Pressing On In His Footsteps

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (MSG) I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Observation

I know that God is All-Wise, All-Knowing, perfect in every way, incapable of making an error, and never blind-sided or surprised by unforeseen twists and turns, but at times like this, I wonder if He didn’t regret making us human. He’s our Creator, so He could have chosen to make us something more consistent/less fickle, less driven by emotions and passions, not so free to make all of our own choices – in other words, a less aggravating and worrisome child, one who listens and learns from experience.  Instead, He gave us free wills, completely in charge of the choices we make, good or bad, beneficial or harmful, wise or foolish.   

As I reach the end of Deuteronomy (the “again I say unto you” of the First 5 books), Father God is saying that He has demonstrated to this people over and over again His commitment to them and proven His ability to deliver what He has promised.  This same offer (choosing between life and death) is before me today and what I receive is based on the choices I make.  Just as these people have experienced His faithfulness, His miraculous deliverance, His power, His protection, His promises fulfilled, so have I.  The choice is theirs as well as mine today – to choose life or death by whom they/I choose to trust and serve.  I pray that I will be better at obedience than they were. 

Impact on Me

Each time I come again to repent for some bad choice (trusting more in what the world or I can do than in Him), I often ask why He made me human. Like Paul in Romans 7, I struggle even with following through when I do make good choices:

Romans 7:21-25 PHILLIPS When I come up against the Law I want to do good, but in practice I do evil. My conscious mind whole-heartedly endorses the Law, yet I observe an entirely different principle at work in my nature. This is in continual conflict with my conscious attitude, and makes me an unwilling prisoner to the law of sin and death. In my mind I am God’s willing servant, but in my own nature I am bound fast, as I say, to the law of sin and death. It is an agonising situation, and who on earth can set me free from the clutches of my sinful nature? I thank God there is a way out through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is then that the still small voice reminds me that He made me human so I would need Him, so that my heart would ache passionately over my unfaithfulness in response to His perfect love, grace and mercy, that I would repent and return and, in His embrace, provide an opportunity for Him to pour out His love for me once again.  What an amazing love, what a wondrous God we serve! 

Prayer

Dear, dear Jesus, what a wonder You are.  You suffered and died so I would have a choice and the Holy Spirit power to sustain it.  I thank You that You give grace along with forgiveness, second chances with repentance, encouragement with conviction, and stick with me when I fail again and again.  Work in me Your holiness, Your peace, Your wisdom so I may consistently choose to live in Your life and blessing.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Isaiah 3:8-11 (MSG) “Jerusalem’s on its last legs.  Judah is soon down for the count.  Everything people say and do is at cross-purposes with God, a slap in my face.  Brazen in their depravity, they flaunt their sins like degenerate Sodom.  Doom to their eternal souls! They’ve made their bed; now they’ll sleep in it. Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off.  But doom to the wicked!  Disaster!  Everything they did will be done to them.”

Observation

Apparently, Isaiah thinks things have gotten entirely out of hand. In chapter 2, Isaiah describes the situation as a world “full of hokey religion, Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus, a world rolling in wealth, stuffed with things, no end to its machines and gadgets and gods—gods of all sorts and sizes.” Those standing up for God in his day seem to be fewer and fewer, and their admonitions and protestations are drowned out by the noise of those rushing to fulfill their own desires, pleasures and prideful pursuits. 

Isaiah says that all these pursuits that lead away from God will end in destruction not only for themselves but also the society in which they live. The devil knew then and knows now how to break God’s heart, how to hurt Him by luring His creation into self-destruction and eternal life separate from God.  Some of the Enemy’s great weapons are distraction, misdirection and deception.  Our Enemy says again to the rest of mankind as he did to Eve, “Surely God has not said…- surely He does not want to deny you what you know you deserve, desire or believe you have a right to have – surely He is withholding this from you so that you will not become equal to Him.”  This was an outright lie, a vicious attack on God’s character and an invitation to become our own judge of what is right and wrong.

Impact on Me

So, this sounds eerily like the present with our scandalous and greedy leaders, so much division both on the street and in political arenas, upside down morality, the rights of the guilty outweighing the rights of the innocent, the dilution of Christianity by mixing in compromise in the name of mercy, defining “our own truth”, and wealth and time squandered on endless fruitless pursuits and devices. Any voice raised for righteousness, to speak for Biblical values, seems to be ridiculed and dismissed by the great majority who have been swept up in “doing what seems right in their own eyes”. 

Nonetheless, our hope must rest in God’s encouragement – “Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off”.  Our day is certainly not the first time God has dealt with a faithless and Godless society and world.  He knows how to shine His light in every dark circumstance. Even if we feel that our light is only a pinprick, He can use it to become a beacon of rescue for someone in that darkness. I am convinced that, as we are faithful to let His light shine in and through who we are and what we do, His light will continue to shine through us to rescue those wandering in the dark.  He will amaze us with those who will emerge from the darkness into His glorious light.

Prayer

Lord of All, Father of Mercy, Light, Life and Redemption, the One Who Never Fails, never let me lose heart in Your power, anointing, and plan.  Remind me that You are with me when dark circumstances arise, or people oppose me.  Keep my eyes on You in the difficult situations in which I find myself, or when the Enemy whispers that these hurdles are just too high to overcome. Let me never give up on You, Your Word, Your power and ability to do all things to bring about Your will and purpose in my own life and in the world.  Fill me with boldness and courage to shine Your light into the blackest darkness. In Jesus’ Name, I pray.

Acts 21:10-13 Phillips  During our stay there of several days a prophet by the name of Agabus came down from Judea. When he came to see us he took Paul’s girdle and used it to tie his own hands and feet together, saying, “The Holy Spirit says this: the man to whom this girdle belongs will be bound like this by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles!”  ^12-13 When we heard him say this, we and the people there begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered us, “What do you mean by unnerving me with all your tears? I am perfectly prepared not only to be bound but to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus.”  ¹⁴ Since he could not be dissuaded all we could do was to say, “May the Lord’s will be done,” and hold our tongues.

Hebrews 12:1-3 Phillips  Surrounded then as we are by these serried ranks of witnesses, let us strip off everything that hinders us, as well as the sin which dogs our feet, and let us run the race that we have to run with patience, our eyes fixed on Jesus the source and the goal of our faith. For he himself endured a cross and thought nothing of its shame because of the joy he knew would follow his suffering; and he is now seated at the right hand of God’s throne. Think constantly of him enduring all that sinful men could say against him and you will not lose your purpose or your courage.

Observation

I hear in these verses an echo of Jesus words, “Get thee behind me, Satan!”  Neither Paul nor Jesus looked forward to the suffering and persecution they would endure.  They both looked past it to God’s result, fully trusting that whatever they suffered would produce redemption, restoration, and deliverance for others as they submitted to God’s will and purpose, focusing on the “joy he knew would follow his suffering.” They embraced the path God placed before them because of their love and gratitude for, their commitment to, and their absolute trust in His unconditional love.  How did they have the courage to choose the path of pain, rejection and suffering?

Both Jesus and Paul gave a great deal of time to fellowship with God, praying much and relying on the Word of God to strengthen and encourage them.  The investment of time and these practices nurtured a deep and intimate relationship between these men and God.  Jesus came and died as a man, the only man who could pay for all our sin, but also to demonstrate what is possible for us if we choose to invest in that relationship the same way as He did on this earth.  This is an example to us of how we humans can develop that same intimate fellowship, the same certainty that we have heard correctly despite what those around us say, and the courage to obey regardless of the cost to ourselves.

Impact on Me

When I was young, I would read the Lives of the Saints.  I would marvel at the courage, commitment and love of the martyrs, those who chose to remain faithful to God even unto death.  I could not imagine how one did it.  I knew I didn’t have the character and faith to do the same.  I prayed that, if ever the time came to make that kind of choice, God would give me the strength to be faithful.

Now that I have an adult relationship with and understanding of God, one that is deeper and more intimate, one positioned in Christ, I can imagine that He is able to provide the strength to endure whatever difficulty or persecution might come.  My choice will be to say, “Yes,” and, when it comes, to continue in that “yes” to:

• humbly obey, choosing to trust Him when I feel like what is happening is unfair and undeserved or unbearable,
• choosing to praise Him rather than complain or congratulate myself for being so “obedient”
• choosing to allow Jesus to be seen despite my whiney flesh. 

My submission to His will be reflected in how I represent Christ in all circumstances – how I allow His light to shine through me even in persecution – how I respond according to His word rather than according to my flesh.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Redeemer, Creator, One with the Father, I desire to submit fully to Your will and purpose for my life.  May I be faithful and remember in difficult or upsetting times to “Think constantly of him enduring all that sinful men could say against him and you will not lose your purpose or your courage.”   Even if You call me to be the doormat into your house, may I find contentment in obedience if trodding on me brings them to the knowledge of You.  Give me insight and wisdom so that my flesh will listen to my spirit urging me to respond in all circumstances according to Your word.  Help me to love and appreciate all Your people (whether I like them or not) because they are all on this journey with me for Your kingdom’s sake.  Amen.

Mark 14:3-9 Phillips Jesus himself was now in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. As he was sitting at table, a woman approached him with an alabaster flask of very costly spikenard perfume. She broke the neck of the flask and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. Some of those present were highly indignant and muttered, “What is the point of such wicked waste of perfume? It could have been sold for over thirty pounds and the money could have been given to the poor.” And there was a murmur of resentment against her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone, why must you make her feel uncomfortable? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You have the poor with you always and you can do good to them whenever you like, but you will not always have me. She has done all she could—for she has anointed my body in preparation for burial. I assure you that wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this deed of hers will also be recounted, as her memorial to me.”

Observation

We are just a few days before the crucifixion.  The religious leaders are actively plotting to murder Jesus because He is breaking the rules.  He is not breaking the Law of Moses, but He is challenging the mountain of man-made rules that have created an insurmountable barrier to Heaven for the poor and afflicted.  Jesus’ teaching threatens both the status pedestal of the Pharisees and the Temple profits of the Sadducees.  He must go!

So, we find Jesus at a friend’s house sitting at table.  All of a sudden, a woman (never identified) comes up to anoint Him with some very expensive perfumed oil.  It is interesting to me that this caused such indignation and resentment.  The perfume was hers to give and use as she wished.  Because of Jesus’ response – “She has done a beautiful thing for me.” – He recognized the act as worth the cost.  Was Jesus pointing the finger back at the accusers to have them examine how much they spent on luxury rather than the poor?  Was He again making a point about seeking God’s perspective rather than jumping to criticism or conclusions (trying to prepare them for the shock of the Cross)?  Was He again trying to express that following Him could be costly?

Impact on Me

He is in the home of Simon “the leper” (presumably healed by Jesus or no one would come to his home).  We don’t know who else is there, but can assume that at least His disciples are present.  However, I note that neither the woman nor the accusers are identified by name.  In doing so, the Gospel writer leaves it open to be any one of his time or ours.  Would I be the woman pouring out my very best to worship Him or be one who is jealous or critical of someone else’s worship?

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven” [Matthew 5:16].  Because she is nameless, she allows all the glory, all the praise, all the credit, to go to God – where it belongs.  As a vessel or instrument, I can provide an invaluable and irreplaceable contribution, but I am neither responsible for the plan or the results nor will I always understand how my simple obedience may fulfill His will and purpose.  A guitar does not write the music but allows for it to be heard.  It is the fingers and skill of the musician that makes the notes sing.  I want to be an instrument in the Redeemer’s hand.

Prayer

Lord God, My Redeemer, The Lamb of God, I humbly submit to follow You even when I am confused and confounded.  I want to do that “beautiful thing.” Lord, let Your light so shine that only You are remembered when the testimonies are shared.  I want Jesus to be what is remembered when people think of me.  I want my memorial to be not a list of accomplishments but rather that Jesus was evident in all I did.  I want others to know that Jesus is in my hugs.  I want them to remember that Jesus met them and forget who spoke or what was done by me.  When someone is lost in the dark, they don’t care whether the light comes as a lantern or a candle or a searchlight.  They are just grateful for the rescue.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.