Grattitude

Gratitude: the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:15-17 ESV

 

     This section of the Psalms comes from one of the most famous confessions in the Bible.  This chapter deals with King David’s confession of adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed to cover up his transgression.  The famous words of this Psalm is found in verse 10;

 

Create in me a clean heart oh God

And renew a right spirit within me

 

To be fair, this whole section of the Psalm is littered with talk about what is an appropriate sacrifice.  Sacrifice is not only our position and how we interact with God, but also our position and how we interact with others.  So one might be thinking how does sacrifice and gratitude go together.  I hope to get there by the end of this blog and just a heads up, it might have something to do with worship.

 

   My first observation is this, God is not only implying but telling us that we can not buy Him off.  No matter how hard we try, whether it is through our tithe, doing “Godly” things, or not doing something that is ungodly.  Spoiler alert, since God created everything, He already owns it.  We can not give something to God He already owns because it is already His and we are to be good managers of what He gives us.  If we were able to buy God off, it means two things.  The first one is that He isn’t fully God and in incompetent.  This also means we have more power and authority than we need, deserve, or are able to handle.  The second idea is that it makes us manipulative, only doing and giving things for our own benefit.  Sure there could people out there who are truly ultraistic, but at the end of the day, most if not all of us are in it for what we can get out of it.  If we could buy our way to God or His love, how many of us would beg, borrow, steal or just flat out lie to get what we want, no matter if it is with God or others?  My gut feeling is that we have already tried that and eventually it catches up with us in a bad way.

 

   My second observation about gratitude is that it is about accountability.  Gratitude is more than just being grateful or giving thanks.  Accountability is admitting to mistakes, growing/maturing from them, and doing what we are responsible for.  When King David was confronted by the Prophet Nathan about his adultery, David could of pulled out his king card and had Nathan disposed of too.  Instead, David went and he responded to Gods rebuke of his actions and sought forgiveness for what he had done.  He also owned up to the consequences, and was a father to the son he had with Bathsheba and the family strife that continued through out the rest of his life. 

 

   Accountability is doing the things we know we should do, Whether it is how we spend our money, to what we eat, being a good spouse to ones significant other, being a parent to ones children.  Accountability is more about being proactive than reactive.  There are always going to be things that catch us off guard, but when we are proactive, and seek to take care of things that are within in our control, life tends to go better.

 

  My third observation is that gratitude is more than just the gifts and actions.  Don’t get me wrong, actions, along with gifts/sacrifice along with the words that we speak are important, but the more important thing is our attitude or the condition of our heart.  How often do we do or say things as a form of self protection or to make us feel better?  As people, we tend to do or say things to provide either some sort of diversion so people do not see our weaknesses or those spots that are really sensitive.  Or how about when we do things to gain some sort of good karma and to try and right something we did that we feel guilty or ashamed about.  When we do this, we fall into two traps.  The first one is that we make ourselves out to be better people than we really are.  It is more about the show, and less about the go.  In essence, we try and impress people with our words, actions and our gifts.  At the end of the day, we fall down exhausted because no matter what we do or say will ever be enough.  Then we will become burnt out and jaded,  The second trap is that we try and cover up some sort of guilt.  Trust me on this, the guilt and shame will never go away when we do this, and it will send us further into depression and the spinning will keep getting faster. 

 

  My fourth observation is this, gratitude is more than giving gifts or doing good works, or saying thank you.  God doesn’t want our gifts or our words, not that these are unimportant, but He wants us fully committed to Him and His calling.  Gratitude is not only being thankful for what others or God has done, but it is the giving of our whole selves.  This means the good, bad and things that we do not want to see the light of day.  Because of free will, we can decide whether we disown God and suffer the consequences, or embrace Him and His will.  We can call it many things, such as holiness, perfection, sanctification, Christian maturity, but at the end of the day, It is allowing God to restore His full image in our lives and for us to be fully present not only with Him but others also. 

 

  I will leave you with this.  True gratitude not only requires, but demands a response.  This is where worship comes in.  Worship is more than just singing a few songs and hearing a sermon and then walking away to live our lives.  When God is fully shaping us back into His image, we live our lives differently.  Its not that these actions saves us, but it is a response to what God has done and is doing in our lives.  Our gifts and sacrifices can not save us, but it is a response to the one who can and that is Jesus.  Our worship, gifts, and even our sacrifices should point back to God the Creator of all and to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

 

Questions

   What are the things we do or say that hide habits, hurts, and the unspeakables?

   In our accountability, are we reactionary, or proactive?

   How often do we try and earn our salvation?

Advent

Advent; the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and let her cry

That her warfare is ended

That her iniquity is pardoned,

That she has received from the Lord’s hand

Double for all her sins.

A voice cries;

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God,

Every valley shall be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill made low

The uneven ground shall be level,

And the rough places a plain

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

 

Isaiah 40:1-5 ESV

 

   I was at a local park recently and seeing the bare trees and the light snow on the ground got me thinking.  My smart thought was that even in the barrenness of winter, there is still a beauty in nature.  I have noticed that with the snow on the ground and the bare trees, things seem to echo a little more and I can hear things not only more clearly, but often things that are far off can be heard like the whistle of a train horn or traffic on a distant road.  I can see through the woods better because the leaves are not acting as a shield or cover for things that reside in the woods.  It got me thinking what does this idea of barreness affect our lives, but play into Advent. 

  My first observation is that this idea of bareness forces us into this fight or flight concept.  We can either fight the bareness of our lives by changing habits, such has praying harder, reading self help books or the Bible more, to attending small groups, and even seeking counseling.  None of these things are bad, but in our fighting are we keeping the real issues at arms length and not addressing it.  For me, I can eat less and exercise more to lose weight, but it still doesn’t deal with the issue of that I find comfort in food because it doesn’t tell me no.  The flight concept is either not recognizing the problem or doing nothing about it because it is to hard.  How often do we not deal with a problem because it is to hard, or we have to change something that we hold dear, or admit that we are just wrong.  I know I don’t like to be wrong and how can I be wrong if I don’t admit to it.

   My second observation is that sometimes we just need to embrace the suck.  If 2020 has taught us anything, that is embracing the suck is necessary.  It does not mean we throw are hands up in the air and doing nothing, because that adds to the mess.  Instead it is moving forward, picking our battles, and extending grace to ourselves and others.  Embracing the suck forces us to be in the present and the here and now, and not fast forwarding to 2021.  To paraphrase my favorite narcissistic television doctor, Gregory House, things change and its not always for the better.  A presidential election hasn’t made things better and I am not so sure a change in the calendar year will provide the change we are looking for, but what can make it better is our attitude and how we treat others and ourselves.  Do we extend grace, love and truth, or do we extend, hate, bitterness and anger?

  My third observation on why bareness can be beautiful is because we have the opportunity to embrace our own humanity.  This means that we have the ability to recognize the good in our lives, and things that are not so good.  When we embrace our own humanity, we can embrace not only how others see us, but how God sees us.  This means that those areas in our life that are painful, we can start to deal with them.  Whether it is a relationship or expectations that have not been fulfilled, we can take a look at those and start the healing process.  When we embrace our humanity, we realize just how selfish we are and how our disobedience and sin has altered our relationship with others and with God.  Thankfully God forgives and He can make all things new. 

   So one might wondering what connection bareness has to Advent.  Being barren has the connotation of expectation.  With bareness, we can either expect that things will stay the same and nothing will change, or there is the expectation that things will improve and that spring and new life will eventually come.  Advent is the same way, because it is about expectation.  Advent is about the expected coming of the promise Messiah.  The nation of Israel held on to the promise of the Messiah will come and make things right.  The Messiah did come in the form of Jesus being born in the manger.  Just like the nation of Israel, we are in the season of Advent right now, expecting Jesus to come back again. This time when He comes back, it is to gather His people and commune with Him eternally.  Advent is not only about preparing ourselves for the coming of Messiah, but also embracing and sharing Gods grace, joy, hope and love. 

Questions to Ponder

    What does it mean to embrace the suck?

    How does our expectation inform us on how we live?

Creator

Creator: A person or thing that brings something into existence

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5 ESV

 

    When I think of the word creator, I often think of someone who is often good with their hands at building or making things, or someone who is talented musically.  A creator could be someone like the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, who was so talented with a pant brush that his paintings are known all over the world and often go for absurd prices. Or a creator can be someone like my grandfather who was always tinkering and building or modifying something.  The classic definition of a creator is someone who can make something great out of nothing.  As humans, we need things like paint, paint brushes and a canvas to create something because we do not have the capability to create something beautiful or even destructive out of thin air.  The only person that can create something out of nothing is God, and a prime example of this is the first two chapters of Genesis.  The big Latin word for this is Ex Nihilo, which literally “out of nothing.”  So God is the only one who can create something out of nothing and call it good.  Here are some observations about being a creator.

 

    My first observation is that God is eternal.  One needs to be in existence before they can create.  This is why I chose John 1 as our passage, because it shows not only that God is eternal, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit are eternal and a part of the creative process.  Being eternal means that one has no beginning and no end.  To be honest, being eternal means that one has no beginning and no end.  It is like being on the plains of Western Kansas, where one can not see the beginning or the end of it.  God the Father also, works in conjunction with the Son and Spirit to create and it helps dive into the mystery of the Trinity.  It shows that the Son and Spirit are eternal and equal with God the Father and not created beings.  We can dive into the Jehovah Witnesses and the Arianism Heresy another time, but in order to create, one needs to be present to do so. 

 

   So here is a rabbit trail, if one is basing their hope on evolution and everything starting with a big bang, wouldn’t their need to be particles or something there to combust to have a big bang moment.  This means what where we live, things we take comfort in and people we have interactions with, not only has a begging by some random lucky explosion, but it also has an ending with nothing.  It makes life that we live pretty bleak and meaningless, because what we take comfort in or worship eventually will fail us and can not get us out of the predicament we find ourselves in.  There is a Christian form of evolution where God created things or got things going, and then He took His hands off and let things run their course.  This not only makes God a Deist where He creates and walks away, but also it could make Him a narccacistic thug who enjoys watching us destroy ourselves. 

 

  My second observation is that God creates because it is a part of His nature.  God is God and He can do things as He pleases.  One of Gods characteristics is that He wants to be in relationship.  God the Father created the heavens and the earth because He wants to share the relationship He has with the Son and Sprit with all of creation.  It is Gods nature to share the relationship He has within the Trinity with all of creation.  God desires to dwell among His people and for Him to be our God and for us to be His people.  This could make God out to be needy, which He isn’t, but instead God creates to show His goodness.  What makes God not needy is that He is willing to let people go and do their own thing if they don’t follow His standards.  The thing that is in Gods nature of being a Creator, is that He realizes that with in relationships, it is a two way street.  God can and has provided a way to be in relationship with Him, but it is our choice to take that offer.  God does all the heavy lifting, but we have to follow in obedience and faith for the relationship to work,  If we don’t we suffer the consequences and eventually the relationship is cut off. 

   My third observation is that God the Creator not only cares for His creation, but there is a pecking order within the created order.  The Trinity is at the top of the pyramid and has authority over all and is eternal.  If we go back to the creation story, we find out that what sets humans apart from all other creation is that we have a soul.  From my understanding of it is that our soul is actually God breathing life into our bodies.  What makes us different is that we are created in the image of God and the rest of creation does not have this distinction.  This means several things, the first thing is that God put us in charge of all creation and to care for it.  This does not mean we own it and we can do whatever we want, or we fall into pantheism and saying that God is in the created. Even though God created everything, not everything has his stamp, or breath.  This is reserved for us as people, and that means how we care for and manage Gods creation says a lot about who or what we worship.  A side note, the created things are for us to use and to manage, and not to worship or consider it equal.  Here is the thing about being created in Gods image and having a soul, it means even though our bodies age and become wore out, our souls don’t.  Eventually are bodies will return to dust and our souls will go to eternity and receive Gods fair and just judgement.

   My fourth observation is that God cares for His creation.  I know I have tried to weave this idea throughout this blog, but I think it is something we need to wrap our heads around.  Especially during a pandemic and a hateful election season.  The Gospel of Matthew shares that if God cares for the sparrows and cloths the flowers, how much more will He care for us.  The Psalmist declares that God knitted us in our mother’s womb, and knew of us before we even did.  God does not abandon His creation, we might not get what we want, but we will always receive what we need.  Our goal should not just be a person created in the image of God, but also becoming a child of God and there is a difference.  Being a child means that we as the created are submitting to Gods authority and being transformed by His power on a daily basis.  This is probably off topic, but God doesn’t want us comfortable and safe, but He wants us to rely on Him and to step out of our comfort zone.  This means that we don’t do things that are stupid, but we do things that are risky. 

    To wrap things up I will leave you all with these couple of thoughts.  The first one is that since God is creator, not only can He create things, but He can make all things new.  No matter what we have done, or where we have been, God can and is willing to make things new and restore us, not only now, but for eternity.  Let me close with this Psalm

May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the Lord.

Psalm 104:31-31 ESV

Questions to Ponder

   What does our meditations and or prayer say about our wants and desires?

   How often do we worship the created and not the Creator?

   What does Gods actions say about His nature?

Sacrifice

Sacrifice: an act of offering to a deity that is precious and requires the death of the victim on an altar; the destruction or surrender of something for something else

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
    but my ears you have opened^[c]—
    burnt offerings and sin offerings^[d] you did not require.
 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
    it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

Psalms 4o:6-8 NIV

 

When I first read the first this passage, two things came to mind.  The first one is the famous Micah 6:8 passage of loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with our God.  This passage gets quoted all the time and it implies that our faith requires some sort of action.  In essence there is some sort of standard of how we are to conduct ourselves not only with God but also with others.  The second thing that came to my mind is the Old Testament sacrificial system.  Not only did the nation of Israel bring gifts to the altar to recognize Gods goodness and protection, but they also sacrificed a spotless animal for the forgiveness of sin and so they could maintain a right relationship with God.  This is where the Day of Atonement comes in where the Hight Priest sacrificed a spotless sheep for the sins of the whole nation.  It got me thinking that God has a standard of not only how we interact with Him, but how we interact with others.  Here are some observations I have made.

My first observation is that God can not be bought off.  How often do we try and use good works or deeds to get on Gods good side.  It could be that we lead a small group, be a sponsor in some sort of recovery program, to dropping an extra twenty bucks in the offering plate/online giving.  This sort of sacrifice comes down to two things.  The first one is that we are trying to make ourselves look better than what we are.  We are trying to distract God and others from our issues,  addictions, and our quirks.  In essence, we are trying to earn our way into heaven.  The second thing that this form of sacrifice brings is this concept of karma.  If we do more good things for God and others than bad, this means we will get into heaven.  It does not work this way with Christianity, because we can not earn our way into heaven.  If we could, Jesus death and resurrection is pointless.  To borrow a little Marin Luther, salvation comes through grace, faith and Scripture. 

My second observation is that intentions matter.  How often do we sacrifice something to get what we want.  This often is a form of manipulation, because we are holding dirt on someone and we will release it until we get what we want.  In essence, we are using people to get things, and this is not very Biblical.  We often forget about truth, honesty and integrity, because we are more concerned about stepping on people to get what we want.  Is it destroying people get a job promotion or pay raise at work?  Or is it destroying the Ex so the family for friends will like you more than the other person.  True sacrifice is where our intentions is based not on the giving or the giving up of something, but point ourselves and others to the throne of Jesus.   

My third observation is that sacrifice is relational.  My question is, can we truly give up something great, if there is not relationship.  I think that is the direction of the Micah passage.  Our sacrifices either do not carry as much weight or becomes pointless if there is not a healthy relationship.  If we are only in relationships based on what we can give and receive from each other.  It is seeing people as things or transactions and not people made in the image of God.  This business way of doing life often makes us, lonely, jaded and bitter because we often feel that our sacrifices that we put out is greater than what we receive.  This sacrifice is more of what I can get out of life than what I can give. 

My fourth observation is that true sacrifice requires not just a part of us but all of us.  In the passage above, I think that God is railing on the Israelites because He wasn’t getting all of them.  They only had one foot in the boat, and the other foot was out to bail just in case things got bad or uncomfortable.  Our sacrifices become meaningless if we are not all in.  God is telling us through David that He wants all of us or nothing at all.  This reminds me of the Movie Happy Gilmore where Adam Sandler’s character gets into a fight with Bob Barker’s character.  How often are we like Sandler and become frustrated with God and ask Him if He wants a piece of us.  Bob Barker’s character responds, “I don’t want a piece of you, I want the whole damn thing.”  When something only has are partial attention or commitment, how often do we get wondering eyes and start looking else where and doing other things that distract and cause trouble with co and others.

To wrap up, when we sacrifice or give ourselves completely to God, our outlook, intentions and relationships all change for the better.  In essence, it is a realization that everything is Gods to begin with and that sacrifice is giving everything back to God, including our whole lives.  This is when we become a living sacrifice and not only does Gods power through the Holy Spirit change us from the inside, and empowers us to do great things.  Thins changes how we view and interact with people.  This only happens when we commit to God and His laws and desires become ours.  Here is a warning, when we are living sacrifices, it is easy to get off of the altar.  This is where grace and forgiveness comes in. 

Questions to Ponder

  What makes it difficult to be a living sacrifice?

   How do our intentions affect our relationships?

   What is that one thing that God is calling you to give up or to step out on?

   Why do we desire to manipulate God and or others?

Vengeance

Vengeance: punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong.

⁶ O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
⁷ Let them vanish like water that runs away;
    when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
⁸ Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
    like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
⁹ Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!

Psalms 58:6-9 ESV

 

    As I am reading through the book of Psalms right now, one of the themes that I am picking up is this idea of vengeance.  Often it is King David praying to God to unleash His vengeance on either his or the nation of Israel’s enemies for doing them wrong.  Vengeance is not only a very strong word that provokes a lot of emotion, but often is a theme in books, movies and even songs.  Vengeance is one of the major themes found in the book The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.  The theme of the book is where the lead character Edmond Dantes gets unjustly thrown a life sentence in prison.  During his sentence, Edmond becomes bitter and filled with vengeance to destroy the people who put him there.  After being thrown off a cliff and surviving, he develops a different persona and beginning to lie and use the people around him to get what he wants and that is vengeance. Here are a couple of ideas or assumptions that come along with this idea of vengeance.   

 

   My first idea of vengeance is that is the assumption that we are on the right side of history and on the right side of the issue.  There is no way we can be wrong on this issue because we have reason, facts, experience or some famous person backing our thoughts or ideology.  What becomes problematic is that no matter how wrong we are or how faulty our logic and reasoning are, we still think we are right.  When we get this way, we become hellbent on being right, especially when it is a hot button topic like the presidential election, immigration, gun control or any other issue that is big or small.  I think when one so hellbent, there is a good chance that

we can’t see the forest through the trees and all reasoning and logic, common sense and discernment can be thrown out the window.  Because we are more concerned making people pay than being holy.

 

   My second idea of vengeance is this assumption that we are not only on Gods side, but we also speak for God.  Through out the Bible, there are people who think that God is with them, but in all actuality, God is no where to be found.  King Saul was about to go into battle and he was afraid, so he prayed to God for comfort and direction, but God did not respond, even though God put Saul in that position.  Saul had abandoned Gods ways and in the time of need, God was no where to be found.  Saul disguised himself and consulted a sourer to bring back the Prophet Samuel back from the dead so could gain some sort of direction and comfort.  When Samuel came back, Saul was found out and he got an earful.  Vengeance often leads us down the road to thinking that God is on our side and He is giving us His blessing to perform our actions to either get justice or to make ourselves feel better and in all reality, God has no part in it. 

 

   My third observation is that vengeance is based more on feeling than on fact.  There are facts involved, but it is how those facts make us feel.  How often those facts we hold on too, are distorted, or incomplete or just down right false.  How often is our vengeance based on hurt, fear, or anger.  These are all valid emotions, but when they become the sole basis for action, truth becomes subjective and can be ever changing depending on who we are interacting with and the situation.  We do whatever makes us feel good and whatever feels like what the appropriate response is.  We have to take the advice of the 80’s band Boston and life has to be more than just a feeling because if was, we take the Kelly Clarkson approach and ruin a cheating ex boyfriends brand new four wheel drive. 

 

   My fourth and final observation about vengeance is that we base our lives on the creed eye for an eye.  The argument against this if we did this, the whole world would go blind.  The thing with vengeance is that it often continues to build, because the response to our vengeance is often vengeance, and then we have to respond with something greater and it just continues to escalate.  This often leads to generational hate, distrust and even alienation.  This often moves from person vs person vengeance to a group of people vs another group of people.  The extreme case is Archduke Franz Fernidinand of Austria being assassinated and different world powers supporting their allies and World War I breaking out, which lead to World War II. 

 

   To wrap things up, here is the problem when we become consumed with vengeance, it leaves no room for grace and forgiveness.  We either play the victim card and don’t take responsibility for our part, or we become jaded an hateful, and nothing we do satisfies us and we keep doing the next thing hoping we can find peace.  I am fully aware that there are and needs to be consequences for one’s actions and there need to be healthy boundaries in place and they can be difficult to put into place and keep, but there is another way.  Moses put it this way in Deuteronomy 32 that vengeance belongs to God and He alone will vindicate His people because God takes care of His own  His people are those who do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. 

“Oh, God,” said Monte Cristo, “your vengeance may sometimes be slow in coming, but I think that then it is all the more complete.”

 

Questions To Ponder

    Is there a difference between our justice and Gods?

    What is the biggest struggle to waiting for God to provide justice?

    Does vengeance turn into hate?

    Do we ever think we are doing Gods business and He is with us, yet God is nowhere to be

       Found?

Ressurection

Resurrection: the action or fact of resurrecting or being resurrected; (in Christian belief) Christ's rising from the dead.

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

John 11:21-27

 

     The resurrection is what differentiates Christianity from every other world religion.  God shows His love and authority over creation through the power of the resurrection.  The only reason the resurrection is possible is because of Jesus death and ultimate sacrifice on the cross that defeated sin and death.  The resurrection is what gives us hope and the promise of eternal life, which allows us to commune and be in God’s presence for eternity. Here are some thoughts that I have been wresting with on the idea on the resurrection

 

    My first observation on the resurrection that with no resurrection, there is no Christianity.  One of the biggest arguments that is used against Christianity is that Jesus didn’t actually die.  He came close to death on the cross to the point of unconsciousness but He didn’t die. This line of thinking makes Christianity out to be a hoax, and that Jesus was a mere mortal who eventually died a natural death.  Essentially with no resurrection, there is no Christianity and we have to redefine our views on God, miracles and eternity. 

   

    The other part to this thought is that if Jesus did make the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and did not rise from the dead, we are still in trouble.  Jesus sacrifice may have taken care of the Old Testament sacrificial system, but we are still stuck in sin.  Jesus death gives us forgiveness for our sins, but His resurrection is what gives us the power over sin and death.  In essence we don’t have to keep banging our head against the wall and continue to live in sin and making poor decisions. 

 

    My second observation that it is hard for someone or something to be resurrected if it is not dead.  Whether it is life itself or a particular habit/characteristic, it can not be brought back to life if it still has a heart beat.  Death can mean the loss of something or someone important and it even means that there is pain involved.   How often do we pull a Martha and blame God for not showing up in time to fix or to protect us from something?  How often do we try and keep something alive, whether it’s a relationship, an activity or moral character that we try to keep alive because we do not want to go through the pain of loosing it and having it die off.  What makes death and resurrection so hard is that there is something that we need to change, and changing is not our strong suit. 

 

   My third observation is that we all have thoughts, attitudes, actions and speech that need to not only go away, but to die.  These are characteristics that take the focus off of God and places it on ourselves and or others.  These things either get us into trouble, or is not what God has called us to do.  Either way, these things either causes us to sin.  These characteristics often drives wedges into our relationship with God and or others, which causes alienation and even eternal issues if left unattended for a long time. 

 

   Resurrection comes in when these attitudes die and go away, something takes it place and are they holy things.  If a smoker gives up smoking , but turns to food, not only is the addiction not dead, but one is trading breathing issues for diabetes and a heart condition.  Resurrection means that the dead is gone and new life is being formed.  It is replacing the destructive things in our lives with the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.  It is things like love, patience, kindness, and self-control.  Resurrection is Jesus providing a way for it to happen, and the Holy Spirit indwelling in us to make it happen because this is something that we can not do on our own.  At salvation, we get all of God, and whether you call it maturing, growing in grace, or sanctification, this process is God getting all of us.  This is where we give things over to God and He makes us a new creation.

 

   My fourth observation is the idea that resurrection is different than recessitation.  Going back to the story of Lazarus, Jesus did show His authority and Lazarus was raised from the dead.  What makes recessatation different is that Lazarus died again.  When we get to heaven, Lazarus will be there, but we have to realize the only way we are getting off this earth is either through death or if Jesus comes back, and death is the most popular option right now.  Jesus was resurrected because He didn’t die again, but ascended up into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God the Father and will come back again to judge the quick and the dead. 

 

   My final observation and probably my favorite is found in the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church.  Paul emphatically proclaims:

Death is swallowed in in victory

O death, where is your victory

O death, where is your sting

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law

But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through

Our Lord Jesus Christ

I Corinthians 15:54-57

This shows that God gave Jesus authority over all and that we can have hope not only in the future for eternity, but this hope extends to the here and now because of the resurrection.  I have said it before and I will say it again, Jesus is not only our hope, but He is the resurrection and the life.  This means He has authority in the future but He is in the business of making all things new in the here and now.  This only can happen when we accept His grace and make Him the Lord of our lives.  This means that we come under His authority and we participate in what He is doing in the here and now.

 

Questions to Ponder

   What are those things in our lives that need to die?

   What are those things that need to be resurrected in our lives?

   Why do we struggle with death?

   How often do we play the blame game?

Blame

Blame- to assign responsibility, a fault or wrong

There he (Elijah) went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

I Kings 19:9-11

It seems like 2020 is the year of the blame.  How often are we blaming this year or the COVID Virus for things that have been canceled or have gone horribly wrong.  Whether it is the loss of jobs, sickness, death rates on the rise, relational issues to our favorite events being canceled/postponed and or changed.  Are we really blaming the virus or the year, on our  political leaders for either not caring enough, or micromanaging to the point of being a dictator.  I think there is a portion of all of us that blame God for allowing/creating the virus and then not healing those who have gotten sick and died.  Someone or something has to be held accountable for the mess we are in and it can’t be me.  This could be why we fight with our loved ones, kick the dog and turn to vices to escape which turns into addictions.  In all reality its playing the victim card and God is somehow to blame.  To paraphrase an NT Wright quote, from his book Evil & The Justice of God

“How often do we want to put God on trial for the evil in the world and to find Him guilty only to find out He has already served His sentence.”

            The first observation about blame is that it is feeling based.  There is nothing wrong with feelings and or emotions, but when they become more important than facts, this is when we have a problem.  How often when we are angry, we say or do something that we end up saying something we regret to we care about.  In essence, emotions can tend to take the moment to the extreme.  I know when I am hungry, and I don’t have any groceries, I tend to go through the fast food drive through and my order can be quite large, which is not good for my waist line or my wallet.  In essence, when we let our feelings take control, we become reactionary to what is happening to and around us.  In essence we are losing control of being rational, level headed and making solid decisions goes out the window.  When this happens, we should take a step back and breath.  We have to look at the situation and find out what is fluff and what are the real issues that are going on and what are responsibilities are in the situation.

            The second observation is that the victim cards gets played.  How often are we like Elijah an proclaim that we are the only ones left.  Not only has everyone else abandoned the cause, but they are out to get me.  The phrase “why is everyone picking on me” comes into play.  The victim card often plays into a self-righteousness attitude that is really dangerous.  It comes across as I am the only one who is doing it right and has kept the faith.  How this comes about is we justify our thoughts, words and actions along with demonizing what others have said, done, or thought.  I think we elevate our intentions, actions and speech, by trying and making them Godly while hold other people to a completely different standard.  In essence the blame game puts us an others in two different camps because we use two different standards.  How often do we hold ourselves to a lower standard than other people or vice versa?  The victim card often creates a dichotomy of two different standards that is just not healthy. The first standard is the one I meet and is relatively easy to meet and I am the only one who knows this standard.  The other standard is the one we place on others which is usually impossible to meet, especially when we don’t tell them about it and we still hold them to it.  We get bitter when they don’t  meet it.  

            The third observation to the blame game is that truth becomes very subjective.  When truth becomes subjective, we tend to divide ourselves into different camps and we point fingers.  The easy example is the American political scene.  As we are gearing up for the presidential election in seven weeks, people are gathering in their camps along with pointing fingers and calling each other nasty names.  Why groups tend to rally around subjective truth is that it makes them feel good, proves their point (no matter how much the facts get skewed) and it turns into some sort of rally cry.  Its aim is also to destroy the other group and sometimes it is done in not so nice ways.  Whether it is a smear campaign or discrediting them with things that are not completely true or holy.  It is often taking an element of truth and distorting it beyond recognition.  One of the hot button topics of today is the movement to defund the police.  Only so much money and law & order will help, the change that is needed in our communities.  The real change starts with the nuclear family.  This is where solid Biblical standards are taught and lived out on a daily basis.  Just remember, what is being taught and lived out  at home will be public policy in the next generation. So are we teaching things that are worth learning and being taught, not only now, but for generations to come and even for eternity?

            The fourth idea of blame is accountability.  Accountability is a good thing and we all need to be held accountable for our speech and actions.  The one thing with the blame game is that we often become the judge, jury and even executioner.  When we feel that either we or someone we care about has been wronged, someone needs to pay.  God is an easy target, because if He is all powerful, He could of fixed it, or prevented it.  When we become judge and jury, we essentially giving ourselves the authority to decide the other persons fate, which is often sticking the nails in the coffin. This often leads to vigilante justice, and we become so hell bent on being right that we often leave a path of destruction.  Going back to that NT Wright quote from the beginning, when we find out that God has already paid the price through His suffering, death and resurrection, this means we have to look in the mirror. When we assign blame, we are assigning guilt, and more often then not, we have blood on our hands.  This is an uncomfortable truth that we have to face and deal with.  It is owning up to what we have done seeking forgiveness/restitution and changing our ways. 

                        Here is my final to thoughts for this blog.  The first one is, there are times where we need to get our head out of our ass.  Toe put it more politely, we need to see the forest through the trees.  Let’s go back to Elijah for a minute.  After got his chest cleared, God reminded Elijah who He was and that Elijah was not only one left.  There were others who did not bow down to Baal and who are still seeking Gods face.  Just like Elijah, we needed to be reminded that its not all about me.  The second thought is that there is a difference between blaming and discernment.  Blaming looks to destroy and discernment looks to correct and build up.

Questions

   What are those things we blame others or God for?

   Does our blaming ever become vindictive or uses vigilante justice?

   Do we ever distort truth to proof a point or to make us feel better?