Who Ya Gonna Call?

The Lord declares, “How horrible it will be for those rebellious children. They carry out plans, but not mine. They make alliances against my will. They pile sin on top of sin. … These people are rebellious and deceitful children, children who refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings. They say to the seers, ‘Don’t see the future.’ They say to those who have visions, ‘Don’t have visions that tell us what is right. Tell us what we want to hear. See illusions. Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path! Get the Holy One of Israel out of our sight.’” [Isaiah 30:1, 9-11 (GW)]

God is our personal help line and yet we often refuse to use it. It’s usually not because we’ve forgotten about Him. More often, it’s because we really don’t want to hear what He has to say or do what He might tell us to do. As a result, we search for advice from everyone else, hoping to hear the answer we want. Like the rebellious children of Judah, we often prefer lies and illusions to the truth. When we seek God, we may not always like His advice, but we can be sure that it will be faultless and true. God’s way is rarely the easy way, but we can trust that it will be the right way!

This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don’t want that. [Isaiah 30:15 (GW)]

 

 

Blessed are the Peacemakers

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. [James 3:16 (ESV)]

Lord, show me how to be a peacemaker: a person who brings harmony and reconciliation, rather than conflict and discord, to every situation. In trying moments, keep me calm and give me patience. Remind me to be silent when I would rather criticize, keep me from responding to rudeness with a similar lack of courtesy, and lead me to prayer when an angry response is what I’d prefer!

Do His Work (Haggai – part 2)

But now don’t be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you. When you came out of Egypt, I promised that I would always be with you. I am still with you, so do not be afraid. [Haggai 2:4-5 (GNT)]

Within twenty-three days of Haggai’s first message regarding the rebuilding of the Temple, the people of Jerusalem began construction. But, they were discouraged; this new building was inferior to the previous great temple built by Solomon. God reassured them, telling them simply to do the work. He doesn’t expect perfection; just our best effort. If we do God’s work, He will be with us. With God’s assurance that He was always with them, they knew that what would really bring glory to the temple wasn’t its structure; it was the presence of God in it.

Father, I want to do my best for you. Thank you for the reassurance that my best is good enough for you, even if it isn’t great. Thank you for reminding me that it is your presence in my work that gives it true value.

Put First Things First (Haggai – part 1)

Now, this is what the Lord of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways! You planted a lot, but you harvested little. You eat, but you’re never full. You drink, but you’re still thirsty. You wear clothing, but you never have enough to keep you warm. You spend money as fast as you earn it. [Haggai 1:5-6 (GW)]

Does this situation sound familiar? Although these words were spoken by Haggai in 520 BC, they make me think of our nation, with its problems and dark mood today. Although the Jews had returned to Jerusalem fifteen years earlier, they hadn’t managed to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. More concerned with building their homes and lives than in completing God’s work, they were experiencing severe problems. Have we, like the ancient Jews, lost our sense of values and misplaced our priorities? When hard times hit, when we feel empty, when our best efforts seem futile, perhaps it is time to reconsider what takes precedence in our lives.

Lord, guide us in setting our priorities. Let us always keep you first and foremost in our thoughts.

This is what the Lord of Armies says: Carefully consider your ways! [Haggai 1:7 (GW)]

Prayer Can Move more Than Mountains

Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.” [Mark 11:22-24 (GW)]

We need faith to pray, but as we pray we gain faith. True faith, however, includes faith in God’s will, not ours. God can do the impossible but he isn’t going to perform miracles to prove his existence to us. Am I disappointed because I haven’t moved a mountain by prayer? No, because there is no need for me to move any mountains. But, when I have prayed in faith, God has moved people, changed lives, and healed troubled souls. He has, indeed, performed miracles in response to prayers offered in faith.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” [Mark 10:27 (NLT)]

 

In Six Words or Less

But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language. [1 Corinthians 14:19 (NLT)]

Sometimes expressing our faith can be difficult and we get tied in knots trying to figure out, let alone explain, theological concepts like original sin, predestination and free will, the Holy Trinity, Judgment Day, grace or the Book of Revelation. I recently read of a professor who had his students write about difficult subjects by boiling them down to no more than six words. Perhaps we could try to do the same thing when putting our faith into words. It may help us focus on the essence of God’s message.

“God created. Man sinned. Jesus saves.”

“Jesus died so I can live.”

“The Holy Spirit lives in me.”

“God’s grace is love undeserved.”

A truly wise person uses few words. [Proverbs 17:27a (NLT)]