Most people are interested in the future. We wonder what tomorrow will bring. We want to know about possible careers, retirement, what the stock market will do and how to plan for things to come. We anticipate the next season of whatever show we have been following after one of those season ending cliff hangers. Most followers of Jesus, are curious as to when He will return. We delve into studies on Revelation, Daniel and Ezekiel hoping to find the key to the day of His return. Some add up Biblical numbers and others try to figure out the number of generations that need to pass before He can return. I have been told that as soon as the Gospel is preached unto the whole world, Jesus will return. With radio and the internet this could happen at any moment. Or not. There is only one way to know for sure if a prophecy is true. That is after it has come to pass. I am not saying we cannot trust God's predictive Word, we can be confident that these things will come to pass. We just seldom can know when until after it is over. Perhaps we have missed the main point of the prophetic words given.
The Hebrew language has no real word for the future. Even where translators have used the English word "future" it is more of an interpretation than a translation. Jeremiah 31:17, "There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border." The Hebrew word, shuwb, means to return or turn back. There is hope in their return or coming back. This will happen later so there is a future thought that goes with it. However, it is more about things that follow these events than a specific predictive future. The Hebrew idea of the future is what comes after me. What is behind me that I cannot see. In 1 Samuel 24:21 Jonathan asks David to not cut off his, Jonathan's, descendants after him or those coming behind him. His future generations. If we are honest, our view of the fulfilled prophecies of Messiah in the Gospel accounts were seen less as predictive in the actual prophets' writings. At the time of Isaiah the prediction of a maiden or virgin conceiving and bearing a son was about David's continued line. The Isaiah 7 passage becomes or is understood as predictive when it is applied to the advent of God's Son. The angel applies this to Joseph's situation and he now understands that the passage is predictive. The same is true for John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." During this time in Exodus no one thought, "Oh, this must be about Messiah's crucifixion." We understand it to be after the fact, after Jesus makes it clear.
We should believe and trust that God's predictions are true. Daniel believed that the statue revealed to Nebuchadnezzar was about a series of coming kingdoms. We know it is true because they have come to pass. Except for the toes and you can find lots of diverse opinions on that kingdom. However, the truth is that we will not really know for sure what it is until after it has been fulfilled. We know this ten toed kingdom is coming, we just cannot really know when or what until it is over. That does not keep us from spending an inordinate amount of time making conjectures as to what Daniel meant and when this will occur. If we cannot really know the future, meaning the actual time of events, then what is the purpose of our prophetic books? What is the purpose of knowing there are things behind us, or after us if they are in the shadows until they actually happen?
Perhaps the illustration of the row boat will help. I have heard and read this from a variety of sources so I do not know who to credit; however it helps me understand God's revelation of things to come. If you have ever rowed a rowboat you know that your back is toward where you are going. You get an occasional glance to keep on course, but your clearest view is what has already come to pass. Each stroke takes you further into the future and reveals what the future was as you see it become reality. God has directed us to row. To continue moving into the future knowing He has it all under control. Each stroke verifies that the Lord will see us through. Each stroke builds our confidence in the One directing our path, even if we cannot see it. Each time we read a Scripture that has clearly come to pass our faith is strengthened concerning the things yet to come. Our responsibility is to keep on rowing. Not to know the precise times and plans of God.
Acts 1:6-7, "Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority." The followers of Jesus Messiah today are not much different than they were back there outside Jerusalem. We still ask the question, "Is now the time You will establish your kingdom? Is now the time of Your return?" The answer is still the same, "It is not for you to know." However, Acts one does not stop there. Verse 8 gives this instruction, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We may not be privy to the time of His return but we do know what we are to be doing now. We are to be His witnesses in what we say, what we do, how we live, where ever we go.
Fulfilled prophecy gives us confidence to keep on rowing. God is with us. His promises are true. However, His timing is His alone. Yet, our mission is clear. We are called to make Him known and to make disciples by teaching them all that He has commanded and revealed to us. The future will come no matter what we do or how much time we spend in conjecture trying to guess what we have been told is not ours to know. Or we can be busy doing what we know He has called us to do. Keep rowing and invite as many others as we can to get in the boat.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Integration by Divine Design
How much effort do you put into compartmentalizing your life? We who live in America are surrounded by a culture that encourages us to separate our lives into nice little boxes. This is especially true of those who are male. We already have compartmentalized brains before we are born. Yes, as God knit you together in your mother's womb you were blasted with testosterone which effectively broke down connections in your brain. This is very useful when faced with sudden decisions. We are designed to jump to the emergency box there in the caverns of our minds and leave the other boxes closed so we can focus on the demand at hand. Women, on the other hand, have a vastly greater number of brain connections, thus they are far more integrated in their thoughts. That is why you can start a conversation about the funny noise the car makes, flow to Aunt Ellen, then to what happened at the store and end with an event that happened at the office seamlessly. You find "obvious" connections while your male friend stands staring glassy eyed and at a loss as to how you ended up where you are. Don't blame him. Be patient. He was brain damaged before birth. However, even with the advantage of God's design, females are still prone to be victims of culture. A measure of compartmentalization is almost inevitable.
Why does this matter? It matters because the Word of God is written from a more eastern perspective. The Hebrew culture is far more integrated than our western, American culture. For much of life this appears to have minimal effect. It seems most find little concern or are unaware of the cultural differences. However, one of the reasons we suffer culturally as a nation is the lack of integration in our lives. It offers us the opportunity to have lives that fall into segregated categories. Life can be, in a broad sense, broken down into the sacred and the secular. Many have their religious life and beliefs held in one compartment and their secular lives in another. One of my strongest political memories was hearing a presidential candidate explain that he was, "a Christian and a good Baptist, but he would never let his religious beliefs interfere with how he governed." Most believers, those following Messiah Jesus, would find this a less than positive approach to faith and life. However, many politicians find their way to official places of power through the elective process. It seems that many compartmentalized "Christians", those who set aside their Biblical principles, can support one who will not let Christian or Biblical values interfere with how they govern.
In a more insidious attack, the enemy of our souls finds ways to deceive us or allow us to deceive ourselves. We watch things, listen to things, share things that are damaging to our spirits while placing them in the "entertainment" box or the "being informed box". Gossip is not gossip, it is the "prayer need" box. I am not suggesting that we become cloistered in a monastery to avoid contamination from the world; however, we may become callous to the impact such exposure has on our lives. We have the employee box, parent box, spouse box, church box, entertainment box, income box, and a plethora of other boxes. "I gave my ten percent, I helped with the clean up day, I went to his little league game, I bought her flowers, my boxes are checked off. I completed my responsibilities so I am off to the "fishing box" or "cycling box" or "classic car box". We never intend to separate God out of parts of our lives; however, western culture actually encourages us to do so. God designed us to be integrated people. We are to present all of our lives as living sacrifices.
I have been reminded of this over the past few weeks. First I should explain. I thrive on physical activity. I go to the gym four times a week. I cut, split and stack six cords of wood every year for my wood stove. I actually like shoveling snow, working in my yard and renovating a house the Lord gave us. Plywood, Sheetrock, two by sixes, moving walls, replacing floors, enhances my appreciation for life and keeps me in balance. All this has been taken away. Back in February, about ten weeks ago, I gave myself a hernia shoveling heavy wet snow off of the walkway at our church. Enter Workman's Compensation claim. I will finally see a surgeon this coming week to then schedule my needed surgery. The actual surgery could wait until May, followed by whatever recovery time is needed. In the meantime I cannot lift over ten pounds. I also have continuing discomfort that builds as the days and weeks go by. I have noticed that my left leg is now not happy, neither is my lower back. The rest of my abdominal area is likewise joining into the discomfort arena. I did not ask these other body parts to join into empathetic discomfort with the original injury. What has happened is the rest of my physical being is trying to compensate for the wounded part. It has also had an effect on my sleep which has left me less that mentally alert from time to time. This has led to a bit of insensitivity to those around me. This in turn has had an effect on my spirit and an occasional irritation and frustration with the limitations God has allowed in my life.
I did not ask for the rest of my body to join in the hernia event. They just did. I never had a moment when I thought, "If I walk with more pressure on my left leg my right side will have a little less discomfort." I never told my lower back to be more tense to lend support to my abdominal muscles. They just do. That is due to the reality that God designed my body to be integrated. Every part works together and compensates for the one that is not up to par, And this does not just relate to my physical parts. My mental, emotional, and spiritual life is also affected. It happens automatically without thought simply because God designed me that way. Our lives are to be like that. All the parts working together as an integrated whole. There are no boxes. You are an employee, parent, spouse, neighbor, whatever else you are, all the time. Every aspect of life touches every other aspect of life. What you believe should permeate all that makes up life. No need to ask if you are in the "God box" for you are always in the God box. The parent box is with you at work. You pass up the promotion because it will damage your relationship with your child or your spouse or your church family. The spouse box is with you when you plan dinner out and flowers instead of the new tackle box, or did we just slide into the fishing box? Or maybe you skip dinner and the tackle box is for your daughter as you take her fishing for the first time. So does that make this the child box or dad box or money box? No boxes, just you. It is honestly a challenge to see how all the parts of your life should overlap and blend into every other part. However, that is how God put us together. Don't let culture rob you of God's design. Throw out the boxes and see how the Creator of life wants to saturate every area of your life and bring it all into an integrated and enjoyable whole.
Why does this matter? It matters because the Word of God is written from a more eastern perspective. The Hebrew culture is far more integrated than our western, American culture. For much of life this appears to have minimal effect. It seems most find little concern or are unaware of the cultural differences. However, one of the reasons we suffer culturally as a nation is the lack of integration in our lives. It offers us the opportunity to have lives that fall into segregated categories. Life can be, in a broad sense, broken down into the sacred and the secular. Many have their religious life and beliefs held in one compartment and their secular lives in another. One of my strongest political memories was hearing a presidential candidate explain that he was, "a Christian and a good Baptist, but he would never let his religious beliefs interfere with how he governed." Most believers, those following Messiah Jesus, would find this a less than positive approach to faith and life. However, many politicians find their way to official places of power through the elective process. It seems that many compartmentalized "Christians", those who set aside their Biblical principles, can support one who will not let Christian or Biblical values interfere with how they govern.
In a more insidious attack, the enemy of our souls finds ways to deceive us or allow us to deceive ourselves. We watch things, listen to things, share things that are damaging to our spirits while placing them in the "entertainment" box or the "being informed box". Gossip is not gossip, it is the "prayer need" box. I am not suggesting that we become cloistered in a monastery to avoid contamination from the world; however, we may become callous to the impact such exposure has on our lives. We have the employee box, parent box, spouse box, church box, entertainment box, income box, and a plethora of other boxes. "I gave my ten percent, I helped with the clean up day, I went to his little league game, I bought her flowers, my boxes are checked off. I completed my responsibilities so I am off to the "fishing box" or "cycling box" or "classic car box". We never intend to separate God out of parts of our lives; however, western culture actually encourages us to do so. God designed us to be integrated people. We are to present all of our lives as living sacrifices.
I have been reminded of this over the past few weeks. First I should explain. I thrive on physical activity. I go to the gym four times a week. I cut, split and stack six cords of wood every year for my wood stove. I actually like shoveling snow, working in my yard and renovating a house the Lord gave us. Plywood, Sheetrock, two by sixes, moving walls, replacing floors, enhances my appreciation for life and keeps me in balance. All this has been taken away. Back in February, about ten weeks ago, I gave myself a hernia shoveling heavy wet snow off of the walkway at our church. Enter Workman's Compensation claim. I will finally see a surgeon this coming week to then schedule my needed surgery. The actual surgery could wait until May, followed by whatever recovery time is needed. In the meantime I cannot lift over ten pounds. I also have continuing discomfort that builds as the days and weeks go by. I have noticed that my left leg is now not happy, neither is my lower back. The rest of my abdominal area is likewise joining into the discomfort arena. I did not ask these other body parts to join into empathetic discomfort with the original injury. What has happened is the rest of my physical being is trying to compensate for the wounded part. It has also had an effect on my sleep which has left me less that mentally alert from time to time. This has led to a bit of insensitivity to those around me. This in turn has had an effect on my spirit and an occasional irritation and frustration with the limitations God has allowed in my life.
I did not ask for the rest of my body to join in the hernia event. They just did. I never had a moment when I thought, "If I walk with more pressure on my left leg my right side will have a little less discomfort." I never told my lower back to be more tense to lend support to my abdominal muscles. They just do. That is due to the reality that God designed my body to be integrated. Every part works together and compensates for the one that is not up to par, And this does not just relate to my physical parts. My mental, emotional, and spiritual life is also affected. It happens automatically without thought simply because God designed me that way. Our lives are to be like that. All the parts working together as an integrated whole. There are no boxes. You are an employee, parent, spouse, neighbor, whatever else you are, all the time. Every aspect of life touches every other aspect of life. What you believe should permeate all that makes up life. No need to ask if you are in the "God box" for you are always in the God box. The parent box is with you at work. You pass up the promotion because it will damage your relationship with your child or your spouse or your church family. The spouse box is with you when you plan dinner out and flowers instead of the new tackle box, or did we just slide into the fishing box? Or maybe you skip dinner and the tackle box is for your daughter as you take her fishing for the first time. So does that make this the child box or dad box or money box? No boxes, just you. It is honestly a challenge to see how all the parts of your life should overlap and blend into every other part. However, that is how God put us together. Don't let culture rob you of God's design. Throw out the boxes and see how the Creator of life wants to saturate every area of your life and bring it all into an integrated and enjoyable whole.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Want to Live Abundantly?
Who wouldn't want to live abundantly? Our lives are often immersed in the mundane and routine. I fear we seldom answer the question, "How are you today?" with "Living abundantly!". Yet that is a promise given by our Lord and Messiah, Jesus. John 10:10 records our Lord's words, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I
have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." We are promised a more abundant life. So why doesn't it feel all that abundant at times? Life often feels stressful, confusing, dull, even disappointing. Where is this abundance Jesus offered? Maybe I am misunderstanding the word. The Greek word is, perissos,and it means, exceeding some number or measure or need, over and above, more than is necessary, exceeding abundantly, supremely, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, more remarkable, more excellent. I would say that is pretty much anything I could have imagined as abundant. Perhaps our problem is with the words, "may have", in verse 10. Perhaps there is some sort of catch in realizing this abundant, extraordinary, uncommon, more excellent life Jesus speaks of.
The Greek word translated, "may or might", is echÅ. It is a present subjunctive verb. It means "have" however, the subjunctive mood tells us this is something available yet must be applied or have certain conditions met. The promised abundant life does not just happen. There are qualifications to be met. The Lord has made abundant life available; however, it is our responsibility to see it become a reality in our lives. Not to be harsh, but, if you feel you are missing out on the abundant life you have no one to blame but yourself. This leaves us with the question, "How do I acquire or apply this abundance to my life?" It may be more simple than you might think. Perhaps, it might be well to consider the things that rob us of this promised abundance.
Stressful situations can be very draining. An angry boss or disconnected management making unreasonable demands. The loss of a job, a loved one, or disruption in our homes may keep this abundant life out of reach. Maybe you or someone close to you is diagnosed with cancer or some other horrific disease. Almost anything that comes into our lives that is out of our control can leave us feeling vulnerable, distraught, angry, abandoned or any number of other damaging emotions. We may be the innocent party even the victim of so many things that accompany life. They are very real and often very painful. How can we overcome such assaults and know the life Jesus promised? The enemy truly does want to rob you of peace and hope. He wants to kill your drive for purity, your reputation, your dreams and a dozen other things you hold dear. He wants to destroy you so you feel useless, worthless or even feeling you have no reason to live. None can escape his oppressive attack on our lives and spirits. However, he does not have to win.
I offer a verse, a passage, and a plan to escape all of this and know that promised life of abundance. First, never forget 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." As God's children we hold the reality of His promises. The enemy is not as strong as our Heavenly Father. We are to be victors, not victims. This also means we have the ability to produce the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 & 23. When we consider all of the attacks leveled at us they all have one thing in common. They draw our focus to ourselves. We lose sight of much of what surrounds us. The issues are real and need to be dealt with; however, they do not need to control or overwhelm us. He is greater, remember? The tool I offer is I Corinthians 13. Often called the "love chapter". The chapter contains a fairly comprehensive list of actions that emulate God's love. They are all within our capabilities should we choose to act upon them. We can choose to be patient, kind, to not envy, not brag, or be arrogant. You do not have to be rude, or selfish or angry. Do not dwell on the evil and lies that permeate this world, rather rejoice in God's truth. If we are honest we do not have to react, we can put up with most anything, live out that confident hope and endure. Be gentle, faithful, humble and self-controlled. Quite a list but it is one we can choose to do.
When you wake up tomorrow, no matter what your circumstances, you can choose to live out love and the fruit of the Spirit this day. If you can't remember the lists, put them on a card next to your bed and read it before you get up. Agree with God to live that way today. Be kind to the associate who sells you your coffee. Choose to be patent with other drivers. Say something friendly and encouraging to a co-worker. Excuse the arrogance of your manager and instead, pray for them. You do have the power to be selfless and self controlled as you give someone else that parking space. You can smile and be kind and pleasant to the other shopper in the check out line. If you begin to actively live out a Biblical 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love, abundance will flow into your life. No one can make you angry or irritated, or impatient, or bitter. You both choose that response and in reality give the irritant power over you to destroy your mood and day. Why would we want to give others power over us when we have the option of living out the power of the Spirit in us?
Easy? No. But how much do you want to experience the abundant life? Life's circumstances cannot keep you from being kind, gentle, patient, encouraging, and selfless. Such behavior does bring joy, and God's overshadowing grace. Why not give it a try? What have you got to lose? You might end up defeating the ones out to rob, kill, and destroy your attitude and day. Instead you just might replace it with the Lord's promised abundance. A much better alternative.
The Greek word translated, "may or might", is echÅ. It is a present subjunctive verb. It means "have" however, the subjunctive mood tells us this is something available yet must be applied or have certain conditions met. The promised abundant life does not just happen. There are qualifications to be met. The Lord has made abundant life available; however, it is our responsibility to see it become a reality in our lives. Not to be harsh, but, if you feel you are missing out on the abundant life you have no one to blame but yourself. This leaves us with the question, "How do I acquire or apply this abundance to my life?" It may be more simple than you might think. Perhaps, it might be well to consider the things that rob us of this promised abundance.
Stressful situations can be very draining. An angry boss or disconnected management making unreasonable demands. The loss of a job, a loved one, or disruption in our homes may keep this abundant life out of reach. Maybe you or someone close to you is diagnosed with cancer or some other horrific disease. Almost anything that comes into our lives that is out of our control can leave us feeling vulnerable, distraught, angry, abandoned or any number of other damaging emotions. We may be the innocent party even the victim of so many things that accompany life. They are very real and often very painful. How can we overcome such assaults and know the life Jesus promised? The enemy truly does want to rob you of peace and hope. He wants to kill your drive for purity, your reputation, your dreams and a dozen other things you hold dear. He wants to destroy you so you feel useless, worthless or even feeling you have no reason to live. None can escape his oppressive attack on our lives and spirits. However, he does not have to win.
I offer a verse, a passage, and a plan to escape all of this and know that promised life of abundance. First, never forget 1 John 4:4, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." As God's children we hold the reality of His promises. The enemy is not as strong as our Heavenly Father. We are to be victors, not victims. This also means we have the ability to produce the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 & 23. When we consider all of the attacks leveled at us they all have one thing in common. They draw our focus to ourselves. We lose sight of much of what surrounds us. The issues are real and need to be dealt with; however, they do not need to control or overwhelm us. He is greater, remember? The tool I offer is I Corinthians 13. Often called the "love chapter". The chapter contains a fairly comprehensive list of actions that emulate God's love. They are all within our capabilities should we choose to act upon them. We can choose to be patient, kind, to not envy, not brag, or be arrogant. You do not have to be rude, or selfish or angry. Do not dwell on the evil and lies that permeate this world, rather rejoice in God's truth. If we are honest we do not have to react, we can put up with most anything, live out that confident hope and endure. Be gentle, faithful, humble and self-controlled. Quite a list but it is one we can choose to do.
When you wake up tomorrow, no matter what your circumstances, you can choose to live out love and the fruit of the Spirit this day. If you can't remember the lists, put them on a card next to your bed and read it before you get up. Agree with God to live that way today. Be kind to the associate who sells you your coffee. Choose to be patent with other drivers. Say something friendly and encouraging to a co-worker. Excuse the arrogance of your manager and instead, pray for them. You do have the power to be selfless and self controlled as you give someone else that parking space. You can smile and be kind and pleasant to the other shopper in the check out line. If you begin to actively live out a Biblical 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love, abundance will flow into your life. No one can make you angry or irritated, or impatient, or bitter. You both choose that response and in reality give the irritant power over you to destroy your mood and day. Why would we want to give others power over us when we have the option of living out the power of the Spirit in us?
Easy? No. But how much do you want to experience the abundant life? Life's circumstances cannot keep you from being kind, gentle, patient, encouraging, and selfless. Such behavior does bring joy, and God's overshadowing grace. Why not give it a try? What have you got to lose? You might end up defeating the ones out to rob, kill, and destroy your attitude and day. Instead you just might replace it with the Lord's promised abundance. A much better alternative.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Thanking God With No Leftovers
We are approaching the celebration of Passover and with that there may be some thought to the offering of the Passover lamb. Thinking of that offering I was drawn to take a look at the number of offerings that are prescribed in God's Word. There were peace offerings, and offerings associated with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and monthly offerings at the New Moon Celebration. We also have sin offerings and offering that come with the Feast of Trumpets at harvest time. Lots of opportunities to bring the Lord an offering. We could also throw in those offerings of praise and that of ourselves as "living offerings" found in Romans 12:1. I am always impressed that when I begin a bit of a study God brings related studies to my attention, whether I am looking for them or not. The thoughts of this blog are spawned by a post that came to me from First Fruits of Zion. It is a Messianic website with interesting things to read and some thought provoking ideas as well. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the connection between Israel and the followers of Messiah or the Church, as we commonly refer to it. I do not intend to plagiarize for these thoughts are a compilation of stuff that has lodged in my brain over the years. However, I do want to give credit where credit is due. The offering we will look at today is the Thank Offering. This offering has some unique qualities that could easily apply to
us. If put into practice it would bring a pretty radical change to the believing community. A very positive change we would all be blessed by.
Leviticus holds many of the regulations concerning the offerings. We will just touch on a few.
Leviticus 7:2 & 7, "The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them." Should an Israelite, a child of God, bring a guilt or a sin offering they had no right to the meat of the offering or to the bread or grain offered. It belonged to the priests. However, the priests could eat it that day and the day to follow, but only at the tabernacle or temple. On the third day any left over had to be disposed of. The pattern was consistent with all the offerings brought to the Lord, all except the thanksgiving offering.
Leviticus 22:29-30, “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD." Here we read that the offering was to be eaten on the same day. No leftovers. Be it a sheep, goat, calf or bull it had to be eaten on the day it was offered. It was not reserved for the priests. There were particular parts that were to be offered by the priest but the remaining meat was to go to the one making the thanksgiving offering. The only exception was in Leviticus 7:16, "If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day." If the Thanksgiving offering was tied to a vow or an offering previously promised to the Lord than there was an extra day to eat it. Same was true of peace offerings. The meat was good to eat until the third day. Why the restriction for just the Thanksgiving offering? Why must it be eaten on the same day it is offered?
Thanksgiving offerings were unique in that they were not regularly scheduled or there out of compulsion. The offerings tied to specific feasts and festivals were to be given at that prescribed time. Sin and guilt offerings were required to care for those particular situations. Thanksgiving offerings were given when one wanted to express thanksgiving to the Lord in a special way. Perhaps due to a special healing, answer to prayer, provision or some deliverance that highlighted God's goodness to the one coming to express their gratitude. The child of God, who simply wanted to express thanksgiving, could do so at any time. Now comes the question, "Why must it all be eaten on the day it was offered? Why the shortened time frame? To me, that just seemed sort of random and a bit of a challenge to consume that much meat in one day. A question I asked myself with no satisfying answer and my commentaries gave little help. Enter a thought from First Fruits of Zion. The thought there was that this compelled the one making the offering to gather friends and family for a feast in order to share the meat. This way the Lord's goodness could be shared with all who came. What a cool thought! My mind took off running with lots of tangent thoughts and ideas.
I have asked for prayer from time to time. Even now I am going through the annoying process of waiting for my insurance to approve a needed hernia surgery. In the mean time I cannot pick up anything much heavier than a pair of socks. As one who thrives on going to the gym, cutting wood, working in the yard, and doing renovations on a home that needs new floors and walls, I am pretty much beyond frustrated. Either the projects have to wait or I need to find sheets of plywood that weigh less than ten pounds. However, in time, this will be resolved. The surgery will happen and I will recover. God will answer in His time. When He does I will be thankful. Maybe this is not enough. Maybe I should have a party and have a bunch of friend and family over for dinner and a time to share and proclaim God's goodness to me.
What would happen to the relationships we have in the assemblies we fellowship in if we did this on a sort of random basis? You asked for prayer because of a battle with cancer and your spouse is healed. Why not have a few friends over for dinner and celebrate God's answer? Maybe you have been praying for a job situation and that has been resolved, so you have three or four families over for cake and coffee, just to let them know how grateful you are to the Lord and for their prayers. Imagine, scattered through out our church families random times of fellowship being enjoyed just to bring and to share a thanksgiving offering to the God who heals and provides. It may well be time to follow Nehemiah's direction to "Eat the fat and drink the sweet" every now and then and share in some praise and thanksgiving to our God and Savior. Nehemiah 8:10, "Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Maybe the body of believers you belong to would be strengthened as you share in the joy of the Lord and celebrate some times of a Thanksgiving dinner in April or July or any time. If you are an American, why wait until November for a thanksgiving celebration? Isn't any time God reveals His grace, mercy, compassion, and lovingkindness worth a little thanksgiving celebration?
Maybe as we call upon friends and prayer partners to bring our concerns and burdens to God's throne of grace we should give a little thought to a thanksgiving gathering when the answer comes. What would it do for all of us to come together in random, rather intimate, gatherings in our homes or backyards for a time to honor God. It would not be a bad thing to lift up praise to His holy name for the good things He has done. Perhaps our attitudes would change and we would be a more grateful and joyful people, Maybe we would be strengthened and encouraged to pray for one another. Perhaps our focus would rest more on praise and the wonder of the God who so desperately cares for us instead of what we perceive to be our problems. It could be that our lives become more of a sacrifice of praise than we have ever known.
Do not be surprised when my invitation comes for you to join me after the Lord brings the needed surgery and healing to pass in my life. Maybe you too will have a reason for a thanksgiving gathering as God pours out His lovingkindness upon your life as well. Just remember, invite enough folks so there are no leftovers.
Leviticus 7:2 & 7, "The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them." Should an Israelite, a child of God, bring a guilt or a sin offering they had no right to the meat of the offering or to the bread or grain offered. It belonged to the priests. However, the priests could eat it that day and the day to follow, but only at the tabernacle or temple. On the third day any left over had to be disposed of. The pattern was consistent with all the offerings brought to the Lord, all except the thanksgiving offering.
Leviticus 22:29-30, “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the LORD." Here we read that the offering was to be eaten on the same day. No leftovers. Be it a sheep, goat, calf or bull it had to be eaten on the day it was offered. It was not reserved for the priests. There were particular parts that were to be offered by the priest but the remaining meat was to go to the one making the thanksgiving offering. The only exception was in Leviticus 7:16, "If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day." If the Thanksgiving offering was tied to a vow or an offering previously promised to the Lord than there was an extra day to eat it. Same was true of peace offerings. The meat was good to eat until the third day. Why the restriction for just the Thanksgiving offering? Why must it be eaten on the same day it is offered?
Thanksgiving offerings were unique in that they were not regularly scheduled or there out of compulsion. The offerings tied to specific feasts and festivals were to be given at that prescribed time. Sin and guilt offerings were required to care for those particular situations. Thanksgiving offerings were given when one wanted to express thanksgiving to the Lord in a special way. Perhaps due to a special healing, answer to prayer, provision or some deliverance that highlighted God's goodness to the one coming to express their gratitude. The child of God, who simply wanted to express thanksgiving, could do so at any time. Now comes the question, "Why must it all be eaten on the day it was offered? Why the shortened time frame? To me, that just seemed sort of random and a bit of a challenge to consume that much meat in one day. A question I asked myself with no satisfying answer and my commentaries gave little help. Enter a thought from First Fruits of Zion. The thought there was that this compelled the one making the offering to gather friends and family for a feast in order to share the meat. This way the Lord's goodness could be shared with all who came. What a cool thought! My mind took off running with lots of tangent thoughts and ideas.
I have asked for prayer from time to time. Even now I am going through the annoying process of waiting for my insurance to approve a needed hernia surgery. In the mean time I cannot pick up anything much heavier than a pair of socks. As one who thrives on going to the gym, cutting wood, working in the yard, and doing renovations on a home that needs new floors and walls, I am pretty much beyond frustrated. Either the projects have to wait or I need to find sheets of plywood that weigh less than ten pounds. However, in time, this will be resolved. The surgery will happen and I will recover. God will answer in His time. When He does I will be thankful. Maybe this is not enough. Maybe I should have a party and have a bunch of friend and family over for dinner and a time to share and proclaim God's goodness to me.
What would happen to the relationships we have in the assemblies we fellowship in if we did this on a sort of random basis? You asked for prayer because of a battle with cancer and your spouse is healed. Why not have a few friends over for dinner and celebrate God's answer? Maybe you have been praying for a job situation and that has been resolved, so you have three or four families over for cake and coffee, just to let them know how grateful you are to the Lord and for their prayers. Imagine, scattered through out our church families random times of fellowship being enjoyed just to bring and to share a thanksgiving offering to the God who heals and provides. It may well be time to follow Nehemiah's direction to "Eat the fat and drink the sweet" every now and then and share in some praise and thanksgiving to our God and Savior. Nehemiah 8:10, "Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Maybe the body of believers you belong to would be strengthened as you share in the joy of the Lord and celebrate some times of a Thanksgiving dinner in April or July or any time. If you are an American, why wait until November for a thanksgiving celebration? Isn't any time God reveals His grace, mercy, compassion, and lovingkindness worth a little thanksgiving celebration?
Maybe as we call upon friends and prayer partners to bring our concerns and burdens to God's throne of grace we should give a little thought to a thanksgiving gathering when the answer comes. What would it do for all of us to come together in random, rather intimate, gatherings in our homes or backyards for a time to honor God. It would not be a bad thing to lift up praise to His holy name for the good things He has done. Perhaps our attitudes would change and we would be a more grateful and joyful people, Maybe we would be strengthened and encouraged to pray for one another. Perhaps our focus would rest more on praise and the wonder of the God who so desperately cares for us instead of what we perceive to be our problems. It could be that our lives become more of a sacrifice of praise than we have ever known.
Do not be surprised when my invitation comes for you to join me after the Lord brings the needed surgery and healing to pass in my life. Maybe you too will have a reason for a thanksgiving gathering as God pours out His lovingkindness upon your life as well. Just remember, invite enough folks so there are no leftovers.
Monday, March 19, 2018
The Biblical Numbers of Inspiration
Have you noticed that God seems to have some favorite numbers? He seems big on seven, and twelve; forty is pretty popular as well. Perhaps one is the loneliest number that you ever knew. Sorry, couldn't resist a little Three Dog Night reference. Numbers are pretty helpful when trying to understand how long kings reign and how long things like the tribulation will last. But numbers are also a problem. The record of the Kings seems to be at odds with those of the writers of the Chronicles.Simply put, there are a number of times that the numbers simply do not add up. From simple things like the number of supervisors Solomon had working on the temple, 3,300 in 1 Kings 5 compared to 3,600 in 2 Chronicles 2:18, to the difference of 10,000 vs 2,000 footmen in 2 Kings 13. Many evangelicals, and those deeply committed to a ridged inerrancy, struggle with these apparent contradictions. Some spend significant amounts of time carefully backtracking the number of years kings reigned and major events that happened to discover things like the age of the earth or the date of creation. They often fail to take into account the possible overlap of kings and their sons and the reality that the scriptures are not written from a western or American cultural point of view. Eastern, Hebraic culture is far less concerned with dates and time lines than they are with relationships and the record of the experience of people. We misunderstand the point as we allow ourselves to be trapped in our western culture.
The culture of the Scriptures, in particular the Old Testament, allows, even expects, exaggeration to make a point. 1 Samuel 18:7 proclaims, "And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Is it really reasonable to think David, as a very young general and fairly resent soldier, had honestly slain tens of thousands of enemy soldiers? Or is exaggeration used to make a point? 2 Chronicles 1:15 is another example, "Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland." Really? Gold and silver as common as stones in Jerusalem? Jerusalem is nothing but stones! Oh, the author is using exaggeration to make a point. As we read through the Scriptures it is well to remember that eastern records make ready use of hyperbole and exaggeration as they record events. This is true of Babylon, Egypt, and the nations that surrounded Israel. It is also true of the writers of the Biblical text. If you are too ridged in your view of the inerrant Scriptures you will find yourself exercising textual gymnastics to try to get things to fit. Even Matthew conveniently leaves out a few kings to get his genealogical formula to work. The point is not the accuracy of the list but the reality that Yeshua is clearly in the line of David and thus qualified to be Messiah.
If we are honest we do similar things as well. We see a friend and say. "It has been a life time since I last saw you." Probably not a life time. Maybe we are disappointed with a corrupt political leader and say, "They broke every law on the books." Every law? How about a little history lesson as we reflect that General Custer was over run by a million Sioux warriors. Well, maybe not quite a million. We understand that all of these statements use exaggeration to make a point. We need to realize that the Scriptures do the same, from time to time. There are indeed more precise numbers that hold true. There were twelve sons of Israel, and David did reign for forty years. It seems clear that there will be a thousand year reign of Messiah, and the earth was created in six literal twenty-four hours days. Umm, wait a minute, even that is up for debate. My point is that we do not need to feel threatened when we find some apparent discrepancy in the differing records of historic events in the Bible. The authors had a point to make that was focused upon relationships between God and people. Or perhaps the relationship between groups or even individuals. The writers' intent, as directed by God's Spirit, was to help us experience the moment or the event. To learn of God more than the precise number or location that is recorded. Differing writers write from different points of view.
This is why we have four Gospel accounts. Fuor differing views and four ways to present Messiah and His relationship to His people. We can hunt for discrepancies in the various accounts or realize that presenting an accurate chronological history is not the point. The point is to present Messiah in real life with real interaction with real people. The text is an Hebraic experiential record not a western history book. I am not suggesting that we toss inerrancy out, God has given us an accurate account of what He desires us to know and to live out. However, perhaps we need a little more cultural flexibility as we approach God's Word. Perhaps we get so tied up in trying to get the numbers to match that we miss the point God wants us to grasp. Maybe two different authors recorded the same event from their own point of view with the information they had at hand. Maybe that is why we have a few differences. Maybe God wants us to simply know that there are consequences for our behavior instead of how many Amalekites attacked an idolatrous Israel.
The culture of the Scriptures, in particular the Old Testament, allows, even expects, exaggeration to make a point. 1 Samuel 18:7 proclaims, "And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Is it really reasonable to think David, as a very young general and fairly resent soldier, had honestly slain tens of thousands of enemy soldiers? Or is exaggeration used to make a point? 2 Chronicles 1:15 is another example, "Also the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland." Really? Gold and silver as common as stones in Jerusalem? Jerusalem is nothing but stones! Oh, the author is using exaggeration to make a point. As we read through the Scriptures it is well to remember that eastern records make ready use of hyperbole and exaggeration as they record events. This is true of Babylon, Egypt, and the nations that surrounded Israel. It is also true of the writers of the Biblical text. If you are too ridged in your view of the inerrant Scriptures you will find yourself exercising textual gymnastics to try to get things to fit. Even Matthew conveniently leaves out a few kings to get his genealogical formula to work. The point is not the accuracy of the list but the reality that Yeshua is clearly in the line of David and thus qualified to be Messiah.
If we are honest we do similar things as well. We see a friend and say. "It has been a life time since I last saw you." Probably not a life time. Maybe we are disappointed with a corrupt political leader and say, "They broke every law on the books." Every law? How about a little history lesson as we reflect that General Custer was over run by a million Sioux warriors. Well, maybe not quite a million. We understand that all of these statements use exaggeration to make a point. We need to realize that the Scriptures do the same, from time to time. There are indeed more precise numbers that hold true. There were twelve sons of Israel, and David did reign for forty years. It seems clear that there will be a thousand year reign of Messiah, and the earth was created in six literal twenty-four hours days. Umm, wait a minute, even that is up for debate. My point is that we do not need to feel threatened when we find some apparent discrepancy in the differing records of historic events in the Bible. The authors had a point to make that was focused upon relationships between God and people. Or perhaps the relationship between groups or even individuals. The writers' intent, as directed by God's Spirit, was to help us experience the moment or the event. To learn of God more than the precise number or location that is recorded. Differing writers write from different points of view.
This is why we have four Gospel accounts. Fuor differing views and four ways to present Messiah and His relationship to His people. We can hunt for discrepancies in the various accounts or realize that presenting an accurate chronological history is not the point. The point is to present Messiah in real life with real interaction with real people. The text is an Hebraic experiential record not a western history book. I am not suggesting that we toss inerrancy out, God has given us an accurate account of what He desires us to know and to live out. However, perhaps we need a little more cultural flexibility as we approach God's Word. Perhaps we get so tied up in trying to get the numbers to match that we miss the point God wants us to grasp. Maybe two different authors recorded the same event from their own point of view with the information they had at hand. Maybe that is why we have a few differences. Maybe God wants us to simply know that there are consequences for our behavior instead of how many Amalekites attacked an idolatrous Israel.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Understanding the Real Word of God
How would you describe the Bible to someone who had never seen it before? A number of possibilities might come to mind. It is the Word of God. Which may not be all that helpful to the inquisitive yet ignorant mind of the seeker. It is a Theology book, or maybe something about ethics or an ideology. That may be true, but it would be unhelpful to the uninformed. You could go with history, however, the history that is there is rather spotty. It also contains some pretty unsettling stories of immoral behavior, murder and a touch of the supernatural. There are times when this history isn't even chronological and bounces from one genre to another. Stories, poetry, letters, some rather apocalyptic stuff, with both gaps and redundancy. It doesn't even seem to hold a very consistent order of things. Moving from expression of literature to another. And what of some of those strange literary images of beasts and wheel inside wheels. None of the Christmas tree topper angels looked like these descriptions. As believers, we can take for granted that all this makes some sort of sense.
Yet, even for us, we tend to gravitate from one Biblical category to another. There is a bit of truth in all of our labels, however, none are really all that satisfying. We struggle, in part, because we are bound to our culture. If you come from a western mindset, Europe or America for example, you view things from a certain perspective. Even those at a greater arms distance have been affected by the influence that western, American, culture wields. With the internet, music and the American film culture few have escaped the western influence. For whatever reason God has determined to reveal Himself through a record of encounters with humanity. For the most part, through His relationship with Israel. The events recorded are relational and experiential, giving information as to who God is, what He has done and what He requires of His creation. We learn of Him through the recorded accounts of His people over an extended time. The accounts are not sanitized or edited to make them more palatable. They carry the wonder of grace and kindness and the horror of depravity and unspeakable cruelty. They do so because that is the reality of humanity either in concert with God's instructions and directions for life or the abject rejection of His authority. These are placed on display in various degrees of agreement or rebellion for us to review, consider and apply.
Western culture prefers order, neat timelines and crisp structure to our stories. We want logic and the right answers. While at the same time we are sold out to situation ethics and flexible morality that changes with the times. The good guys should win, in the end. Directions should be evident and relatively easy to follow. How you feel is important and as long as nobody gets hurt, your actions should not be judged. As the revelation God has chosen to share does not follow those guidelines we pursue ways to make God's accounts more acceptable. Thus, theologians may spend a lifetime writing a systematic theology to gather all the fragments of delineated concepts into one discernible package. We spend vast amounts of time categorizing and cataloguing our findings. We tag them with impressive titles like, pneumatology, hamartiology, Christology and eschatology. We endeavor to create timelines and chronologies so the stories of the Bible can be followed easily and grouped together in handy flow charts. We also spend generations debating topics like "free will vs predestination" "faith and works" and whether you are pre-, post, or a-millennial, struggling to convince the rest of Christendom that we have the right answer.
None of these are particularly wrong. However, I fear we miss much of the real revelation of God in our vain attempt to organize and codify what has been graciously given to us. God integrates everything He chooses to reveal to us. What we desire to divide, the Lord reveals as an integrated whole. As we strive to know the right answer, God desires a right relationship. He gives us a book of examples as to how to achieve that and how to see relationships fall apart. We argue over the future while God reveals how we should live now. We develop charts and timelines while God reveals that He works in cycles. He lets us know if we fail this time there will be another opportunity to get it right. Our timelines tend to imprison us in failure while God reveals that He gives second chances.
Perhaps we need to step back and let the Word of God just be what it is. A remarkable gathering of profoundly messy relationships and experiences with the God of Israel and among the humans that have inhabited this planet. That is where we learn what we need to know. We learn of compassion from the story of Ruth. How to deal with unjust accusations as we follow David while he flees from Saul. Justice and mercy in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. God's sovereign control in the story of Esther. A bit about the consequences of deceit and the God of second chances from the life of Jacob. How God redeems a murderer in the life of the Apostle Paul. The hope of the resurrection from the women at the tomb. Real people, real relationships, real life experiences with the God of creation. Has our effort to "rightly divide the Word of truth" left us with a cold academics that denies the real Word of God? A message from a God who loved us so much He recorded a book filled with experiences we can relate to just to show us who He is and how we can best live life in the here and now. Maybe this is the real revelation God has given us after all.
Yet, even for us, we tend to gravitate from one Biblical category to another. There is a bit of truth in all of our labels, however, none are really all that satisfying. We struggle, in part, because we are bound to our culture. If you come from a western mindset, Europe or America for example, you view things from a certain perspective. Even those at a greater arms distance have been affected by the influence that western, American, culture wields. With the internet, music and the American film culture few have escaped the western influence. For whatever reason God has determined to reveal Himself through a record of encounters with humanity. For the most part, through His relationship with Israel. The events recorded are relational and experiential, giving information as to who God is, what He has done and what He requires of His creation. We learn of Him through the recorded accounts of His people over an extended time. The accounts are not sanitized or edited to make them more palatable. They carry the wonder of grace and kindness and the horror of depravity and unspeakable cruelty. They do so because that is the reality of humanity either in concert with God's instructions and directions for life or the abject rejection of His authority. These are placed on display in various degrees of agreement or rebellion for us to review, consider and apply.
Western culture prefers order, neat timelines and crisp structure to our stories. We want logic and the right answers. While at the same time we are sold out to situation ethics and flexible morality that changes with the times. The good guys should win, in the end. Directions should be evident and relatively easy to follow. How you feel is important and as long as nobody gets hurt, your actions should not be judged. As the revelation God has chosen to share does not follow those guidelines we pursue ways to make God's accounts more acceptable. Thus, theologians may spend a lifetime writing a systematic theology to gather all the fragments of delineated concepts into one discernible package. We spend vast amounts of time categorizing and cataloguing our findings. We tag them with impressive titles like, pneumatology, hamartiology, Christology and eschatology. We endeavor to create timelines and chronologies so the stories of the Bible can be followed easily and grouped together in handy flow charts. We also spend generations debating topics like "free will vs predestination" "faith and works" and whether you are pre-, post, or a-millennial, struggling to convince the rest of Christendom that we have the right answer.
None of these are particularly wrong. However, I fear we miss much of the real revelation of God in our vain attempt to organize and codify what has been graciously given to us. God integrates everything He chooses to reveal to us. What we desire to divide, the Lord reveals as an integrated whole. As we strive to know the right answer, God desires a right relationship. He gives us a book of examples as to how to achieve that and how to see relationships fall apart. We argue over the future while God reveals how we should live now. We develop charts and timelines while God reveals that He works in cycles. He lets us know if we fail this time there will be another opportunity to get it right. Our timelines tend to imprison us in failure while God reveals that He gives second chances.
Perhaps we need to step back and let the Word of God just be what it is. A remarkable gathering of profoundly messy relationships and experiences with the God of Israel and among the humans that have inhabited this planet. That is where we learn what we need to know. We learn of compassion from the story of Ruth. How to deal with unjust accusations as we follow David while he flees from Saul. Justice and mercy in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah. God's sovereign control in the story of Esther. A bit about the consequences of deceit and the God of second chances from the life of Jacob. How God redeems a murderer in the life of the Apostle Paul. The hope of the resurrection from the women at the tomb. Real people, real relationships, real life experiences with the God of creation. Has our effort to "rightly divide the Word of truth" left us with a cold academics that denies the real Word of God? A message from a God who loved us so much He recorded a book filled with experiences we can relate to just to show us who He is and how we can best live life in the here and now. Maybe this is the real revelation God has given us after all.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Are You God's Leaky Vessel?
God uses some interesting things to help us understand who we are in Him. We are sheep, a body, and living stones making up a temple. We are His friends, co-heirs, and God's sons. He also calls us His "earthen vessels". 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." Even though we came from the soil, check Genesis 2:7, the Lord has determined to use us to carry the glory of His message concerning His Son. The Spirit of God dwells in us and empowers us to live lives that have purpose and value. However, there seems to be an issue with God's plan. Even though all these things are true, God directs the Apostle Paul to warn the believers in Ephesus that their vessels may well leak.
Ephesians 5:18, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Writing to a city that had pagan festivals which involved the consuming of wine to the point of intoxication, Paul warns the believers to avoid such conduct. Drunkenness removes self-control and leads to all sorts of actions that are wounding, foolish and sinful. In opposition to this the Spirit brings forth fruit, including , self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). To be consistent in our Spiritual fruit bearing we are told to be "filled with the Spirit". Individuals have had some interesting interpretations concerning this verse. Sometimes forgetting that "self-control" is an evidence of the Spirit's filling not lack of control. We, who are filled, should be bringing forth that Spiritual Fruit. You remember, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These aspects of the Spirit's fruit integrated together reveal that "excellence of the power of God" we read of in 2 Corinthians 4:7. So we have the message and the power, however, we do not seem to always be effective at putting all that on display.
The problem seems to be that our earthen vessels leak. In Ephesians 5:18 the word "filled" is actually a present passive imperative verb. Meaning we need to constantly keep on being filled with the Spirit. The passive part indicates we cannot do this ourselves. It is something the Spirit does, we just need to be willing receptacles. In reality, it is less that we need more of God's Spirit and more like God's Spirit needs more of us. We crowd our lives with an enormous amount of stuff and push the Spirit into the corners of our existence. We replace the Spirit with things like anxiety, bitterness, complacency and insensitivity. It is never our objective to do so. We my never get drunk with wine but we may well replace being self-controlled by the Spirit. It may be that we acquiesce to the cry of the urgent and the tentacles of our illusion that we can handle things on our own. We often are unaware of how easily we can be drawn away from the Spirit and fail to receive His desired filling of our lives. It seems, in my own life, that my Earthen vessel leaks more often than I would want to believe. Paul shares some very good advice. We do indeed need to keep on being filled with the Spirit so we can produce the fruit of the Spirit so the excellence of the power may be of God, rather than having our own weakness on display. I do want to be more than a leaky vessel. How about you?
Ephesians 5:18, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Writing to a city that had pagan festivals which involved the consuming of wine to the point of intoxication, Paul warns the believers to avoid such conduct. Drunkenness removes self-control and leads to all sorts of actions that are wounding, foolish and sinful. In opposition to this the Spirit brings forth fruit, including , self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). To be consistent in our Spiritual fruit bearing we are told to be "filled with the Spirit". Individuals have had some interesting interpretations concerning this verse. Sometimes forgetting that "self-control" is an evidence of the Spirit's filling not lack of control. We, who are filled, should be bringing forth that Spiritual Fruit. You remember, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These aspects of the Spirit's fruit integrated together reveal that "excellence of the power of God" we read of in 2 Corinthians 4:7. So we have the message and the power, however, we do not seem to always be effective at putting all that on display.
The problem seems to be that our earthen vessels leak. In Ephesians 5:18 the word "filled" is actually a present passive imperative verb. Meaning we need to constantly keep on being filled with the Spirit. The passive part indicates we cannot do this ourselves. It is something the Spirit does, we just need to be willing receptacles. In reality, it is less that we need more of God's Spirit and more like God's Spirit needs more of us. We crowd our lives with an enormous amount of stuff and push the Spirit into the corners of our existence. We replace the Spirit with things like anxiety, bitterness, complacency and insensitivity. It is never our objective to do so. We my never get drunk with wine but we may well replace being self-controlled by the Spirit. It may be that we acquiesce to the cry of the urgent and the tentacles of our illusion that we can handle things on our own. We often are unaware of how easily we can be drawn away from the Spirit and fail to receive His desired filling of our lives. It seems, in my own life, that my Earthen vessel leaks more often than I would want to believe. Paul shares some very good advice. We do indeed need to keep on being filled with the Spirit so we can produce the fruit of the Spirit so the excellence of the power may be of God, rather than having our own weakness on display. I do want to be more than a leaky vessel. How about you?
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