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Tag Archives: God
Happy Monday
God is On My Side
“God is on my side.” Consider for a moment the arrogance of that statement. We’ve all said it, and probably didn’t mean to infer anything by it. But the implication is that we have a position, a plan for victory, and that God chooses to support our position. The truth is, we don’t even have a side.
Of all the children in a large family, Joseph was the favorite of his father Jacob. (As in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also known as Israel.) Joseph was also favored by God. When his brothers plotted to kill him, a band of merchants just happened by and one suggested there was no profit in killing him but he could be sold as a slave. That would get rid of him and they could make a little something on the side. Joseph was carried down to Egypt, which was of course all part of God’s plan. Perhaps that traveling merchant caravan didn’t just “happen by” after all. Continue reading
God Loves You. God Hates Sin.
If you want to know how much God loves you, look in the manger.
If you want to know how much God hates sin, look at the cross. Continue reading
He Became Poor
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
-2 Corinthians 8:9
He became poor. He didn’t loose his riches, nor were they taken from him. Philippians 2 says he humbled himself and took the from of a servant. Jesus said in John 10 that no one takes his life, but that he has the authority to lay it down and take it up again.
He became poor. He became small, weak, tired, hungry, thirsty, despised and rejected by men. He was laid in a manger the night he was born and in a grave the night he died. Why? Because only he could. Neither the Law, nor sacrifices, nor good works could make us righteous. On our own, we could never have clawed our way out. We were guilty, condemned, lost and… hopeless. I have often said that when we could not come to God, he came to us. C.S. Lewis said “The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God.”
God is in the manger. And that is the best gift ever.
Merry Christmas!
God is in the Manger
Have you ever seen a live nativity? Instead of plastic figures of shepherds and wise men, a live nativity scene has actors in costume, and for an hour or two each evening you can drive by and see them. The shepherds bow and worship, the magi present their gifts, perhaps Mary rocks her baby in her arms, or else Mary and Joseph simply admire him. It’s unlikely, even at a live nativity, that they have an actual newborn present. The “baby Jesus” might be a toddler, or even an infant, but you wouldn’t want to keep a real baby out in the cold for very long. Even a live nativity scene will often use a doll, or even just pretend there is a babe wrapped up in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger.
Contrast that scene with the night Jesus was born.
To Whom Are We Giving Thanks?
I was reading a blog post debunking several historical myths about Thanksgiving (original link no longer available). At one point he has this to say about George Washington:
“George Washington, as the first American president, declared November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving and prayer, and a few months after his inauguration issued his famous ‘Proclamation Number One’ stating that it was a ‘duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.’”
But the last “myth” he identifies is Thanksgiving is a religious holiday, and he reasons this way:
“While some would like to believe that the Thanksgiving holiday is religious, and George Washington did issue a proclamation bringing God into the picture, this is not only an invented holiday, but its correlation with football and rescheduling to enable better economic performance for merchants makes it clear that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday.”
Then who are you giving thanks to?
It has become a tradition at this time of year to list things we are thankful for, but we sort of read off the list without directing our thankfulness in any particular direction. Perhaps families go around the table and each member takes a turn, which forces children to think about the things they have and teaches a lesson about being thankful. It is no doubt safer in our politically correct culture for elected officials, public school teachers and others to say “we should be thankful” than to make a religious statement. But seriously, who are we thanking when we list the things we are thankful for?
George Washington didn’t bring God into the picture. It is God’s picture, and we should be thankful he included us.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
(Psalm 115:1 ESV)
God’s Will
Psalm 115:3 says “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” I actually read an argument from an unbeliever last week who quoted that verse and 2 Peter 3:9 about “God’s will that no one should perish.” His argument was that one or the other must be true, or else this is a case of the Bible contradicting itself.
This is a perfect example of what happens when a verse is snagged from its context. Read all of Psalm 115. Verse 3 says that God is in heaven and does all that he pleases. Verse 16 says “The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” God has given us the liberty to do his will or choose our own. Most reject God. Look at the example Jesus gave his followers when he taught them to pray: “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He later himself prayed “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.” Jesus prayed for God’s will and taught his followers to do the same. We seek God’s will, and ask for his will to be done. But on this world, affected by sin and the curse, his will is most often not done.
Why pray for God’s will to be done on earth it it’s not going to be anyway? God has given the earth to the children of men for now. Jesus also prayed “your kingdom come.” When the Kingdom of God has fully come, and death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, God’s will will be done.
Thanksgiving
Christians do not agree about the celebration of Halloween. There is some dispute over Christmas. Let’s embrace Thanksgiving for all its worth.
There is an argument to be made for the Christian roots of Halloween. The very name is created from the words Hallows Eve, the day before All Saints Day. But let’s be honest, unless you’re Roman Catholic most American do not celebrate All Saints (or even know what it is). Would you celebrate Christmas Eve if you didn’t believe in Christmas? Halloween may also have roots in paganism, and is certainly associated today with the occult and many “non-Christian” activities as well. Continue reading
Multitasking Worship
My mother uses her cell phone for one thing, and that is to make and receive calls. She has no camera, internet or mp3 player. But let’s be honest, that isn’t how most of us do it. Most of us are downloading music, texting, instant messaging, uploading pics, and some of us still talk once in a while. We do business on the way to work. We listen to audio books while on the treadmill. Nobody does one thing at a time anymore.
Moses sees the burning bush in Exodus 3, and in verse 3 he says “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” Moses was doing his job as a shepherd when the sight of the burning bush got his attention. He then turned aside; he put what he was doing on hold in order to pay attention to this curious sight. He discovers God in the bush, and for the rest of chapter 3 and 4 does nothing but talk and listen to God. Continue reading
The Master's Table 