Promised Land

God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery but they asked to go back when things got tough. It's a scary thing when slavery becomes more familiar than freedom. We decline the Lord's dinner invitation by the lake for the predictability of three rations per day.

Sometimes we choose the predictability of slavery only because it's all we know. Sadly, the routine of life in prison becomes a comfort to us. Fear becomes normal. Depression. Lust. Addiction. Anger. Opinions of people. All these things can start to become normal and routine. 

But deliverance only comes after leaving the false comforts of slavery. We must get fed up - at some point we must wake up to the truth of our calling - the truth of who we are - the truth of who we were created to be - the truth of how much we are loved. At some point our desire for freedom must overshadow the false comforts of slavery - even when the road to freedom seems a little unpredictable. If we don't trust that God is able to part the Red Sea we will never arrive in the Promised Land.

Uniquely

Each of my children are made in my image yet they have unique needs and personalities. One is prone to fear and negativity. One is prone to unkind words and distractions. The other is very sensitive and prone to poor nutrition. Likewise, each of them have unique talents and giftings.
Because of their unique needs and different personalities I parent them each differently. One requires a firm voice and learns best through the stories I tell. One requires lots of hugs and encouragement. The other requires a gentle voice and buckets of creativity.

Sometimes one of my children will become jealous when they notice the different ways I parent their siblings. They will see me giving more hugs to one, a gift to another and yet an encouragement to the other and wonder why they do not receive those same things in equal proportion. At times they will lose sight of the special, unique relationship we share and instead compare themselves with how I interact with the others.

During those moments I need to remind them who they are and the special, unique ways in which they are different from the others. I remind them of the ways in which they are wired, what sets them apart from the others and why I love them uniquely.

But unless they come to me with their concerns I can't deal with it. They need to tell me how they are feeling and why they are feeling that way so I can remind them who they are and get them back on track. Unless they come to me they tend to become bitter - hard - and lose sight of my incredible love for them.

As children of God we each possess amazing, unique differences which serve to highlight the brilliant, colorful mind of an infinite Creator.

But comparison robs us of our identity. We begin to focus on and celebrate certain giftings over the others. We see the other ways in which our Father is parenting His other children and we become jealous. Distracted. Insecure. We forget about the special moments we have shared with our Father, the words He has spoken to us and why He loves us so much.

Sometimes we can go days, weeks, months, years without bringing these concerns to our Father. We get caught in cycles of distractions, jealousy, insecurity - all without ever letting Him know how we are feeling so He can alleviate our concerns, so He can tell us who we are and get us back on track.
He's always there though. He meets us in that place. Blessed are the brokenhearted. Blessed are the meek. Something powerful happens when we open up to our Father. A divine transfer takes place.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

May we learn to rest in the the unique ways in which our Father has wired us. May we learn to cherish the unique rhythms of grace He breathes into each of us. May we rest and trust in the many ways He loves each of us uniquely.

All Things New

God's not calling us to do what He says. He's calling us to be who He says. He doesn't offer us a new set of behaviors, He offers us a new nature. He doesn't offer us new branches, He offers us new roots. He doesn't offer us more will power, He offers us new hearts.

He doesn't loligag around with rehab, support groups or the occasional feel-good Sunday sermon. If that was the case Jesus could have stayed in heaven. He kills us and starts over. We have been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20) and born again (John 3) into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3) as a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). 

There is no short cut. There is no starter package. Your old self is not a fixer-upper, it's a tear down.
You want to live? Then die. You want to save your life? Lose it. Take up your cross. Sink into the baptismal waters as a slave and rise up as a son.

Intimacy

God offered direct relationship - intimacy - with the people on Mount Sinai, but they refused and instead Moses descended the mountain with a heavy list of commands.

Rules and commands are never needed when there is intimacy. Intimacy, a true inner knowing of someone, eliminates the need for externals - eliminates all the distrust of legal contracts and commands. Good marriages don't need a list of do's and don'ts, they are based on mutual love. A formal marriage contract is unneeded, irrelevant. It's of the heart, not the pen. I don't know any couples who need to hang marriage contracts on the wall of their home as a reminder of what they are supposed to do as husband and wife. Likewise, divorce papers - externals - are never drafted until after love - intimacy - is lost.

Today, 3500 years later, people still debate the validity of Old Covenant law - ancient externals - in light of Jesus Christ breathing His Spirit - present day internals - into our hearts. The answer is simple.

Have you accepted God's offer of intimacy, or not? If not, you will always feel condemned by the externals. If yes, then get out from under the slavery of those heavy stone tablets and descend the mountain as a son.

"But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." - Gal. 4:4-7

According to the Bible?

I often hear Christians say we need to live our lives according to the Bible. Although they have good intentions I believe it's actually really confusing, and at times damaging, to non-believers and those unfamiliar with the Bible. See, a lot of people have tried reading the Bible, starting at Genesis 1, and they typically make it to Leviticus before throwing up their arms in frustration. Therefore when we say "according to the Bible" they think we're talking about laws, commands, incest, killing, plagues and animal sacrifices.

We as Christians need to do a much better job explaining what the Bible is.

The Bible isn't a book, it's a collection of 66 interconnected books written over a period of 1500 years. Inside you will find historical narrative, poetry, songs, love letters, wise sayings, prophecy, apocalyptic literature, letters to specific churches, letters to specific people, etc. These books are NOT arranged in chronological order.

When we say "according to the Bible" or "Biblical values" which book are we referring to? Which story? Which proverb? Most importantly, which covenant?

All of the Bible is *for* us. But not all of it was written *to* us.

We can't just say "the Bible". Much of the content - and even the covenants themselves - contradict each other. No wonder the world is confused! If the church is the light of the world we better start shining some truth.

The Bible is the historical record of God's covenant journey with mankind. Throughout history God has chosen to interact with humanity through the ratification of five major covenants (promises). There were different types of covenants in the ancient world. Sometimes God's promises were conditional upon the people living up to their side of the bargain (much like a marriage covenant today), and sometimes God's promises were completely unconditional. Sometimes they were for specific people, sometimes they were for all people. The way God started that initial journey with Abraham is much different than the journey we are on today.

The confusion (and subsequent damage) comes when we read the Bible as a "flat" book - as if every word and every covenant is equally valid - rather than as a collection of covenants, each with its own supporting documents. Much confusion also comes when we put validity on the older, outdated covenants.

There is only one valid covenant today. It's the one Jesus made with His Father. It's called the New Covenant and it's really good news for us because it's completely unconditional. We're not even involved, it's between Jesus and the Father. The only question is if you want to be born into their family. That's why it's good news - the covenant itself is not dependent on us keeping up our side of the bargain. Let that sink into your soul for a moment. Sit back and put your feet up. Take a deep breath.

Seriously. It's not about what you do, it's about what He did. God's no longer interested in your sin, He's interested in YOU.

This New Covenant fulfilled every preceding covenant before it. God's prior covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David are all fulfilled. Complete. Outdated. The New Covenant trumps them all.

We are now running God 2.0 and there will be no further releases, this version is amazing. Unshakable. Unbreakable. Unchangeable. Plump full of features and benefits.
While reading about older covenants may be helpful in that they help us more fully understand the reality of what we now have under the New Covenant, in no way are we to apply "obsolete" (Heb. 8:13) stipulations to the freedom we now have in Christ. For further reading, see the entire book of Galatians.

Of course, read your Bible - all of it. Again and again. It's like an onion. You keep peeling the onion and one layer of meaning leads to another layer of meaning. It's amazing. God will meet you between the pages. The old interprets the new. Just remember where you are in the story, and most importantly, that you're running God 2.0. The old drivers and software are no longer compatible.
"But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises." - Heb. 8:6

Slavery

God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery but they asked to go back when things got tough. It's a scary thing when slavery becomes more familiar than freedom. We decline the Lord's dinner invitation by the lake for the predictability of three rations per day.

Sometimes we choose the predictability of slavery only because it's all we know. Sadly, the routine of life in prison becomes a comfort to us. Fear becomes normal. Depression. Lust. Addiction. Anger. Opinions of people. All these things can start to become normal and routine. 

But deliverance only comes after leaving the false comforts of slavery. We must get fed up - at some point we must wake up to the truth of our calling - the truth of who we are - the truth of who we were created to be - the truth of how much we are loved. At some point our desire for freedom must overshadow the false comforts of slavery - even when the road to freedom seems a little unpredictable. If we don't trust that God is able to part the Red Sea we will never arrive in the Promised Land.

D A D D Y, W A T C H !

Anyone who has kids understands the challenge of staying attentive to what they are saying and doing. We get so caught up in the hustle & bustle of all the household tasks we need to do such as washing dishes, laundry, floors, counter tops and those kinds of things that we sometimes fail to slow down and take it all in.

Yesterday my boys were playing Legos and doing what boys do - making sound effects, having an interstellar space ship race throughout the house, etc. At one point they stopped because they discovered something "cool" about how one of the spaceships can shoot the Lego bullets. I was washing the dishes after dinner and I was in the zone as I often am when trying to get stuff done. My boys were yelling, "Daddy watch! Daddy watch!" over and over again. 

Now, when I am "in the zone" it's often difficult for me to snap out of it. I was so focused on finishing - cleaning that last dish - that I didn't even notice my boys were desperately trying to show me something - something they seemed to be very proud of.

When I finally snapped out of it they proceeded to show me how their Lego spaceship can shoot bullets from a hidden location on the bottom. I pretended to be impressed but that wasn't good enough - they really wanted me to understand how incredibly cool this was. They wanted me to see how it worked, what button to press, the distance it shot - everything. As they showed me they would stare at my face until they could tell I was sufficiently impressed - until they were satisfied that I understood how amazingly cool this was. After displaying an appropriate amount of shock and awe, they ran off and continued playing.

I have been thinking about this a lot since then.

This wasn't really about Legos, this was about our relationship. A shared experience. See, I had helped them put that spaceship together. When they got stuck I would provide them with direction, find the right pieces, etc. All of us had been together as it was built. They wanted - they needed - to share their joy with me, the one who had helped them put it all together.

I think our Father also likes to share in those experiences with us. I think He likes to share in the excitement with us. He loves to see us discover new things about how He put it all together.

May we always include Him, not only in our discoveries but also when we're stuck - when we need help finding that next piece. May we seek Him like my boys did - loud and persistent. May we stare at His face until we know we have His full attention. May we always call out for Him and say, "Daddy, watch!"

New Roots New Fruit

Imagine you are an apple tree but no one likes apples. Everyone, including God Himself, only likes oranges. In fact, God Himself is made of orange juice. You try and try to grow oranges on your branches - you come close a couple times by growing orange-colored apples, but inside they are still just apples.

Then one day God offers to chop you down and replant you as an orange tree. You ask instead if He can just cause your branches to grow oranges but He says that's not possible because of your roots. He says it's not the branches that determine the fruit, it's the roots. The only way is to be chopped down, uprooted, and replanted with a new seed.

Getting chopped down and replanted seems scary. All you know is the apple orchard, you're not sure what to do.

As an apple tree would you:

1. Pretend oranges don't exist
2. Continue trying to grow oranges on your apple tree
3. Allow God to replant you as an orange tree

Body of Christ

I often hear Christians say, especially during election season, that God is in control. We are encouraged to vote through the lens of our Biblical worldview but then we're reminded that no matter what happens "God is in control."

As a standalone statement I don't believe that is helpful.

Throughout Scripture we see that God's control and manipulation of situations was dependent upon the cooperation of people. Noah had to build a boat. Abraham had to move to a different country. Moses had to face Pharaoh. David had to kill Goliath. Even God Himself, when we couldn't save ourselves, had to enter into our physical realm in Christ to do so. It is the reason the incarnation was necessary. 

"The heavens are the LORD'S heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of men."
- Psalm 115:16

The Church is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). That is, His physical presence on Earth. WE are now the incarnation of Christ (God) on Earth. WE are now the Spirit of God wrapped in flesh. His hands, His feet, His arms, His legs.

If His hands are not helping, God's hands are tied. If His feet are not moving, God's feet are bound.

God is only "in control" to the degree His sons & daughters are stepping into their identity as the Body of Christ on Earth. Is the Body moving? Is the Body working in unity? Is the Body advancing the Kingdom? If yes, then God's control is manifesting on Earth. If the Body is paralyzed by fear, division, the evening news, distractions or elections, then no, God's control is not manifesting on Earth and He remains imprisoned inside unbelieving believers.

"Christ in YOU is the hope of glory." - Col. 1:27

"YOU are the light of the world." - Matt. 5:14

"YOU are Christ's ambassadors." - 2 Cor. 5:20

"I confer upon YOU a Kingdom." - Luke 22:29

"All creation waits in eager expectation for the CHILDREN OF GOD to be revealed." - Rom. 8:19

Cannot Be Shaken

The Israelites wanted a king so they chose Saul according to his outward appearance. But the Lord had a different plan - the shepherd boy David because of his heart. So, the Lord anointed David as king yet David had to wait over 20 years to begin his rule. TWENTY years. During this time Saul's *obsolete* rule continued (and caused David quite a bit of grief). David and the people looked forward with anticipation to the *last days* of Saul's reign, for he was a terrible king - a king chosen by the people, not by the Lord.

This was a shadow of things to come.

About 1000 years later, Jesus Christ, from the line of David, was anointed King after His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He sits on the eternal throne of David (2 Sam. 7:12-16). At that time, the Old Covenant law of Moses was rendered obsolete (Heb. 8:13), yet it continued day after day for another 40 years. FORTY years (and caused the Christians quite a bit of grief). Day after day bulls and goats continued to be sacrificed, in spite of the fact the perfect once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus had already been offered. This 40 year period was the period during which the entire New Testament was written. The writers of the New Testament looked forward with anticipation to the *last days* of the obsolete Mosaic covenant, for it was a terrible covenant - a covenant chosen by the people, not by the Lord (Deut. 5:27). It was a covenant concerning outward appearances, rather than heart. The prayers of the first Christians were finally answered in AD 70, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the entire Temple sacrificial system, including the Levitical priesthood and genealogical records which ensured the temple sacrificial system could never legitimately rise again.

While the Lord Jesus may have wonderful future events planned for us, the "last days" which the New Testament speaks of are behind us.

It was the period from 30AD to 70AD, when the New Testament was written, right before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. It was exactly 40 years, which happened to be considered one Jewish generation. 

Interestingly, in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus prophesied all of this would happen. In fact, He said, "This generation will not pass away until all these things have been fulfilled." The generation He was talking about was THAT generation - those living at 30AD when He spoke those words to them. Essentially He was saying to the people living in 30AD, "some of you standing here will see all this happen before you die."

And they did - in 70AD.

Do not fear. Jesus is on the throne, the New Covenant is an eternal covenant and "we live in a Kingdom that cannot be shaken."

"By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear." - Hebrews 8:13 (written in 65AD)