HIDE AND SEEK

In the midst of preparing the chicken and rice and chopping the salad, I suddenly realize the house had grown eerily quiet. The running footstep had stilled and the babbling voice attempting to read ABC books had ceased. Caleb, where was Caleb, what was he into now? CALEB, where are you? He had been in the dining room just seconds ago; there were all his books, stacked perfectly in his 2 year old obsessive method. I stepped over cars and “little people” as I made my way to the staircase. CALEB, I called as I looked up to the second level, but there was no smiling little face peering through the banisters. Walking down the hallway toward the family room, I heard a faint sound of breathing. There behind the table lamp stood a sheepishly smiling Caleb holding a chocolate bar from Grandma’s “secret” stash. His little 2-year old mind knew he was holding the forbidden and assumed that a table lamp would provide adequate covering.

Caleb’s behavior isn’t unique; it began with Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:6-9 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.8And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.9Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Adam and Eve could not resist the forbidden and man’s formula was set; sin, cover and hide. All through the Bible we find Mankind following this formula. A few years later, Adam’s son, Cain would try the formula and experience the same outcome. Cain became angry with his brother Abel and killed him. He must have tried to cover it up because God told Cain that Abel’s blood called to him from the ground. Then Cain tried to hide behind his arrogance; “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Again, God saw through the inadequate covering provided by Cain. King David, a man after God’s own heart, was not immune from the curse of sin and the solution set forth by Adam and Eve.

It was the “War Season” and David remained in Jerusalem. Boredom became his undoing. He desired Bathsheba and she became pregnant. To cover his sin he sent her home and called her husband, Uriah, home from war to lie with her. Now everyone would assume the baby was premature. Uriah, a dutiful man, stayed at the palace to guard the king. David panicked and tried to hide his sin by sending Uriah to the front line to be killed. 2 Samuel 11:7 tells us, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” David’s covering was inadequate and God sent the prophet, Nathan.

I am so thankful that “hiding” is not the end of the story. In every example, soon after man’s sin, God came seeking. God pronounced judgment for the sin and then provided a “God Covering” way of redemption. David had to experience the death of a child but God provided him with another son, Solomon. Solomon became the wisest, richest king that ever ruled. Cain was sentenced to roam the earth as a vagabond for the rest of his life. God also set his own mark upon Cain as a covering and declared that if anyone killed Cain, that person would experience vengeance seven-fold. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden to fend for themselves and God began the Process of Redemption.

Genesis 4:21 “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis provides us the portrait of redemption. Man’s attempt to cover himself with fig leaves was inadequate, so blood was shed by God to provide a warm covering of skins. In today’s world we have become more savvy in our attempt to cover our sins. We sew “fig leaves” of good works, service to our country, charitable contributions, being a good neighbor, kindness to animals, protecting the environment and many other futile methods. Mankind’s formula remains the same, “Sin, Cover, and Hide.” God’s formula for redemption also remains the same, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission,” Hebrews 9:22.

Hide and Seek is a fun game when you are a child. After finding Caleb with the chocolate, I took the candy, gathered him in my lap and had a fun time sharing; my stash has a new hiding place. Hide and Seek can be a lonely endeavor for the adult and the attempt to cover our sin is exhausting. Luke 19:20 tells us “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus Christ came to provide the sin covering for all of mankind. His shed blood reached back to cover Adam and Eve, Cain and David and it reaches forward to cover our sin today. If you are hiding, God is seeking!

CAN I FIND GOD IN YOUR BLACKBERRY?

Dear Church Member:

My life is a mess! I’ve made all the wrong choices, followed the wrong path and I’m not sure where to turn next. A co-worker told me maybe I should try God. I noticed the sign in front of your beautiful church and decided to attend last Sunday. I was really hoping I would find some answers.

The greeters at the door were so warm and friendly. They gave me a welcome packet full of information about your beliefs, programs and church community and then helped me find a seat. I sat directly behind you. It was so kind of you to make sure I had a bible and your lovely smile and handshake gave me hope; maybe this was the place I had been searching for. The service began with everyone praying out loud. I had never heard such a prayer; maybe God would really hear me if I talked to him with all of these believers. The songs and worship made me cry; I felt so close to Heaven. The hardness inside of me began to break; could I finally let go of all the hurt and disappointment that had filled me for so long? Even the announcements and the offering seemed to glorify God. I was thankful that the leader asked everyone to turn off their cell phones because I was so hungry for God and I wanted to hear every word. The congregation stood to honor the reading of the Bible; I think the Pastor picked the scriptures just for me.

I was on the edge of my seat, hanging on to every word when I noticed you grabbed your blackberry. I hadn’t heard it ring but it suddenly seemed so important to you. I looked at you full of concern and said a silent prayer that the emergency call was not bad news. You looked at the screen and smiled as your fingers flew over the keys. Wow, no emergency, maybe there is something to this prayer thing! Then you scrolled down the screen looking at the latest headlines, checked your Facebook page and posted an update. Turning my attention to the speaker, I finally got back on track with what he was saying when another “emergency” occurred. You winked at your friend across the aisle, hardly able to contain your laughter as you replied to her witty comments. Sadly, I walked down the aisle and out the door. Maybe I’ll just buy a music CD and a Blackberry!

Sincerely,
A Searching Heart
Written by Susan Niswonger to make us aware of the hurting people who may be watching us.

AFFIRMED, APPROVED, AND VALIDATED

I remember the first time I heard the word, Affirmed. We had opened a Christian bookstore in St. James, MN. The shelves were stocked with the latest inspirational books and cds and the card rack was loaded with greeting cards for every occasion imaginable. I began to notice that our best sellers were cards of “affirmation.” Since I had never received an affirmation card and the small town we lived in had 7 or 8 Lutheran churches, I assumed it had something to do with a Lutheran religious tradition. One day, I decided to read all the cards and to my surprise I discovered that “affirmation” is something we all crave; Lutherans, Pentecostals, Catholics, Non-believers, everyone!

The dictionary defines AFFIRMATION as “to express agreement with or commitment to; to uphold and support; to approve. APPROVAL was the word that caught my attention in this definition. From the time we are aware of our surroundings we seek for approval.

APPROVAL -To approve someone is to appreciate, commend, express a favorable opinion; to endorse or validate. The opposite of approval is rejection. Rejection is devastating and destructive. Rejection will destroy one’s dreams, drive to live and ultimately the very person who experienced the personal destruction. I love approval because it VALIDATES me. This brings me to my last word, VALIDATION.

VALIDATION gives official approval, substantiation and confirmation to our words and actions. The tiniest baby to the oldest adult desires Affirmation, Approval and Validation and we can find all three in a loving God.

Chapel service had ended and I had begun to minister to individual’s personal needs. After praying with many of the ladies, I glanced over at the one remaining person patiently waiting to speak to me. She began to tell me of different things that were “bugging” her and how she was trying to handle all of them in her troubled life. I listened to her words and began to form the prayer in my mind that I would pray with her. Suddenly, she spoke to me from her heart, “I don’t feel validated!” she cried. Now, we had gotten to the root of her problems and could pray specifically for her need. After talking and praying together, she began to see different ways God is validating her life and her as a person every day.

After many years of attending funerals and talking with grieving people, the most important thing to the family is that their loved one is not forgotten. Again we come back to the word VALIDATION. It is ok to the family that you may have seen the faults of their loved one, they saw them too. It doesn’t matter that you may have had philosophical differences; no two people agree. But do you have a story about their life, who were they as a person, will they be remembered now that they are no longer living on earth, can you validate them? The dead person becomes an extension of ourselves. We will all lie in the same place someday, surrounded by sorrowful friends and loved ones and we need to know that funny stories are being told, that we will be missed, that our live mattered; that we were validated.

In my own life, people may not have always affirmed me or approved of my actions; I can live with that, if I have been validated. I need to know that I have worth as a human being; that my life matters and someone cares about what I feel, think, do and speak.

 II Corinthians 10:18 “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." 

No matter how many awards or accolades we may receive in this life, we are not validated, affirmed or approved until God approves us. My final verse comes from James 1:12,

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." 

You may feel as my friend at chapel that no one validates, affirms or approves of you. The Word of God tells us that when we become His child, He stamps His seal of approval on us unto the Day of Redemption at which time we will receive a crown of life. NOW THAT’S AFFIRMATION, APPROVAL AND VALIDATION!!!

DISTURBED!!!

I watched my 3-week old grandson as he lay in my arms fast asleep. Unable to resist, I gently nuzzled his soft little cheek. It was just enough, he opened his eyes and screwed up his little face; Grandma had disturbed him and he was not happy! Like Nathan I have settled into a comfortable routine in my safe little life and I DO NOT WANT TO BE DISTURBED!!!

Never in my life have I heard so many people say they are depressed, overwhelmed, unhappy, unsure and confused. Our world is being disturbed! For too long we have had our hopes and dreams in temporal things; our jobs, the stock market, the government, our bank accounts and even our families. I believe God is disturbing our world to get the focus back on Him.

This morning, I read this prayer by Sir Frances Drake:

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

After reading this prayer, I am ready to “Let go and let God.” Go ahead, God, disturb my safe little world, so that I can rise to higher heights in You. Go ahead, God, disturb my confidence in the temporal things so that I can concentrate on the eternal. Go ahead, God, disturb my comfort zone so that I will take the first steps toward the next level. Go ahead, God, DISTURB ME!!!

GOD DOES NOT NEGOTIATE!!!

As a child I frequently heard the words, “BECAUSE I SAID SO!” At that point I understood that arguing was futile and I had better get with the program.

When was the last time you heard a parent speak those words and mean it? We hold open the refrigerator door for 15 minutes while our children decide what should be cooked for dinner, then we patiently empty closets and drawers as they pick out their wardrobe for the day so they can participate in all the fun activities we have planned for them; that is if they decide the activities are fun. Their philosophy is, “Nothing is final until I get what I want!!!”

We have raised a generation of negotiators.

Our PHILOSOPHY OF NEGOTIATION now defines every area of life including our relationship with God. How many times have we transformed our prayer closet into a negotiating table?

Kneeling before the throne, we present a dire situation which needs an immediate answer, when God comes through with a plan, the negotiations began. “God, I can accept this, but this detail has to go; I’m willing to give on this item but what will you give in return?” We need a renewing of our mind so that we can understand...

GOD DOES NOT NEGOTIATE!!!!

God has a plan which holds specific promises, that plan will be fulfilled and the promises will come to pass, because HE SAID SO!!

 II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

We have confused longsuffering with negotiation. Although, God may appear to be negotiating with some people as He patiently waits for them to come to Him, don’t fool yourself, He will have it HIS WAY!

Leading the Children of Israel through the wilderness, Moses asked God for water. God instructed Moses to hit the rock with his staff. Moses obeyed and God delivered water. As the journey continued and the thirst increased, Moses was instructed to speak to the rock for the water. In anger Moses hit the rock with his staff and out flowed the life-giving water. Was Moses so important to God that he could do it his way? Was God negotiating? NO!!!

God was patient. He was with Moses for the entire 40 years in the wilderness, and He was with Moses at the end of his life, however, because Moses did not do it God’s way, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Another great example of God’s “NO NEGOTIATION” Philosophy is Jonah’s famous escapade. God commanded Jonah to journey to Ninevah with the warning, “Repent or be destroyed.” Jonah decided Ninevah wasn’t really his idea of a luxury resort so he boarded a ship to Tarshish.

God said, “You want to negotiate my plan? Fine, I’ll pick the location; here’s a large fish, let’s see how the negotiations go in the fish’s belly!!" It didn’t take Jonah long to see it God’s way. After three days, he was on his way to Ninevah to deliver a message of repentance that would save an entire city.

Psalms 119:89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

God has a salvation plan for everyone. He doesn’t modify it or negotiate the details to fit your specifications.  Do not mistake the longsuffering of God for negotiation. God is not standing before an open refrigerator door or emptying out the closet waiting for you to make your choice.

The plan has been established and His Word is settled!!!

NEVERTHELESS

It all started in The Garden. God had commanded Adam who instructed Eve that the tree in the middle of the garden was off limits. Eve approached the tree, looked longingly at the forbidden fruit and wondered “what if?” Satan, who never misses an opportunity, begin to persuade Eve that God hadn’t really meant what He had said. And surely a God who loved them so much to create such a beautiful garden would never be so cruel to sentence them to death for doing something that would make them so happy. This was Eve’s “Nevertheless moment.” What a different world we would enjoy if only Eve and replied, “It does look wonderful and I would love to be wise as God, but NEVERTHELESS we have been commanded to leave it alone.” Every one of us will experience a “Nevertheless Moment,” your answer at that moment will determine the rest of your life.

Abraham’s actions during his “nevertheless moment” earned him a place in Heaven’s Hall of Fame. God had promised Abraham that he would make him a father; that his seed would be as the stars in the heavens and the sand of the sea, yet Abraham was approaching 100 and still didn’t have a son. What joy he and Sarah experienced as they held Isaac, the son of promise, in their arms. A few short years later, God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac; Abraham’s “Nevertheless Moment!” The bible doesn’t go into all the detail of Abraham’s conversation with God but we know he got to the “nevertheless” because Hebrews 11:17 says “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” I can imagine that Abraham saying “God I love this boy more than I ever imagined, please don’t ask me to sacrifice him, it is almost more than I can bear but NEVERTHELESS, you gave him to me the first time and I know that you are able give him to me the second time.” Because of Abraham’s faithfulness to God in a “Nevertheless Moment” a blessing was passed down through the generations and even we can be partakers of Abraham’s Blessing.

Most of us have been encouraged by Job’s trials and restoration during times of loss and desperation in our own lives. We hold to the promise that we will be restored twice as much as we have lost but have we answered God as Job did during his “Nevertheless Moment?” The Bible tells us that Job was blameless and upright, feared God and shunned evil. He was living his life and doing what was right when God decided to brag on him. Satan challenged God with, “I hear what you are saying God, but let me present him with a “Nevertheless Moment,” that will tone down the confidence you’ve placed in Job. God allowed Satan to take Job’s cattle, children, wealth and ultimately his health. Job experienced a “Nevertheless Moment” that would have broken the strongest of us. Job cursed the day he was born and questioned why God would allow such things to happen in his life, but NEVERTHELESS, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” Job 13:15.

The ultimate “Nevertheless Moment” again occurs in a garden. The hour had come when Jesus would face betrayal and death. Although He was God and this was the plan from the beginning, His flesh cried out against His destiny. The will of His fleshly body rebelled against the pain, disgrace and death that lay ahead. Jesus went into the garden to pray a prayer that would bring His flesh into submission. Jesus, the Son of God, experienced his “Nevertheless Moment.” Matthew, Mark and Luke all record the same event. Matthew 26:39 tells us, “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: NEVERTHELESS not as I will, but as you will.” Mark 14:36 records it as, “And he said, Abba, Father, all thing are possible for you; take away this cup from me: NEVERTHELESS not what I will, but what you will.” The final account is Luke 22:4, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: NEVERTHELESS not my will, but thine, be done.” By giving over the will of His flesh, Jesus could now take on the sins of the whole world and change the destiny of all mankind.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; NEVERTHELESS, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The most difficult thing you will ever let go of is YOUR WILL but God will put a “Nevertheless Moment” in your life to give you the opportunity. Embracing rather than resisting the moment will usher you into God’s plan for you from the beginning. If you are facing your personal “Nevertheless Moment,” turn from Satan’s lies and be an Abraham with the faith that God has a greater promise for you, or a Job that says, “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord. As Hebrews 12 tells us, your NEVERTHELESS may seem painful for the moment but it will yield a fruit of righteousness that will sustain you for eternity.

NAKED AND DON'T KNOW IT!!!

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.

I am at church playing the piano, everyone is singing and acting as if nothing is out of place, but I am terrified that sooner or later someone is going to notice that somehow I forgot to get dressed. Yes, I am at church, playing the piano with no clothes on. It is just one of those common, recurring dreams that so many people have experienced and therapists just love to interpret. The striking thing about this dream is I am aware of my lack of apparel but everyone else is oblivious, there is an opposite story which I think a therapist would find much more fascinating.

As a child, my mother would read Fairy Tales to us before bedtime. It opened a whole world of fantasy and imagination; I could be anything, go anywhere and do anything. There was one story, however, that I found to be puzzling and a little disturbing. It was the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.

Just in case it’s been a long time, let me refresh your memory. The emperor orders a new set of clothes from the royal tailor. The tailor measures the emperor then spends weeks cutting, sewing and fitting the garments so they will hang just right. The day finally arrives, the clothes are finished, the emperor tries them on and parades down the street to show them off to his subjects. Everyone oohs and aahs; they bow, kiss his hand and compliment the emperor on his new clothes. Finally, one little boy loudly proclaims what everyone else pretended not to see; “Mommy, the emperor has no clothes!”

Last week during the Miss USA beauty pageant, Miss California was asked a question regarding gay marriage. Her answer stated that she felt that marriage should be between a man and a woman. She was booed, ridiculed and ultimately came in second place in the contest. The religious world held her up as an icon and their new ambassador for Biblical marriage all the while the news channels ran nonstop footage of her parading across the stage in a brief bikini. The glory of her unclothed body seemed to overshadow the Glory of God that wanted to shine through her words. However, the Christian world oohed and aahed.

Yesterday, a news report came out regarding the same woman along with pictures of her posed provocatively in various stages of undress. Her reply was that the pictures were posted as another slam against her religion and stand for God. EXCUSE ME??????? WHO POSED FOR THE PICTURES? Finally, the "little boy in the crowd," Shepherd Smith of Fox News, proclaimed, “I guess religion and nakedness mix now. Whatever happened to modesty?” Thanks Shep for having the nerve to say what most of us didn’t notice or were afraid to say lest we be accused of being judgmental.

I fear this is just a small symptom of an evil virus that has infiltrated the church body. We want to “talk the talk” but don’t bother me to “walk the walk.” An athlete points to the sky, giving thanks to God for the touchdown, then yells expletives at the referee if he disagrees with the call. An actress gives her testimony on Christian television one week and appears in the tabloids the next week because of a sordid affair. A Sunday School teacher can’t give in the offering this week because he lost it in the casino, Saturday night. A car has a bumper sticker asking people to “Honk if you love Jesus,” then the driver gives an obscene gesture at the man in the car next to him that dared smile and honk. Somewhere along the way we’ve lost our “Robe of Righteousness.”  Is there a brave preacher anywhere that will stand in the pulpit and proclaim, “The emperor has no clothes.”

WE ARE NAKED AND DON'T KNOW IT!

In my dream, although no one seems to notice, I am mortified that I am naked. The situation can be changed because I am aware there is a problem. The Emperor, on the other hand is either not aware of his nakedness or has convinced himself that if he declares he is clothed, it becomes truth.

By parading naked through the streets, we have opened ourselves and the message we proclaim to shame and ridicule. There is a dying world screaming, “The emperor has no clothes.” Their screams and our self-serving, oblivious attitudes are drowning out a Life-changing message. It is time to open the Word of God, take an honest look in the mirror and once again let the Savior cover us with His blood and robe of righteousness.