Difficulties and Devotion

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2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (NIV): When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This passage contains my grandfather's favorite verse. In it, God directly ties Israel's difficulties to its devotion. In other words, God said he would stop the rain or send financial ruin or physical illness among the people when they began to forget about him. Sure enough, after this was written the people would ignore God when things were going well and God would send difficulties, and they would repent and turn back to him, then repeat the pattern again.

Does God have the right to send a famine or sickness among his people? Can he do this and still be a good and righteous God? We must remember that God is more interested in our holiness than our success or comfort. God is a holy God and he demands total allegiance to himself. When we stop seeking to know him and start sinning, he will allow the natural forces he created to get our attention.

This is not because God is a mean or unjust God, but because he loves us and desires to keep us pure in heart. He demands that we be a holy people, different from the world, and in love with him. He is the God of the universe and has every right to do this. It angers God when our devotion is only half-hearted.

So the remedy for our difficulties is to humble ourselves, which means we realize we need him, spend time in prayer, and desire to know him more. We must stop habitual sinning and turn back to him. When we do this, God will hear our prayers and heal our land. We cannot expect God's blessings if we ignore, reject, or disobey him. We need this verse today more than ever.

The Superiority of Christ

Hebrews 1: 1 - 6 (NIV): In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father "? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

    If we want to know how to become right with God we see what Jesus says about it. Jesus is now God's spokesman. All truth about God is revealed in him. God used prophets in the Old Testament, but when Jesus came, he assumed that role. Jesus is our one and only prophet now.

    We think of Jesus as God's son, and that is true, but he is also God himself. John tells us this in the first chapter of his Gospel. Paul tells us this in Colossians 1:16 and the writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) tells us this again today. Jesus is the creator of the universe. He created everything for his pleasure. How can Jesus be God's son and also God? God became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ.

    Because Jesus is God himself, he is superior to the prophets in the Old Testament who were men of God, but not perfect. Jesus was and is perfect. When he said he was the only way to the Father, we better take that to heart. He wasn't kidding.

    And Jesus is superior to the angels. Angels were created to minister to God and to us. Angels worship Jesus but never the other way around. And if an angel brings a message that is new or contrary to what Jesus taught, let that angel be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

Jesus Ruins a Funeral

Luke 7: 11 - 18 (NIV): Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

    If you think about it, Jesus ruined every funeral he attended. Imagine walking up and raising the dead person back to life and stopping the whole thing. I guess the pallbearers gave the empty coffin back to the funeral director and everyone went home. Not sure if the funeral director got paid. He may have seen Jesus coming and said to himself, "uh oh, here he comes. I'm about to lose another one!"

    It's not that Jesus didn't have compassion on the people involved. His heart went out to the widow and he told her not to cry. You can feel the love and compassion he had for her in her time of sorrow. And Jesus knew this was more than an emotional loss for her. It would have devastated her, as a widow, to lose her only son, her means of support in that culture. The son came out pretty good in this deal too...

    But Jesus is not going to stop every funeral. He said we would have to face death and sure enough, we do, but Jesus knows the big picture. He knows that we are not bodies that have a soul, but souls that live temporarily in this body. He said believers will never die, even though our bodies do. Jesus knows that death is only a temporary separation. And Jesus has seen heaven so there is no mystery to him about how great it is.

    Jesus walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. He comforts us in times of sorrow and loss. But more than that, he gives us hope that we will go to heaven and be with each other again. Jesus always did know how to ruin a perfectly good funeral.

The 24-Hour Boss

 

Luke 17: 7-10 (NIV): Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'

I think sometimes we get things turned around in our heads. We believe that we are God's boss, telling him what to do and using him for our purposes. That's backward. God is our creator and, when we become believers, our Lord. Jesus' illustration shows what that means.

A boss tells you what to do eight hours per day, then the rest of the day is yours, but a lord owns you. He tells you what to do all day, every day. You work for him all day long, then when evening comes, you serve him first before you sit down to eat. Then you put away the dishes and clean up the house before you rest. Then it begins again the next day.

A servant has no rights. He is owned by his master. He cannot serve half-heartedly, and he should expect no praise for doing extra duty. That's just simply his reality day after day.

You may read this and think you don't want to have a lord. You don't want someone to own you. But here's the irony of the Christian faith: being owned by God sets you free! Yes, he is our Lord and we belong to him 24-hours per day, but Jesus promises rest for the weary (Matthew 11: 28-30). When we turn our rights over to him and let him make our decisions, we find a peace, comfort and rest that we could never have without him. We are owned by a gentle King who knows what is best for us and gives it freely. A King who loves us unconditionally – so much he died and rose again for us.

The reality is that we are all owned by something. We all have a master. We are all slaves to something. Jesus said if you sin you are a slave to sin (John 8: 34-36). God gives us the choice to make him our Lord, and when we do we find a freedom we never knew before.