MARCH 27, 2022

  “I hope you have not been leading a double life, 

pretending to be wicked and being good all the time.

 That would be hypocrisy.” 

~ Oscar Wilde

JOSHUA 19-20

7So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. 9Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

LUKE 5:17-39

 27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.29Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”31Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

JOURNAL

The Israelites divide up the land between descendants of the 12 tribes and begin establishing rules for governing between the cities. Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) and is criticized for associating with "tax collectors and sinners". 

God is in the business of redemption.  "Perfect people" equal  arrogant, dishonest messes. It is only in the admitting of needing refuge, help and salvation that we ever get the joy found in Christ.  I love that Jesus never mixes words here, in fact he confronts the bearers of shame head on. Jesus sees that one of the greatest enemies to the joy of salvation is the shame heaped upon the people by the Pharisees. Jesus doesn't need their approval or to be in their ring of acceptance.  He goes to where the deepest need is...the rejects and sinners. This is where he hangs out...this is where he spends his time.

Jesus shows time and time again that we don't need to pretend or hide. He knows us, knows our deepest secrets, our worst thoughts, our hidden agendas and that's where he wants to spend his time, that's where he wants to connect first. That is so amazing and so freeing.  This is the beauty and brilliance of Jesus' words...they are far deeper than the initial surface. They go to the heart of every human who reads them. They go to the heart but not just to expose but rather to heal.

27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 

MATTHEW 23:27-28

MARCH 26, 2022

  “Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

~ Elinor Roosevelt

JOSHUA 16-18

3So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you?

LUKE 5:1-16

8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

JOURNAL

God's command is to go and do, from the Israelites taking possession of the land to Peter dropping his nets and catching fish.  God is first about faith but then about action.  Peter realizes the power of Jesus and is overcome with shame and fear. Jesus rebukes this in telling him not to be afraid.

I have found in life that those two demons (fear and shame) haunt me more than any other. From what I understand about our brains and psychology, these two have a way of haunting us because they are rooted in our primitive brain and can be traced back to some of our earliest memories. They typically put us into fight, flight  or freeze mode. .

The command to "not fear" is used over 365 times in the Bible. I don't think this means that we are to avoid the feeling or to suppress it...it means that we are not to allow it to control us. We are to wade through it, face it and ultimately conquer it.

Yet that doesn't just happen because I want it to happen, actions must be taken knowing that I will face fears and circumstances that I will not be able to control. It is imperative that I daily prepare my mind and heart for the reality of facing fear and anxiety. It does not mean distracting myself or surrendering to worry and panic. It does mean surrendering to God, embracing joy and taking action. It is a discipline and as with every discipline there are going to be moments and times when my emotions are going to be contrary to what God asks of me. Yet, as always, God promises that if I will proceed and walk into the darkness he  will be right there with me and will see me through.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. 

Psalm 23:4

MARCH 25, 2022

 

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.” 

 ~ Gustave Flaubert

JOSHUA 14, 15

10“Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.

LUKE 4:33-44

42At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

JOURNAL

This is such a beautiful picture into the life of Christ. He was the Son of God, the Messiah and yet he never rested in that title, he was disciplined and never content to sit and be worshiped. He had important work to do and he diligently saw to do it.

Work is one of the great blessings of life.  Yet there are so many things in culture that play up the allure of retirement. As if one day when you are no longer "working" life will then be full of joy.  The here and now is where God has me and it is where the opportunity for love, generosity, kindness and passion exist. The reality is that I am where I am. I can either consider it a blessing from God and look at every moment as an opportunity to learn, to serve, to give or to teach.  Or I can long for something I may never get all the while wasting the gift of today.

I believe the key is balance...there should be times of rest. There are also going to be moments of sadness, frustration and heartache. But that is just part of the beauty of life. We can't avoid it and if we extend extreme effort to do so...then we risk numbing our lives in ways that can harm us and those around us. I am where I am this moment today.

 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 

COLOSSIANS 3:23-24

MARCH 24, 2022

 “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” 

― Jalaluddin Rumi

JOSHUA 11-13

18Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long period of time. 19No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle. 20For it was of the LORD to hardend their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.(11:18-20)

LUKE 4:1-32

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^f

20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

JOURNAL 

Again the intent and mission of Joshua can not be mistaken...Destroy every Kingdom. In this one chapter we see Jesus directed into the desert where he stays for 40 days and successfully resists temptation from Satan. Jesus then heads to Galille where all seems to be falling into place...he is making a good name for his family and people are amazed at his intellect and teaching. Well it's all about to turn, in a few verses they are ready to push him off a cliff.  What a clear picture of our lives...one day all is well and the next it seems on the brink of disaster. What can I learn from this? That the only truly safe place is in obedience to God. As far as the world goes it may mean good favor from the world or it may mean scorn, ridicule and death. What I receive from the world should not be my motivation. My circumstance can never be my measure. 

But daily, moment by moment living from the core of love with the intent on giving that love to all those I encounter is really the way through. It seems that more days I live, the more I realize that living from the center of God's love for me and giving that love away...is really all that truly matters. The only true peace comes from living from a heart that has been transformed by God's love. My existence today is a miracle, so are the 8 billion other souls that walk the planet. Truly processing that and soaking in the magnitude of this grace is transformative. Every single moment of every single day is an astounding gift of love and grace. 

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.       

GALATIANS 5:22-26

MARCH 23, 2022

 

“A great man is always willing to be little.” 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

JOSHUA 9-10

40So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills,f and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.

42And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. 43Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

LUKE 3

9The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

JOURNAL

Joshua completely destroys the inhabitants of multiple cities. Killing all men, women and children. His tactics are ruthless! John's words command the people to give freely, do a job fairly, and be good to other people. How can these actions, both of which are in obedience to God be in the same book? How can they be commands of the same God? People have made comments at times that the God of the Old Testament was different.    But God is God...he didn't take on a new identity.  So how are they reconciled? I struggle with it...it's always been a struggle for me...and that's ok! I still trust God, I still believe he is the God of Love and I still believe that his ways are good.

I do think though that it probably has to do with perception and how the methods of God's parenthood are also different based on the needs and relationship in those specific moments. Just as a parent does not parent a child the same way when they are 2 as they do when they 12 or as they do when they are adults. The parents haven't really changed but the relationship has and the child needs different things based on the relationship and the age of the child. 

All of that to say that I think that's why God gives us the relational comparison of a father to his children. Even though it's much deeper and more complex. Yet the willingness to be human, to get into our mess and understand it from our perspective is both amazing and incredibly humbling. 

One other thing that I notice about Jesus and it really is an example for any and all of us. Jesus really didn't talk about himself unless he had to. Jesus' focus was constantly on others and their needs. When he did talk about himself...he didn't lie and he didn't make excuses. What an amazing example to live by...to sum it all up: Don't talk about yourself, but if you have to...tell the truth and don't make excuses. Spend the precious moments of life doing your best, loving others and bringing a glimpse of heaven to earth. 

6Who, being in very nature^a God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature^b of a servant,being made in human likeness.8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  

Philippians 2:6-8