I am old enough that spanking was not considered abuse when I was young. As sure as the sun rises, so did the willow switch in my mother's hand when I deserved it. [see Proverbs 22:15] Somehow I managed to survive with no apparent emotional scars. On the contrary, it was those moments of painful discipline that gave me the utmost respect for my blessed mother. It was she, not my father, who administered the rod of correction. I never doubted that the rod was the result of love from my mom.
One of the most quoted passages in all of scripture is found in Psalm 2:3,4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Now the staff is relatively easy for me to understand. The staff was a tall crooked neck walking stick that you took with you to traverse the rocky, steep, or otherwise difficult journey as a means of support; something to lean on. In biblical times, walking was the means of transportation, and the staff was indeed a comfort. On the other hand, there is the rod to consider. Loosely paraphrasing our text, even though I am in the midst of a very low point in my spiritual walk, that's heading for sure destruction, how you have disciplined [the rod] and supported [the staff] me in the past gives me the comfort and courage to go on.
I am not here to tout the evils of society, but the generation we now live in is a generation that will use any excuse, attaching blame to anything outside of self, so as not to have to accept responsibility. It was the alcohol, or it was the drugs, or it's really the way they were brought up--- Mom and Dad did it--- or the lack thereof. Even though our heavenly Father sees and accepts us right where we are, He never leaves us there. Our walk with God is always a progressive one. If you look back on your life's journey, I believe you will find that a loving Father did not allow you to be too comfortable for very long. He always seems find a way to make us uncomfortable enough to move us forward. Our tendency is to find a shady spot under a tree and fall asleep in the warm sun or to run and hide as Adam and Eve when confronted with wrong doing. When God calls us to face the sin we look for someone or something to blame. Adam said it's "the woman you gave me" actually blaming God for giving him "the woman." Eve said "it was the serpent, the devil who beguiled me." Gods rod is God's means of rescuing us from self-deception and destruction. In the hand of Moses, God's rod performed miraculous things, such as the parting of the Red Sea and supplying life-giving water. God's rod then is always used as a means to deliver from evil and lead us to freedom. It is more than a comfort to know He doesn't just leave us in the wilderness. He supplies and applies His rod and staff to bring us to the the promised land just ahead.
copyright March 21, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
Winning The Battle
How many people do you and I know who have simply worn themselves out over some sin that defeats them again and again and again? I've been there, have you? The enemy has achieved great success in luring us into battle. We seem to think we can muster up enough faith in our resolve, enough knowledge and enough strength to get the victory, only to find ourselves flat on our faces in the mud one more time; now a little more exhausted, a little deeper in the mire. But isn't that what we are supposed to do; "if at first you don't succeed try, try again?"
We have, not one, but two enemies in our battle with sin. The first is obvious---that would be the devil, the master deceiver and father of lies. He wants us to fight him, you know. He awaits with great anticipation our unspectacular efforts. If he can get us determined enough to get the best of him, he is assured of getting the best of us--- no matter how good our intentions.
When in my teens, I was taught that if I fought hard at overcoming temptation, Jesus would join my efforts and make up the difference---but I had to do my part. I believed this interpretation of scripture for a long time, but I found the fight didn't work for me. The more I tried to be "good," the worse things got. How about you? Now you see who the second enemy is---self. We can't seem to accept that there really isn't anything we can do. The question becomes "what is our part?" "Surely, there is something I have to do."
When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, do you suppose he planned some strategy for fighting off the ravenous beasts? I think, probably not. He knew without a doubt that strategy or physical prowess, or any kind of effort on his part wasn't going to master such ferocious felines. 1 Peter 5:8 tells me the devil goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Hello! Is now the time to put your dukes up and start flailing away at the devil? Look at what the verse says again. "whom he may devour." It looks to me like there are those whom he may not devour. Who would those be? How do I become undevourable? There is One who is now fighting, and will always fight, and has already won the battle with our enemy. My part---give up the fight! Quit trying to be good. God, and God alone can win this battle. It's not even our responsibility to fight the devil, Jesus took that responsibility on Himself, because He knew we could not win. When temptation comes knocking, take a deep breath and confess, "this problem is yours Jesus, I cannot fight it, I will lose." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe" Proverbs 18: 10 [KJV] Fill your life up with God. Focus your attention on Him, not on the temptations. It's kind of like going on a diet. More often than not the focus is on food, and before we know it, oops, we gain rather than lose. When learning to drive our vision is directed to the center of the lane we are in. If we look at the line at the side of the road, the tendency is to turn in that direction, and in no time we are in the ditch.
There is great relief in giving up the fight. Temptation only becomes a problem when we take up the fight again. The work in the Christian life is to fight against taking up the fight; that's the good fight of faith.
copyright March, 14, 2014
We have, not one, but two enemies in our battle with sin. The first is obvious---that would be the devil, the master deceiver and father of lies. He wants us to fight him, you know. He awaits with great anticipation our unspectacular efforts. If he can get us determined enough to get the best of him, he is assured of getting the best of us--- no matter how good our intentions.
When in my teens, I was taught that if I fought hard at overcoming temptation, Jesus would join my efforts and make up the difference---but I had to do my part. I believed this interpretation of scripture for a long time, but I found the fight didn't work for me. The more I tried to be "good," the worse things got. How about you? Now you see who the second enemy is---self. We can't seem to accept that there really isn't anything we can do. The question becomes "what is our part?" "Surely, there is something I have to do."
When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, do you suppose he planned some strategy for fighting off the ravenous beasts? I think, probably not. He knew without a doubt that strategy or physical prowess, or any kind of effort on his part wasn't going to master such ferocious felines. 1 Peter 5:8 tells me the devil goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Hello! Is now the time to put your dukes up and start flailing away at the devil? Look at what the verse says again. "whom he may devour." It looks to me like there are those whom he may not devour. Who would those be? How do I become undevourable? There is One who is now fighting, and will always fight, and has already won the battle with our enemy. My part---give up the fight! Quit trying to be good. God, and God alone can win this battle. It's not even our responsibility to fight the devil, Jesus took that responsibility on Himself, because He knew we could not win. When temptation comes knocking, take a deep breath and confess, "this problem is yours Jesus, I cannot fight it, I will lose." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe" Proverbs 18: 10 [KJV] Fill your life up with God. Focus your attention on Him, not on the temptations. It's kind of like going on a diet. More often than not the focus is on food, and before we know it, oops, we gain rather than lose. When learning to drive our vision is directed to the center of the lane we are in. If we look at the line at the side of the road, the tendency is to turn in that direction, and in no time we are in the ditch.
There is great relief in giving up the fight. Temptation only becomes a problem when we take up the fight again. The work in the Christian life is to fight against taking up the fight; that's the good fight of faith.
copyright March, 14, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Just Wondering
I wonder if birds know for whom they sing.
Are they songs of praise or songs of being?
Do you suppose the Grizzly knows
that Spring will come to melt the snow?
Does the Mountain Goat fear the rocky steeps
or the Eagle fear its windy peaks?
Is their relationship to God beyond this world's earthly sod?
I wonder what they know that I do not..
copyright March 7, 2014
Are they songs of praise or songs of being?
Do you suppose the Grizzly knows
that Spring will come to melt the snow?
Does the Mountain Goat fear the rocky steeps
or the Eagle fear its windy peaks?
Is their relationship to God beyond this world's earthly sod?
I wonder what they know that I do not..
copyright March 7, 2014
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