Category: Bible

Religion or Relationship?

Christ’s love allows me to go from religion to relationship. Hebrews 8:5-13 describes how His precious love changes everything. God didn’t revise or amend His old covenant. His Son’s precious love forged a brand new one.

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
    with the people of Israel and Judah.
This covenant will not be like the one
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    and led them out of the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.
But this is the new covenant I will make
    with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds,
    and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors,
    nor will they need to teach their relatives,
    saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’
For everyone, from the least to the greatest,
    will know me already.
And I will forgive their wickedness,
    and I will never again remember their sin

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. (NLT)

I’m preparing to move into a new home that is nothing like the one I’m in now. I’m going from 4000 square foot house sitting on top of a mountain to a tiny apartment downtown. I love the fact that my new home is a brand new house. New houses are wonderful, but new covenants can be uncomfortable.

Going from religion to relationship is difficult. Relationship is personal, and that means exposing my heart. God knows me, forgives me, and loves me. That makes the old way of relating obsolete. Religions cannot compete or compare with relationships, and no one understands that better than God. He prefers a loving family to a religious hierarchy. He always has, and He always will.
It’s difficult to do business with someone when you’re in love with them; that keeps love out of board rooms and office buildings. God didn’t, doesn’t, and never will run a business. He is love and sent His only Son to replace the “business” of religion with the love of relationship. Even the disciples didn’t completely get the point at first.  They wanted to know who would be in what position, but the resurrection made it crystal clear that Christ changed business as usual. Love had come down, and it was the new authority.
I wish we could all just love one another as God desires, but I know that won’t be possible as long as the world has a hold on us. God may have made a new covenant, but this world is still driven by business. I can allow myself to be driven by the world or let love do the driving. When I go with love, God opens the road and frees my heart in a way the world may not understand but does notice 🙂
Open Road

Attached at the Heart

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 invites me to look at my attachments and see how they affect my focus. Paul isn’t just talking about relationships in his letter to Corinth; he’s talking about accomplishments, regrets, possessions, or anything to which I may be too attached. There’s nothing wrong with a happy marriage, an engaging job, a time of grief, or nice things as long as my heart isn’t attached so tightly that my focus is misdirected.

But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.(NLT)

Unhealthy attachments cause my heart to fuse, and fusion leads to confusion. God isn’t controlling, or I would be a mindless drone in His field or a heartless statue at His feet. God has the power to make me do exactly what He wants, but He will not use His power to make me love or obey Him. He knows obedience is worthless without free will, and love will never be forced or coerced.

Self differentiation is necessary for love to grow as God desires. Fusion appears to forge a powerful bond, but it only confines and defines in negative ways. Self differentiation frees my heart and leads to healthy connections. God is the ultimate example of self differentiation. He is the great “I Am.” He is who He is, and He wants me to be who He created me to be. That requires putting my focus upon His love and getting away from unhealthy attachments.

I love being a daughter, sister, mother, mother-in-law, Gigi, teacher, friend, etc., but if I cannot have an unhealthy attachment to any role. I am me, and if I fail to be the true me, no relationship, title, or possession will fill the void left in my heart. I believe it’s what Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians.  This world is not permanent, and nothing in it will last. Rather than making me sad, I should find great joy in knowing that the essence of my truest self isn’t about the things in this world. I am created for eternity, and I am free to live and love in a way that reflects that beautiful truth.

Heart in the Sand

God Friends

Psalm 62:5-8 paints a beautiful portrait of God. He’s a powerful fortress who protects me from my enemies and a trusted friend to whom I can pour out my heart and know that it will be heard and cherished. David knew that God has his back and his heart.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. (NLT)

David’s psalm reflects his love for and trust in God. In all his trials, he wasn’t shaken because He knew God not only protected him, but loved him dearly. I am fortunate to have family and friends who have my back and my heart. It’s a combination that reflects God’s love and provides a taste of what’s to come. God’s got my back, my front, my sides, my head, and my heart, but I don’t always remember that. When I do, I am able to wait quietly. Now, if I could only remember that all the time!

Waiting quietly has never been my strong suit, but I’m learning. There are times when I pour my heart out and talk to Him the way I would to my sisters or dear friends. He hears me when I cry. He hears me when I yell, and He hears me when I’m silent. I know I can tell Him everything anytime.

God made it clear last week that pouring out my heart and allowing others to pour out theirs to me is what love is all about. I have a few friends and three sweet sisters to whom I can pour out my heart. My heart is healed in their loving, nonjudgmental presence. None of them can replace God, but I like to call them God friends because they nudge me a little nearer to Him each time we connect.

Psalm 62

And God Changed His Mind

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 is a glimpse of the grace that results when God changes His mind. God never changes, but I love that He can and will change His mind. He can do whatever He wants to do, but; like Jonah, I find myself wanting Him to do what I want Him to do. That means sticking to the agenda and not embarrassing me with last minute changes.

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”

This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened. (NLT)

Jonah was an important man delivering the message that Nineveh was about to be destroyed. The people heard and repented, but that didn’t make Jonah happy. In fact, he was angry when God extended grace and let them live. That may sound strange, but it is human nature to hurt when humiliated. He wanted them to get what they deserved, and he wanted to be right! God wanted them to change, so he forgave them when they did.

Forgiveness heals as nothing else, and no one knows that better than God. I don’t know what happened to Jonah. We leave him sulking over a plant while God asks where his compassion is for the 120,000 people and the animals of Nineveh who would have perished. God spared Jonah’s life and the lives of the sailors who pleaded for mercy, but time in the belly of the big fish didn’t seem to sweeten Jonah’s disposition.

Jonah is a book of incredible love, but that love doesn’t come from Jonah. I hope he found compassion, and I hope he learned to extend and accept forgiveness. I know God forgave him, but that doesn’t  mean he accepted. He may not have recognized his need for it. Like the older son in the story of the Prodigal Son, Jonah may have had a hard time seeing those who don’t deserve forgiveness and grace getting it. None of us deserve God’s grace, love, mercy, or forgiveness, but that doesn’t stop Him.

God lets me get angry, and he allows me to sulk when things don’t turn out the way I want. I can’t be too hard on Jonah because I’ve been where he is, and it isn’t a pleasant place to be. I learned years ago that seriousness is a serious sin that disguises itself in many ways. The need to be right or the need to retaliate get in the way of true forgiveness and cause my journey to be a self righteous march rather than a walk in God’s kingdom. I’m learning to let God humble me with humor when the sin of seriousness creeps into my path. As a dear friend once told me, a little levity goes a long way 🙂

 

Photo Credit: MisfitWisdom
Photo Credit: MisfitWisdom

 

Just Because I Can….

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 is a sobering reminder for me to think about my body. If I focus upon keeping it happy, I’ll end up feeling good; but the feeling will soon give way to guilt or disappointment if I overindulge. I also have to be careful not to become its slave. Paul is straight forward in his letter to Corinth, but I handle his letter with kid gloves or ignore it completely because its message hits too close to home for comfort.

Food and/or sex tempt everyone. Christ knew about temptation and so did Paul. Both hope to help me see my body in a new way. I was very discouraged and disgusted when I got on the scales this morning and more so when I put on a pair of favorite jeans that no longer fit. This scripture was in my path, so I decided to stop ignoring it and listen to what God had to say.

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,  for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (NLT)

It’s easy to look at these verses and only see sexual sin, but Paul is talking about anything that prostitutes my body. Food is beginning to do just that because I’m turning to it for comfort and paying the price for its comfort. Overeating, drinking too much, or anything that dishonors my body says I’m not grateful for God’s gift. My body is His temple, and I forget that far too often. I don’t belong to myself, and I need to remember that God  paid a premium price for me. I’m His.

Honoring God with my body does mean that I will not engage in sexual immorality, and that covers a great deal of territory. It also means I will not turn to food for gratification. I haven’t fasted in a very long time, so I’ve almost forgotten how clear and clean it makes me feel. I’m afraid I’ve fallen into a pattern of eating for eating’s sake. Mindless eating leads to numbness, and numbness leads to lethargy. I don’t want to fall into that trap because it steals the joy God has in store for me.

I want the unity Paul describes, and I won’t find it if I’m more interested in satisfying my body than being one with God’s. He wants me to enjoy life and all the goodness He provides. He doesn’t want to punish me; He wants to provide the very best. Paul’s cautions are not a lecture on morality unless I make them so. He is simply saying what I already know but ignore because I don’t want to change my comfortable habits.

God knows depending on food, sex, or anything else to satisfy my body distracts and causes me to wander from the path He knows will lead to the best life for me. It isn’t a life of want, it is a life where my wants wither and His will fills. What I want is always less than what He wants to give me. Just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I should. I never imagined Paul’s letter to Corinth might help me see eating in a new light, but that’s exactly what it did this morning 🙂

Food

Surgeon’s Scalpel

Hebrews 4:12-16 says God’s Word is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword. The word Paul uses describes an instrument very similar to a surgeon’s scalpel. There’s nothing sharper or more precise when it comes to cutting. Sharpness increases the precision and decreases the pain of an incision. I’ve never had surgery or seen a scalpel, but I know it is a powerful tool in the hands of a trained surgeon. It is designed to heal and help and so is God’s Word.

God’s Word isn’t a war sword or a butcher knife, but I’ve heard it used both ways. God’s Word, like a scalpel in skilled hands, cuts right between my soul and spirit. It separates the marrow from my bones, exposing my innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing is hidden from God, but He exposes those innermost thoughts and desires so I can see what He sees and begin to heal.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.(NLT)

Surgery is necessary when souls, spirits, minds, and hearts are hurting. Recovery is often difficult, but I can trust and relax in God’s capable hands. I can avoid His Word and keep hurting, or I can agree to let God heal my hurt. The choice is mine. Surgeons and God both know better than to operate on a moving, uncooperative target. Patients must be ready and willing before they can begin to help them heal.

Christ came to understand my weaknesses. He faced all trials I face and many more. He came away without sin so I could come boldly to God’s Word and let His Holy Spirit use it as an expert surgeon uses his scalpel. God’s mercy, grace, and love are unfailing, and His Word is more precise than the best laser or scalpel in the hands of the finest surgeon on earth. That makes me breathe a sigh of relief, relax into His Word, and let God do what He does best, heal.

Surgeon's Scalpel
Surgeon’s Scalpel

 

True Heroes

Psalm 16 makes me think about the qualities that make one a true hero. I applaud the daily sacrifices of those who chose to put their lives in danger to protect mine. The world is filled with such people, and I thank God for all of them. I realized yesterday, as I read David’s psalm, that there is another kind of hero I tend to ignore. David knew about heroes; he was famous for killing a giant when only a small boy. He gave credit for the kill, but I admire him for his willingness to do God’s will. That makes him a true hero like the ones in his psalm.

Keep me safe, O God,
    for I have come to you for refuge.

I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
    Every good thing I have comes from you.”
The godly people in the land
    are my true heroes!
    I take pleasure in them!
Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
    I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
    or even speak the names of their gods.

Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
    You guard all that is mine.
The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
    What a wonderful inheritance!

I will bless the Lord who guides me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
    My body rests in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead
    or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
You will show me the way of life,
    granting me the joy of your presence
    and the pleasures of living with you forever. (NLT)

There is joy, gladness, pleasure, and safety in knowing that God is right beside me. David knew God was always with him and had an intimacy with The Creator that allowed him to be a hero.

I stopped for a moment yesterday and thought of all the godly people in my life. I was taken aback by how quickly so many came to mind and how varied they were. While at lunch yesterday, I ran into one of my former coworkers. He was a janitor who took a great deal of pride in his work. He was, and still is, truly a godly man. After talking to him for a few minutes, I realized he was a true hero like the ones in David’s psalm. What a blessing to look into his peace-filled eyes and see a man who did difficult and dirty work for years with a smile and a gentle manner.

Heroes aren’t meek and mild in books and movies, but I see a glimpse of Jesus in those meek heroes who go about doing God’s will without making much ado about it. Jesus was a mild mannered man who didn’t live up to the heroic expectations of those around Him, and He was killed because of it. I’m glad God put Psalm 16 in my path this week to help me remember to stop and notice the true heroes that literally surround me.

A minister once told me that Jesus was a bleeding lamb; He is a bleeding lamb, and He will always be a bleeding lamb. Most want a hero who is a warrior, and they can’t wait to watch Jesus wreak havoc on their enemies when He returns. The world doesn’t like a meek hero and probably never will, but God made it clear in the life of His Son that is exactly the kind of hero He has in mind for His world.

My Hero
My Hero

The Builder’s Better

st-patricks-cathedral-catholic-church

Hebrews 3:1-14 makes a clear distinction between Christ and the prophets. Moses was amazing, but Christ is God. Moses would agree that the Builder is better than the building.

And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house.

But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. (NLT) 

Churches, pastors, and teachers are wonderful and deserve our praises, but we must keep them in their proper places. God deserves more praise than His houses, messengers, and teachers, and He must get all the glory. He is the Builder, and His Son is in charge of His entire house. It’s human nature to want something concrete to worship, but Paul is warning us not to get the building and the builder confused. The Builder loves His buildings, and He dearly loves His messengers and teachers. He wants us to have a loving church family and home. He created us for community, and we are lost without a connection to fellow believers.

A friend of mine has a relative battling cancer, and she told me she didn’t know how she will do it without the support of a loving church family. I agreed and am thankful to have close connections to many who love God along side me. I would surely be adrift without them. I thank God for faithful servants who illustrate God’s truth in a way that brings me nearer to Him, and there is nothing I love more than studying God’s Word and sharing Christ’s love with others.

Paul knew how quickly glory goes from God to other. It was, is, and will always be a problem with His children. When focus is on buildings instead of the Builder, they take on their own lives and compete for attention. Separation and competition quickly replace unity and cooperation.

There’s nothing wrong with a beautiful building or an eloquent teacher as long as they give glory to the Master Builder. Even with a small, simple building, there’s a tendency to claim ownership. No building or minister is immune to the problem Paul addresses. We all must be mindful when it comes to giving credit and glory where it is due. Claiming to be simple and humble is no nobler than claiming to be big and beautiful.

Most importantly, I need to remember that my body is His house. Verse 14 says it well, “And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.”  Amen to that!! 

bhchurch

 

Precious Thoughts

Psalm 139:13-18 is a beautiful image of creation that leaves me feeling dearly loved. I can imagine God, The Creator, gently knitting and weaving me in my mother’s womb and then carefully recording every moment of my life in His heart. I’m His beloved, and that changes the way I live and love.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me! (NLT)

Knowing God thinks precious thoughts about me is hard to grasp, but Christ and the Holy Spirit help me wrap my head and heart around knowledge that is too wonderful for me to absorb alone. When I look at God’s Word, one thing strikes me throughout its pages. He says over and over again in a thousand different ways that He will never leave me. I know God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, but I have a hard time believing He thinks precious thoughts about me. My granddaughters help me understand this psalm. I find everything about them to be precious, and thoughts about them fill my life with joy. I love them dearly, but I know God loves me even more.

Most give David credit for this psalm, and I believe it is his work. His love for God stemmed from knowing God’s great love for him. David knew from a very early age that God loved him dearly. Knowing I’m loved so much changes me. Allowing my heart to grow deeply into God’s love frees my heart to be what He knitted it to be 🙂

Dearly Loved
Dearly Loved

I Haven’t Moved

Psalm 139 has long been a favorite of mine. Verses 1-6 reveal that God knows me better than I know myself.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand. (NLT)

Knowing that God knows all about me is too wonderful for me to understand, but I’m getting better at letting go of my need to understand and learning to relax into His love.

There have been times in my journey when I was far away from God, but He knew my thoughts even then. When I think of God’s unfailing love, I am reminded of a joke I heard decades ago. You have to think back to the fifties and sixties before front seats were divided by consoles, and seat belts weren’t in use. It was the custom of dating couples to snuggle next to each other, and you would often see them kissing at the stop lights.

An older married couple were out riding one afternoon when the man noticed his wife was unusually quiet. When he asked her what was wrong, she complained that they never sat next to each other anymore. She longed for the days when they courted and snuggled next to each other. Her husband let her vent, smiled, and said, “I haven’t moved!”

God doesn’t move, but He still follows wherever I go. He knows my coming and my going and is more aware of where I am than I am. Sometimes the distance between us comes gradually, and sometimes it comes quickly. Time and circumstance cause distance in any relationship, but I can always find God because, like the man in the joke, He doesn’t move. He lets me wander off, and He lets me come home. He knows my heart no matter how far away I get. He yearns for me to be near Him, but He never forces me to stay near. He knows holding tightly only drives me farther away, so He waits patiently when I wander off.

God knows, before I do, when I’m ready to slide over and snuggle next to Him. He never says, “I told you so!” or “I knew you’d come crawling back!!” He puts His arm around me and lets His love do all the talking. God loves me no matter how far away I get and waits as long as it takes for me to nudge a little nearer to Him and live the life I’m meant to live. I suppose I will always wander, but I hope I get better at getting back quickly because there’s no place I’d rather be than in His arms.

Psalm 139