03.30.09
“FUTILITY OR FRUITFULNESS”
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FUTILITY OR FRUITFULNESS
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Psalm 127 NIV
1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
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Mark 4:26-29 NIV
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28 All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
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Though possessing unparalleled abilities amongst God’s creatures, man has long recognized his dependence upon forces outside his control. For the farmer, not matter how skillful his agricultural techniques are applied, there is no way to ensure a fruitful harvest during a season of drought. So much depends on the choices we make, but so much more depends on the gift of God.
Psalm 127 reflects on this very dynamic, whereby security, sustenance, sleep, and sons are seen as a direct function of God’s gracious gift. We can strive to build, guard, toil, and even impregnate; but unless God is in it, there is naught but futility. On the flip side, God’s touch in the big and small cannot help but overflow in fruitfulness. Even if not in the short term; fruitfulness in season is never questioned for those who love, trust, and fear the LORD.
What is true for creation is true for the Kingdom as well. Mark records a parable of Jesus where the Kingdom is portrayed as a fruitful seed. A man scatters seeds; and with a power and momentum not of his own, the seeds grow. Even while he sleeps, the seeds grow. Though he has no idea how, they grow. All by itself, the seed and soil progress to the point where fruit has emerged; ready for harvest.
So much has been given us in terms of power and responsibility for our fruitfulness. But at the same time, so much is not in our hands. Praise be to our God whose very touch in our lives turns futility into fruitfulness; as we sow and sleep in faith.
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- This morning, will you express your praise for the God of life whose work of creation and redemption results in teeming life. Will you thank Him specifically for the fruit He has already borne out in your life; as well as that which He has promised.
- Will you reflect on your work, your arenas of your laboring? Have you built, guarded, and toiled without trust and obedience? Will you ask for wisdom and discernment to know how to work with God; to labor in the context of His defined seasons?
- For the things outside your control, will you release your grasp, so that you can grip God’s grace instead?
This devotional was written by Pastor Martin
03.02.09
“RIGOROUS EXAMINATION”
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RIGOROUS EXAMINATION
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Ps 139:23-24 NIV
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
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For lepers, i.e. those stricken with Hansen’s disease; rigorous self examination can be the key to life. For the cause of the disease, the mycobacterium leprae bacteria, eats away at the nerves leaving the leper without sensation. Without the ability to feel pain of injury, it is easier to incur burns or injuries not feeling a thing along the way. Unattended wounds then easily fester resulting in shriveled appendages. Hidden places, such as in between fingers and toes were of special concern. For a leper, who knows his/her disease; regular rigorous examination can be difference between healthy hands and feet, or multiple amputation.
In the same way, rigorous self examination is essential for the sinner’s health. Wayward motivations and behaviors that are not repented of can bring about serious consequences, ala spiritual amputation. For the sinner, God is able to bring about creative acts of regeneration and resurrection, but the need to inspect one’s soul is not abrogated.
The Psalmist here in Ps. 139 ends his beautiful reflection of how carefully God has crafted , known, and led him with an appropriate response. Recognizing that sin is in play, he submits to God’s piercing examination of his heart and thoughts. Traditions of the past were keenly aware of this; reflected in the patterns of worship and prayer (see below). Knowing how deeply we are loved, and at the same time how dangerous our sinful tendencies can be; they clung to God for forgiveness and transformation.
Already, Christ has atoned for our sin once and for all! But sin still active in a world waiting for Kingdom consolation. One day, sin will be finally dealt with and removed. But until then,there is no substitute for regular and rigorous examination before Christ, the Physician of our souls.
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NOTE: Today, rather than questions for reflection, I have included an excerpt from the Book of Common Prayer whereby worshippers were led to pray. The words in the normal text were reserved for the priest/worship leader, while those in italics were for the worshippers to respond in voice.
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An excerpt from The Litany from the Book of Common Prayer
O God the Father of heaven: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O God the Father of heaven: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
O holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God: have mercy upon us miserable sinners.
Remember not, Lord our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers; neither take thou vengeance of our sins; spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry with us for ever.
Spare us, good Lord
From all evil and mischief; from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from thy wrath, and from everlasting damnation.
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vain-glory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,
Good Lord, deliver us
From fornication, and all other deadly sin; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death.
Good Lord, deliver us
From all sedition, privy conspiracy and rebellion; from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of they Word and Commandment
Good Lord, deliver us
By thine Agony and bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension: and by the coming of the Holy Ghost
Good Lord, deliver us
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our wealth; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us…
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That it may please thee to give us true repentance; to forgive all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to thy holy Word;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord
Son of God: we beseech thee to hear us
Son of God: we beseech thee to hear us
O Lamb of God: that takest away the sins of the world;
Have mercy upon us.
O Christ,
Hear us.
Lord, Have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ have mercy upon us.
Christ have mercy upon us.
Lord have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
12.31.08
“SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP”
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Psalms 20
20:1 For the director of music. A psalm of David.
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
Selah
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
9 O LORD, save the king!
Answer us when we call!
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Deut 17:16-17
16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
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As recent events replay, strife in the promised land is par for the course. In biblical times, the lands which the nation of Israel were strategically positioned along the ancient highways by which the superpowers of the days traversed to wage war with each other. Constantly in the shadow of Philistine, Midian, Egypt, Damascus, Assyria and Babylon, Israel’s kings would have been hard pressed to ensure their people’s security.
But early on, God outlined a different strategy for His people and their leaders. Rather than amass military might, or political connections; they were to put their trust in the character and promise of Yahweh. Psalm 20 is a psalm of blessing, prayed by the people for their king.
The king is reminded here that the key to victory did not lie in the number or horses or chariots he had at his disposal. Rather, it was in his integrity before God; and the faithfulness of God to answer prayers. In fact, Israel’s kings were warded off from hoarding horses, wives, or funds [Dt.17:16-17]. They weren’t barred from martial training & planning. But these prohibitions were put in place so that the heart of the king would not stray from the true source of life and victory. This is so important to God that Gideon is told to even whittle down his outnumbered troops [Judg.7:7]; while King David is judged for forcing through a military census [2.Sam.24:2ff].
In the eyes of some, leadership that trusts in God’s name over “chariots” is naive, even irresponsible. But to God, leadership that is not fundamentally spiritual is deadly. Trusting profoundly in personal charisma, political savvy, technological advantage, or even superior force of arms or funds figures to be a recipe for victory. But it can also all too quickly result in blitzkrieg and Auschwitz; Enron’s & Madoff’s. Leadership that is not fundamentally spiritual can devastate nations, companies, families, and souls. But leadership that trusts in the name of the LORD, in integrity and prayer can change the eternal destinies of the same. Oh how we need this kind of leadership for the crisis that lay before us in 2009.
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REFLECTION /RESPONSE
- This morning, will you reflect on the spiritual leadership of Christ; who when faced with the crisis of the cross, refrained from calling down legions of angels so that he could trust in the name of Lord. This is our King, this is our God.
- Imagine being tasked with the defense of a nation surrounded by dangerous enemies abroad; or with the reigns of a corporate entity in a changing marketplace. When push comes to shove, what role would integrity and prayer take in your administration? What role does it play now in your leadership?
- Are there choices before you where you have leaned on horses and chariots, over calling on the name of the Lord? Would you take time to ask God to anoint you with a greater measure of spiritual leadership? Will you intercede for your leaders, from the top down; asking God to grip & guide them.
12.29.08
“DOUBLE REBUKE”
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Matt 8:23-27
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
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Psalm 107:27-32
27 They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
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Experience counts for a lot. It helps us to form assumptive categories by which we then engage the world. Infants don’t realize that gravity always pulls objects with a downward force. It’s repeated experience which enables them to assume that what goes up must come down. But sometimes new experiences force us to reshape our assumptive categories, and see our world more authentically.
In the Matthew passage above, the disciples undergo this very phenomenon. Though some of the disciples were seasoned mariners, the sudden fury of the squall which overcame them stripped them of any calm resolve. This was not a storm they could manage their way through. In an act of sheer desperation, they turned to the one in their midst who had demonstrated the touch of deliverance, though heretofore only on land.
The sea was a different monster; long symbolized as primordial chaos. A vast and whimsical force which was believed to obey only one person’s voice, that of God Himself. For it was the breath of God who subjugated and split the waters in creation, and the Red Sea in redemption. It was to Him that sailors cried out to for salvation when they found themselves hopeless on the waves.
We can speculate what response they might have expected from Jesus, but it wasn’t what they got. They encountered a double rebuke: one aimed at the meagerness of their faith, and the other at the raging waves. In response to the second rebuke, the violence of the storm was immediately pacified. So suddenly was the effect of Jesus’ rebuke that the disciples could not but turn to each other and utter in amazement, “what kind of man is this?” For no mere man has ever wielded this kind of authority. No rabbi or prophet ever claimed this kind of fame. This was territory exclusive to Creator Redeemer God.
For the disciples, the result of Jesus’ rebuke was the simultaneous calming of their fear of the sea; and a explosion of their faith, and their fear of the LORD. Their very categories of who Jesus was, and what He could do were rebuked. Their utterance of “what kind of man is this?” would eventually turn to, “My Lord and my God.”
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REFLECTION /RESPONSE
- This morning, will you worship and adore Jesus; as Rebuker of the Waves, and Stiller of the Storm? Will you delight in incontrovertible truth that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ? Nothing created, no power or principality, nothing in the past, present or future.
- Try to imagine yourself on that boat with the disciples. The storm is so severe, that even lifelong fishermen are despairing of any hope. Picture the indignation and fear that prompt the disciples to wake and cry out to Jesus. Now try to visualize the response they would have had to Jesus’ stilling of the storm. Will you step into their amazement, and newfound reverence?
- What storms in your life prompt you to call out to Jesus this morning? The Risen and Ascended Christ neither slumber or sleep, and is positioned at the right hand of the Father to intercede for you. Will you petition him to calm your fears, and expand your faith?
