Japan

I've been reading in Ezekiel and I came across this passage:

“Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a lamentation for you And lament over you: 'Who is like Tyre, Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea? 'When your wares went out from the seas, You satisfied many peoples; With the abundance of your wealth and your merchandise You enriched the kings of earth.”

Ezekiel 27:32-33

An earlier verse explains that it's about the destruction of the city of Tyre because of how she treated the people of Israel and, ultimately, because of her rejection of God. Here's the verse:

“Son of man, because Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, 'Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,' therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.”

Ezekiel 26:2-3

This past week, though, we were visiting friends in Tokyo, Japan and I don't believe it's a coincidence that I read this passage. God has been using the words of Ezekiel to bring Japan and her people to mind as I read along about the destruction and lament over Tyre. I'm thinking about how Japan also is "silent in the midst of the sea." (This is literally the quietest place I've ever been.) And how Japan also produces many wares that satisfy many peoples. And how with Japan's abundance of wealth and merchandise, she also has "enriched the kings of the earth."

Obviously, we don't interpret Scripture by reading the newspaper. We don't just replace names with the things we see around us and call that hermeneutics. But, it is amazing and wonderful to me how God uses certain Scripture passages to show us more about Himself and give us insight into the situations around us. So, today, Ezekiel is reminding me of Japan and how God is calling the Japanese to Himself. He is reminding me of the fate, not only of the Japanese people, but of all people who live their lives apart from Christ and reject God's gift of salvation through Him. Judgement is coming. At the very least, He is convicting me to pray for the people of Japan and to lament over the vast numbers of people who live and die there every day without ever believing (or maybe even hearing) about who Jesus is and what He has done for them. More than ninety-eight percent of the Japanese people would be in hell if they died today. Judgment is coming for them, just as it is for every person on this planet.

What situation in your life is God speaking into? How is He using Scripture to bring clarity and understanding? How is He teaching you to pray through His Word?

Scattered

“So they will know that I am the LORD when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, the famine and the pestilence that they may tell all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the LORD."”

Ezekiel 12:15-16 NASB

I know this is directly about the scattering of Israel, about the remnant of God's people and where they will go.

But as I read about the scattering of a people among the nations, with only a few spared from war and hunger and disease, I can't help thinking of all the refugees flooding out of the Middle East right now into so many countries. They are running for their lives from a radical terrorist group. Those who were previously inaccessible to us are now coming to our doors and asking for our help. The very people we would identify as living in 'closed' countries and nearly impossible to reach with the Gospel are now coming, in the face of terrible tragedy and horrific persecution, to us for safety. People with probably no previous exposure to Christians or Christianity are coming to places where Christians are concentrated in the thousands.

Maybe, in spite of the awful circumstances, this has been God's plan all along. Whether He orchestrated it all or allowed things to progress with His sovereign knowledge, thousands upon thousands of people are fleeing their predominantly Muslim countries and coming to historical centers of Christianity. Perhaps this is exactly what God intended, so that they would be exposed to Christianity in a way that would never otherwise be possible.

We could spew hatred and racism, blaming them for the problem, and treating them as the enemy - the very opposite of being Christ-like.

Or we could love them. And serve them. And share the love of Christ with them.

May we not miss the opportunity. May many Muslim people turn and become Jesus' disciples.

May those who have been scattered one day return to their homeland, this time carrying the hope - not of sanctuary in a foreign land - but of the incredible news of the Gospel and the God who saves.

My Word

My dearest boy,

Today I made you a promise that I can't guarantee that I'll keep. "I'll teach you how to shave your face. I promise." As soon as the words left my mouth I realized the carelessness of my words. So, to remedy the situation, I began to talk to you about how to shave your face as I finished shaving my own. And then I showed you how. You had already slathered conditioner all over your face trying to put on shaving cream like I had done, so I used the smooth backside of my razor to walk you through the steps of shaving, going with the grain versus against it, where to be extra careful because of your chin or other more difficult areas. I told you all the tricks I know for getting a smooth shave and avoiding irritation after shaving. Then we washed off your face and patted down your cheeks and you finished shaving for the first time.

Son, you're two years old. But today I taught you everything I could think of about shaving because the fact is, I'm not guaranteed tomorrow. I can't truly promise you that I'll teach you how to shave when you are old enough. Buddy, you're teaching me how to be more aware of what I say, of the well-intentioned promises that I make but may not be able to keep. You are teaching so much. And I just wanted to write this for you to have one day so that you know how thankful to the Lord I am for you and how precious of a gift you are to me. I love you and, though I don't always show it in the ways that I would like, I cherish every moment I have with you and pray desperately for you to grow up to be a mighty man of God, for you to serve Him with every fiber of your being, and for you to lead others in knowing Him as well.

I may sometimes make promises to you without thinking about whether I can actually keep them or not. I may sometimes even break a promise that I could have kept. But, I want you to know that I am striving to be a man of my word, to keep the promises that I make to you, even when you're two years old and want to learn how to shave your face like daddy.

I love you, son.

Daddy

Desire

"Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but to turn from evil is an abomination to fools."

Proverbs 13:19

At first glance, this seems an odd contrast. Usually when these opposites come up, the connection is obvious to me. Here, not so much. As at times before, my first thought was one of wonder - what in the world does that mean?

Then, different from other times reading this same verse, the Lord answered my query. He gave new insight into its meaning and how it applies to the life of the believer compared to the unbeliever.

Desire fulfilled. It truly is sweet to the taste. There's something about finally achieving what you've been striving for that gives satisfaction and pleasure in the deep places of your heart. It feels good. Maybe previously I thought of this "fulfilling of desire" only in a positive way - as something good one pursues and accomplishes. It is possible that's the case. However, the picture of desire in this verse could also represent sin or at least the temptation to sin. Because, let's face it, when I am tempted to something "sweet," fulfilling that desire and giving into that temptation really is sweet to the taste - for a while. But it's only temporary satisfaction. Eventually I want more. It's the water that never quenches my thirst. Sin does that to us. It wrecks our hearts by convincing us that what we're after will satisfy when it doesn't. It deceives us and leads us down into death and destruction. And it is merciless in its pursuit of us.

I'm reminded of the temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. “Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” They were led into temptation for something that seemed desirable. Maybe even that first bite was the sweetest, juiciest fruit they had ever tasted. But as soon as that bite was taken, it turned bitter in their mouths. They realized their nakedness. They broke the command of God and, as a result, their relationship with God. They brought the evil of sin into this world.

The same thing happens with me. Something looks or feels good. I'm tempted. I give in. And I immediately regret it. Why? Because the sin promises something it can never give - true satisfaction. That's a satisfaction that can only be found in Christ. God created us for worship. He created us for communion with Himself. Anything sinful that we are tempted to do makes us the offer of fulfilling that desire in our hearts, but in actuality only gives a cheap replica. It's luster fades away. It's sweetness turns bitter. We're left disappointed yet, like addicts, wanting more. Only when I turn, through Christ and in the power of the Spirit, to the love of the Father do I find the satisfaction I'm longing for. Only when I place God on the altar of my heart, determined to worship Him and Him alone, does that desire find its ultimate fulfillment. Only when I reject what seems desirable do I begin to find in God the true object and satisfier of my desires.

"...but to turn from evil is an abomination to fools." Herein lies the difference between believers and everyone else. For me to suggest this process of rejecting what seems desirable is foolish to the people of this world. They say, "Why deny yourself?" "The heart wants what the heart wants." "You were born this way." Of course, there is an element of truth in these statements. The devil most easily convinces us to believe lies when they're laced with truth. We were born this way, with these sin-wrecked hearts. But Jeremiah reminds us that our unredeemed hearts want only that which is sinful. They are deceitful above all else. They convince us that our desires and longings are to be pursued above any and everything else. So, of course, to suggest turning from something "desirable" that is harmful and sinful is "an abomination to fools." Fools are those who reject reproof and correction. They are those who do not seek wisdom and understanding. They are those who do not fear the Lord. Every unbeliever falls into the biblical category of "fool" and therefore turning from sin is anathema to them.

But for the believer, perhaps this is a mark of maturity. For a believer that has not yet graduated to a diet of meat, suggesting to him to turn from one sin or another, desirable though it may be, may also seem like an abomination to him. But the Holy Spirit works and moves and convicts. The Spirit reminds us of the truths of Scripture. He tells us, down inside, in deeper places than our flesh can dig, "This is wrong. This is sin. This is not how God intended it to be." And you know, in the deep places, when it's dark and quiet and no one is around, you know that He's right. You know that this or that area of your life is not in tune with how God would have it to be. The unbeliever, deaf and blind as he is, can reject these promptings. But the believer cannot resist the workings of the Spirit for long. He eventually repents of his sin and comes falling on his knees before the Father, asking for forgiveness and for the relationship to be restored.

So, the application is this: is there some sin, doggedly tempting me with its sweetness, from which I am refusing to turn? Is there some conviction I am foolishly rejecting?

Then, I must recognize it, confess it, and turn entirely away from it. And I can only do that in the strength of Christ. He is the one who comes and takes residence inside of me when I come to faith. He is the one who sent the Holy Spirit to be the constant encouragement and conviction in my heart. He is the one who died in the cross for my sins so that I could know a true relationship with the One True God who promises to satisfy every longing of my heart. Sin is only a facade. It promises but cannot deliver. God is the only true object and fulfiller of our desire. But don't take only my word for it."Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!" It's as if the Psalmist offers a challenge - try it out. See if the Lord really is as good as He says He is. The man taking refuge in the Lord is truly happy, and truly finds all his desires fulfilled.

If you believe already, repent and confess those sins that are keeping you from even deeper relationship with the Father. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Wisdom and intimacy with the Father are more important than stubbornness over sin.

If you do not yet believe, test Him. He fears no question and He fails no test. He truly satisfies any longing you could possibly have in greater ways than you could possibly imagine. Repent and believe! "You'll be more than sav'd from fire, when you - in God - find all desire."

IF

IF we confess.

There are so many aspects to highlight here, but this morning the IF stands out to me. It's so hard sometimes to confess sin, to repent, to apologize for wrong behavior, and to ask for forgiveness. My pride gets in the way. Especially when the person pointing it out is a loved one. I get defensive. I want to justify my actions. Sometimes I even begin to attack that person for hurting me (read: calling me out on my sin and wounding my pride), when it was me who was wrong in the first place.

IF you confess.

God IS faithful.

In this verse, I am the variable. IF you confess. God remains faithful, to forgive and cleanse from sin and unrighteousness. In spite of the constantly changing levels of pride and humility in my heart, in spite of my lack of willingness to admit sin, God is still faithful. This doesn't mean that there are sins that God will forgive without confession. No. God is still just and sin must still be punished and paid for. What it means is that He has given me a choice. He has offered salvation and righteousness, He has made the way clear, He is faithful to do it. All I have to do is confess. All I have to do is begin the terrible, messy process of killing the idols in my heart. And the biggest idol in my heart is a big ol' golden and jewel encrusted statue of me, myself, and I. So, I tear it down. I rip it from the roots of my heart by humbling myself to the point of admitting, of confessing, and repenting of my sin before a holy God. I do it by admitting that I can't do it without help, without God stepping in, creating in me a clean heart, and replacing that awful, gaudy, prideful idol of self with HIMself.

Then, and only then, does God forgive.

And He is SO faithful to do it! He is constant and true and love and just and merciful and gracious and abounding in blessing for those who call Him Daddy. He is the constant to my variable. He is the anchor to my storm-tossed heart. He is the hope to my hopelessness. He is the righteousness to my total unrighteousness. He is the light to my darkness. He is the salvation and life to my lost and dying soul.

IF I confess.

Captured.

I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, To You, O LORD, I will sing praises. (Psalms 101:1 NASB)

"I will sing of LOVINGKINDNESS and JUSTICE...I will SING PRAISES."

Sometimes I need to be reminded that God is indeed just and loving and worthy of praise. Worship is what I was made for and anything less than that simply does not satisfy. I don't want to live in a constant state of dissatisfaction, pursuing things that are not ultimate. Lately, I've been seeking this in social media and television and - not at all surprisingly - they have left me feeling exhausted and empty. Why? Because my heart longs to be satisfied with the Living Water. My heart was specifically designed to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and when I seek that satisfaction elsewhere, it's like God is shouting into the void of my heart as Maximus did to the overflowing Coliseum:

"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"

Of course I'm not. Because I tried to fill a God-sized hole with something lesser.

"I WILL sing..."

Other times, I need to be reminded that there is an element of intention to my worship. I was made for worship, and God intends to be worshipped, but He also gives me a choice in the matter. I can choose to worship Him. I MUST choose to worship Him, every day. When life is good and things are going smoothly, I must choose to worship the Father because otherwise I will grow comfortable and complacent. I suppose there is nothing much worse than a comfortable Christian. I must also choose to worship Him on the days when life is hard and tragic and painful. It is those times that my faith may be the most severely tested, but that is also when perseverance and character and hope are most effectively produced in me. Worship reminds me that "this hope we have as an anchor of the soul" in Christ, no matter how badly the storms may toss me about.

"TO YOU, O LORD I will sing praises."

Speaking of choices, sometimes I also need to be reminded that not only is the ACT of worship a choice but the OBJECT of worship is as well. It is the LORD GOD I am worshipping and not anything (or anyone) else. I get caught up in the things of this world so easily, in daily cares and worries, in myself - to the point that I begin giving more attention to them than I do to God. This is idolatry - there is no other word for it and it needs to stop. I need to stop and I can't stop except for the powerfully working blood of Christ poured out for me and filling me with His strength to turn away from my sin.

Jesus, capture my heart. Enthrall me with who You are to the point that I fall in love with You again each and every day, completely drawn into worship of You. Destroy the idols in my life and help me to give over each and every facet of my heart, mind, and soul to You. Bring me to worship You in good times and in bad ones. Continue to make everything except for Your worship and glory less than satisfactory so that I will long for You as the deer longs for water, and may I never leave until I have drunk my fill.

Nothing.

This is the kind of verse that I can easily read, like the sound of, and highlight - only to forget later that it had pricked me with conviction. So, as I think about it, I want to simply pray in response. Maybe someone reading this needs to respond in prayer as well.

Lord God, make this verse true in my life! May I truly be able to pray with the Psalmist that I have nothing in heaven except You! May I truly be able to say that there is nothing on earth I desire except You! I confess that I have not placed you on the throne of my heart, often finding cheap replacements to serve and seek satisfaction in. Though I say with my words that You are all that I have, my life and actions speak otherwise, preaching to the world that I need more than You to satisfy. Lord God, I am reminded of how powerful You are, and how small I am in comparison. Yet, You loved me enough to send Your Son, You love me still to the point of eternal patience, and You will love me eternally, beyond any time I can imagine or understand. I glorify You, Father, because there is no one in heaven or on earth besides You who is worthy of my praise.

Jesus, be to me so ravishingly beautiful that I cannot tear my eyes away from You. Thank You for coming to this earth and living the perfect life that I am incapable of living. Thank You for being the perfect example of humility, sacrifice, and love. Remind me time and again of your glorious and terrible suffering on the cross for my sake. Forgive me for not trembling at the sight of it, for not weeping over Your sacrifice, for not being deeply broken over my sins which were the reason for Your suffering. Jesus, You died for me and rose again, and I am eternally grateful.

Holy Spirit, help me to meditate upon this verse, night and day, to the point that I truly begin to understand the extent of idolatry in my heart. Help me to know how to wage war with and kill the flesh that fights so strongly against me. Help me to confess my sins with conviction, and to turn away from them and flee to the cross. Remind me that my flesh and heart fail because of sin, but that God is my strength and portion forever. Remind me, Spirit, forever remind me that I have only to be silent and the Lord will fight for me. Remind me, Comforter, that God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Holy Spirit, fill me with power from on high so that I might proclaim the mysteries of this treasure hidden in jars of clay, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Create in me a heart that desires nothing other than to be a faithful witness to the glory of Christ, that wants to know nothing among those around me except Christ and Him crucified. Holy Spirit, draw me ever nearer to You because the nearness of God is my good. Finally, Holy Spirit, remind me that God is my refuge so that I can tell all about His works and so, send me out into this world to declare all that God has done for those who are dying without Him.

"What is Truth?"

Pilate asks the question to which everyone wants the answer. "What is truth?"

Not "What?" Pilate, but "Who?"

If only he had known Who he was talking to. If only he had not been so desperate to get out of this situation. If only he had not wanted to please everyone so badly. If only he had listened to his wife and her dream.

There are so many things about Pilate's actions that we can look at now, and wish they were otherwise. But, they cannot be otherwise. If it had not been Pilate, it would have been someone else acting so instrumentally in the crucifixion of Jesus.

But, I can realize that every day I ask the same question. "What is truth?" Every day I live as though I know the answer, whether it is Jesus Himself or some other god of my own making. Every day I have been given the grace to choose: which truth will I follow? Which god will I worship?

Will I believe the One Who came to earth as a man, who declared Himself to be ultimate Truth, who died the death I deserve to die, who paid the price I could never pay for my sins, who rose again and sits at the right hand of God and intercedes on my behalf?

Or will I follow the self-proclaimed truth that I am the master of my own fate, that I live in a world of my own making, that I am the god of my life and no one can take that power, security, or truth from me?

In light of Pilate's choice, so obviously conflicted and wrong after the fact, I must recognize and admit that I too have a choice.

What will I live for this day?

WHO will I live for?

Regret and Repentance.

"The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart."

Genesis 6:6

It seems that there are probably many times where the Lord could be sorry that He created man. We mess up so often.

As a reminder and rebuke to myself, what sins do I insist on repeating that might make the Lord regret having made me? Am I headed down the road to death?

As an encouragement and challenge to myself, how am I confessing those sins and living in the grace that God has given through Jesus and His blood shed for me on the cross?

I want to live a grace-infused, repentance-laden daily walk with the Lord. Where are you in this journey? Let's pray for each other to walk daily in this way.

Lukewarm

                                  

I was reading part of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and this section about lukewarm Christians greatly challenged and convicted me. What aspects of this description fit you and your life? I know I have a lot to repent of after thinking through these things.

"Lukewarm people:

• Attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.
• Give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so.
• Desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.
• Don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.
• Are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers.
• Rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.
• Gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.
• Say they love Jesus, and He is a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, money, thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.
• Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
• Love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves."

May this challenge us all to "return to our first love" through a deeper understanding of God's own love for us.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)..."

Ephesians 2:4-5

Without Christ, we are dead sinners, unable to do anything to help or revive ourselves. PRAISE GOD THAT HE SENT HIS SON TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR SIN, TO RESCUE US FROM OUR SIN, AND TO GIVE US NEW LIFE IN HIM!