Day 40, April 7th, 2007
Day 40—Haggai 1:1-15
Dr. Eric Berne wrote what has become one of the most popular psychology books ever. Entitled, “Games People Play”, it’s a catalog of the ways we relate to one another. It wouldn’t be hard to simply add ‘with God’ to the phrase ‘Games People Play’ and come up with a whole other book. One of the great games we play with God is called: “tomorrow.” It shows up in the book of Haggai because when the temple was being rebuilt, the project stopped after the completion of the foundation, due to some barriers and persecution. It stopped and then didn’t start again – for over a decade!
If you would have asked people, they would never have said that they were opposed to finishing the work. Instead they simply said, “the time hasn’t yet come”. In other words, people articulate their disobedience this way: “Yes, we’re all for the work that God is doing – in our hearts, or our family, or our community of faith. We’re behind His project 100%. Unfortunately, WE can’t participate right now, because we’re overwhelmed with our own personal issues.” Then we say this: ‘as soon as…’ and we finish the phrase with whatever it is that’s occupying us at the moment, and dismiss our devotion to the Lord’s purposes.
It’s not a game any of us play ALL the time, but I’m convinced it’s a game ALL of us play SOME of the time. Thus we need to prayerfully consider if there’s any area in our life where we’re delaying obedience to God’s call – because such delays only have the effect of making the obedience more difficult later. When Jesus’ great hour of trial was upon him, he prayed, wrestled with God, and then walked in obedience the path of the cross. We each have our own paths of the cross that come to us at seasons, asking of us a step of obedience and faith that will challenge us. When that call comes, I hope we don’t respond with something like this: “Yes God, I’m all for it – I’ll begin as soon as I get my life together, perhaps even as early as tomorrow!” It sounds good, and devoted. But Haggai is telling us it’s a game.
God of today, deliver us, we pray, from our tendency to play games, either with each other or with you. Enable us to have the honesty to either follow you or not – and to be honest with you and ourselves about our choices. Thank you that Christ, when His hour was upon Him, wrestled, cried out, sweat drops of blood, and in the end, obeyed. Give us that same kind of courage, and honesty; not tomorrow, but today. We pray in your great name, Amen.
Day 39, April 6, 2007
The state of things when the Old Testament closes, is not very encouraging. Israel, having been disciplined by God through exile, the loss of her homeland, and the loss of her temple, has now been able to return, rebuild, and restore. But very quickly, the idolatry and complacency of old sets in, and when the book closes, religion has degenerated into nothing more than an outward form and ritual.
Clearly what’s needed isn’t more moral instruction teaching us how to be good people. Such instruction has been given, and has proven inadequate. It’s become clear that the problem isn’t that we don’t know what to do, but rather that we’re incapable of doing that which we know. “Remember the law?” - Yes. But what’s needed is greater capacity to fulfill the law – capacity which will come finally and fully when the Messiah comes.
And that of course, is where we’re left – longing for the One who will come and restore all things, including the hearts of men and women, so that we have the capacity of fulfilling our destiny – a fulfillment available only as we make ourselves dependent on the One who died and rose again to both forgive and fill us.
Thank you Jesus...
…for your coming to earth
…for your humble availability
…for your example of service, holiness, joy, and love of enemies
…for your obedience in death
…for the forgiveness your death provides
…for your resurrection life
…for the reality that you live in us today
…for the possibility that we can live this day on the basis of your strength
….for the fruit that you desire to bring to this world through us.
As we make all that we are available to you, we thank you in advance for what you will do both in us and through us, using us to shine as lights of hope in the darkness of this broken world. What a privilege. What a joy. And what an adventure awaits us. Forgive us for holding back. We offer ourselves to you wholly. In Your Great Name we Pray, Amen
Day 38, April 5, 2007
Malachi 3:16-18
It’s never been proper for us to try and sort out ‘who’s in’ and ‘who’s out’ when it comes to salvation. Whenever the church has sought to do that, they’ve been forced to define salvation according to some formulaic grid. One must pray a certain prayer, be baptized, show certain outward evidences, sign a doctrinal statement. But all of that, of course, misses the point: God is inviting us to enter into a relationship.
When we come to the New Testament, the notion of invitation to salvation is explained in various ways: There’s a banquet, and we’re invited. Some say yes, some say no. There’s a treasure, and some go after it, selling everything to acquire it, while others, content with life as they know it, continue on their merry way, missing the chance of a lifetime. In every case, it all boils down to this issue: God reveals and invites, and humans respond. We either enter into relationship or we don’t. And then, once we enter relationship, we either nurture or neglect that relationship.
The point of this text isn’t to invite us to assess who’s in and who’s out. Rather, it’s to invite each of us to examine our own hearts and ask the question: Am I creating enough space in my life for me to hear the voice of God? Am I responding positively to what’s being revealed? This salvation thing is ongoing – God is peeling away layers, bringing us into increased levels of purification, moving us towards more generosity, humility, joy, hospitality, truth telling, forgiving and so much more...if we’ll just listen.
And finally, there’s this important word: While we don’t assess who’s in and who’s out, God will. There’s a sorting. The choices I am making right now, at this very moment, are effecting me not just now, but for all eternity. Am I intent on being shaped by Christ, or am I passively letting this fading world shape me as I cling to her trinkets?
Day 37, April 4, 2007
“…test me now in this” is a rare word in the scriptures. God is inviting us to take this principle He’s articulating, out for a ‘test drive’ as it were. What’s the test? “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…(and see) if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
God is speaking plainly here. He’s inviting us to order our financial and material lives according to His priorities, inviting us to offer him that ‘first portion’ of material lives (commonly considered as 10%), trusting that He will respond by pouring out blessing in our lives. Critics and cynics don’t like this little passage because they say that those who give in order to receive blessing aren’t giving for the right reasons. Such reasoning misses the point. God is speaking to us as His children. Knowing that we’re fearful, prone to hording and misusing resources, and fearful of tomorrow, He, as our loving Creator, says this: “Don’t worry! If you can learn to trust Me, you’ll also learn that I’ll take care of you. But you can’t learn unless you actually do trust me, and that trust will be revealed by whether you’re willing to lose that tight grip on your money. Trust me by giving, and watch how I bless your life – providing all that you need for all that I’ve called you to do and be.”
This all boils down to what God has been trying to show us all along: If we’ll live our lives with a sense of dependency rather than a sense of autonomy, we’ll more fully enter into the life God had in mind for us. By ordering our lives according to His priorities, we’ll find the space, the strength, the resources, not to do everything this world tells us we need to do, but everything God calls us to do – and along the way, we’ll recover some blessings. There are too many stories confirming the ‘test drive’ principle to share in this limited space, but I’ll allude to two: A couple begins to tithe, which leads to the canceling of cable TV, which leads to conversations around the dinner table now, rather than around the television. Another couple begins to give in accordance with God’s plan, and an amazing set of circumstances opens up for them, a larger cash flow, and even greater means to give.
In all my years of ministry, I’ve yet to hear someone say to me: “I put God to the test, and ordered my life according to His financial priorities and He let me down.” I pray that we, both individually and collectively, will have the courage to move from a posture of autonomy to that of dependency, so that we might better function as channels of His blessing.
Day 36, April 3, 2007
There’s a message here about the reality that when our Lord comes, He brings a judgment. Of course, it was true the first time. There were plenty of people who studied the scriptures regularly, and because of this, both longed for the Messiah, and knew many of the signs of His coming. And yet, the reality was that most of the religious people rejected the Lord because His very life had the effect of exposing the darkness of hearts (even, or perhaps especially, the hearts of religious people). Jesus speaks of this in John 5:39. “Unwilling to come to Me” was His indictment, not against those who didn’t know the scriptures, but against those who did.
The good news in Christ, is that there’s a different kind of life available. Historically, that good news has best been received by those who weren’t very satisfied with their present life. Those who are comfortable often have a hard time when the light of Christ exposes sin, need, and the vulnerability of our humanity. When we refuse to deal with such exposure, we may run and hide in the world or the church, in material frolicking, or spiritual indulgence. But either way, we’re avoiding the purification of the refiner’s fire – and we’re avoiding real contact with Jesus.
“Return to me” Malachi says. And this, of course, is the essence of the gospel. It’s the prodigal running home after coming to his senses, willing to face the consequences of his rebellion and finding instead, to his delight, a loving and forgiving father. But return and confession have always been necessary as the condition for truly entering into the rest and hope that is Life in Christ.
Consuming Fire, reveal our sin, and may the fire of your holiness consume all in our lives that isn’t from you. Of course, in praying this, we don’t know what we’re asking, and if we’re honest, there’s perhaps a bit of fear in our hearts. We want you – but we cling to almost everything that is ‘our life’. Give us the grace to release the fearful grip that some of us have on certain areas of our life, and as we hold on to you, give us assurance that you are with us, shaping and shepherding our hearts to more fully represent you. And we’ll thank you for what awaits us. In Your Name, Amen
