Positive Dis-Ease; Psalm 119

May the mumbling commence!

Sometimes, I wonder if I live life too much at ease.  Don’t get me wrong.  There are times of dis-ease in my life, but times of dis-ease are few and far between.  In my reflections this month, I have been getting caught up from a particular time of dis-ease.  I missed these entries from September and October when I was laid out with my lower back acting up.  Let me tell you, I was ill at ease when my back and sciatica was acting up.  The pain and discomfort helped to remind me of the need for rest and Sabbath in my life. 

Yes, much can be learned from our body when pains make us slow down.  In those times, life seems as if it is crawling along – kind of like slowing down in our cars to thirty-five miles-per-hour from seventy-five miles-per-hour.  We begin to notice more details of the passing scenery.  And, if we choose to walk, we see even more.  We begin to see the beauty of the creation God has gifted us with – even if the beauty is tinged with pain.

And there are others types of dis-ease.  Some dis-ease is spiritually-based.  Some is socially-based.  Some is financially-based.  The list can go on and on.  God often uses our dis-ease to call us back to Him.  Yes, I believe that God calls His people through pain and affliction and dis-ease.  Read a passage from the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119:

            Do good to your servant

                        according to your word, O Lord. 

            Teach me knowledge and good judgment,

                        for I believe in your commands. 

            Before I was afflicted I went astray,

                        but now I obey your word. 

            You are good, and what you do is good;

                        teach me your decrees. 

            Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,

                        I keep your precepts with all my heart. 

            Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,

                        but I delight in your law. 

            It was good for me to be afflicted

                        so that I might learn your decrees. 

            The law from your mouth is more precious to me

                        than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. (Verses 65-72)

The temptation to wander from the Lord increases exponentially the better our lives are going.  Affliction is often a rod that will bring us back to God – back to the Word of God, Jesus.  So, should we seek out affliction? 

That depends upon what the reasons for the affliction are.  Please do not neglect to note the reasons for the affliction of the psalmist – being smeared with lies by callous and unfeeling people.  The reason for the dis-ease of the psalmist lies in the delight in the laws of the Lord.  Other people become ill at ease when they find someone who delights in the Word of God, Jesus.  So they want to cause great dis-ease for those who love and obey Jesus in hopes they can squash the love of Jesus evident in someone like the psalmist.  Affliction should never be sought by ignoring the Word of God. 

But, if affliction, pain, and dis-ease come from loving Jesus openly, then we should embrace dis-ease.  No one or nothing can be more precious to us than Jesus.  It is this kind of affliction and pain and dis-ease that the psalmist talks about.  It is this kind of affliction that I believe is missing from my life and the lives of many Christians in the United States.  This is the kind of dis-ease and affliction and pain we should be seeking out.

I have become too at ease with my private faith in Jesus.  Have you?  Faith in Jesus was never meant to be private, just as being the church was never meant to be a spectator sport.  I believe it is the season for searching out and knowing God’s decrees for my life and for yours. 

What is it that God is calling us to do in this time and place?  What are the needs of the community?  How can the church, regardless of the cost, meet these needs?  As Jesus asked Peter in the last chapter of the gospel of John, “Do you love me?  Then, feed my sheep and take care of my lambs.”

Do you feel ill at ease when you hear these words?  I do.  Much of the dis-ease has to do with fear.  How many times do we read in the Scriptures “Do not be afraid?”  We may fear failure or apathy or success.  But God is greater than our fears.  This type of dis-ease is spiritually-based, and it calls us back into relationship with God and each other.  Will we respond and return? 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Interest? Nehemiah 5

May the mumbling commence!

Problematic circumstances will arise in all ministry settings.  But, how do we respond to problems?  Nehemiah encountered a problem with how the people of Judah were treating their most vulnerable brothers and sisters.  Read a passage from Nehemiah chapter five:

            Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.  Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain." 

            Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine." 

            Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.  Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others." 

            When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.  I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say. 

            So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?  I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!  Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them – the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil." 

            "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say."

            Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised. (Verses 1-12)

Just to put food on the table, families were mortgaging their property and borrowing money and selling some of their children into slavery.  Interest on the loans they were getting ate away at any reserves they had.  They were even having trouble paying taxes.

Nehemiah heard their cry and stood up to the wealthy.  He basically said, “Stop exacting interest on your vulnerable brothers and sisters!  Should we free our families from slavery to other nations only to enslave them ourselves?  Give them back their property and help them get back on their feet.  Loan to them without interest.”

The people were speechless at this charge.  After listening to Nehemiah, they agreed to do as he said.  Nehemiah sealed their oaths with the priests.  Yes, how we treat people most vulnerable in our midst is important.  Read a passage from Psalm 107:

            He turned rivers into a desert,

                  flowing springs into thirsty ground, 

            and fruitful land into a salt waste,

                 because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 

            He turned the desert into pools of water

                 and the parched ground into flowing springs; 

            there he brought the hungry to live,

                 and they founded a city where they could settle. 

            They sowed fields and planted vineyards

                 that yielded a fruitful harvest; 

            he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

                 and he did not let their herds diminish. 

            Then their numbers decreased,

                 and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 

            he who pours contempt on nobles

                 made them wander in a trackless waste. 

            But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

                 and increased their families like flocks. 

            The upright see and rejoice,

                 but all the wicked shut their mouths. (Verses 33-42)

Do you see the pattern?  Success has a way of breeding wickedness.  We want to hold onto success at all costs.  And do not doubt it – success by any means necessary does cost!  Once fertile fields dry up, crack, and blow away.  Yes, God has a way of getting our attention by allowing us to suffer the consequences of what we do – reaping what we sow.

So, when we find ourselves living with the upper hand, let’s take care with how we relate the vulnerable people.  If there is affliction, let us lift them out of it.  Our welfare is bound together with all people – indeed, with all creation.  May we join the singing and praising of the Lord with all creation by lending a hand to people who need it most.

Enough mumbling for now…  Peace Out

When Resistance Meets Resilience; Neh. 4

May the mumbling commence!

If we search ourselves and our church families and our communities and our Lord, we will eventually see what should have been so plain to see – God’s call for us in our time and place.  It’s sort of like finally taking the time to look and be totally present to where we are at any given moment.  We begin to see the beautiful world that surrounds us. 

Just so, if we search diligently we will become aware – perhaps for the first time in our lives – the beautiful and pleasing and perfect will that our Creator has designed us for.  The Lord Almighty has designed us for this time and place for a specific reason.  There is a specific way we can glorify God and equip others.

When we have made this discovery together, we must celebrate… and plan… and anticipate obstacles that are sure to come once we align ourselves with the plan of God.  We will need resilience because we will meet with resistance.  There is nothing that gladdens the heart of Satan than to stop God’s people from doing what they were made to do.  Read a passage from Nehemiah chapter four:

            So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. 

            But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem's walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry.  They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.  But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat. 

            Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." 

            Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work." 

            Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack us." 

            Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.  After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." 

            When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. 

            From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 

            Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall.  Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" (Verses 6-20)

Anger and threats from without will surface when we follow God’s lead in our lives.  Prayer and planning can thwart the attacks of the enemy. 

If only that was the only threat! 

Fear and division from within will soon surface.  The people of Judah soon began to echo the words of the exterior resistance (Verse Two) – “There is too much rubble to rebuild the wall!”  The people of Judah continued, “They will come and attack us when we least expect it.  And the attacks will come where we are weakest.  We will die.  We will have nowhere to turn.”

Nehemiah responded with more detailed plans to protect the weakest points.  He responded with a reminder.  Don’t be afraid.  That’s one of the most oft repeated commands of the Bible.  Remember the Lord, great and awesome.  Remember what God has called you to and fight to answer that call.  And answer the call of your brothers and sisters.  Come to the sound of the trumpet and join the fray – stand in the gap.  God will fight for us.

There were threats from without and threats from within, but prayer and prayerful planning won out.  Threats were met.  Fears and divisions become unified fronts to crush any threats – real or imagined.  God frustrates all the plans of Satan through visionary spiritual leaders like Nehemiah and Ezra.

Who are your Nehemiah’s and Ezra’s in your congregation?  Identify them.  Encourage them to pray for God’s vision.  Pray for that vision with them.  Listen to what your leaders are saying.  Listen to God.  Plan. 

Satan will try to derail all godly efforts, but God will always frustrate Satan’s plans through our unity and love.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Portrait of a Visionary Man of God; Ezra 8-10

May the mumbling commence!

Who do we look to for inspiration, protection and rest – bottomline?  Is it our families?  Or is it our friends?  Or is it our coworkers?  How about our bosses?  Is it our government?  Or do our inspiration and protection and rest come from the Lord? 

These questions were swimming through the head of Ezra as he was planning his trip to Jerusalem.  Protection was high in his mind because he and his companions were going to be traveling with a small fortune.  Being waylaid along the road by thieves was NOT out of the question.  Read this passage from Ezra chapter eight:

            There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.  I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him."  So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. (Verses 21-23) 

Ezra was probably thinking that a few thousand foot soldiers and a few thousand cavalry would make things a little more comfortable on the road.  There was all that gold and silver and bronze, after all!  Ezra wanted to ask the king for such protection, but he was ashamed to.  He had already boasted to the king about the protection that the Lord gives to everyone who looks to Him. 

I wonder: what if Ezra had said no such thing to the king?  Would Ezra have trusted in the king to protect him or would he have relied so fully on the Lord?  Yes, even in this witness to the king, words and actions worked together.

Even great visionary leaders have fears!  But, what does the visionary leader from the Lord do when fears mount?  Ezra proclaimed a fast and led the people in prayer.  Solace and direction and protection and rest are found only in the Lord.  Look to the Lord – that’s what great visionary leaders from the Lord do.

If we depend so fully upon God, then what do we do when we discover the people we are leading have fallen into sin?  Well, Ezra found Judah ensnared in sin.  Ezra mourned in dust and ashes, and then he prayed.  Have you noticed the theme of prayer?  Read the last part of his prayer from Ezra chapter nine:

            "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this.  Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?  O Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence." (Verses 13-15)    

Was Ezra at fault for the sin of intermarriage and idol worship?  That would be quite unlikely.  Still, Ezra did not speak of Judah’s sins as “their” sin or “your” sin.  Ezra consistently used first person plural pronouns to describe those who had sinned.  He did not set himself apart from the “sinners.” 

Ezra recognized, as their leader, he was accountable to put a stop to this sin before an irreparable damage was done to their relationship with the Lord – on whom they all depended.  Ezra included himself with sinful Judah. 

And the people were convicted and responded to Ezra’s leadership attitude.  Read from the beginning of Ezra chapter ten:

            While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites – men, women and children – gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.  Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel.  Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.  Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it." (Verses 1-4)

Israel responded to Ezra’s prayer of confession.  They were cut to the heart and confessed their wrong.  But they also saw hope because they recognized Ezra as the Lord’s anointed leader.  Israel pledged to return to the Word of God, but they also knew that they needed help.  They looked to Ezra to lead them back into the good graces of the Lord.  They pledged their support to Ezra and his godly leadership.  They basically said, “We support your leadership, so take courage and do whatever’s necessary. 

Ezra was called by God and by God’s people because Ezra reached out in relationship to both of them.  There are some clues to the visionary leadership needed in every generation – right relationship to God and to God’s people through prayer. 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Standing in the Breach; Psalm 106, Ezra 7

May the mumbling commence!

Are you willing to stand in the gap?  Are you willing to be the intercessor between the holy God and fatally flawed people?  Will you or I stand up to fill the breach?  Moses once did just that.  So did the priest Phinehas.  So did Ezra, a descendant of Phinehas.  Read some passages from Psalm 106:

            So he said he would destroy them –

                        had not Moses, his chosen one,

            stood in the breach before him

                        to keep his wrath from destroying them. (Verse 23)

            But Phinehas stood up and intervened,

                        and the plague was checked. 

            This was credited to him as righteousness

                        for endless generations to come. (Verses 30-31)

When the vast majority of people are straying, it takes guts and great faith to stand up and say different.  It takes conviction and vision.  But blessings would flow for Moses and Phinehas:

            Blessed are they who maintain justice,

                        who constantly do what is right. (Psalm 106:3)

What were Moses and Phinehas up against?  Psalm 106 tells us about some of the problems – forgetfulness and thanklessness (Verses 7, 9, 21), failure to wait on God (Verse 13), putting God to the test (Verse 14), worshipping idols (Verse 19), rebelling against God’s Holy Spirit (Verse 33), speaking rashly (Verse 33), and shedding innocent blood (Verse 38).  These are issues that still plague God’s people. 

How are you and I to stand up and fill the breach?  Let’s take some clues from the life of Ezra.  Read a verse from Ezra chapter seven: “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (Verse 10)”  If we are to stand in the breach, we need to know where God stands and where the people are so that we can faithfully fill the breach.

And there will be obstacles.  There were obstacles for Ezra – temptations.  Read some passages from Ezra chapter seven:

            You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. (Verse 18)

Much material wealth may come into our possession as it did for Ezra.  What will we do with it – whatever seems best to us or will we stay in accordance to the will of God?  Our success will depend upon our answer.  I pray that we stay close to God…

            Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you – up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. (Verses 21-22)

Ever hear of a blank check?  This is about as close as you can come to one!  Much mirth can come from silver and wine and wheat and olive oil.  Salt, too, is valuable.  Ever hear the turn of phrase “worth your salt”?  At one time servants were paid with salt.  Again, let’s stay close to God…

            And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates – all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.  Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment. (Verses 25-26)

Now, we speak of political power.  Ezra has the power to appoint judges and magistrates.  He could have the government in his hip pocket.  Anyone who stands in Ezra’s way would suffer banishment, imprisonment or death.  Again, let’s stay close to God. 

Abide in the vine – that’s Jesus – and we will be fruitful branches.  Faithfully represent Jesus, and we will stand in the gap – we will fill the breach.  We will fill the breach not because of our greatness but because of the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Unto him, we give all power and glory – all the money and influence.  May it be so!

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Sing the Blues Before Wearing the Purple; Esther 10, Ps 105

May the mumbling commence!

If we do have a position of power in this world, how do we exercise this wisdom in a godly way?  Look no further that the appendix of Esther, chapter ten.  Read it below:

            King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.  And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?  Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

What made Mordecai great?  Was it his second highest ranking in the kingdom?  Or was it because he was the highest ranking Jew?  Or was it because the people held him in high esteem?  Each successive question gets closer to the answer of greatness. 

The last clause finally hits the nail on the head.  Mordecai worked for the good of his people.  He gave voice to the welfare of all the Jewish people.  Mordecai worked and spoke for the welfare of his people.  He was not concerned with his continued place of honor.  His sole concern was serving the people who needed to be served.

What an object lesson for modern day politicians who are supposed to represent the people they are called to serve!  Sometimes, instead of serving their constituents, they are self-serving doing the things to get re-elected and maintain their position of power.  Many politicians have their decisions made for them by those who finance their campaigns.  They find themselves in the pockets of a small minority of people – large businesses or large unions.

God made all of His leaders be tested before they took a place of leadership.  Joseph was tested.  So were Moses and Mordecai and many others.  Once they had been humbled, they could know how to humbly serve God and others through the power they eventually obtained.  Read a passage from Psalm 105 that recalls the life of Joseph:

            He called down famine on the land

                        and destroyed all their supplies of food; 

            and he sent a man before them –

                        Joseph, sold as a slave. 

            They bruised his feet with shackles,

                        his neck was put in irons, 

            till what he foretold came to pass,

                        till the word of the Lord proved him true. 

            The king sent and released him,

                        the ruler of peoples set him free. 

            He made him master of his household,

                        ruler over all he possessed, 

            to instruct his princes as he pleased

                        and teach his elders wisdom. (Verses 16-22)

God sent Joseph down to Egypt as a slave.  Still, Joseph was faithful to God.  God sent Joseph to prison.  Still, Joseph was faithful.  So, God used Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to set Joseph into a place of power to be master of ruler over the decisions of the kingdom.  Because of his experiences, Joseph was humble and willing to serve the princes and elders – to teach them to make them better.  Joseph chose not to better himself over them.  He chose instead to help other grow through his wisdom and experience.

To please God, we must not play “King of the Mountain.”  We should instead understand our climb in knowing God a team expedition, where we must rely on one another to make our climb successful.  It is better to strengthen our team members, because one day we may need them to help us along the way.  This type of leading and using of power will please and glorify God and equip others for the long uphill climb of our life in Christ.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out