Dare to be different

"To be one, to be united is a great thing. 

But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater." -Bono

      1 Blessed is the one 

         who does not walk in step with the wicked 

         or stand in the way that sinners take 

         or sit in the company of mockers, 

      2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, 

         and who meditates on his law day and night. 

      3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 

         which yields its fruit in season 

         and whose leaf does not wither— 

         whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

Dare to be different.... in a world that is screaming at you to conform.  Stick to your beliefs in a world that is telling you that your faith is outdated.  Stick to your morals in a world that is telling you immorality is ok.  Stick to the Words of the Holy Scripture in a world that wants you compromise your beliefs.  Stay true to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in a world that wants you to flow with society.

It continues to astound me that we are living in a society that wants all to be tolerant of all beliefs, and yet they won't be tolerant of what the conservative Christian believes.  They don't want us to cram down their throat what we believe, and yet they continue to cram down ours what they believe and say that we are being intolerant if we don't accept it.  I/we have the right to believe what we want and can live according to that, as does others in society.  I get that.  

I have the right to believe that abortion is murder, I have the right to believe that homosexuality goes against human nature and the purpose for which we are created, I have the right to believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, I have the right to believe that we are created in the image of God, I have the right to believe that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, and pure word of God, and so do you.  On the flip side you also have your right to what you believe, I support that right.  I am responsible for me, and you are responsible for you.  Just because I don't believe what you do, does not make me intolerant.  Just because I don't think, act, or believe like someone else doesn't mean that I am mean, ignorant, or intolerant.  I won't vote, support, or hang in circles like you do, but that doesn't mean we are enemies or that we can't be friends.  However, there is a limit, and that is in verse 1, I will not sit with mockers.  If you are going to make fun of me and what I believe then it will be impossible to be friends.

We are called to dare to be different, we are called to not walk with society if that leads away from what is True and Right.  Don't walk the path of society that is leading to destruction, you don't have to be part of it.  Don't stand with sinners, you don't have to be still.  Keep moving forward with God.  Take delight in who He is, in who you are, and the greatness of the Gospel.  Meditate on His Word for it will never fail you.

Dare to be different, Jesus did.

Have a blessed day, Chris

Not listening

Isaiah 65:12b:

         for I called but you did not answer, 

         I spoke but you did not listen. 

         You did evil in my sight 

         and chose what displeases me

If you have children you will totally get this.  Children have the innate ability to pick and choose what they hear (lets face it men so do we, haha).  You can have them look you in the eye and specifically tell them what to do, and yet they will tell you a little bit later that they never heard you say it.  Unfortunately, we do the same thing to God.

I have often heard it said that God answers prayers in one of three ways: yes, no, or wait.  There is something else to consider here when we think that God has not answered our prayer, and that is maybe, just maybe we aren't listening.  So why do we not listen?  Most immediate answer is because we know we won't like what He is going to say.  God is telling us something that maybe to us will make us uncomfortable, maybe it is unorthodox, maybe it goes against our traditions, or maybe its a sin we don't want to let go of, or maybe, just maybe it is a command that we have ignored our entire life and we just don't want to hear it anymore.   The easiest thing for us to do is not answer, not listen.

It is the easiest, but  most damaging.  Like anything else in life when God speaks we should listen.  We may not always like what we hear, want to do what we hear, or get the answer we want.  However, God has the ability to see beyond the here and now.  He has full perspective of eternity.

Eventually we learn as a child to listen (well some of us do).  The same is true of being a child of the Almighty Jehovah God, just listen and life will come together like it is supposed to.

So the challenge for today is listen and eat your broccoli, ok just listen.....

Chris

I don't get it

I have found myself saying this to God a lot since March 2020, "I don't get it" or "I don't understand".  The Pandemic, Civil unrest, and list goes on of CRAZY things this year.  I have found myself wondering how or why are we having to shut down churches, businesses, and basically the world.  People are without work, kids not in school, and our world turned upside down.  I keep telling myself that God is up to something, but what??  Leave it to Isaiah to help me here:


      8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
         neither are your ways my ways,”
           declares the LORD.
      9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
         so are my ways higher than your ways
         and my thoughts than your thoughts.
      10 As the rain and the snow
         come down from heaven,
         and do not return to it
         without watering the earth
         and making it bud and flourish,
         so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
      11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
         It will not return to me empty,
         but will accomplish what I desire
         and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:8-11, NIV)

I don't have to understand it, I don't have to get it.  God has a plan and I don't have to know what it is.  I just have to follow Him, I just have to trust Him.  His thoughts and ways are not mine, His thoughts and ways are higher (mind blowing) compared to mine.  God has a plan for all of this, God knew what was coming in 2020, He has something in store, He has a master plan that cannot be stopped, paused, or changed.  God will accomplish what He desires, He will fulfill His purpose for 2020 and beyond.

There is freedom in not having to have all the answers, there is comfort in knowing that God has this even if I don't understand.  You and I are not asked to figure everything out, we don't have to spin our wheels wondering what to make of all this.  All we are asked to do is follow in faith and know that God sees the bigger picture, He knows how this will change His people and this world, and He will get glory someway somehow at the end of the day (so to speak).

Dear child of God, you don't have to understand, you don't have to get it, just trust Him.

Have a great day, Chris

I AM

When we think of the "I am" statements in Scripture our minds usually go to two places.  My mind goes first to Exodus 3 where God tells Moses "I AM WHO I AM" and "tell the Israelites "I AM has sent you.  The second place my mind goes is Gospel of John with Jesus' 7 I am statements:

1) I Am the Bread of Life.

2) I Am the Light of the World.

3) I Am the door or gate & 4) I Am the Good Shepherd.

5) I Am the resurrection, and the life.

6) I Am the way, the truth, and the life.

7) I Am the true vine.

However in my reading this morning I was reminded that Isaiah has numerous "I am" statements as well:

         I am the first and I am the last; 

         apart from me there is no God (44:6)

       I am the LORD, and there is no other; 

         apart from me there is no God. (45:5)

         I am God, and there is no other; 

         I am God, and there is none like me.(46:9)

      “Listen to me, Jacob, 

         Israel, whom I have called: 

         I am he; 

         I am the first and I am the last. (48:12)

         I am the LORD your God, 

         who teaches you what is best for you, (48:17)

There could be more in chapters ahead, however my reading stopped in chapter 50.  Five times in this discourse God tells the people (through Isaiah) that He is the "I am".  Apart from Him there is no God, He is the first and last, and He is your God who teaches us what is best.  So the question that is posed is as such, "Who is God to you?  Is He your I AM".  I am means that He is everything, He knows what is best, and He is all we need.  Is God enough for you?  There is no more.  To be our everything means I don't need anything else. Money, power, and prestige is not what I need, it may be what I want, but it's not what I need.  I need God and nothing else will suffice.  Only when you and I discover that God is enough will we find fulfillment in Him in this world.

So, Is God your I AM?

Have a great day, Chris

I'm not hurting anybody

I'm sure you have heard this a million times if your like me.  You know someone, or it may even be you, that their sin (or yours) has been found out.  You tell them that their sins will hurt someone and they respond with "I'm not hurting anybody but myself, I am the only one who will have to deal with the consequences".  Reality is you and I both know that is not true.  No matter what the sin it has detrimental consequences to not only you, but the people around you.  Sexual sins destroy marriages and families, alcoholism ruins relationships, anger can be explosively destructive, and the list could go on but you get the point.

So we think about the effects it can have on others, and ourselves, however have you ever considered what it does to God?  The nation of Israel was openly rebellious to God, they absolutely would not listen.  God was abundantly merciful and yet they continued to be unfaithful.  Does this sound familiar?  We have become a nation that is openly rebellious against God, people have no shame anymore, they take what God has called sinful and beautified it as now a norm in society.  We are a country that has been so blessed by our creator and yet we continue to call good that which is evil, and evil that which is good.  I could go on, but I think you get the point.

This brings me to some verses in Isaiah:

         But you have burdened me with your sins 

         and wearied me with your offenses. 

      25 “I, even I, am he who blots out 

         your transgressions, for my own sake, 

         and remembers your sins no more. (Isaiah 43:24b-25)

I underlined for emphasis, but do you see it?  Two words burdened and wearied.  I have never viewed God's forgiveness of my sins that way.  I have always viewed God as patient and merciful when it comes to my forgiveness of sins, and scripture backs that up.  However, that is because I am His child in whom He is well pleased.  My sins are many, but My God is faithful.  My sins are not because I am intentionally trying to hurt God.  But what about those who know they do wrong and continue to do so, with no thought as to who it hurts or affects.  If we look at these verses in Isaiah we see that God sees them as a burden and wearisome.  Does He forgive, absolutely, but He does it for His own sake and not theirs.

So the bottom line is this the question is no longer just "are you hurting someone else with your sin problem" but also "are you burdening God and making Him weary with your sin"?

Thank Goodness for Grace, no matter what the sin may be we can and will find forgiveness through Christ.  Want proof of that look up 1 John 1:9....

May you be blessed!  Chris

What is hidden behind His back

Isaiah 38 is a beautiful chapter, as most are.  In this chapter God tells Isaiah to go and tell Hezekiah to get his house together that he will die (boy talk about being the bearer of bad news).  When Hezekiah hears this he turns his face to the wall and prays (38:) and weeps bitterly (38:3).  God then relents and adds 15 years to his life.

What is recorded next is what Hezekiah wrote after his illness and recovery.  This contains beautiful thoughts that are inner twined with emotion.  There is one verse in particular that caught my eye today, that is Isaiah 38:17b:

         In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction;
         you have put all my sins behind your back. (NIV)

Do you remember playing that game with a child of hiding something behind your back, to the person you are playing with whatever you are hiding is gone.... out of sight..... disappeared!

In this verse Hezekiah is reflecting on what God has done for him, and it is a helpful reminder to you and I what God has done for us.  In God's unconditional infinite compassionate deep love for us, He saves us.  He saves us from Hell, He saves us from the enemy, and He saves us from ourselves.  Our sins, the many sins that we have, He has graciously taken those off us and has put them behind His back.  So that neither He nor us have to look at them any more.  You are forgiven, no matter what you have done, God takes them and He does not return or mention them again!  Thank goodness for grace.

Chris

something to think about

As you may have gathered already I am reading through the book of Isaiah.  As I was reading today I had a thought, I know surprising isn't it :) . I have wondered this many times, and it is this:  Why doesn't God do things today like we read about in the Old Testament.  There is a great theological answer and that is that from the New Testament to today God has revealed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).  I get that, I really do.  However could you imagine if God did things today like He did in the Old Testament.  Like the 10 plagues, parting of the Red Sea, providing manna, water from the rock, and so on and so forth.

I am not suggesting by any means that we should go back to priest, high priest, and sacrifices on the alter for our sin.  But imagine for a moment if God did these things how people may react.  Quite frankly I don't think it would make any difference.  Anyway, getting to the point of this blog.

In Isaiah 37 Sennacherib was bearing down on King Hezekiah and things were looking pretty bleak for the nation of Israel.  Hezekiah does what we should do when things start looking bad, he prayed.  Now here is where I am going with this.  In Isaiah 37:14-20 is his prayer, the key is found in the closing of his prayer in verse 20:

20 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God." (NIV)

There it is in black and white, Hezekiah's motive.  He didn't ask for deliverance because he was scared of losing his kingdom, afraid of dying, or losing loved ones.  He wanted God to deliver them so that He (being God) would get the glory.  Maybe, just maybe, our motives are too selfish.  Maybe when we pray, we are so focused on our own wants that we lose sight of what God wants.  We pray with the mindset that we don't want to get hurt, we don't want to be sick, we don't want a family member or friend to deal with problems.  I know what you are thinking: Chris praying like that is not selfish we are praying for others.  True, but are we praying for them so that we can feel better about ourselves and our lives..... or because we want people around us to know that the LORD is the only God.

Now, here is the verse that got me thinking about this whole scenario, it is one of those times God did something dramatic, unbelievable, and jaw dropping:

36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. (Is. 37:36-37)

Can you imagine waking to this scene.  Thinking that morning that you would be facing a huge battle, and yet waking to find 185,000 of the enemy soldiers dead.  So why was this done, why did God do it this way?  "so that all the kingdoms of the earth would know that you LORD are the only God".

Hezekiah's motive was pure: He wanted his enemy to know that his God was the true God.  Just something to think about when we pray.

Have a blessed day!  Chris