Worship

I noticed something interesting regarding worship for the first time in the One Year Bible reading the other day.  Genesis 4:26 (NLV) says,

"When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh.  It was during his lifetime that people first began to worship the Lord."

Then, Genesis 5:3 informs us that Adam was 130 years old when he had Seth.  And, Genesis 5:6 records for us that Seth was 105 years old when his son Enosh was born.  So, do the math!  That's 235 years that people apparently weren't worshiping God!

Now we know that Cain & Abel offered sacrifices.  But, that form of worship seems to be differentiated from that mentioned in Genesis 4:26 above.  Interesting!  Definitely worth pondering!

The Journey From Self To Selflessness

The story of Joseph and his brothers never ceases to move me!  It is definitely my favorite Old Testament passage.  Joseph's trickery with his brothers seems cruel and a bit vengeful, but he ultimately uses it to bless them and obtain helpful personal information.  It's additionally troubling that Jacob has to endure the anxiety and stress of this trickery, but he was responsible for his fair share in his day!

The whole drama reaches a climax when Joseph's silver cup is found in Benjamin's feed bag.  Judah has promised his father Jacob that he will return home safely with his brother Benjamin.  In fact, he guarantees it with his own life.  But, Joseph has demanded that Benjamin stay in Egypt and be his slave  for the alleged theft.  Judah knows that his dad will die without Benjamin, his only remaining son born of Rachel.  So, Judah offers himself to Joseph in Benjamin's place.

At this point in the narrative, Joseph breaks down.  He can no longer compose himself.  He orders his servants to leave so that he can be alone with his brothers.  And then, the truth gushes out, "I am Joseph!"  The hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I read that!

In the exchange that follows, I would argue that there is no more powerful collision of God's sovereignty and the triumph of man to forgive in all of Scripture!  "You are not responsible for my destiny.  God allowed it, that he might use me for good, and to save many!"  Wow!

In Judah, we see a picture of Christ offering himself in our place.  And, this is the face of God in his brother that convinces Joseph that a healing transformation has taken place.  His brothers have gone from heartlessly selling him into slavery, to being willing to offer their own lives in exchange for the freedom of another.

Joseph saves his brothers from starvation.  But, God uses their circumstances to save them from the fate of an evil unrepentant heart.

He Is Our Hope!

When my oldest daughter, Amanda, was only 2 years old, her favorite response to everything was, "Could be!"

"It's cold outside.  Could be that's why that man is wearing a coat."

"Look at that dog in the park all by himself.  Could be he's looking for his owner!"

"Why is dad always falling asleep?  Could be he's tired!"

Well, two things hit me in the One Year Bible reading recently.  First, Matthew's quote from Isaiah in Matthew 12:21,

"And His name will be the hope of all the world!"

Jesus is our message, our hope, our strength, our joy, and our peace!  That's why I need to continually fix my eyes upon Him - the Author and Perfecter of my faith, the One who has already run the race and won, securing my victory, and has sat down at the right hand of God (Power!)

Secondly, I found the next two verses (the following day's reading) in Matthew 12:22-23 very humorous in light of the context,

"Then a demon-possessed man, who was both blind and unable to talk, was brought to Jesus.  Jesus healed the man so that he could both speak and see.  The crowd was amazed. 'Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?'  They wondered out loud."

As I read about the crowds' reaction to Jesus' miraculous healing power, I heard Amanda's sweet little voice say, "Could be!"  Which in adult-terms translates, "Ya think?!"

Self-Interest, or An Appropriate Priority?

Genesis 30:30 stood out to me today,

"You had little indeed before I came, and your wealth has increased enormously.  The Lord has blessed you from everything I do!  But now, what about me?  When should I provide for my own family?"

There is a time and a place for everything, and caring for one's family is an appropriate priority!  There are times when we need to "unhitch our wagon" from others, because God desires to do something unique and special in us individually.  And, we can't experience that divinely appointed work until we disassociate from whomever we're attached to.  Attachment has its time and place.  But, knowing when to move on requires discernment and wisdom.

A Father's Blessing

Many a son can relate to Esau's anguished cry in Genesis 27,

"O my father, bless me too!  Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?"

A father's blessing is a powerful force.  Children need their father's approval and affirmation.  Those who lack it spend their lifetime searching for it in vain.  No one can replace a father.  There's nothing quite like a father's unconditional love.  To have it is to have the greatest of gifts!

For those who have not received their father's approval and love - thank God for His promise in Psalm 68:5,

"A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation."

Our Heavenly Father loves us.  And, that love is a firm, secure, unchanging foundation to build our life upon!

The God Who Sees Us!

I love Hagar's words in Genesis 16:13.  She referred to the Lord as "the God who sees me!"  And she exclaims,

"I have seen the One who sees Me!"

Oh to see the One who sees us!  Daily, moment-by-moment!

Believing God

Genesis 15:6 says,

"And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith."

Funny how Abram allowed Sarai to convince him that God's promise of descendants involved her maid Hagar!  I'm glad that God understands the imperfections of our faith when He declares us righteous!

In today's One Year Bible reading, Genesis 11:31 stood out to me,

"Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai, and his grandson Lot and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan.  But he stopped instead at the village of Haran and settled there."

May 2014 not be a year of settling!  May we never stop short of what God has for us!  It was probably some 50 years later (after Terah died) that God called Abram to complete the journey to Canaan (Gen. 12).  That's way too long to be in a wrong place!

Impaired Vision

We've seen a few signs on our trip that have to do with "impaired vision."  Denise's favorite is, "If the water's brown, then it's not good for snorkeling."  Go figure!  Brown water certainly does cloud one's vision - not to mention the fact that it's not very appealing to swim in. And, big waves do have a tendency to stir up all of the rocks and sand on the ocean's floor, making it impossible to see much of anything.

Yesterday, we made the trip to Hana to explore Waimoku Falls.  This 15 MPH single-lane road was riddled with switchbacks, the kind where you're honking your horn at every turn - not knowing what you'll encounter on the other side.  And, if you ask Denise, I didn't honk enough!  Along the way there were hundreds of signs that I've never seen anywhere else.  My favorite was "Limited Sight Distance."  Denise even commented when we saw the first one, "There's a sermon!" 

Romans 1:20 says, "Since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made..."  But, the big waves of life's trials and the polluted water of a sinful world often make it difficult to see God clearly.  

It's in times like these, times of "limited sight distance" that we need to "fix our eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith."  Precisely because "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  And, because as people of faith "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Beware Of Falling Coconuts!

What one person views as a forecast of imminent danger, another perceives as a providential opportunity!  Such was the case on our hike to Honolua Bay, one of Maui's premier snorkeling spots.  Either chickens can read or they know where to hang out.  And, apparently they also enjoy the natural goodness of fresh coconuts.


Life is full of falling coconuts!  And, each of these 
experiences is an opportunity for either fear and 
anxiety, or optimistic expectancy.  

Recently, our CBC Mens Ministry was privileged to have Jeff Morris of William L. Morris Chevrolet in Simi Valley as our guest speaker.  Among other things, he spoke of how he has come to see dark valleys and tough trials as signals that God is about to do something amazing!  He related that a few years ago Joni Eareckson Tada was diagnosed with cancer, adding to her daily challenge as a quadriplegic.  But, what's astounding is that when Joni received this news, she responded with peace and confidence, "I feel like God is about to do something really big!"


When I heard this, I thought, "I want to have faith like that!  I want to have that kind of indomitable outlook on life!"  Romans 8:28 says, "For we know that God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose."  As Christians, we constantly quote this verse.  But, do we recite it - hoping to subtly remind God of His promise to bring good out of tragedy?  Or, is it an exclamation of confident praise, confirmed by a lifestyle that chooses to focus on God's omnipotence and goodness rather than the world's disappointments. 

Hopefully the following pictures are evidence of what awaits those who persevere beyond the caution of "Falling Coconuts."

Life Is A Mixed Plate

Today, Denise and I ate at Aloha Mixed Plate on Front Street in Maui.  I could eat at least one meal here everyday - indefinitely!  The food is fresh.  There's amazing variety.  The cost is $6-$8 a plate.  All of the dining is outdoor.  And, it's right on the water - with spectacular views! 

Yesterday, I continued the proud tradition of my father-in-law by securing the first place in line at the Gazebo Restaurant at Napili Shores.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Gazebo, it opens at 7:30 AM every morning, closes at 2 PM, and the line starts forming at 6 AM!  People come from all over the island to enjoy world class breakfast & lunch, as well as unbeatable views.  You've never had omelets, or Banana Macadamia nut pancakes like this before!  And, the best part of it all is that the restaurant is only 20 feet from our accommodations!

As I stood in line, waiting for the restaurant to open, I found myself surrounded by 5 people from Seattle - all Seattle Pacific graduates.  There was an older couple that said that they live 6 months out of the year in Seattle, and the other 6 in Maui.  They commented that retirement was rough!  A younger couple in their early 30's mentioned that they had a mother and a sister who worked in the SPU financial aid office.  I'm thinking that Aubrey needs to get to know them on a first-name-basis.  The last guy raved about two beautiful old churches as well as what he claimed to be the best bakery/doughnut shop on the island, at the end of Baldwin Avenue in Makawao.  So, today we spent the better part of the morning looking for these sites and attempting to determine whether Komoda Bakery deserved this high praise.

The churches were indeed amazing.  And, the bakery was fun, but not worth the 50 minute drive.

What a day!  For dinner, we didn't feel like going anywhere so we ordered a pizza from Dollies (voted best pizza in West Maui!)  It was great and completed a day of food and fun!  Like I said, "Life is a mixed plate!"

Truth

                  Another beautiful Pismo picture          Amanda DuPar

Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “All truth is God’s truth.”  Well, there’s a lot more “truth” to this statement than many people realize.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” in John 14:6.  God is Truth.  Truth has no existence or meaning apart from Him. 

Practically speaking, as Christians we evaluate the truthfulness of every statement or claim against the light of God’s Word.  Scripture represents absolute truth.  It is our standard of right and wrong.

This having been said, no human being (leaders included) deserves blind allegiance, loyalty or support apart from this scrutiny.  As a pastor, I quote a lot of different people in my sermons and posts.  And, quoting people or referencing things that others have said should never be misinterpreted as a wholesale endorsement of an individual (and everything they’ve ever said or done), but rather only of the specific truth or point being referenced.

From time to time, some outside of my ministry have scrutinized my words and actions in an effort to discredit them.  But, ultimately I pray that people heed my words, not because I said them, but insofar as they are consistent with Scripture.

Reflected Beauty

 Today my daughters, Amanda and Aubrey, went up to Pismo to explore and take pictures of the wildflowers.  I was impressed both with the beauty of God's creation and Amanda's photography skills which far exceed mine.  Amanda definitely has the "photographic eye."  She sees life in things that I would consider dead or plain.  And, she has an amazing ability to spotlight this beauty, juxtaposing it against all the other mundane objects that consume my vision.  

I have no idea what this flower or weed is called, but it struck a chord with me, and stood out from the other pictures. Yesterday I started this blog titled, "With Unveiled Face."  Today, it was like God said to me, "Here's your visual of 2 Corinthians 3:18.  You're like that flower, that weed - ordinary and plain, until the light of My glory shines upon you! Until you radiate the warmth and majesty of your Creator."

Thank you God for speaking through Your Creation.  Thank you for three beautiful daughters and a gorgeous wife who daily remind me of Your goodness and lavish love.  Thank you that these wonderful women are humble and not consumed with their own beauty.  And, thank you that they make everything around them radiant - including me!

Forgiveness

This last week we talked about Forgiveness, and I found some great insights in Marty Sholars' book, The Greater Healing.

                                                                                                             

 “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die!” 

“Forgiveness is about freeing yourself from the power of the lies that another’s sinful behavior has led you to accept as truth.  We need to realize that we become what we do not forgive.  But, forgiveness breaks the bondage of our spirit to the other person’s spirit.  We may never forget what we have forgiven, but the memory no longer has power to hurt us.”

            

The Greater Healing: The Journey From Brokenness To Joy Through God’s Love, by Marty Sholars with Kay Walter.

In terms of "forgiving & forgetting," one of my favorite professors at Fuller Seminary, Lewis Smedes preached the following in a sermon entitled, "The Forgiveness Factor," 

“Forgiveness is hard; forgetting is easy.  You need no miracle of grace in order to forget.  All you need is a bad memory or enough fear to drive the memory into the dark recesses of your unconsciousness.”

Sholar adds,

“Forgiveness does not mean forgetting.  Physical scars certainly remind us of the events that caused them.   Although a scar from a physical wound may be unattractive, it’s proof of the wound’s healing.  In the same way, scars from spiritual and emotional wounds give proof of God’s healing – the fact that we are not still “bleeding” from these wounds.  God transforms them by His grace into experiences we can use to help others find healing from their hurts.”

May God grant us the grace and strength to forgive others, and release them from being in our debt!