Seeking After What Is Of True Value

1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.Selah

I'm sure that most if not all of us have, at one time or another, sought after what we thought was ultimately valuable - and failed miserably. The next rank on the corporate ladder, the newest car, clothes, gadgets, etc. The psalm reminds me that all things - the earth itself is the Lord's. He created all things. He owns all things. 

Oftentimes, the world subtly lulls me into the trap of seeking after the creation, rather than the creator who has the power to grant me all things - if it is His will. The creator who has only the best intentions for me and knows what is best. The psalm reminds me to seek Him - the King of glory. To purify my heart and hands and my will that I may see Him. Sadly, on my own I have no power to "clean" my hands and "purify" my heart. 

But praise God! For out of His great love for me, He sent His own son Jesus to pay the price of my sins on the cross. To cleanse my heart and hands with His precious blood - once and for all. 

In the end, what is ultimately more valuable than wealth, power, or fame is being righteous and blameless before the God of the universe. Having the assurance that when this temporary earth and all that is in it fades into obscurity and oblivion, I have what is ultimately valuable and eternal - the promise of salvation and eternity spent with the One who loved me first and loved me most. Jesus.

What's In A Genealogy?

One of the books in my reading plan today was the gospel of Matthew. I thought that since I would be starting chapter 1 today and with chapter 1 being a genealogy, that it would be an otherwise uneventful read. Apparently, that wasn't God's plan. :) 

Going through the genealogy, I began to realize a few things:

1. God has a perfect plan formed long before I was even born. Life is not a series of random choices and circumstances but rather a continuous list of divinely appointed events. He has a plan for each day of my life and His plans are always, always perfect and for my good. ( Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Psalm 139:16, Jeremiah 29:11). 

2. God'a plan is so perfect and foolproof that it continues even through what may seem like difficult times. This truth jumped out at me as I was reading Matthew 1:11-12 where it says "...Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon Jeconiah became the father to Shealtiel..." and so on. 

The time of the captivity and exile to Babylon was a consequence of the disobedience and stubborness of the people of God. It was a difficult time. Perhaps most of them even thought that They had already been abandoned by God. Now I know He never did. Even during this time He was carrying out His ultimate plan to save them. The encouragement for me when going through a modern day Babylonian exile of sorts-GOD'S PLAN IS STILL IN OPERATION. 

Though there will be times when I have to suffer through the consequences of my sin, stubborness and disobedience, but this does not stop God's plan. I need to go through it to get refined and purified to make me ready for the rest of God's plan's unfolding.

3.God's plan may not always make sense to me in the beginning but it is always for my good. I need to summon up courage enough to obey when this happens. Looking at Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 I find a perfect example. He does the right thing in choosing to stand by Mary (even if it most likely didn't make much sense to Him). As He chooses to obey God reveals to him His plan. Often times I foolishly want a glimpse of the plan first( to see if it aligns with my own) before I obey. 

It'a simply amazing how God sometimes chooses to use the most unlikely things to speak to me. Who'd have thought? All these lessons from (of all things! ) a genealogy! God is truly, truly amazing!

God's Fatherly Love, Grace and Patient Restoration

God loves us with the kind of love that never fails (1 Corinthians 13:7 "Love never fails...") and never gives up. Its an EVERLASTING love just as the verse below says. I couldn't help but notice how the word "AGAIN" clearly emphasizes just how EVERLASTING His love is. There are times when WE move away from God, disobey Him, make a mess of things (our life) and destroy what He was building in and through us. Yet He chooses to deal with us patiently and kindly (1 Corinthians 13:4 " Love is patient. Love is kind...") and out of love for us calls us back. He relentlessly draws us back to Him and AGAIN rebuilds, restores and renews us.

(Jeremiah 31:3-5) "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE; Therefore I HAVE DRAWN YOU WITH LOVINGKINDNESS. “AGAIN I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! AGAIN you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. “AGAIN you will plant vineyards On the hills of Samaria; The planters will plant And will enjoy them."

The process of restoration and renewal although good is not always painless. Much like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis trying to BREAK FREE of the old and ugly cocoon that traps its beauty. This is often exactly what its like when we decide to repent and ask God to renew and restore us. It will involve destroying old and dearly loved destructive habits, veering away from cherished bad company and facing up to our own faults and helplessness to name a few. This is where the "weeping" is as we come back to the Lord. The encouragement is that although weeping, He is with us leading us and as we walk with Him on the path of restoration He provides (streams of water) all we will need to see it through and eventually walk without stumbling.

(Jeremiah 31:9) “With WEEPING THEY WILL COME, And by supplication I WILL LEAD THEM; I will MAKE THEM WALK BY STREAMS OF WATERS, ON A STRAIGHT PATH in which THEY WILL NOT STUMBLE; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

I used to think that restoration was my responsibility. That I had to "fix" myself first before I could go back to God. Thinking that I would deal with my old sinful nature first on my own and then return to God. The TRUTH that I've come to realize is that I can't and don't have the strength to "fix" myself and deal with my old sinful nature. Restoration comes from God. Acknowledging we can't do it/fix it on our own and asking for Him to draw us back is the beginning of the process of restoration. God is just waiting patiently and YEARNING for us to accept this. In fact, in the verse below it says: "I certainly still remember Him..My heart YEARNS for him.

(Jeremiah 31:18-20) “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; BRING ME BACK THAT I MAY BE RESTORED FOR YOU ARE THE LORD MY GOD, ‘For after I turned back, I repented; And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ “Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, AS OFTEN AS I HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST HIM, I certainly STILL REMEMBER HIM; Therefore MY HEART YEARNS FOR HIM; I WILL surely HAVE MERCY ON HIM,” declares the LORD."

If you are reading this now, perhaps God is calling you back to Him. He misses you like a father misses his own son that went away. He is waiting, yearning for you to come back. His mercy and grace are just waiting to be poured out on you to cover you just like the new robe covered the prodigal son when he returned home to his father. The ring which is a symbol of your "sonship" is waiting to be put back on your finger. The sandals waiting to be put back on your feet. A roasted calf and the best wine is waiting to be served in celebration for your return. The best part of it all is that you don't have to RUN ALL THE WAY BACK HOME ON YOUR OWN. All you need to do is decide to turn back and God Himself will run to you and meet you just as the father ran toward his son when the son decided to come back home.

(Luke 15:20) "So he got up and came to his father, BUT WHILE HE WAS STILL A LONG WAY OFF, HIS FATHER FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM, AND RAN AND EMBRACED HIM AND KISSED HIM."

So what are you waiting for? If you feel that God is calling you back, then return. Wherever you are right now, in the silence of your heart pray and ask God something like this : "Heavenly Father, I know I have sinned against You, that my sin separates me from You and there is nothing I can do on my own to be worthy of Your forgiveness. I am truly sorry. I now turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I believe that Your son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sins, that He was raised from the dead and is now at Your right hand with all authority. I invite Jesus into my heart to become my Lord and Savior, to rule and reign in my life from this day forward. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

The Sovereignty of God and of Earthly Authority

God is sovereign. He is enthroned in heaven and the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:35; Acts 7:49). He made everyone and everything. Everything He has made was made by Him to accomplish His purpose and His plans. He is in control and we can rest assured that His plans are for the good of those who have chosen to walk in His ways and in a manner pleasing to Him.

(Jeremiah 27:5) “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight."

Its such an overwhelming comfort to know that God's plans for us are for our own welfare. What's even more amazing is that these "good" plans are so good that they will always go beyond our finite concept of "goodness"(Ephesians 3:20-21Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen). Even more comforting and amazing is the fact that because He is sovereign, we are assured that He can bring these plans to completion.

(Jeremiah 29:11) "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

The verse above is perhaps one of the most quoted verses in the Bible largely because of the assurance of God's plan and the promise of welfare. It is one of my favorites. Little did I know that the verses following it holds an even greater promise than welfare and prosperity. The promise that God will listen to us and that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Its a humbling thought to think that the sovereign God and creator of the universe makes Himself available to us--waiting for us to call upon Him in truth.

(Psalm 145:18 )"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth")

(Jeremiah 29:12) "Then YOU WILL CALL upon ME and come and PRAY TO ME, and I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART."

One of the ways we can manifest our trust in the sovereignty of God and faith that He is in control is by submitting to authority. This is a huge area of improvement for me, especially when I feel that I know better or that I am right and they are wrong. When this happens I need to humble myself and be reminded that GOD IS SOVEREIGN and that these same authorities were established by God Himself.

(Romans 13:1)"Every person is to be in subjection to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

(Colossians 1:16). "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him."

(Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men."

Mornings With My Shepherd

My morning runs are often a time for me to reflect. This morning as I was running I realized a few things that I would like to share with you.

We all experience difficult times in our lives. Oftentimes, these difficulties and adversity are brought about by our own wrong decisions, stubbornness, and largely resistance to doing what God is very clearly saying to us. I know this to be true for me.

In my reflections I was reminded of a story about how shepherds deal with their sheep. In any flock, there are sheep who out of not knowing any better or out of sheer stubbornness stray away from the herd. When this happens these sheep are exposed to danger, pain and at worst--death.

In the first few instances that the sheep strays, the shepherd uses his staff to reach out and draw the erring sheep back to the fold. That is why we often see a "crook / hook" at the end of the shepherd's wooden staff. This is used to hook the neck of the sheep and draw them back to the herd. I'm certain that for the sheep, this experience is by no means pleasurable. Imagine being pulled back from your neck ?!? The farther away the sheep has strayed, the longer it is that the sheep will experience the less than pleasurable, if not painful, experience of being pulled back to the herd with the use of the staff.

Sadly, sheep will be sheep. Especially stubborn (like me) sheep. Eventually, if the experience of the staff is not enough to convince the sheep from straying away from the shepherd, things escalate. The shepherd, out of love and concern for his precious sheep will do something drastic. In this case, the shepherd eventually has to break bones on the sheep's leg so that it can't stray away from him anymore. Now if the staff was painful, imagine how much more painful this is!

This is not only painful for the sheep but for the shepherd as well. Sheep are precious to the shepherd. Shepherds want their sheep to be perfect, unblemished, unscarred, undeformed. However, out of love for the sheep, the shepherd will sometimes have to resort to this method to keep them from straying away into danger and death. There are times when the broken bones heal and the sheep come out of the experience still whole. In most cases however, that sheep will walk away from the experience with a scar, a limp, etc. That scar or limp remains to remind the sheep of how much the shepherd loves him as well as to remind him not to stray away again.

Because of the broken bones the sheep cannot walk. As such, the sheep is carried by the shepherd over his shoulders until the bones heal and it is able to walk again. It is during this time of pain and healing, while on the shoulders of its shepherd, that the sheep gets close to its shepherd and is renewed and restored to health.

A lot of times in my life, I was that stubborn sheep. Many times God, My Shepherd, has used His staff to call and pull me back into the fold. But as sheep will be sheep so boys will be boys and in the stubbornness of my heart, I often refused and ignored His calls. Inevitably, He had to break my legs (figuratively). Not because He wants to hurt me purposely but because He loves me and wants to draw me back to Him, restore my intimacy with Him and draw me away from things, people and circumstances that are dangerous for me.

If we are experiencing hurt, pain, failure, disappointment, loss, loneliness, etc. right now could it be that we are straying from our Good and Loving Shepherd and He is calling us back? Could it be that we are doing something, holding on to something or to someone that is drawing us away from the Shepherd? If so, I pray that we won't wait for the "breaking" experience and heed the pull of our shepherd's staff.

On the other hand, if our legs, our bones have been figuratively broken by the Shepherd, I pray that we use the time to regain and restore our intimacy with Him and that by His grace we may heal completely.

Lastly, let us not forget that over two thousand years ago, a perfect unblemished lamb had to be broken too--on a rugged and cruel cross. He was broken not because He strayed but because it was the only way to bring the other sheep who strayed back into the arms of The Shepherd. He bore the pain and wears the scars of the thorns on His head and the nails on His hands and feet out of love. And one day, when we are brought into Heaven and our physical bodies are glorified and perfected, we will still see Him wearing those scars as a reminder of how much He loves us and what lengths He would go through to bring us back to Him.