Devotions

I was driving the freeway the other day. To my left was a semi pulling three trailers. I was paying attention to that as I passed them when I glanced in my rearview mirror. The car behind me appeared to be in my backseat. We couldn’t have been more than two-feet apart at 65-miles per hour in the far-right lane as we headed for the next exit.

I have had people tailgate me before, but this time was highly unnerving. The car’s owner (a woman was driving) had stenciled large white lettering on the top of the windshield, which when read in the mirror said: “MOVE OVER” and had an arrow pointing to the right. She followed that way for nearly a mile and shadowed me on the off ramp. Only when the lane split into two did she go around me, then proceeded to tailgate another car. I watched her fail to stop at a red light, whip around a corner, and tailgate the next person. I don’t think I have ever seen such a rude, reckless driver.

Now maybe there was a purpose in the message she had on her windshield. Maybe her job is to precede some sort of big equipment trailer or construction vehicle down the road and needs to warn people to move over for it. That doesn’t excuse the way she was driving that morning.  Then again, maybe, she’s just rude and reckless.

That experience left me shaking. Not so much for myself and my trip that morning, but for our society. I keep asking myself, what part of our culture would lend credence to that kind of behavior in anyone. How can anyone be so arrogant as to think they have the right to bully others with their vehicles.

I have always been hopeful for our nation, that she could be turned to God. “Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD.” [Psalm 33:12a]

I still am hopeful … but there is also in me now that vision of what we will look like if she does not—because that leaves us with “woe” as the portion of the nation who rejects God.

I saw a one-frame cartoon on Facebook a week or so ago. It showed Charlie Brown and Snoopy sitting on the ground facing a sunrise or sunset in the background. Charlie Brown says to Snoopy, “We are all going to die one day, Snoopy.”

It’s Snoopy’s response that has stayed with me, “Yes, but every other day we are going to live.”

Wow. Can it be that simple?

We worry so much about dying that we forget that is only one day, while we have years of days to live. Some may have more than others, but I don’t think God is concerned with quantity of days as much as quality of days. After all, He is already aware of the number of days we have. “…all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.”  [Psalm 139:16b Christian Standard Bible]

What are we doing with our days? Are we living them in abundance of God’s grace and mercy? Are we bringing the light of Christ into the darkness of others’ lives? Are we seeking our daily bread from the source? Are we drinking in the Living Water? Are we growing in Christ Jesus … loving each other the way He loved us? Are we caring for the poor of this world, the blind, the naked, the imprisoned as He commanded?

Are we living every day we have or merely going through the motions? Every day presents opportunities to grow in our relationship with God and our relationship with people.

Let’s live with an “every other day we are going to live” attitude and let God handle that one day we are going to meet Him.

I want to go back to Revelation Chapter 5, where we were in yesterday’s devotion. I want to go back to look once more at a group of people described simply as the “24-elders.” There are many scholars who believe these twenty-four represent the twelve tribes of Israel (the OT saints of God) and the twelve Apostles of Christ (the NT saints of God.) If that is true, then that is us!

If that is us, I want to know what I’m doing, don’t you?  I noticed three things.  We are gathered together around the throne of God. We are singing. We are falling down in worship.

We are all there together. All the people of God from all the ages, all the nations, Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free. We are together with Him before the throne.

And we are rejoicing, singing of His glory. I think there might even be some dancing going on. I can picture David whirling and twirling in his praise with a bus driver from Queens. There’s Paul singing loudly arm and arm with a martyr from Rwanda. Billy Graham and Martin Luther are side-by-side and Mother Teresa is hugging a Chinese believer. Maybe Peter and the Centurion are back together.  And in the middle of them all—there’s you and me.

Then suddenly as we sing, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever,” all of us are overcome with the desire to fall down together and worship the Great I Am and the Lamb. [verse 13]

We are together. We sing His praises. We bow before Him in worship. We probably should start practicing that now. (Smile)

Take a moment and read Revelation Chapter 5. It’s only 14 verses and takes about two minutes. It is full of music and full of worship. First the four creatures and twenty-four elders play their harps and sing. Then the thousands upon thousands and ten thousand upon ten thousand join in. Finally, the “Cosmos Choir” made up of every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and in the sea begin to sing.

While I can only imagine what that will be like, there is a verse in that wonderful chapter that reaches deeper in me than I can even express. The NKJV renders the wording beginning verse 6, “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain ….”

But it is the way the NIV renders it that grabs my soul, “Then I saw a Lamb ….”

I saw a Lamb … I saw the Lamb. As John stood before the Throne in the heavenlies, John saw the Lamb, the One slain from the foundation of the world. He saw the one upon whom he had rested his head at the Last Supper. He saw the One who loved him so. He saw the One who died for him, stripped naked upon a Roman cross. He saw the One laid in the tomb and he saw the One risen from the grave. He saw the One who ascended before his very eyes into the clouds. He saw the One who took away his sin and his guilt. He saw the One who alone now has the authority to open the scroll that signals the beginning of the New Heaven and the New Earth.

I want to see what John saw. I want to see the Lamb. I want to hear the heavenly choir. I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the saints of all the ages and worship the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb forever and ever.

I want to see what John saw:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hy5VxG6q98

Holiness has another meaning, not just “wholly other/wholly above” as God is, and “wholly set apart” as we are, but “wholeness.” It means to be completely healthy. We see this expressed by our Savior in Luke’s Gospel when Jesus met up with the ten lepers in Chapter 17. Luke tells as that as Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee, He was approached by ten men who had leprosy. They called out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy (pity) on us!”

Jesus response was to tell them to do what the Scriptures outlined, go show themselves to the priests to have their leprosy evaluated. Along the way all were “cleansed” or “made clean.” When one of the lepers saw that he was healed, he did an about-face and headed back to Jesus. There he began to shout praises to God and threw himself at Jesus’ feet thanking Him.

This amazed Jesus, first because he was the only one who returned when all ten were healed, and secondly because he was a Samaritan, one considered an outcast by the Jews. Jesus’ response, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.”  [v 19 Christian Standard Bible]

The word Luke employed and often translated as “well” is sozo (sode’-zo), and the King James translates it as “whole.” It means to be or make whole. Wholeness. No longer broken apart or fragmented by sin and guilt. No long torn asunder by failure, addictions, bondages, perversions or oppression. All our pieces are brought together and re-created into a whole, new, creation.

Jesus not only cleanses and heals, He brings holiness, “wholeness,” to those who come to Him by faith. Praise His Holy Name. Amen and Amen.

“Be holy for I am holy.”  That is the command of our God in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. That raises questions.  If we are to be holy, what exactly is holiness? Is our holiness and God’s holiness the same or is it different? And of course, the ageless question, how exactly do we achieve this holiness to which we are called?

We probably should begin with God’s holiness.  “… for I am holy.”  When we speak of God as holy, we are saying he is “wholly other” or “wholly above.” God is unlike any other being, He is absolute perfection. There is not even a microscopic trace of anything other than perfection in Him. He is high above all others, no one compares to Him. Every other attribute is governed by His Holiness, holy mercy, holy grace, holy love, holy wrath. We can’t even grasp that kind of holiness, let alone achieve it.

So what kind of holiness is God indicating for us when he says, “Be holy ….”  We certainly can’t be “wholly other” or “wholly above.” For us, holiness may be defined as “wholly apart.” When God called Israel out of Egypt, he set them apart from other nations. He gave them specific instructions to govern their lives so that the world would know that they belonged to Him. When Peter repeated the command regarding holiness in the New Testament (1 Peter 1:16), he talked specifically to believers and indicated that we needed to be set apart from the world. We are to be governed by God’s standards not the world’s or our own. Holiness calls us to be distinct, “wholly apart,” not perfect.

That leaves the last question. How do we achieve this holiness to which we are called? That can only come from a right relationship with God through the work of Jesus Christ our Savior. We cannot achieve holiness through our own efforts. To try to be holy without first being born-again in Christ Jesus is to descend into legalism, not the freedom found in Christ. Remember what Paul wrote to the Ephesians? “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” [Eph 2:6 NIV]

Seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly realm is truly “wholly apart” from the world. As we learn to live in that, we can truly “be holy for I am holy.”

This was a difficult week. I had so much on my plate to do this week and as of Thursday, I’d gotten none of it done. The stomach “bug” stepped it, hijacked my plans and took over my life.  I’ve lounged around in my PJ’s, encouraged my stomach to accept the food I offered, and watched daytime television between ubiquitous naps. My step count was almost non-existent. My mind was foggy, I seemed to be either just waking up or just nodding off. Every now and again I’d think I should get up from Bob’s big lounge chair and do something, but those kinds of thoughts faded rapidly. I guess that’s clear warning that if this devotional makes little sense, there is just cause for that.

Somewhere in all this “battle of the bug,” I began to think about holiness. In Leviticus 11 God gave Israel a list of animals, birds, creeping things, bugs, and swimming things. He defined some as “clean,” and others as “unclean.” Then He makes a remarkable command at the end of that odd chapter on what living things Israel was permitted to eat. He says, “For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” [Lev 11:45 NKJV]

In the New Testament, Peter wrote that believers are to prepare (gird up) their minds, be sober or self-controlled. We are to set our hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ. We are to be obedient children of God, no longer living as we did when evil desires controlled us in our ignorance. Then Peter repeats the command of Leviticus 11 regarding holiness: “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” [1 Peter 1:15-16 NKJV]

“Be holy, for I am holy.” That is a remarkable command. Living in the Old Testament, defilement could be acquired from exterior sources. Living in the New Testament, defilement is acquired from interior sources. Both types of defilement, however, are based in disobedience to God. Israel had the written law to define their obedience. Believers have the eternal Spirit of God dwelling within to lead and guide in all Jesus said and did.

May we always heed His voice. Amen.

Saturday night I came down with a GI “bug.” Not sure if it was a “bug” or food poisoning. Somehow that mattered little since the effects were the same. It got bad fast Saturday night, 102-degree fever, chills and all the GI side-shows. I had to call in backup to handle church on Sunday since it was evident I wasn’t going to be in any condition to show up. Thankfully, I have good people willing to cover for me.

We need each other. No one is an island unto himself/herself. God put us in natural families for a reason, as a wonderful picture of the family of God.  Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “[Jesus Christ] died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” [5:10-11 NKJV]

Look at that wonderful phrase, “we should live together with Him.” That isn’t just for some future heavenly abode, that’s for now. We live together, as brothers and sisters with Him. As such Paul reminds us we should be comforting and edifying each other.

We are to comfort each other. The word is parakaleo (par-ak-al-eh’-o), a form of the word used to describe the Holy Spirit as the Comforter. It means to call near, to invite, implore, exhort encourage. We are to hold our brothers and sisters near, invite them into our lives so that we can encourage each other.

We are to edify each other also. That word edify is oikodomeo (oy-kod-om-eh’-o) and it means to be a house-builder, to build up.  The world is set on tearing down. We tear down our leaders, both religious and secular. We tear down others who don’t think, look, or act like us. That seems to be the atmosphere of current culture. But that can never be the atmosphere in the family of God.

Sunday morning other members of the family of God stepped in and ministered last minute in my place. I am so thankful to be among people who comfort and edify.  Amen!

Last Friday, I received an offer to go back to work for the state at a temporary (4 ½ month) position. It’s the same department I worked in last year in Boise. It will mean extra money to cover the added expenses we’ve had this year, which is a big bonus. Plus, it is working with the same people as last year, people I grew to like very much. The only negatives are the commute (60-mile round trip) and that I will be spending every spare moment outside of work keeping up with my studying and writing.

I must have made a good enough impression in this department that I’m being asked to return. Wherever I have worked, I’ve tried very hard to do just that. I am open about my belief in Christ and I don’t hide the fact that I am a pastor. I understand that people will often evaluate Jesus by my words and actions.

When I was a new Christian 45 years ago, I read a verse in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  It became what is often called a “life verse.”  “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” [Col 3:17 NKJV]

I want my life to be a living testimony of Christ Jesus, my Lord, so everything I do, whether inside church or outside church, whether word or deed, needs to be “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” That means, it needs to reflect Him as the Resurrection, Life, Truth, Living Water, Daily Bread, Great I Am, Provider, Healer, Sustainer, Savior, Lord, Master, Teacher, Lover of Souls, Friend of Sinners.  And my life must also be one of continual gratefulness and expressed thanksgiving.

That is what I aspire to, I haven’t always lived up to it. One thing I have learned is that to live a good testimony means a constant dependence upon His Spirit to empower my witness.

Twenty years ago this month, my life did an about-face. I hadn’t been feeling well for a long time and I was extremely fatigued. My doctor ran a battery of different tests and all came back negative. Finally, she ran a test for Diabetes and that came back with an A1C of 14.6. (At the time the normal range was 4-6.)

When she gave me the diagnosis, she said I should start on medications immediately. I asked for a month before we started meds and she gave it to me. In that month I researched everything about Diabetes 2 that I could find. I visited the websites of Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic and the American Diabetes Association, to name a few. I read up on medications and their side effects (some were ugly). I found out what Diabetes 2 does to a body (blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes). And I learned what I needed to do (change my diet, exercise, and lose weight).

So, I embarked on a new path. I was diligent, almost militant, on what I consumed. I began to walk, initially managing only one block out and back, but before long I was doing three miles on my lunch break. Over the next 12 months I dropped 110 pounds. My A1C dropped the first month to 10.3 (that’s 33 points!), then to 7.6 a month later, and finally settled in around 5.0.

When I look back on that time now, I know my reaction to the diagnosis could have been much different. Many go into denial, some refuse to even try to manage, some head straight to meds. I can actually say that I am thankful for that “bad news” as it gave me a new and much improved life.

Forty years ago this month, I received another kind of “bad news.” I learned that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That “bad news” that I was a sinner drove me to the foot of the cross, to the “Good News” found in the loving arms of a Savior who was waiting for me there with an armload of grace and a heart full of love. That “bad news” prompted me to find a new and eternal life in God’s Good News.  [Romans 3:21-26]