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Tag: Genesis

Be My Valentine – What Love Is Not
Not Alone

The Lord reminds me in solitude and in silence: we are not alone; for he is always with us and never will leave us. So much passing talk of love, yet what is love? Who loves me? Truly, who do I love?

I may have known love, you may think. Or love has never found me, you may lament.

Rare time of silence pours in all the questions of life, thoughts of love: lost love, unrequited love, lovers, would-be lovers so you had hoped. Love of your mom or a father not even yours as you see a man pouring out joy into the life of his child at a nearby dinner table may invade your thoughts.

I have remembered a friend, oh so close, who once filled our days together with shared love of life. What ever happened to my best friend I see no more?

Love defined

Love’s imagery in seasons such as this often paints pictures so distant from the touch of our real love life. We question what meaning love truly holds. For love is more than a mere valentine card, candy, flowers, a romantic date. Even a honeymoon to Eden would not fully satisfy love’s desires of unconditional oneness. A brief moment of life now and before may have embraced something more like love, but we can no more define love than the blurry-eyed poem of a love struck teen.

Of course our first definition of love is eros, but eros quickly comes far short of love’s fullest meaning. [ctt title=”Truly the storyline of eros proves to be myth in our romantic lives from first love to last.” tweet=”The arrows of true love pierce a heart irreparably.” coverup=”mM232″]

אָהַב ‘ahab – to love

Human love for one for another includes much more than just sexual love, a true binding of souls between two living complex beings of flesh and bones… even a oneness between ‘broken hearts.’ It includes family, father and mother and dear friends. Love of another, plain and not-so-simple.

Real life beyond the myths of love greatly challenges our sensibilities of meaningful relationships with others. Who do I trust? Who has not wounded the tenderness of my very being?

I will love my child over all others, a parent may say. Or I will love no friend like the one who hurt me. Love, true love of another may be a many splendored thing, but to love another risks all by trusting vulnerability of my soul.

A Higher Love

Do you know this one?

Deuteronomy 6:5 וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

In Hebrew, the same word to love is applied first to the LORD! ‘ahab Yĕhovah ‘elohiym – You shall love the Lord your God.

Jesus calls this the greatest Commandment” in Matthew 22:36-40.

[ctt title=”Love God. Love cannot exclude love of the LORD our God!” tweet=”“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” coverup=”1l94c”]

The challenge of love

Who can I love beyond my self? Who can I trust with my tender wounded heart?

Love of God is a challenge for many. Fortunately the Lord exceeds every man and every woman in love by reaching down to our delicate depths with overflowing love, mercy, forgiveness and grace.

Love of a parent or child or dear friend, a mentor, a confidant, a leader or teacher: all become part of the loves of our life. All fall short except the love of God.

Yet how shall we love those we love as unsparingly as the Lord our God?

A true love of others cannot seek to love for our own benefit only, but in humble unconditional service to one also beloved of the Lord. I cannot love as well as God, but in all humility I can try to love another in a way that is better than the selfishness of man.

What love is not

You may have heard love preached at an altar of bride and groom. Or you may have read on a card the great wisdom of God’s love from a letter to the church in Corinth, a city of excess worship of gods of myth and tradition.

Yet Paul did not write the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 for a ceremony or only for advice to a husband and wife. This love, as we mentioned before, is so much more.

In Greek, ἀγάπη, agapē love points upward to God’s love as we embrace other souls in this temporary place. The love chapter’s forgotten definition of love is ‘charity’”

Aside from the definitions and niceties, however, let us briefly examine our own hearts for the leaven of what love is not:
- love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.
- It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing…
A valentine greeting

Think of the valentine message you send to loved ones every day and consider from above what love does not do?
- Does your heart’s greeting to God even approach His love for us?
- Does your gospel for parent or progeny ever appear arrogant or rude? I’m convicted.
- Do you boast to your friend or envy another?
- Worse, at the failings of another do you also ‘rejoice in iniquity?’
Beloved,

Love one another as Christ Jesus loves us.
February 14, 2017
That Unwelcome Quiet Time

STRESS!! It consumes, divides and doubles. You would think that a little quiet time would be welcome, but that’s not always the case. In fact, for many of us quiet time may invite the most intimidating minutes of our day.

A quiet awakening

I should have welcomed opportunity for more sleep, for my night had been nearly sleepless. Yet after awakening to near silence before dawn I turned off the alarm and remained awake.

What was on my mind? Everything. And I must confess that my first thought was not,

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

We arose as usual, beginning the necessary routines of each day. The dog stretched and hurried toward the door. Routine, but required, we set out on today’s event full journey. Charlie followed his nose along previously blazed paths oblivious to my attempt of a hurried pace along a cold continuous sidewalk.

Running from work

A jogger ran by, buds in her ears and pulse-monitoring watch on her wrist. She tracks more than time and steps. On warmer days I sensed her daily pace, caught in her mini-marathon between school drop-off and her gym or coffee shop. A man drove by in his loud pizza-logoed car, bobbing his head to a beat of some music inside.

Charlie walked further, but I was no different from these running to and from work. I could have been busy in some song or sense of life’s sprint, but this day all was quiet except multiplying messages of a mind caught up in my ‘what to do next’ and ‘why did I do that.”

Once I had driven miles between accounts with my mind also cruising well above the speed limit of a time-constrained goal list. I once listened to anything louder than my passing thoughts; nostalgic classics or current upbeat songs by young musicians full of life. Yet work always approached with the day’s music fleeting to where carefree sounds, singing and smiles fade into hope of a different journey.

As I thought ahead to work I considered a place filled with well-meaning souls, busy building barns most will never see. Eight or so hours without running to places where we have time to count the costs before the laying of foundations of futility.

An unexpected glimpse at quiet sleep

Unexplored paths led by tugs of long leash from long-wandered straight paths of purpose, we returned to a road taken by only a few headed to their cul-de-sac of journey’s end.

A sight behind an open blind of dawn-lit window imprints image of both past and future. The man lay sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed, between his room’s window and rising metal tree with clear bags of liquid extending long lines dripping life into failing flesh and relief into the delay of decay.

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Psalm 144:4 KJV

A mere breath, vapour, a fleeting shadow are the lives of mankind. Souls caught in the image of God trapped in failing flesh. What question of man precedes such astute observation though the looking-glass of life?

יְֽהוָה מָה־אָדָם וַתֵּדָעֵהוּ בֶּן־אֱנֹושׁ וַֽתְּחַשְּׁבֵֽהוּ׃
O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?
PS 144:3

A second to last death bed

Psalm 41:

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!

In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;
2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.

Charlie had inadvertently led me to a path where in the near silence of our morning walk I had to remember our path toward a final rest. So many have passed this way before us, yet today in an unwelcome misstep I glanced briefly into my own future as well as a sudden step back into a memory of a deathbed before.

By the sweat of your face
You shall eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:19 NASB
It had been brought into my own living room. She had been sick for months and they couldn’t figure it out. Doctors were busy and work went on while family and life rushed about. A trip to the ER told more of the disruption of life to come.

After giving up on work and her parents moving in, trips from doctor to hospital and home again… to a bed not our own…

Once I sat by her inadvertently on her oxygen tube. It was that kind of sudden realization that the breath of life we take so granted becomes perilously cumbersome to draw in for just one more moment. She would live fully just two score and ten, one more month and one more night to say ‘Good-bye, I love you.’

Psalm 90: 9-12 KJV

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:

we spend our years as a tale that is told.

The days of our years are threescore years and ten;

and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,

yet is their strength labour and sorrow;

for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of thine anger?

even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

So teach us to number our days,

that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Charlie and I turned off into home, just a short way along our temporary path of these days. I remained lost in contemplative prayer and unexpectedly fond memory, for I knew just how temporary was this life for her and for me.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…
“..and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26

February 10, 2017
A Word to the Cunning – 3
God’s plans change hearts

We have been examining the wisdom of Proverbs and advice to the cunning. An evil man or woman has two choices: continue in cunning evil or turn to the wisdom of the Lord. One such repentant man was Simon the magician. Several men and women never turn back to the Lord. The fool believes that God will not have advice for our own good and an evil person remains adamant in their evil.

Proverbs 3:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding. – Pro 3:5

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
⁷Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
⁸It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.
- What makes a difference in the heart of a cunning man or woman set on a path of evil?
- Is craftiness and cunning limited to plans of evil?
In Egypt a powerful man once rejected by his family and sold as a slave confronted these same brothers when unwittingly they had no more cunning plans to supplant his favor in their family and with God. Joseph revealed the intentions of God to his brothers.

The other sons of Israel (Jacob) had used cunning deceit in perpetuating the lie of Joseph’s death. Now after knowing both Joseph’s identity and power, the devise another cunning lie to save themselves from the potential retaliation of Joseph after Jacob’s death.

Genesis 50:

¹⁶So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

What to we see here?

Both fear of Joseph on their part and contrition; not only fulfillment of a dream Joseph had told them in Canaan, but true acceptance of their youngest brother as their leader. Repentance, finally.

And Joseph, servant of the Lord, reveals the same heart of the Lord that gave him such cunning dreams of greatness in his early years.

¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?

^{Gen 50:20}As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

²¹So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

A Cunning Turn from Self to the Lord

Ahab and Jezebel and Jehoshaphat all meant evil against Elijah. They used every bit of cunning to do evil against the Lord. Unlike Joseph’s brothers, they never did repent.

The Lord has used many cunning sinners as great evangelists of the Word once they repented. Saul of Tarsus, who cunningly persecuted followers of Jesus stood at the feet of the stoning of Stephen. He repented and turned to the Lord, preaching Christ crucified and risen to his fellow jews and championing the Way to the Gentiles.

Acts 8:

⁹But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. ¹⁰They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” ¹¹And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

We’ve seen the great teachers built up in the slight-of-hand powerful ministry for God. (We don’t really hear much about Jesus other than how He will make us great and powerful and rich and healed.. and all for just sending in your donation or giving a large blessing to the magic of his ministry here in this bright megachurch.

An egotistical preacher meets a Spirit-filled Apostle

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

What’s different here? A once-renowned magician-preacher repented and turned back to the Lord Christ in humility. When a leader is no longer ashamed to have a cross in his church, he can become a follower dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is that you?

How cunning are you, dear friend? What is the Lord’s intention for you? Do you suppose your cunning you intended for evil could now be turned by the Lord for good?

It’s not such a tough choice.

It would take a fool, not one so wise as you, to choose hell for eternity over the blessings of God in Christ Jesus forever.

Proverbs 3:

³³The Lord‘s curse is on the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
³⁴Toward the scorners he is scornful,
    but to the humble he gives favor.
³⁵The wise will inherit honor,
    but fools get disgrace.
September 28, 2016