Mercy from God

“We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful,” (Daniel 9:18).

Daniel was pleading to God on behalf of himself and his people.  Though he was not responsible for the downfall of Judah, nevertheless as a member of God’s people, he identified himself with the sinfulness of the nation. He was an innocent bystander in the destruction of his land, yet he suffered with them through his forced captivity in Babylon.  But Daniel’s innocence didn’t keep him from praying and fasting and pleading to God for release. Neither did he blame God for their predicament. Instead, Daniel cried out to God on behalf of his people. He acted as an intercessor, or go-between, as he approached God to seek reconciliation.

Notice Daniel’s honesty as he confesses to God regarding the sins of his people. He says:

• “We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations,” (v 5).
• “We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets,” (v 6).
• We have been “disloyal” to you (v 7).
• “We have not obeyed the LORD our God, for we have not followed the laws he gave us,” (v 10).
• “All Israel has disobeyed your law and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice,” (v 11).
• “We have refused to seek mercy from the LORD our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth,” (v13).
• “We have sinned and are full of wickedness,” (v 15).

God had clearly revealed his will for his people and had told them what would happen if they abandoned him. Everything that occurred in the destruction of Jerusalem and the people’s exile was in keeping with what God had said through the Law of Moses and later through the prophets.  His judgment of Israel was not arbitrary but totally just (Daniel 9: 14) . He had warned and pleaded and sought to turn his people away from their sin and destructive tendencies through the prophets. But the people continually refused to believe his word and his message.  Daniel recognized this as he confessed: “You have done exactly what you warned you would do against us and our rulers… the troubles you predicted have taken place,” (Daniel 9: 12-13).

So what was the solution?  Daniel made no excuses but instead sought God’s mercy. He knew that God is a God who helps the needy. God’s heart is for those who are miserable, rejected and broken because of other’s actions or because of their own sin. Daniel declared, “But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him,” (Daniel 9:9).  Daniel boldly asked God to intervene and to bring about restoration, “Not because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful,” (Daniel 9: 18).  The people were not entitled to anything from God, but Daniel knew God’s heart and his character. He knew that God responds to broken hearts, real confession, and honest cries for mercy. He knew that only God could save them.

God has not changed. God is still just and God is still merciful. He has clearly revealed himself through the bible and has explicitly explained what happens to those who reject him. It’s important that we recognize that refusing to obey God’s will always has severe consequences. So often when we are confronted with our sinful behavior, we foolishly defend or rationalize our actions. Instead, we need to be honest about our lives and openly deal with God regarding our sin and hypocrisy. We need to acknowledge that only God can save and heal us. We need to turn away from our independence and self-reliance because only God can give us hope and the help we need. When we admit our powerlessness and turn to God with a humble and repentant heart, we too can be assured of his mercy. He delights in restoration and  desires to draw  us back into his arms.

 

 

 

Victim or Victor?

I’m home from vacation.  Sorry for so little posting over the past two weeks… our old computer crashed while we were on vacation.  Sigh…

Anyway, we have moved into the book of Daniel and will proceed over the next month to finish out our UPWORD together readings for this year. Let’s finish strong as we head into the minor prophets!

Daniel is one of my favorite bible heroes because of his strong faith and the way he lived in the midst of the unfairness of life.  Daniel and his friends were exiled to Babylon in 605 BC along with many others from Judah.  They were young men with character and integrity who had done nothing to deserve the hardship they faced. Nevertheless, the disastrous downfall of their nation due its prolonged disobedience to God affected their lives dramatically. They suffered innocently because of others’ choices. They lost big time.  And yet, they did not live life as victims.  They did not allow discouragement and disappointment to overwhelm them. They stayed focused on God.  I think a bumper sticker for Daniel’s life could read: “Life is not fair, but I am not a victim.” This is what makes his life a truly great life. Instead of wallowing in self pity over his losses or capitulating to the Babylonian culture in an effort to get by, Daniel lived a God-honoring life.

Having been taking from their homes, these young men were selected to take part in a three year training program that would indoctrinate them into the ways of Babylon (sounds a bit like college to me). Upon completing the program, they would become advisers to the king.  Their names were changed to strip them of their past and to symbolize their new identities in a new culture.  Daniel’s name was changed to Belteshazzar which means “Bel, protect his life”. Bel was a Babylonian god and Daniel’s name change was intended to turn Daniel away from his allegiance to his own God and homeland.  Daniel’s choices and faith kept that from happening.

Despite the challenges he faced, Daniel knew that ultimately God is in control and he determined to live in light of this reality.  “But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself…” (Daniel 1:8). He knew that no matter what happened to him, honoring God was the most important thing he could do. God’s will would not change with the circumstances and opposition Daniel faced and therefore, Daniel lived accordingly.  He remained faithful in the midst of a dangerous and power hungry political world.  And it was this faithfulness to God that caused even the pagan kings he served to recognize the existence of the true and living God.  King Nebuchadnezzar would say, “Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries…” (Daniel 2:47). Later King Darius would say, “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed and his rule will never end….” (Daniel 6:26-27).

From Daniel’s life we can see how crucial it is to stay faithful to God despite what life brings us.  We will all face injustices of varying degrees, but we do not have to become victims of our circumstances. Like Daniel, we can choose to serve God with all our strength even though it may bring opposition from the people around us — especially those who are in authority over us and also those who are threatened by our lives. Yet even when it costs us, we must do things God’s way.  If we turn to Him in the midst of the hardships we face, we’ll find his strength to sustain us and the loving assurance of his powerful, protecting hands.  We’ll find we are not victims, but victors.

 

 

Stripped Away

This week’s readings have really challenged us; particularly as we’re on vacation.  That’s way we haven’t posted this week; that and a very old computer that won’t connect to the internet with any predictability.  But we have continued to read along with each day’s readings and have been moved and disturbed by the book of Ezekiel.  Its a hard and discomfiting book–not the lightest fare for vacation time.  Nonetheless, we have found the Lord using it to sift our hearts and overturn some places that needed upending.

In Ezekiel 21, God makes this sweeping pronouncement through the prophet:  “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.Prophesy against the land of Israel 3 and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4 Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.” (Ezekiel 21:2-4).  What a provocative statement; disturbing to say the least.  It is hard to imagine that God would allow the righteous to suffer the devastation of judgement along with the wicked.  What’s going on here?

So, let’s look back and remember that Ezekiel is among the exiled Jews who are living in captivity in Babylon.  As he prophesies in this chapter, his view is on the people “back home” in Jerusalem but his message has several intended targets.

First, he is announcing that judgement is coming upon Jerusalem because the people had abandoned their loyalty to God.  All our choices have consequences.  The place is going to be wiped out and no one will be spared; not even those who follow God.  This points to the fact that sin’s consequences affect other people.  It isn’t just the God deserters whose lives will be devastated; even the upright will suffer.  We see this today in our culture as well.  So many suffer injustice due to the poor decisions of others.  The breakdown of family systems in our country has profoundly affected generations who are growing up without healthy role models. Sadly, sin and its dreadful by-products can never be contained to individual lives —  sin cannot be isolated — it has a way of hurting those around us. Consider the case of an addict whose dependency brings underserved pain to their spouse, children, friends and co-workers. Think about the angry father whose verbal rants demoralize and destroy the members of his family. Consider the critical mother whose sharp tongue and disapproving comments wither the souls of her children. Yes, sin always overflows the individual and affects others in dreadful ways. So, the actions of the “wicked” will affect the lives of the “righteous.”

Next, God will use Jerusalem’s destruction to bring about another result. It will also affect the exiles. God’s intention is to cleanse and purify his people so that they will belong completely to him. He intends to bring a remnant of faithful people back from exile who are free of idolatry. Restoration is the ultimate goal. But the people in exile had not yet fully repented and returned to the Lord (even though they had been taken to exile!). The people continued to look back toward home and saw that Jerusalem and the temple were intact. They viewed these outward things and assumed that God was still for them. They were still synchretistic in their hearts — blending their identity as God’s people with the worship of other gods. It is amazing how deep denial runs in the human heart. They put their hope in externals (Jerusalem and the temple) while still running their lives according to their carnal desires. They were people who wanted it both ways. On the one hand they identified themselves with God and professed faith in him. On the other hand their actions proved otherwise. God knew that as long as Jerusalem stood, the people would avoid the real work of honest relationship with him and repenting of their sinful ways — of doing an internal housecleaning of the heart that was visible in their external lives. If Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed, the people would have to own the reality that they were out of relationship with God; that he would not tolerate them “dating” other gods; and that their hope had to be in him alone and not in any external, lesser thing.

So how does this apply to us?  We, too, can put our hope in externals while convincing ourselves that we are fully committed to God. We profess faith in Christ, but also hope in lesser things like family relationships, friendships, our churches, our spouse, a boyfriend/girlfriend, our health, our job or our finances. We too have a way of “dating” the lesser ‘gods’. We don’t call them this, nor do we tend to think of them this way, but in essence we make idols of anything in our lives in which we place our hope outside of Christ. An idol is usually a good thing that becomes an ultimate thing that we rely upon or trust in beyond our hope in God. It pulls our hearts away from him and affects our decision making and our choices. It is less that God’s perfect will for our lives. He wants our complete devotion; just as he has already given us his. And because he loves, he is willing to strip away any and every thing that competes for our complete dependence upon him.

How to pray in pain

“Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river. Give yourselves no rest from weeping day or night. Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer,” (Lamentations 2:18-19).

Jerusalem has fallen. The people have been taken into exile. The Temple is destroyed. The walls of the city are demolished. And the prophet Jeremiah, the one who for so many years warned and pleaded and threatened the people of God, now laments with a broken heart the destruction that has come upon them. The language he uses in Lamentations is open and frank. He teaches us to cry aloud to God in our pain and to be honest before him in all situations; particularly when the pain of sin has caught up to us. We learn that we need not ever hold back the expression of our hearts from God.

For the Judean people, their pain was the result of sin.  It was sin that led to their destruction. The people now felt abandoned by God. Their pain and loss were almost beyond bearing. And Jeremiah mourned the tragedy. We must understand that unchecked sin always leads to devastating consequences. It may not seem that way at first, but ultimately sin brings sorrow and loss. Restoration can only begin in the midst of mourning and admitting the truth to God. This is what leads to God rebuilding our lives.

Many of the Jews believed that God would never bring destruction upon them no matter what they did.  Sometimes we can fall prey to this kind of dangerous denial too.  We take our theology of grace and election too far and assume it means we now have carte blanche before the Lord. No matter what we do, we think, grace will cover it all.  Lamentations provides a check to this foolishness and reminds us of our responsibility before God. He is still a holy, holy, holy God. We cannot assume that the Lord will protect his own at all cost and simply turn  his eye away from their sin.

Yet we know that God is not aloof to our pain.  The God who brought destruction because of sin is the same God who bore the judgment of that sin on the cross of Jesus Christ. God is not against us, but is for us and has forever demonstrated his love in the cross of his Son. His great purpose in each of our lives is to conform us to the image of Jesus. This means that he will perform a thorough work of purging us from sin and shaping us to reflect the One who has borne our sin and our sorrows.  The great hope we have is that no sin is so great that it puts us beyond the reach of God.  He is ever- ready to amend us and restore us and transform us when we turn to him with all our hearts.

So turn to him today. Be honest in your pain. Where there is sin, confess it and thoroughly turn from it.  Receive God’s mercy and cleansing.  And allow the restoration to begin.

Haven’t I had enough pain already?

“Haven’t I had enough pain already?” (Jeremiah 45: 3 NLT). This is the woeful lament that came from the lips of Baruch, Jeremiah’s aide and scribe.  Just as Jeremiah faced ridicule, derision and persecution from the people of Judah, Baruch did also.  It was unpopular work being a prophet (or in this case a prophet’s assistant). But God promised to watch over and protect Baruch no matter what else happened around him or where his service to God took him. God said– “Baruch…I will destroy this nation that I built. I will uproot what I planted. Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it! But don’t be discouraged. I will bring great disaster upon all these people, but I will protect you wherever you go. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 45:4-5).

This word to Baruch was given to him earlier in life but is placed in the book of Jeremiah at the end of their time in Egypt.  Following the destruction of Jerusalem, both Baruch and Jeremiah were kidnapped by their own people (who again were faithless toward God) and taken down to Egypt. These faithless and apostate Judeans who took up residence in Egypt  as a feeble attempt to avoid God’s judgment through the Babylonians would suffer destruction for their disobedience to God.  But God promised to watch over Baruch. The reason the message is placed out of historical context is to provide a reminder that God does take care of his own, despite the way things sometimes look.

Ultimately, Baruch’s cry is a result of the difficulty of serving God in a world that is hostile to Him. Let’s face it, history shows that those who serve Christ in this world suffer at the hands of the world. But our suffering, pain and difficulties in this life are not the last word.  The promises of God are. God will have the last word on our lives, our work and our fate.

If you are feeling isolated or depressed by your circumstances, remember God’s word to Baruch. While Baruch didn’t understand his pain and he didn’t “deserve” the treatment he received at the hands of others, he was not outside of God’s will.  God was still paying attention to him. God was still at work shaping and molding him.  God was still using his service. God was still on the throne of the universe and on the throne of Baruch’s life.  And God promised that he would watch over him and protect him.   He will do that for you too, if you’ll simply trust him in the midst of wherever you find yourself.  Reach out to God today.  Tell him your troubles. Invite Jesus into your circumstances.  And listen for his word of comfort and reassurance in your life.

The Greatest Day of His Life

The greatest day of the prophet Jeremiah’s life is recounted in Chapter 40 of his book. It came immediately on the heals of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem of which Jeremiah had prophesied for many years. The people were in the midst of being exiled to Babylon just as Jeremiah had predicted. Finally, the lies of all the false prophets who continuously declared, “Peace, peace,” were exposed. The truth and integrity of Jeremiah’s ministry was clearly displayed.

Jeremiah was in chains with the rest of the people as they began the long trip into Babylonian captivity.  Only the weakest and poorest people — the truly worthless people — had been left behind in the destroyed Jerusalem. Suddenly, Jeremiah was singled out of the crowd and given a message by the conquering King Nebuchadnezzar.  Jeremiah’s chains were removed and he was given the option of going to Babylon where he would be given special treatment — a posh retirement of sorts under the protection of the King, or he could return to Jerusalem and live among the ruins with the misfits of the remnant community. “The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, ‘…Now I am going to take off your chains and let you go. If you want to come with me to Babylon, you are welcome. I will see that you are well cared for. But if you don’t want to come, you may stay here…Its’ up to you; go wherever you like,” (Jeremiah 40:2-5).

In Babylon, Jeremiah would have ease and comfort as promised by Nebuchadnezzar himself. He would have respect and dignity (he had been despised and ridiculed by his own people). He would have provision and ease. Essentially, he would have the “good life” and could finish out his days as he well deserved. In Jerusalem, however, he would be starting over. There would be few resources of any kind. The city was in ruins. The temple was a heap. The people were so broken and despicable that they weren’t worth taking as slaves. Jerusalem would mean continued and increased hardship for the rest of his days.

Jeremiah chose Jerusalem. It was the greatest day of his life. He chose a life of faith in the midst of the brokenness. He chose to trust God despite what he could see. He chose to believe that God would rebuild from the ruins. He believed God’s provision and grace would reestablish a people called by God’s own name. Ultimately, Jeremiah chose God.  He chose to live a life with God walking the faith walk –  a life that is not particularly pretty or popular; and certainly is not easy or simplistic.

Everyone of us will face choices throughout our lives as to whether or not we will live by faith. Those choices will always be costly. That is ultimately what this life is about.  Faith or no faith. Belief in God or no belief in God. Trust in his word or trust in the world. Will you choose to trust God and follow him no matter where it might lead?  Will you hold on to him in the midst of confusion and disappointment? Will you remain faithful to him even amidst destruction and calamity? Will you cling to him no matter what the cost?  His promise is the same for everyone who chooses Him, “I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will be with you to the very end of the age.”

 

The Power of Denial

Denial is a psychological defense mechanism that can lead to real and lasting devastation. Basically, denial is the refusal to acknowledge the existence of an unpleasant reality.   Denial was active in the lives of the people of Judah and particularly their king, Jehoiakim of Jerusalem. Jehoiakim absolutely refused to listen to the prophet Jeremiah’s predictions of the coming destruction by the Babylonians. He preferred to listen instead to the lies of the false prophets who continuously declared peace and low-cost deliverance. Jehoiakim wanted to believe that no harm would come to him despite how he lived. He wanted blessing without accountability. He was committed to keeping up the charade that God would not bring correction to His own people who had rebelled against Him. Jehoiakim’s denial was so complete that he even burned the scroll on which Jeremiah had recorded the Lord’s message. “”Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns of the scroll, the king took his knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his officials showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard,” (Jeremiah 36:23-24).

Jehoiakim was like so many us who pretend our sins will not catch up to us and who deny the consequences of our actions by ignoring them. As the old saying goes, denial is not just a river in Egypt—it is a force in all of our lives.  But to be whole people who live in freedom, we must face the truth about our actions. The only way to overcome our problems is to deal with them squarely before the Lord. Had Jehoiakim heard the words of the prophet and turned away from his sin, God would have spared him and brought healing. We know this is the case because that’s what happened with Johoiakim’s father Josiah.  When Josiah heard the words of the Book of Deuteronomy for the first time he tore his clothes in repentance and committed himself to a program of change.  Josiah received the merciful love of God because of his heartfelt and true response to God’s corrective word.  But such was not the case with his son. Jehoiakim chose instead to listen to the lying prophets and to reject God’s clear warning.

A life of freedom always comes through a commitment to truth.  Essentially, committing to truth is committing to God. We must be willing to hear what God’s word has to say about our lives and then respond accordingly.  Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” (John 8:32). Are there any “false prophets” in your life calling you away from the truth? Are you struggling to accept the reality of your actions and therefore living in a dangerous kind of denial? Are you rejecting what God has clearly pointed out to you as sin in your life?  May I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and help you gain God’s perspective on what is really going on within you.  And then honestly turn to the Lord to be healed. Commit yourself to him and ask him to give you the power to change. With God, we never receive what our sins deserve. Instead we receive grace and mercy because God specializes in restoring that which is broken.

Is Anything Too Hard for God?

The Lord asked Jeremiah, “Is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). It’s a profound question. It’s a question that is designed to evoke what one really believes about God. The obvious answer is, “No. Nothing is too hard for you God.”  Any reasonable person who believes in the Lord and has read the scriptures would have to come to this conclusion.  However, for a person who is hurting and struggling under the pain of life and/or the mistakes of their past, or for a person who can’t possibly see how things can change for the better, the question may be difficult to answer.

When God asked this question, he did so in the face of the destruction that was emerging upon Jerusalem. The place was about to be overrun by the Babylonians.  The siege engines were already against the walls. Downfall was imminent. The sins of the people had finally caught up to them. Their wanton rejection of God, who repeatedly had called them to change their minds and turn their lives back to him, had finally run its course. The inevitable destruction that God warned them would come had come.

In the midst of this impending doom, God began to speak words of hope to the people.  It began with God instructing Jeremiah to buy a piece of land from his cousin. Even though the Babylonians were about to overthrow everything, God used Jeremiah’s actions to show there was still hope. God was saying through Jeremiah that even though immediate loss was coming, restoration was on the horizon. Though the people would be sent into exile, they would one day return to their homeland and to normalcy. Jeremiah’s action was an investment in a future that God said would come. “Fields will again be bought and sold in this land about which you now say, ‘It has been ravaged by the Babylonians, a land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ Yes fields will once again be bought and sold…in the land of Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the hill country…For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken,” (Jeremiah 32:43-44).

The impending exile was not intended by God to forever destroy the people. It was not the malicious act of a vindictive deity. It was designed for one purpose: to totally and thoroughly turn the people back to their God. God wanted his people to accept responsibility for their failures and bad choices. The exile would cause them to become thoroughly honest about themselves and to stop hiding from the truth of their unfaithfulness. When they finally got real with God and honestly sorrowed for their sins, his restoration would come. When they realized and admitted their need for God’s healing power, they would have it. “I will surely bring my people back from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and mind to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants,” (Jeremiah 32:37-39).

Though the people faced judgment, judgment was not the last word.  It never is.  Hope is. The pain, the discipline, the destruction were merely tools designed to open hearts and pull them away from self-sufficiency. That’s what these things are always designed to do. They open the way for the inrushing of grace and the healing of the merciful and forgiving God.

Know this: no matter what you face today, God is for you and not against you. No matter how difficult your impending future looks, God is greater and has seen beyond the immediate. He’s already there waiting for you. He can and will see you through it, because nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Slow and Steady

Persistently. It means to exist for a longer than usual time often in the face of difficulty.  A person who is persistent continues a course of action without wavering. When I think of the word persistently, I am reminded of Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.”  The moral of that story has become the well-known phrase, “Slow and steady wins the race.”  The idea is that consistent actions effect outcomes.  This is true in life in both a positive and negative sense.  What you do continuously over time determines your destiny.

Persistently is the word that Jeremiah uses for himself and for the people of God.  But he uses the word in polar ways to describe each of their responses to the message of God.  He says, “For twenty three years…the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given you and your fathers from of old and forever,” (Jeremiah 25:3-5).  For 23 years Jeremiah listened daily to what God had to say to him and he spoke that word faithfully to a group of people who with equal persistence refused to listen. While Jeremiah embodies a life well-lived before God (despite the incredible hardships and persecution he faced because of it), the people of God embody fickleness, spiritual lethargy, and impulsiveness that ends in emptiness and destruction.

When we fail to live daily listening to the word of God, our lives invariably are dominated by the whims and winds of this world and our own sinfulness. And this invariably leads to a fall. Many years ago as I was preparing to go to seminary, my desire was to attend a biblically-oriented school as opposed to the merely religiously-inspired institutions of my particular denomination (Episcopal). As I was praying and seeking God about this, my wife and I happened to be walking through the Audobon Swamp Garden near Charleston, SC.  We were looking at the various trees that had been uprooted by Hurricane Hugo. I noticed a commonality between the uprooted trees.  No matter what kind of tree it was and no matter how wide the roots of the particular tree were, the common factor among those trees toppled by the storm was a shallowness of roots. As I looked intently at the destruction before me, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and whispered these words, “Unless you are rooted and grounded in my Word and in my Spirit, when the winds of apostasy and change begin to blow, you too will be toppled.”  I knew at that point that despite the persecution it might bring me from my own diocesan leadership, I had to go to seminary where they would teach me to know and listen to (and love) the word of God.

When we fail to listen persistently and when we refuse to come daily to hear what the Spirit of God has to say through the Scriptures, we can easily drift away from God like the Isrealites of Jeremiah’s day. They persistently failed to listen to the counsel, advice, correction and rebuke that God persistently sent them. As a pastor, I see this all the time as I deal with people who are dominated by their appetites and whose lives have become empty of commitment and purpose.  I regularly speak to people who live frantically busy lives that lack a sense of peace and groundedness.  I grieve as I see this trait being passed on to the next generation as children learn to bolt from one activity to the next, from camp to camp in the summer, and from lesson to sport to music in the school year.  Our culture is full of busy people determined to get ahead and grab their share of the good life, yet who do not listen daily to the word of the Lord.  And we wonder why our churches are so spiritually anemic and our nation seems to be in rapid decline.

Meanwhile, God is loving you. Persistently. He daily seeks time with you.  His heart is for you. He is dogged in this pursuit, yet not in a merely dutiful or drudging way. He is creative and surprising; steady but not boring. He will lead and guide you if you will simply learn listen to him.  Will you, like Jeremiah, choose to carve out the space in your life necessary to listen to God and commit daily and consistently to learn his ways?

Loving God Wholeheartedly

First, it’s good to be back blogging on the Scriptures as we continue our journey through the Bible this year. We have been away these past couple of weeks ministering at Camp St. Christopher and simply had so much to do that there was no time to write.  We had a tremendous time as we saw many young people respond to God and offer their lives to him in love and surrender.  Thanks for your prayers!

Our return lands us knee-deep in the book of Jeremiah. Few people have ever had as difficult a call from God as Jeremiah did.  His was to call God’s people to repent and return to the Lord. When they continually refused, his call was to announce destruction and exile upon the nation. No one likes a nay-sayer.  Because of this Jeremiah was not popular.  Not with the priests, other “prophets”, the government officials, nor the king – no one escaped the Lord’s critique through Jeremiah’s prophecies. It must have been incredibly difficult for Jeremiah to continually bear bad news and to be ignored! He endured sorrow and heartbreak because of the people’s apathy toward God and their scorn and indifference toward his ministry.

God’s people had become rebellious, self centered and complacent. They believed that their identity as the chosen people of God meant they could behave carte-blanche. They believed that the prosperity they enjoyed because of their covenant relationship with God was actually something they had achieved by their own ingenuity and resourcefulness.  They didn’t see or believe how their behavior turned them away from God.  They couldn’t believe God would punish them, despite how they behaved.  They refused to listen to God’s warnings through Jeremiah. And while they continued to practice “religion” in an external way (what we would call going through the motions of faith), they had no real connection with the Living God. In short, they had the trappings of faith without actually believing and living by faith. The arrogance of their hearts was tremendous. They wanted God’s blessings but did not want God. They wanted the benefits of relationship with God, yet refused to live in accordance with the nature of God and in conformity to the ways of God.  Compounding their problem was that they had plenty of religious leaders telling them God was pleased with them; that no harm would befall them; and that peace and prosperity would remain.  But this was not God’s assessment.  God was not pleased.

In this, there is a warning for us.  We must see that there is the potential within every one of us to take the grace of God and make it an excuse for license.  We can take the wonder of God’s grace and make it an idol that hides and approves of the sin our own hearts. I don’t think this happens right away in anyone’s life. It creeps in gradually.  We begin well by rightly understanding there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor.  There is nothing that we can do on our own to  be righteous. Salvation is the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And so we turn to God in faith by trusting that his grace alone will save us.  But unless we allow God to thoroughly restore our hearts and lives, unless we repent deeply and walk intimately with him each day, the sin that is so prevalent within us can easily cause us to take advantage of his good will toward us.  Soon, we like the Israelites, can begin to subtly expect God’s grace regardless of the sin in  our hearts. Perhaps we even begin to believe that because of his grace we need not live lives that are being reformed daily by his Spirit. On the one hand, it is right to rest in him knowing that we cannot achieve anything on our own. Yet on the other hand, we need to cling to him and be responsive to his ways and promptings. The key to living in this tension is staying in relationship to God.  It is key that in response to the revelation God has given us, we learn to love him wholeheartedly. We learn to yield to his promptings. We learn to walk in his ways. Otherwise, we may be in danger of enjoying the blessings of being his people while simultaneously forgetting to remain in relationship with him.  Do we love God for what he does for us and what he gives us? Or do we simply love God for who he is and all he has already done for us?

I pray that we will be like the good figs of Jeremiah 24.  God says of these people, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole hearts,” (Jeremiah 24:7).