Mercy Streak
Oh God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins-for everyone knows it’s yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.
Daniel 9:18 NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
Whenever I pray, I usually ask God to forget my sin, blot it out! I ask him to look away from my sin and look to the empty cross that his son was on. I want God to look at the empty tomb. I always want him to forget my failures and look to the one that succeeded on my behalf. Perhaps Daniel knows something about God that I have yet to fully grasp, his mercy streak. I have a grumpy streak, so says my wife. I drive to work behind people I am sure have a mean streak. But Daniel sees a mercy streak in God. Maybe he has derived his opinion because he saw God’s mercy in the closed mouth of a hungry lion. Maybe because he saw his three friends thrown into a giant fire pit, and when they came out alive and unharmed, they didn’t even smell like smoke. What circumstances have you been in that make you think of God’s mercy?
In Daniel’s prayer, he takes a chance and trusts God and says, “See our wretchedness.” He asks God to see our failure and our sin and be the God we know you are. A God of mercy toward the ones you love. Protect your good name and your reputation and be merciful to us. You are famous for it! We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Speechless Whore
Speechless Whore
“You’ll remember your past life and face the shame of it, but when I make atonement for you, make everything right after all you’ve done, it will make you speechless.” Decree of God, the Master.
Ezekiel 16:63 THE MESSAGE
Ezekiel has a message from God for Israel. In short, the message of Ezekiel chapter 16 is an allegory of an unfaithful wife. God makes the assertion that Israel, the unfaithful wife, is a whore. She was nothing when God found her, naked and discarded. He raised her, showered her with gifts and they committed themselves to each other. Later, Israel is described as a wife who has grown tired of her husband and gone off on her own. God says men commonly pay for their whores. But Israel is the opposite. She pays for the favors of her men! As Eugene Petersen; author of The Message, explained it, “you spread your legs to everyone who passed by.” (Ezekiel 16:24 MSG)
If this sounds really hard, really crude and not traditionally Christian in its language, I am glad. It is time to start looking at things the way they are. There can be no healing when lies are allowed to whitewash over illness. Too many times we have wanted to build each other up by telling each other what we want to hear. But if we only tell each other what we want to hear, are we really telling the truth? It’s sort of like having all the symptoms of cancer, but the doctor does not have the courage to operate and heal you. He or she just medicates you with kindnesses, platitudes and lies, until you die. Indeed, the truth can be very hard to take. Likewise, it can also be hard to deliver. If you are sick, do you want the placebo or the real thing?
God said Israel was a whore because she looked for her needs to be met by anyone except God. I can’t help but identify with Israel. I have made huge mistakes with a myriad of inspirations. I have been inspired to sin by peer pressure, poor self-control and poor judgment to name a few. Sometimes I would use sin to relieve the pain of my failures, which of course equals more sin. I have tried drinking, sex, building my intellect, anger, entertainment, solitude, selling my self-esteem to be liked by others and many other things. Ultimately, I looked to other things for fulfillment, instead of going to God. If I had only gone to him first!
My true peace and joy in life has come from sticking to God and knowing he still wants me. I recognize my shame, and I am speechless at the idea that God would want to reconcile with me. After all that I have done to him, hurt him and in some ways, even bring him shame in front of others. And yet, the Father still wants me. His forgiveness is so amazing! His commitment to me is amazing. I am one speechless and redeemed whore.
My wife says this scripture should give us hope. Indeed, she summed up the whole matter in only a few words. Hope for those that think they have gone so far from God that there is no way back. Hope that no matter what has separated you from believing or trusting God, it’s not enough to escape God’s love for you. There isn’t anything high enough, low enough, wide enough or any ideology or powers that can separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus.
“You’ll remember your past life and face the shame of it, but when I make atonement for you, make everything right after all you’ve done, it will make you speechless.” Decree of God, the Master.
Ezekiel 16:63 THE MESSAGE
Ezekiel has a message from God for Israel. In short, the message of Ezekiel chapter 16 is an allegory of an unfaithful wife. God makes the assertion that Israel, the unfaithful wife, is a whore. She was nothing when God found her, naked and discarded. He raised her, showered her with gifts and they committed themselves to each other. Later, Israel is described as a wife who has grown tired of her husband and gone off on her own. God says men commonly pay for their whores. But Israel is the opposite. She pays for the favors of her men! As Eugene Petersen; author of The Message, explained it, “you spread your legs to everyone who passed by.” (Ezekiel 16:24 MSG)
If this sounds really hard, really crude and not traditionally Christian in its language, I am glad. It is time to start looking at things the way they are. There can be no healing when lies are allowed to whitewash over illness. Too many times we have wanted to build each other up by telling each other what we want to hear. But if we only tell each other what we want to hear, are we really telling the truth? It’s sort of like having all the symptoms of cancer, but the doctor does not have the courage to operate and heal you. He or she just medicates you with kindnesses, platitudes and lies, until you die. Indeed, the truth can be very hard to take. Likewise, it can also be hard to deliver. If you are sick, do you want the placebo or the real thing?
God said Israel was a whore because she looked for her needs to be met by anyone except God. I can’t help but identify with Israel. I have made huge mistakes with a myriad of inspirations. I have been inspired to sin by peer pressure, poor self-control and poor judgment to name a few. Sometimes I would use sin to relieve the pain of my failures, which of course equals more sin. I have tried drinking, sex, building my intellect, anger, entertainment, solitude, selling my self-esteem to be liked by others and many other things. Ultimately, I looked to other things for fulfillment, instead of going to God. If I had only gone to him first!
My true peace and joy in life has come from sticking to God and knowing he still wants me. I recognize my shame, and I am speechless at the idea that God would want to reconcile with me. After all that I have done to him, hurt him and in some ways, even bring him shame in front of others. And yet, the Father still wants me. His forgiveness is so amazing! His commitment to me is amazing. I am one speechless and redeemed whore.
My wife says this scripture should give us hope. Indeed, she summed up the whole matter in only a few words. Hope for those that think they have gone so far from God that there is no way back. Hope that no matter what has separated you from believing or trusting God, it’s not enough to escape God’s love for you. There isn’t anything high enough, low enough, wide enough or any ideology or powers that can separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus.
Friday, October 15, 2010
A Suffering Savior Pt. 3
A Suffering Savior Pt. 3
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
I was on the phone with a person I will call Tom. Tom had finally shared with me that he was using cocaine. He admitted that he worked hard to stay free, but if an argument with his wife came up, he would feel the desire, (or as he said, hear the cocaine voice speak), and on payday, disappear. These disappearances lasted as short as a day and as long as several weeks. I asked if he felt okay with his lifestyle or if he wanted a change. He told me he always felt it was wrong, but the cocaine voice was louder than any guilt he felt.
As we continued our conversation, he mentioned that a movie helped him stay clean for a short time. He said he had seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion several times. He asked if I thought that was really how it happened. I thought in silence for a long while. So long that he asked if I was still on the line. I thought about this verse, and I told him I didn’t know. But I do know that one of the blows inflicted on Jesus was for me. I asked him if maybe one of the nails or another one of the blows had his name on it.
Tom was later arrested for failing a drug test while on probation.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
I was on the phone with a person I will call Tom. Tom had finally shared with me that he was using cocaine. He admitted that he worked hard to stay free, but if an argument with his wife came up, he would feel the desire, (or as he said, hear the cocaine voice speak), and on payday, disappear. These disappearances lasted as short as a day and as long as several weeks. I asked if he felt okay with his lifestyle or if he wanted a change. He told me he always felt it was wrong, but the cocaine voice was louder than any guilt he felt.
As we continued our conversation, he mentioned that a movie helped him stay clean for a short time. He said he had seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion several times. He asked if I thought that was really how it happened. I thought in silence for a long while. So long that he asked if I was still on the line. I thought about this verse, and I told him I didn’t know. But I do know that one of the blows inflicted on Jesus was for me. I asked him if maybe one of the nails or another one of the blows had his name on it.
Tom was later arrested for failing a drug test while on probation.
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Suffering Savior Pt. 2
A Suffering Savior Pt. 2
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
For some time I was suffering greatly at heart. I had become acutely aware of my sin and how far I had fallen from many preconceived ideas of Christianity and fallen from the expectations of others. For months, my only prayer was, “God, I am sorry for being broken. I am sorry for the things I have done to myself. I am sorry for all the things wrong with me.”
In my own mind, I knew I had damaged myself by some of my life choices. I knew I was not exactly how God had designed me. There was a certain anguish in realizing I was not paying back what God had invested. As I continued to offer my apologies to God, I also knew I could not stay where I was. Angry, depressed and doubtful was not where I should continue to stand, without further damaging myself. I decided to continue my little prayer and seek out a reply from God that maybe… we could start again.
Three years previously, a friend had given me a Bible called The Message. I dug it out at random and vowed to start reading wherever it fell open. It opened to Isaiah 53. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I read, “But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.” I found it absolutely incredible that my prayer to God had been unknowingly answered years before it was even voiced. How do you explain such a coincidence? How do you explain that my exact words were staring me in the face?
My wife caught me standing in our back yard in the middle of winter. I think she noticed the “tear-cicles” and the runny nose. She came out and asked if I was okay. I gave her a big hug and told her I thought I might have finally become a Christian. She asked, “What have you been for the last decade?” I told her, “I’m not sure what I was before, but today, I am sure He has really forgiven me.”
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
For some time I was suffering greatly at heart. I had become acutely aware of my sin and how far I had fallen from many preconceived ideas of Christianity and fallen from the expectations of others. For months, my only prayer was, “God, I am sorry for being broken. I am sorry for the things I have done to myself. I am sorry for all the things wrong with me.”
In my own mind, I knew I had damaged myself by some of my life choices. I knew I was not exactly how God had designed me. There was a certain anguish in realizing I was not paying back what God had invested. As I continued to offer my apologies to God, I also knew I could not stay where I was. Angry, depressed and doubtful was not where I should continue to stand, without further damaging myself. I decided to continue my little prayer and seek out a reply from God that maybe… we could start again.
Three years previously, a friend had given me a Bible called The Message. I dug it out at random and vowed to start reading wherever it fell open. It opened to Isaiah 53. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I read, “But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.” I found it absolutely incredible that my prayer to God had been unknowingly answered years before it was even voiced. How do you explain such a coincidence? How do you explain that my exact words were staring me in the face?
My wife caught me standing in our back yard in the middle of winter. I think she noticed the “tear-cicles” and the runny nose. She came out and asked if I was okay. I gave her a big hug and told her I thought I might have finally become a Christian. She asked, “What have you been for the last decade?” I told her, “I’m not sure what I was before, but today, I am sure He has really forgiven me.”
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Suffering Savior Pt 1
A Suffering Savior Pt 1
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
Thank you.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him. That ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins! He took the whole punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed!
Isaiah 53:5 THE MESSAGE
Thank you.
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