Tag: Truth

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Job drops the “L” Word.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. For what has God above chosen for us? What is our inheritance from the Almighty on high? Isn’t it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil? Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?” ‭‭Job‬ ‭31‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In Job’s autobiographical style, he’s still sifting through the possibilities of where he has sinned, or where he has been unaware of such awful offenses against a holy God that it would warrant a personal plague upon his life. Have you ever felt cursed by God? Like every time you turn around, something is breaking, something is going terribly wrong? It feels difficult to just catch your breath or dig out of financial trouble when some new drama or debt comes along. Again, the Bible Project guys summarize it like this, Job 31 is “where Job makes a final defense of his integrity and righteousness.” He’s listing off his righteous responses, declaring his innocence.

But in this chapter we find Job touching a chromosomal nerve, specifically the “Y” kind. Job says he has made a holy contract with his own eyes. Job made a “berith,” a “barah” a contractural cutting, a promise backed by cutting the flesh, proving by blood. A contract, a promise is only as good as the bond, the word of the keeper.

Job metaphorically describes this promise his heart made with his own eyes. “I will not look…” I will not look at what Job? A virgin. A young woman. Well, that seems a little impossible, even impractical! For one, they are everywhere. Two, how would he know who is a young virgin and who isn’t? One specific note in 2 Samuel 13:18, describes Tamar, the daughter of King David, as wearing a “robe of many colors,” which was a garment typically worn by the king’s virgin daughters. “Now she was wearing a robe of many colors, for this is how the virgin daughters of the king dressed in earlier times,” Indicating that their clothing was not only a mark of virginity but also of royal lineage and privilege.

In the Hebrew, this verse does not have the word, “lust.” This was inserted to help the reader understand the meaning of “looking” at a “virgin,” and it wasn’t to imply someone checking out her swanky apparel choices. Job, declaring his innocence, his high regard for righteousness, sets the moral bar at its highest point- whether the young woman was modest with her wares or not – he wouldn’t gaze-n-gawk!

Just to be absolutely clear about what he’s advocating, Job uncomfortably digs deeper in verse 9 writing, “If my heart has been seduced by a woman, or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife…” He’s confessing both his methods and standards of moral purity by which he has lived his life. I have friends that put the Job 31:1 verse in obvious places to remind themselves of what it takes in a very un-modest society, to remind our male brain to make a contract with our own eyes. Looking may be one thing, but pausing to ponder is disrespectful and dangerous for all us “Y’s.” Job reminds us that God sees every glance that gazes longer than it should. It is out of love for God, love for our own wives and a true godly love for God creating women, that we should be on guard with the “L” word.

Years ago, my wife and I went to dinner with two other couples in Balboa Beach, California. It was a beautiful summer evening, so we went to an incredible spot called “little Corona Beach.” It’s quite a walk down to this secluded area that has a stunning view of the ocean. We had no idea there was a photoshoot happening just down the beach with the black rocks in the background. It only took a second to realize the model being photographed was completely naked! Right there on a public beach with the shooter just snapping away without shame. Believe me – we all looked because it’s just that shockingly unexpected. I instantly knew that more than a glance would mean trouble. My two friends gave a few more moments than I did. All six of us did a 180° and headed back up the cliff trail. As we said our goodbyes, our friend’s wives laid into their husbands. “Why did you keep staring?” they asked. Then, they just had to point out the fact that I turned instead of lingering. Boy, did I get the dude-glares then. I just knew better! I knew it was not a good choice for me to look even that little extra moment. My husband friends were so mad at me for making them look bad! I told them, “look, you were the dummies that knew better and didn’t do the right thing, did you want me to join you in the dog-house?” I didn’t even know Job’s meme for doing what is right at the time! Now I do. And, so do you!

Prayer

​Dad,
Job may have been proving his innocence or justifying his righteousness, but that one verse has been so helpful for me and many of my “Y” friends. Thank you, not only for your Word being a light and truth in my life, but also for being ways of protecting me from myself and proclivities of my own disordered desires.

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Stop believing Frophets.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and tells him nothing but truth. God will not lie – EVER. God tells Jeremiah what will happen. This is in contrast to all the other frophets telling the nation what they want to hear! Jeremiah hears God AND hears his frophet peers; maybe struggling with who to believe.

The frophets were hearing voices and seeing dreams about Israel dodging God’s discipline and coming out prosperous and stronger than ever. God tells Jeremiah they are FAKES and are telling lies in God’s name. Notice God says, “your” prophets and “I have not sent them!”

They are Fake Prophets…Frophets!

God declares the truth, “You will be in Babylon for seventy years…” He also brings hope… “BUT THEN I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬).

This leads to one of the most famous, misapplied promises of God in the book of Jeremiah. “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” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬). Why is it misapplied? Because the verses before and after do not say, “Do whatever you want and I will fix you.” The promise of God has context! The whole truth is that God put Israel in timeout to be lovingly disciplined for disobedience! And the powerfully quoted verse of comfort and hope is hinged on what God tells them in the following verses.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen.
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” ‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13‬).

WHEN you pray. IF you look for me wholeheartedly. Humility and repentance is key to experiencing God’s mercy, forgiveness and blessings. Why would God want Israel or any of us to continue to whore after other lovers and still expect some kind of entitled promise?

These words IN context are absolutely true and are for us today. Quit listening to the lies of Frophets. We must yield to God’s discipline and turn our hearts towards Him! THEN, God will 💯% show us good plans with a hopefilled future. Because God does have good plans waiting for us, but it means we continually turn from our disordered desires to obey Him.

One of the worst things that can happen to us is discovering we’ve been LIED to. And what’s so humiliating is that we still fall for the lie! We want to believe the lie over the truth because it feels good, giving us a false sense of control; like we have “discovered” some kind of mystical lifehack that no one else knew about. It’s all the deceiver’s scam-sham-shakedown and we take the bait. God does not lie. The father of lies and our own sin makes the lie look so good, so real, that we rationalize it and make the trade – swapping out truth to believe the lie. Let Jesus’ words ring loud and clear to lead and guide our head and heart, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Where would I be without your grace and mercy? What lies would I have continued to believe if you had not rescued me and began transforming my heart? Help me Oh Lord, to believe and trust you above all others. Guard my heart and mind, helping me apply your Word as a shield and weapon to resist the deceiver’s lies and my own desires.

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Negotiating with God

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.” Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I know God loves and listens to me, but I don’t know what it would take to bargain with the Holy, Righteous Creator of all things! The Jewish people had a knack for negotiating and it came from their bargaining ethics that advocate for integrity and fairness in all business interactions. These principles guide individuals to conduct negotiations in a manner that respects both the letter and spirit of the law. They call it “Kiddush Hashem,” the sanctification of the Name. The act of glorifying God’s name through one’s actions. For example, we think of God’s Laws as the big 10 commandments, but for orthodox Jews, there are actually 613 commandments which continued to expand into the New Testament to over 1,500 commands. The deep level of specificity boggles my mind.

My point; Amos sees has no fear, confidently telling God he has a problem with His punishment. And, Amos had already had this discussion with God over the swarm of locust devouring all the crops, saying, we are too small to survive that! Similarly here, except this time it would be devouring FIRE 🔥. Amos said, Lord, we won’t survive that either.

God relented (nacham: To comfort, to repent, to relent). The root word of nacham is to sigh deeply. What is going on here? God knows Israel’s size. God even knows that Amos would plead on the people’s behalf. More critically, God knows Israel will continue to sin. These passages deal with a difficult, but necessary understanding of God’s character. God is fully, completely just, right and true – full stop. But, God is also merciful and long suffering, fully capable, yet compassionate! That seems impossible for us as humans to comprehend let alone emulate. Yet it is 💯 true.

The other part is easier for us to understand – God hears the humble pleas of a prayer of the prophet – “please stop.” And in these moments we see that God not only hears, but responds to this idea of intercession from the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man. God relents, He pauses to recognize the voice of an advocate! We know by reading the rest of the story, that God eventually delivered the full justice as He had promised. But it’s in this delay, we see God waiting for someone to stand in the way of the path of justice to make a case for mercy. How beautiful is that?

These mini-episodes are all throughout the Old Testament pointing forward for a final enactment of justice, where God’s true and righteous punishment is poured out on the one and only advocate that will take all the sins of humanity upon himself as the perfect sacrifice for all who come under his own blood payment for us. The final outpouring of justice is still forthcoming. The only way to access God’s mercy this time will not be a righteous and humble prophet like Amos, or any of the other prophets. The mercy of forgiveness will only be for those who chose to follow the one worthy – full of perfection and fulfillment of justice – that is Jesus. Paul, wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2, quoting Isaiah, “Today is the day of salvation.” My interpretation…now’s the time to negotiate with God for His mercy. When all things come to an end, it will be too late.

Prayer

​Dad,
My past, present and future were all settled when I said YES to following you all the days of my life. Jesus as my advocate is all I need to find the mercy I needed. And now is the time for me to pray, asking you for mercy for my friends, family and even our nation. We desperately need you in these days of lawlessness.

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Disciplinary Invasions?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is it just me or do you also see God consistently using other nations, ungodly nations, to punish Israel when they step out on God. Chronicles tells us, “But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign” ‭‭(2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬).

How often was this pattern repeated? Six times in the period of the Judges, four times in the period of the monarchy and several smaller skirmishes throughout the Old Testament.

So, do we, should we, view modern day wars, invasions or terrorist attacks in the same light? Given the fact that Jesus’ death and resurrection, was a defining redemption moment, does that change the way God uses one nation or group to discipline other nations? Sounds dark and morbid, but I am curious.

There are a few who have preached or written about this idea, but each one admits, unlike in the Old Testament, we lack clear prophetic insight today. It makes speculation very dangerous, highly controversial and often condemned as insensitive. I find many of the patterns and purposes of God, that are clearly His hand at work, are very difficult to carry into the New Testament and into today’s modern times. In fact, many of the known travesties, like Herod’s slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16–18, tied to Jeremiah 31:15) shows how prophecy can foretell events without those events being God’s disciplinary act toward Israel as a nation.

In fact, most modern wars, even genocides, are more about human evil within God’s sovereignty! Which is even more difficult to understand. Jesus told us that end times would include suffering, but it has nothing to do with covenant judgment. In other words: Not every foretold calamity equals discipline.

So when I see unfathomable local and global chaos. When I see increasingly rampant disregard for law, order, civility and peace, I cannot just assign these signs to being disciplined or punished. I must reconcile these times as prophetic – indicating the reminder of end times as Jesus told us. It would be a part of this world’s end. One thing is for sure and is trustworthy to build our lives on. God is ALWAYS right, true and just in all things. That is why I trust in God, my savior!

Prayer

Dad,
These Old Testament stories help me take a much deeper, much broader view of how you are working to bring about the reconciliation and redemption of our world. The common link of making sense out of discipline verses self-afflicted sin, seems to be a warning. The more we try to move away from you, in both law and grace, the more we will determine to selfishly choose evil over truth. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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Aren’t we all a little truth-anemic?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you sitting or standing still right now?

Depending on where you live you are actually moving at an incredible number of miles per hour! 1,038 mph for those who live near the equator. I am spinning in Los Angeles at 860 mph right now! Why aren’t we all nauseously experiencing vertigo? I’m told it’s because wherever you are, everything around you is spinning at exactly the same speed. Like driving fast in a car, but it doesn’t feel like you are moving until you look outside or come to an abrupt stop!

The Apostle Paul tells us that the message of the cross, that the perfect son of God, was falsely charged and put to death. Jesus was completely innocent and was judged as guilty then executed. Even in our limited understanding of justice we know that is wrong! With Jesus, justice was not served. We relish shows and podcasts about such parodies. When it comes to Jesus – justice was not served, but mercy was.

We value innocence so highly that we believe it should be protected, even avenged. For Jesus, there was no such thing. Humans put Jesus on the cross, and God not only “allowed” it, He planned it! I can’t say that Jesus looked forward to being mocked, misrepresented, mutilated and murdered, but He did look forward to the results – true freedom for all creation. We normally hate it when bad guys get away with murder. That makes Good Friday a conundrum, a paradoxical reality. It’s was a sham, a travesty, and injustice at its best! But for those who know, those who believe in the message of the cross, it was the most significant act of love we will ever experience.

Why would the cross and its message of mercy be so foolish to anyone? Especially for those running towards the cliff of their own curiosity and cunningness? Well, it turns out we want something more than justice. We bristle at a mockery of innocence but we boil over something far more precious to us – SELF DETERMINATION! The cross is foolish because it cuts against the grain of our self inflated ego that pretends that we are our own god. And, that we control our own destiny! If we want to follow fake gods, so be it – it is our choice. If we want to make our own gods and worship them, pretending they hear us, heal us and save us – that’s our decision.

The cross is foolish because, if this capital punishment was used to murder God himself just to satisfy the Holy demands of perfection, then we would have to admit the truth.

We are not God!

We cannot fix ourselves, let alone save us from our own self-determined decisions. Or to close our mind and harden our heart to our creator. You can call on orbs or UAP’s all you want, but they cannot, will not, save or satisfy the ache in our soul. We would choose to die, facing eternity without certainty, rather than bend our knee before God upon our final breath. Yep, that’s us!

Hubris humanity all the way to the end.

The truth is, we are all hurling towards eternity at the amazing speed of life. There are plenty of people that do not think about their spiritual soul at all, and rarely, if ever, think about eternity. Believing in annihilation upon death is a little bit like believing that we are standing still on a gigantic ball that’s really spinning hundreds of miles an hour. We’re short on truth and full of ourselves with foolishness. But we that are being saved know and believe that the message of the cross is factually the power of God to save us not to destroy us.

Prayer

​Dad,
I really do NOT like playing the fool! Although I know I’ve dip my toes in the fool-pool way too many times. When it comes to the message of the cross, I not only get it – I am completely banking on it! I know that life is far more than this brief, puff of wispy smoke on planet earth. However, even from grief to great experiences, I am thankful for every minute I’ve spent here because it is so extraordinarily unique. Maybe we are the only fallen planet as C.S. Lewis suggests? I am grateful for every powerful moment that the cross of Christ afforded me to live as your adopted son. I am also thankful to call you Abba!

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The curse of truth.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“If I decided to forget my complaints, to put away my sad face and be cheerful, I would still dread all the pain, for I know you will not find me innocent, O God. Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying? Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye, you would plunge me into a muddy ditch, and my own filthy clothing would hate me.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬-‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

WARNING: NEGATIVE RANT AHEAD

Truth is truth, and it is harsh to face. No wonder most want to wiggle out of it by creating their own versions, seemingly escaping the burden of realty.

Here in Job 9, Job is responding to a long conversation with his friend, Bildad. Bildad’s “advise” is simple. Job’s kids messed up, that’s why they’re dead! “Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved” Job‬ ‭8‬:‭4‬. Clean, cause and effect, right? Job explores this idea and comes to his own conclusion – maybe this whole human existence thing is rigged! “Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?” Job‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬.

Ah, there’s the real issue. Job’s reasoning is sound, none of us are innocent. All of us deserve judgement. The hardest truth we will ever face is this; even in my “good” moments, my honorable, self-sacrificing, pure motivation moments, I am still riddled with sin and guilt. Isn’t that wonderful news?

Yes, it seems contrarian to believe, but God’s justice, His ways, are always true and right – so we will NEVER obtain innocence on our own. Granted, we can do good things and even make right,
and wholesome decisions – but it does not, will not, make us righteous without sin. We can never escape the guilt that naturally follows.

In these moments, Job gives us the global dilemma of humans beings who want to be good. Why try? Why suffer? Why shower, if God will just plunge me back into the mud from which I was created? Why fight my disordered desires? Why fight the enemy of soul, whose end game is my obliteration? Is God against me? Is this existence a setup, and everyone is doomed? Job is spot on. This life, this existence is an experience of self-sabotage. How often do we take an honest inventory of our soul? We could stack good deeds on top of each other until it reached skyscraper heights and it would still fall short of perfection, of holiness. We live and breathe in a transactional world, but our sin can never be covered nor the debt erased by our actions. As a the old hymn says, “I owed a debt I could not pay.”

My point: Job knew enough about God AND enough about himself that he understood that he did not deserve what he had previously managed (his children) – one cannot own another’s soul. And in his loss, he also discovered it was never his to begin with. One of his friends, Zophar, asked great questions, “Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?” Job‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬. But Zophar is still off, he still believes Job should repent for his sins, just in case. Job asked God a really hard question. One we so desperately want the answer to; “Why doesn’t the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Job‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬. BTW, God does not tell him, nor us.

The truth is we don’t know much about anything! Science is so arrogant to believe they have answers to all realms of existence, both physical and spiritual. And, except for our own decisions and behaviors, we DO NOT control anything. We certainly do not control others! We can’t make someone good. We can’t make someone live right. Even though we currently live in the redemption of Christ, who has paid the ultimate price for our sin, we will not see the final outcome of perfection or righteousness until the end of all things.

Prayer

​Dad,
Wow! I really like Job and I am so glad you included his story in Your living Word for us to learn and begin to understand the depths of our brokenness and the grandeur of Your grace. Thank for the gritty truth of both who we are and who You are.

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God hears and answers.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John answers the question many new believers often ask after praying or being led to repent and/or repeating a prayer by another. For some, the idea of a simple prayer holding such immediate and meaningful change in their life is hard to believe and understand. Of course the words are important, but God is looking and listening to our hearts! God knows the status of our need, faith and honest conversion.

John’s words here to the churches, likely in the Ephesus region, are an admonition, an encouragement to continue to follow through with faith, in “parrésia,” boldness, confidence that God is listening and active in our salvation. It is faith that pleases God, so beginning to grow and practice faith, right from the start is critical. Given those kinds of request, earnest and aligning with God’s desires (will), John is confident that God will give us what we ask for. This is good news! Not only that God hears us, but also is at work to answer those requests.

Our whole existence is an exercise and expression of faith. Jesus said, “we have not because we don’t ask.” Jesus also asked, what father doesn’t want to give good gifts? When a child asks for something they need does a good Dad trick them and give them a snake, stone or scorpion instead? No, good Dads only give good gifts! God only gives us good!

These are reminders for those who have walked with Jesus for many years or they are just starting their journey. Asking and believing for eternal life is just the beginning of a long, lasting relationship with our eternal and gracious God. Each prayer, matched with God’s answers help us grow in our faith and grow in our ability to share truth experiences with others. If these letters were written to the believers in Ephesus, this confidence, these moments of faith, plus watching God answer those requests would be quite the powerful testimony.

This is especially important in light of the city where the majority placed their lives and livelihoods in the hands of the fake god – Diana (Artemis). The cultural wars within the city would have as big as the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Except in this case, instead of a massive gathering with fire consuming the altar, the people John is writing to would be shining their light one miracle at a time.

This is another example of Jesus commanding his followers to both BE a disciple and MAKE disciples. Being a disciple is growing in faith, confidently asking God for what we need. Making disciples is sharing the good news that the one and only living God does more than just listen – God answers our requests!

Prayer

​Dad,
I knew that you heard me when I pray, when I ask for help, guidance or specific needs. John’s encouragement to the churches in Ephesus remind me that you also answer! It reminds me that you are always working in and through my life. But even more, that those answers to my prayers become a way to share with believers and unbelievers alike. To those in the church it becomes a testimony, and encourages others to pray as well. To those who are curious about you or are frustrated talking to the “universe,” useless statues or believing they are their own god. Hearing my faith stories allows them to experience truth. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers! Amen.

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Among the hopelessly confused.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul, writing to the churches in Ephesus, while Timothy was Bishop, hits hard about abandoning the “Gentile” ways. The majority of the city were Gentiles. Cities have a culture, and Ephesus was a deeply religious city. Problem was, it was zealous about the worship of Diana, god of fertility. Diana (Artemis) was the patron deity of Ephesus, Turkey, whose temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World! Her giant statue stood in front of the ginormous Greek temple, prominently placed downtown, at the corner of their market and main street. The locals, merchants and marines, all believed their livelihood depended on keeping Diana happy. The entire city was entirely idol worship.

When Paul says the Gentiles were hopelessly confused, he uses two Greek words that mean walking around in futility. The term “mataiotés” refers to the concept of vanity or futility, often used to describe the transient and purposeless nature of worldly pursuits and human endeavors apart from God. Translation – pursuing fake gods, personal ‘em betterment, and seeking higher powers eventually becomes empty and meaningless. Nasty trick, right?

Paul’s words to us futility seekers is to BEWARE. It only leads to dark, closed minds and hardened hearts. No one seeks “enlightenment” trying to pursue dark, closed minds and hearts! Paul warned that it only leaves us with no sense of shame (apalgeó: callous, to cease to feel pain, to be past feeling), living for lustful pleasure and eagerly practicing every kind of impurity. The non-God/fake god route literally yields an empty, passionless, gluttonous life! But every “Gentile” I know thinks they are the exception. They can beat the odds, they’re special. They believe they can find and live the happy fulfilled life sans the living God. And every single time they are deceived by their own arrogance and end up hopeless, yet still trying to prop up the lie that it’s working.

Paul explains that the only way to escape this Gentile-foolery is to instead, “let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. And, by putting on a new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” I say to my fellow Gentiles, I beg of you – give it up. Quit trying to customize your own religion to become something or someone that is impossible to be without Jesus.

Prayer

​Dad,
Growing up in a non-religious family, there were a few who tried to better themselves through enlightenment, and some that even thought church attendance and volunteering would suffice as a path to the good life. In the end, they found their attempts to be empty when facing death. At the end of their days they desperately wanted truth and answers about the afterlife. Those things can only be found in You. Thank you for your patience and grace in our searching, our longing. May you meet each soul with mercy as they turn their hearts towards You. Amen

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A blameless man gets blamed.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s be honest, God is certainly not overly concerned about creating mystery and tension in our human experience! The book of Job is one of those proofs. Job is the oldest written book in the Bible, from an unknown author about an unknown man. Job presents more questions than it does answers, but it is a fascinating read!

We are introduced to Job in poetic storytelling fashion – “There was once a man…” But remember, this is no fairytale! He lived in the land of Uz. Where is Uz and why does it sound so similar to Oz? Uz is a bit of a mystery as well. It is believed to be ancient Edom, and was located in the northwest corner of Arabia, southeast of Israel. Today it would possibly be Uzbekistan. When was Job alive? Many scholars place Job in the patriarchal period, around the same time that Abraham lived (Genesis 11:28–29). Even though we know very little about Job, he was noted to be blameless (“tam” perfect), a man known for absolute integrity (“yashar” refers to living in accordance with God’s laws and principles, embodying integrity and righteousness). Additionally, he stayed clear of evil in his dealings with others.

Not only was he a straight up solid, honest man – he was really wealthy. Not just wealthy in the currency of the day (animal stock), but also in the amount of ranch-hands he employed. And, he and his wife had 10 kids! Wow, Mrs. Job must have been a very busy woman as well. It is noted that he was the richest guy in the region. It doesn’t take much of a stretch to realize this, the people who knew Job and saw what he had would have completely believed this guy was BLESSED by someone. I would say he was blessed by God, the creator of all things. Others, may have thought he was blessed by nonexistent little g-gods. Some may have even thought that Job was such the richly righteous guy that he was PERFECT and deserved the wealth, massive land ownership and large family. This is just the kind of setup to tell us what ended up happening to Job and it would rattle everyone’s ideology AND theology!

The story shifts from a scene on earth to a scene that takes place in the heavens. “One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.” Job‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬. Read the story for yourself, but be warned, it’s a rough ride to figure out the one thing we all want to know – WHY? Lots of Biblical scholars try to explain Job as though it were simple and clear. I have some thoughts, but I enjoy the mystery more than clarity at this stage of my life.

Prayer

​Dad,
Early on in my faith journey I learned a very important lesson. You are God, I am not. You are always right, true and just. When things don’t seem right or make sense this side of eternity, I am 100% sure that it is my human perspective that cannot see nor understand the full scope of your will and your ways while here on earth. I knew then what I am still confident about today – I live on a broken planet among broken people and we all exist in the shadows until the full light of Jesus Christ is revealed at the end of days. Amen.

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Unexpected stories from extraordinary people.

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“Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke was not one of Jesus’s original 12 Apostles. So he wasn’t an apostle, but he sure acts like one. It is believed that Luke was most likely one “of the seventy,”. History tells us that Luke was a really smart guy! He was a physician, a theologian and a historian. If you see the trifecta of those skill sets you know why Luke starts his gospel, his account of the life of Jesus with such bravado. “Many people have attempted…” but I also have investigated and decided to write an accurately ordered, successively, one after another account!

According to history, Luke had not been a follower of Jesus before he died. Being biologically Jewish but culturally Greek, he had to have followed the controversial stories of Jesus admitting that He was THE Messiah. Luke became a believer, then a follower of THE WAY (a common phrase used to describe Jesus people). Luke not only journaled, he also journeyed with Paul, eventually writing the book of Acts. Luke was the best of biographers, writing one about the life of Jesus, the other the life of the early Church. It is believed that Luke wrote Acts in such a way that Paul would present the “book” to Caesar himself in Rome. Acts is a full testament of truth about the power of Jesus to transform a religious terrorist into an evangelist while watching the fulfillment of a promise of bringing salvation to the Gentiles as well.

Luke writes to Theophilus, a title given to a person of great wealth and influence. It is not clear whether this man was a High Priest in Jerusalem just after Jesus’ day, or that Theophilus was a high-ranking, influential Gentile official. Most likely the latter. Either way, Luke tells Theophilus, “you can be secure in the truth” of what you have been taught.

Secure in the truth – oh how I wish this generation would anchor themselves to the faith they were raised in, knowing that it is not a truth, it is THE truth. These facts about Jesus aren’t “my” truth nor “our” truth – it is God’s truth. These two books (Luke and Acts), written by Luke, were used to bring many people to faith in Jesus Christ, and to believe in His death and resurrection! Then help guide them to follow Jesus, obeying what he taught, doing what he did for the rest of their lives. Luke’s book are more than just stories about Jesus, they are also systems of how to live our life being a disciple and making disciples. Thank God for His living Word inspired, directed and recorded by men like Dr. Luke!

Prayer

​Dad,
The consistency and wonder of your Word just continually amazes me. Most of the men and women recorded in the Bible were just normal, if not ordinary people. However, then comes these really unique and driven people like Doctor Luke and the Apostle Paul. Thank you for working in and through all of us, making wise the simple and using the weak to speak to powerful rulers. Amen.