Tag: promises

A Teflon Faith

 

teflon-frying-pan
The reality called “teflon.’

“That I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ “

Genesis 14:23

“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”

Daniel 1:8

There is something that certain men and women face when their faith is flourishing.  It is an authentic commitment to walk exclusively in the will of God, no matter where it takes us.  But both Abraham and Daniel had considered the ‘pros and cons’ of having a faith that would bend.  They chose however not to become this flexible.

As people who call themselves ‘believers’.  We need to figure out exactly how we are to emulate Abraham and Daniel.  How bold are we to become?  That question reverberates through us, and demands that we seriously deal with this issue.  Exactly when will we compromise, where is the line?

The Bible gives us the distinct impression that our compromise will lead us into a period of confusion and doubt.  Compromise is presented as a deadly choice, a decision that will irrevocably bring us to a death–of sorts.  For believers who consider themselves as flexible, there may lift to us some immediate consequences, but the end result is brutal.

We cannot trade to get a temporary peace and comfort to enable ourselves to walk in the place of harmony and successfulness.  If we try we will discover ourselves to be unfaithful and negligent to the Lord’s purposes and will.  This is a place of shame, and comes incredibly close to outright denial.  In this present ‘day and age’ perhaps our faithfulness might matter more then our ‘results’.

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ybic, Bryan

Five Rings to Make Us

Oh, how He loves you and me.

“For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17, NLT

Five rings– they are listed from the very inside, outward in concentric circles– and each one is a profound truth.  We throw a rock in the lake, and we see the rings grow wider and wider.  We watch and listen to the rhythm of the water, and it does us much good. I love lakes, and a picnic at the beach is like a “dream come true.”

The first ring, the starting point is the phrase, “among you.”  The center point is the “the Lord your God.”  When the Lord is your center we just expect that there is something else just teetering, ready to happen.  His presence, active and decisive as it is, has boldly put things into motion. Salvation always starts at the top, and works its way down.

The second ring is “He is a mighty Savior.”  This is agape love sweating.  Really, the work of salvation can only come from him.  He initiates, and then goes on to complete this saving work.

The third ring is being rejoiced over with gladness . This seems outrageous to us who have been diminished and wrecked by sin.  It doesn’t seem possible, but the Father gets a real boost when he thinks of us.  He is very glad when he gazes on you.

The fourth ring is this–  “He calm us with his love.”  A toddler begins to unravel, and his mother meets him, and holds him closely.  The child sobs start to diminish, and mom begins to restore his broken heart.  He has been quieted. The presence of mom has turned everything around.

The fifth and final work is the Father’s singing.  It is done with a flair and deeply enthusiastic; He sings with a loud voice, He doesn’t seem to hum, and the angels do not do background vocals.  Singing at the top of his voice, it is said he “exults” in you.  He has a way about Him as He sings easily, reveling and boasting in your faith in Him.

“Your God is present among you,
    a strong Warrior there to save you.
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
    and delight you with his songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17, MSG

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ybic, Bryan

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Real Faith and 3D Glasses

Seeing what others cannot

“When He saw their faith.”

Luke 5:20

The healing of the paralyzed man is loaded with lessons for us.  He lies motionless on his pallet, unable to move.  His incredible and loyal friends have dedicated themselves to getting him into Jesus’ presence.  But the house is full; its beyond standing room only, they can’t get close.  They are desperate.  Jesus is so near, they can hear Him teach, and yet so far away.

One of them has a wild idea.  They will lower him down into the room from the roof!  Energized by this thought they put the plan into action.  I can just see them, working feverishly.  When the hole is big enough, they carefully lower the paralyzed man down slowly.  We read that, “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:20).

Example of 3D without glasses

God can see faith.  It is invisible to us, and takes a special work of grace for us to do so.  It is not an easy thing to see faith.  If you go downtown to watch a movie in 3-D the attendant will issue you special glasses.  With them everything is enhanced.

The Lord sees faith, and responds in kind.  His powers of perception and discernment are advanced far beyond our puny human efforts.  But God is pleased when we show our faith by our works. They fascinate Him and He delights when His children prove a living faith by actions.  Our faith can only be seen by what we do.

The faith of the paralyzed man, and the faith of his friends makes them  fluorescent in a black & white world.  It jumps out to Jesus, and it is hard to see anything else.  Faith stands out, and it cannot be hid.

There is so much here in Luke 5, so many lessons and so much wisdom.  Much of it lies at the surface, and can be picked up like gold nuggets.  I think that I could preach six months on this chapter alone.  It is that good.

ybic,  Bryan 

To Envy A Green Olive Tree

Planted in the Kings Courtyard

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God, forever and ever.” 

Psalm 52:8, ESV

It is important that we can properly identify ourselves.  The psalmist knows what he is.  There is no confusion in his thinking, and he has a zero vacillation factor.  “I am like–the comparison, to a green olive tree, –the reality.”  FYI, he isn’t talking about green olives (my fridge has a jar or two), but a tree that is green (full of fresh life).  He marks himself, identifying himself of being a flourishing and productive tree.  This makes sense when we compare possibilities of what the many types there are.

He puts himself in “the house of God”.  “Planted”–the idea of being fixed in a spot.  And living, “growing, lush and green”.  He is not your “run-of-a-mill” olive tree.  He is planted, and positioned, in an incredibly rich place, right in the temple, God’s house.  Now it is one thing to flourish– but another thing to be that way in the ultimate prime spot.  It is good to see this. There is a generousness about having a place in God’s house.  It is as good as it gets!

There is a “trust” that we can see that the psalmist has.  It has to do with love.  Not so much of my love for Him, but His love for me.  It takes confidence to think this way.  I confide, and then settle myself in His love.  He loves me! (and I know it!)

The psalmist emphasizes a love that has an eternal understanding, “forever and ever”.  Now most of us are aware of a love that has limits and distinctions.  But His kind of love for me is the “firehose” kind of love.  (When it blasts, it can peel paint off a car.)

A fresh olive tree.  A desirable thing of beauty.  But planted right in the middle of God’s house.  That is an amazing thing!  We have the soil, and it’s a rich soil.  And we have the location, right in a wonderful spot.  This is as good as it gets!  We have the most envious spot in the garden.  As a clinically depressed person, this comes as a terrifically great news!

 

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ybic, Bryan

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