You Clean up Good!

I wore hand-me-downs and homemade clothes most of my childhood – and there’s not a thing wrong with that. My older cousin had great taste and my mom was an excellent seamstress. But I remember well when I got to pick out a store-bought dress from Sears for Easter. It was pink organza with frilly lace and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever owned.

Recently I was part of a team of ladies who spoke at a women’s conference. It was a wonderful time and every woman who spoke or sang blessed me so much. A very fashionable friend from work made it her mission to dress me for the event and I had a grand time trying on pretty things to see what worked best. The outfit we settled on was stylish and comfortable.

I thought about that today when I read Zechariah 3. This was about sixteen years after the Hebrew people returned from Babylonian captivity. Zechariah saw a vision of Joshua the high priest standing before the Lord as satan poured out accusations against him. He had no defense for himself. He was “dressed in filthy clothes,” literally meaning rags soiled by excrement (v. 3). But the Lord commanded the angels to “Take off his filthy clothes,” and he told Joshua, “See I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you” (v. 4). He was dressed in the finest raiment reserved for the most special occasions like a wedding or royal invitation.

The prophet Isaiah said, “[The Lord] . . . has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness” (Is 61:10). Image it: Rags covered in human filth are stripped away and replaced by garments of salvation. He is given a robe of righteousness just like the father’s best robe that was given to his prodigal son. (Luke 15:11-32). Just like the righteousness of Christ given in exchange for your sin and mine.

I’ve never been and will never be “fashionable” – I dress for comfort not style. But in heaven’s eyes, I am wearing garments that tell the angels that I am the daughter of the King. Maybe it’s time for you to let God dress you according to who you are. God’s beloved. Adorned in exquisite finery that even the best fashion houses on earth can’t create. Cut from the soft fabric of God’s grace and stitched together with threads of love. Oh my, don’t you look lovely?

Weeds in the Church

In Numbers 5:1-4 the Lord God called for purity in the camp of the Israelites. He commanded that anyone with an infectious skin disease or discharge should be isolated outside the camp. An infection would spread rapidly through the community and could wipe out many people. To protect lives, it was necessary to separate the unhealthy people from the healthy.

But the Lord was concerned about more than their physical health. He also commanded that anyone who had touched a dead body should also be isolated because they were “ceremonially unclean” – that is impure. Just as was true for the physically diseased person, no spiritually impure person could remain among God’s people lest others “catch” the same spiritually malady. Sin is a sickness of the spirit and it is more infectious than any physical illness. You only have to look at many denominations that have abandoned the holy and righteous commands of God to see it.

Matthew 14:24-30 records Jesus’ parable equating the kingdom of heaven to a field of wheat. He said, an enemy came in the night and “sowed weeds among the wheat” which grew right along with the wheat. His intention was to overtake the field, push down the wheat, and destroy the harvest. Satan is that enemy and the church is the field. Over many years, he planted ungodly people here and there in the church who introduced destructive philosophies and twisted Scripture – albeit by small degrees. (Remember the frog in the pot?). The result is many weakened churches that have been overtaken by weeds. God’s people have been either won over to worldliness or pushed down and pushed out – in some denominations literally.

Look at the natural progression of this pattern: Jesus said, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Mat 24:12). That is “agape” love – holy love – love for one another and love for God. This is the high price the church is paying now for allowing ungodliness to take root among God’s people.

Spiritual and moral purity in the Body of Christ must be a high priority lest the church becomes contaminated and lose her love for her Lord. Be mindful Beloved, you and I are the church. Are you letting weeds take root in your life? Perhaps it’s time to do some serious weeding (repentance) in your own garden before it spreads.  

Seeking

My life-verse is Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”  David wrote, “You have said to my heart, ‘Seek My face.’  Your face Lord I will seek” (Ps 27:8).  Isaiah 45:19 declares, “I have not spoken in secret . . . I have not said, ‘Seek me in vain.’” Paul said that God has placed Himself near us so that when we reach out to Him, we will find Him (see Acts 17:26-28). This is an extraordinary invitation: “If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1 Chr 28:9). 

But understand that we will not just “stumble over” God. Nor is seeking Him a casual glance in His direction on Sunday morning.  Seeking God is a life-long, daily, determined pursuit.  It is making time every day for Bible study, prayer, and meditating on Him, His character, and His Word.  It is allowing nothing to distract us or disrupt our heart’s mission – to know God. 1 Chronicles 22:19 says, “Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.”

But get this: God is seeking you too.  Jesus declared in John 19:10 – “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  Imagine that with me – God; the God of heaven, the Creator of all things, the great and holy I AM, sought you and me out to be His own. 

No, it’s not like God has lost sight of you, but you have wandered far from Him, and are lost in a wilderness of your own choices. John 15:4-7 tells the parable of the lost sheep.  Jesus said, “Does [the shepherd] not…go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (vs. 4,5).  The Good Shepherd is on a “search and rescue” mission to find you and restore you and bring you home – and He does so with great Joy.

It is a beautiful two-fold promise. God has pledged that when you seek Him with all your heart, He will make sure you find Him.  And when you lose your way, He will seek you and bring you back home. Either way, Beloved, you win. And the prize? Eternity with the One who created you and loves you – and seeks you with all His heart.

In God’s Hands

Have you noticed that the Scriptures call us “sheep?” I’ve heard people say that sheep are dumb, and I don’t think that is entirely fair. Sheep just get focused on one thing – filling their bellies – and don’t pay attention to what they are doing or where they are going. A sheep will put his head down to graze and keep it down as he moves from one succulent tuft of grass to another. He doesn’t look up to see where he’s headed or how far he has gone from the shepherd or how close he is to the edge of a river bank. One more step and he is tumbling down, down, down, and into serious trouble. If the shepherd doesn’t find him soon he’ll fall prey to a predator and sheep are helpless in a fight.

If all this sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve wandered. Or maybe you know and love a wanderer. I’ve shared before that I have a prodigal – a wanderer. He grew up in the church and a godly home. But he’s grazing out in the world with his head down. I’ve prayed for him for many, many years: “God, please don’t let him fall away from You.” One morning the Spirit impressed on me to sing “He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands.” “Mama,” He said to my heart, “If I have room for the whole world in my hands then you can be sure my hands a big enough for him to roam far and wide without falling off.”

David said, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (Ps 139:7-10). Re-read that last sentence. Your right hand will hold me fast. God loves you too much to let you go. He loves your wanderer more than you do.

If you have wandered from the shepherd, just call out His name from wherever you are. He will leave the ninety-nine and come rescue you and bring you back to the flock. If you are praying for a wanderer, don’t give up. God’s got them, even while they roam. Jesus said the Father is not willing that any of his sheep should be lost (Matt 18:10-14). Beloved, He’s a big God with big hands.

The Father’s Love

“But his father saw him . . . and he ran to his son (Luke 15:17)

I recently read again the parable of the Lost Son from Luke 15.  You know this kid; he took his Daddy’s money and ran to the big city to waste it on wine, women, and song. When the money ran out, he decided to head back home. You could probably name all the sermon points. But there are some details in this story that often get missed. Let me put this in its bigger context. In the culture of the middle-eastern, first-century world, the son’s request was shocking and rebellious and revealed a lack of love for the father. When the son asked for his share of the inheritance, he was, in essence, telling his father, “I wish you were dead.” He wanted his money and the old man was standing in his way. The father gave the son what he wanted and allowed him to go on his merry way – no doubt brokenhearted as he envisioned the life his son was running toward.

Fast-forward to a hungry, humbled young man shuffling his way back on the road that led home. Here is the beautiful part of this story. When the father saw the boy, “a long way off,” he ran to him. In order to run, the father would have had to lift the skirt of his tunic and robe and tuck them into his belt, exposing his legs. This was just as shocking as the son’s request. Elderly middle-eastern men did not undignify themselves in this way unless it was of the greatest urgency – a matter of life and death. And it was. The son’s return would also be noticed by the townspeople and they would follow the Levitical law which commanded that a rebellious son be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). The father humiliated himself to save his son’s life.

Now, do you see the heart of your heavenly Father? Knowing the punishment due you for your sins, He sent His own Son to be humiliated, stripped, beaten, and killed to save you. Beloved, if you’ve turned away from God and run after the world your story isn’t done. Your Father is scanning the horizon for you, to bring you back to Himself. He loves you, no matter what you’ve done. Won’t you come home to God?

God Knows

There is much fear in hearts and minds around the world today because of the actions of one wicked man. Who knows how far he wants to take his evil plan? People are suffering horribly because of his thirst for power and disregard for human life. So I asked God what message He wanted to bring you today and  He led me to Luke 12 and the Parable of the Rich Fool. A parable about greed. Thanks, God, that’s gonna be real helpful right now.

But you know that one biblical story taken out of its greater context is missing the whole point. So as I began to look at the surrounding passages and as I realized what God was up to.

Let me set the stage. Jesus tells the story of a rich man who, after a bountiful harvest, decided to hoard up all he had, even though he had more than he needed. Rather than share the blessings with his neighbors, he decided to build bigger barns and stockpile it all for himself. The man would not enjoy his harvest though, for that night he would die. This parable is pretty straightforward: Don’t be greedy. But look at the bigger picture. Before and after this parable, Jesus says over and over: “do not be afraid,” and “do not worry.” (Check out Luke 12:7, 11, 22, 25, 26, 29, 32.) He followed the parable with the famous discourse of the Father providing for the birds and the flowers – “how much more valuable are you than they?” (v. 24).

Worry and fear cause us to “run after” the things the world chases (v. 29-30) or to hoard up what we have in fear of not having enough (v. 16-19). Over the past couple of years, we lived out the illustration of this message as stores have been stripped of basic necessities. Do you remember to great toilet paper shortage of 2020? Yet Jesus tells us not to worry. Why? Because “your Father knows that you need [these things].” And because it delights the Father to provide for His children.

God knows all about what’s happening on the world’s stage. He knows that these are scary times. As His child, He knows what you need. And He says, “Do not be afraid.” Beloved, your Father is the King of Heaven and Earth – what could you possibly have to worry about?

Love One Another

It is very compelling to me that in all the Gospels, there is only one time that Jesus declared a commandment: “This is my command: Love each other” (John 15:17). A command means it’s not up for debate. Ah, but we do debate it, don’t we? “Who are the ‘others’?” “Did Jesus just mean fellow Christians?” “Did He mean everyone everywhere?” “And what did He mean by ‘love’?” We are much like the lawyer who asked Jesus “And who is my neighbor?” And Jesus told Him the story of the Good Samaritan. You know this parable from Luke 10: 25-37.

A man was beaten and robbed and left for dead on the side of the road where two very religious men passed him by on the way to do their religious duties. But a Samaritan, whom the Jews despised, stopped and helped the man, took him to an inn, and paid for his care.  When the lawyer asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?” he wanted to know whom he was “required” to love. Jesus turned his question around by defining the neighbor as the one who gave love, not the one who received it. The one giving love is living out the second great commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18).

So love your neighbor. But God doesn’t allow us to pick and choose our neighbors. He commands us to love the person He places in front of us. Sometimes that’s a hard love because they are prickly and unpleasant and downright hateful. They take and never give. They growl and complain. Does that mean we are excused from the love command? I think they are the very ones Jesus had in mind.

Several years ago I read something in “Reader’s Digest” that has stuck with me ever since: “Don’t be afraid to be the one who loves the most.” I think sometimes we withhold love because are afraid we will be “cheated” – giving more love than we receive. But the very act of loving others fills the one who gives it all away. Here’s how John said it: “If we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us” (1 Jn 4:12).  Beloved, the more love you give away the more of God’s love you have to give. Love each other – all the others – the way Jesus loves you (John 15:12).

Hebrews: Where the Rain Falls

For the past several weeks we’ve looked deeply at what many scholars consider some of the most challenging verses in the entire Bible: Hebrews 6:4-6. But the author of Hebrews is not letting go of the theme yet, and so, neither will we. In 6:7-8 he makes what is the crucial point to understanding what he has laid out. “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.  But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed.  In the end, it will be burned.”

Again, this passage should be laid beside Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seeds. Just as the sower tosses the seeds out to let them fall where they may, the rain falls over the whole field and all the land soaks it up – good, productive soil and poor, rocky, thorny soil. All receive the rain – that is the gospel of Christ and the grace and mercy of God – but the fruit – bountiful crops or thorns and thistles – is the evidence of the condition of the soil.   Jesus said, “By their fruit, you will recognize them. Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matt 7:16, 17-18). People who do not produce good fruit despite receiving God’s blessings demonstrate the poor condition of their hearts. Those who do produce good fruit give clear evidence that they are receiving God’s blessings with a good and sincere heart.

Those who persevere with Christ to the end prove two things: their hearts are good and the Lord is faithful to keep His own (John 10:28-29). Those who abandon Christ also prove two things: their hearts were always wicked and Jesus has no place for them (Matt 25:12). And I remind you that the Lord also said that both would sit together in the same pews until the end when the angels will sort them all out (Matt 13:24-30). While Jesus told us never to judge the condition of another person’s heart, He did strongly advise us to become fruit inspectors.

I suspect the writer of Hebrews included this information so that the true believers would not become discouraged by the falling away of the false believers. He also wanted them to know that he had seen good fruit in them – fruit that would endure and would be productive for the kingdom. “Even though we speak like this, dear friend, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation” (v.9).

I’ll leave you with one simple question Beloved: What does the fruit of your life say about the condition of your heart?

Hebrews: Sowing Seeds

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away . . .” (Hebrews 6: 4-6a).

This is one of the hardest passages I’ve ever studied. Once saved, always saved? Or can a person lose their salvation? The word terminologies we looked at in our last devotional could support either perspective. But I will defer my answer to the original author of the entire Bible.

Jesus told a parable of a man sowing seeds, some of which fell on hard ground, “and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, sprang up but “withered because they had no moisture.” Still more seed fell in the thorny grass, and the thorns “choked the plants.” Finally, some of the seed fell on good soil and produced a bountiful crop.  The Lord explained that the seed is the gospel that is sown in men’s hearts. The seeds on the path “are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved.” The seed sown among the rocky ground are “the ones who receive the word with Joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away.” The seed that falls among the thorns are those who hear “but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature.” The seed that falls in the good soil are “those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”  (Luke 8:1-15)

Laying this parable beside the Hebrews passage (let Scripture interpret Scripture) we understand that the one who falls away never took root and grew to maturity. They are the rocky hearts in which the gospel doesn’t take a firm hold. And they are the hearts that are distracted by “life’s worries, riches, and pleasures.” Which soil did Jesus call good? The one that “by persevering produce a crop.” And perseverance isn’t gritting your teeth and hanging on for dear life. It is trusting in the promises and the Promise Keeper. Perseverance isn’t something you do to keep your salvation. It is the evidence of your salvation. Simply put, if you are not saved, you will not persevere.

Can you lose your salvation? You cannot lose what you never had.  But be assured, if you are in Jesus’ hands you will not fall away. “The one who calls you is faithful and He will [keep your whole spirit, soul, and body blameless]” (1 Thess. 5:24, 23).

Lost Sheep, Lost Coins, Lost Sons

I was up into the late-night hours last night working on a paper for my grad class. When I hit submit I thought, “I doubt it’s an “A” paper, but it’s a paper.”  I was studying the Parable of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15:11-32 Jesus’ story of a father and his two sons. The younger son asked his father for his share of the inheritance of his father’s estate. He took that money and blew it on “wild living” (13) then found himself starving and in the humiliating position of feeding pigs.  He decided to go home and ask to just be a hired hand for his father. “But,” Jesus said, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him” (20). Before the boy could get his repentant speech out, the father had called for the best robe, ring, and sandals for his son. This, he declared was cause for a celebration, so a feast was prepared in the young man’s honor.

If this parable stood alone in the Scriptures the church will still have a wonderful story expressing the heart of God the Father to welcome repentant sinners back into a full relationship. But Jesus added a couple of other stories that broaden the picture.

Jump back to the beginning of chapter 15 – there are the parables of the lost sheep (3-7) and the lost coin (8-10), where a shepherd and a woman search diligently until their lost things are found. Then in both cases, the seekers rejoice and call for a celebration. Jesus ended both parables by stating that heaven also rejoices when one sinner repents.

The point of all three parables is that God the Father values the lost and it delights His heart when they are found. That’s why Jesus came “to seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Beloved, are you lost today? Not geographically, but spiritually – separated from God. The heavenly Father sent His own Son to seek you from the high vantage point of the cross and bring you back. Do you love someone who is lost? Keep praying dear friend, God is actively searching for them, scanning the horizon to bring them home to Himself. God loves and values lost souls. Like you.