Tag Archives: God

We Remember. Then Forget

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If you’ve read my thoughts for any time at all, you’ll know that I just love the Psalms. I think they are my favorite parts of scripture.  They are full of worship of God,they are full of emotion, they are full of all the things that we go through and we experience.

They describe our success,they describe our failure.

They describe how we are faithful, the describe how we go wrong.

They, in short, lay out for us the whole of the human experience. Everything we know, everything we can do, we can find there in the Psalms.

Today, listen to the words of Psalm 106.  It’s a little bit longer passage of scripture than I normally reference, but it lays this out for you:

Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.
Even so, he saved them—
to defend the honor of his name
and to demonstrate his mighty power.
He commanded the Red Sea to dry up.
He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert.
So he rescued them from their enemies
and redeemed them from their foes.
Then the water returned and covered their enemies;
not one of them survived.
Then his people believed his promises.
Then they sang his praise.
Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!
They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
In the wilderness their desires ran wild

This describes the history of the people of Israel. The people forget what God has done. They forget His faithfulness. They forget His saving hand.

And, in spite of that, He saves them anyway.  He restores them anyway.  He stands for them anyway.

In spite of what they’ve done wrong. In spite of their sin. In spite of their failing. God loves them. And He acts out of His great love for His people.

And all is right, for a little while. The people obey. The people listen. The people follow. For a little.

Then, they forget.  They forget what God has done, and then they fall back into sin.

And it happens again, and again, and again.

They remember, and then they forget.

And in spite of it, God loves.

Today, don’t forget what God has done for you. Don’t forget what God is doing for you. Don’t forget how God has saved you, loved you, forgiven you.

Don’t forget.

Because when we forget, we get ourselves in trouble. We fall into sin. We make the mistake. We are wrong. We make that wrong step.

Remember. Remember what God has done, remember how God loves, remember who is His.  Never forget.

And cling to His love for you, even in the tough times. Don’t forget.

He loves you.  Don’t take it for granted. Don’t forget.

Promises

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Promises are a powerful thing.  I was raised to not take a promise lightly. If you promised someone something, that’s the same as giving your word. And you should never go back on your word.

You should never break your promise.

Ever.

That’s the way I was raised.

The Bible is full of God’s promises to us. He promises so save us. To be there for us.  To help us in our time of need. To be our rock.  Our defender. Our safe haven.  Our help.

We see in the Bible that He promised the nation of Israel (and the world) a savior.  He promised to send them (and us) a deliverer.  He promised to bring forth hope and salvation to the people.

And they waited.  And waited.  And waited. And waited.

They waited hundreds of YEARS (yes, years) between the promises He made and the fulfilment of the promise.

Today, we read in Luke, what it looked like when the promise came true:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
he promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham

God hadn’t forgotten His promise. He hadn’t forgotten His word.  He was true to what He said He would do. He was true to who He was.

He kept His promise. Even if the time was not the time the people may have liked.  Even if it didn’t fit their schedule.

It fit God’s time.  It was on His schedule.  It was according to His plan.

God kept His promises and His word to His people.

Just as He will keep it to each of us.

You can trust God and His promises today.  He will keep His word.  The time might not be the time you’d like. But it will be God’s time.

Today, trust in His promises. Trust in His word.  He will take care of you.

Two Roads

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I had a teacher in high school that loved poetry. So, part of what he did for (perhaps to) us was that he made us memorize poems. Some of this memorization was standard class stuff. Others were for extra credit or to replace a bad grade.

Fail a test?  Memorize a poem.

Need more points?  Memorize a poem.

In his class, sometimes it seems like the answer to almost every question was memorize a poem.

And believe it or not, I’m thankful.  Almost 20 years later I can remember bits and pieces of almost every poem that he had us memorize, and I’ve found as a preacher, that can come in handy a lot of days!

When I read the passage that I read this morning from Proverbs 3, I always think of the poem by Robert Frost – The Road Not Taken.  You know it, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.”  In life, there are always choices, there are at least two road to choose between, sometimes there are even more.

Listen to the two roads before us this morning, as laid out by Proverbs 3: 5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.

Today, you have a choice. Will you choose your own road, or will you choose God’s road?

Will you choose your own wisdom, or will you choose God’s?

Will you choose your own route or will you let God guide you down the steps that you need to be going down?

There are two choices before each of us today. Our way or God’s way.  Our wisdom or God’s wisdom. Our leading or God’s leading.

Today, we have a choice. Who’s way will we follow? Who’s wisdom will we trust?  Who’s direction will we place our trust in?

If we trust in ours alone, we will fool ourselves into thinking we are heading down the right path.  If we trust in God’s, He will direct our steps.

Today, what path are we walking down? Today, who are we trusting?

No Mark

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As I’ve said several times that the thing I love most about the Psalms is that they are honest. When the Psalmist is angry, you know it through reading what’s on the page. When the Psalmist is happy and full of joy, you know it by reading what’s on the page. When the Psalmist is struggling with something, you know it.

And the struggles that the Psalmist has with God is apparent in different times. Sometimes he’s upset with God about something. Sometimes he’s afraid that God will be mad at him because of something he has done. Sometimes he is just scared of his enemies, of his sin, of the things in his life.

I just love them because they are so honest about the things that we go through. The emotions behind them match the emotions of our lives.  We are the same. The Psalms reflect what we feel, so many times in our lives.

Listen to part of the words of one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 130:

Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?
But you offer forgiveness,
that we might learn to fear you.

If the Lord kept a record of sins, who among us could stand? If the Lord were to mark our mistakes, His book would be full of failures and sins. If we had to do more good than bad in our lives to earn His love, we wouldn’t be able to stand.  None of us could do that.  None of us could undo the bad that we’ve done.

We can’t do enough good to make God ignore the bad.

That was the work of the cross. Through the cross, our sins are done away with. Through the cross we are forgiven. Through the cross, things have changed, life is different, we are new. Through the cross, our sin is forgiven.

Through the power of the cross, there is no mark. It is erased.  It is forgiven. It is forgotten.  It is gone.

Through the power and grace and love of God, offered through the cross, there is no mark.  There is no record. There is no sin. The Psalms also tell us that as far as the East is from the West, that’s how far our sins are from God.

Today, you are forgiven. Today, there is no mark. Today, they are gone.

Today, may we live like the forgiven children of God that we are.

 

Be Ye Holy

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In the Old Testament, one of the constant commands of God to the people is that they are holy. They are told over and over again to be holy, as God is holy.

That is the definitive revelation of who God is in the Old Testament. He is holy. And as a God that is holy, he expects His people to be holy.

Gulp. That’s a pretty big requirement. To be holy. That’s a tough thing for them. And, a tough thing for us.

But, before we talk about how it’s something that we can’t do, let’s first think. What is it? What does it mean? To be holy, what does that mean?

In short, to be holy is to be set apart. To be different. The people of God are supposed to be different. Different from the world. Different from culture. Different.

Not perfect, mind you. None of us are perfect. The church is not perfect. No one, except Jesus is perfect in action. That doesn’t mean, though, that we are not supposed to be holy. We are supposed to be different.

Listen, though, to what the people of God say in 1 Samuel this morning:

But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

The people wanted a king. Why? To be like the other nations. God’s plan was for them to be holy. To be different. To be set apart.

What did they want? What did they desire?

A king.

Why?

To be like other nations. To be like everyone else.

And in that, they were no longer different. They were no longer set apart. They wanted to be like everyone else.

Today, what about us? Are we holy? And I’m not asking are we perfect. I’m asking are we different? Are we different from culture? Is there something about us is that is different? Set apart? Dedicated to God?

God told His people in the Old Testament to be holy as He is holy. He desires the same for us today.

Today, may we be different. May we be different from the world we live in. Today, may we be holy.

Know Your Lane

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One of the statements I once heard at a leadership event was the phrase “know your lane.”  I really like that phrase, and I use it a lot when talking about leadership and being who God wants us to be. We should know our lane. And we should “stay in our lane.”

Ok Andy, what does that mean.

Think about driving on the interstate.  There are two lanes.  And, let’s say, you are driving a 1990 Pontiac LeMans (my first car. We used to call it the turtle. Because, well, you know).  As I was driving to school on the interstate, I stayed in the right, i.e. slow lane.  Why? Because I was driving a 1990 Pontiac LeMans. Fast was not a speed that it had.  I knew what my car could do, and I knew what lane I needed to be in. And I stayed in it.

Know who you are.  Know what you can do.  And do it. Don’t try to be someone you aren’t. Know your strengths and weaknesses.  Know what you can and can’t do. And do it. Know your lane and stay in it.

Ok, what’s that got to with God?

Listen to parts of Psalm 78 this morning:

Their hearts were not loyal to him.
They did not keep his covenant.
Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins
and did not destroy them all.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not unleash his fury!
For he remembered that they were merely mortal,
gone like a breath of wind that never returns.

God knows who we are.  God knows our lane.  I love the end of this passage. There were many times God should have just destroyed the people.  He should have wiped them off the face of the map.  He should have ended them.

But He didn’t.  Why?  He knew their lane.  He knew that they (we) were merely mortal.  They (we) are like a breath of wind that will never return.

We are weak and we are frail. We are going to make mistakes. We are going to fall.  We are going to do it wrong.

That’s who we are.

But, here’s the thing. I’m not telling you to accept that. I’m not giving you permission to stay in your sin.  This is what it teach us.  We are weak.  And if we think that the can overcome our weakness and sin based off our own will power and strength, we don’t know our lane.

We can’t.  If you try today to be very good, you will fail.

But, through God, all things are possible.

You can’t do it. God, through you, can do all things. All things.

Today, know your lane. But, also know God’s lane.  You are weak.  He is strong.  Trust in Him. And through Him, all things are possible.

 

God is Not Out to Get You

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As a pastor, one of the things that most breaks my heart, is when broken people, people who are truly hurting don’t want to turn to God for relief, support, love, and life.

I hate seeing people struggle and hurt over things in their lives, over pain they feel, and even over pain they may have caused.  And I have found, perhaps my just in my experience, the reason folks don’t want to turn to God in that moment is that they think God is mad at them.

God is out to get them.

Perhaps God is even the one causing their pain to get them back for whatever they may have done wrong in the past.

They feel like God wants to get them, punish them, destroy them.

Maybe this morning, that may even be you.  Maybe you feel that way right now. Maybe you think God is out to get you, destroy you, punish you.

If so, listen to what God says through Ezekiel this morning:

“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.”

God is not out to get you. God loves you. God wants you to live. God wants you to know life. God wants you to know mercy and joy and peace and hope and life.  God wants you to know and experience the depth of His love and mercy.

He loves you.

He wants to know you.

And, He wants to forgive you and bring you home today.

He wants you to know the power of hope, life, and forgiveness.  God wants what’s best for you today. And, you can trust Him.

Let me say it again.  You can trust Him.  No matter what you’ve done, what you’re doing, what you’re going to do. He loves you.

God is not out to get you. He wants you to know life. Today, no matter where you are in your walk with God, and other people, know this.

God loves you.

 

What are you Looking at?

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What are you looking at?

Well, you are probably thinking right now, my email.  Or my smart phone.  Or your blog.  That’s what I’m looking at right now.  Ok, what will you look at next next?  What you have you looked at already today?

And I’m not just talking about what you’ve “seen” with your eyes.  What have you dwelled on with your soul?  What have you allowed your mind and your spirit to rest upon today? What have you focused your thoughts and your presence upon today?

In the Bible, one of the things that we see Jesus do over and over again is heal the blind. Now, in scripture there is a physical miracle that happens here, but there is a deeper spiritual miracle. To heal the blind isn’t just to bring sight to the eyes, it’s to bring sight to the soul. Not just to let folks “see” physically, but to really let them see what’s going on in a deeper, spiritual way.

So, today, what are you looking at?  Where are you gazing?

Listen to the words of Psalm 101 today:

I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.

What are you looking at? Where are you dwelling? Where is your soul today?

Today, are you “looking” at the things of God? Are you “looking” at the things of the world? Are you “looking” at your own fleshly desires?  Are you looking at the things that dishonor God?  Or are you looking at the things that honor God and give life?

Are you “looking” at anger?

Are you “looking” at pride?

Are you “looking” at hatred?

Are you “looking” at unforgiveness?

Are you “looking” at you?  Or are you “looking” at God?

Our kids used to sing that song – Oh be careful little eyes what you see, Oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little eyes what you see.

Today, are you being careful what you see?  Are you placing your eyes, your mind, your soul on the things of God?  For only in doing that can we find life, love, peace, and joy.

Today, what are you looking at?

 

The Lord Appeared. Really?

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How do you expect God to show up in your life today? How do you expect God to speak to you or show Himself to you today?

A lot of time we expect God to show Himself to us as He does to Isaiah, where the smoke and wonder fill the Temple.  We expect God to show Himself in a spiritual laser light show.

Sometimes that happens. But, honestly, that’s pretty rare.

Today, in Genesis 18, we see the way that God appears to us most of the time:

The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground. “My lord,” he said, “if it pleases you, stop here for a while. Rest in the shade of this tree while water is brought to wash your feet. And since you’ve honored your servant with this visit, let me prepare some food to refresh you before you continue on your journey.” “All right,” they said. “Do as you have said.”

The text said God appeared to Abraham.  It’s very clear about that. God shows up. God is there.

And what do we see?  Three men, standing there.  Now, people have said these three men aren’t just three ordinary men.  Some said they are angels. Some say they are a representation of the  Trinity.  Some say it is God accompanied by two angels.

I don’t know.  All I know is this, the text said the Lord appeared to Abraham.  And He appeared in the visible form of three men.

Today, God will appear to you in some way.  He will.

But it might not be the way that you expected.  It might not happen in the way that you would have thought that it would. It may be totally and utterly different than the way that your mind may have planned.

God doesn’t always come to us in ways that we would have expected.  God comes to us in the ways that He needs us to see Him.

Today, the Lord will appear.  Really.  It might be as it was to Abraham, as a visitor.  It might be in a child’s life.  It might be in a visit to someone sick.  It might be in a kind word.  A friendly smile.

Today, the Lord will appear.  Really.

But it might not be as you expect.

Today, He will appear.  Will you be looking?

Which Way to Go?

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One of the things we hear a lot with faith is this – we don’t know which way to go.

We don’t know what decision to make. We we don’t know how to proceed, what to choose, what to do.

And, we don’t just hear that, do we? We experience it. Everyone one of us today, reading these thoughts, we’ve experienced that feeling. We’ve experienced that struggle. We’ve experienced that moment of looking up to the heavens and shouting – God what do I do!?!

We are not alone. One of the reasons why I love the Bible is that it contains every emotion, every thought, every feeling we go through. You and I are not the only folks in the history of creation to not know which way to go or to understand where God is taking us.

Many, many, many Christians through history have felt that and experienced that.  We are not alone.

And, this problem will not stay forever.  Today, if you are struggling through a decision, through a problem, through a choice,listen to what God says this morning through Isaiah:

He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

God will tell you.  God will speak.  God will show you.

He will.  It will happen.  You can trust.  You will know what to do.

So, today, if you are trying to make a decision, if you have a choice to make, perhaps the thing you need to worry about isn’t that choice.  Perhaps the thing you need worry about it is listening.

Are you listening to God?  I’m not asking are you telling God what you’d “like” to do.  But, are you making yourself quiet?  Are you blocking out all other noises and voices?  Are you making yourself still?

And listening for the voice of God?

He will speak.  He will lead.  He will show.

Today, if you are in the midst of a choice, listen.  Listen. God will speak.  God will lead.