Jesus was reluctant to turn water to wine at Cana. Then he would not heal the official's son the way the crowd wanted. Now he does not want to give a new crowd a new sign. They crossed the sea (lake) for him and are seeking after him. Yet in response to "what sign will you give us", he basically talks about entering into a faith relationship with him.
I continue to be amazed at how much we probably look like the crowd. Just think of our prayers. "Jesus, I don't know which one of these options to choose; give me a sign." "Lord, show me what to do now." "I'll stay here and not move until you indicate the best choice." It sounds spiritual but I just don't see Jesus jumping onboard.
The story within the story makes me scratch my head also. Jesus disappeared into the mountains and the disciples headed to Capernaum without him. They had all types of problems until Jesus finally joined them; then everything worked out fine. One could conclude that their error was proceeding without Jesus. The problem is that in Matthew, Jesus told them to go ahead. So concluding that they should have waited for Jesus would be to conclude that they should have been disobedient. That doesn't make any sense at all.
So putting it all together it seems that Jesus wanted to communicate to seekers and followers alike that faith in him is key. When we are just starting a conscientous spiritual walk, the first step is identifying the focus of our faith -- signs or the man Jesus? When we have been following for some time, it is just as critical to remember that obedience must always be accompanied by faith in this man.
Honestly I hate how simple that all sounds. Since I fail so miserably at the task, I want the task to sound really complicated. And of course Jesus won't let me get away with that excuse either.
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obedience. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Acts 21:17-40; Not Ideals
I hear what the Jerusalem Christian leaders said and then look at what Paul was teaching. In ways, there seems to be a disconnect. The leaders in Jerusalem were very concerned not to break too much with Judaism. Paul and his work seemed to have already made the break. Yet, Paul obeyed the advice of the leaders in order to maintain peace. (Obviously it didn't work but I think that no matter what Paul tried at this point it would not have worked; he was too volatile a figure for the Jews.)
The fact that Paul listened and complied impresses me. His heart was not proud nor was he stubborn in his ways. Many of us would have argued with the leaders and stood on our ideals. Many of us would have followed the American Way instead of the Jesus Way by breaking away to start our own movement. Paul, on the other hand, surely could have argued about multiple points with the advice and beliefs of the leadership but he chose not to. He chose to stay in a relationship with the people of his heritage. His goal was to connect people with Jesus; not to be right on every point. I admire that quality. It is not an easy one to acquire and speaks highly of the values of Paul.
The older I get the more relationships, heritage and community seem to grow in value and the more being right - especially being recognized as right - seems to diminish. It also seems that the older I get the more I try to undo the idealistic stances I developed in my younger days. What once seemed like "fight'en-words" doesn't seem to matter that much anymore. Sometimes life needs a reset button.
The fact that Paul listened and complied impresses me. His heart was not proud nor was he stubborn in his ways. Many of us would have argued with the leaders and stood on our ideals. Many of us would have followed the American Way instead of the Jesus Way by breaking away to start our own movement. Paul, on the other hand, surely could have argued about multiple points with the advice and beliefs of the leadership but he chose not to. He chose to stay in a relationship with the people of his heritage. His goal was to connect people with Jesus; not to be right on every point. I admire that quality. It is not an easy one to acquire and speaks highly of the values of Paul.
The older I get the more relationships, heritage and community seem to grow in value and the more being right - especially being recognized as right - seems to diminish. It also seems that the older I get the more I try to undo the idealistic stances I developed in my younger days. What once seemed like "fight'en-words" doesn't seem to matter that much anymore. Sometimes life needs a reset button.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Acts 16:1-10; Keep Walking
I used to watch an old cartoon (An American Tale) with my kids. There is a great scene where the daddy mouse keeps having to tell the son, "Keep walking, keep walking." It seems that Paul had the same idea in mind.
Paul replaced Mark with Timothy and circumcised him in order that they could be accepted by the Jews where they visited (Paul usually taught in synagogues). Then they kept walking. The text says that the Spirit impeded Paul twice and gave him a specific call once. The positive call was a vision but the others are not clarified for us. What impresses me and what I think Paul did different than many of us when we are waiting on God is that he kept walking. After having doors closed to him, he simply redirected the journey but never lost his zeal nor his purpose. He certainly did not sit and wait.
As a culture we tend to be so busy and anxious that we often don't listen for God. In those moments, "be still" is the hardest and most helpful thing. Yet there is another extreme that we can engage in and that is sitting and waiting until God makes everything clear. It seems he rarely does that. Most of Abraham's, Moses', Jesus' and Paul's lives were spent walking. They were given direction after they obeyed and acted on their convictions. As an old preacher that I respected used to say, "God doesn't give direction to a stone." It seems that our convictions are to be lived out and along the way the direction will come at the appropriate time. So, keep walking.
Paul replaced Mark with Timothy and circumcised him in order that they could be accepted by the Jews where they visited (Paul usually taught in synagogues). Then they kept walking. The text says that the Spirit impeded Paul twice and gave him a specific call once. The positive call was a vision but the others are not clarified for us. What impresses me and what I think Paul did different than many of us when we are waiting on God is that he kept walking. After having doors closed to him, he simply redirected the journey but never lost his zeal nor his purpose. He certainly did not sit and wait.
As a culture we tend to be so busy and anxious that we often don't listen for God. In those moments, "be still" is the hardest and most helpful thing. Yet there is another extreme that we can engage in and that is sitting and waiting until God makes everything clear. It seems he rarely does that. Most of Abraham's, Moses', Jesus' and Paul's lives were spent walking. They were given direction after they obeyed and acted on their convictions. As an old preacher that I respected used to say, "God doesn't give direction to a stone." It seems that our convictions are to be lived out and along the way the direction will come at the appropriate time. So, keep walking.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Acts 9:1-31; Greatness
Paul was sincere; no one could question that. He was sincerely wrong for a while and it cost the lives of many people. But he was always sincere. Likewise, he was transparent. What he believed, he proclaimed -- whether it was the message that the Messiah had not come or the message that he had. Perhaps it was for these characteristics that people were drawn to him and that God used him in great ways.
But was the work of Ananias and Barnabas any less impressive? Ananias knew why Paul was coming to Damascus and responded to God's call anyway. Probably he and his family anticipated that this was a call to martyrdom or at least imprisonment, which would mean pain and poverty for his family. Barnabas had no vision from God to prompt him when he reached out to Paul. While others ran away, he ran towards. Taking Paul in as a new believer meant risking his reputation and perhaps his life as well.
I know a few Pauls that are well recognized public figures; I am also blessed to know a few Ananias & Barnabas people that launched the Pauls. Without them, the well known figures would never have existed. Several of them have passed on now, dieing like they lived, in humble obscurity. Yet they died knowing they had responded to the visions and calls in their own lives. They stepped into the gap when others would not and God used them to accomplish one major work that led to thousands of works in someone else.
We spend a lot of time honoring the Pauls and ignoring the Ananias and Barnabas people. Seems to me that we don't have a lot of control over which type of person we will be -- that is up to our gift mix and how God decides to use us. What does lie within our control is whether or not we will respond when God calls. Paul, Ananias and Barnabas each had a choice to be obedient or not. Each stepped out on faith. Each was blessed to be used by God.
As humans we can't see far enough down the road to know how we will be used but we can see windows of opportunity -- a chance to help someone, a moment to do a good deed, an opportunity for kindness or mercy. These we can see. These we can respond to. Greatness is not ours to choose; obedience is.
But was the work of Ananias and Barnabas any less impressive? Ananias knew why Paul was coming to Damascus and responded to God's call anyway. Probably he and his family anticipated that this was a call to martyrdom or at least imprisonment, which would mean pain and poverty for his family. Barnabas had no vision from God to prompt him when he reached out to Paul. While others ran away, he ran towards. Taking Paul in as a new believer meant risking his reputation and perhaps his life as well.
I know a few Pauls that are well recognized public figures; I am also blessed to know a few Ananias & Barnabas people that launched the Pauls. Without them, the well known figures would never have existed. Several of them have passed on now, dieing like they lived, in humble obscurity. Yet they died knowing they had responded to the visions and calls in their own lives. They stepped into the gap when others would not and God used them to accomplish one major work that led to thousands of works in someone else.
We spend a lot of time honoring the Pauls and ignoring the Ananias and Barnabas people. Seems to me that we don't have a lot of control over which type of person we will be -- that is up to our gift mix and how God decides to use us. What does lie within our control is whether or not we will respond when God calls. Paul, Ananias and Barnabas each had a choice to be obedient or not. Each stepped out on faith. Each was blessed to be used by God.
As humans we can't see far enough down the road to know how we will be used but we can see windows of opportunity -- a chance to help someone, a moment to do a good deed, an opportunity for kindness or mercy. These we can see. These we can respond to. Greatness is not ours to choose; obedience is.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Joshua 15-17; Finish Strong
This is not exactly the most exciting section to read. If I were a personal descendant of one of these tribes, maybe it would be different. Honestly the only thing that stood out to me was the almost obedience, which is an oxymoran. Jerusalem was taken but the Jebusites continued to live. The same occurred in two other sections (16:10 & 17:12-13) where the Canaanites were not dislodged but eventually became slaves, or at best subjects. Israel did not complete the conquest with the same total obedience that it demonstrated earlier. Later, problems from the influence of intermarriages with the locals became a thorn in their flesh.
I wonder why they did not finish strong? Why did the Jews back off in the fulfillment of what God asked of them? Whether we feel comfortable with the concept of taking no prisoners or not, it is clear that Israel did not fully obey. That phrase -- fully obeyed-- that shows up over and over in the book is missing from these chapters.
Perhaps the deeper question is do I finish strong? I see a pattern in life of crisis leading to conviction leading to response that runs out of steam over time. After being embarrassed by a sin, my conviction leads me to seek change with all my heart; yet three months later the focus is lost and I fall back into old ways. I think the same can be said for the majority of us; yet it is not what we think when we speak of Moses, David and Jesus. These finished strong spiritually and stand out to us. They seem to have done it not by will-power or effort but out of a relationship with their Creator. They did not let that aspect of life lag and it fueled everything they did. Like an electronic device running out of battery, we slowly cease to function well; they, on the other hand, never unplugged.
I wish the conclusion was more complicated. I wish I could say that Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and countless others were supermen or something. The sad and convicting truth is that they were not and I have no excuse. I become unplugged from God via negligence but they did not. The difference comes down to one choice, i.e., they obeyed the words of Jesus to "remain in me." One choice. One simple conviction. Everything else flows from that.
I wonder why they did not finish strong? Why did the Jews back off in the fulfillment of what God asked of them? Whether we feel comfortable with the concept of taking no prisoners or not, it is clear that Israel did not fully obey. That phrase -- fully obeyed-- that shows up over and over in the book is missing from these chapters.
Perhaps the deeper question is do I finish strong? I see a pattern in life of crisis leading to conviction leading to response that runs out of steam over time. After being embarrassed by a sin, my conviction leads me to seek change with all my heart; yet three months later the focus is lost and I fall back into old ways. I think the same can be said for the majority of us; yet it is not what we think when we speak of Moses, David and Jesus. These finished strong spiritually and stand out to us. They seem to have done it not by will-power or effort but out of a relationship with their Creator. They did not let that aspect of life lag and it fueled everything they did. Like an electronic device running out of battery, we slowly cease to function well; they, on the other hand, never unplugged.
I wish the conclusion was more complicated. I wish I could say that Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and countless others were supermen or something. The sad and convicting truth is that they were not and I have no excuse. I become unplugged from God via negligence but they did not. The difference comes down to one choice, i.e., they obeyed the words of Jesus to "remain in me." One choice. One simple conviction. Everything else flows from that.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Joshua 8; Blessed Obedience
Joshua attended to the words of God, both oral and written. There were general instructions, i.e., be bold and set an ambush. Joshua did. Then there were specific instructions, i.e., raise your javelin now. Joshua did. At the end of the chapter, Joshua is again portrayed as the obedient leader. He built the altar as Moses commanded. He organized the people as Moses commanded. Then he read the law that Moses had commanded.
The portion of the law that the people were commanded to recite between the two mountains after entering were the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience (Deuteronomy 27-28). It was not a theory but rather an explanation of the difference between the two attacks on Ai. They had seen firsthand the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. They had watched their leader model it for them.
Their former leader Moses was am amazing man who heard the voice of God and received decrees that changed the world. Joshua was equally impressive but a little more like us. He did not have the ongoing dialogue that Moses seemed to have with God. His guidance was more like ours, i.e., some mix of personal guidance and the written word. He did not have every action explained to him and often filled in the gaps in order to accomplish God's will. For example, all God said was ambush the city; Joshua had to fill in the details of where and how.
Life today seems to follow that model, i.e., God gives us goals, moral direction and occasionally some more specific instructions. Often we are left to fill in the gaps via our own wisdom. Love your neighbor is pretty general; what that looks like will be up to my wisdom and circumstances today. Seek first the kingdom is general; how to do that today will look different for me versus the next guy.
God's promise to Abraham was that the people around him would be blessed. I think that is a standing promise. At the end of the day, everyone in Israel knew that their blessings were due to the obedience of Joshua, in generalities and specifics. We tend to pursue the American dream through insane hours of work and worry hoping to bless our families through it. Yet all it does is leave us exhausted and discouraged. Joshua pursued obedience to God and the result was a blessing for all. Though all the Israelites were God's children, Joshua stood out by his close attention to God's words. Do I? Does my family receive blessings from my efforts to pay attention to the words of God? Do others want to be around me because I am blessed and those blessings overflow to them? Do I work and worry for the American dream or for filling in the gaps of God's instructions? Am I attentive like Joshua or just another face in the superficial crowd of the nominally obedient?
The portion of the law that the people were commanded to recite between the two mountains after entering were the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience (Deuteronomy 27-28). It was not a theory but rather an explanation of the difference between the two attacks on Ai. They had seen firsthand the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. They had watched their leader model it for them.
Their former leader Moses was am amazing man who heard the voice of God and received decrees that changed the world. Joshua was equally impressive but a little more like us. He did not have the ongoing dialogue that Moses seemed to have with God. His guidance was more like ours, i.e., some mix of personal guidance and the written word. He did not have every action explained to him and often filled in the gaps in order to accomplish God's will. For example, all God said was ambush the city; Joshua had to fill in the details of where and how.
Life today seems to follow that model, i.e., God gives us goals, moral direction and occasionally some more specific instructions. Often we are left to fill in the gaps via our own wisdom. Love your neighbor is pretty general; what that looks like will be up to my wisdom and circumstances today. Seek first the kingdom is general; how to do that today will look different for me versus the next guy.
God's promise to Abraham was that the people around him would be blessed. I think that is a standing promise. At the end of the day, everyone in Israel knew that their blessings were due to the obedience of Joshua, in generalities and specifics. We tend to pursue the American dream through insane hours of work and worry hoping to bless our families through it. Yet all it does is leave us exhausted and discouraged. Joshua pursued obedience to God and the result was a blessing for all. Though all the Israelites were God's children, Joshua stood out by his close attention to God's words. Do I? Does my family receive blessings from my efforts to pay attention to the words of God? Do others want to be around me because I am blessed and those blessings overflow to them? Do I work and worry for the American dream or for filling in the gaps of God's instructions? Am I attentive like Joshua or just another face in the superficial crowd of the nominally obedient?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Romans 16:20-27; Obedience of faith
The book begins and ends with the same concept, i.e., obedience of faith. Chapter 1:5 and 16:26 both have the phrase. All the rest has been commentary. This is the goal of the message, that is, to move us to obedience of faith.
My mind instantly shifted that to say "faithful obedience" but maybe that is not the same. Faithful obedience seems to feel like "sticking it out and always being obedient no matter what happens". Yet obedience of faith seems to strike me more as obedience that flows from faith. Rather than gritting it out in obedience, it seems we have been given revelation that inspires a belief that is compelling enough to move us to action. Obedience flows from faith. Rather than focusing on obedience, the focus is on faith which is simply manifest in obedience.
Somehow we seem to do well at obedience because its "right" and faith which has no actions. I sometimes wonder if the early followers of Jesus would recognize us by our lives or not.
My mind instantly shifted that to say "faithful obedience" but maybe that is not the same. Faithful obedience seems to feel like "sticking it out and always being obedient no matter what happens". Yet obedience of faith seems to strike me more as obedience that flows from faith. Rather than gritting it out in obedience, it seems we have been given revelation that inspires a belief that is compelling enough to move us to action. Obedience flows from faith. Rather than focusing on obedience, the focus is on faith which is simply manifest in obedience.
Somehow we seem to do well at obedience because its "right" and faith which has no actions. I sometimes wonder if the early followers of Jesus would recognize us by our lives or not.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Luke 22:7-13; Predicted
Just when I can get comfortable with the future not being "set", Jesus explains what will happen in the future with exact precision. His apostles carry out his plans due to his instructions about what would happen.
So are there multiple options for the future or is there only one? Perhaps that question is the wrong one. Perhaps the question should be how am I using the opportunities facilitated to me by the future? Am I willing to follow the lead of Jesus in my future? Am I willing to be obedient to him as I proceed?
His apostles did and the world was forever changed because of it. My turn?
So are there multiple options for the future or is there only one? Perhaps that question is the wrong one. Perhaps the question should be how am I using the opportunities facilitated to me by the future? Am I willing to follow the lead of Jesus in my future? Am I willing to be obedient to him as I proceed?
His apostles did and the world was forever changed because of it. My turn?
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