“Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.

 It shall be a jubilee for you…”

                                                                                                                                Leviticus 25:10

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

                                                                                                                                Galatians 5:1

Jubilee literally means “trumpet blast of liberty.” The year of jubilee was to be celebrated every fifty years in Israel. During this year, it was custom for all debts to be cancelled, slaves to be freed and land returned to its original owner. Can you imagine what would have happened if Israel had actually ever put this law of God into practice? One thing is for sure, there would not have been any poverty in Israel and there would never have been a generation without the hope of freedom! But maybe one of the most important results would have been a culture of lives living totally free under God’s provisions!

How would you feel if your creditors; your mortgage company, bank, credit cards, landlord, parents, friends, anyone who you owed, came to your door and told you they were cancelling your debt? Think of the airy feeling under your feet as you watch the written contracts being torn up right in front of your eyes. Try to sense the anticipation you would have in the forty-ninth year as you realized freedom was just around the corner.  I bet the interaction with others would be that of encouragement and joy. Homes would probably be filled with rest and preparations for the coming restoration.  Can you imagine the honesty and freedom which would be experienced in relationships? Yes, living in God’s freedom is an astonishing thing!

It is so contrary to God’s nature for us to think He wants us to be bound up. It has always been God’s will for us to be free!  When God gives us a law or command it isn’t for any other purpose than to free us so we may truly live. The slavery we experience is because we have no inward desire to actually live as God tells us we should live. Instead, we would rather decide for ourselves how to live. I can think of nowhere in the Bible where Israel actually carried out the celebration of Jubilee.  I wonder why? My guess is, someone was scared there would be too much forgiveness going on and no one would pay up.  Maybe it was someone like me.

Perhaps you’ve never considered the debt you owe to God. Could it be it has never crossed your mind that God has provided everything you have; from simple things like clothing to major things like breath. God has given everything, not just for your survival, but for your abundance and enjoyment as well. You may argue that the world is full of hunger, disease, wars and discord.  These things exist not because of lack, but because of prosperity and our refusals to tear up the contracts of slavery. Don’t you see God has torn up the debt you owe Him by the cross of Jesus! God has come to the door of your heart and said, “Your debts are cancelled.”  This means the debt incurred by the things God provides; air, food, shelter… is cancelled forever.  Even the debt of your sin; your refusals to acknowledge God, your denial of His love for you, the penalties of rebellion against Him…  Everything is cancelled forever! You are free!

Can you even begin to comprehend how this might change your table conversations in life as you anticipate His return? How you might begin to cancel the debts others owe you or how you might begin to feel lighter in your shoes because you are about to receive it all? How might you look at the world differently knowing that not only has God canceled your debt, but He has also guaranteed that you will be free from all debt forever? It is your jubilee!

Pastor Brad

Father as you have proclaimed jubilee in Jesus may I too declare freedom to the world today! How can I help but live in joyful anticipation of eternity in freedom from all obligations except the obligation of love. Lord, I believe that through the cross You have handed me the keys to the prison doors which I live behind. Let me unlock those doors so that I may charge through the corridors of this world setting free the captives with Your love. Overwhelm me with Your daily presence so I may know that no matter what, I am restored in Jesus! Consume me so that I will live free from all fears except the fear of living life without You, my Father. I love you Lord!

Amen

Reflection: Today, and in the days to come, start out by praising God for setting you free from the debts you have owed Him. Then ask Him to show you another person whom you may cancel a debt which they owe you. As you reflect upon all Christ has accomplished for you, try to picture what it looks like to walk as one restored. Also try to accept that you will stumble, but to rest through perseverance knowing that Christ has paid it all!

“If you, O Lord kept a record of sins, O lord who could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.”

                                                                                                                                                                Psalm 130:3

Sometimes I am so trapped by the smaller things of life that I miss the bigger picture of what God wants me to see. It is so easy to walk through my days content with just crumbs from the table rather than feasting on the bounty of God’s amazing grace! One example of this is when I am consumed more by the embarrassments of my failures than I am with the grace which has covered those failures and transformed them into strengthening perseverance. Though it is not the Lord’s desire for me (or any of us) to be content with just crumbs, He is kind and patient with me as He allows my near-sightedness of life to expand out to a more full view.  Perhaps like me, you too miss the greater things God is doing in your life right now because you just can’t get over yourself.

At the core of most people is an insatiable desire to please others. Is this true for you? Think of how you feel when your mistakes are pointed out or when you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing.  Is your first tendency is to become defensive and make excuses? Why? Because you don’t want others to think poorly of you. Not buying it yet? Try this example: How do you handle it when you let someone else down? Do you immediately take responsibility for your behavior or do you try to justify your actions? Maybe you feel like I do and wish everyone would just pretend like you never mess up.  Why are we such people pleasers?  Ultimately it has to do with fearing the loss of a good reputation. We want others to think well of us. Reputations are built upon records, records are created by actions and because of sin our actions are flawed. When our flaws are exposed we become very fearful of what others may think!

The amazing thing is that you don’t have to live under the fear of others thinking poorly of you.  You don’t have to constantly be trying to manage your reputations.  By God’s grace, through His Son Jesus, the record of your flaws with Him has been erased. When we can understand this grace, we stop seeing people as the ones we need to please and instead begin to see ourselves as those in whom God is pleased. Furthermore, when we know God is pleased with us, we can then bring this grace to others.

On the cross, Jesus took your record of flaws and not only destroyed it, but gave you His record of everything right. God does not keep a record of your wrongs, but rather your slate is wiped clean. He does not have punishment for you, instead, He has love and kindness for you (Romans 8:1), He rejoices over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17) and He continually thinks of the many blessings He will bestow on you (Jeremiah 29:11). Yes, because of Jesus, your flaws are forgiven and your reputation is pleasing to God.

But what does the Psalmist mean when he says we are to fear God because He has forgiven us? He means we are to have a change of heart. Jesus says it best in the story of the ungrateful servant (Matthew 18:21-35). This is a story of one who could never repay the debt he owed, but the one who loaned him the money “cancelled the debt and let him go”. Yet when the debtor who had just been set free had the opportunity, he pursued those who owed him relentlessly. This debtor showed no fear for the one who gave him his freedom. We fear God best by imitating Him most closely. We show Him our gratitude by letting go of the record we hold against others! We are to bless instead of curse, say kind things instead of self-promoting gossip and we are to write His love for others upon our hearts so we may heal instead of hurt.

Fearing God by being imitators of His nature will truly give you rest. Doing things for others the way God has done things for you unlocks the bars which hold you back from intimacy with God.  The Apostle Paul tells us, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12) because this is how we are able to sing over others the way God sings over us. Showing God appropriate fear looks like letting others rest from their records with us.  There is no better rest than dropping the weight of hate, bitterness and retribution. There is no better way to celebrate your record being crucified than to crucify other’s record with you. Rest in God you are forgiven!

Pastor Brad

Father, O how grateful I am that You have obliterated my record of wrongs! The weight was becoming unbearable! Thank you Jesus for destroying my record of failures by taking them upon Yourself with every lash of the whip, every point of the thorny crown and every inch the nails. God, teach me to fear You best by loving others the way You love me. Help me not to live hypocritically by claiming that You are my all in all yet treat others with impatience, anger and hurtfulness. Please keep me always aware of how much I’ve been forgiven so that I may forgive much! And pry the record I hold against others from my hands so that I may rest! I’m so tired of hurt. Let me fear You and heal!

I love You!

Amen

Reflection: Today, pray that God would help you recall some of the things you’ve been forgiven of. Ask Him to show you the ashes of where He burned the record of those things so that you may rest and be free.  Then think of the record you are holding against others. Fear God by burning it as He has done for you. Then rest as you allow others to rest! Be free!

“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

                                                                                                                Matthew 19:25-26

There are times in life when all of us come to the end of our understandings. The things we think we know about life can only go so far before we are faced with the reality, “I’ve gone as far as I can go.” The disciples had come to their end when they heard Jesus say that it was impossible for the “good” people to enter the Kingdom of God.  They were “greatly astonished” because then how much more impossible for the ordinary man on the street to have any hope?  In the disciples’ world, and much like our world today, one’s hopes were built on outward goodness and social status which were considered signs of God’s blessings.

This story in Matthew is certainly a story of God’s grace as the necessity for salvation, but it is also a biblical truth regarding every situation in life. We are so ordinary and so easily distracted from the larger possibilities which reside in the hands of God.  As life kicks up the dust of human confusion our view becomes clouded and our thoughts turn sour.  Our default mode for the chaotic storms in our lives tends to be to turn to the ordinary; namely our self. We franticly look for self-diagnosis to our problems, self-remedies as solutions and human power rather than the supernatural power of God to produce unlimited possibilities. Sadly, our efforts to find self-solutions only serve to isolate us more and more from the limitless possibilities of God. There is such futility in trying to clear the dust of human confusions and problems by self-efforts.  It is insanity to believe that all things are possible within ourselves.

Jesus allows us to have a much more optimistic view of life! He presents us with an inexhaustible power in our relationship with Him: “With God all things are possible!”  Is it possible for my broken heart to be put back together? Yes, with God all things are possible! Is it possible for my relationship with my children to be restored? Yes, with God all things are possible! Is it possible for my disease to be healed? Yes, with God all things are possible.  Is it possible for the dead to rise? Yes… well you get it.

So then how do we begin to tap into the possibilities of God?  Through an obedient and relational life with God.   What does that kind of life look like? Just look at how Jesus draws the attention of the disciples away from the traditional definitions of whom God blesses. Jesus opens the door to all types of persons being blessed by God; rich, poor and everyone in between. Jesus also draws their attention away from themselves. He reminds them that as men there are so many impossible things. In the context of salvation, Jesus teaches of the impossibility of a man saving himself based upon any measure of human merit.  This left the disciples astonished with hopelessness. Yet Jesus unveils the full measure of the possible in God’s work.  And this is the certainty in which man can place his hope.  In the broader context of life, it is when we fully place all our trust in the powerful possibilities of God that we begin to scratch the surface that God can and will do anything to unveil His glory before mankind.

You may find yourself in the impossible right now.  You might be in a situation where you don’t see hope for anything good.  Well, you’re right if you are depending on yourself or on others, but with God all things are possible; reconciliation, healing… even salvation!

Pastor Brad

God, forgive my arrogance in thinking my words or actions in life either qualifies me or disqualifies me from my relationship with You. Father, forgive me for believing that by my own strength or wisdom I could ever make a right relationship with You possible.  Only You can make it possible for me to experience your love, your grace and your power. Father, help me to see your power extending to all areas of my life! Help me to believe that “with God all things are possible.”  Help me to believe that this is true for me and my life!  Jesus may You bring your power to the impossible places in my life so that You may be glorified above all others!

I love you Lord!  Amen.

Reflection:  Believe God in what seems impossible today!

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

                                                                                                                                                Psalm 126:5-6

I have a friend who whenever we would be moved into uncontrollable laughter from some mischievous action or spontaneous moment of exuberant joy would say, “Laughing leads to crying!” At first you might think he’s saying we were laughing so hard it brought us to tears, but this was actually something his dad use to say to him and what he meant by it was;  “Whatever you’ve been up to which has caused such laughter is going to end up with you in trouble.”  The verses for today are telling us something much different.  God is saying that He will turn our sorrow into laughter.

Life is very hard at times and there seems to be such harshness in living in the day to day hard stuff; stuff from work, play, relationships and even from just trying to do what is right.  I sometimes wonder why it has to be this way, but then I remember we’re in a fallen place with all sorts of really hard things to deal with. I also remember it’s this way because I’ve made it this way. This psalm was written to rejoice over God’s deliverance of His people out of captivity in Babylon. The reason they ended up in Babylon was because they tried to live contrary to how God had commanded them to live. So consequently they were captured by their own actions.  They did not trust God’s goodness. Yet God never ceases holding a tender heart for His loved ones and so He redeems them to move from crying into laughter.

Many of the hard things we encounter in this life are of our own making, some things are from the making of others and still there are just hard circumstances like illnesses and accidents which wound us so deeply that our response is heart–wrenching tears.  No matter the cause of tears, the fact is they happen because we are in a Babylon of sorts. We are struggling to sing songs of joy in this foreign place. So, where can we find our melodies to sing?  How can we begin to harmonize with one another? The first bar from the song of Heaven is this: We are on our way to our homeland! Psalm 126 was meant as a “Pilgrim Psalm.” It was a song of worship by pilgrims on their way home.  The lyrics of this psalm are of those who have been in a hard land and understand that God is delivering them out of their trouble and into a place of great rejoicing.  God is telling us that He will turn our tears into laughter.

When going through hard times, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking we’re stuck and God has forgotten us. Our circumstances overwhelm us and sorrow becomes a constant companion, but the truth is we are experiencing only the remnants of our captivity. God has already set us free from the permanency of our enslavements.  When we can understand this freedom we are able to begin humming along with one another.  The tears you now shed are tears of meaning and value. They are the currency God uses to show you the joy Jesus has purchased for you. The tears are also the overflow from a deeper longing for that which we were made; home.  Tears are the guarantee of the joy to come.

So let us whistle, hum and sing aloud the joyous wonder of the great singer and His song. From there we will begin to reap a plentiful harvest of Joy and laughter without the salty sting of painful heart-water. In His song we will laugh!

Pastor Brad

Father, hear my song to you! I praise You even through times when You bring my heart to hard places! Those places are painful, but you have given me hope and You bring true meaning to my tears.  Every time I cry it blurs my vision, but it isn’t long before You show me the harvest of joy You are preparing for me!  Lord, thank you for the seeds of the Spirit in my heart. Thank you for the trials which are reaping for me an abundance of joy, joy beyond my current understanding.

O how I sing of my love for You God!

Amen!

Reflection: Today, if you are in tears, try coming before God and thank Him for them. I know this may be hard.  In fact your tears may even be tears of anger with God, but tell Him and thank Him that He allows you to be honest with what’s in your heart.  Be thankful that no matter how hard your circumstance are right now or no matter how confused you are; you can sing on your way home. Even though the path may be blurred at this moment, God is still leading you so that you may experience a joy way beyond your pain.

“Give us today our daily bread.”

                                                                                Matthew 6:11

I admire people who are good planners. I wish I were better at it! I know people who take weeks off to do nothing but plan out the rest of their year and in some cases even plan a few years down the road! You may be one who has this gift and if so you should plan to take just a moment with me, not to plan, but to rest!

Don’t get me wrong, I think planning is a good thing.  In fact, I actually do a bit of it myself, but my plans are only as reliable as the future allows my circumstances to be in accordance with my plans. What I mean is; because I can’t tell what the future has for me I can only plan in the context of today. I’m limited in foresight so some of my plans end with un-fulfillment accompanied with various levels of disappointment.  Sometimes when this happens, the sorrow is too much to bear.

Perhaps in this moment you find yourself there; feeling sadness and disappointment because things aren’t working out the way you planned.  How do you react when this happens?  Do you become enraged with anger and frustration, lashing out at any and all who are within striking distance?  Do you become debilitated by disappointment causing you to be frozen with despair?  Or perhaps you run deep into the emotional forests of denial thinking somehow you can hide.  It seems we are always trying to find our own solutions to cope with our waylaid plans, but Jesus tells us there is a better way to deal with unrealized hopes and plans and it is to remember that we are made to trust Him in the moment.

It’s not too bad when our plans to go to the movies are disrupted, but it’s the disruption of more significant and life altering plans that can plunge us into deep sadness and disappointment. What if you plan to marry someone, but find out they don’t want you? What if you planned to live a long and healthy life only to find out at age fourty that you have a terminal illness? What if you have all your investments in place and a nice retirement planned and the stock market crashes and now you’re broke. These kinds of broken plans drive us to see that we are not in control, yet they can drive us to the One who is so that we can have rest in the moment!

We are created to live in the moment not the future. We are simply dependent beings captured by moments.  Whenever our hearts seek for certainties in circumstances which have not occurred we are naturally vulnerable for disappointment. So how can we ever find rest in living? We are to live with trust for daily bread.  Jesus teaches us, “Father, today give us our daily bread.” Jesus is not saying that you shouldn’t look ahead and plan for the future, He is telling you not to find your confidence in your ability to manipulate the future or you will find your heart to be very hungry.  Jesus is telling us to trust Him in this moment to provide exactly what we need right now.  We must rest in this moment with trust that He will work everything out for the future. Instead of anger because of disappointment, daily bread gives us peace in the moment with the knowledge that God is working. Instead of frozen despair, daily bread gives us strength to move forward into the future. Instead of running, daily bread allows us a firm foundation to stand on knowing God has everything worked out for our good. Daily bread gives us rest in the moment and all the moments to come because it is the recognition of faith in God’s love and care for us!

Pastor Brad

Father, give me this day my daily bread! Help me not to move ahead of You from my own desires to undermine Your authority over my present and future. Lord, bless me with the confidence and contentment which comes from believing that You have everything under control. Give me comfort to persevere through the times when I’m tempted to strike out, run or quit.  Let me rest in your food for me. I Love you Lord.

Amen!

Reflection: Today, turn your hunger to control things over to God. Place your faith in His food for you by being still and waiting for Him to work all things together.  Feed upon His daily bread by looking for the grace in the moment you find yourself in without looking ahead too far into the future!

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

                                                                                                                Isaiah 30:18

When things are difficult, it’s hard to sit still and wait for God. It seems as though God may have forgotten us or that His compassion for us has run out, but the very opposite is true.  We are quick to avoid the hard work of believing and risk missing something great that comes from waiting through even the most difficult circumstances.

This flight response is a lack of trust that God is at work even though His working is unseen. When we feel threatened, our hearts usually run not to someone stronger, but more likely to someone weaker. As strange as this may sound, it’s true; it is easier to call on an expert than to wait on God.  Why do we believe we can find more compassion from people rather than from God?

Think about that last question for a minute…  The progression which leads us away from seeking God is the belief that He is not gracious and compassionate towards us and therefore He won’t act on our behalf.  It is fear that drives us away from resting in God to a mad dash of finding others who will relieve us from our anxieties.  This fear and distrust is a lack of understanding of how kindhearted God is towards us.

Earlier in this chapter of Isaiah God says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” How differently from this verse do you respond when trouble approaches your heart? As confusion and hurt begin the erosion of your faith in God’s compassion towards you, do you seek to find relief or repentance? When the pressure of fear and flight compress on your life, do you find yourself entering quietness and trust or anxiety and suspicions? The answers to these questions determine whether we face life in strength or weakness, fear and flight. The conclusions you reach will directly relate to the level you experience God’s compassion for you!

I suppose the real reason we seek graciousness and compassion from other sources is because God seems far away.  It’s hard to see Him sometimes.  After all, how could anything challenging occur if God is on the watch? In the midst of our struggles, why doesn’t it occur to us that God is providing opportunities for us to trust Him more, experience more intimacy with Him or even behold the joy He takes in rescuing us. Maybe the very thing God is doing in our trials is showing us exactly how close He really is to us! The wonder of God “longing” to be gracious to us is astonishing! The mystery of God rising to show us compassion causes a heart skipping event because Kings don’t rise to their subjects. That would be un-regal, yet our God’s love for us compels Him to run to our aid so that His heart may be exposed for the abundance of grace that He is!

Why would God have us placed in the position of having to wait for His rescue? Because He would have us settle for nothing less than His compassion for us. Waiting is an act of love. Waiting is a demonstration of faith. Waiting is an expression of the value assigned to that which we wait for. Wherever and whenever we find our feet stepping nervously towards a frightful flight; it is in that moment we must wait so that the grace, strength and loving compassion of God can bless us with His justice. I know it’s hard, but God is not far away from you.  He is closer than you can imagine. He just wants you to see the revelation of His love and compassion for you!

In Jesus we can see the rising up of our Lord’s compassionate heart as justice is satisfied in His cross. We experience His graciousness in His rising from the dead on our behalf. And we may know His compassion for us as He blesses those who are willing to love Him by waiting on Him!

Pastor Brad

Father, I am waiting! It’s so hard, especially when I’m frightened! Whether my fear is of people, situations or of not getting what I think I want, hold me still in you! God  thank you for your beautiful heart! I am amazed at your graciousness which would seek to show me love even when I have forgotten You. Father, I’m so overwhelmed by your compassion to one who seeks to be spiteful.  Thank you for your justice and mercy! Lord, help me to remember that You are never far away! You are never after my destruction, but rather my being built up.  In your compassion, build me up now O God.  Lift me from my fears into the heights of your blessings for Christ’s sake!

I love you Lord, Amen!

Reflection: Today, seek to still your heart before the Lord by intentionally confessing those things which are causing you anxiety! Ask God to show you His compassion. Look to see how God can work things out while you are being at peace. Try to rest in knowing that His love for you is moving you to His compassion not your destruction. Remember God’s glory comes from His recue of you!

 “Hear my cry O God; listen to my prayer.”

                                                                                                                                  Psalm 61:1

Where do you go when you need to tell someone your heart? I don’t mean someone to just speak the superficial to, but a place where your most intimate expressions are shared; a place where words aren’t as important as the emotions behind them. Deep within all of us there is a need to share our hearts. We all need a place to go to escape our imprisoned minds and fly freely towards the worthiness of One higher than ourselves. Every one of us needs a place to cry out our deepest confessions of shame, guilt and failures without fear of punishment and judgment.  Everyone needs to be heard!  There are times for every human being when we come to the end of ourselves and simply fall to our knees in humility broken from the need to have the salt of our tears shared and tasted by someone who will comfort our crying hearts. So, where do you go?

I feel for those who do not know the living God.  I have a deep sense of regret for those who only have their imaginations to bring companionship to their inner lives, for those who only have mantras to unidentified ideas or so called spirits who could never personally enter into their circumstances with answers of comfort or solution.  I feel sorry for those who only have an angry deity filled with a condescending nature and is only affirming to their failures. Why do I feel for them?  Because there is no one of reality for them to share with and there is never a place for their hearts to find rest!

This restlessness is not so with God.  The very nature of prayer to God is rest for our hearts. We have a God who is not only all powerful so as to accomplish anything of His purposes, but also a God who beckons us to come in prayer to Him. Prayer to the living God is a conversation of love.  This conversation is filled with the heart of a Father who openly gathers His children into His heart as though His arms were pulling us powerfully into His chest.  When we pray we are collapsing with trust into His irresistible embrace so that we may be heard closely. It is the most restful of things to have the most powerful One tenderly hear and listen to our deepest cries of the heart.  What could be more strengthening to our lives than to experience the companionship of God in all of our circumstances? When weak, He is there with mightiness! When frightened, He is there with uncompromised courage! When hopeless, He is there as the very definition of hope! When hurting, He is there with every healing power. When alone, He is there! When joyful He brings the deepest laughter in all existence because He is joy!

To know when we pray that our words are not just chirps moving through eternity but they are the articulation of eternal conversations between ourselves and I AM! What an amazing rest to know that God listens! What an amazing grace to know that God cares for our expressions! What else could prayer ever be than a restful halleluiah! Traversing from the infinite to the infinitesimal, God reigns with loving attentiveness to our every request. Rest in His openness for you.  Rest in His invitation to come and speak. You can also rest in His invitation to just sit and say nothing.  He knows your heart and He knows your need to rest!

Pastor Brad

Father, with my heart in my hand I come before you to offer all that is in me to you. Lord, your grace fills this moment with your presence.  You bless me with your concern over me. How can this be that You have chosen to listen to me? Just saying your name “Father” brings such peace! Lord, how precious your work on the cross was; for You to usher me into the holy of holies so that I may dwell with You.  Thank you for not requiring me to think of anything special to say.  Thank you that just sitting with you is enough.  Thank you for allowing me to make my requests to You knowing that You truly listen.  How gracious You are! Lord you bring me rest!

I love you, Amen!

Reflection: Today, make time to just sit still before the Lord and rejoice over the reality of knowing that He is listening to you! Be sure to express all that is in your heart without fear because Christ has made you clean! Think through all those things which are bringing you anxiousness right now and cry out to God for rest. Then be still before Him and trust while you wait.

“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.”

                                                                                                                Hebrews 13:9

I love good food! I especially love good food that’s bad for me; fried foods, red meat and ice cream are just a few of my favorites. Not to mention cakes, pies and hot chicken wings. I’ve even gone so far as to plan out how to quit eating bad stuff in exchange for the “good stuff” a few weeks before my doctor appointments so that my doctor won’t notice my past errors.  In my mind, I usually associate events with food. I love the fellowship of breaking bread with those I love and appreciate. It strengthens my heart to have a meal and be together with others.  It is as though there is something innate within us that seeks out the connections between foods, events and fellowship with others. For instance, there’s a great connection between Saturday afternoons in the summer where friends are over and ribs are on the grill. There’s a connection between the cold winter evenings, family and chili.  And there’s a connection between anniversaries with candle light, steaks and chocolate mousse.

All of these events and meals have memories attached to them. Each is valuable to me in their own way, but none of my memories can replace or substitute the real thing. Let me put it this way: What if I wanted to spend some time with my friends on a Saturday afternoon, but instead of inviting them I just tried to imagine them all around me?  What if instead of getting up to put charcoal on the grill I just tried to remember the smell of smoke?  What if instead of real meat smoking away on the “barbie” I just attempted to recall what a great steak tastes like? Now what if I was doing all this imagining as a ceremony to replace the real thing? Well, of course I would realize that the ceremonies and remembering are of no value and cannot replace really being in the company of friends and breaking bread.

There is a grace to the real thing. There is grace in fellowship with others we care for.  They strengthen us; when we leave their company we feel stronger, more alive and we have a sense of peace. It’s impossible to fully find this grace in memories alone, yet this is what so many of us try to do in our fellowship with Jesus.  We often try to replace real intimacy with Jesus with ritualistic ceremony such as creeds, hymns vs. contemporary music, rosaries… none of which are bad things, but if the heart is not seeking relationship with God then they are food without value.  When we seek strength in religious activity rather than in real friendship with God as a means for relationship we will miss the grace which is our strength.  If we confuse our own efforts for fellowship with God, rather than relying on the Spirit’s work on our behalf, we will find ourselves weakened rather than strengthened and we will find ourselves burned out and disappointed.

Real strength comes from knowing that God’s strength is continually there for you to feed off of.  The grace of God which feeds you is not like the junk food I like to eat in-between doctor appointments, rather it is the nourishment straight from the heart of Jesus to mine.  In the same way I can never imagine a dinner party and expect its reality without inviting guest and cooking food, I can’t expect to only imagine a relationship with God without the grace of Jesus to provide the nourishment.  When I fill myself with man-made spiritual junk food I find myself weak and malnourished, but when I feast upon the grace-full love of God for me in Jesus, I feel like a person whose strength is eternally sustained.  The food of grace in the love and words of Jesus is as food from the storehouse of heaven to the plate of my heart! It strengthens my life!

Pastor Brad

Jesus, Bread of Heaven, feed me the food only you can provide. Help me Lord to step away from the junk food of my imaginations and feast myself upon your words. Lord, I’ve tried to find strength in my own imagination. I’ve looked to the traditions of men to feed me something true rather than feeding on the truth of who You are. I praise you Lord for your ever-present grace which lavishes the plate of my heart with your love. When I find myself hungry for the fake food this world offers let me remember it has no value. Keep me from trying to feed myself with the poor nourishment from my works instead of indulging on the all-sufficient provision of your grace. Jesus, let me strengthen myself upon your grace alone as my sole nourishment for fellowship with you.

Amen!

Refection:  Today, think of the places where you try to find strength for your walk with the Lord other than His grace. Are there places like religious activities or religious traditions you rely on more than the love Jesus has for you in Himself? If so, try to remove them from the plate of your relationship with God and set them aside.

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

                                                                                                                John 8:7b

If I think about the things that weigh me down in life, what I realize is that I carry a lot of stones.  I’ve never literally thrown a stone at someone, with the minor exception of some dirt clod fights as a kid, but never a serious slinging with the intent to hurt.  In the story of the adulterous woman, Jesus was being set up.   The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into violating His own law of the seventh commandment. So here is this woman caught in the shame of looking for dysfunctional love (whether love for flesh or love for money… dysfunctional all the same) and she is callously used as a pawn by the self-righteous to seek the harm of Jesus. I’ve always felt sorry for this woman; where’s the man she was with?  There is so much dysfunction to go around in all this it causes a person’s head to spin! But the truth is, it’s me I should feel sorry for because I’m so many of the characters found in this story. I am the person who has adulterated my love for God to so many lesser lovers. Jesus teaches that if a person looks lustfully in their heart towards another then His commands have been violated. Can any of us begin to imagine how often our hearts have committed adultery by gazing lustfully towards other saviors for ourselves like money, personal power or even self-abasement?   From the heart’s failings it isn’t long before the whole system of self-righteousness has fallen into the stoning pit.

I’m also one of the stone throwers as well. I get so angry at the way the Pharisees set this whole thing up. The conniving, the spinning of mental traps solely meant for the hurt and destruction of people so that they may advance their own agendas.  It makes me want to throw not a stone, but a grenade!  But in this self-justified anger of mine, I find the very thing I hate so much in the Pharisees self-righteousness welling up in me as I grab the nearest piece of granite to hurl at them.

The problem with stone throwing is that we always need a fresh supply for the casting. This leaves us with only two options for the places our hearts have to dwell.  One place is in a rock quarry. We would need a place with an endless supply of ammunition to heave at anyone who dares to violate our sense of correctness. Quarries are dusty places that are often below the surface of the land in dark caves. Rarely do those who spend their lives in rock quarries ever see true light and they spend their days being scuffed up and cut just by moving around in their own environment. Not a great place for a heart. The second option is a life spent carrying around a bag full of stones. We would need a deep bag so that we would always have a ready supply whenever the need arises.  I imagine that a bag of stones is pretty heavy and carrying it around all the time would be exhausting.

What about the weight of being an adulterer? The load of shame we carry from feeling like we are only objects worthy of being used by others is debilitating. The irony which begins to seep into our hearts is not only the feeling that I deserve to be stoned, but that I’ll even help by stoning myself. So we expose our hearts for punishment because we believe that we deserve it and without much thought we hand ourselves and others the rocks to throw at us. Jesus looks at this insane picture and brings His sanity to the storm by saying; “drop the rocks!” Every one of us is both a thrower and a carrier of rocks and the only way rest can come is from realizing this truth and then dropping the rocks. But how?  How can I let go of the things I’ve protected and hurt myself with all these years? Listen to Jesus!  “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”  “No one, sir,” the adulterer said.  “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.  “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Only the freedom from God’s condemnation can loosen your hands from the load you’ve carried for so long. Only God’s proclamation of “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) can insulate your heart from the stones of others.

Pastor Brad

Father, how I find myself feeling like I have spiritual schizophrenia; at one moment I feel so ashamed of myself and at the next I feel so self-righteous. Like the woman caught in shame, I cast myself face down and ask for your forgiveness. Yet the self-righteous Pharisee within rises up to justify myself when someone else agrees with my shamefulness.  Father I feel trapped to be both a thrower and carrier of stones. I ask to hear the words of your Son Jesus, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you!” How freeing it is to hear “no condemnation”!

Lord since you have freed me; help me to drop my stones towards others and myself.

Let me live like you; freeing people from condemnation!

I love you Lord! Amen.

Reflection: Today, make a list of the things that Jesus has forgiven you for. Try to realize how the things on your list relate to the commandments and then wad the list up like a stone and cast it into the garbage to be no more.  Next, make a list of the reasons you would like to throw stones at another person. Try to realize how much Jesus has forgiven you and when you realize your own sin, cast that list in the garbage to be no more. In other words drop your stones; you’ve been restored!

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God you will not despise.”

                                                                                                                                                Psalm 51:17

How God views life is so contrary to the way we view life.  When I’m really wanting God to hear me,  I think that I had better have my thoughts well thought out, my bases covered and my strategies systematically set out  with the hope that God will hear me and make things all better.  Yet God sees a different approach; we should approach Him with brokenness.  I get so caught up in the way this messed up world would have me think and behave that I totally miss the fact that I should not be coming before God with my self-perceived righteousness, but rather the recognition of my broken way of seeing and feeling things.

When I was a boy, I thought if I could approach my dad with well thought out logical arguments and mustered up self-confidence there were two things I could achieve: First, if I could just communicate my heart with passion and empathy then certainly I could reach dad’s heart and mind and he would be convinced of the worthiness of my request. Secondly, if I could somehow stay focused inwardly on my proposal, I would be able to overwhelm dad with the flattery of how smart he had taught me to be. So my strategy was this; fake it till you make and never let them see you sweat. What was behind all this posing? The longing for the approval of my dad!  I discovered that what I was asking for had become so attached to my dad’s approval of me I often could not tell the difference. Therefore, my approach was rarely on the basis of trust in my dad’s love for me.  Instead, it was an approach of hoping that my dad would love me. Sin has so messed me up! It has messed up my thinking, my seeing and especially my relating to others! You see, I don’t know of a son that was more loved by their dad than I was, but my messed up way of thinking led me to believe that my dad would stop loving me if I wasn’t perfect.  I thought my brokenness would keep anyone from loving me so everything became tied to the fake it till you make it mentality.  I thought that people will love me as long as I never let them see how broken I am on the inside.

I learned to approach God the same way; with logical arguments and self-confidence so He would agree with whatever my request were and thereby approve of me. I can’t tell you how many times my strategies with God failed. And you guessed it, these failures only led to feelings of dis-approval.

Did you know that David wrote Psalm 51 after he had someone murdered to cover up an illicit affair which led to a pregnancy? You would think David would have prayed a very well thought out strategy to justify himself; how God had made him king and since he was king, he was able to do whatever he wanted. David could have reminded God of all the good things he had done for God in the past; killing Goliath, conquering wicked governments, sparing King Saul’s life… David could have tried to pose, but he didn’t.  He was broken and he knew it; the posing was over. He came to God without strategies or anything of himself; he recognized his bankruptcy and came broken.  He started with the request for a new heart and a restored authenticity. He knew the only ground he had to stand on was the love of the Father who calls us to come to Him in our brokenness and offer it up to Him. It is in our brokenness that our Father’s love restores us to relationship with Him because we finally recognize that the only thing not broken about us is His love for us. And so God beckons us to come with our broken lives and He will love us and restore us to a new heart, safe only in Him.

Pastor Brad

Father, I come broken. I come in honesty. I come as one who is needy and recognizes that only your love will do. Father, forgive me for posing, faking and trying to be religious. Help me to not accuse others for being the fault of my brokenness. Help me to see how I hold on to hurt and anger as self-justification. God help me to have a pure heart by offering you my broken life. Set me free! I love you Lord!

Amen

Reflection: Today, bring everything broken about you to the Father; yourself, your relationships, your addictions, anger, forgiveness… and offer it as a sacrifice. Then humble yourself before God and ask Him to help you love freely! Remember, He answers you because you are His and He loves you.