A Matter of Life and Death

PATTERNS OF THOUGHT
Do you have patterns in your thoughts that just seem to build on one another? Thoughts in which every lesson you learn seems to connect back to that theme or those themes? I have several on which my life seems to build.

This morning, my pastor continued his series in Genesis, this time looking at Cain and the familiar story of the first murder. Cain's example seems the best launching place for what I'd like to analyse with you. As always, I would so love to read your comments below if you agree, disagree, or wish to add additional thoughts.

TEMPTATION TO ANGER OR JEALOUSY
Cain, in the attitude of his heart (seen or unseen by anyone but God), displeased God and his offering was rejected. Further revealing his wrong focus, Cain's anger rose. In a rare moment many of us don't experience so clearly, God spoke to him and warned him of where his anger would lead.

“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

After God's direct confrontation, Cain did not "rule over" his sin, but instead was gripped by it and in anger killed his brother.

In theory, Cain had the choice to repent after his brother's murder. In reality, he had made his choice to choose sin, and it was as if his conscience died after that.

"Sin crouching at your door" makes one picture a lion crouching in wait of a lamb (or other prey), does it not? Does the lamb survive when the lion springs? Rarely. The time to call for the Shepherd to attack would have been when the lion still crouched.

I think the picture parallels well with sin. As we were reminded today in the message, to be tempted with a sin is not defeat. Defeat is when you embrace or allow that temptation to spring into control. Even then, repentance surrenders what's left of your carcass to the Creator to revive. If we're tempted, however, victory is only possible in crying out in humility to the Shepherd.

How might the life of Cain been different if he would have responded to God's warning with a cry for help? "I'm so angry and jealous, God. Please free me from these feelings, so that I may please You."

How loving of God to desire to stop Cain from his own sinfulness. If Cain had only received God's love, he would have been freed to love.

TEMPTATION TO GRUMBLE OR QUIT

A good example of lives to compare and contrast appears many times in the books of Exodus and Numbers. Many people get hung up on the grumbling of the Israelites as they journey in the desert "towards" the Promised Land. I have a hard time blaming them though. I would be surprised if any of you would not have grumbled. I know I sure would.

The journey dragged, the heat and thirst were real threats, and from morning till night no one could tell you how long you would stay in one location. Add to that a limited variety of food and walking and walking and walking. Oh, you must be an angel to not think you'd want to quit and regain some sense of familiarity and comfort (even if your memory failed you so that you longed again for Egypt).

Yet it seems God didn't understand their "right" to complain. If you've read through both books, you know several times God destroyed groups of the people in anger. I propose that God did understand their frustrations. He just had other plans for how they should deal with their feelings.

If it's true, which I strongly feel, that we are DEPENDENT beings that truly cannot survive on our own, and God—even after we chose sin and "independence" instead of Him—reaches out to us again and again with His great compassion, then there is only ONE solution to whatever we feel. Moses shines as an example of the best way, the one solution, and the rest of the wandering Israelites, the way most of us choose.

In contrast to what we've already reviewed of the grumblers who displeased God, Moses complained TO God. And what was God's reaction? He gave a miraculous solution.

5Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” ~Exodus 17

Over and over, Moses goes directly into the presence of the Lord with all his complaints, burdens, and confusion. God provided again and again.

• Numbers 11:2 ... When the people cried to Moses, he prayed to the LORD
• Numbers 12:13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "Please, God, heal her!"
• Numbers 16:22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly
• Numbers 20:6 ...And Moses and Aaron leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant,and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord

No burdens or grumbling of our hearts is a taboo topic to bring to God. Instead, God invites us to "caste all our cares upon Him, because He cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7). 

The Psalms give us words that often make me cringe at their violent descriptions of desired vengeance asked of God to carry out. Interestingly, many of these were written by King David, the "man after God's own heart," who is one of our next examples.

TEMPTATION TO PRIDE AND PASSION

The first two kings of Israel form another good contrast. Saul and David both began as humble men, but both had defining moments where they were confronted with their sin. The choices they made in that moment, determined their legacy forever.

Saul went in obedience to attack the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). However, he did not destroy everything, as the Lord commanded him. When confronted by Samuel, he admitted he sinned, but... 1) he feared the men, so he didn't obey, 2) he admitted it, but wanted Samuel to return with him to "worship the Lord." When Samuel refused, Saul's heart was fully uncovered. 

Samuel turned to go, but Saul grabbed his robe, which caused it to tear. Samuel told him this was a prophetic picture that his kingdom would be torn away from him.

30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”

Saul's concern stemmed from pride. To be honoured before the leaders meant more to him than God's rejection of him as King of Israel. From this point on, his life completely unraveled until he ends his life on his sword pursued by his enemies.

David sinned, as well. The most memorable to us is his adultery with Bathsheba and arranging the death of her husband. This sounds worse than Saul's not killing the animals or the king of a nation God swore to destroy, does it not?

Nathan the prophet came and told him a fictional story of a rich man stealing a pet lamb from a poor man in order to feed his company. This aroused David's anger. Then Nathan told him, "You are the man" (2 Samuel 12). What was David's reaction?

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of Your unfailing love.
Because of Your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins. 

2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin. 

3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night. 

4 Against You, and You alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in Your sight.... 

5For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 

6But You desire honesty from the womb,b
teaching me wisdom even there. 

7Purify me from my sins,c and I will be clean;wash me, and I will be whiter than snow....Psalm 51

Not the severity of the sin, but the honesty of the repentance saved David and not Saul.

Saul wanted to keep up appearances to be honoured among men. David considered only his offense against God and cried out for cleansing.

TEMPTATION TO FEAR OR GREED
The final example, though many more could be expounded on, are of Judas Iscariot and Peter. Both

men betrayed Jesus, the Messiah of God. One could possibly argue that this is an ultimate sin.

Judas, the Gospel writers tell us, lived for money, so I tend to believe his betrayal flowed from his greed and Peter's from fear. Both chose something else as greater than their Lord, whom they had followed for three years acknowledging to His face that He was the promised One.

Both Judas and Peter seemed to acknowledge their traitorous actions as sin. Judas takes his life in despair (Acts 1:18), but Peter repents with tears (Matthew 26:75). After Jesus' resurrection, he receives restoration by the Lord to become a leader of the Church (John 21:15-19).

CONCLUSION
These examples, to me, show the incredible mercy of God. Every inclination of our hearts is to "do it on our own," to be "independent" of God. Yet, God knows that independence, for us who are created dependent, means death. Over and over He steps in to persuade us to surrender, to reveal Himself to gain our trust, to express His love to remove our burdens.

Can you get a small glimpse then at what sin is?

Sin pushes God's hand away and says, "me first!" Sin spits on God's love and cries, "I don't trust you!" Sin turns its back on God's compassion and says, "I'll be worthy on my own."

If you have read this far, I congratulate you. The post is lengthy, but so is the promise.

This is a burden to my heart for me and for you—that we understand God's love and compassion enough to receive it and give it to others; that we throw our worries, grumblings, discouragements, and discontent to Him without glossing over them; that we turn to Him in our temptation and find the door from which to flee; that we acknowledge the horror of our sin to Him and humble ourselves, not to gain applause, but to please One who loved us so much that He died in our place.

He wants our honesty and our complete dependence on Him.

I don't understand it completely. I only know, we need to come to Him about everything, because He cares about you and He cares about me.

_________________
We all have the capacity to sin like Cain, but through Jesus we can be freed by grace. ~Dr. Richard Liverance

For further meditation, please read Romans 6:12-23.

Wow! Amazing.

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.[1]

All my life I've heard wonderful stories of people who have needs, call out to God, and He supplies in a very personal way. But I've grown up in a family and nation where, though I've never been in wealth, I've never really been in want either.

We've had terrific storms here in Michigan this winter. A couple of weeks ago, we had snow falling so fast, that four or five times of clearing the drive was barely enough. That's when it happened, but without my asking.

The first snow dumped on a Monday. Because of the storm, I worked from home, so had the leisure of clearing the first wave myself.

Then I did it.

THE NEED SUPPLIED
Some recent injuries to my back weakened it so that the shoveling threw it into spasms. For the rest of the day, I lay working on the couch and babying it. That's when I heard the first of three or four times my neighbours revved up their snow blower and cleared my other neighbour's drive and my own. I lay with a mixture of guilt and thankfulness. God had provided when I had no way to provide for myself nor had yet grasped how desperate my situation would be if this need was not met.

My back continued to cause me various levels of pain the next couple weeks. The last several of days, I've finally felt the muscles easing, though not fully surrendering.

YET AGAIN
Another six inches of snow fell and covered my drive last night. I had not seen my neighbors yet this morning, so I began praying about how to clear my drive without irritating my back.

Not long after, I heard a knock on the door. Two young teenage boys asked if they could shovel my drive. In the past, I've always said no. For one, because I actually enjoy the exercise, and, two, I don't usually carry cash.

This time, I was three dollars shy of the $15 they suggested, but they graciously accepted it and did an amazing job clearing my walk, my steps, and my driveway in a very short amount of time (and it was heavy snow). I took out some hot chocolate and some chocolate mint candies and told one of the boys that they were an answer to prayer.

They were. I feel overwhelmed at how God provided, not only the answer for clearing my drive, but had provided enough cash to pay them (I really rarely carry cash!). Before I asked, He was already providing. And, He provided for me. Not a generic need for this area, but a specific request for my home.

GOD PROVIDES SO WE CAN ENJOY HIM
It may not seem like much to you, but when you're feeling at your weakest, that's when you realise the what is always true, though we rarely live as if we believe it—We are 100% incapable of living on our own; we are 100% at the mercy of God's grace.

"The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the ocean." ~ Jonathan Edwards

If you bring in money and luxuries through your job, God provided. If you have enough or more than enough to eat, God provided. If you have warmth when it's cold and shelter from storms, God provided. If you have health to clear your own driveway, God provided.

If you think otherwise, God may bring you to a place where it is taken away, and you'll realise then, He's the only One on whom you can call.

I wish for all of us just enough times like these to begin habitually understanding, it's all about Him. He gets the praise for every comfort, supplied need, or enjoyment. And, He gets the cries for help when we feel unable to cope. It is all about Him. It's all enjoying our journey with Him. Enjoying Him.

 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:6-7

WOW! He cares for me, for you! He cares about every worry and anxiety of every individual. Isn't that amazing?

Do you have any stories of how God provided for you in a way that made you say, "Wow" and made you enjoy Him more? If so, please share them in the comments below. I'd love to hear.

The Least of These

"People have forgotten what life is all about. They've forgotten what it is to be alive. They need to be reminded. They need to be reminded about what they have and what they can lose. And what I feel is the joy of life, the gift of life, the freedom of life, the wonderment of life." ~Leonard Lowe, Awakenings

The Least of These
It's strange what triggers memories sometimes. Frequently, the last year or two I have thought about a handful of adults who reached out to me when I was a child.

I remember a couple who took be out for Dairy Queen once or twice (he was even ill with cancer). An Italian, grandpa-aged man who bought me some stuffed animals, which I've kept till this day (stuffed animals were my FAVOURITE gift as a kid). A man who sat on the dock with me and sang "K-K-K-Katy" to me every summer.

The unique thing to me about these is that I grew up in a good and loving home. In fact, I was the youngest of six kids and a pastor's daughter. I could easily have been looked at as "all right" with enough attention to be overlooked. But somehow the love of God came through them to me (they couldn't have known that "quality time" is one of my love languages, but God did).

I just shared with a friend of mine about one other time I remember so vividly along this memory trail.

During a family vacation one summer, I disobeyed my sister, Connie, when she was taking care of me. I was a fish, as a kid. I lived in the water from morning till night. So my parents gave me the choice of no swimming for a day or a spanking. The spanking would be quicker, but I hated them so much that I chose not to swim. So the next day I sat on shore watching everyone else. Then a couple came over and asked if they could take me out. We went to a restaurant and ordered a brownie. I'll never forget that. I think I was old enough to know I deserved my punishment and wasn't escaping it. Instead, this became a picture of grace which made my punishment bearable.

These lessons were given to me at the youngest of ages, but have stayed with me all my life. By example, these individuals showed me what taking time for "the least of these" could look like. Their attention, singling me out, made me feel significant in their eyes. It didn't boost my self-importance, I don't think, but made me wish to give this gift to others too.

As I mentioned, these acts poured God's love and grace into my heart in life-demonstrated ways. He recognised me in a crowd (of family, church, nation, world), reached out through them, and touched me in a way that I could understand.

And, it was through simple things—some time, a gift, a song.

Jesus Loves the Little Ones Like You
I visited my parents over the holidays and my mom read aloud a book to us during some free time. One of the quotes from the books that stuck with me was "Jesus sure loves the children, Dad."

Whether or not the circumstances of the book took place or not, it's true—Jesus sure loves the children.

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. (Luke 18:16)

It's made me think about whether there is some teenager or child (or some adult who's often alone), who I might be able to show this love to. It can be simple, but God can use it in marvelous ways.

Do you have memories of people who impacted you for good or for bad by singling you out? Please share your story with me below in the comments.