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Dictators as slaves to God?

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” Psalms‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I am not a big pundit on the geopolitical landscape of our globe. However, as I see it, there is someone, somewhere that is shaking their little dictator fist at the heavens and with that little squeaky voice of a shrunken toy screaming, “I am the king!” And, with either their hand positioned over an imaginary “nukes” button or control over the flow of massive natural resources, they just rant and rave nonsense and wield unfettered power over the masses of their domain. You know who they are, I don’t need to write down any names, lest their virtual tech-terrorists turn to torture me as well.

The psalmist, in his own wisdom of his time, asks a really good question. “Why are all these Kings so angry?” And, when David say they plot against God and “his anointed” one, we see the words as the messiah or Jesus. Likely David was talking about the supernatural plans of God in choosing and using the “rulers” of this world to do His will. Just Google “world’s worst rulers,” and you’ll be shocked at who shows up on that search.

However, even the worst of them were certainly wicked smart, paranoid and eventually mental! We’re they angry? I’m sure they were. They must have figured out how they could get away with anything they wanted while in power, and could wield unfathomable fear on the masses, but they could not BE God.

Sadly, people see God through these warped lenses of being like a dictator. In every one of those men in history or current events (And, it is almost 100% men) there’s a seen struggle to break free from “slavery” to God. Why does humanity want to get away from their own creator? If you see yourself saying, “But I’m not a dictatorial leader,” or don’t you believe this selfish thread runs in your own DNA, you would be wrong. It’s in all of us, it’s sin, it’s free choice constantly choosing the wrong path, the shiny selfish route.

We all have these little voices saying, “let’s break away and free ourselves from God.” Weird huh? It takes faith and fortitude to keep looking for God options, narrow paths, tough choices, suffering over revenge, generosity over stingy, and service over power. Godly results yield a life more free of anger and definitely control. The real freedom Jesus gave me was the freedom to chose to run to God, not away from Him.

Prayer

Dad,
I am so glad you are in control and I’m not! I’m so glad that you hold all truth, justice and finality in your hands – not mine. I’m so thankful for mercy instead of what I desire. And, even though I can’t completely understand why you allow wicked men so commonly rule and cause enslavement, suffering and death for far too long, I can trust you because you are God. I trust you with my life.

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To thine own purpose be true.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭4:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​“This above all: To thine own self be true.”William Shakespeare wrote this in Act 1, Scene III of the famous play, Hamlet. The Apostle Paul writing centuries before, told Timothy something far more eternal, and far more profound. Paul’s version would be, “This above all: To thine own calling and purpose be true.”

Not only does every person carry a purpose from God within, but each person is encouraged to find it, let others help shape it and then fan the flames of that calling into an effective, God-glorifying pursuit. You can only be you! You SHOULD only be you! God’s purposes, His truth is eternal, so Timothy as well as you and I should be completely focused on that.

No matter how we may fantasize or compare to others with more wealth, influence, fame or following – we cannot be someone other than ourselves! Several phrases come to mind to help me deal with my own deficiencies. My favorite, God works in and with my weakness. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I have no idea how or why God continues to see my sin and weaknesses, yet still uses me to participate and accomplish His will.

I love how Paul closes this thought with Tim. “Stay true,” he writes, “for the sake of YOUR salvation and OTHERS.” I am leading my own life in godliness, attitudes, loyalty, discipline and persistence. However, in that pursuit, there are others watching, learning, listening and some are following. That’s a huge weight of responsibility on every believer. That’s a responsibility as a parent, with our own littles, teens and twenties following. That’s a responsibility as a husband or wife with our lifemate following. That’s also a responsibility as a good friend with our community following.

I cannot neglect those gifts of purpose, I must pursue them and focus on being and doing what no one else on this planet can be – ME.

Prayer

Dad,
I may not like what I see in my sin or the reflection in the mirror each day. However, when I look back and see who I used to be, the way I used to believe and behave – wow – you have changed me significantly! I press on, with your grace. I press on in my weakness as your power is perfected in my life. I keep moving forward with faith in who you are and who you have made me to be. Amen.

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Gotta Serve Somebody.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am planning disaster for you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.’” But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” Jeremiah‬ ‭18:11-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whoa, this ain’t no Jeremiah 29:11! You know that verse that is highly quoted and controversial among millennials that are sick of the positive toxicity postured in so many pulpits today. I’ve used it, I’ve quoted it and have given it away to inspire hope.

The context of that verse should ALWAYS be taken into consideration. Judgment had been pronounced and God put Israel in a 70 year timeout! So, from within captivity, within the punishment, yes, there is a promise of hope. However, it has a contingency trigger… “IF,” – IF you look for me! “This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29:10-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

But here, in the face of arrogance, brash attitudes, God says the complete opposite! You just can’t get any clearer than, “I am planning disaster for you.” Who are these “people” who continue to ruin it for the whole nation? Who are the “but the people replied.” Are they national leaders? Are they spiritual leaders? At one point, later in the text it says, “Then the people said, “Come on, let’s plot a way to stop Jeremiah. We have plenty of priests and wise men and prophets. We don’t need him to teach the word and give us advice and prophecies. Let’s spread rumors about him and ignore what he says.” Is this group of people civic or business leaders?

Whoever they are, they are loud and proud ignoring Jeremiah and the warnings he had given. And, they had a significant influence and sway over the general public. Isn’t that how life really goes? The hard working, simple, average folk just trying to live their lives start listening to the loud, brash activists, who are normally such a small group. Why are we so swayed, so influenced by these “people?”

I can tell you this, if someone doesn’t stand up for themselves, their community and their nation, it’s the bullies and blowhards that will lead us right into trouble. What do these folks care about community, they just selfishly want to tear things down and blame it on everyone else!

Surprisingly, the rest of the “people” just went along with ignoring God and His warnings and off they go into Babylonian captivity. It’s a sad message to digest, “you want to be free from me,” God says, “well, let’s just put you back into captivity to see if you remember how well you do on your own.”

What a paradox of life – being human is all about serving UNDER someone or something! If it’s not God, then it’s a maniacal dictator or a suffocating religion or a destructive ideology. It’s Bob Dylan’s hit song, released on my birthday, August 20, 1979 Gotta Serve Somebody – “But you’re going to have to serve somebody.”

Dylan faked his way into Christianity for a short time, just to win over the Jesus’ movement hot christian music market. His words are true though, “You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage. You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage. You may be a business man or some high-degree thief. They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief… but you’re going to have to serve somebody!

After warning and pleading with Israel to stop lusting after wooden poles and racing towards an evil, independent stupidity, God declares, ENOUGH! They had sunk into depravity, and they are seriously messing with God’s plans to redeem the whole world through Israel. Time after time, God let’s us go our own way. Let’s us plummet to the depths of our desires. Waits until we hit the bottom and start looking around for help and someone to rescue us. Then we recognize our failures, confess and repent and make our way back to God’s grace. Then start the cycle all over again. Oh, come quickly Lord Jesus! Not to escape this broken planet, but to end this cycle once and for all.

Prayer

Dad,
Help us, continue to have mercy and grace on us. Even in our sin.

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Don’t burn the bridge, repair it!

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Proverbs‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We’ve lost trust and forgotten how to forgive.

Friendships are fragile in the beginning. They take time to build. And they take effort to get past the surface, shallow conversations. Great friendships spend very little time talking about the weather or the scoreboard stats of their favorite team, they are able to dive in deep and discuss things that matter. In great friendships there is a comfort of confession, shared secrets and honesty of our own failures. After some time, there is this thing called trust.

Trust means, they know enough to destroy you if they wanted to – ah but they don’t. And not just because you have an equal amount of dirt on them! Friendships that go through the conflicts, headaches and tunnels of chaos are the ones that endure to see the beauty of walking through life with people who would do anything for you and you for them.

The wisdom writers nail this truth about friendship. It REQUIRES forgiveness. There is absolutely no way that one or more of your friends won’t let you down, disappoint or even betray you! It is naive to think otherwise.

I love this truth LOVE PROSPERS when you forgive. Yeah, maybe it takes a little time to hop back into the trust saddle, but eventually that’s the goal – rebuild trust and make that bridge even stronger. Folks have been burning so many friendship bridges that they find themselves abandoned and isolated on their own bitter island! Look around. If all you see is burned out bridges with your new hermit lifestyle, you’re not living in heaven on earth, you’re living in hell. I’ve heard so many stories of how easy it is to declare the mafia mantra, “you are dead to me,” to deep, longtime friendships and even more so with family.

Proverbs and wisdom declares those decisions as FOOLISH. To continue to do so means you are just playing the fool. Man up, woman up – forgive! Even as Christ has forgiven you.

One other thing, obsessing over the fault, the betrayal, the misunderstood gestures is a sure way to not just separate you from a formerly good friend. It’s the fastest and most effective way to open your life, heart and soul to the deceiver who will come and fill that festering wound with poisoned pus. Your choice, your move.

Prayer

Dad,
I am so glad I don’t carry grudges or faults too long. I have so many amazing friendships that truly have saved and surrounded my life with your grace. Maybe it is just my personality fluke that helps me not harbour, dwell or obsess over wrongs done to me. Sometimes I like to think, “this person doesn’t even know me well enough TO hurt me.” Why should I carry that offense? I don’t even know them well enough to dislike them back 😇. I want to live my life giving second to seventh chances. Not only being quick to forgive, but redirecting those painful triggers to invest in people even more. Sure, it’s risky. But I know what a risk and wreck I was when you offered me that rescue rope of hope.

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What Jesus saw.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” Luke‬ ‭13:10-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. He sees a woman walking, bent over, making her way through the people. She was there to listen to the word of God on the Sabbath as well. Doctor Luke, extraordinarily writes a diagnosis IN the storyline. The woman was crippled, not from a physical cause, nor from some genetic disposition, but from an evil spirit who had wormed their way in to torture her EVERYDAY for 18 years. She had not stood up straight because of a demon messing with her for all this time – who knew? Jesus did. Jesus sees this stuff. No one else saw it. Get this, this gal was most likely a regular at the synagogue! Wait, I thought demons couldn’t stand being in church, being around the reading of God’s word? Well this one did and he had been getting away with it for a very long time.

Think about something terrible that happened 18 years ago. A broken bone that never healed. An abuse or attack on your body that no one ever knew about. You’ve carried it, bent over in soul and spirit, You’ve got a noticeable, physical limp. Or, even deep emotional limp that people can’t see. You go about your life, secretly carrying this ailment, but no one even knows about it. Jesus does. Jesus sees stuff we don’t! Jesus notices a limp, a broken heart, a damaged soul. We look around and see a woman bent over, struggling and feel pity, maybe even nicknaming her, “there’s ol’ doubled-over-Donna,” or something similar.

Jesus saw her and called her over. He made her hobble over to himself. Jesus did not want this to be a quiet, don’t draw attention to her moment. She had to shuffle over to him! No one knew the cause of her problem, they didn’t need to. Jesus, gently speaks to her and tells her she is healed of her sickness. Jesus uses this word, apoluó, release (discharge). Like Jesus was setting her free. Interestingly enough, this word is normally used in a DIVORCE context! It’s like Jesus told her and the evil spirit, “I am pronouncing a divorce from this demon! Take a hike, split, un-cleave, leave and never return – demon! Then he touched her and immediately she stood up straight.

Would you show up to church if this was going on in the service? What if you’d been tormented by physical or spiritual harassment? I’d go for that.

The synagogue leader was furious and said the wildest thing ever, “I don’t want anyone coming in here on the Sabbath to “work” a healing. You can come any of the other six days, but this day is so holy, God doesn’t want to stoop down to take time on HIS day off!” This religious guy is WHACK! The synagogue is for the sick and the healthy. And, the gathering of God’s people, the Church, is the perfect and appropriate place for the broken and the well! We should not only see hurting people as Jesus sees them, we should call them over and speak DISCHARGE from spirits or physical ailments dragging them down and holding them hostage.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow. We’ve really drifted off your ways. Our gatherings, our church services don’t even have time to really SEE people. We could have a doubled-over Donna in our church and just barely have pity, let alone have the faith to release them from their pain and tortured life. Help us God! Help us to get back to seeing things as you see them. And give us faith to make them look more like heaven than earth. The Kingdom of God is here, we should act like it.

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Is justice only a young man’s game?

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.” Psalms‬ ‭58:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​David’s gritty tune. The caption for Psalm 58 is “sung to the tune of Do Not Destroy.” Come on, you know that old song, Do Not Destroy 😂😂😂. The words, Al taschet (Hebrew: אַל-תַּשְׁחֵת, do not destroy. Catchy huh?

This Psalm was written when David was a younger man, for sure under 30 years old. Younger men are pretty angsty and far more black and white in their views of justice.

Saul and/or Abner was in constant and hot pursuit of David. He was running for his life, hiding in caves and scrounging for food. Saul had made David out to be an outlaw, a traitor. People risked their lives to provide food and shelter for him.

It’s ironic that David is so clear minded about justice when he’s being hunted, contrasted to how foggy he was on justice when he raped his neighbor’s wife and murdered Uriah later in his life and kingship. Late in the afternoon after his kingly nap, King David is wandering on his rooftop and feeling, you know, frisky. He sees, he PLOTS, he takes. Once a man of principle and character while in the caves, later he’s a power hungry pervert. He wasn’t singing “Do Not Destroy” as he aged and climbed the social ladder to the throne.

Should only young men be concerned and vocal about injustice? Do old men have more skeletons in the closet, more risk of losing what they had worked so hard to obtain? You see these patterns in many of our social structures today. Men of power having to hide more dirt as they climb in politics, business, and even the Church. Maybe old men should be more active in cleaning and clearing out our own dirt, our own injustices – confessing and repenting of our sins before God. David could clearly see injustice when young, but his heart became so clouded as he aged.

Prayer

Dad,
Is this why men become so less engaged as we age? Men not only lose heart, they also lose energy and clarity as we make our way through life. I would hope that wisdom brings both a sense of perspective and a renewed voice to speak out, live out a sense of justice for those who are weak and alone. Help us, as men, to continue to walk humbly and see clearly, constantly purging our hearts and minds of plans and plots to selfishly satisfy our own souls.

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My portfolio.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.” Titus‬ ‭1:6-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I made a decision to follow Christ at fifteen and another decision to be a Pastor at seventeen. In both cases, I had no idea what I was really doing! I say that, not because I have regrets, only to remind myself that I was in over my head from the very beginning.

I had to learn so many things that should have come, let’s just say more naturally, from being raised in a stable home environment. I was not. I was awkwardly, socially delayed in many ways. And to the ways of God, the things of the Spirit – I was super naïve. I didn’t know Pastoring came with a predetermined job description that the Apostle Paul laid out for Titus and Timothy.

Robin and I were married and we did have children, but from there it seems it took half my life just to qualify for this calling. You realize that Titus and Timothy were likely NOT married when Paul wrote this letter. Paul believed in both these young men to the point that he assigned them to Pastor the churches in Corinth (for Titus) and Ephesus (for Timothy). These were not easy assignments!

Paul lists these qualifications for Pastoring, but ALL of them are character qualities – not educational, nor business accomplishments but packed full of acumens. Marriage and non-rebellious kids are listed first. The kids can’t be “asótia: wasteful nor anupotaktos: un-submitted, unruly.” The general idea is, “how can someone lead when they have no one to struggle with/fight against wills with?” Marriage, coupled with parenting has a way of stripping a person down to their core and hopefully allowing them to rebuild their life to love and lead with a framework of servitude. A wife/husband and children know more about you than anyone else in the world. You just can’t hide character flaws from these folks!

An overseer, (NLT, church leader) is simply a “oikonomos: the manager of a household.” So it makes sense that Paul says, just find someone who is already managing their own household well. The rest of the qualifications are about a temper, drunkenness, violent and dishonest with money. All of these, again, paint a picture of a good manager.

Paul, however, then lists more leadership qualities: hospitality, loving goodness, righteousness (dikaios: correct, righteous, by impl. innocent) and disciplined (egkratés: mastered from within, an inner strength). These go beyond management and speak more of someone transparent, positive, and focused on what’s godly. These are folks that are trustworthy to follow! Echoing Paul’s words to “follow me as I follow Christ.” As a Pastoral portfolio goes, this is not just a job, it’s a calling. It’s also a lifetime commitment to continue to grow and mature, not to just maintain the “look” of a leader, but increasing in faith and love.

Who aspires to be this kind of person? Who desires to manage and lead their own life as well as others? Without the calling and grace of God, you would be crazy to even attempt it! I am never really qualified, I am humbled to believe that God would use me to fulfill this assignment!

Prayer

Dad,
At the end of my time here on this broken earth, I hope to live up to Paul’s portfolio of a Pastor, an Overseer, and definitely an under-shepherd for those who gather and are called your Church. I would be happy to cross the finish line with a “well done, good and faithful servant.”

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Sister wives and impolite dinner conversations.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.” Jeremiah‬ ‭3:6-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and it sounds like an episode from Sister Wives. God uses massive marriage, family and sisterhood language to explain just how inappropriate and hurtful are His own people, His chosen people are behaving towards him.

This passage reminds me of a couple of other Bible stories where the writers use very real, very course language to describe Israel’s sin. One is in Ezekiel 23, the other is the book of Hosea. It is interesting and disturbing that God would use and had to use such vivid, x-rated imagery to communicate Israel’s complete rejection of His love and care for them.

This was NOT polite dinner conversations! Oftentimes, parents today will not let their children read these Bible stories until they are old enough to understand the true consequences of choices and real and long lasting effects of sin.

God says, Israel has been having open love affairs with idols – actual wooden poles and stone figurines. Now, they weren’t having physical sex, but they were certainly giving themselves away in every other way. These idols, although dead, inanimate objects someone had a reputation for being really needy. They needed cash, fresh fruits, veggies and meat. They needed constant attention and in extreme cases demanded a human sacrifice for time to time, normally one of their children.

God told Jeremiah he thought Israel would go off, sow some wild oats and then come home, come back to Himself. Well Israel didn’t return and God served them divorce papers – God was done with that side of the family. But worse, Judah, the “other sister,” copied Israel’s behavior and just gave up the monogamous relationship all together.

It was through this long history of heartbreak that God shows us who we really are when we have full free choice! We all, like dogs in heat, just run off to find pleasure or “freedom” anywhere we can. This is Us! Read the rest of this story and you’ll see just how tiring it was for God to continue to pursue a people who were constantly running away from Him – not towards Him. These cycles of selfish pursuit are stories of God’s own chosen group, not some Philistine, Canaanite or Assyrian folks. Those people were KNOWN violent, brutal, highly immoral people. Yet, they weren’t any worse than Israel and Judah! When there’s no clear difference in the way God’s people live from the non-believers of God, there’s a serious problem, right?

Prayer

Dad,
Wow. We are a piece of work! History certainly does repeat itself. All I can think of is this impolite dinner talk being the real picture of what Paul said to the churches in Rome, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Oftentimes I think of the small sins and offenses and think, “I’m not that bad.” Then I read of the folks who regularly cheated on you and profaned your gifts of mercy, and remember “oh yeah, that’s in my heart as well.” I’m really humbled that I have to be reminded of how bad, how desperately wicked is my wandering soul, unchecked by your Holy Spirit! Forgive me. Forgive us as the Church.

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Greasy gossip and sleazy theology.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.” Luke‬ ‭13:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is told that Pilate had some Galileans murdered and mixed their blood with the blood of sacrifices to the Roman gods. Jesus’ response is pretty blunt. Word spread quickly about these rebellious Galileans who had been feuding with Pilate for years. Galileans taught that Jews should not pay tribute (taxes) to the Romans because it was a form of idolatry, giving money to Cesar.

However, the real gossip kicked in when people started talking about God’s judgment and the fact that the Galileans may have deserved death because of their wickedness. Jesus clarifies what God thinks about punishment of sinners.

Don’t confuse suffering with judgment!

Galileans are murdered, a tower falls on 18 people and you think God did that, or God “allowed it”? Read Jesus lips, “quit making stuff up and misrepresenting God!!!” Don’t you just hate it when people speak for God and they’re wrong about it?

Jesus has an edge in his tone when he talks about folks blabbing on about their theories and leading others astray when it comes to knowing God. So, maybe that’s why he says this stern rebuke: When you see these things happen (horrible suffering) maybe you should check yourself instead of falsely gossiping about God’s intent.

This is an often ignored truth – EVERYONE dies! But for those who will not turn (metanoeó: to change one’s mind or purpose – to “think different.”) there is a very real, very permanent ending for them. These stubbornly, self focused, my-truth thinkers have a very sad reality waiting. Jesus says, these “unchanged minded” will face a kind of obliteration (apollumi: to destroy, destroy utterly). God is always concerned about my heart, my attitude, my eternal destination. It does little good to try to back-seat drive someone else’s life and be all smug about it.

Prayer

Dad,
I never ever want to misrepresent you or purposely shoot off my mouth, presupposing I know how to run the world better or that I can clearly go around judging people’s final destination of judgment. I can barely figure out my own heart let alone peer, like a spiritual stalker, into someone else’s heart and call out their motives. What a sick, twisted thing to see a person or family go through a horrible tragedy and make some snide remark about how they may have deserved it! What part of that sounds godly? Yuk! Help me to stay clear of that and especially help me not misrepresent you to an unbelieving friend.

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Reading the end of the story.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.” Revelation‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​I never go to the end of a book to see how it ends! I read from the beginning and let the author take me where they want me to go. I follow.

Reading the book of Revelation, Revelation not Revelations, is very different. I believe God wants us to, invites us to see how it ends.

In the book that talks most about finality, then eternity, it’s a page burner. It reveals a winner, God and an eternal loser, evil. Yes, evil has a name for the long season called earth, it’s Satan – the deceiver. He was the character to introduce a human rebellion against God. He did so by not only introducing this idea of sin, but also the beginning of deep distrust of our creator. And there are, there will be humans who see God, believe God’s rescue plan from our own choices and spend eternity with him and others who are similar. There are also humans that want to follow the deceiver and play the rebel all the way to their own judgment and permanent separation from God. Each will get their own way.

John writes about these angelic pronouncements as the end draws near. This one is about the churches or types of believers that are like Philadelphia. The angel speaks kind and encouraging words. This “open door,” the protection, crown and a promise of being “pillars” in the temple. This are powerful annunciations to churches who were suffering from intense, bodily persecution. Everyone, if they understand what the angel is saying, wants to be in the Philadelphia church!

Doesn’t everyone want to live a life of meaning and reward that comes with that reputation. However, even knowing it now or reading about it in the first century, doesn’t seem to be enough to convince us of the work necessary, the faith necessary to BE that kind of church.

We want the results but not the lifestyle necessary to get them. This is our human dilemma! This is our cross to bear, our working out of salvation. I want to be the kind of person that obeys God. I want to be a part of a community that endures suffering, and holds on to their crowns of joy and kindness (real godly kindness, not the value-exchange, bumper-sticker kindness of today). The rewards are real. The struggles to BE and DO the deep work are also real.

Prayer

Dad,
You know that I would want these qualities the angel listed to about the churches of Philadelphia, but you also know there’s a lot of flesh-barriers and selfishness still running around in my heart. Plus, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I am just not a big “do it for the reward” kind of person. I would like to think that I’ll do it because it’s right and good. I see small, incremental bursts of goodness in me. But I also see all the other. Can I only think good, be good, do good when I’m not stressed or under pressure of performance? I fear I’m going to end up being one of those other churches 🥴.