Unrighteous Silence

 Wednesday mornings I meet with three other pastors for prayer. We begin with a psalm, and yesterday’s was 58. It begins like this:

“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?” —Psalm 58:1 

Taken at face value, it doesn’t seem to make much sense until you know (as I didn’t at the time) that the Hebrew word for “silent ones” is similar to the word for “gods,” or “rulers.” Hebrew doesn’t have vowels, only consonants, so with only consonants to work with, various possibilities emerge. 

The meaning becomes clear when you put the different meanings together. David is speaking about rulers and authorities who have the power to treat people fairly, but keep silence when injustice is being done. It is a cry to God and a challenge to leaders: Don’t remain silent in the face of injustice. Cry out boldly to God or the curses pronounced here may land on you.

Part of the injustice against which we must cry is the bondage to sin that comes when people believe Satan’s lies. Cry out in prayer for those held captive to their fears, unforgiveness, and their broken hearts. 

God’s seal

 1/15/25

Yesterday, I wrote about the mark of the Beast—the mark on the forehead and hand of those who fall under the sway of this demonic tyrant who controls people’s ability to buy and sell by means of this mark. People have interpreted this as a bar or QR code; plausible, but who knows? 

This mark is contrasted with the seal of God on the foreheads of his saints. Notice the difference. We make a mark on a whiteboard (or blackboard for us traditionalists). It’s temporary, can easily be wiped away. A seal however, is permanent. King Tut’s tomb was sealed for 3,000 years. Meema seals her applesauce, I seal grape juice, keeping the air out, preserving the contents within. 

The seal of God is greater than the mark of the Beast. Listen to what Paul says:

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” —II Timothy 2:19

When we are claimed by God, we are also protected by God. Listen again to Paul:

“In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”  —Ephesians 1:13-14 

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” —Ephesians 4:30 

God himself guarantees our salvation by the protective and preservative power of the seal of his Holy Spirit within us. So it doesn’t matter if at one time your mind was under the mark, or control, of the Enemy. When we place our faith in Jesus, God seals us, changing the way we think and act, and guaranteeing that what he began in us he will bring to completion in his own time. (See Philippians 1:6). So give thanks today that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ, our Lord! (Romans 8:38-39).

The Seal

 1/14/25

A few days ago I wrote about being careful about labeling natural disasters like the California wildfires as the judgment of God. It may be so, but then the question remains, “Why only California?” Such devastating events have a way of prodding people to think in apocalyptic terms, which bring me to the book of Revelation. Its wild imagery of death and destruction has inspired songs and books for generations, and lead many to read into current situations much of what is recorded there. Some of it may be justified, but problems arise when we read imagery literally. Take for example, where it speaks of “the mark of the beast.”

“[The Beast] required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.” —Revelation 13:16-17 

Some read this and think of a bar or QR code branded into the forehead of those who worship the Beast, or perhaps a computer chip injected into the skin of the hand. But if this were true, consistency in interpretation would require us to apply the same thinking to 7:3 and 22:4 where a seal is placed on the forehead of God’s saints:

“Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” (7:3)

“And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.”( 22:4) 

I’ve never heard of anyone believing Christians will have a literal brand on their foreheads or a computer chip injected into their hand. Consistency in interpretation requires that the same imagery be interpreted the same way. So what is going on?

In Biblical times, a seal on a document (or even a tomb—Matthew 27:66) marked ownership and authority. The mark on the forehead is symbolic and refers more to our thinking being controlled by the values of this world or of God, and the mark on the hand referring to our actions being controlled either by a mind governed by this world or by God’s values. If my thinking is correct, these verses in Revelation aren’t fodder for some science fiction imagination of what the future will be like. They are telling us how important it is for you and me, here and now, to allow God’s Holy Spirit to govern our thinking and behaving. It’s not enough to say I’ve received Jesus as my Savior if I haven’t allowed my thinking to be under the authority of God’s thoughts.

As Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Or in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 where we bring every thought captive to Jesus Christ. Or Colossians 3:2 where we are to have the mind of Christ. Get God’s Word branded into your brain so your hand will respond to Christ’s call to love and serve others. It’s the only alternative to your thoughts and deeds being governed by the deceptive, perverted, and destructive ways of this world.

Wait

 1/12/25

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; 

From Him comes my salvation. 

He only is my rock and my salvation; 

He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. 

My soul, wait silently for God alone, 

For my expectation is from Him. 

He only is my rock and my salvation; 

He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”

—Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6 

Every January, Meema chooses a word to be a guide and goal for the year. This year, her word is “Steadfast,” which is what I want to talk about today. Psalm 62 gives us a good definition for steadfast when it talks about not being moved. David uses the word picture of a huge rock behind which he can hide or on which he can stand. No matter what comes his way, the rock stands immovable.

If you read these verses carefully, you’ll notice a change in the wording. The word “salvation” in verse 1 changes in verse 5 to “expectation;” he is now confident that whatever comes against him cannot succeed. But there is another, subtler change: from “greatly moved,” he says he “shall not be moved.” In the first occurrence, he is somewhat tentative; by the time he gets to verses five and six, he is completely confident that he will be steadfast. How did this transformation come? Again, the wording is subtle, but significant.

In the first verse, he tells us his soul waits silently for God. Faced with all sorts of problems, he has begun to simply wait, listening for God, looking for how he will work. But in verse five, he doesn’t say his soul is waiting on God; he is commanding his soul to wait for God. He has moved beyond his ability—what comes natural. He has waited as long as he can; he has reached the end of his patience; his problems are still there; he wants to quit, and now has to command his soul to continue waiting. It is that command, that refusal to let his feelings dictate his actions, that makes the difference.

Sooner or later, you’ll come to the end of your endurance. It’s then that you need to command your soul to continue waiting. When you do so, you go from “not greatly moved” to “I shall not be moved.” You are steadfast.

Solitary

1/11/25

 For the first time in months, last night we had almost all the grandkids gathered at our table. I had been bringing firewood in and didn’t see what was happening at the front door, so when I came in, I was surprised to see Alex sitting on the counter. That left only Izzi who was working in Edinboro, and Eliza who was ice skating in Buffalo.

Linda suggested that I write about the blessing of having everyone around our table, which made me remember this verse:

“God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”                                                      —Psalm 68:6 

When I was a teenager, this verse puzzled me. What did it mean to “set the solitary?” It finally dawned on me that God doesn’t like isolation, so he puts those who are solitary, ie alone, in families. We were meant to be together. As many can attest, togetherness is not always a blessing. When doing premarital counseling, I would tell couples my formula for trouble: “Proximity plus Difference equals Heat.” Put two very different people together in close contact, and things will sooner or later heat up. You can’t get very different than male and female. 

But it is in the context of family that God intends us to learn the lessons of cooperation, grace, and mercy; to cultivate love and respect, to be nurtured and cared for, to laugh and cry, comfort and encourage one another. None of this can happen in isolation. We need each other to rub each other the wrong way, learning to give and forgive, so we can become all God desires us to be. If you are feeling isolated, find a family. That’s what Church is supposed to be. Not perfect, but a family. If you know someone who is all alone, BE that person’s family!

 1/10/25

The fires in California are on everyone’s minds, but not everyone is thinking straight about them. Mostly I hear prayers for the people who have lost so much, but occasionally there is the odd comment to the effect that California is such an epicenter of wickedness and vice that God is judging them.

I cannot say for sure that divine judgment is not involved in this, but if so, the question remains, “Why only California?” and “What about the godly people living there?” Not everyone in the path of the fires are unrepentant sinners, and there are plenty of us living elsewhere who deserve judgment just as much, if not more than those in Los Angeles.

In Luke 13, Jesus dealt with this kind of thinking.

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”” —Luke 13:1-5 

The question then is the question today: “Is tragedy always a sign of God’s judgment?” Jesus’ answer is a firm “NO!” He then adds a comment that often leaves people scratching their heads: “Unless you repent you will likewise perish.” It almost sounds like he is speaking out of both sides of his mouth: “They aren’t any worse than others, but if you don’t repent, you’ll also die.” 

I think what Jesus is saying here is, “You have to change your way of thinking” (That’s what the word repent means). If we start separating people into the “In’s” and the “Out’s,” such judgmental thinking will become a death trap. When we pass judgment on those we believe to be greater sinners than ourselves, we are revealing the hardness of our own hearts. Instead, we ought to, as John Wesley said, “Do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, as long as ever we can.”

Pray for the victims of the California wildfires. They are going to need a lot of help for a long time. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to continue praying for the flood victims of the Carolinas. A different kind of tragedy, but the same pain and loss. Heartache is all around us. Let us be agents of healing instead of hurt.

Shine On!

1/9/25

 In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” 

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I thought Jesus is the light of the world!” Well, he is, but in John 9:5 he explains: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” In other words, he has passed along to us the mission he had when he walked this earth. It’s our job now. 

And that has certain consequences. In John 3:19 he tells us that “men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.” So if we are shining light, there are plenty of people who will not be happy with us. Yesterday we learned that having enemies is a sign we are on the right path. So if you are bold in your faith, don’t be surprised when not everyone is delighted. And be prepared to have people upset that their sins are exposed by the light you shine. But keep on shining, anyway!

Enemies

 1/8/25

Epiphany has come; the 12 Days of Christmas are over, so my thoughts move from that season to today. Every so often, I go through the Psalms for my daily reading. I follow a pattern: On the first day of the month, I read Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121. Yesterday was the 7th, so I read Psalm 7, 37, 67, 97, and 127. Here’s a verse from my reading this morning:

“If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, Or have plundered my enemy without cause, Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah” —Psalm 7:4-5 

Do you have any enemies? David often writes about his enemies, often asking God to grind them to dust and blot out their names from the book of life. This morning, I got to thinking—I can’t think of anyone I would consider an enemy. I don’t think that’s a good place to be.

It is said that you can tell a man by the friends he keeps. You can also tell him by the enemies he makes. If I don’t have any enemies, I have to wonder if I have stood up for what’s right. Jesus said that we are no greater than he, and that if the world hated him, it would hate us, too. So I have to ask, “Where are my enemies?” If all I have is friends, something is wrong.

Prophecy

 1//6/25

“Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”” —Matthew 2:19-20, 23 

If you’ve been reading along with Matthew’s narrative of the birth of Jesus, it will be hard to have missed how often he says words to the effect that “this was to fulfill the words of the prophet…” In fact, Matthew uses these words five times in the first two chapters of his gospel. 

People have two very distinct attitudes towards prophecy. Either they fall for it hook, line, and sinker, or they discount it altogether as happenstance or trickery. Of course, the world has had its share of fortune tellers, but that’s not what Biblical prophecy is all about. The “pro” in prophet isn’t like the pro in proposal, looking to something in the future. It is more like the pro in pronoun, which is representative of the actual word.

Most of the Biblical prophecies are where the prophet speaks for (in place of) God. Unlike fortune telling, these words are clear and specific, not vague and subject to wild interpretation as are the Tarot cards or such people as Nostradamus. Biblical prophecy always points us to the work God is doing or will do in Jesus Christ. It’s not about your future—who you will marry, whether or not you’ll have fame and fortune; Biblical prophecy is always about our future in Jesus. Focus on him, and the rest will fall into place.

Worship Transformation

1/6/25

 Yesterday we learned that genuine worship is more concerned with giving than receiving. There is one more characteristic of genuine worship: It changes you.

“Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” —Matthew 2:12 

If you go home from worship the same way you came, you didn’t really worship. The whole purpose of worship is to connect with God, which is exactly what happened with the wise men.  Their worship resulted in a divine encounter that changed their plans. Too often, when we “worship,” we go home no different than when we came. We still carry with us the worries we should have given to Jesus, we hold onto grudges and unforgiveness, we stumble over the same bad habits, we remain glued to our phones instead of tuned in to Jesus.

Worship turns the focus from ourselves to God, and when that happens, we cannot go home the way we came.

Givers and Takers

 1/5/25

Have you ever thought about what it means to worship God? We sing songs, offer prayers, give money, listen to sermons, receive communion, but is that always genuine worship? Is it possible to do all these things and still fail to worship? Pay attention to today’s Scripture:

“Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

—Matthew 2:7-11 

Notice in these verses two different places the word worship is used. Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying he wanted to worship, when his real purpose was to secure his place on the throne by killing the Child. He wanted to take something from Jesus…his very life.

The wise men on the other hand, bowed down and gave gifts to the baby Jesus. Do you see the difference? Herod wanted to take. The wise men gave. 

I’ve often heard people say regarding a worship service, “I didn’t get much out of that service today.” They are missing the point. Worship is about giving, not taking. If you ever feel you didn’t get much out of a time of worship, ask yourself what you are giving to it. That’s the whole point.

Apathy

 1/4/25

When [Herod] had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” —Matthew 2:4-6 

There is a difference between knowing something and believing it. And that difference is life and death. If anyone should have been in Bethlehem in those early days and weeks of Jesus’ earthly life, it should have been the scribes and priests. They not only had the Scriptures, they knew the prophecies by heart. So why weren’t they curious enough to look for the Child themselves? Apparently, even after Herod inquired, they couldn’t be bothered to go and see for themselves.

If you’ve grown up in church, you are familiar with the stories. But familiarity is not the same as faith. The danger we face is getting so accustomed to the stories that we aren’t even curious about what God is doing. Don’t let these stories lull you into inactivity and unbelief. If you aren’t interested enough to actively seek out the Christ, your faith is words alone, and unable to save you from your sins or give you hope when you have to walk in the darkness.

Angry People

 1/3/25

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. —Matthew 2:1-3 

Pay attention to verse 3: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod was about as bad as you could get. He was a master builder; the Temple he built was an amazing structure, as were many other building projects he undertook. But he was proud, paranoid, and power-hungry. Suspecting a power struggle, he murdered his own wife, her two sons, her brother, mother, and grandmother. People quipped that it was better to be Herod’s pig than his son, a play on words: In Greek, the word for pig is only one letter different from the word for son.

So when it says when Herod was troubled, all Jerusalem was troubled, this was no exaggeration. He was ruthless and unpredictable. We’ll hear more about that later. But for now, pay attention to a bit of wisdom I learned the hard way: Keep your distance from angry people. They may be talented, have resources and connections, but if you get too close to an angry person, sooner or later, you will become a target, and it won’t be pretty.

On Your Side

1/2/25

 “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”” —Matthew 2:1-2 

This story tells us of people who having seen a sign in the heavens, made the long and difficult trip to find this Child. Their religion told them something significant had happened. God is merciful and full of grace, and even though their belief system was faulty, used their superstitions and beliefs to lead them to Christ. There was just enough truth in their beliefs to make them begin searching.

In Romans 1:19-20 and 2:15, Paul hints at the same thing:

“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…[They] show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Here’s some really good news for those times when you long for your friends to know Jesus: Their conscience is on your side. Even when people oppose, ridicule, or ignore you, God has written the truth on their hearts. If God can use the stars he has created to bring these astrologists to Jesus, he can and will use the bits and pieces of anyone’s belief system to win people to Christ.

Happy New Year1

 1/1/25

Happy New Year!

The Scripture for today I think is especially appropriate as we begin a new year:

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.””

—Matthew 1:21-23 

“God with us” is how he saves us from our sins. And how he keeps us in his care. All through this last year, which has certainly had its share of challenges, God has been with us. All through this next year, which will have its share of challenges, God will be with us.