s sovereignty. And God watched them go to ruin. He allowed his chosen people to cause generational devastation on themselves.

He’s waiting for us. He’s waiting for us to put aside our distractions. Inappropriate behavior.  Unhealthy relationships. Addictions. Anything that leads us away from him.

He’s waiting for us to be more attracted to him than we are to anything else. He’s waiting for us to hunger and thirst for a godly life. No matter the cost. Even if giving up all those other attractions means losing friends. Changing jobs. Renouncing lifestyles. Giving up all earthly desires to follow him. 

He’s waiting. But for how long? How much longer do we have to get right with God? The clock is ticking. His patience won’t last forever. 

Be Prepared

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She said it so casually. I don’t believe in an afterlife. And neither does my husband. And she laughed as she said it. She thinks that there is nothing for her after her last breath.

Her husband doesn’t think the topic is a laughing matter. The way she described the scene in their home led me to believe her husband is petrified of what’s to come. The thing that he doesn’t believe in terrifies him. If he believes in nothing, what’s to be afraid of.

She was brave enough to admit that she could be wrong.

Oh. We have much to talk about. This young woman and I.

I think of the man dying of an incurable disease. I think of another man who just breathed his last breath. One is already in eternity. The other is close behind.  I wonder what they believed and who they believed in.

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? Romans 10:14-15

I recall a scene a few years ago. I was asked if I was going to the dinner. I was surprised by the question, because I hadn’t received an invitation. And these were close friends. Why would I be excluded? But I was. I didn’t even know a dinner had been planned. The one who shared the news seemed uncomfortable with my explanation that I hadn’t been included in the invite.

How could I go to the dinner if I didn’t know it was taking place? How would I know I was being excluded if I didn’t know of the invitation? How would I know of the invitation unless I received it?

I think of this young woman. My coworker. Perhaps she’s never been told the truth of an afterlife. Perhaps she’s never been included in an honest discussion of God’s plan for her life. Perhaps she’s never been invited to hear of God’s love for her.

How will she know if no one tells her. Perhaps I’ve come into her life for such a time as this. Perhaps I will be the messenger to share the good news with her. Perhaps her heart will soften, and she will be open to hearing the message of truth and redemption. Perhaps she will be interested in the saving grace of our Lord and Savior.

But what if she isn’t interested in hearing the truth? What if she shuns the love of God? What if she decides that Biblical teaching is not truth to her? That is her right. God has given her a free will to decide how to live her life. She can choose to live life without God. She can choose to believe there is no afterlife. But what she doesn’t yet understand is that she will stand before Him some day and give an account of her life. She will live in eternity. Somewhere. There is an afterlife.

So when the opportunity arises, I must be prepared to share the message of hope with her. I must always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that I have. If no one tells her, she will never know. How can I overlook the opportunity to share the free gift of eternal life with her?

Holy Surrender

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

Dear God. Your ways are higher than mine. Your plans are perfect. You don’t make mistakes. You follow through. You don’t do things half way. You plan big and you work big. Even the tiniest of things are noticed by you. After all, you know the number of hairs on my head. You know the number of days that I’ll live. 

But there are things about you that I don’t understand. If I’m being honest. And that’s what you ask of me. Honesty. 

You aren’t lazy, God. By no means would I call you lazy. After all, you created the heavens and the earth. You created animals and sea life. You planted the trees. Fruits. Vegetables. Flowers. You hung the stars, the moon and the sun. You parted large bodies of waters. You created day and night. And the four seasons. All in seven days.

You created man and woman. You gave us a mind to think and reason. You gave us a heart to love and be loved. You gave us emotions to feel and embrace. You gave us five senses to experience the most of life. Taste. Touch. Hearing. Seeing. Smelling. It’s a blessing to be able to experience the natural pleasures of life. Things we take for granted.

You’re everywhere. At all times. You see everything. You hear everything. You know everything. You know everybody. You are busy. But you’re not a busybody.

So there. All of that. You are not lazy. You are undeniably creative. Your imagination goes beyond my wildest imagination. 

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2

But here’s the thing. Your timing. Sometimes you’re slow to act. When I need something, I think I need it now. And you see my need. Your vision has never blurred. Your hearing has never dulled, so I know you hear me. What I don’t understand is why you don’t answer right when I ask. Oh. I get it. You have patience. You see the big picture, when all I see is right now. You have my days planned. You have my life planned. Don’t I get a say in anything? Is it your way or the highway? 

Oh. That’s how you roll. I knew that. But that’s hard. It’s hard to surrender what I want for your perfect will. But if your will is perfect, then why would I doubt you? Why would surrender even be questioned? Why does my will seem so important compared to perfection? Who do I think I am? 

I’m humbled that you love me. That you even know my name. That you call me out of my wandering. My stumbling ways. You call imperfect me to live in your perfect plan.

So I surrender. I give up myself. My wants. My plans. I choose to follow your perfect unknown path. I choose to trust you fully. From this day forward. Death will not part us. It will bring us face to face.

Your holy presence. It’s what I long for. To see your face. To bow in fear and awe at your holy majesty.