Dance with the Victor

I once drew a picture representing all the various ways Satan distracts us from keeping our focus on the Christ. This skit does a much better job. Please take a few moments and watch.

Hasty Vows

I have been reading parts of my bible that creak when I open them. You know the parts: the deep recesses of the Old Testament we never hear about in sermons, the parts that are riddled with family lineages and successions of rulers. In my study of obscure texts, I came across a story of one guy I swear I have never heard of in my life. Since I heard of him, however, I do not think I will ever be able to forget his story, found in Judges, chapter eleven. His name is Jephthah. His claim to shame was his hasty mouth, so I feel I have a lot in common with this man.

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break."

I read that story completely expecting some angel to stay the hand and the Lord to provide a ram or something, as he did for Abraham. But there was no angel. The hand did not get stayed. A lamb was not provided. The story that begins with a hasty vow has a very unhappy ending. After I read of the virgin daughter’s willing participation in helping to keep her father’s vow to the Lord, I still looked for some glimmer of correction from God. After all, He is the one who lay down the law in Deuteronomy about not sacrificing your sons or daughters to the Lord. Where was this guy’s punishment? It didn’t come.

Jephthah was appointed to lead Israel for a time. It was said of him, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.” Why, then, would he make such a rash and incomprehensible statement before the Lord? The answer is the same as the reason every human fails: we are made out of meat! Even when the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, the part of us that tends toward rottenness can still mess things up.

In the case of Jephthah, his downfall was his mouth: that tiny little rudder that, according to James, can steer a large ship right to disaster. Proverbs 29:20 says, “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” The times a man has been brought low by the words of his mouth are many. The trouble the tongue can bring upon its possessor is immense. Consider the thoughtless quips, curses, promises, and jibes in our speech.

“1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.

3 As a dream comes when there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5)

I am currently dealing with a statement I made to God when I was twelve. I have been convicted by it since I read of Jephthah. While I deal with that, I have learned the importance and the desperation with which Solomon wrote those last words, “Therefore stand in awe of God.” There is one thing I can assure you: whatever awe is, it is not a sudden burst of oratory. I think I’ll be still and know that He is God.

Closed Eyed Worshipper - Real Men of Genius

I didn't know where else to put this, but I got a kick out of it. Maybe you've been this guy, maybe you can relate to the narrator, but you surely will get a charge out of this short.

It does remind me of the time I prayed to God for my wife. I was noticing how sincere her worship appeared to me, and I said, "someone like that, God, who loves you more than she ever will me."

Huckabee on Creationism

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, in a recent presidential debate, was questioned about his faith in God and His creation of the earth. I don't know about all his politics, but his answer on God made me proud.

Take a moment to watch his response. It reminds me of the scripture that cautions us to always be prepared to give an account for the faith we have.

Christianity That's Safe vs. Christianity That Saves

Aaron Chambers is a part of the staff of Christian Standard Magazine. He often deals a powerful blow, but in this, his recent blog post, I think he has found a key to what is wrong with the Church today.

Please read http://www.christianstandard.com/2007/08/why-i-dont-believe-in-safing-faith.html

The True Vine and Bread of Life

I have been asked to give a communion meditation at church this month. While I have done several in the past, this is a first with this congregation. I have been prayerfully considering it for several weeks, but the Lord has given me this to say:

“Communion”
This word comes from the Latin words that mean "to join together." We share in communion as a sacrament of remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ, the True Vine and Bread of Life.

The True Vine
Jesus said, “I am the true vine…Remain in me and I will remain in you.” (John 15:1,4) In verses 4 through 9 of John 15, Jesus used the word “remain” eleven times. Eleven times in just six verses: “Remain in me,” and, “Remain in my love.” One can almost hear the desperation of a weeping Christ as he begs us, like he did his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. “Just stay with me!” He seems to call out.

When Jesus modeled this sacrament at the Last Supper with His disciples, he presented them a cup of wine. Wine is a product of a fragile vine that requires preparation, patience and diligent attention. The fruit, when it is has matured to perfection under the careful hand of the vinedresser, is torn from the garden, crushed, and its very essence is collected, preserved, and shared on special occasions. The True Vine said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The Bread of Life
In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, we read, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

In Matthew’s record, we read that our Lord quoted a scripture from Deuteronomy, “Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” The passage he was quoting was written to the recently delivered Israelites, as a warning not to forget the God who delivered them, the bondage from which He had delivered them, and the promises He kept.

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:2-3)

We, like the Israelites, were delivered from our bondage: bondage of sin. And we, like the Israelites are being led by the Spirit of God, humbled by our humanity, perfected in our faith, tested by our trials, and waiting for the day we can walk into our Promised Land. Sometimes our desert seems so vast, and our forty-year wait seems so long. That is why God has provided us a source of strength for our journey: The Bread of Life. “Do this in remembrance of me.”



Communion Prayer

When Ezekiel called upon Your Name,
You made the dry bones come to life.
So now, as our spirits call on Your Name,
and remember Your broken body,
through the sacrament of this bread,
revive the dry bones of our spirit.

As we reflect on Jesus Christ, the True Vine,
find us wholly connected to you,
in this, our communion.
As we drink this new wine,
cause the blood of Jesus to
course through our spirit
and refresh and renew us
in unity with you, Dear God.
In the very precious name of
Jesus Christ, Amen!



Offertory

As we come to the time of offering,
we thank you for this opportunity
to demonstrate our faithfulness.

We praise you as the giver of all gifts
and the owner of all the universe.

We repent from any un-forgiveness
that would stand between us and You.
Cleanse us of bitterness and sin,
so that our acts of sacrifice
might not escape your attention.

Accept our gifts of worship,
and help us to be good stewards
of all you have entrusted to us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!