9/16/20 The Rules In Football 1 Kings 8:58

The Rules In Football

1 Kings 8:58

“...that he may incline our hearts to him,”

To be inclined, is to lean toward.  What a pleasant thought, for my heart to lean in Your direction.  I want that, where ever there is opportunity to lean I want to lean in Your direction. 

The rest of the sentence says”... to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers.”

I am ashamed to admit that my first inclination is to buck up against the rules/commandments part of the sentence.  I guess I just want it to be about desire, choosing, having my say.  But the question is, what am I choosing, what is it I desire?  Isn’t this just the point, do I desire Your ways or something else, do I desire You for who You are? Is this not what the rules, commands, and statutes are offering?  One cannot desire You and reject Your ways.  Your ways are the very expression of who You are.

When I was a kid, I loved football, and in spite of my small size had dreams of playing college or even pro football.  We lived in Honduras so there was no live football to see, but every Sunday afternoon I could be found huddled by the short wave radio listening to the weekly broadcast of the game of the week on AFRTS, the Armed Forces Radio and Television network.  For what ever reason they seemed to favor the New York Giants and whoever they played that week so the Giants became my favorite team.  I was a Y. A. Tittle and Frank Gifford fan, but also knew the name and stats on every player on the team.  I read books and talked football with my Dad to learn all I could about football. This dream, desire, drove me to learning all the rules and more importantly to playing by the rules even on the sandlot with my friends.  I did not try to make the game into my version of the game or create my own rules.  I did not because I wanted to be a football player, not something else.  The rules of the game were not a burden imposed on the game.  The game of football, as it is played, are defined and summed up in the rules.  No rules, no game, just chaos.  I can no more play football using the rules of baseball than I can follow Jesus and be inclined to my own or someone else’s rules.

Genesis 1 tells us that God moved over the face of the chaos and imprinted on it order, rules.  The laws of nature and the definition of right relationships define creation as an expression of who You are.  The core of relationship is desire, but the object of our desire is defined and shaped by rules.  When I know the rules and they become embedded in me, when I don’t have to think about them anymore because they have become habit and instinct, it frees me up to play with abandon and even joy.  This is the sense I get when I read Psalm 119 where the Psalmist raptures about his love of the laws and precepts of the Lord.  This is the rest described in v. 56 of this passage , “ “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised.”

Morning prayers says it like this, “Incline our hearts to keep Your ways, grant that having cheerfully done Your will this day we may when night comes rejoice and give you thanks. 

LHM/CHM

8/5/20 - Psalm 36: The Depths of a Depraved Heart

 

Psalm 36:1-4

 

Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;

there is no fear of God

before his eyes.

For he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

He plots trouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in a way that is not good;

he does not reject evil.

 

These verses shed light on how depraved the desires of the heart can become. Repeated rejection of God’s invitation, absolute determination to do my will and not God’s, to live for me and not for Him, distorts the heart (Desires) into something completely other than what was intended or created.  My assumption is that there comes a point of no return, where God agrees to finally give one what one desires, no presence. Because we are derived beings, our life comes from God, achieving that final desire results in death. Without an object an image ceases to exist...this is the end of hell, annihilation, ceasing to exist.  This too is God’s grace, there is a limit to the horror of marred image that God will allow one to endure.

 

To those who would say, but God is so judgmental. I would respond, absolutely!  He is unbending in His requirement for holiness to permit presence.  At the same time He consistently remains invitational, “whosever will may come.”  It is His judgement that provides the washing, the clean up in us of what is not holy, so we become holy and fit for presence.  His judgement is never intended for separation, it is always intended for reconciliation.  It results in separation only when we identify and desire most closely with what is not holy and are therefore consumed along with it.

 

There is great comfort and grace in the next verses of the Psalm.  Note the steadfast love, faithfulness, man and beast saved, refuge, abundance, the river of delights, the fountain of life, and the light, all offered to those who will come.  Invitation always abounds.  Grace is always given and life comes when we submit to the King.

 

Psalm 36:5-10

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O LORD.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

 

Invitation to presence and community abounds, but it is not forced on anyone.  My arrogance and self will can hold out, but it does have it’s consequences, death.

 

 

Psalm 36:11-12

Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen;

they are thrust down, unable to rise.

 

Lord have mercy! Christ have mercy!

 

7-10-20 Sojourn? Psalm 15:1-2

Sojourn?

Psalm 15:1-2

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart;

What does it mean to “sojourn” or to walk blamelessly?

1 John 1:7, “Walk in the light as You are in the light and we will have fellowship with one another.” (Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:25; [John 1:47; Col. 3:9]

This verse for me has given perspective to what makes relationships, unity, healthy body life, something realized, not just aspired to or talked about.  It makes evident the glaring weakness in so many of my relationships...the unwillingness to speak the truth, or in many cases the poor communication skills relative to speaking the truth in love.

It becomes more clear every day that good relating takes time, examen, (What are my deepest desires, what am I after? Self knowledge.) structure that enables, as well communication skills both in listening well and expressing my own feelings, intentions, desires, etc.

If the order of the universe is relational, and I believe it is, it would seem that I would be very intentional about certain things in every corner of my circle of influence:
- Time, making space for these things.
- Examen, not navel gazing, but open honest presence with You and others so that I begin to see who I and they really are?
- Structure that enables and encourages  the deepening of relationships.
- Expectation, is this another word for hope? Not, "I hope, wish, this could happen," but hope as trust and expectation of fellowship if we are faithful?  Because it is the order of the universe and the order of the universe is grounded in the Trinity, The One.  Is this not what You mean when You say, "believe, follow?"

6/4/20 - A New Heart

Deuteronomy 29:4

But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand 

or eyes to see or ears to hear.

NIV Jesus Bible (This is The full study note.)
The Need for a New Heart
Moses traced the Israelites’ inability to keep the terms of the covenant of God to a root problem. According to verse 4, the Lord had not given them the ability to understand, see and hear. Immediately following chapter 28, which contrasts the blessings for keeping God’s covenant commands with curses for not doing so, Moses connected their potential inability to uphold their end of the covenant requirements with the fact that they were unable to appreciate all the Lord had done for them. Elsewhere, it is clear that their inadequacies are connected to needing a new or changed heart (Dt 10:16; 30:6; Eze 36:26). Being an ethnic Israelite had limitations. Physical connection to a genealogical line did not equate to blessings from the Lord. Therefore, the Old Testament authors offered a consistent message: the people of God were unable to keep God’s law, thus they needed spiritual renewal. This message prefigured the new heart to come in Christ (Jer 31:31–34). Apart from renewal in Christ Jesus, no one can come to God by pleasing him and keeping all his commands (Ro 3:10–12,21–26).

My reflection is from here down.  Let me give a disclaimer to begin.  I do not pretend to understand or to be giving an answer to the questions about the meaning of God hardening hearts or giving or not giving hearts, it is a mystery way above my pay grade, but I do think it pleases Him when we wrestle  with the questions or with Him around the questions.  We cannot wrestle with out engaging and once we engage He gets His hands on us.  Once He gets His hands on us we are far more likely to be drawn to Him.  It may be kicking and screaming, but if we stay in the wrestling we may find that His grip is a gentle touch, not brute strength.  When we wrestle with open hearts and minds it becomes possible, maybe even likely, that our fears (Scared) turn to fear (Awe) and awe opens the door to worship and worship is what we are made for.

The “faith” progression (Living by faith, see Jn 14:21) seems to be: Desire -> Obedience ->Understanding.  This is not linear, by the way.  True understanding, seeing Him, as John says, increases my desire for Him, which makes me more willing to obey, etc.  My tendency is to want to understand before I am willing to obey.  This “logic” short circuits the very thing God wants most from us, our desire (Heart). If I choose and do what seems logical/sensible to me I may be able to live rightly, but without desire it undoes the order of the universe which is desire/relationship driven.  Obedience without desire is religion not relationship.  This was Jesus’ point to the Pharisees in John 5. “You look to the scriptures to find eternal life , but they are talking about me, and you do not want anything to do with me.” This is logic and law without desire.

If God gave us hearts that desired Him would it be true desire or just the “programing” we received?  It seems here He is saying I have given you the capacity and the space in which you can be drawn to me, He invites persistently, creatively, with steadfast love and faithfulness, but He does not program.

To ignore this invitation, to try to live contrary to  the order of the universe results in what is described here as hardening of the heart.  It is like running an engine without oil, it progressively hardens until it seizes up.  Dallas Willard says, “Sensuality (Self driven.) deadens.”  All addictions, spiritual and physical, deaden our senses.  That is why they are addictions, it is satisfaction of desire with something that is inadequate.  It is addictive because it’s use deadens the receptors that experience it and they require progressively larger doses in order to be “felt”.  Deadening is slow death, and be not deceived, it leads to the real thing, death.  Like a heart with coronary artery disease the slowly hardening arteries end in death.

When I give up and say I cannot do it without You, O Lord, my ways do not work, then He graciously and at great cost to Himself, gives me a new heart.  (See all the cross references above.) Mercy, grace, steadfast love and faithfulness in action.  How awesome is that?  LHM/CHM

5/20/20 In, Not Out of Romans 8:36-39

Romans 8:36-39

As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 44 reminds us that our persecution is not without precedent.  It has happened before and as before, You are not asleep nor will You be absent or without Your glory in the moment.

Paul connects our history with the present, he says "...in all these things we are more than conquerers."  Not out of these things.  Our conquering comes not by avoidance or removal, but by enduring them. You are faithful in our trials, not by keeping us from them.

A perspective check: For Your sake, we are killed all the day long.  It is not about me, it is all about You.  You were killed unjustly and we may be too if we are not separated from You.  Deliverance is not from, but in.

A number of months back was our second “founding fathers” for Cornerstone Dental, retreat. (Bill, Dan, Fred, Randy, and me.). Very sweet time remembering and telling old stories and catching up on what has happened in the intervening years.  Part of the reliving is a discovery of how those things have shaped us into who we are now.  How easy it is to forget Your faithfulness in the midst of those times, how easy it is to miss in the midst of things, Your presence, Your care, Your provision, and even Your comfort.  Remembering the steadfast love and faithfulness of the past strengthens our faith and trust, which gives us hope for the future, and inspires us to be present and loving in the present.  Seems like I remember someone saying once, “Now abide faith, hope, and love…”  Abide, what a wonderful combination of presence and endurance. 

It is good to see that You are indeed conforming us to the image of Your Son, maybe most especially in the suffering and sacrifice, and for that I am grateful.

LHM/CHM

5/20/20 - Awe and Wonder Give Context to Life.

Psalm 119:161, 169

“…my heart stands in awe of your words.”

Let my cry come before you, O LORD;

give me understanding according to your word!”

Proverbs 1:7

The fear (Awe) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Awe and wonder give context to life.  When we disconnect awe and wonder what sounds like wisdom may well be foolishness.  (Job, Ecclesiastes)

Words are revelatory, I see You in Your word as You reveal Yourself to me.

When this Psalm speaks of Your word, your law, Your ways, Your statutes, etc. all of these reveal who You are and what You are like.

Do these create awe in me?  Does awe give me humility and open me to mystery?  Do I delight in what is revealed? Am I drawn to what I see?  Do I find hope, joy and shalom in Your word?

The ultimate question, am I drawn to You, is my desire for You, or am I drawn to something other?

Create in me a clean heart, O God...give me an undivided heart that desires and is satisfied with only You. LHM/CHM

5/16/20 - Am I Afraid of the Fire?

Deuteronomy 5:4-5, 27

The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I (Moses) stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. 

(You, Moses.) Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

The people of Israel are afraid to go near and be with God, they wanted Moses to be between them and God. This is a pattern we see for "the people of God" through time.  Later Israel will demand a King to lead them rather than have God as their king so they can be like the other nations.  Now in the New Testament church have we created a clergy to come between us and God?  Have we forsaken the risk and adventure of the priesthood of all believers for the safety of a professional clergy?  What is the meaning of this as it relates to the Spirit of God living in us and our need to rely on Him?

It seems to me that in the New Testament we have taken gifts of the Spirit, preaching, teaching, shepherding, even apostleship, which are given to exercise for a task, and turned them into “offices.”  Office in the sense of position in an organizational structure.  This has almost inevitably become to be perceived as a hierarchy of sorts that results in the people of God defaulting to the clergy to hear from God.  As I read Acts, this was not how God’s Spirit seems to work.  He seems to be active in people’s lives regardless of training, position, or perceived personal authority.  When the Spirit speaks or leads, He chooses whom He wills and goes where He wills.  Yes there is the difficulty at times of knowing when it is the Spirit speaking or leading over our own desires and wants, but I wonder if we have come to rely on clergy over community to discern the Spirit’s leading?