Friday, May 10, 2013

Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly

"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers in oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sins of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" 
~Micah 6:7-8

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
~Psalm 51:17



 Sacrifice.

It is the very heart of Scripture... the very heart of God.

God took great pains to insist upon specific sacrificial order and service in the Covenant He gave to Moses, and to the Israelites. From the grand design of the Temples, to the specifications of worship and blood sacrifice, to the very specification of gold and precious metals that the temple tools were to be cast in, our God is a God who puts great emphasis on sacrifice. Even now in the days of the dispensation of grace, the days of the New Covenant era that releases us from the bondage found under the Law and welcomes us into the New Covenant of Grace. Even us, mere Gentiles.

Yet, in the midst of the great and rich sacrificial offerings of the Israelites, we find the Lord requesting sacrifice of a different nature.

Sacrifice of a more important nature.

The sacrifice of the heart.

More than rams, more than oil, more than the firstborn given to Temple service, God requires the heart.

This show, this ritual, all of this gold and incense and oil, it is all flesh. A Covenant of flesh did so require works of flesh, and so even those very works of flesh condemned the givers under that covenant of flesh, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 

The Law of Moses was an imperfect shadow of a perfect Savior. The works of the flesh that sustained that covenant could never save, but only condemn. Only condemnation is found in the works of the Law, never salvation, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.

This law of flesh, this law of condemnation, served a purpose, as it does today.

It shows people their sin. It uncovers roughly the sin of the natural man. It served to bring attention to the sinfulness of man, of the flesh, and to bring into conscience the sinlessness and goodness of God. It was appointed to serve this way until the seed of Abraham, the Christ, whom the Promise was given to, were to come to give grace and salvation to those who will believe on Him. The very purpose of the imperfect law of flesh was to be a shadow of Christ and His redemptive work that is not wrought with human hands, nor is it earned or kept by our own power, but in Him and in His unfailing grace.

The stark contrast between this covenant of flesh and our blessed covenant of grace is this: the heart of sacrifice.

God doesn't desire a show. He desires our hearts. The Book of Micah explains this well. Above all of the gold and oil and ritual sacrifice, He desires their hearts, which were far removed from Him, even if they did honor Him with their lips. The gold, the oil, the firstborn, it was all condemnation. The heart, that is the heart of it all. Above all of the richness and show, God said 'What I want from you is not all of this, but rather for you to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly."

To do justly. To not just act, but BE honest, fair, and walk with integrity towards others and towards the Lord.

To love mercy. To not just grant mercy, as required by law, but to grant mercy as required by GRACE. Not to seek vengeance, which may seem just, which may have been justified under that law of flesh, but to give place unto the wrath of the Lord, and to grant mercy even undeserved. David had every right, every reason, and every excuse to end the life of Saul when he was delivered sleeping into his hands, yet David chose mercy over justice, mercy over law, and extended grace. The just shall live by faith. Then, not only to GIVE mercy, but to LOVE mercy. To LOVE it! To LOVE giving it. Just as we love having been given it ourselves, and just as we love being partakers of it, so should we delight in giving it to others, even though they be as undeserving of receiving it as we were when the Lord found us in the miry, filthy pit of our stinking, rotten sin. To love the heart of mercy, and to adopt it as our own heart, and to share it fervently and willingly with others. Not to point them to ourselves, but rather to point them to a God and Savior who can and is willing to do SO much more. Webster's 1828 defines mercy as:

"That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and indices and injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less that law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only toward offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being..... the act of sparing, or the forebearance of a violent act expected." (Reference)

To LOVE mercy! To mercy is to love the very heart of God! To love mercy is to love the very heart of Scripture, the very heart of the Gospel! If we cannot LOVE mercy, and LOVE giving it, then how can we call ourselves the children of faith, or the children of God?

To walk humbly.  To walk humbly, with the Lord and towards others, requires great feat of spiritual strength. It is natural for the mind of men to seek higher thrones than they ought to have. To seek praise, to seek worth-justification, and to seek vindication from wrongs committed without having to humble the heart and admit that they were wrong in action or in word. It is natural, but it is also a paved way into the heart of compromise and sin. Humility is the spiritual requirement to protect the heart from the deceitfulness of this enticing sin of pride. In humility, there is freedom, much freedom. Freedom from pride and arrogance, as Webster puts it. Humility is kin to the heart of the Lord, the heart of the Gospel that we serve. Humility is what took Christ to the cross, not pride. He did not go to the scourging and shame of Calvary with an in-your-face attitude, but rather with a humble heart, more lowly than any man could ever replication in the imperfect flesh, and said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" even as they cast lots at his feet.

"Humility consists in lowliness of mind; a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will." (Reference)

What does the Lord require of us, as feeble and sin-prone man? Humility. To walk in a constant and consistent knowledge of our natural filthiness, God's eternal and matchless goodness, mercy, and grace, and of the fact that the ONLY reason we are fit for Heavenly places is because we are MADE fit by the precious sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the eternal Passover Lamb, given for our sake's for our salvation, and out of a heart of mercy from our eternal King. The King that made of Himself a servant, took on the likeness of flesh, and suffered a horrible trial in His innocence, all so that we could live again in HIM and reign with Him in Heavenly places. What other King would die for men who hate Him, and ask forgiveness for those who nailed Him to the very cross that He had appointed Himself to bear? What other King would die the most terrible death, and not just bear a curse, but BECOME a curse, for those who still curse Him? Not one but Jesus. Praise His Name!

Ceremony is not what the Lord requires of His servants, but heart. To be just in our heart, attitude, and actions. To LOVE mercy, and to give it away freely and readily. To walk in all humility before the Lord, and before men. Make ourselves lower so that HE may shine forth! These are the sacrifices of God. A broken and contrite spirit set before Him unto His service in all thanksgiving and praise, regardless of circumstances.

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
~Hebrews 10:35-36

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. This is what is required of redeemed man, for the just shall live by faith, and freedom is found in faith. Freedom from the curse of sin, freedom from the curse of the law of flesh, freedom from bondage. Freedom not wrought by man, but by the Most High God who withheld not even His own Son for our sakes, how much more shall He freely give mercy and grace to those who seek His face?

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Have American Parents Got It All Backwards?

Sharing from Huff Post today, explaining why we American Parents have it all backwards! Really, a great article.





"The eager new mom offering her insouciant toddler an array of carefully-arranged healthy snacks from an ice cube tray?

That was me.

The always-on-top-of-her-child's-play parent intervening during play dates at the first sign of discord?

That was me too.

We hold some basic truths as self-evident when it comes to good parenting. Our job is to keep our children safe, enable them to fulfill their potential and make sure they're healthy and happy and thriving.

The parent I used to be and the parent I am now both have the same goal: to raise self-reliant, self-assured, successful children. But 12 years of parenting, over five years of living on and off in Japan, two years of research, investigative trips to Europe and Asia and dozens of interviews with psychologists, child development experts, sociologists, educators, administrators and parents in Japan, Korea, China, Finland, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, Brazil and elsewhere have taught me that though parents around the world have the same goals, American parents like me (despite our very best intentions) have gotten it all backwards.

Why?"

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Joy Challenge: 3 Gifts Tasted

 


Today's Joy Dare Challenge: 3 Gifts Tasted

1) Brunswick Stew!

2) Fresh-from-the-farm Spring Strawberries after a late Blackberry Winter frost!

3) "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8

On Crocheting and Trusting in the Master's Plan

 Who would have thought that crocheting would be a means of knowing and teaching a necessary part of the Christian walk?

Anyone who is fond of needlework may relate to this, when you are trying a new pattern and new stitches. There are times when you look at your work wondering

"What in the world is THIS??" You find that it looks nothing like the finished product, but more like a knotted mess.

"How does THIS mess fit into the final plan?" You might find yourself wondering. "Seriously, I don't get it!"

This is suppose to be a baby dress!

Three or four rows in, you're wondering if you should just pull it all out and start over before you get too far, or try an old and reliable pattern that you know will work out. You constantly re-read the pattern wondering if maybe you just did something wrong, or if, perhaps, the pattern was written wrong.

"This is in American English, right? Not British?"

But, yet, you resign yourself to plugging along, trusting in the pattern, the written word of instruction.

"It just HAS to work out somehow, I guess, because this is how it was written for me to follow, but how can all this ugly turn into something beautiful like the instructions promised?"

How often in those quiet moments does the Spirit of God gently lead me, speak to me in parables of everyday life.

Trust in the Master's Plan!

"But it looks like such a mess! A big tangled mess of failure! How can ANYTHING good come of this?? it doesn't look ANYTHING like it's SUPPOSE to!"

 Isn't that life in a nutshell? We try as we may on our own power, our own understanding. We strive, we toil, we work our fingers to the bone on our own power, only to come out at the end with a big, heaping, tangled mess. We cry out in frustration of wasted time, weep and lament wasted resources. We lash out about lost sales, wages, things that are truly and completely beyond our feeble control.

"God, how can this be Your plan?? This heaping, hot mess of life... how can this possibly be Your plan?? Are You even LISTENING to me??"

Trust Me!

Comes the simple, fragrant, solitary voice of faith. The answer in times of messy trials. The strong tower and safe haven in times of distress and grief. Simple Trust, yet so difficult to come by. 

The voice speaks again, as a whisper in the depths of conscience:

"Remember the sparrows? The Lilies? I take care of them.... not one of them drops to the ground apart from my sovereign hand, so how much more shall I take care of you, my child? This mess you see, I can see beyond it. I can see the next stitch, the next row, the next round, just as plain as this moment in time. I can see tomorrow, for I am already there. I have a plan, and to you I have entrusted my written Word of instruction. All you have to do is have faith and follow it. Trust in my instruction, in my design, through all of it's stages. These steps might be ugly, but I can assure you that the end result will be beautiful if you just keep on going!"

Trust. I resign myself to trust. I keep on plodding, striving on, trusting in those words in front of me. Hook in hand, doubt lingering but faith stronger that my doubt, I continue on. 

It starts to take shape. Slowly, but surely....

It's starting to resemble a dress yoke!
 Sometimes we see the mess because we are bound by these eyes of flesh in this present moment. Life is messy, but so is baking, and so is crocheting. Often things seem to need to fall apart before they can start coming together. However, each little mess (and each gargantuan mess!) takes it's place in the grand Tapestry of Grace being wrought with the Master's Hands. We see the mess, but God see's the finished project. Oh, to have the eyes of faith in the messes of everyday life!

My Pastor often tells a story of a young boy sitting under his grandmother's quilting table looking up at her work from the bottom. He said to his grandmother, "It looks ugly from down here!" She just smiled and responded, "If you could only see it from up here...." That's how God often sees our lives, I believe. We, the child, see the mess, but our Lord sees the plan and the beauty in it all. We simply trust and obey.




Trust in the Master's Plan, and in the Author of the Grand Design.