A few years back my wife and I rented a condo outside Orlando, Florida so we’d have access to visit lots of family in the area and also to visit Disney World Epcot Center. We’d been to Epcot before but it had been awhile and we so enjoy that park. The condo we rented, at full price may I add, was a timeshare rental…we had rented it from the timeshare owner. We’ve been to timeshare presentations before…have you ever been? It’s gruesome! High pressured, guilt-ridden, shame-producing, just plain horrible with Dickensian salesmen breathing down our necks! They must have read that sales epic, How Not to Take No for an Answer. For me, a root canal was less painful. But they phoned us at our rental condo every day to offer us free tickets to Disney…then worth over $150. And I told them, day by day, that we don’t want a timeshare, we’re not buying, forget it, we know people who have timeshares and love them but not us, doesn’t fit our travel life-style. Just plain forget it. And they didn’t and wouldn’t. They kept phoning relentlessly until finally, beaten down and crushed under the weight of their sales onslaught, we gave in. Or I did, really! But only if we could have the Epcot tickets and use them before we had to face the music, that infernal sales presentation! They agreed and I rushed over to get the tickets where the next day we used them and enjoyed them. Why are free tickets always more fun? Have no idea! Our last day at this condo complex we attended our appointed meeting…a free breakfast was thrown in to butter us up. They pushed, they cajoled, almost screamed at us until finally they gave up…we were not buying just as we had told them from that very first contact with us. As if in desperation, the salesman pointedly looked at us with daggers in his eyes and said, ‘You did it for the tickets, didn’t you’, and he left us by the breakfast buffet with disgust and disdain in his beady eyes. ‘You did it for the tickets’–yes, just like I said–if they had only listened.We had warned them more than once. We have never been to another timeshare presentation. But that parting slam shot of his at us reminded me of what happened after Jesus fed all those people of the hillside having had only 5 barley loaves and 2 dried or pickled fish. Everyone gets their fill, with plenty of left-overs galore. What a miracle indeed! Their eyes could hardly believe what their stomachs were telling them–they were so full when He had almost nothing to feed them. Jesus had given them a sign that He is more than just a prophet, more than some special religious teacher, more than a renowned rabbi. Jesus is the Son of God sent from the Father, the Messiah promised and now present among them. Just look at those twelve baskets of left-overs. However, Jesus senses that there’s more going on here than meets the eye. Actually, there’s less going on–the people, He says, aren’t looking for signs of Jesus’ divine mission (John 6:26) but just to fill their stomachs. They’re not looking for Him, but for what He can do for them. And that hits home. How about me? And you? Just looking for the benefits, the blessings without falling in love with the Blessed Savior. The goodies without the necessary growing-pains of discipleship in Christ? Cheap grace, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer would say. Like Jesus saying to us, ‘you did it for the bread and fish, for your stomach’s sake’. ‘You did it for…’ More about this…next time!
DISCONNECT……..Read John 5: 1-18
We were hoping to get a phone call today, and waited all day– but nothing came, the phone never even rang once. What happened? Such bad service when people don’t return calls as asked and expected and needed. Then I checked my e-mail and there was a message from this person frustrated that our phone kept ringing and ringing and not even an answering machine where they could leave a message. So, I e-mailed back saying that maybe they had a wrong number, but underneath I was a bit perturbed at them. Did they really try? Are they just placating me? But then my wife had an idea, a brilliant one at that I’m sorry to say–try our phone…which was deader than a door-nail (‘I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own, knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail’–from Dickens, A Christmas Carol!). But still our phone was deader than a door-nail! Jiggle a few wires and we’re back in business, we hope! With an apologetic e-mail send off rather sheepishly on my part! I don’t like the feeling of being disconnected. Cut-off…out-of-touch. Here’s some real good news, though–can’t ever say that about our Savior Jesus Christ! Never, ever disconnected. I love this story from John 5 of the healing of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. My wife and I were there in Jerusalem a few years ago and it was so emotional seeing the actual place where this healing took place. Emotional for me personally as I had polio when I was 2 years old, and I know what could have happened to me…braces, iron lung, crutches…and I thank God that none of that was in my future. But I still am moved by the struggles of paralyzed people. As you go through the story you really see the love of Jesus and all His caring for our varied needs. He really cares for you and me. He really does. In verse 6 Jesus ‘saw him lying there’–Jesus doesn’t just take a quick glance or shake His head in halfhearted pity; but He sees him, He watches this man and the verse then says that Jesus ‘learned that he had been in this condition for a long time…’ He saw and delved deeper to find out what had happened to this man, why he was paralyzed and for how long and other things about him and his family, I’m sure. And then Jesus asks the man if he wants to get well. That seems rather obvious, doesn’t it. Or does it? Some of us gripe and complain and seek sympathy with no intention of ever changing that attention-getting whatever. Do you know what I mean? Some don’t want to get well. So, Jesus asks. How about you and me? Do we really want to get closer to the Lord? Do we really want to give up gossip when it feels so good? Do we really want our worship life to be so precious that the extra time is no real sacrifice at all. It’s a joy and a feast to sit at the feet of Jesus. ‘Do we want to get…’–Jesus asks us. And when the man says ‘yes’, Jesus heals him right on the spot, no delays for this man whose been under it all for 38 years. And today, in the story, it’s the Sabbath, when you’re not supposed to do healing, the rabbis say. Hey, would it hurt anyone to just wait until tomorrow when Sabbath is over? Oy veh, already. He’s been waiting 38 years now, what’s one more day? And the flak will be a lot less tomorrow, maybe they won’t even notice and look the other way. But Jesus notices and He’s Lord of the Sabbath. He’ll do what He does to help whenever He wants. Poor healed man–now the religious folk nail his hide to the proverbial wall! ‘The law forbids…Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’ ‘Who…who…who???’ If I were Jesus, I think I would have headed for the hills about now. But not the Lord of the Sabbath. No, He even goes out of His way to find this newly healed man; hunting high-and low in the Temple urging him to continue the healing by leading a life free from whatever sin has been paralyzing him. And the man just can’t stop talking about Jesus! He’s so excited, so elated…healed and well and productive, all because of Jesus. Maybe we should talk a bit more about Jesus to others? What do you think? Keep talking about the One who sees us, who cares about us, who finds out about us, heals us, and leads us to a more godly life day by day. ‘Day by day and with each passing moment’. Our phone may have been disconnected but never our Lord Jesus…He’s that close and that alert and that sensitive to you and me, His children, forever!
HOT DOG…IT’S NATHAN! ……….Read 2 Samuel 7:1-11 and 11:26-12:10
I know that I’ve given you quite a bit to read today. But remember last time when we felt committed to spend more time in the Author’s work so we can be more like Him and His Son? Remember–the method-actor? 2 Samuel 7 tells about the feelings of King David of Israel, who happens to live in a magnificent royal palace, that God’s Ark, which contains the 10 Commandments given to Moses, and represents the presence of God Almighty Himself, resides in a tent, called the Tabernacle, just as it has for many, many years as God traveled with His people out of slavery, out of Egypt, through that hot, dry desert for 40 years and then, finally, into the promised land. Wow, that’s quite a run-on sentence! I’m tired! Think I’ll take a little rest! Back to King David and his palace, where he complains to God’s appointed prophet, Nathan, about his feelings that God also needs a proper palace to reside in. It’s just not right! And Nathan, without missing a beat or uttering a prayer, says to go for it!–‘Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you'(2 Samuel 7:3). I’m sure David is delighted to hear this and off to sleep he goes. And a good sleep it is! A satisfying one! But Nathan, like he’s eaten way too many hot dogs at Coney Island on the 4th of July, has got word from the Lord who says, ‘hey, back off, buddy! I never told you and anyone else that I need a house to live in. I’ve moved with my people wherever they have gone. Tell David to call off the construction crew. Get your earnest money back. And by the way, Nathan, next time check with Me first before you open your…well, you know!’ Let’s not be too hard on Nathan for how many times have we opened our mouths, made a decision, committed ourselves only to realize (probably when things fell apart)that I had forgotten to consult the Lord, to pray for His direction? I have. And I can’t tell you how many times, for I can’t count that high! You too? Hot dog, I’m not alone! But seriously it’s only obvious that to get with the Lord first is the way to go, the best way and should be, well, in time, the only way. Catch yourself…make it a holy habit to pray first to the Lord. Just a short prayer…a realization that you and I want what He wants, to go where He wants us to go, to seek Him in every single part of our lives. Like the old hymn, “All to Jesus I Surrender, All to Him I freely Give…” You did notice that there are two sections of 2 Samuel for today? 2 Samuel 11 & 12 tell us the story of David and Bathsheba, and God’s need to confront King David with what he has done. And look who God sends to confront the King…yes, His prophet Nathan! And this time Nathan doesn’t tell David what the King wants to hear, but has a message that would make me shake in my sandals if I were Nathan. Confront the King with a horrendous story of sin and lying and murder and adultery and coveting and stealing and on-and-on. And Nathan knows that the king’s reaction could spell the end of Nathan’s ministry and even his very life. But, no hesitation is recorded here. He’s heard from God. He goes right to David with a parable of a terrible theft that just grabs the heart of the King. It is a very moving story that Nathan tells. It engrosses the King’ mind and heart until he just erupts with indignation–‘David burned with anger against the man…the man who did this deserves to die…because he did such a thing and had no pity'(2 Samuel 12:5&6). And that’s when Nathan, girding his loins with courage and guts, says ‘You are the man!’ I think Nathan has learned a valuable lesson–seek the Lord first and foremost, and then follow through with what you know from Him, no matter what the cost or the price to pay. Pray to the Lord– and then press forward in courage and His strength. I like Nathan. I’m like Nathan. Not perfect by a long-shot, but willing to grow in and for the Lord? You too? To God first…from now on!
LEARNING FROM A GREAT ACTOR…….Read Luke 16:1-8
Have you read the parable in Luke 16 yet? It is a very strange one indeed! It has puzzled Bible scholars for multiple generations. It sounds like Jesus is urging His followers to be shady, to cut corners, to act like a band of criminals–which obviously He is not meaning. Verse 8 gives rich meaning and a challenge to those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ. Is that you? Have you welcomed Him into your heart and mind and life? If not, then do so even right now with a simple prayer of faith and acceptance of Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you have already believed in Him, then this parable is saying that people outside the faith can, and often are, more committed to their work or plans or ambitions than God’s people are to His Kingdom and His plans. This parable corners me with Jesus asking point blank–‘do you really want all of Me in all of your life?’ What if He put it to you the same way? Your answer? You’re probably wondering about the title for this submission–‘learning from a great actor’. Well, let me explain. My wife and I have always enjoyed watching the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie on PBS television here in the States starring the wonderful English method-actor David Suchet. He has now starred in each of Miss Christie’s Poirot stories and will no longer be filming the role of the great Belgian detective. Recently we watched a show about the making of the series and why it’s been so enduring. What grabbed my attention was David Suchet’s absolute commitment to not just acting as Poirot but actually more like being him. Suchet read every Poirot mystery. He noted over 90 idiosyncrasies of the man with those potent ‘little gray cells’! He lived the part. He noted every detail that the author wrote. He became Hercule Poirot as best a great method-actor can be. And here is where Jesus’ parable convicted me. The actor became the character. What about the time I spend in the Author’s work? The time in the Bible? Is it just to check off the reading list-for-the-day to get on to more fun things? To pray on the run if time or weather permits? Do I write down little things I note about God or His Son so that I can be more like Him? And do I do it for the long-haul, committing my life and fortunes and family and really everything I am and have– to His Lordship? “For the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their kind than are the people of light”, Jesus said (Luke 16: 8). I know nothing personal about the man David Suchet, but I do know his commitment as a great actor has challenged me to be deeply consider my own relationship with Jesus Christ– to stop acting a part and to be more like Him. You too? Pick up an old hymnal and start singing fellow New Jerseyan Thomas Chisholm’s beautiful hymn, ‘O To Be Like Thee’–O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, This is my constant longing and prayer; gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear…’ Couldn’t have said it better!
THE SEEKERS………Read 1 Chronicles 13
At the second church I served as pastor, the West Side Presbyterian Church in Englewood, New Jersey, I started a Wednesday night Bible Study discussion group called ‘the Seekers’. It was held in my home, called the ‘manse’ in Presbyterian circles, the pastor’s home which was owned by the church. I was at West Side Church for 5 years in the mid-1970’s. It had been a church that suffered due to preaching and teaching that did not honor the Bible as God’s inspired and inerrant Word. In addition, the neighborhood became racially very mixed and interesting, but the existing church membership was reluctant to change and welcome new and different people into the fellowship of the Body of Christ. So, the church was on lean times indeed. But I love a challenge! I’ve learned that about myself over the years. Rather than serve as a curator at the museum or a hospice worker for a dying patient, I wanted to see what the Lord would do in this church on the way down and almost out. Seeking His direction and His will, preaching and teaching His Word. Hence, the Bible study group at home, long before home groups became popular, called the ‘Seekers’. And youth, college age, singles, elderly, mixed-race married couples, African-Americans, people from India and the Caribbean, people from the neighborhood who had lived there all their lives–it was exciting! All seeking to get closer to our Lord. Some with more questions for a growing faith. Some with more maturity than experience in life as a believer. Some wanting to dig deeper into the Bible while others wanted more to be shoulder-to-shoulder with friends and neighbors in a relaxed and relaxing setting, becoming something of a family that was most precious without some of that baggage we find in all our biological families(excepting mine of course!!). Chapter 13 of 1 Chronicles is a great chapter about seeking the Lord, becoming a ‘Seeker’. I always want to be a seeker…after the Lord. How about you? King David wants to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem where it belongs. The Ark was a large wooden box, containing the 10 Commandments given to Moses. The Ark symbolized the presence of God with His chosen people, and would be a center for the worship of the One True God. Both the political and spiritual capital of Israel would be in that Holy City of David, Jerusalem. In verse 2 David doesn’t consult just his people but also the Lord Himself. He seeks the Lord saying, ‘Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.’ Read that again. How sad. During all Saul’s reign, the Ark of God was ignored, seeking Him was just passe. Out of sight, out of mind. Another translation of verse 3 says this–‘…for we neglected Him during the reign of Saul’. I think that says it all. By not seeking God, we are neglecting Him and cutting ourselves off from His care and love, His wisdom and direction and help. How foolish! But let’s not be too harsh with these Old Testament peoples–I’ve done that also. Many times. Gone my own way. Prayed at the end, not at the very beginning and then crying out to God with real tears when what a mess I’ve made of things. Help! What’s very interesting to me is that this idea of seeking God becomes a major theme throughout the entire book of 1 Chronicles. Listen to chapter 16 and verses 10 and 11–‘Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.’ Then to chapter 22 verse 19–‘Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord you God.’ Those are but a few! I challenge you to search the Scriptures here in 1 Chronicles, to seek the Lord, to not neglect Him; but to come to the One who is just plain ‘out of this world’ in love with you…and me!
MIGHTY GOOD APPLE!………..Read Zechariah 2: 1-13
We have already started eating from this year’s apple crop! One of the earliest varieties to ripen in the Pacific Northwest is the Ginger Gold…so good and sweet and crunchy and juicy! The rest of this year’s apple crop is just around the bend! An expression used in the Old Testament book of Zechariah is quite remarkable. In verse 8 of chapter 2 is this parenthetical phrase–‘for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye’. A gentle reminder from Lord through His prophet of how He feels about us–we’re the ‘apple of His eye’. But what does that mean exactly? The ‘apple of the eye’ is a poetic way of speaking about the pupil in our eye. The eye is one of the most complex organs created by God in our bodies. But have something touch it, and the pain can be excruciating. A few years back my wife and I stayed at the old lodge at Crater Lake in Oregon. Gorgeous volcano-created lake, deep as deep can be producing the bluest water we’d ever seen. We drove to the other side of the lake, parked our van and walked down a rather steep and lengthy trail to the water’s edge of Crater Lake. But what a windy day it was. Blowing in all directions. That’s when a very tiny stone flew up in the air, got behind my sunglasses and lodged itself firmly in the side of my eye. Ooooh the pain! It was piercing and constant and unrelenting. And this was in the side of my eyeball. The pupil is even more tender and vulnerable, as you can imagine. Back to the Bible–so, we are like the apple of God’s eye to Him. He feels for us with an intensity we can hardly imagine. Let that sink in…think about what was just written. But let me be honest here. How many times have I felt, not what I believed, but felt that God seemed way out there in outer space; and me, I’m just little old me, down here in but a tiny corner of this great big world. Anybody out there? Does He care? Can He find us? And hear us? And help us? With those questions of the heart, we need to hear and let sink in again and again that parenthetical phrase. As the apple of God’s eye, our troubles and worries and fears are as close to Him, to His heart, to His eyes as they can possibly be. Whether we feel it or not, whether we open our eyes of belief, God loves us and whatever gets in our eyes, gets in His. Whatever grabs our hearts has been in His all along. Agreed? Are you with me? Let me recommend, as I am to myself, reading Zechariah chapter 2 but also to keep repeating all day long, and all week long, and all month long, just keep going and repeating, ‘I am the apple of God’s eye’! That’s better even than a Ginger Gold apple!
WHY DO I MAKE THINGS SO DIFFICULT FOR MYSELF?……..Read Haggai 2: 1-5
As I read my Bible, it just seems that everyone is making godly living so difficult and so out-of-reach. God gives 10 commandments, He asks us to love Him and our neighbors and ourselves, to consult Him all-the-time, to enjoy the life He has given us, to live with a freedom that only a believer can really experience. And yet–you know what I’m going to say. We make our Christian life so difficult. Maybe I should speak only for myself. I fret…I worry…I plan and then remember to ask God to bless MY plans…I bicker and complain, judge and criticize. Or I try and try to figure out God’s will for my life or maybe just for the next week or month. What should I do, specifically? I want to know but He’s in His quiet mood. So, I sit around, moping, waiting for His call…and more waiting. All of the above adds not one blessing to my daily enjoyment of life in Jesus. And I know that. I know what I’m doing. We’re not stupid, are we? Or is it just me, so inclined? Doubt it! The Word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai in the Old Testament. God’s people are returning to the land of Israel from years and years in exile in Babylon, and are being encouraged to complete the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar . But the people are just so discouraged, so down-heartened with this small, dull and unglamourous Temple of the Lord. They’re stuck in their past. Remembering and remembering a glory that is no more. So, God asks that remnant a good question–‘who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?'(verse 3) I look back on my life– it’s not what it should have been, what it could have been…but so what? I can’t live in the past. Hopefully, I can and have learned a few things from those times and troubles. But now is the time, the Lord says, to ‘be strong’…’be strong’…’be strong’–‘and work’. Do what you know you can and want to do for Him. I’m going to keep on blogging and writing and giving out tracts and working toward that devotional book that’s on my heart and mind and soul. Those desires, I believe, have come from the Lord Himself to me. And to you? And stop worrying and calculating burning up those little gray cells. He says that ‘For I am with you’ (verse 4) and that ‘my Spirit remains among you’ (verse 5). He’s with me now…He’s with you now! Don’t make life so difficult. He says 3 times to be strong as if the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be right there shoulder-to-shoulder with us giving us His and their strength to do the work that our heart calls us to do. He gives us those desires that are in our hearts, and He’ll give us the strength to fulfill those very desires. But don’t just sit back and be a spiritual couch-potato. He says to work…to get busy for Him…forget the fears and worries, and begin to lean into the wind of the Holy Spirit –and just see where His boat takes us. It’s going to be a great ride. Smooth sailing ahead! Head winds, sure! They’ll just move us along even faster! Are you with me? Be strong…and work!
HOW ABOUT A NICE PIECE OF HUMBLE PIE!……..Read John 1:19-34
I’ve eaten lots of humble pie in my adult lifetime. During the time, each piece didn’t taste too good. But later, upon reflection, allowing the Lord to use all kinds of experiences in my life, the taste improved. It moved from bitter, to tolerable, to nourishing and then good for me. There were those years when I pastored a church of over 600 members, the most prestigious church in town, with growth all around including adding an assistant pastor to the staff within my first year. I was publishing articles in lots of Christian magazines, I was moving up the ladder, I was just plain full of myself! And then, the rug was pulled out from under me, the rungs of the ladder I was climbing up just fell apart and my feet let go. And humpty-dumpty came a tumblin’ down! I was hurt. I was bitter. I was cast afloat in an unknown sea on a boat full of holes. That was over 30 years ago now, and seems like someone else’s story. Not mine– for I’ve learned that humble pie is good for the soul when the pie I was eating acted like poison for me. I thank the Lord for a hard fall, because He was underneath catching me and cradling me in His arms, placing me upright to go forward for Him this time, for His purposes this time, for His glory this time. This time proved to be better time. This pie nourishes and satisfies. Have you had such an experience? Maybe you’re in one now. Possibly, you know someone likewise hurt and hurting. Don’t be afraid of disappointments and failures in life. The Lord will use them for His purposes in a most cleansing way. You’ll be surprised, as I was, at His grace even on the darkest of nights, even when your stomach just can’t stop churning with fear from the unknown. By the way, have you read those verses in the Gospel of John yet? They’re about John the Baptist. And a verse that I’ve read hundreds of times just flew at me off the pages of my Bible this morning. It’s verse 20. Read it now, if you would. John the Baptist is a genuinely humble man. Just think about all the thousands of people who have left the big city of Jerusalem to come out into the desert to hear him preach. All the converts…all those who repented…all who were baptized. Seemed like just everyone was going to him. I wonder how I would have felt with that kind of response going on? Probably would have gone to my head, sorry to say! But not John, the other one, the Baptist. No, verse 20 makes it crystal clear who he is not. The Greek of this verse is extremely complex, the wording however is as clear as a bell–you ask him who he is and he states without a doubt confessing and likewise denying and then confessing again that he is not the coming Messiah, that Jesus is the One and Only Son Of God, the Anointed One. John is but a voice, a spokesman for the Prophet who brings God’s truth to the world. He baptizes while Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin and the sin of the world, then and now. John knows who he is. He’s a voice. He’s comfortable being the voice who tells of the One coming. And that’s humble pie for each of us. To tell of Jesus. To testify of Him. To praise Him and pray to Him. To love Him no matter where we are or the circumstances we find ourselves in. No matter what, we lift up His name–not mine or yours but His. Hmn…that’s good pie! Humble pie ala mode! Pass me another piece, will you?!
A VERSE TO DYE FOR!……Read Hebrew 4: 12-13
Over the years, 9 as a Presbyterian minister and 14 as the pastor of the United Christian Church here where we live in Aberdeen, Washington, I’ve visited lots of parishioners in various hospitals. At Englewood Hospital in New Jersey, where my two sons were born. Even peddling and riding my French moped, a Motobacane, across the George Washington Bridge to New York City’s Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital; and then, of course, many hospitals and nursing homes and rehab centers in our Western Washington area for the past umpteenth years. Many times patients needed to have a procedure involving a special dye that would bring to light in the network of veins and arteries in the human body problems that could only be detected in this way. A special dye that brings something to light. Something that needs attention. Something that we’re missing on our own, something that needs correction. Spiritually, that special dye that brings to light is God’s Word, the Bible. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, the author writes that ‘…the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.’ Like a dye that brings to light, the Bible will open up our lives and attitudes to God’s scrutiny like nothing else can or will. Let me suggest that if you don’t want to change in any way, if you are just so satisfied with yourself as you are, if you like everything about yourself and want to hang on to what you know is contrary to God and His ways, then don’t read the Bible! Now let me say that when I read God’s Word, of course, there is such comfort and hope and encouragement from cover to cover, but that’s not the complete story. No, like a surgeon who needs to remove something that is playing havoc with our health, so God’s Word will cut and penetrate and get right to the heart and marrow and joint of where I and we need some change. As they say, ‘no pain, no gain’. So, don’t shy away from the Divine Surgeon and His Word–it’s all for our own good as we desire to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that the dye of the Word would save us and cleanse us making us more useful for His Kingdom. ‘I’m ready, Doctor Jesus…do your work, show me what I can’t see on my own, make me more like yourself!’
A NOSE BY ANY OTHER NAME!………Read Exodus 34:6
My father had a rather good-sized nose! This was by his own admission! He would often kid about it and say that when he came down with a cold, he got his money’s worth! That was my Dad! Loved to kid, loved to laugh and was loved by many people. Can’t remember anyone who didn’t like my Dad. He was just a great guy. Hardly perfect but someone you liked to be around. Even with that large nose of his! That was part of his charm too…don’t you like people who can laugh at themselves? I can sense that you’re wondering where I’m going with this! Maybe I’m wondering also? No, I’ve a point here and it’s not on the top of my head! Have you read our Scripture verse yet? Might as well start at the beginning of chapter 34. Here the Lord is passing in front of Moses on Mount Sinai proclaiming who He is, His being and His character. It’s just a wonderful, power-packed section from the Torah. Read it again. The Lord tells us how compassionate He is, how gracious and giving, He’s slow to anger, forgiving not just easy things but ‘wickedness, rebellion and sin’. As the gospel song says, ‘What a Might God We Serve’. Mighty and loving and compassionate…oh, we could go on-and-on all day and night–and we probably should. Stop griping… and keep glorifying! That’s a good motto for today and every day. Yes? But back to Exodus 34, in that list of attributes of the Lord is the expression ‘slow to anger’. Maybe you know that in the Hebrew that phrase is literally ‘long of nose’. My father would have let out a good laugh at that one. Yes, for the Lord to be patient and long-suffering and slow to anger is for Him to be ‘long of nose’. Now, what does that mean? The Hebrew people pictured the blood in the body as travelling from the tip of your toes to the end of your nose as quite a long journey. They felt that that aptly describes someone who is not a hot-head, not having a short-fuse but someone with patience and a long fuse! If God were otherwise, we’d all perish in a matter of a few seconds–with me going first of all. But God hangs in there with us, He waits for us like that patient father in the prodigal son story, He lets the anger-blood take the long journey allowing us to come to our spiritual senses, permitting us to come back to Him, to repent and accept His gift of Jesus Christ. All His waiting is for our good and His glory. His long nose points the way home, to His home, and our eternal home in heaven. I’m glad I had the father I had with the nose he had. And I’m real glad our Heavenly Father has a long nose of patience and acceptance. Aren’t you glad you have that same Father in Heaven?
Reflections out of time 