Category Archives: Knowing Him

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July 10, 2015

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Bible Stories, God's Promises, Knowing Him, Obedience, Temptation & Sin

WICKEDNESS BRINGS PUNISHMENT

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“The Last Judgment” – Munster Cathedral, Bern, Switzerland


Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. [Exodus 43:6-7 (NLT)]

If asked to draw a picture of God, many would probably draw a pleasant old gentleman with a gentle smile. Looking a bit like Santa Claus, he’d be dressed in a long white robe instead of a fur-trimmed red coat and hat. This kind-looking grandfatherly man would be seated on a throne with several little children in his lap. Reading the Old Testament, however, makes one rethink this picture. While we meet a loving and forgiving God, we also encounter a judgmental and destructive God: a God who sends plagues to his people, destroys whole towns, and sends his people into slavery. This is not the “warm and fuzzy” God about whom we want to think. He’s certainly not the good-natured God of my Sunday school classes.

It certainly is more comforting for us to think of God as loving and merciful and, indeed, He is. But, as the Old Testament reminds us and the New Testament warns us, God can get angry with his people. He hates sin and he is ready to hand out punishment to those who defy him. Fortunately, we also have a loving and forgiving Heavenly Father who hasn’t lost faith in his children. He saved Noah and his family from the flood. He rescued Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saved Jonah from the whale after Jonah said he’d obey God’s directions. After telling Nineveh they would be destroyed in forty days, God relented when they repented their sinful ways. After punishing the Israelites for their disobedience, God finally led them to the Promised Land. Later, He rescued them from their exile in Babylon. Although we continually disappoint God with our disobedience, He mercifully gave us his only son as a sacrifice for our sins.

The righteous character of God includes both his anger and judgment along with his love and mercy. It is not enough to read and hear only God’s comforting words. We must remember that His justice goes hand in hand with His love.

Your wickedness will bring its own punishment. Your turning from me will shame you. You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him. I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken! [Jeremiah 2:19 (NLT)]

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June 20, 2015

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days, Knowing Him

GOD THE FATHER – Father’s Day 2015

fdayhorzAnd I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. [2 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)]

What are the qualities of the ideal father? I think he’d be loving and upright, wise and patient, gentle and kind. He’d be a comforter and good provider, a teacher and a helper. He’d be a firm but fair disciplinarian with a forgiving heart. The perfect father would be easy to approach and always ready with an encouraging word. He’d have a wonderful imagination, a great sense of humor and would always have a few surprises up his sleeve. He would protect his children and never abandon them. Some of us were blessed with fathers who had all or most of these qualities and others, unfortunately, had fathers who fell short in some (or many) of them. It’s comforting to know we all have a Father in Heaven who has every one of these good characteristics plus many more!

Thank you, Lord, for being the perfect father and for loving us, your imperfect children, as only a father can!

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father. [Pope John XXIII]

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. [Romans 8:15-16 (NLT)]

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! [1 John 3:1a (NLT)]

 

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June 12, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

BEEN HERE BUT DIDN’T DO THAT!

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried – our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. [Isaiah 53:2-4a (MSG)]

Writing yesterday’s message reminded me of another common teen complaint: “But you just don’t understand!” My teenagers were positive that I’d never experienced any of the challenges, temptations and angst they were having. I’m sure my grandchildren are equally sure their parents have no idea what their life is like. We may not have had all of the gadgets and technology of today’s teens; we didn’t have Facebook, smart phones, texting, and the Internet. We did, however, struggle with many of the same issues: mean people, SATs, crushes, insecurity, rejection, being grounded, alcohol and parties when the parents were gone.

Sometimes we’re not much different than teenagers when we talk to God. “You just don’t understand!” we protest. But, He really does. Jesus actually experienced life and all of its adversities and struggles during his thirty-three years as a man. Granted, He experienced them in a dramatically different setting and time. The First Century didn’t have the bells and whistles of today, but the temptations and challenges were much the same: sexual immorality, pride, pain, abuse, anger, doubt, desire, envy, deceit, sorrow, injustice. Not everyone liked Him, not everyone listened to Him, and not everyone believed or respected Him. He truly knows what it means to be human; He certainly knows what it is to suffer.

When we talk with God, He truly does understand. He’s been here and he was sorely tempted by Satan; the only difference is that He never sinned.

Now that we know what we have – Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God – let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all – all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. [Hebrews 4:14-16 (MSG)]

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June 11, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

BECAUSE I SAID SO!

God gives out Wisdom free, is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding. He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones. [Proverbs 2:6-8 (MSG)]

5-1-15baboons3002S-1crop-cropWEBI remember my parents responding to my teenage pleas of “Why not?” with the vague but decisive response, “Because I‘m the parent and I said so.” I hated that answer because I wanted an excuse to keep the discussion open in hopes of finally wearing one of them down and getting my way. Eventually, I occasionally used the same response with my own children, knowing that further explanation would just mean more debate and there were some issues that simply were non-negotiable.

It’s not just teenagers, however, that seem to have difficulty understanding that “No!” can be a complete sentence. Even though we’re adults, we still have trouble accepting that God’s directions are not open to debate or compromise. At times, we can be as willful as we were as teens. Sure that we’ve got a better plan, we argue with God’s wisdom to justify our planned actions.

Everything we need to know, every bit of wisdom we need, every guideline for behavior, is right there the Bible. We need to remember that God’s directions are not mere suggestions or good ideas; they are commands and meant to be followed. All we have to do is be obedient which, I admit, is sometimes much easier said than done. The power of the Holy Spirit, however, makes it possible.

Many years ago I heard a speaker say…, “Either sin will keep you from God’s Word or God’s Word will keep you from sin.” [Billy Graham]

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me – my whole life one long, obedient response. Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love traveling this freeway! [Psalm 119:33-35 (MSG)]

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June 10, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Knowing Him, Love & Works, Prayer

THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS


2-15-15 bleeding hearts - ACL774WEBI love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. [Psalm 116:1 (NLT)]

“I love you!” Do you remember how much you longed to hear those three little words from your boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you remember how good you felt when they were finally uttered? No matter how often those three loving words are spoken, we never tire of hearing them.

As I was going through Psalms, looking for verses about God’s love, I was struck by how often God was thanked and praised for His unfailing love and how rarely the psalmists actually said anything about their love for God. Of course, the various psalmists imply their love of God with praise and thanks but seldom is it actually expressed.

While I always try to finish any phone conversation with my family by saying, ”I love you,” I’m sorry to say that, like the writers of Psalms, I’m not very good about expressing my love to God when I speak with Him. When was the last time you said, “I love you!” to God?

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. [Psalm 18:1 (NLT)]

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May 30, 2015

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God's Plan, Knowing Him, Nature, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God

WHO AM I TO ARGUE WITH HIM?

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Will you play with [the crocodile] as with a bird? Or will you put him on a leash for your maidens? … Lay your hand upon him! Remember your battle with him; you will not do [such an ill-advised thing] again! … No one is so fierce [and foolhardy] that he dares to stir up [the crocodile]; who then is he who can stand before Me [the beast’s Creator, or dares to contend with Me]? [Job 41:5,8,10 (AMP)]

Monday was not a good day for two animals in the swamp. A fledgling owlet became dinner for an alligator as did a large turtle. I thought mention of their fate would be a perfect illustration of what happens when one ventures too close to temptation and Satan sneaks up when we’re not looking. Out of curiosity, I searched for the words “crocodile” and “alligator” in various Bible translations. While pharaoh and Egypt were likened to crocodiles and all lizards, including crocodiles, were considered unclean food, I found no comparison to Satan. Imagine my surprise, however, when I found a comparison to God himself!

In Job 41, God points out that it is foolish for people to think they can stand up against God when they are afraid to confront even a crocodile. Indeed, God is much more powerful than a crocodile or alligator. We’ve probably all used the phrase, “Well, you can’t fight City Hall!” when battling bureaucracy. God is pointing out that red tape in City Hall and crocodiles (“Leviathan” in many translations) are nothing when compared to fighting Him. We are guaranteed a loss before even starting! “If you lay a hand on it, you will certainly remember the battle that follows. You won’t try that again!” [Job 41:8 (NLT)] Moreover, you probably won’t have a hand with which to try!

Many of Monday’s tourists were visibly upset by seeing the alligators’ successful hunts. What they observed, however, was simply nature taking its course. The alligators were only doing what alligators do: eat. The fact that owlets and turtles are far cuter has nothing to do with it! I’ve seen frogs, fish and snakes eaten by the wading birds and, while less endearing than baby birds and turtles, their fate was no less tragic for them. Who are we to argue with Mother Nature? God’s point exactly! Only His is: “Who are we to argue with or question God?” Calamity, suffering and even death come to us all, cute and not so cute, good and bad alike. A panther, python, person or loss of habitat may be the end of the alligators; the herons, owls and turtles have already taken a few gator babies for dinner themselves. As ugly as it is sometimes, that’s life.

What did I learn from Monday’s episode? Well, obviously we should be on the lookout for danger. More important, I was reminded that sometimes life seems terribly bewildering, unfair, unpleasant, undeserved, unreasonable, messy, accidental, calamitous, or catastrophic. But, who am I to argue with God?

Upon earth there is not [the crocodile’s] equal, a creature made without fear and he behaves fearlessly. He looks all mighty [beasts of prey] in the face [without terror]; he is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who dares not arouse the unmastered crocodile, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s Creator, to My face? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?] [Job 41:33-34 (AMP)]