Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” -Gen. 28:20-22
Some of us need an experience akin to that which Jacob experienced at Bethel in order to have the right understanding of who gives and who gets. Perhaps we're so blind that unless the heavens open up and we see the angels ascending and descending, we think that we own or control this world we inhabit. All of our scheming and plotting, our earning and investing, our buying and hoarding separates us from, rather than drawing us closer, to our source. When we realize just how much God has given us, our response can be nothing less than giving back. A tenth of our earnings seems to be a paltry sum compared to what we have been given.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Genesis 22: Most Precious Sacrifice
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moorish. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” -Gen. 22:2 NIV
It's really not a sacrifice unless it is something of value to us, something that we love. God is always about requiring sacrifice of the things that have a hold on us. It may be our pride, it may be our need for control, it may be a relationship that consumes us, it may be our need for freedom, it may be our need for power, our love of comfort, our co-dependency or something as simple as our pride in our appearance. If there is something in our life that we love more than God, we will be asked to sacrifice it. There are two sides to sacrifice: there is the outcome that results from our giving up that which is most precious to us, and there is the alternative which results from holding on for dear life. Sacrifice is always a choice. We can refuse just as Abraham could have refused. Where would we be if Abraham had refused? The whole of history would have been changed and Abraham would not have received the blessing that God promised.
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Gen. 22:15-18 NIV
We can hold on to the things we love most, but we will become as Gollum, sacrificing our entire existence for something with a power we cannot control, or we can give our most precious possessions freely, knowing that God will provide, that he will fill in all the missing pieces. What will our story be if we give up that which is most precious?
It's really not a sacrifice unless it is something of value to us, something that we love. God is always about requiring sacrifice of the things that have a hold on us. It may be our pride, it may be our need for control, it may be a relationship that consumes us, it may be our need for freedom, it may be our need for power, our love of comfort, our co-dependency or something as simple as our pride in our appearance. If there is something in our life that we love more than God, we will be asked to sacrifice it. There are two sides to sacrifice: there is the outcome that results from our giving up that which is most precious to us, and there is the alternative which results from holding on for dear life. Sacrifice is always a choice. We can refuse just as Abraham could have refused. Where would we be if Abraham had refused? The whole of history would have been changed and Abraham would not have received the blessing that God promised.
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Gen. 22:15-18 NIV
We can hold on to the things we love most, but we will become as Gollum, sacrificing our entire existence for something with a power we cannot control, or we can give our most precious possessions freely, knowing that God will provide, that he will fill in all the missing pieces. What will our story be if we give up that which is most precious?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Genesis 19: In The Plain
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. -Gen. 19:25-27 NIV
We've driven through that plain, the plain which was once so attractive and appealing to Lot. Whatever attraction and appeal it once held has been gone for centuries. It is a dry and arid and place, a vista broken only by the shrinking Dead Sea. We've also watched those seemingly pleasant plains in our lives turn into hard rock and stone before our very eyes. It seems to have to do with what we're chasing after...are we chasing after the easy road, the fruitful plain, the place where all of our troubles will be over because we're living the abundant life.
Abraham knew that the abundant life was not to be found in chasing after a mirage of the 'good life'. The good life for him was to be found in seeking God. Early on, Abraham, when he was still called Abram, would pick up his tent and go to wherever he was led, to a stopping point where he would build an altar to God. He would stay there until it was time to move on to the next place where he would build another altar. So when Abram viewed the plains that were so attractive to Lot, he was not impressed. They were just another place. It was God that was his reward, and although he waited almost a century to receive that reward, he never stopped seeking after the giver and building altars of thanksgiving, whether it was in the hills or on the plain.
We've driven through that plain, the plain which was once so attractive and appealing to Lot. Whatever attraction and appeal it once held has been gone for centuries. It is a dry and arid and place, a vista broken only by the shrinking Dead Sea. We've also watched those seemingly pleasant plains in our lives turn into hard rock and stone before our very eyes. It seems to have to do with what we're chasing after...are we chasing after the easy road, the fruitful plain, the place where all of our troubles will be over because we're living the abundant life.
Abraham knew that the abundant life was not to be found in chasing after a mirage of the 'good life'. The good life for him was to be found in seeking God. Early on, Abraham, when he was still called Abram, would pick up his tent and go to wherever he was led, to a stopping point where he would build an altar to God. He would stay there until it was time to move on to the next place where he would build another altar. So when Abram viewed the plains that were so attractive to Lot, he was not impressed. They were just another place. It was God that was his reward, and although he waited almost a century to receive that reward, he never stopped seeking after the giver and building altars of thanksgiving, whether it was in the hills or on the plain.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Genesis 15: Nothing But Questions
But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? ”
And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. ”
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars —if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” - Gen. 15:2-8 NIV
The ancients, the patriarchs like Abram, were no different from us. Even those who were considered to be righteous still had their questions. 'What can you give me?' Abram asked. Was he saying he had enough, that God's presence in his life was enough, or was he saying, that he would not be content until he received the one thing that he was missing, the thing that he longed for the most? I like to think that it was the former, that Abram was content with anything that the Lord would give him, that he totally trusted God. His next question doesn't seem to imply that he had any doubt in God, but doubt in his own ability to believe that every thing God promised was all going to come about.
So it is with all of us with faith.....at times, we are content with whatever God gives us. In fact, we may be content just to be in his presence. Then there are the times when we do not see how any of our longings can or will be accomplished in our lives. We begin to think that God's promises apply to others, perhaps, but not to us. Perhaps our questions should be like those of Abraham, not, "What can you give me?, but, 'How can I know?' How can we know that God's promises are true as the Apostle Paul claimed? For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. - 2 Cor. 1:20 KJV Perhaps we don't need the circmstances to change as much as we need our attitude to change.
And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. ”
He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars —if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
But Abram said, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” - Gen. 15:2-8 NIV
The ancients, the patriarchs like Abram, were no different from us. Even those who were considered to be righteous still had their questions. 'What can you give me?' Abram asked. Was he saying he had enough, that God's presence in his life was enough, or was he saying, that he would not be content until he received the one thing that he was missing, the thing that he longed for the most? I like to think that it was the former, that Abram was content with anything that the Lord would give him, that he totally trusted God. His next question doesn't seem to imply that he had any doubt in God, but doubt in his own ability to believe that every thing God promised was all going to come about.
So it is with all of us with faith.....at times, we are content with whatever God gives us. In fact, we may be content just to be in his presence. Then there are the times when we do not see how any of our longings can or will be accomplished in our lives. We begin to think that God's promises apply to others, perhaps, but not to us. Perhaps our questions should be like those of Abraham, not, "What can you give me?, but, 'How can I know?' How can we know that God's promises are true as the Apostle Paul claimed? For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. - 2 Cor. 1:20 KJV Perhaps we don't need the circmstances to change as much as we need our attitude to change.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Genesis 13: Not Such a Sweet Deal
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. -Gen. 13:10-13 NIV
If one were to look now at the plain that Lot chose when he and Abraham decided to part ways, the last thing that one would say is at it is well watered. The whole of the plain is dwarfed by the Dead Sea. Of course, this story as it takes place in Genesis was before the conflagration of Sodom and Gomorrah so one can only imagine what it looked like then. It was certainly appealing to Lot, the kind of place that would supply all of the needs of his family, servants and flocks. In the end though, Lot escaped by the skin of his teeth, losing his wife in the process. The beautiful plain turned out to be one that was inhabitable. How often do we find ourselves making the same choice as Lot, confusing what appears to be attractive for substance? Most of the time, when we pursue anything that appears to be a sweet deal, we end up with a bitter,salty taste in our mouths.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Genesis 9: The Rainbows End
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” - Gen. 9:16 NIV
It's only after the storm that we receive the promise. Only after the rain that we see the rainbow. I must remember this, when I walk through those trying times, times when I can see no light at the end of the tunnel, times when I don't believe there will ever be light again, times when my hands quiver and my knees shake. It is only when I come through those times that I grasp that God's promises are true, that his covenant has not been broken in spite of the abandonment I have felt. Just as the flood was not about or because of Noah, the trying times are not all about me. They are about God's greater purpose. Who am I to question that or demand an explanation? Sometimes the reason for the pain eventually becomes clear, but many times here is no explanation, there is just the covenant, a covenant that will never be broken, a promise I can seldom grasp. Rainbows always come to an end and we go back to our lives changed by the storm, but the covenant always stands.
It's only after the storm that we receive the promise. Only after the rain that we see the rainbow. I must remember this, when I walk through those trying times, times when I can see no light at the end of the tunnel, times when I don't believe there will ever be light again, times when my hands quiver and my knees shake. It is only when I come through those times that I grasp that God's promises are true, that his covenant has not been broken in spite of the abandonment I have felt. Just as the flood was not about or because of Noah, the trying times are not all about me. They are about God's greater purpose. Who am I to question that or demand an explanation? Sometimes the reason for the pain eventually becomes clear, but many times here is no explanation, there is just the covenant, a covenant that will never be broken, a promise I can seldom grasp. Rainbows always come to an end and we go back to our lives changed by the storm, but the covenant always stands.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Genesis 6: Favor in the Eyes of The Lord
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. .So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; ......I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. - Gen. 6:8-18 NIV
Reading the story of Noah, one sees how, in the midst of a violent and corrupt society, we can obtain God's favor. It's not the approach most of us are inclined to take in this current climate of godlessness. Most of us want to rail against the system. We try to defend God's honor when all we need to do is live a blameless life, continue to be righteous, and let God deal with the wickedness. Most of all, like Noah, we need to walk with God. I'm not sure I grasp completely what that means, but I know I fall far short of the mark. Even when God gave Noah an outrageous task that was in direct conflict with the current knowledge of the time, Noah did not refuse. He carried our God's instructions in spite of the ridicule of his neighbors. I have a feeling that one of the meanings of walking with God is undertaking the outlandish in his name, going against conventional wisdom, being at crosshairs with the current culture. It is when we disabuse ourselves of the notion of ever gaining the world's favor that we finally find favor in God's eyes.
This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. .So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; ......I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. - Gen. 6:8-18 NIV
Reading the story of Noah, one sees how, in the midst of a violent and corrupt society, we can obtain God's favor. It's not the approach most of us are inclined to take in this current climate of godlessness. Most of us want to rail against the system. We try to defend God's honor when all we need to do is live a blameless life, continue to be righteous, and let God deal with the wickedness. Most of all, like Noah, we need to walk with God. I'm not sure I grasp completely what that means, but I know I fall far short of the mark. Even when God gave Noah an outrageous task that was in direct conflict with the current knowledge of the time, Noah did not refuse. He carried our God's instructions in spite of the ridicule of his neighbors. I have a feeling that one of the meanings of walking with God is undertaking the outlandish in his name, going against conventional wisdom, being at crosshairs with the current culture. It is when we disabuse ourselves of the notion of ever gaining the world's favor that we finally find favor in God's eyes.
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