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Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:15
A friend of mine came around the corner of his garage just in time to see his young son with the garden hose, filling his lawn mower with water! He stopped him immediately, but it was too late. The tank which had been nearly empty, was now full of a mixture of gasoline and nice fresh water. The little boy was very proud of himself for ‘helping daddy’ get ready to mow the lawn!
The lad, of course had no idea the damage that could have been done had dad not discovered his actions. Not only would the mower not had run properly, the engine would have been completely destroyed. Water and gas don’t mix. Gasoline engines weren’t made to run on water.
To fix the situation, dad drained the fuel tank completely and made sure it was completely dry. Then he filled it with fresh, untainted fuel. Any moisture left behind could have had disastrous effects on the engine.
The prophet Amos, found a similar situation during his ministry to the people of Israel. The people had strayed far from the laws that God had instituted. They were a greedy people. They were an immoral people. They had turned worship into a bunch of rules, traditions and activities.
Amos tells them that if they were to escape the consequences of their sin, changes were going to have to happen. They needed to rid themselves of all evil. Just as my friend needed to completely empty the fuel tank of his mower, Israel needed to completely remove all vestiges of evil in their lives. We call this repentance. It’s a change of activity, a change of attitude, a change of mind. To confess our sin means nothing without repentance.
But more was needed in order for Israel to be restored. They needed to replace the evil actions in their lives with something else, something good, something pleasing to God. It would have done no good from my friend to empty the fuel tank of the mower and then try to start his machine. It needed new fuel in order to run. Clinging to the good rather than evil is called holiness. It involves actions, thoughts and motivations that please God rather than man.
In our lives it’s even more important to replace the ‘evil things’ with good things. Jesus tells us that if a demon leaves and we don’t replace that part of our lives with good things, he’ll just return at a later date…and he’ll bring friends. You’ll be worse off than you were before.
The end result of turning our back on evil and clinging to good is that our lives will be marked with justice towards others. Not the fickle kind of justice the world offers, but the graceful and merciful justice of a loving God.
You can’t run on empty. Ask the Father to search your heart and reveal anything that may be hindering your relationship with him. Then fill that spot with things that are pleasing to him. Your ‘engine’ will run more smoothly.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, reveal to me the areas of my life that need repentance. Empower me to change so that my life is filled with good things, not bad; so my life will exemplify the graceful and merciful justice of your word. Amen.
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” Matthew 26:17 (NLT)
Prepare:
To make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity;
To put in a proper state of mind.
Have you ever considered the many ways that we prepare for something? Life throws a multitude of events in our lives that require preparation. Some preparation is enjoyable, even if stressful. For example, the preparing for the holidays is full of activity. There’s baking to be done, gifts to buy, holiday parties to plan, host or attend, family gatherings to travel to. Stressful? Certainly, but those are the things that memories are made of and the stress is forgotten long before the memories grow stale.
Other things of life may not be positive. Preparing for the funeral of a loved one is difficult at best. Making the arrangements; comforting those who have come to comfort you; reliving the many stories and memories; picking up the pieces left by the hole in your life all demand preparation in before life can return to normal. There is no time to prepare for these kinds of events.
Sometimes preparation can involve every kind of emotion thrown together into one huge melting pot. Life changes such as divorce can be the healthiest thing for you physically or emotionally even though it carries the pain that is very similar to the death of a spouse. Graduation forces you to look ahead to the next chapter of life with excitement, anticipation, fear, hope and virtually every other emotion known to mankind. Retirement can be exciting to look forward to, but many, upon reaching that time period are at a loss as to what to do to fill their time or feel value.
For the Jew, living in Jesus day, Passover was a mixed bag of emotion. On the one hand they celebrated the deliverance of God’s people from Egyptian slavery. They had been called to follow a leader who was a known failure; to pursue a promise that had been long forgotten; to heed the call of a God who had been silent for hundreds of years.
As a result they’d enjoyed miraculous miracles and political supremacy which brought peace and prosperity to the nation. Now, under Roman bondage, they looked forward to a new kingdom which they thought was a physical reinstatement of political prominence. Messiah, when he came would be cause for celebration once more.
Some church bodies spend the weeks leading up to Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection in a period of preparation called Lent. For some, this is a time of sacrifice, but Lent should be a time of celebration, not sacrifice, a time of celebration, not mourning. Jesus Christ came to sacrifice his body for us. Now, scripture tells us there is no more need for sacrifice; no more need for mourning.
With this in mind, let us approach this season with celebration. Rather than asking ourselves, “What can I give up for Lent”, let’s ask Jesus what more we can do for his kingdom. The work of the cross was final. Now it’s time to celebrate! Now it’s time to let the world know that when the Son sets us free, we are free indeed!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as we begin the journey of remembrance of your sacrificial giving for us may we find new ways to serve you. Renew in us a new spiritual vigor to share the freedom we have in you with those in bondage. Thank you for setting us free! Amen.
Now take seven bulls and seven male sheep, and go to my servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will listen to his prayer. Then I will not punish you for being foolish. You have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job did.” Job 42:8 (NCV)
One of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves is to forgive others.
Forgiveness doesn’t say the other person is deserving of forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn’t condone their actions. Forgiveness doesn’t mean in any way that the relationship can or will ever be the same.
Forgiveness brings freedom.
Forgiveness allows us to become instruments of grace.
Imagine the pain and agony Job had endured. He had lost his children. Nothing is more devastating to a parent than to lose a child. Job lost ten of them all in one tragic moment. He lost his fortune. While still grieving the loss of his children he was met with financial calamity. While his head was still spinning, his health was taken from him. Then, to add insult to injury he was visited by three friends who continually reminded Job that things like this only happen to sinful people. Job should repent. Job should admit he was nothing but a filthy rag. Job should have faith.
Ironically, that’s all Job did have by this point was his faith. Job didn’t understand why God was allowing all this to happen to him, but he never lost sight of the fact that His God would deliver him. He never lost his trust in this God who’d gone silent.
God humbled Job with a series of questions and Job bowed in worship and admiration of this God who’d been so absent during his struggles. God never explained why he allowed such tragedy, and Job never again asked the question we all ask: “Why?”
Perhaps one of the most stunning parts of the story happens after the dialog between Job and God. God turns to Job’s friends and demands they bring sacrifices for their actions. They had spoken ignorantly of God and sacrifice was required for forgiveness. But not just any sacrifice. The sacrifice had to be administered by Job.
Amazing. The very people who had accused Job wrongfully would now humble themselves before him (and God). Their forgiveness was dependent on Job’s offering up of the sacrifice. Can you imagine how hard it was for the victim and the aggressor to approach the altar together?
That’s the power of forgiveness. We may not be able to physically approach the altar of forgiveness with those who have wronged us, but we can do so in the spiritual sense. To experience the freedom Christ gave us through his death and resurrection we must forgive those who have willfully or ignorantly wronged us. This is impossible to do through human will. This kind of forgiveness can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. This kind of forgiveness allows us to become instruments of grace.
PRAYER: Father God. I confess to you that there is a need for forgiveness in my life. I harbor hurts, grudges and bitterness. I nurse feelings of judgmentalism. I gossip. Like Job, I need your power to bring my enemy to the altar of your forgiveness so that I can be free. Amen
I heard about you from others; now I have seen you with my own eyes. Job 42:5 (CEV)
I remember the conversation like yesterday. KoMy son, a recent college graduate was looking for car insurance. Part of our agreement was that we would pay his car insurance until he graduated from college and landed his first ‘real job’. The time had come and we rejoiced. Not only for his new job, but for our decrease in auto insurance!
“Dad,” my first born said, “You would not BELIEVE how much they want for car insurance! It’s outrageous!”
“How much?” A smirk was already crossing my face and I was glad we were on the phone. He told me the amount, an amount comparable to what we’d been paying for the previous 8 years.
“Really?” I said matter-of-factly, “that’s about what we’ve been paying for you.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Reality had sunk in. I could have shown my son every insurance bill from the first time he drove the car. I could have copied the checks and sent them to him every time I paid the bill, but until the money coming from his pocket was his own, the reality would not set it.
We don’t know how long Job and his friends had been discussing God’s actions, but we know there came a time when God finally ‘appeared’ to Job. There’s no indication that Job actually saw God, but his revelation of God was awakened as God asked him a series of questions which humbled Job, stopped him dead in his tracks. Suddenly Job realized how great and awesome God was and how small and ignorant he was.
Job was a righteous man. Even God attested to his righteousness before Satan. Job knew ABOUT God, but until that day of revelation he didn’t really KNOW GOD. Once he ‘saw’ God two things happened. First of all, he saw God in a whole new light of awe and understanding. Secondly, he saw himself in a whole new light. That’s important. We can’t clearly see who we are until we have a clear view of who God is.
Isaiah spoke against the sins of Israel and the surrounding kingdoms. But when he saw God his response was quite different. “Woe is me” he lamented, “I am a man of unclean lips.”
How we act towards others and react to events of our lives have a great deal to do with how we see ourselves. How we see ourselves depends on how we view God’s view of us. Speaking evil of me has no affect on me if I’m secure in my vision of God’s love for me. In the same way I can be more accepting of you, regardless of our differences, if I live with the realization that both of us are creations of the living God.
Gain a fresh view of yourself and others by focusing on the reality of who God is.
PRAYER: Almighty God, I thank you and praise you for your love for me. Reveal yourself to me in a new way today so that I can see myself and others as you see us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Although the people who were with me did not see the vision, they became so frightened that they scattered and hid. Daniel 10:7 (CEV)
There’s an old adage that goes something like this, “There’s strength in numbers.” It’s used in a variety of settings and circumstances and, for the most part, it’s true. We need each other. The need to lean on each other gives us strength, encourages us in the weak times and protects us from danger.
There are times in our lives when we need to have the company of others, but other times when we need to realize we come before God alone. Such was the case of the mighty prophet Daniel. Daniel had been fasting and praying for weeks, seeking God for an answer. When the answer finally came, it came through a visit from an angel!
The angel appeared to Daniel as he walked with a group of other people. Although the others didn’t see the angel, its very presence caused such fear in them that they fled, leaving Daniel alone.
Some of us know how that feels. At the time we need others the most, they flee from us. They promise to stand by us; assure us that we have a place in their lives; tell us they would give us the shirts off their backs. But when you need them the most, they aren’t there.
The angel (some believe it could have been an appearance by Jesus himself) must have been an awesome sight for Daniel to behold. His face grew pale. His strength left him. He fell to the ground on his face and fainted (fell into a deep sleep).
Daniel was revived and strengthened when the angel knelt and touched him. He encouraged Daniel to be strong. He reassured Daniel that no harm would come to him. Three times he refers to Daniel as one who is ‘highly esteemed.’ Imagine that! This mere mortal referred to has highly esteemed by an angel who may have been the very son of God!
In each of our lives we come upon situations which are frightening, discouraging, frustrating or that drive us to anger and rage. We can look at the answers to prayers others have received and wondered why our prayers aren’t answered.
The lesson of Daniel reminds us that even during those times of God’s silence we can know he loves us and holds us in high esteem. It’s great to have good friends to stand by us, to pray for us and with us, to surround us with physical or spiritual protection. Our greatest strength comes from those one-on-one interactions with the Father. You need not be afraid to enter into God’s presence alone. You are highly esteemed. Those closest to the Father are those to whom he reveals himself more fully.
PRAYER: Father, during those times when you seem distant or silent, remind me of your presence. Like Daniel, let me be strengthened by your touch to go on when life gets difficult. Thank you that in your eyes I am highly esteemed. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 