Eagerly Awaiting Him

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

- Hebrews 9:27-28

I've been meditating on this verse for the past week. I love the last part (not that I don't love the first part about Christ offering his life for us). Christ will appear again to save those who eagerly wait for him. As this year long journey through the Bible draws to a close, I can honestly say that I await Christ more eagerly than I ever have before. As we know Christ more, we love him more, and the more we love someone the more we long to see them and enjoy their company. Although I commune with Christ daily, I eagerly wait for the day I will see him face to face.

A Favorite Verse

Yesterday, I got to read one of my favorite passages in the Bible - Titus 2:11-14. This passage has been such an encouragement to me over the past three years or so, and it was read at our wedding this past summer. It's such a beautiful, concise example of what it truly means to live a gospel life. I've always gotten so much out these four short verses of the Bible, but the ESV editors give it even more meaning.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

~Titus 2:11-14~

Grace - "One cannot truly claim to be a recipient of saving grace without also being a pupil of 'training grace'." This is one of the biggest changes in my life in recent years. I have always claimed to know God's saving grace, but only recently have I come under his "training grace" - where my life daily reflects my love of Him above all other things. This verse is all about what life actually looks like in the day to day for those who have been touched by God's gospel of grace - Jesus Christ.

Eager expectation - The Greek for the term "waiting" in this verse is "prosdechomai" and it carries the connotation of eagerness. As I get to know my great God and Savior Jesus more and more, I eagerly wait for the day I will see his face and know Him more than I do now.

Holiness - "To forsake Godliness is to despise the sacrifice of Christ." The purpose of Christ's sacrifice was to make his people holy, so that we can appear before our Father in heaven. If I don't strive to be holy and obedient to Christ, I am despising what he did for me on the cross. Because Christ died, I have His Spirit, and therefore I have the ability to say "NO" to ungodliness and "yes" to righteousness.

A Prized Possession - Does it ever strike you as amazing that God loves us? I mean, He actually treasures us, even though we are defiant, needy, dirty failures. God wants us to be his possession, and the connotation in the Greek is a "prized, treasured possession." God enjoys His people. God enjoys me and loves me and values me. It humbles me each and every day.

Zealous for good works - Because of Christ's example of service and ultimate sacrifice for us, we should be doing good works for others. There is no excuse not to live a life of service. My life is completely lacking in this area. I cannot believe how little I serve when I have a servant God who gave everything for me. This quote from the ESV editors is convicting: "There is no room for claiming to be redeemed while providing no evidence of practical transformation." You should be able to see my redemption in the good works I do every day. I have so much to learn...but I have a God who has already saved me and keeps me in training day after day.



Pleasing to God

How crazy is it that we can please God? That the God of the universe, who created us, and whom we have failed time and time again, can still take pleasure in us? That we can actually behave in ways that bring him joy?

I think that's what so much of this journey through the Bible this year has been about for me. How can I everyday acknowlege my own sin, my shortcomings, be transparent about my failures before God and before man, and still strive to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord? It seems like a strange juxtaposition, yet the Bible makes it clear that those who are in Christ CAN live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Because Christ's righteousness has been given to us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit to fight the sinful tendancies of our flesh, we can bring God pleasure with the way we live our lives in this fallen world.

As he encourages believers, Paul's epistles nearly always touch on this idea of living to please the Lord. II Corinthians 5:9 says: "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." Paul also commends the Philippians on their thoughtful gift to him (they sent him money during his imprisonment in Rome), calling it "a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18). And Paul tells the church at Colasse to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).

So whether in life or death, with the gifts I give, with the works I do, in my devotion to learning God's word, my aim is to please the Lord. And because of Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God advocating on my behalf, my life, though imperfect in so many ways, is genuinely pleasing to the absolutely holy and perfect God who made me and loves me.

Adoption

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

--Romans 8:15-17--

Adoption is one of the most beautiful pictures of God's grace on this earth, because as Gentile believers we are truly adopted into God's family. I love the verse above. We are God's precious children. Christ is our big brother, and someday we will be heirs with him in heaven. Although I was not originally a part of God's family, he chose to make me his very own. He chose to graft me into the best family tree there is. The family tree of GOD. And Jesus is my big brother. I love that. I've never had an older sibling. I am the oldest in my family, and while I like being the oldest, I also have always wondered what it would be like to have a big brother to love me and protect me, the way big brothers are prone to do. But Romans 8:29 says that Jesus is the "firstborn among many brothers." But I'm pretty sure he has little sisters too.

Micah and I want to adopt children someday. I mean, nothing is set in stone. Maybe we'll have our own kids. Maybe we'll adopt some or all of our children. Maybe we won't have kids. Only the Lord knows what tomorrow will bring. But, trusting that the Lord is sovereign, Micah and I are interested in adopting in the future. There is no better way to show Christ to a child then to bring him or her into your own family, because that is excactly what God has done for us.

Follow Me?

Paul says in I Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Whoa, Paul. Really? What a huge claim, right? But Paul is not arrogant. He is confident in who He is in Christ, who Christ has called him to be, and reassurred by the Holy Spirit that He is living a life obedient to God. He doesn't claim to be perfect. He admits that he used to "violently" persecute the church of God (Galatians 1:13). He says he still struggles against sin often ("I do the very thing I hate" - Romans 7:15), yet he knows and loves the Lord so much much that he can confidently tell others to follow the example of his life.

And this is not the only time he commands the church to follow him. Paul also tells the Phillipians to "join in imitating me" (3:17), he reminds that Timothy has "followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith" (I Timothy 3:10), and he tells the Thessalonian church it "ought to imitate us" (us being Paul and his fellow missionaries - II Thess. 3:7-9). And Paul is not the only one to promote this idea of mimicry. The unknown author of Hebrews says "Remember your leaders...and imitate their faith" (13:7) and Peter tells church leaders to "shepherd the flock of God...being examples to the flock" (5:2-3).

Clearly, these claims to "follow me" are a specific circumstance. These are apostles telling other church leaders to follow their example. Secondly, they are telling church leaders to set an example for their own congregations. I am not going to stand up on Sunday and tell my church to follow me. I am not a church leader. I am a woman who should not be leading men in the church. But does this still apply to me in a sense? I mean I UTTERLY fail all the time. I hope this blog has been transparent about that. I am impatient, selfish, prideful. I even try to paint myself in a good light, instead of just being open about how sinful and weak I am. But I also love God, and I know the Holy Spirit is at work in my life, and I know that by God's grace alone (and my NO effort of my own) I have become a much more disciplined and obedient person in recent years. Again praise be to God, this has nothing to with me. But should I take seriously that people will and even should follow me? Should other women, especially those slightly younger than me, high school and college students, former students (now friends) from Young Life and church ministry follow me? That seems weird, because I feel so unworthy to be followed most of the time. But one of the ways that we are the body of Christ on this earth is by setting an example of Him for other believers, especially younger believers who have few or no good examples in their life. If I am being obedient to Christ, then my life should be worthy of being followed. We are privileged to get to be an example of Christ on this earth, not only in the way we love and serve those who do not know Him, but in the way we show other believers how to be more LIKE him.

Not everyone should follow me. I think men should find a Godly male example to follow. Most women should NOT follow me. There are so many older, wiser, meeker, stronger women that I imitate because they show me Christ. But for those girls that are slightly younger, for those girls or young women whom I have mentored or discipled in the past... follow me. I love Jesus more and more each day, and I want you to love him and be changed by him and live for him. I don't ever want you to follow me for me. That would be dismal. I want you to follow me only because I follow Christ and He is so worth following.

Thanksgiving

I stumbled across a verse today in I Corinthians that is perfect to reflect on as we head into Thanksgiving week (and always). Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians to address a LOT of sin going on in their chuch, and most, if not all, of that sin is caused by the Corinthian Christians' blatant pride and arrogance. And, yes, they were Christians, despite their immature behavior. Paul asks them why they would act like this when they have already been "washed...in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 6:11). Members of the church are getting into lawsuits with each other because of their selfishness and sin (I Cor. 6). Paul has to remind them that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (I Cor. 8:1), because the Corinthians have "knowledge" to justify all of their sin.

But Paul asks them, "What do you have that you did not receive?" (I Cor. 47). Answer his rhetorical question for yourself. What do I have that I have not received? Nothing. Paul then asks, "If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" God has given us EVERYTHING we have. Not only our possessions (the sofa on which I sit, the computer on which I type, the coffee I just drank, the bed I slept in for eight hours last night), but our talents, gifts, experiences, relationships, even the very breath we breathe each second of the day. God has given me EVERYTHING in my life, both tangible and intangible. Some these gifts in my own life that come to mind right now are the legs I use to run as I train for a half-marathon in January (not to mention the money to register for a half-marathon), the opportunity to go to grad school (for free!), the mind I use as I read for class, my ability to write, the gift of the new chuch we found and love in Scottsdale, the best friends in the whole world who faithfully stay in touch with me despite living in Seattle, Texas, and Africa, and my sweet husband and our quaint little apartment. These few things are simply an ounce, a mere drop, in the overflowing bucket of God's goodness in my life.

But why, like the Corinthians, do I "boast" as if I did not receive these gifts from God? Sure, I don't usually come right out and boast as most would think of boasting, but my attitude toward these things and my behavior during the day is that of boasting. I take for granted so many of God's gifts in my life. I act as if I deserve my home, my food, my husband, my schooling, my job, etc. Instead of having a constant attitude of thanksgiving for everything God has given me, I all too often act with an attitude of entitlement. If I work too much, too little, if my schooling keeps me too busy, if Micah does something that irritates me, I think I have the right to be upset or resentful or to complain about these things. I also have the audicity to judge others, to critique their work or their lifestyle, and deem myself superior to them, even if it's just in the most hidden places of my mind and heart. This, my friends, is boasting. I boast with my thoughts, actions, and attitudes every single day, when EVERYTHING I have, including life itself, is a gift from God.

And so I will leave you with the words of the ESV Study Bible editors:
"What do you have that you did not receive? If Christians repeatedly ask this of themselves, it will produce deep humility and thanksgiving."

I urge you to ask yourself  this question daily, not just at Thanksgiving, but the whole year through. I plan to do the same. Hopefully, we can become more humble, thankful receivers of God's grace, and paint a more beautiful picture of the Giver during our short time on earth.

Wanting to be in a Gospel Choir right about now... can you feel the Holy Spirit in this place?

Gosh, the book of Acts is just so good. I fall more in love with it everytime I read it, which hopefully means I fall more in love with Jesus everytime I read it, because the book is all about HIM. Jesus left earth to return to the Father with this message: "...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8) and then Jesus made His command of evangelism possible by sending the Holy Spirit. Seriously, within weeks the Holy Spirit arrives at Pentecost and the believers (about 120 of them at the time) begin preaching the Gospel all around Jerusalem. Soon their numbers total 3,000 and then 5,000 believers. Peter, John and others are persecuted by the same jealous Jewish rulers who killed Jesus, and yet they continue preaching boldly. When they are whipped for sharing the Gospel, they rejoice that "they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (Acts 5:41). Jerusalem, check.

Then Stephen is stoned to death for proclaiming the Gospel and many of these new Christians flee Jerusalem for safety, since the church is being persecuted so badly in the city. Where do they flee to? All of Judea and Samaria, of course, and they share the Gospel there. Judea and Samaria, check.

During this time, Saul, who at first is one of the leaders instigating this persecution against the Christians, encounters Christ while on his way to arrest Christians in another city (yes, Jesus is in heaven at this time, but he appears to Saul because He has big plans for Saul's role in the spreading of the Gospel). Quick change of plans. Saul, who eventually is called Paul, converts to Christianity and become the most productive missionary in all of history. Over the course of three long missionary journeys, he is able to carry the Gospel all over the Roman Empire, eventually winding up in Rome itself. During the time period, the Roman Empire covered all of what we now consider Europe and the Middle East and even parts of Northern Africa. Ends of the earth, check.

But I only recap all of this, because I never ceased to be amazed at God's plan to share his Word with all the earth and the way He made it possible through mere men in such a relatively short amount of time. But the truth of it is, it really didn't matter who the men were or where they lived or what they said...they were able to share the Gospel so boldly and effectively because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was the one causing the apostles to speak in other languages (Acts 2), causing people to be healed simply by standing in Peter's shadow (Acts 5), and creating encounters that lead to repentance and baptism, such as Phillip and the Eunuch (Acts 8).

Evangelism can be tough. People's hearts are hardened. There is so much blindness, ignorance, pride, and selfishness out there, including my own. I am a Christian, and yet I am often blind to who needs the Gospel, ignorant of how to share God's word, prideful and embarrassed to talk about God if it might be awkward or unsuccessful, and selfish because I allow so many other things to fill my time when I could be talking about Christ with people who do not know Him. And yet Christ sent the Holy Spirit to overcome all that. The Holy Spirit sees the hearts of all and knows who will be receptive to the Gospel. The Spirit gives us the words to say. The Spirit can work in spite of our sinfulness and selfishness. He can create encounters, soften hearts, open mouths and ears to the goodness of God in Jesus Christ. Sure, it might not happen the same way it did for the apostles. I might not end up speaking fluently in another language I do not know in order to share Christ, but then again, ANYTHING is possible. The book of Acts gets me excited and prayerful about God's heart for the world and the work of His Spirit on this earth. Who does He want me to talk to today? Who does He want you to to talk to?

Reflection #5 - Resurrection!

I just finished the Gospels today. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Done. I am so excited to begin Acts tomorrow. The stories of the early church and God's amazing movement in building the Christian faith and the work of the Holy Spirit as the Gospel spreads "to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47) is one of my favorite parts of the whole Bible. But more about that later.

Yesterday I read about Christ's crucifixion and today about his empty tomb. How amazing is it that our God overcame death? I mean, I guess He wouldn't be our God if he hadn't - He would be like all the other powerless, dead gods that people worship all over the world. But our God is real. He is active. He is living. He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven advocating on our behalf. He has conquered death and He is returning to earth again someday, not as the meek, humble Savior like the first time, but as powerful King and conqueror. Amazing. I just wanted to reflect for a minute on how much I love Jesus. He died for me. He was like a sheep silent before its shearers when He was being accused and convicted of crimes He had never committed. He lived the perfect, righteous life on this earth, and then died the death that I deserved. He suffered all of God's wrath against every sin ever committed in the history of the earth, and then he "gave up his Spirit" (John 19:30). He willingly tasted death, so that I might know Him and live with Him eternally. Then three days later, he arose from the grave because death could not hold him. He walked again on this earth in his glorified body and then ascended to be with the Father in heaven once again, with the promise that He would return again one day, and that through His Holy Spirit, He will be with us always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). That's my God. Is that your God too?

Love is Obedience

I just finished reading John 15, which just has to be one of the most beautiful passages of the whole Bible. Jesus is the vine. We are His branches. We are to spend our lives on this earth bearing fruit for God's glory, and in that we will find joy and our "joy will be full" (John 15:11).

But to abide in Christ, the vine, means we must love Him, and there is a little twist to loving Christ; it means we must obey Him. There is really no getting around this in Scripture. I can't love Christ and disobey Him. I can't love Christ and obey Him most of the time or when its conveninent or easy. In John 14, Jesus says "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (v.15), and then again is John 15, He says "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (v.14). Sometimes this obedience "if" is a big "IF". My pathetic, selfish heart does not always want to obey God. Now that I am married, my biggest tester of obedience is Micah (whether he knows it or not), because I see him so much more than anyone else. Micah is an amazing husband, but he's not perfect. There are times when Micah is legitimately sinful toward me (and, of course, I sin against him as well), and it's in these moments when I look at Micah's sin that I feel myself not wanting to obey Christ. What I want to do is point out Micah's sin, at least once, maybe twice, get angry, then give him the silent treatment, and resent him for the next couple of days. Then I remember that the Bible tells women to win over their husbands with their "respectful and pure conduct" (I Peter 3:1, even if their husbands are unbelievers! How much more should I respect my husband who is a believer? And that's when I have to stomp out my pride and show God my love by obeying Him, which means forgiving my husband and talking about things patiently when I am hurt or mad. It's not always fun, but I can say that it leads to so much more joy in my marriage than harboring bitterness or erupting in anger.

And I will leave you with one my all time favorite C.S. Lewis quotes:

I may repeat 'Do unto others' till I am black in the face, but I cannot really carry it out till I love my neighbor as myself:  and I cannot love my neighbor as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him. 

A Brief Geography Lesson

One thing that I have gained a better understanding of by reading the study Bible is the geography of the New Testemant. During the OT, the Hebrews conquered the Promised Land and established what came to be known as Israel. During the times of David and Solomon, Israel expanded to its greatest area of land, but due to Solomon's sin at the end of his reign, the country eventually divided into two kingdoms, the North and the South. The North Kingdom was soon conquered by the Assyrians and its people were exiled. Centuries later, the South Kingdom, which was made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and revolved around the capital of Jerusalem, was also conquered, but by the Babylonians. I have lots of previous posts about this. The OT leaves off  with the Israelites, who were permitted to return to the area of Jerusalem once again, attempting to rebuild their diminished, underpopulated teritory, still under the control of the Persian Empire. While the temple was rebuilt, the OT leaves off with a feeling of sorrow and axieity, a longing for the Savior of the Jews to arrive.

By the time Jesus does arrive on earth, some crazy things have gone on in history and geography. The area of Israel is now ruled by the Roman Empire. Israel never did return to its former state nor was it able to occupy much of its former land. Instead, the area of Judea is its own little territory of sorts. Imagine it as one county or region in the midst of a huge country or continent ruled by Rome. Judea stems from Judah - and this is the area surrounding Jerusalem. Above Judea is Samaria, and this is the territory where the Samaritians are from - those people who were separated from and disliked by the Jews. When Jesus is kind to the Samaritian woman, it's surprsing to the disciples because Jews don't associate with the Samaritans (John 4). The well-known parable of The Good Samaritan is surprising, because it was a Samaritian that was willing to stop and help the hurt Jew, instead of the other Jews who passed the man by (Luke 10). These were not normal practices in this society. The Samaritans were of mostly mixed Jewish decent. They were Jewish peoples who had married interracially or interculturally after the exile, so they were looked down upon by those who had distinctly Jewish ancestry (think Pureblood and mudblood HP fans...). The Samaritans also worshiped Yaweh, but they did not go to Jerusalem to worship. Their culture and their religion were both mixed entities and the Jews did not like that.

However, to get from Jerusalem up to the region of Galilee (the territory surrounding the Sea of Galilee) by the most direct route, one would have to pass through Samaria. And of course, the region of Galilee was where our Savior grew up and where he spent most of his ministry years. The common places frequently named in the Gospels, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Nazareth, Bethsaida, were all in this region of Galilee. And, if you can imagine, compared to the urban center of Jerusalem, Galilee was in the boonies. Certain cities such as Capernaum, where Jesus performed many miracles, were more developed than others, but tiny towns such as Nazareth, where Mary and Joseph were from, were basically "the sticks." Tiny, poor population of uneducated people. And this is where Jesus was from, which is why Phillip asked "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

Understanding these regions has given me a whole new view of Jesus during his ministry. I can see why the Jews were so anxious for poltical Savior to free them from the grasp of Roman authorities and to restore their land to them. It was probably frustrating to live in small regions, mixed with pagan cultures, when your people used to have their own powerful country. However, Jesus came to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10) - which is far better than poltical restoration, but something so many Jews could not understand.

And now... my first attempt to add photos to the Bible blog...

The Kingdom of Israel during the time of David and Solomon:

 The first one shows the region right after the Jews returned from exile; the second one is what the area looked like during Jesus' ministry:

Departing and Praying

When studying Jesus' life and ministry in the Gospels, many will often point out the times Scripture states that Jesus woke up early in the morning to spend time with the Lord. Clearly, this sets an example for us as believers that time of solitude with the Lord is to be a prominent and essential part of our lives.

However, I have been learning this year, through both Mars Hill sermons on Luke and through my own reading of the Bible, that Jesus' time with the Lord was so much more than a quiet time here and there. Luke 5:16, after describing the start of Jesus' ministry, the calling of the first disciples and one of the first acts of healing, says "But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray." The Greek construction of these words (imperfect verb and two present participles)  can also be translated "was regularly withdrawing and praying." This was Jesus' way of life. And when we he do it? Not just early in the morning, and not just when He had time for it. He continually did it. It was a pattern of His life to withdraw from his disciples, apostles and the crowds that followed him in wonder, to spend uninterrupted, prayerful time with His Father... our Father.

What would my life look like if I was "regularly withdrawing and praying?" I feel blessed to have fulfilling, fairly lengthy times with God every morning. However, my time is still mainly made up of studying Scripture and rarely includes prayer (confession of sin). It is my compartmentalized chunk of time set aside every morning. I am in no way planning to forsake this time that God has given me, but what if I also withdrew to pray throughout the day? And not just when I have time for it. For Jesus, it seems to be when he had the least time that he would make a point to WITHDRAW and pray. Withdraw from what? The constant crowds who needed spiritual and physical healing, the needy apostles who had willing hearts but were immature in their faith and needed constant teaching, the proud teachers of the law who needed rebuke. In the very verse before 16, it says "...great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities, BUT he would withdraw to desolate places and pray" (Luke 5:15b-16). What would my life look like and how would my faith grow if I could become like Jesus and withdraw and pray during the least convenient, most busy times of my life? Clearly, that's when we need God's guidance and rest the most.

Wise Men, Wise God

So I am making my way through the Gospels now. I stumbled across the coolest footnote when reading the first few chapters of Matthew...

As many people know, the wise men who traveled from the East to visit baby Jesus most likely did not arrive to the manger scene as nativities so often portray. Most likely they came 1-2 years after Jesus' birth, which is why Herod orders the killing of all boys two and under in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). The funny thing about the wise men is that they most likely were quasi-pagan guys who were familiar with OT prophesy, and therefore came to find a long awaited Messiah of a belief system they probably didn't even closely follow. They were appropriate in their desire to worship Jesus, but they probably didn't truly understand His divine nature. However, God used the visit of the wise men, who "offered him gifts, gold and frankincnese and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11), to protect His son, Jesus. Soon after the wise wen visited (an because they refused to return to Herod to rat out Jesus' location), Herod ordered all the young boys killed and Mary and Joseph were forced to flee to Egypt to save their Son's life. As Joseph and Mary were extremely poor (as one learns when they go to the temple to dedicate Jesus with pigeons - the lowest form of sacrificial animal, only acceptable by poor worshipers), they were probably able to fund their esacape with the extravagent and expensive gifts brought by the wise men. God used the wise men to give an example of what it looks like to worship Jesus, and He also used their generous gifts to financially support Joseph and Mary, in order to perserve Jesus' life. This is just one small example of the wisdom of our great God!

9 months later....

No, I don't have a baby, but approximately nine months after beginning this journey through the Bible, I am done with the Old Testament. It's true! When reading the Bible chronologically, you don' reach the New Testement until late September. That means the OT is long!!! But it is good...

Sticking with the 9 month theme, friends of mine just had a baby this month as well. Yes, her gestation period was my OT reading period. I was just looking through their slideshow of birth pictures and was so struck by God's love for us. Watching these two new parents glow with love for their new baby boy made me think of God, our Father, and his love for us, His children.

Of course, we know the love of God through His Son, Jesus, who does not show up in human form until the New Testament (I'm two days in and it's sooo good. Post about the Wise Men coming soon!). But we know the love of God long before Jesus' earthly arrival through the Old Testament (I say earthly arrival, because Jesus has existed for all eternity with His Father in heaven, and actually may have visited some of our OT friends briefly in supernatural form....). God created us. He created this world for us to enjoy. He set in motion a plan for our salvation before we even existed (Genesis). He has given us an example of His deliverance through the story of Israel's escape from Egypt (Exodus). He has painted us a picture of heaven in the peace and blessing of the Promised Land (Joshua). He has shown us that He would someday send a great and mighty king through David (I Samuel, Psalms, etc). He has proven that His patience and steadfast love will outlast our rebellion with the example of the hard-hearted Israelites during the time of the prophets (Jeremiah, Ezekiel). Through the exile, He has shown us His loving discipline in order to refine us and bring us back to Him (Daniel, Lamentations, etc.). And, finally, God has revealed that He is always true to His promises even when worldly circumstances are horrible and beyond our own control (Ezra and Nehemiah). God loves us.

He loves us so much that after all the sin of the OT - after God's people turned away from His goodness time and time again in order to lie, steal, kill, worship idols, hoard material items out of greed and complain to God constantly (sins that sadly describe my own life as well) -  He sent His only Son... more about that to come!

God's Goodness

Sometimes when I think about God's goodness, I cry. Not like bawl-my-eyes-out cry. But I think about God's goodness in my life and how I don't deserve it AT ALL and I get teary-eyed. I don't bawl my eyes out, because these moments are bittersweet. I realize my own depravity, but then I am overwhelmed with God's power and overjoyed by his goodness. This causes tears to well up that never actually fall. I remember on my wedding day, when I was waiting downstairs with my dad, about to walk down the aisle, and "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder came on. I was so overwhelmed by God's goodness in that moment. I got teary-eyed just thinking of God's relentless love for me, a love I do not deserve.

Ezra and Nehemiah also knew of God's goodness. Although Ezra and Nehemiah's books come fairly early in the Old Testament (before Psalms and Proverbs), they actually record some of the very last events of the OT. Ezra and Nehemiah were prophets who returned to Jerusalem after the exile. They were both granted permission to return by the Persian king (the empire that ousted Babylon), and were two of the main leaders in the rebuilding of the desolated Jerusalem. Ezra arrived first and was responsible for encouraging the Israelites to rebuild the temple. He also studied Mosiaic law, and taught the people the specific commandments of the Lord, which had long been forgotten. Nehemiah arrived about fifteen years later and orchestrated the building of a wall around the new, much smaller, city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah also played a part in praying on behalf of His people and convicting them of sin. He also acted as a liason between Persia and Jerusalem, and was eventually appointed governor of Jerusalem.

The thing is... both these men were faithful to the Lord and their people in Jerusalem during a very difficult time. Faced with the task of rebuilding and repopulating a city, restoring proper temple worship, reinforcing the law of God, cleansing the people from sin (including mixed marriages again), dealing with opposition from surrounding peoples, and trying to live independently while under Persian rule, Ezra and Nehemiah did not have the easiest life of ministry. However, they knew that God was good. When Ezra was released by the king of Persia, Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem, it was because "the good hand of God was on him" (Ezra 7:9). When Ezra realized that there were no Levites in the group returning to Jerusalem, he sent for some. When a faithful group of Levites arrived to join them on their journey, Ezra knew this was done "by the good hand of our God on us (Ezra 8:18). Years later, when Nehemiah felt the call of God to go and rebuild Jerusalem, he asked King Artaxerxes for leave to return to Jerusalem. When the king granted his request, Nehemiah knew that "the good hand of the my God was upon me" (Nehemiah 2:8).

There is lots of talk of God's goodness in the Old Testament. From the very beginning, the things God created on earth were "good." There are also countless references to God's hand and his arm. His "outstretched arm" is a figurative term for God's absolute power over the proceedings of the earth. Moses and the Israelites knew all about God's outstretched arm in the wilderness, when God provided for them and saved them again and again. Here, at the end of the Old Testament, when things are bleak and uncertain for the Israelites as they return to their desolated city, God is still good. Ezra and Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem can trust God's goodness, His provision, His care for His people, because His good hand acts upon the goodness of His heart.

The Day of Small Things

So I have made it through the exile of the Israelites, and they have now returned to Jerusalem with a decree from the new governing powers of the Near East (Cyrus and the Persian Empire) that they can and should rebuild their temple that was desecrated by the Babylonians decades ago. It's funny how after all the years of warning that the Israelites received about their sin and the possible consquences of it, the exile seems short. I have spent the past month or two reading about the years leading up to the exile, as prophet after prophet preached and begged Israel to repent, and now I feel like I read about the entire exile period in the past week or so.

Of course, it didn't seem short to them at the time. Living in captivity for 70 years, basically an entire lifetime, and knowing you will probably die before you ever see your homeland again, or realizing that you will never again get to worship your God freely... that experience can never be short enough. I just think of Daniel who lived faithfully in Babylon from his teenage years until the end of his life, just praying the whole time that God would have mercy so that his people could someday return home. And God was gracious and allowed Daniel to see, as an old man, the decree announced that the Israelties may go back to the Promised Land and rebuild their temple. God is meriful. After centuries of warning Israel to turn from their sin, their punishment lasted only decades.

So, now the Isralites are back in their homeland, faced with the task of rebuilding a temple that they feel will never compare to its former glory, facing opposition from local officials who don't want to see the Israelites get too powerful, and feeling like strangers in their own land, as many foreigners have settled there during the years of exile. The Israelites are discouraged and feel like they are living in "the day of small things" (Zech 4:10). Their task with the temple is daunting and slow, their heritage appears to be damaged forever, and they are strangers in their own land, just trying to get by day to day.

How often do we feel like that? I mean, I am not having a crossing the Red Sea on dry land-pillar of smoke-water springing from a rock-killing a giant with a stone-worshiping in a huge temple-defeating armies three times my size kinda day every day. Often my day seems like a day of small things. Doing my work diligently, learning to be a loving wife, challenging myself to serve with joy, smiling at the non-believer when all you really want to do is share the Gospel, but can't seem to find the words... the small things. And the small things aren't bad. Simplicity is a gift from God. God has called us to glorify Him in daily tasks. I Corinthians 10:31 says "whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." Well, the things I do, most of the time, aren't really that cool. I unload the dishwasher, grade papers, make dinner, go runnning, read my Bible. Yet, God says I am to do these things for His glory. Unload gladly, grade thoroughly with feedback that is helpful and encouraging to my students, provide a meal for my husband, run with a thankful attitude for the fully functioning, healthy body that the Lord has blessed me with, read my Bible with gratitude that I have Scripture available to me and with eagerness that the Lord will lovingly teach me through His word. This is my life. I am to take joy in the day of small things.

And, yet, I never know what the day of small things may bring. As the Israelites were struggling to build the temple, they had no idea what God had in store. Their work had been hindered. They had a foundation to a building and nothing else, and God promised "whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice" (Zech. 4:10). God's glorious conclusion to this time of struggle, was that the temple WOULD be rebuilt, a king of David's line would return to the throne eternally (Jesus!), and that God would "remove the iniquity" of his people (Zech. 3:9) and would sow "peace" in his Holy city (Zech. 8:12).

God uses the days of small things to do big, glorious things for His name and His kingdom. Years from now, I hope to look back and see that those nights of unloading the dishwasher and making dinner led to the legacy of a Godly family, that my tedious paper grading led to being able to be a light for Christ in the dark world of today's universities, that the smile I gave to a non-believer eventually turned into a conversation and an authentic relationship in which I was able to share my faith in the Gospel of Christ. If all of my days are a day of small things, I rejoice in that. But I know that God has big things in store, and I am thankful for any way that I get to be a part of them.

Big Prophet, Little Prophet

I am still in the process of trying to recapture my many Bible-related thoughts during the craziness of wedding month (aka wedding/honeymoon/moving to Arizona/starting graduate school month). Life is still insane, but here is my attempt at getting caught up...

So during the many years of Israel and Judah's (divided kingdoms at the time) disobedience to the Lord after the reign of David, there were many, many prophets both warning the people of God's growing wrath toward the sin of His chosen nation and calling the people to repent to escape this wrath. Soon, Israel was exiled and taken off to foreign lands, and Judah still chose to live in disobedience despite the prophets' pleas: "Look what happened to Israel? Do you want that to happen to you too?"

The latter half of the Old Testament is filled with these prophets' stories, messages, and persecutions suffered as the warnings were not heeded by the indignant, sinful Israelite people. Not only has reading through the chronological Bible allowed me to put the scope of these years in perspective (who was preaching when? to whom? during which king's reign? what was the gist of each prophet's message?), but it has also taught me new things about God's character and His commands. Here are some of my thoughts:

Micah 6:8 - One of the most commonly quoted verses from Micah is from chapter 6, verse 8, "...what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?", but my book commentator's gave me a new perspective. This verse describes the three primary froms of love that God requires: 1. justice (do justice) 2. mercy (love kindness) and 3. faithfulness (walk humbly). I should be just and merciful to others, and faithful to the Lord if I truly love God.

Habakkuk 2:4 - I love the reminder here to live by faith even in the darkest of hours - because "the righteous shall live by faith" even when the world seems to be collapsing all around them.

Zephaniah 1:12 - Relating to Habakkuk's message, Zephaniah reminds Judah, who was facing exile and felt abandoned by God - "The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill" - that God is constantly active in history, despite circumstances that indicate otherwise. What a timeless encouragement for us today as we face the variety of sufferings that we face as humans living in a fallen world.

Reflection #4 - Right Ritual

As I read through II Kings and II Chronicles and the correlating prophets who preached during the time of pre-exilic Judah, I am noticing a common theme. My Bible notes sum it up best: "ritual without faith-based  obedience is unnacceptable to God." The kings and people of Judah (before the consequential exile for their disobedience) were perfectly content to worship Yaweh AND other gods, even though Yaweh had warned the sin and possible conseqences for worshiping other gods. The people of Judah still went through Mosaic ritual, but without any true faith or obedience in the God they were acknowledging. They would offer a sacrifice to Yaweh, and then offer a sacrifice to a sun god the next day. They followed the customs of God, even though they were not willing to obey, love or trust Him in any other context.

How I want to guard against this in my own life. I don't want to read my Bible and then disregard everything it says after my twenty minutes of reading are up. If what I read doesn't change my selfish attitude, increase my love for God, and augment my desire to serve others, then what is the point of my reading ritual? Lord, help me not to blindly follow ritual as the people of pre-exilic Judah did, but help any ritual I follow to be for the purpose of loving You more, knowing You more deeply, and obeying You more willingly.

Tidbits on Psalms and Proverbs

So I am married! The past four weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. So many best friends coming from out-of-town for the wedding. The wedding itself. Nine day honeymoon in Hawaii. Two chaotic days packing and saying goodbye in Washington. Road trip in a huge Budget truck down the Arizona. Starting school, renting an apartment... it's been crazy!

I was able to keep up on my first goal of maintaining my reading schedule throughout the wedding/moving weeks, but I failed miserably at my other goal of continuing to blog (at least one or twice) during those weeks as well. So here I am. I did, however, jot down blog notes as I read, so I think I am going to give a brief re-cap of my past few weeks of reading. I finished Psalms and Proverbs right before my wedding, and have now read the rest of II Kings, II Chronicles, all of Isaiah, and many of the minor prophets. My thoughts are below:

Psalm 112 - Redemption - There is a note in my Bible that describes the word redemption as the process of "renewing the image of God in man" - since we have clearly so skewed the image of God with our own sin. I love that. Psalm 112 talks about what life is like for the righteous man - one who has been redeemed by God and is able to reflect Him well. This man is not perfect, but "delights in (God's) commands) (v.1) and his "righteousness endures forever" (v.3), as he passes his ways on to future his offspring.

Psalm 135 - His name is beautiful - Psalm 135:3b says "...sing to his name, for it is pleasant." It can also be translated "...sing to his name, for he is beautiful." I love that. God is pleasant. His name is pleasant. We can dwell there. He is beautiful and there is power, joy, and peace in his beautiful name. We can sing to his name, call on his name, rest on his name, rely on his name. And it is good.

Proverbs - The Fool - As I was counting down the days to my wedding, I was also finishing up the book of Proverbs. While I definitely paid attention to Proverbs 31 and the example of the ideal Godly wife (and have already been convicted by this passage multiple times in my brief three and a half weeks of being married), I also found myself drawn to the theme of the fool in Proverbs - and found myself taking careful mental notes on how NOT to be a fool. I can't remember now the exact details I focused on, but I found myself analyzing my own life. Am I quick to anger? Impatient? Am I ever lazy? Do I ever refuse to heed wise counsel? Do I judge? Do I fail to do my work in a timely manner? These are the faults and traits of the fool. Instead I long to be wise and to receive the gift of wisdom from the Lord. I hope to gain wisdom, as the Proverbs advise: "Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge" (Proverbs 22:17).

Living in the Light

Isaiah the prophet pleas with the people of Isreal "O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:5). This is on the brink of Israel's destruction and exile. The people of God have been rebellious for many years and are about to receive harsh consequences for their sin, and yet Isaiah encourages them to live in the light of the hope they have in God. He will restore them. He has promised them a bright future, even after exile, and he will be faithful to his covenant with Abraham.

How do we walk in the light of the Lord? I, too, should live each day in the hopeful future promised to me by God, except now, unlike the Israelites, I have full knowledge and understanding that the light ultimately comes through Jesus. I John tells us that "if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7). Isaiah called the Israelites to live in the light of the steadfast love of their covenental God. Even though their past was full of sin, there was still hope for a future of delighting in God's presence and being obedient to Him. Just as my life is a constant battle with sin, I can lay it aside, and live my life in the light of Jesus because I have already been cleansed by His work on the cross. I can love, serve, battle temptation, and enjoy worship and fellowship becaue of Jesus Christ. That is life in the light.

The Heart of God

As I feared, it is getting hard to keep up on Bible reading and blogging as the wedding approaches. I am running a day or two behind in reading, but God has graciously been providing time to catch up here and there. I was also sick for about a week, ended the school year, and flew to Texas, so life has been crazy. I am back in Washington now, feeling better, and just trying to use my time efficiently each and every day as there are many wedding details and decisions to sort out over the next two and half weeks.

My Bible reading has been difficult for the past few weeks because each day the reading jumps back and forth between Kings and Chronicles, as I read about the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, their many kings (all of whom have the same two names it seems... either a variation of Joash or Asa or something like that...some of them even have two different spellings for their own name...very confusing if you ask me), and both the obedience and apostasy of the people during different kings' reigns. Basically, as I read, instead of  trying to figure out which king is which, what year it is, what city is being discussed, I narrow it down to two questions: is this a king of Judah or Israel? and is this a good king, who "did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 14:2) or is this a king that "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 13:2). As confusing as it has been at times, watching Israel's inconsistent obedience is a reminder to remain faithful and obedient to Lord at all times. To stray from Him ultimiately leads to destruction in so many ways.

Today though, I got to detour from Kings and Chronicles, and read through Jonah, one of the first minor prophets. The introduction to the book of Jonah asked a great question that I have been pondering all day...do I have a heart that is like the heart of God? Pretty much anyone who attended Sunday school in their youth knows that story of Jonah and the "great fish." Jonah was being disobedient to God and because of that got swallowed by a big fish. He spent three days inside praying and then the fish "vomited" him out onto dry land. He then reluctantly followed God's plan for him. However, today I realized a deeper theme than just simple obedience versus disobedience. The reason behind Jonah's foolishness in thinking he could flee from God's presence and His plan was because Jonah's heart was not after the heart of God. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah, which was not even a city of Israel, but a pagan city of Assyria. God wanted Jonah to prophesy of warning to the people of Ninevah. God wanted the people of that city to repent. God wanted to show the people there mercy and compassion. That was what God wanted to do. That was His heart for both Jonah and the people of Ninevah. Jonah's heart was opposed to this. He didn't want to travel all the way to Ninevah. He didn't want to preach repentace to these people and he really didn't want to see them repent and receive God's mercy. Although he was eventually faithful to the call, he was still irritated that God's plan was to show mercy to these sinful people. The book ends with God's reprimand toward Jonah. It is God's right and for God's glory that He might pity a spiritually unaware people and call them unto Himself (Jonah 4:11).

So question of the day... is my heart like the heart of God? Is your heart like the heart of God? How often do I not chase after the things of God because to stop and help someone, to share a loving rebuke with a friend, to preach the Gospel boldly, to watch someone that has wronged me find forgiveness, would be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unfair according to my sinful nature? Although my sinful self often wants to be like Jonah, because I find it uncomfortable, scary, or just downright unjust to follow God's will, which pretty much always includes serving others, loving those who wrong you, and preaching and showing grace and forgiveness to everyone because of Christ, I know that the heart of God is perfect. I hope that day by day, by the grace and help of the Holy Spirit, I can conquer the Jonah in me, and be Christ to those around me. Because, ultimately, I am just like the people of Ninevah. I was sinful and spiritual unaware, but I was important to God. He sent His Word to me, loved me, and called me to repenatace. He showed me compassion, mercy, and grace that I do not deserve. I love Him because He first loved me.

Tidbits of Wisdom (not my own)

In the past few days, I have read through all of Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Both are short books, but are comprised of a lot of information to pack into my feeble brain in just four or five days of reading. Instead of picking one theme or topic on which to write, I am going to touch on a few different themes covered by the wisdom writer(s) - possibly Solomon, possibly someone else I have learned from my studies...

Love - Clearly the book Song of Solomon is about love and specifically the anticipation of sexual love in marriage. With my wedding now less than five weeks away, this is clearly a very timely topic for me. I am in the same exact season of life as the betrothed couple speaking in the poem. It was refreshing and almost convicting to read of their godly yearning for one another, and to be encouraged that the sweetness of marriage at the end of the waiting period is so soon to arrive in my own life. Also, the refrain throughout the poem, warning the daughters of Jerusalem to "not stir up or awaken love until it pleases" (SS 2:7) was a comforting reminder that God has a different timeline of love for everybody. Micah and I have a fairly long, drawn out love story. Other people have quick stories of almost instant engagement and marriage. However, each love story is ordained by God and set in motion by His loving hand. We, His children, are to be obedient to wait on His plan, not making a relationship an idol and protecting our purity until the consumation of marriage.

Contentment - The book of Ecclesiastes is so quirky if you ask me. Upon first reading, it seems like the writer is simply the biggest pessimist in the entire world. His constant refrain "All is vanity..." (Ecc. 1:2), can get grating and almost depressing after awhile. However, upon deeper reading, one can see the truth behind his claim and also a hopeful view, despite the raw fact that the world is fleeting. This guy is in the wisdom books for a reason. Despite the truth that the earth is fleeting, that the things of this world are vanity, and that death is imminent, the writer offers great hope and comfort to the reader. The truth of the matter is that God is God and worthy of our reverant fear and our obedience, and despite our sin He has given us many blessings in this depraved world. The wisdom writer urgues us to "eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil which one toils" in the few days of life God has given us on this earth. Instead of being greedy on the one hand, or disgruntled and resentful on the other, we should see each day (whether a day of prosperity or adversity) as a blessing from God and be contented with what God has give us. Contentment is such a simple gift that I am so quick to deny, because I want some new thing or want to change my circumstances in some way. I hope the Holy Spirit will dwell richly within me to constantly teach me to be content with the circumstances and gifts God has given me now, instead of always wanting something more or something different.

Reflection #4 - A word quickly read is quickly lost....

So I am struggling through the reading of Proverbs a bit, simply because it takes me SO long to read each chapter. The current plan has me reading about three chapters per day on average, but it is taking me close to 20 minutes to read one chapter because there are so many notes to read after each verse. What I am learning is that the Proverbs are not disconnected tidbits of wisdom. They follow a few larger themes (wisdom, fear of the Lord, the difference between the wise, the simple, and the scoffers, God's will is useful, practical, happy, etc.) and sometimes a specific chapter will focus in on a more specific motif, even though the verses may seem somewhat sporadic. My study notes will often say: verses 1-9 focus on _________," but then each individual verse/proverb will be explained as well. Basically I get the meaning of the Scripture on a micro and macro level. It's awesome because I am learning a lot and it really unifies the ideas in Proverbs for me, but it also takes my futile little mind a long time to read each chapter. First, I have to try to read the verses without getting all scattered and distracted, and then for each section I have to read the micro level notes and the macro level notes. Basically, I should probably stop blogging and get to reading...

The Dangers of a Divided Heart

I always thought of Solomon as a mostly good, obedient man who went astray at the end of his life. In a sense this is true, but in reading through Solomon's story this time, I have come to realize that his divided heart early on in his reign is what let to his eventual turning away from the Lord.

Solomon was blessed. His dad was David. He inherited the throne of Israel in a time of peace and prosperity. He was given all the supplies to build the first ever temple for Yaweh. He asked God for wisdom and it was granted to him in abundance, along with riches. He had the respect of other nations. He had a close relationship with the Lord, and God would come speak to him. It doesn't get much better than that.

However, in the midst of all this goodness, there are subtle hints that Solomon's heart was at times divided and not in accordance with his dying father's request that Solomon and his offspring  "walk before me in all faithfulness with their heart and with all their soul " (I Kings 2:4). Even though Solomon was obedient in building a beautiful temple for the Lord, he actually spent more time, money, and effort in building his own palace next door. It took him seven years to build the temple, and Solomon took thirteen years to complete his own house (I Kings 6:38 - 7:1) Even though, at first, Solomon had only one wife, he made "a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brough her into the City of David" (I Kings 3:1). This is dangerous for two reasons. First, Moses commanded the Israelites not to "return to Egypt" (Deut. 17:16) for any reason, after their God-granted escape from slavery. Taking a wife from Egypt is, in a sense, returning to that land. And of course, this also relates to the second reason, that Israel was warned from their arrival in the Promised Land not to take foreign wives, as they would inevitably lead Israelite men into paganism and idolatory. Solomon, although faithful in building the temple, was unfaithful in other small ways that would have big consequences later on.

Even after the temple was built and Solomon was still receiving God's blessing, living in a time of prosperity, being admired by the world, and expanding his kingdom, he was still seeking after things with a divided heart. Even though Israelite did not yet have a king at the time, God speaks to Moses in Deuteronomy and gives some simple guidelines that future Israelite kings should follow. These commands encourage moderation, even for kings, so that their possessions will  not replace God in their hearts and lives. Among the commands, God specifically tells future kings not to acquire "many horses," "many wives," nor "excessive silver and gold" (Deut. 17:16-17). Even as he is experiencing the Lord's blessing, Solomon begins to specifically break these three commands, but it happens slowly over time. Eventually though, Solomon has "12, 000 horesemen" and so much silver that "silver was not considered anything in the days of Solomon" (I Kings 10:21). All these signs of a divided heart occur long before Solomon even takes his 1000 wives and concubines, which reveals a heart turned away from the Lord.

While the human heart must always battle with the flesh, and while we will always be tempted by idols as we live on this earth, Solomon's story paints a very vivid warning for me. Are there subtle areas of my life where I am not being obedient? Are there tiny idols trying to work their way in, which, although small, can lead to great sin and destruction? Are there small ways where I am refusing to trust or obey the Lord, which I cover up by obeying in the "big ways" and by doing "big works?" Am I building a temple, but also building my own palace somewhere else in my life? I don't necessarily have all the answers to these questions, but they are definitely worth pondering as I attempt to live a life of faithfulness with ALL my heart and ALL my soul.

God's Story: Psalm 78

One thing God has been teaching me lately is the importance of story - especially my own story within his greater story. As sinful humans, it's easy to get caught up in our own story, our own gifts, relationships, personal triumphs, and our future goals, as if we would have gifts, healthy relationships, victory, or hope for the future apart from Jesus Christ. It's also easy to become self-absorbed with our own troubles - to focus on our struggle, our sin, our pain, the injustice done to us, or the hardship we are experiencing, as if God is absent or removed from our hardship, as if his purpose is thwarted by our sin or as if he is rendered powerless by our current struggles. When reflecting on my own life, it's easy to think about me. My story, my victories, my struggles, when in reality, it's all about God. I am just one of many of people within God's great story of love, salvation, and redemption.

The Psalmist in Psalm 78 also reflects on God's story...

Asaph expresses his thankfulness for God's story throughout Psalm 78.
First he praises "the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done," and reminds the Israelites that God's story needs to be passed down to the "coming generation" (vs. 4).

Asaph remind the people that God "established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel" (vs. 5). He then goes on to recount many, but in reality only a fraction, of God's glorious deeds and goodness toward Israel...

God "made streams come out of the rock..." (vs. 16).
God "rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven" (vs. 24).
God "rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas" (vs. 27).
And although the people continued to sin in their mistrust, grumbling, and ingratitude,
God "being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them" (vs. 38).

The Psalmist also reflects back to the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and the day when God "redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt" (vs. 42-43), and when he "led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock...and he brought them to his holy land" (vs. 52, 54).
God's faithfulness to his people continued through the generations, despite their sin and rebellion. Asaph rejoices that God "chose David his servant...to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance" (vs. 70-71).

I know that the story above is bascially one long direct quote, but that's because it's God's story. It's taken directly from his book, and his story is not finished yet...although we know the ending! Just as the Israelites' part in the story is a mix of sin, suffering, redemption, glory and obedience, so is my own story one small scene of sin, suffering, redemption, glory, and obedience. God is so good. He sent Jesus who is the author and prefector of my own small story of faith. And my little tiny story fits beautifully within God's story of salvation for the whole world.

Reflection #3 - The Psalms

One of the challenges in reading through The Psalms over the past few weeks has been having to read them so quickly. I always want to read slowly and reflect on each one, but instead, when I finish one, I often have three or four left to read for the day, sometimes more. While this is sometimes frustrating, as I don't feel I get enough time to meditate on the songs, it is also a great reminder that the Psalms are not just worship, but they are true theology. The Psalms have taught me so much about God's character, about His salvation plan throughout history, they have convicted me to pray for non-believers, help the poor and needy, wait patiently for God in times of injustice and struggle, and so much more. Even though it's overwhelming to read five Psalms in a day, it is a great reminder of God's goodness on so many different levels, toward so many different people, and is so many different situtaions.

The Singing Missionaries

I have some pretty amzing friends that serve as missionaries all over the world... Africa, Europe, Asia. It's awesome. My dear friend Sarah is a person who really opened my eyes to God's heart for the world and the importance of missions and supporting missionaries and praying for missionaries and loving the people all over the world who need Jesus. I could go on and on...

But I never realized that the Psalmists and the people of Israel had a heart for missions as well. In my journey through the Psalms, I have discovered that not all the songs were written with Israel in mind. Yes, many of them are personal laments, prayers of repentance, praises to God for his constant provision for Israel, pleas for help for Israel, but some of the Psalms are actully mission-minded prayers...songs in which Israel asks for and expectantly hopes for the salvation of other peoples and nations.

Take Psalm 67 for example:
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon the earth.
(verses 1-4)

Here Israel is asking for blessing so that they can go out and make God known among the nations. They are acknowledging that God is not just for them, but that Yaweh would be most glorified if people from all nations would praise Him...and that is exactly His plan. Despite the divisions between Jews and Gentiles, and regardless of the many tensions between Israel and their surrounding pagan neighbors in the Promised Land, Israel realized that their God has a heart for the whole world, and, therefore, it was their mission to see Him glorified by Jew and non-Jew alike.... to see their great God praised among the nations!

The Blessing of Worship

I feel incredibly blessed in my reading right now, as I am in the midst of the Psalms. I wake up every morning to read a few of the beautiful Pslams before I start my day, and I end every night in the same way. In the past, I always read the Psalms as simple poems or songs praising God. I found them comforting and encouraging, but I never put a lot of thought into who wrote them and why. Although they are still very beautiful, I am learning a lot about the different purposes behind the Psalms. Basically, David was instrumental (ha - pun!) in adding organized worship to the various duties of the priests and as a part of temple practices. Although there was still no temple in his day, since God said that David's son Solomon would build the temple after him, David prepared the way for the structure to be built and to function properly. He collected most of the materials that were used to build the temple and created new positions within the priesthood to organize worship when the temple was finally built (I Chronicles 25), in order to call the people into corporate praise to the Lord.

I love that David was such a worshipful man, paving the way to modern church worship today. As he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem after it was stolen, "David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals" ( II Samuel 6:5). The majority of the Psalms were written by David, so clearly he spent a lot of time praising God. I always thought the Psalms were David's personal praises and complaints before the Lord, but I am learning that many of them were written for the whole body of believers. They are meant to express the various feelings a child of God may experience during life and allow the congregation to speak to the Lord in different circumstances...

Psalm 8 is a song of pure praise - worshiping God as the Creator of all things...
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the Earth!"

Psalm 28 is a group lament, pleading to God for help in the face of evildoers...
"The Lord is the strength of the people; he is the saving refuge of his annointed."

Psalm 34 is an expression of thanksgiving...
"I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears."

Psalm 37 is known as a wisdom Psalm, because it praises God using ideas from the wisdom literature, mainly as a reminder that it is better to remain loyal to the Lord, even when evil people are prospering all around...
"In just a little while, the wicked will be more..."

Psalm 39 is an individual lament where a person who is suffering is able to express their bewilderment to God...
"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry..."

Psalm 44 is a group prayer - seeking God's help when the whole congregation is suffering...
"O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days..."

Psalm 52 is a "penitential Psalm" - praising God for his forgiveness of sin. In this case, David is repenting of his sin with Bathsheba, but it sets an example for all believers in how to praise God with the act of repentance...
"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me."

The Psalms have so many individual purposes, but their commanality is that they all encourage the believer to praise God despite circumstances. Whether I am in time of peace or a time of conflict, whether I am thankful for the abundant blessings in my life or suffering through various trials, whether I am being disciplined for my own sin or suffering under the sin of others, I am called to praise the Lord. I have tasted and I "see that Lord is good!" (Psalm 34: 8) no matter what is going on in the world around me.

Reflection #2

I am finishing up the life of David, about to move on to the reign of Solomon, and I thought I would pause for a moment and just reflect on the reading experience thus far. I am roughly halfway done with the Old Testament, and the word that comes to mind is "idols." I think this is a combination of reading about all the idols that have tempted the Israelites so far in the OT stories as well as the realization that idols are all around us today, drawing us away from God and trying to captures our hearts. And idols are so tricky... bad things can become idols... sex, drugs, addictions of all sorts....shopping, sports, gambling, etc. Good things can become idols... church-going, Bible study, writing a blog about the Bible, friendships, relationships, service. Abstract things can become idols... fear, comfort, security. How crazy that so many different things can pull us away from God and His calling for us. It's weird to think that this blog could become an idol - even though its intent is to teach me to reflect on what I read in the Bible. So far, so good, I think. I am pretty sure I error on the side of NOT idolizing it and should become more disciplined. It's strange to think that even my fear could become an idol. If I am afraid of something and I let it control me instead of allowing God to control me, my fear has become my god. This is just a jumble of thoughts I have had from reading the OT, reflecting on my own life, and hearing the stories of other Christians in my community... I just want to live my life according to David's words to Solomon... "set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God" (I Chronicles 22:19).

Timely Worship

One of my favorite things about reading through a chronological Bible is getting to read through David's story in I and II Samuel while also reading his Psalms as they correspond to events in his life. I wrote last time about how many years of suffering David went through (primarily at the hand of Saul) before he was actually able to take the throne for which he had already been annointed years and years earlier. However, I never realized how many of David's famous Psalms were written during this time period. As David lived in hiding to escape the unjustified death sentence of a jealous king, he was constantly writing psalms of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. For example, when the Ziphites betray David and tell Saul where he is hiding (I Samuel 23:19), David writes Psalm 54 in response: "For strangers have risen up against me; ruthless men seek my life...Behold God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life...I will give thank to your name, O Lord, for it is good." Another example is David's response when he finds out that Saul ordered a whole group of priests to be killed, simply because they showed David hospitality earlier on. His response to this horrifying news is found in Psalm 52: "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day... I trust in th steadfast love of God forever and ever." I find Psalm 34 the most startling. It's one of my favorite Psalms, "taste and see that the Lord is good!" (v. 8), but I didn't realize that David wrote it after he was forced to act like a mad man in order to save his own life. I Samuel 19 gives the account of when David must flee to the land of Gath. Knowing David is a great warrior, the people there fear his presence. Afraid the king will have him killed, the only thing David can think to do is to act as if he has gone crazy, literally mad. He pretends to be insane, to the point of having "spittle run down his beard" (I Sam. 19:13). His plan works, and the king perserves his life, but it shows the absolute desparation David has found himself in. Yet, Psalm 34 is his response. David had to act like an insane man to save his life, and he says: "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my troubles" (v. 4). If I were forced to act insane and spit all over myself to save my life, I'm not sure I would have the same response.

I am so convicted by David's responses of praise and thanksgiving despite his wretched circumstances. He is literally facing death day after day, living in caves, separated from his family, and yet he trusts that the Lord is the upholder of his life. Evil men want him dead, but he knows that God is good and is worthy of his praise. My circumstances have never been as bad as David's were during  that period of many years, and yet my response in trial is hardly ever to worship. I ask that God would change my heart to worship him all the more when my circumstances are grim, because he is so good, so loving, and so worthy of my praise, and my steadfast help in times of suffering.

A Man after God's Own Heart

I just finished I Samuel today, and I love reading about David BEFORE he becomes king of Israel. When someone says David's name, I generally think of one of three things: David and Goliath, Bathsheba, or the fact that he became King of Israel and began the Davidic line leading to Christ. Little boy with rocks and a sling. Lustful man involved in adultery and murder. King leading to Christ. Clearly, all of those events are important. It's cool to think of David as a young boy with full faith in God as he faces a literal giant, whom he must fight to the death. It's awesome to see David's repentance and God's forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba. And it's absolutely amazing to see how God fulfilled His promise to David, that he would have a decendant on the throne forever, by sending Christ, our eternal kind, through David's line.

However, these events provide only small glimpses into who David was. I have been struck with the realization of how simple David's beginnings were... and how humble he was throughout all his many trials before he took the throne. David started as this ruddy little kid. He was the youngest of many brothers and probably wished he could go off and fight in war like they did, but instead he had to stay home tending to the sheep. In fact, David is annointed king by Samuel... and then nothing happens for a very, very, very long time. At first, it seems like things are happening correctly when David is chosen by Saul to play the lyre in  his court. David's musical ability basically gets him close to the king, which makes it seem a little more likely that he might become royalty. However, things go downhill from that point foreward. Saul eventually grows jealous and paranoid about David's success as a military leader, and resents the common phrase at the time: "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (I Samuel 18:7). God is protecting and growing David to be a great leader, but Saul is jealous of his success. This only leads to trouble for David... Saul, in a fit of rage (and on two separate occasions!) throws a spear at David as he plays his lyre, trying to "pin David to the wall" (I Samuel 19:10). Even after this, David continues to faithfully serve his king. Finally though, Saul's anger becomes so bad that David is forced to flee and he lives in exile from Israel for many years. David honestly lives in caves and fields and foreign cities, moving from place to place as Saul pursues him seeking his life. It's not all too glamorous. And the thing is... David is kind and humble the whole time. On two separate occasions, David has a chance to kill Saul, and he refuses to lay a hand on God's annointed king.

What an example... David is a foreshadowing of Christ. He becomes a great king and is called a man after God's "own heart" (I Samuel 13:14) But although God grew him into a fierce warrior, a successful leader, and a whole-hearted worshiper, I think David is most like Christ because of his constant humility and service despite the wrong done against him. Of course, David was a sinner, but his humility and patience in suffering under Saul reminds me so much of my Savior who suffered death at the hands of sinful, violent men, to cover my sin and the sins of the world.

Rejection and Royalty

As I was reading I Samuel last night, I was struck by a clear theme that stretches from the Old to New Testaments...and even applies to life today. Although Samuel was a great and holy judge of Israel, the Israelite people decide they want a king "like all the nations" (I Sam. 8:5) around them. Despite Samuel's warnings, they insist on converting from their judge system to a monarchy. Samuel is somewhat forlorn and possibly hurt by their stubborn insistence, but the Lord reminds him "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." The Lord then tells Samuel to fulfill their request for a king even though it shows their hardness of heart. This reminds me of another verse in the New Testament, John 15:18: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." Jesus is reminding his disciples that any rejection, persecution, or hatred they experience is not really directly toward them, but it is a result of those whose hearts are hardened against the Lord. Jesus offers words of comfort here, just as God comforted Samuel, reminding him that ultimately he is not being rejected as a judge, but the Lord is being rejected as king of Israel.

And why reject the King of Kings? All because Israel wants what the other nations around them have...an earthly king. How often in my own life do I desire and plea for the things I see around me that seem good at the time? How often do I insist on pursuing those desires even when I know that acquiring them might not be for the best? Why do I chase after things that may put a wedge between me and the Lord? Yet, the Lord is still faithful. Even though a king was not in Israel's best interest at the time... their folly led to the Lord's providence in sending David to the throne, which began the royal road to Jesus, our eternal King!

Ruth - A Worthy Woman

The story of Ruth has always had a special place in my heart. It was one of my very favorite Bible stories growing up and, even yesterday, I woke up eager to complete my Bible reading for the day, because I knew that the whole book of Ruth was on the agenda.

Many people love the story of Ruth, and yesterday I learned why the story itself is so charming. First of all (enter English major nerdiness), I learned that the book of Ruth is an idyll, meaning a brief story describing an event in rural, domestic life. Basically, Ruth a simple romance about common people from Bethlehem. Secondly, the main theme of Ruth is kindness, shown through both the young widow who lovingly follows and provides for her mother-in-law in a foreign land, and through the kindness of a Godly, middle-aged man, Boaz, who protects, provides for, and eventually redeems the same poor, young widow. This small story is tucked into the middle of books chronicling tumultous times in Israel (Judges and I Samuel) where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25) and the volatile establishment of a monarchy in Israel (Saul and David). The placement of Ruth shows that the Lord's will and kindness will always prevail despite earthly sin and circumstances.

Although the beginning of Ruth's story is very bleak, as she is childless, widowed, and living with her "bitter" mother-in-law, the resolution shows that God reigns. He is good, kind, and has a plan to bless those who are faithful to him. Despite her hardship, Ruth is one of the few women named as being a part of the ancestral line of Jesus. She is the great-grandmother of King David himself!

Micah and I are beginning to plan out the details of our wedding ceremony, which is only three months away! I have always wanted my vows to my husband to include Ruth's pledge of faithfulness to Naomi, "...where you go, I will go...your people shall be my people, and your God my God..." (Ruth 1:16). My prayer is that even in the tumultous times of today, which just as in the times of the judges, it seems that everyone just does "what is right in his own eyes" with no regard for the Lord or His commandments, my marriage with Micah will be a light in the darkness. My prayer is that by God's grace, the faithfulness and obedience in my marriage will be a simple, sweet story of God's love and kindness despite the sinful, circumstances of the world today.

Whole Obedience

Obedience to the Lord is a common theme throughout the Bible, but I have noticed some convicting theology on obedience in reading through the Israelites' wilderness experience as well as their conquering of the Promised Land.

First of all, obedience needs to be full. My ESV study Bible talks quite a bit about the Israelites' failure to be WHOLLY obedient. They often do about half of what they are called to do by the Lord. This is why poor Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. This part of the Bible has always confused me. I could never understand why Moses, called "Servant of the Lord" (Joshua 1:1) and the meekest man "on the face of the Earth" (Numbers 12:3), was not able to enter the Promised Land after leading the whiny, rebellious Israelites for over forty years. I just could not figure it out. He struck the rock out of anger when the Israelites were complaining (yet again) about their lack of water - even after the Lord's obvious ability to meet all their needs. I have been known to strike, throw, slam a thing or two in my day... However, I learned this time while reading through the account at Meribah in Numbers 20, that Moses' ultimate failure was a failure to be WHOLLY obedient to the Lord. Unlike the first time Moses made water come out of rock by striking it in Exodus, this time Moses was commanded to "tell" the rock to produce water. Because of his anger, he didn't follow the Lord's instructions. In his position of leadership, Moses had to uphold exemplary obedience at all times, and he failed to obey the command of the Lord at Meribah.

Also, the book of Joshua shows an obvious call to be obedient through action. We are called to act in obedience to the promises of the Lord. When the Israelites are finally able to enter into Canaan under the new leadership of Joshua, they are told to absolutely conquer the land and destroy all the native tribes, because the Lord has promised that "every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised Moses" (Joshua 1:3). The Lord made a promise to His people, and the Israelites are called to act in faithful obedience to take God at His word. They aren't suppposed to hang around the banks of the Jordan until it seems safe to cross over. They are suppossed to go forward in confidence of the Lord's promise to be with them at all times (Joshua 1:9). Even after many victorious battles, the Israelites fail to "devote (the Cannanites) to complete destruction" (Deut. 7:2), as they are commanded by Moses before they enter into the land. After a few years of successful conquests, the Israelites still live in fear, despite God's faithfulness, and fail to act in obedience to what He has promised. It is not long before the Israelites are making alliances with Cannanite tribes (Joshua 9), failing to drive out all the natives in their territory (Joshua 13), and living in fear of the Canaanites "chariots of iron" (Joshua 17). These are the same people who watched the walls of Jericho fall down at the blow of a trumpet due to God's power!

But how often do I fail to be obedient to God's promises? God's promises are a call to action, not a reason for comfortable complacency. God has promised to fill my mouth with words when I am sharing the Gospel (Mark 13:11), so why do I so often remain silent? God has promised to soften the hearts of those whom He has called (John 6:37; Ephesians 1), so why do I fret and worry about who is responding the Gospel and who is not or who is likely to respond to the Gospel or who I should invite to church or who probably wouldn't accept the invitation? God has promised to care for me both on Earth and eternally (Luke 12), so why do I waste my days in anxiety? My disobedience is my failure to both trust IN and act ON God's promises. I should be sharing the Gospel boldly because of  God's promise to give me His word. I should be sharing the Gospel with all who will listen, because God is the one to harden and soften hearts. I should be living a life of joy and faith today, because God has promised that tomorrow will take care of itself. Lord, help me to live in obedience to Your promises today and always.

Reflection #1

My sweet roommate Bekah asked me the other night what I have been learning from my time studying the Bible this year. It was really the first time I have stopped to think about what the experience is teaching me overall, instead of just focusing on what I am learning chapter by chapter. I am into the book of Joshua now (Goodbye Moses... I still think it's a little sad that you didn't get to enter into the Promised Land, but I understand the reason why now thanks to ESV footnotes!), but I will blog about crazy war stories and the conquering of Canaan later.

My Bible Study is currently reading Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline together. Each week we read a chapter on a specific discipline and try to practice it together or share with each other our personal attempts to become more disciplined followers of Christ. The chapter on the discipline of study was particulary convicting, as I usually just read the Bible to read it, and don't spend a lot of time and effort STUDYING it. My journey through the ESV Study Bible is my humble attempt to add the discipline of study to my life. It is laughable to me now that I thought I would be reading through the Bible twice this year (ESV version in the morning with footnotes and re-reading the New Living Translation at night for a time of reflection). I honestly struggle to get my reading done once a day. By the grace of God, I have mangaged to stay on the timeline for the most part, but I often find that I have to split the reading into two halves and read a chapter or two at school or in the evening in addition to my morning reading time. Maybe someday I will attempt the twice in a year reading goal, but I will need a whole lotta Holy Spirit power to manage it. For now I simply feel challenged by the extra reading time going through the notes. So, for one, it's been awesome to study in addition to simply reading the Word, especially when I've had a few things I've learned come up in conversation recently and I've been able to discuss and share God's Word more accurately and deeply.

However, the best thing about the experience so far has been the blogging part. Again, this has been another dose of humility as my goal is to blog once a week, and I am struggling to write even every other week at this point. The point of the blog is simply to hold me accountable for reflecting and applying what I am learning from God's Word. How often do I take the gift of God's precious Word for granted, both by my unwillingness to spend the time studying it, and also by failing to soak in it, to reflect on it, and apply it to my life? This blog is my public way of holding myself accountable for reflecting and applying what I read. I explained to Bekah that the coolest part is that this blog is so different from my own personal journaling where I rant and rave all about me, me, me - my concerns, my problems, and, albeit too rarely, my praises. On a good day, I apply a verse to my problems or reflect on God's promises as I pray. Going through the Bible and knowing that I have to blog about it has forced me to change my thinking. I am reading, learning, and writing about God and His Word, and I have the privilege of seeing how it applies to my life... how it convicts me... how it should change me to be more like Christ. So instead of focusing on myself and then applying the tiniest fraction of God's Word to my circumstances, I get to dwell on God's truth, His character, and His Promises and see how they play out in my life and my heart in so many ways, because God has given me the gift of His living, active Word (Hebrews 4:12). Thanks for asking Bekah... you made me stop and think, which is one of the main reasons I am on this adventure in the first place!

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

I am wrapping up my time in the Pentateuch - getting into Deuteronomy now - and I want to reflect back on  my journey through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. I admitted last time that I found myself growing bored with reading about the different sacrficial requirements over and over again - but I also found myself dwelling on one important idea - hospitality...

What was the point of the sacrificial offerings? I understand the killing of the ram, goat, lamb, etc. as the blood was needed to atone for sin ("for the wages of sin is death" - Romans 6:23), but why bring all this grain and oil to God along with the animal, when he doesn't need any of it? He is God. He doesn't have the human need for food. Some of the reasons for these food offerings are obvious. First, a portion of most offerings (both money and food offerings - except the burnt offering) was given to the priests. This was their livlihood and their payment for serving God in the tabernacle instead of working the land, tending the animals, and going to war, as with the other tribes. Second, the giving away of the firstfruits to the Lord shows humble, thankful recognition that he was the one providing everything necessary to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness. By giving back a portion of the harvest, the giver acknowledges God as the ultimate creator, gift-giver, and provider of every good thing (James 1:17). This is the same idea behind tithing in God's church - we thankfully and humbly give back to him what is already his in the firstplace, and acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from Him.

Thanks to the good ol' ESV Study Bible footnotes, I realized, while reading through this portion of Scripture again, another reason for the offerings of grain and oil . Even though the Lord didn't actually eat the food presented, the offering of it symbolized meeting with the Lord for a meal. Just as we invite friends over for dinner, and host them by offering food and drink, sharing our shelter with them, and giving them our time and devotion, in an effort to love and serve them, so did the offerings represent hosting the Lord for a meal. The Israelites gave their food, and the priests prepared a meal for the Lord as if to say, "Lord, you are an honored guest. We give you our food, our time; meet us for a meal, so we may serve and love you."

Clearly, the idea of sharing a meal with the Lord has implications that relate to my own life. I no longer have to offer grain and oil to be near to the presence of God (thanks to Jesus, my forever intercessor! My grain offering would probably have to be Kashi cereal or something anyway...), but I have to ask myself, "Is God an honored guest in my life?" Do I invite him into every area of my life, to dwell with me, to live in community with me? Is he honored as I would treat a guest in my home? Do I make time for him, prepare a good meal for him? That's not to say that my faith is about what I do. I don't have to spend all my time DOING specific little tasks for God to draw near to me - but is my heart at a place where God is honored in my life? Do I give him the time, attention, love, and service of which he is more than worthy?  I want to welcome Him in. Love him. Serve him.

And what about my heart toward others? Do I honor the people around me? Do I love them? Serve them? Open my home to them? Feed them? How can I cultivate hospitality in my own heart (by the grace of God's Spirit) that I may honor and serve others, as well as God? Lord, increase in me the spirit of hospitality. Help me to honor you in my life as I would a guest in my home. Help me to love others with the love You have showered upon me. After all, it is You who has promised to invite us, Your children, to feast with You at Your banqueting table for all of eternity (Revelation 19:9). May my lifestyle on Earth foreshadow that eternal feast!