Category Archives: Daily Meditations

Daily Meditations

5.23.15–>”Who the Heck is Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:1-10″

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Hebrews 7:1-10

For this Melchizedek, “king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was coming back after defeating the kings, and blessed him; 2 and Abraham portioned out to him a tenth of everything.”

To begin with, if you translate Melchizedek’s name, it means “king of righteousness”; then he is also “king of Salem,” which means “king of peace.” 3 No mention is made of his father or mother or genealogy, nor of the beginning or end of his earthly life. He is described in a similar way to the son of God; and he continues as a priest forever.

[Pictured is Melchizedek blessing Abraham]

For years I’ve wondered about this enigmatic priest whose narrative takes up just three verses out of the entire Old Testament (Genesis 14:18-20) and then gets a mention in just one other verse, Psalm 110:4. Yet he gets a whole chapter in the NT book of Hebrews devoted to him.

The author of Hebrews-let’s call him or her “Hauthor” from now on-makes a strong typological connection between Jesus and Melchizedek. (The word “typology” comes from the Greek term typos, which can mean “pattern, prefiguration, model, impression, foreshadowing.”) Hauthor has already shown that Jesus is superior to the Jewish tradition including Moses, the Sabbath, the Law, and even angels. Now he will show the priesthood of Jesus, foreshadowed by Melchizedek, as superior to Levitical priesthood which, like Ron Burgundy, was “kind of a big deal”.

So who was Melchizedek?

Melchizedek was a priest-king of the city Salem (which later became Jerusalem), who met Abraham as he returned from routing some invading kings. As the story goes in the OT narrative, four kings marched on a confederation of five other kings which were from Sodom, Gamorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. The armies of these five were defeated in a valley called Siddim and their cities plundered. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was among the captives taken from Sodom. A servant who escaped the battle went and told Abraham this news. Abraham went all “crazy eyes” and pursued these captors to Dan, where he staged a night-time attack and took his nephew back. After his return home, both the king of Sodom and Melchizedek came to meet Abraham. Hauthor focuses on Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, in which Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he took in the attack, and then received a blessing from him.

Hauthor points out that Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness,” alluding to the Hebrew words melek (which means “king) and seleq (which is commonly rendered “righteousness”). Further, he interprets “Salem” as coming from the root salom, meaning “peace” or “well-being.” Thus he is also “king of peace.” These concepts of righteousness and peace are appropriate for one who prefigures the One through whom will be the true approach to God, superseding priests in the line of Levi, as well as animal sacrifices.

Hauthor uses what was a common exegetical practice known as “argument from silence,” capitalizing on what is not mentioned in the text, namely a genealogy. Big-time figures had their ancestry listed in sacred texts, but there is nothing when it comes to Melchizedek. So Hauthor concludes the eternal quality of his priesthood and shows that it did not come through the line of Levi as all Jewish priests did. He doesn’t have the qualifications or the parameters given by the law of Moses concerning Levitical priesthood. Levitical priests died. This Melchizedekian priesthood goes on forever as Psalm 110:4 tells us: The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

The other major point that’s made is Abraham giving a tenth of the spoils to this Melchizedek, meaning that he, Melchizedek, was greater than Abraham. Levi came through Abraham’s family tree (he was one of Abraham’s great-grandsons), so Melchizedek was way greater than Levi and all the priests who would come down through that blood line.

So la de frickin’ da, right? What’s the point?

Well, there are a couple of points to take in. We see how to view and interpret Scripture from the example of Hauthor’s exegesis*.  First off, we see he uses “verbal analogy”, meaning he lets Scripture interpret Scripture. We see this by his comparison of Genesis 14 with Psalm 110. This is a solid practice which has been going on for a long, long time.

Secondly, he interprets his Old Testament Christologically. This is huge for us as Christians. We believe that Jesus is the key that unlocks all of life and all of Scripture. Have you ever seen The Sixth Sense or The Book of Eli? The ending changes everything, and you have to rethink the whole movie to make sense of it. You want to immediately watch it again in light of your illuminating discovery. This is what Jesus did for Scripture. We believe it now comes together, making sense in ways the original authors may very well have had no knowledge of or even intention toward. Without Jesus, we read this OT account of Melchizedek and probably would just think, “Wow, that’s strange. Why is that in there?” Now we see.

For Christians, Christ is the ultimate point of reference for biblical truth, indeed all truth. He is the North Star by which we get our bearings. I’m not sure we always grasp how Christ transcends everything, and by everything this includes the entire OT. That can sound heretical to some, but seems obvious upon a close reading of NT writings.

Jesus is greater than any book written about Him. Even His own book.

*Critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

5.22.15–>”Should We Sit & Pray?”

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A quick detour from Hebrews

I’ve just been thinking this week about people I’ve read about whose lives are characterized by spiritual power. They have a couple of things in common.

They’re sold out surrendered to God, meaning, they’ve given up all that could be in the way or a hindrance to their relationship with God.

And they pray for hours a day. I mean they sit before God and pray, much of it in worshipful silence. I’m not sure I know anyone who does this. Consequently, I’m not sure I know anyone whose life is characterized by spiritual power.

Would it do us any good to set aside an hour or more a day to just sit with God while doing nothing else?

Or is that a waste of time.

Does that not work anymore.

It’s 2015, we have so much more important stuff to do than sit around.

There’s no time for that.

Does anybody want to experiment and try it? Clear out the hindrances and dedicate large amounts of time to just sit with God? Is there a point? Would anything change?

Are we missing out on another way of living?

These are my questions.

What if we in ministry spent more time in prayer than actual “ministering?” Is that wrong?

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

5.21.15–>”Hope, A Sure & Steadfast Anchor of the Soul: Hebrews 6:13-20″

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Not sure who made this picture, but it’s pretty awesome.

We have this hope as anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

The spiritual life is not overshadowed by anxiety and fear, but rather confident that it would be “impossible for God to prove false” (v.18).

All spiritual formation is founded on the trustworthiness of God’s character and the truth of God’s revelation in the person of Jesus Christ. This conviction leads to life-sustaining hope, and hope is a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”

The security of our souls rests firmly in the eternal, high priestly work of Jesus Christ, by which he has entered into God’s presence on our behalf and made a way for us to follow. When Jesus says, “Follow me,” I think he means into God’s presence.

God says that life is more than what can be seen immediately, and he offers us a wealth of spiritual resources to be found in relation to Jesus Christ.

God’s “oaths” help us see beyond our limitations to His limitless power and provisions. Encouragement comes from knowing we play a part in a life both full of meaning and lasting. Thus our current circumstances can never adequately define who we are or what we are about.

Our souls are ever attempting to anchor our lives, to catch hold of something outside ourselves that will transform our detached existence to a state of stability.

Things in this life are ever changing and, therefore, do not make great anchors for life. For example, I was noticing my cat, Dr. Bucko von Spankenfloppy’s face has been changing from kittenhood to adult. I miss his cute little kitten face, sure, but it can’t stay that way forever.

If you’re gonna anchor your life to something, make sure it’s stable.

Daily Meditations

5.20.15–>”Are You a Beneficial Crop, or Thorns & Thistles?: Hebrews 6:4-12″

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Hebrews 6:4-6

For once people have been enlightened–when they’ve tasted the heavenly gift and have had a share in the holy spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age–it’s impossible to restore them again to repentance if they fall away, since they are crucifying God’s son all over again, on their own account, and holding him up to contempt.

These are some of the most disputed and controversial verses in the entire NT. Many devoted and learned scholars differ widely on the interpretation of this text.

Working from the known to the unknown, we can at least say that the author is offering a stern warning in this passage from falling away from faith in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:7-8

You see, when rain falls frequently on the earth, and the land drinks it up and produces a crop useful to the people for whom its being cultivated, it shares in God’s blessing. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it’s useless, and not far off from being cursed. What happens in the end is that it will be burned up.

It’s good to examine ourselves and test ourselves to see if we are a benefit to the world or a hindrance as far as the things of God. The NT is clear that we are created for God and for good works (fruit). Good works are an outward sign of an inward reality. They can look an infinite number of ways, I’m sure. Some help a hundred million people learn how to read, and some mother children lovingly for God. But you might take note, and warning, if you are “thorns and thistles.” I’ve known so-called Christians who were always complaining, tearing people down, hateful even. Is this sharing God’s blessing?

The author ends this section with encouragement in perseverance. That seems to be the exhortation and point here.

Hebrews 6:11-12

I want to encourage each and very one of you to show the same energetic enthusiasm for the task of bringing your hope to its full, assured goal. You mustn’t become lazy. There are people who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience, and you should copy them!

Daily Meditations

“Constructive Confrontation: Hebrews 5:11-6:3”

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Healthy Confrontation (not pictured)

Hebrews 5:11-6:3

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.

You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity… [NIV]

This passage suggests to us that loving, well-thought-out confrontation comprises an important aspect of Christian community. Such admonition must be well-timed, must be offered with the right motives (the author obviously wants them to change for their own spiritual well-being rather than for his reputation or benefit), and must be offered both with encouragement (he will quickly turn to mitigation in 6:9), and with specific suggestions for action.

It is worth the risk of being misunderstood and being the object of someone’s defensiveness in order to challenge them and be a possible catalyst for their growth and maturity. Keeping the “peace” by remaining silent means staying where you are, remaining stagnant, and eventually regressing, most likely.

Bill Hybels says, “When people submerge their true feelings in order to preserve harmony, they undermine the integrity of a relationship. They buy peace on the surface, but underneath there are hurt feelings, troubling questions, and hidden hostilities just waiting to erupt. It’s a costly price to pay for a cheap peace, and it inevitably leads to inauthentic relationships.”

The church must be a “dangerous” place of vulnerability, where love demands more than the guarding of personal ego and truth looms larger than peace. Yes, pain plays a part in this indispensable activity of authenticity. Yes, this pain can be remarkably productive.

Yesterday, I was listening to “The Power of Vulnerability,” a workshop by Brene Brown. I highly recommend it! In it, she was sharing one of her mantras when faced with a tough situation in which she knows she needs to tell someone “No.” Before giving her answer, she repeats to herself three times, “Discomfort or resentment?” 90 seconds of the discomfort of disappointing someone, or much longer lasting resentment over telling someone “Yes” to save face? You can end up angry at the person just because you couldn’t say no.

All groups of Christians need to progress in their faith, to mature, to be challenged. Without challenge, how are we sharpened and honed? Sticking our heads in the sand, if allowed to prevail, will lead to spiritual demise, turning a community of faith into a mere crowd held together by formalities. The term “disciple” is used 261 times in the NT and is used broadly to refer to all who belong to the church. That only certain “super believers” are to be disciples is just not supported by the writings of the NT. We’re either a full-on apprentice or else I guess just auditing the class. Just checking it out.

A friend of mine who reads these emails everyday is not afraid to challenge me on them, to ask questions, to disagree. I so appreciate him, for it really sharpens me and makes me better–makes me think. If he just kept quiet, what good would it do? We’re not here just to rub each other’s butts, wait, or is it pat each other on the back? Anyway, we’re also here to make each other better and to assist in our maturing in the faith. To push one another. Have you met people whose faith has not changed a single bit for decades? It’s just weird. We should be growing and maturing in every way–spiritually, emotionally, physically. If I’m stuck, I want to be challenged.

Here’s three guidelines for healthy confrontation we can glean from this passage:

  1. The confrontation must be given with the right motive (i.e., to restore those confronted to spiritual health) and in a context of love and encouragement. The one offering rebuke must go through self-examination to see whether he or she is seeking to minister in the situation out of a broken heart and for the betterment of those being confronted. We must ask whether we seek to build up or tear down, that is, whether we want the other person(s) to walk away renewed or we are simply out to get emotional revenge for our own hurt feelings.
  2. The confrontation must be well thought out and well timed. Off-the-cuff comments offered at an ill-timed moment can be more damaging than helpful. Therefore, we do well to write out our thoughts and pray through them, reflecting on them in light of Scripture. The author’s words in this passage were artistically crafted and, thus, the product of much thought. That he waits until this point of the letter–after laying such a rich theological groundwork–speaks volumes. In building his sermon, he waits patiently for the right moment to confront the listeners boldly with their problem.
  3. Finally, the person offering rebuke should also offer specific suggestions for action when appropriate. Don’t you love it when someone just tells you how much you suck with no follow up as to how not to suck? When I was a personal trainer, I found it ineffective to tell a client, “Hey, you’ve gotten really fat since Christmas. See ya next week!” It was much better to offer something like, “You’re looking a little thick around the middle, why don’t you try eating a salad for lunch once in a while.” (For those of you who don’t know me, I’m not really serious.)

I got a lot of this stuff today from George Guthrie’s commentary on Hebrews just FYI. If I were turning this in for a college class, I’d probably fail due to plagiarism.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

“The Source of Eternal Salvation: Hebrews 5:1-10”

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Hebrews 5:1-10

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. 

When He had been made complete and perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him…

It is your work to clear away the mass of encumbering material of thoughts, so that you may bring into plain view the precious thing at the center of the mass. -John Collier

The all-important center of the Christian faith is not anything we believe; it’s the person of Jesus Christ, with whom we are invited to have a life-giving relationship.  -Gregory Boyd

Often I wonder if we’re more clouded than we realize. If we, even as Christians,  depend on so much besides Christ for Life.

My friend Andy had a great observation the other day. He said we need to rethink the old saying “We all have a God-shaped void that only God can fill.” With that saying, there’s the assumption that the void is empty. It’s usually not. We can fill it with not-God things, and we have. So we do not even realize, for a while at least, that we’re missing something. We can mask the symptoms of soul sickness.

This reminds me of Jesus saying He did not come for those who are well, but for those who are sick. Perhaps by “sick”, He was including those who think they’re just fine. Why go to the doctor if you’re not aware of any sickness or even any symptoms?

I hear Jesus saying to us today, “If you’re not wholly dependent on me for your sole source of Life, then you’re not really living. Whether you realize it or not.”

Do we rely more on our belief system than the person Jesus Himself? Do we go to the Bible for Life, instead of the true source, Jesus Christ? Jesus Himself warned sternly against this in John 5:39-40. “You search the Scriptures because you think they will give you eternal life. They do in fact tell about me, but you refuse to come to me for that life.”

It’s a seemingly subtle difference, yet this is what the surgical Logos of God can parse out and reveal to us, if we open ourselves up to Him and allow Him to have His way with our thoughts and beliefs.

We just need to be careful of going to everything but God Himself for our deep needs. We’re not talking surface needs like high quality groceries. I go to Trader Joe’s for that. But when faced with soul needs, do we go directly to the source? (Just to be clear, the Holy Spirit may very well point us to the Bible for what we need at the moment. The point is that we are to ultimately be seeking God and not some means as an end itself.)

This past weekend I was having a little moment. Let me tell you about it. I’d been listening to the book The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, and watching episodes of Cosmos hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Then I  hopped on YouTube to check out more material along these scientifically fascinating lines. I love that stuff, learning more about the wonders of God’s handiwork. But at one point, hearing some of the atheistic and agnostic points of view, my brain started to melt, I felt this weird surge of doubt, and experienced a shaking of my foundation.

Or so it felt.

Yesterday morning, as God via Hebrews reminds us, I went directly to the Source, instead of giving in to the temptation to search out refutations of atheism or arguments for Intelligent Design or whatever. I just talked directly to Jesus about it. About how I felt, what I needed from Him, where my thoughts were going. And I felt a calm come over me at first. Than a prompting. One of those Holy Spirit promptings that is difficult to put into words. But sitting at the desk in my prayer room, I was led to glance over at the large stack of books I’ve  read only halfway through, and the one that stood out (like a light shining on it, you know?) was Benefit of the Doubt by Greg Boyd.  I can hardly describe the blessing and peace God gave me through the reading of this book yesterday. I had put it down months ago, and what God spoke to me through the page right where I had left off was exactly what my heart needed right at that moment. Another one of God’s orchestrated coincidences as I’ve graciously experienced so many times before.

I don’t need to go into the detail of what I read since that’s not really the point. You can see from the above quote a snippet of what I got.  But I will say that the reiteration of the centrality of Jesus Christ being most important to the Christian life as our source for Life was the comforting reminder my soul needed, and I believe a direct gift from God in response to my call upon Him for help. This is eternal salvation experienced right now if you ask me.

I was reminded that my foundation does not come from having unshakeable certainty in my beliefs, which can easily become an idol itself (certainty of being right), but rather the very person Jesus Christ who has visited me and been experientially real in my life here and now. When that is your center, you do not need everything else to add up exactly as you think it should, or to be empirically verifiable.

Looking directly to Jesus for Life in a posture of humility, belief, surrender, and openness to whatever He may give, will bring the rich reward of soul contentment, at just the right moment, which you will obtain from no other source, for there is no other source for such contentment.

In the name of Jesus, Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

“Our Compassionate High Priest: Hebrews 4:14-16”

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Hebrews 4:14-16

Well, then, since we have a great high priest who has gone right through the heavens, Jesus, God’s son, let us hold on firmly to our confession of faith.

For we don’t have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then come boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us at the moment when we need it.  [KNT]

(This section is a major transition in the letter, and gives a great 50,000 foot view of what has been said thus far. The author is concluding his exhortation, and getting ready to go into the great exposition of Jesus’ high priesthood.)

We have a very compassionate and understanding high priest. Due to Christ’s divinity He has made relationship with God possible. Due to Christ’s humanity He can literally sympathize with our weaknesses. He does not judge us as if we had no difficulties whatsoever, but compassionately knows what we go through.

Frequently, I praise our daughter Gabriela for how well she does in her school work. The reason for this is because of the great difficulty she must overcome due to her eczema. Though we have confidence that she can overcome it and excel at her work, that is not our demand. We take into account the obstacle to concentration she faces, and let her know we see it, and are so proud of her.

Do we have a proper view of the God who Jesus revealed to us? Is He not full of compassion, mercy, understanding, and grace? Instead of a solemn reckoning when I meet Jesus, I envision it more of Him smiling and telling a story like, “Man, one of my customers in the carpentry business was such a pain in the tukas! Every single thing I made was never good enough for that guy. I had to pray a lot every time I interacted with him. I understand your frustrations. I had many myself.”

And because we have such a wonderful, loving high priest, we can approach God with bold frankness. The verb in verse 16 is present tense meaning it is an ongoing approach of God. Let us constantly draw near to Him. May we not forget the context from the old covenant. Before Jesus, the only person allowed into God’s presence was the high priest, who entered the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle once a year on the Day of Atonement. He offered a sacrifice on that day to win forgiveness for all the people, yet they were still locked out of God’s magnificent presence. But under Jesus’ high priesthood, we find ourselves in a vastly different situation. We may enter the very presence of God on a continual basis, and do so with great confidence because of the door Jesus opened for us. There, we find grace to help us when we most need it.

We have full access to God. We have actual help from Him who overcame the world, who went through all afflictions while not giving in to sin. But it is only help to us if we so choose to confidently approach Him who first drew near to us.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

“The Surgical Word of God: Hebrews 4:12-13”

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lewis-word of God

Hebrews 4:12-13

God’s word is alive, you see! It’s powerful, and it’s sharper than any double-edged sword. It can pierce right in between soul and spirit, or joints and marrow; it can go straight to the point of what the human heart is thinking or intends to do.

No creature remains hidden before God. All are naked, laid bare before the eyes of the one to whom we must present an account.  [KNT]

The word or voice of God can go in between that which seems inseparable. One way in which it is so powerful is that it can parse out the separate components of our being that we merely see as one big mess.

Why is this so powerful?

God’s word exposes the reality of what is inside. Our thoughts and our intentions. And not only that, but shows us the make up of those thoughts and intentions. To know how something works, you take it apart so you can see all the hidden pieces and where they go and what they’re attached to. This is what God’s word does to us. It takes apart that which we thought could not be separated, thus showing us more clearly the truth of who we are and what we must do to become whole.

We’ve all at least heard of the parent whose answer to the child’s question, “Why do I have to?” being a short, “Because I said so!” At times, I guess this could be appropriate, but it is not all that helpful. Our heavenly Father is much more patient. His word exposes the why on His end as well as ours.

For example, let’s say you tell “white lies” all the time. You don’t think much of it, for it has become a part of you, a self-protective mechanism you’ve learned and adopted over your lifetime. Moralism would simply say “Stop lying. You shouldn’t lie.” It “shoulds” all over you, as we say. But the word of God goes deeper. It lays the axe to the root as opposed to the mere cosmetic trimming of the outer branches to make the tree look good. Being pierced with the word of God, your eyes may be opened to the fact that you lie to always put yourself in a good light because it is so very important for you to look a certain way to others. Further down the rabbit hole, you see that what God thinks of you is not enough, you must have approval of people to be happy. The divine nod of approval is just not sufficient for you. Further still, you see that you really don’t trust God to care for you or vindicate you. You must defend yourself because God certainly will not. 

It is very powerful when you have a true brush with the divine. You see many things all at once, not just one thing to stop doing or else! (Though this could be the case, I guess.) When you “touch eternity” as they say, you encounter God, you are exposed. Be it via an angel or whatever. This is why people always have to be told to not be afraid. Encountering the numinous is frightening indeed because of the unknown factor. God’s word shows you in an instant the nature of your heart, the nature of His heart, and you are not the same. God disassembles you to show you more fully and accurately what the heck is going on inside. 

Jesus said He did not come to bring peace, but a sword to cause division.

Heavy.

That could mean that He came to bring a sword in the fleshly sense, but peace in the spiritual sense.

Soul and spirit are so close together that they can hardly be told apart. Same with joints and marrow. The surgical word of God is sharp enough to go between the two into the tiniest of spaces. Then we see more clearly what needs to be removed. For instance, you may feed the homeless for God. Or so you think. Then at some point you genuinely encounter God and the word of His truth. Exposed, you can now see that your real intention has been not to relieve suffering, or to work for God, but to atone yourself for the wrongs you did when you were younger. At the deeper level, you see that you are helping the homeless out of guilt at the end of the day. God shows you that He took care of your sin through His Son and loves you now as you are, that there’s nothing you can do to atone. It is an impossibility and does not compute. When touched with this reality, you are so moved to love and fulness and humility, that you go back to feeding the homeless solely and sincerely for the love of God and for the love of other people in need. You are now performing, agenda-free, for an audience of One, and you are more satisfied than you’ve ever been, knowing that, thru Christ, you are enough. You are enough. Your need for self-atoning was exposed and removed. This could not have been seen on your own, standing at the surface.

If we were toys in packages, our box would read: “Disassembly required. Your Father puts it together.”

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

“Entering God’s Rest: Hebrews 4:1-11”

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SabbathRest1

Hebrews 4:1-11

Now we who have believed enter that rest…

for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work just as God did from His.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. [NIV]

Two requirements for entering God’s rest are belief and obedience. As intimidating as those two words may be for some, they’re really just entering and resting. Pretty simple actually.

And with these two, we must of course turn away from our conviction that we know better how to run our life.

In the OT, all the Israelites had to do was enter the Promised Land and rest. But they just could not seem to trust God and take Him at His word. If things didn’t look right to them, they took matters into their own hands. They had to keep striving. And it cost them. Dearly.

We’re most satisfied, content, and at rest, when we give ourselves away, first, in abandonment to God, then, in loving service to others. For in trying to please ourselves, there is no end, no satiation.

Obedience is a good thing. It is the way to rest, and the way Jesus said to remain in His love. You might say belief is entering, obedience is resting.

An active, beautiful rest. Total trust no matter how things may look to us.

I am doing something in your day that you wouldn’t believe even if you were told.
Habakkuk 1:5

I’m trying to get my girls to obey me by putting their shoes in their shoe drawer every nite. Not because I’m trying to be some tyrannical enforcer, but rather to teach them and show them the satisfaction and rest that comes from putting things in their proper place. Would they rather go on a shoe scavenger hunt every morning, stressfully racing against the clock to get to school on time? Or would they rather know where their shoes are and be ready early, having some extra time to play?

Everything in its proper place, most importantly our relationship with God, brings shalom.

Once, Mother Teresa was approached by a brother in the order who complained that the rules of his superior were getting in the way of his ministry to lepers. He lamented, “My vocation is to work for lepers.” To this Mother Teresa replied gently, “Brother, your vocation is not to work for lepers, your vocation is to belong to Jesus.” This is the essence of real Christianity. All else relates to and flows from this relationship.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria

Daily Meditations

“What is Intimacy?: Hebrews 3:7-19”

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Perichoresis

Hebrews 3:7-19

Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts…They are always straying in their hearts…Take care, my dear family, that none of you possess an evil and unbelieving heart, leading you to withdraw from the living God. [vv.8,10,12]

A lot of heart talk in this chapter.

What does God most want from us?

It seems to be our hearts.

What does that mean?

Intimacy.

We talk about intimacy with Christ, but do we know what we’re saying? We always need to be careful to not throw terms and phrases around too loosely as they can lose their meaning and intended connotation over time.

Intimacy is sharing. Sharing yourself. The more mutual sharing going on between people, the more intimate they become. The more you give of yourself in vulnerability, the closer you become to that person. And if they give the same to you, then you really become close. To be naked and unashamed with one another, as Adam and Eve were in the garden. No holding back. Total giving, and total receiving without judgment. This is intimacy. This is what we mean when we say intimacy with God. To cultivate sharing, and thus, nearness with God.

The way to intimacy with God is no holding back–sharing of all of your self with Him. Also, it is an open and receptive receiving of God for who God is. I don’t think it is to be just one-way. There is something healing and peace-giving about the uninhibited, unprotected giving of one’s self to God. When you bear your soul to Him, without pretense, and experience His acceptance, smile, and embrace, you are renewed in ways available through no other source or means. Sure, God already knows it all, but maybe He wants you to share yourself because He knows what it will do for you, not so much because He is clueless as to how you feel or what you desire. And perhaps God actually enjoys hearing you share.

Then we listen. Don’t be that person who always shares and never listens. Newsflash: You drain everybody around you! Thankfully, God cannot be drained of energy and get tired. His mercy endures forever. In listening, we let God be God. So many times we box God in. I always think of that scene in The Jerk with Steve Martin where he’s working at the carnival thing, and tells someone that they won any prize of their choice–as long as they choose it from within this tiny 5 inch by 5 inch square on the shelf of prizes. This is what we do with God, projecting our own ways and comprehension on to Him. “They do not know my ways”, therefore, we do not really believe that He can do abundantly above what we can ask or think. So, in reality, we believe in some sort of god of our own making. As has been said, “We shape our god, and then our god shapes us.”

The less intimate with someone you are, the less you know them, the easier it is to judge them. It’s very easy to judge the actions of people we hear about in the news. We don’t know them at all, so we can sit and point out their faults and stupidity all day long, really dehumanizing them when you think about it. But someone you know really well, spend a lot of time with, and care deeply for, you defend them–even their most ridiculous of actions, if you love them deeply. You know them, so you have a deeper understanding of them, and see why they did what they did. It could be as simple as, “Hey, they’ve had a really rough week. Do you know what they’ve gone through lately?” Or, “If you knew their story from their growing up, you’d realize how well they’re actually doing and have adjusted to a somewhat normal life.”

We do the same with God. The less you know Him, the less you understand, and then the more we project and guess and speculate. We judge God. The less time we spend with God, the less intimacy we have, the less we know Him. The more our hearts stray from Him, and we become more and more distant. I’m not sure how you get to know God without a vibrant, open prayer life. How do you foster intimacy without communicating? And I’m not sure how well you get to know the God who Jesus revealed without immersing yourself in the gospel accounts of the New Testament. Otherwise, you’re likely to get to know…someone else, I guess.

And so we encourage one another every day so that we do not become hardened, distant. We need constant reminding of truth. We need encouragement from one another to get to know God for who God has revealed Himself to be.

Then we enter His rest. I think He says we enter His rest because when you become intimate with someone who loves you just for who you are, then, whenever you enter that person’s presence, it’s rest. You can be you, naked and unashamed, and it is beautiful. You experience their full embrace and feel you are, finally and thankfully, home.

In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria