Behold He Comes

Isaiah 13:9 - Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.

Isaiah 40:10 - Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

What a difference the Servant of the Lord makes. One way or the other, He comes. Our experience of God is shaped by our relationship with Jesus. Either He comes as the strong and mighty Father on who’s arm we can lean with a reward in His hands, or He comes as a vicious warrior, cruel in his battle tactics to destroy us.

He comes. He comes.

Come soon Lord Jesus, but if you must wait, then keep us in your covenant of love and peace. When He comes, I want to see him smile, not draw his terrible sword.

Deceived by God - appropriate response

Jesus served people while here. He already understood what you have come to know. We can not change people or situations. We can change ourselves (again by letting God) and our response to things or other people. God can then use our changed self to influence others. I think of Paul's statement to imitate him as he imitated Christ Jesus. We need to let God change us into people to be imitated. The song "It Only Takes a Spark" lends itself to this idea. If we are truly changed (different from the world) people, we will be receptive to the spark. Just remember, the spark only ignites the kindling and a lot of the time the kindling has to be fanned to get the rest of the wood burning.

I think a lot of times we worry too much about whether the fire will burn (offend) someone instead of "Igniting" them for good. If you analyze the fire, it is not the wood actually burning. The heat from the fire transforms the wood into a gas that burns. The heat changes the wood into fuel, and eventually uses up the wood, but before being totally used up it is turned into the heat producer (ember or coal) that will help sustain the fire for more wood to be added and continue the cycle. The fire only dies when no "New" wood is added.

How did Jesus build the fire? He served people (producing kindling). He challenged people's thinking (the spark). He died (fanning the flame) and rose again appearing to the 11(new wood added). He ascended and sent the Holy Spirit (to provide a way for wood to continue to be added).

Throughout time the fire has grown and weakened, but never gone out. We seem to be in a weakened time but the fire will not go out. Let us take heart that it does not depend on our "feeble" efforts to keep it burning. God is the fire tender.

Decieved by God

Jeremiah 20:7

O Lord, you have deceived me,
and I was deceived;
you are stronger than I,
and you have prevailed.

I love these words of Jeremiah's, because I can relate. I'm not sure I'd have signed on for this job if I knew how frustrated and sad it would so often make me. I hear about the bad stuff going on in people's lives, and I hear about people making choices to do bad things even though they would be so much happier if they did good stuff. I look at that and I think, "It would be better if you would just . . ." and they nod and smile and then they just go ahead with whatever. If I didn't care, it wouldn't hurt so bad.

I think of myself when I was new at this job. I came into it thinking I could save the world. I think God even encouraged my idealism to help me head this dirrection - he wanted me in this job, and he let me fool myself some.

I also think, "okay, we can get this church on mission. We can focus it. I can do it. I can help us discover a sense of purpose and drive. My work will make a difference." and then I wonder if I am getting anything done or getting anywhere besides frustrated. Sometimes, it seemed I worked so hard to accomplish so little.

I've learned now - I can't save the world. I can't save anyone. I can't fix anyone. I can't save or fix a church. I can't even help anyone. Not even myself. No, I can't even fix myself.

I cannot do God's job.

I can do what He expects me to do - point people to Him. I cannot do more than that really.

I think he let me fool myself so that He could work through my feble efforts. He is stronger than I am, and he can do what I cannot.

Thank God, He will prevail over me.

Perhaps even through me? I hope so. I so want my life to be a significant one.

When ministry frustrates me, I think of Jeremiah shaking his fist at heaven and shouting - "You never told me it would be like this! I thought it would be different from this. You fooled me. You deceived me. You made a fool of me!"

I can hear him laugh when he says that this is the only life he can live - that if he tries to do something else, the fire inside him takes over and he cannot get away.

Praise God that he overcomes us. He fools us. And in making us fools, makes us alive.

And in fooling us, he gives us a life worth living.