Tearing Down Our High Places

Do you have an idol in your house? Perhaps a glowing shrine, a molded image, or a prized genie in a bottle? Chances are you jumped to your response, almost offended that I even ask you that: No! Of course not! That’s against one of the Ten Commandments!

You are correct: the forbearance of idols and other graven images does belong in God’s law: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:4-5).

Throughout I & II Kings, I discovered a people of God absolutely living the life in the Promised Land. Undoubtedly, they knew days of drought and challenges, but prosperity and success often came their way too. They had certainly not forgotten God: they had built Him a beautiful, spectacular house, after all. They revered the Lord who had delivered them from Egypt and turned to Him for help when enemy invaders would threaten. They sometimes had zealots, too, preach across the land, like Elijah, Elisha, and Isaiah –they were sometimes far-fetched to many, though, begging for wholehearted revival before the face of a holy, righteous God who does not tolerate apathy or self-destruction forever. Their kings were not always bad, though; in fact, several of them actually followed the Lord and cared about His commandments –but why bother destroying the high places? They didn’t really believe in them anyways… They couldn’t really impact them or hinder their growth in the Lord. They couldn't really impact their testimony.

This society sounds normal and average to us. We make time for God when we can, stick a memory verse here and there, believing more in the power of the post-it than in that of the Word. Worship services have become a competition, while we forget that thousands of believers must meet in secret across the world…and we forget the price that was paid for us to even approach the throne of God.

This life has become normal to us. It is yours, and it is mine.

We try to follow the Lord –we check off our devotions from our to-do lists, we obey the laws and regulations –mostly, or so we firmly try to convince ourselves. But have we destroyed our high places? To quote a song by Tenth Avenue North, what DO we know of holy?

II Kings reveals a time of great social change and unrest. A collection of kings ruled a now split Promised Land. Many were evil and replaced sincere, pure, and Spirit-led worship of the One true God with Satan-driven awe of everything else. Sacrifices of humans became prevalent, along with other pagan practices. Occasionally, a well-intentioned king would step in. He would seek the Lord, attempt to obey the commandments –but the Bible frequently states that these kings did not destroy the high places (II Kings 14:3-4). The true problem remained: the heart and God’s place in it.

We all have these high places. When we cling to these -whether they be outward or inward gods- we displace God of His rightful authority and sovereignty. Of course not all of these may be inherently evil, but if they take the place of God in our lives, they do become just the same as sin. We must pray for the discernment to identify these, as well as the humility to let God pull these out of our hearts, minds, and souls. From the desire for success to the craving for friendship, from the pursuit of dreams to the pride of the heart, from the dangers of covetousness to the slavery of always wanting to be right –all of these can be our high places.

We should be the zealots. We should be those preaching the Gospel at the risk of sounding like maniacs. We should be standing out and standing alone for the sake of Christ. We should be yielded to the work of the Spirit that we can run faster than kings in chariots drawn by the fastest, best horses (I Kings 18: 46). We should be seeking God’s still, small voice in the chaos that surrounds us (I Kings 19:12). We should be so filled with the power of God that our enemies can only ask where does our confidence come from (II Kings 18:19-20).

But we cannot live like this without giving up lesser things. To live like this, we need to tear down our high places. 

To Write or Not To Write -That Is the Question

Writing –thoughts put to words; songs of hurt or praise; prayers of plea, of deliverance, or of rejoicing; emotions placed between the parameters of a dictionary; truth expressed with flawed vocabulary. Writing is powerful –it always has been- and maybe even more powerful than the tongue. Writing lasts, is less easily forgotten, and now with modern technology, can convey opinions and facts across the world within seconds.

Maybe that’s why I John so heavily stressed his motives behind the writing of his letter. The writer knew the power of words –of the written.

Because I love writing so much, I found great encouragement, challenge, and guidance in his reasons for writing. I, too, should strive to match my scribbles to his standards. 

1.       “and these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1.4)
JOY –there it is again! The beautiful result of salvation and of full surrender to the Lord. In my writing, I must seek to move people to discard discouragement to rather embrace joy. While I must speak truth and truth may hurt, I must speak it in love because love is the most powerful tool of change and of redemption (I Peter 4:8).

2.       “these things write I unto you, that you sin not” (2.1)
I must write to encourage others to cast away sin. As stated above, I must speak the truth –and truth often includes the pointing out of sin. Writing so can be challenging for many because we so easily follow the cultural trend of the fear of intolerance. But God does not tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13).

3.       “I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning.” (2.7)
This is beautiful. The Word of God does not change; His truth has always been the same, from the Old Testament through the New Testament, from the beginning to the end through eternity. I have no right to add or take away from His truth –I must write only according to His Word (Revelation 2:19).

4.       “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines” (2.8)
Yet, while the theme of Scripture has never changed, the Gospel stands in stark contrast with the legalism of old that had been wrongfully concluded from God’s commandments and standards of holiness. To those who had twisted His Words, the Gospel was new: it was freedom.  Today, the Gospel is still so new to so many. Thousands across the world and in our own neighborhoods still have never heard or read the truth about JESUS. My writing should direct the hearts of my readers to this amazing grace; my writing should have the power to carry itself throughout my Judea and Samaria and across the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

5.       “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. I write unto you, fathers, because you have known Him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.” (2.12-14)
God’s Word is applicable to everyone, to every age, to every maturity level. While uncompromising the truth, my writing should seek to pursue all groups…and should offer food to all who come with an open heart (I Peter 2:2-3).

6.       “I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” (2.21)
My writing should not only target nonbelievers but also those who already believe. As a Christian, I have the responsibility to outreach to those around me and raise them up as God empowers me in Christ’s name (Titus 2:1-6). I can’t stop with spreading the Good News of salvation but I must encourage discipleship and growth too.

7.       “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” (2.26)
My words must warn of Satan’s deceptive ways. He walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Any believer is vulnerable!

8.       “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (5.13)

This is probably the most important guideline for my writing: I must point my readers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My readers should walk away from their computer or close out of my blog posts having a better sense about their inadequacy before God’s holiness, their need for Jesus day by day, and His free offering to them of salvation through His name alone by humble faith (Matthew 18:13).

 Now I must rise to the challenge: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

DELIGHT.

I just finished reading Deuteronomy, and I never expected to be so blessed and so touched by that book as I have been for the past couple weeks. There is so much I could write about it, and maybe I’ll focus more posts on some of its many, rich themes, but for now I’d like to spend time on DELIGHT in the Lord. It stuck out much, much more than in the previous books of the Pentateuch.

Yes, there is definitely throughout Deuteronomy still a strong emphasis on the laws the Jews were expected to follow. But something much more powerful than the law shine through as well –an emotion and a commitment, both wrapped up so powerfully in the life and truth offered by the Word. My Bible commentary mentioned that Deuteronomy contains one of the first declarations of God’s love for His people. This in turn works as motivation for the people to turn to this God and to His love. After all, I John 4:19 confesses, “We love Him, because He first loved us.”

This love, I think, when it grows, turns into DELIGHT. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 provides a beautiful summary of the Ten Commandments, as well as a revealing testimony of truly delighting in the Lord:

1.     Fear the Lord

2.     Walk in all His ways

3.     Love the Lord

4.     Serve Him with your all

5.     Keep His commandments

As we follow His Words, we can rest in the knowledge that He will reward in His best time (Deut. 11:33-34). As we cleave to Him (v. 20), He becomes most importantly our true praise and moves into the correct position in our lives: GOD (v. 21). He becomes the rightful Author of every good thing (James 1:17) and the Mighty Deliverer from the evil He allows (Matthew 4:1, 11; Deut. 7:18, 21; 20:1-4). He is our consuming fire of righteousness (Deut. 4:24; Matthew 3:11) –fire by night and cloud by day. He allures us by His goodness and justice: we all crave both deep down in our hearts. The more we dive into His Word, the more we love and delight in it (Psalm 119:16). I can definitely testify to this! Ever since I started this amazing journey of reading the Bible from cover to cover, I have seen the Word come alive around me; I have become more aware of His work; and I have become more enraptured by His nature.

Don’t get me wrong: this transformation and renewal does not happen overnight and does not become fulfilled until we meet Him face to face (Phil. 3:12). But because of the precious and selfless sacrifice of Christ’s life and my choice to claim Him as my Savior, I can walk on this journey of boundless discovery of His character, His ways, and His plan –with delight in every step when I keep my gaze on His (Phil. 3:13-14). “You shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to…wherever the Lord your God has blessed you” (Deut. 12:7). I will rejoice. I will delight.

In closing, I would like to include a passage from Kisses from Katie, a book I am currently reading about a young missionary in Uganda:

“For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4: ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.’ I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, followed His commandments, and was a ‘good girl,’ He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true. Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way. It is not about God making my dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life.

Today I am living the desires of my heart and I cannot imagine being happier; I cannot imagine living any other life than the one that unfolds before me day by day. But believe me, I am by no means living my plan… This is not a life that I dreamed up on my own or even knew I desired. I am watching God work, and as I ‘delight myself in the Lord’ by doing what He asks of me and by saying yes to the needs He places in front of me, He is changing the desires of my heart and aligning them with the desires of His. As I go with Him to the hard places, He changes them into the most joyful places I could imagine.”

As you come to delight more and more in the Lord and His Word, He may or may not ask you to completely change your lifestyle or pursuits as He did for Katie. Each one of us has a different, specific calling. But the main goal that is the same for all of us to "love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). 

Choosing Joy

JOY –such a beautiful word! Joy is much deeper than happiness: happiness is fleeting, depends on everything we see, taste, hear, feel. But joy comes from the peace and strength Jesus grants us daily. It is unconditional –or so it should be.

The life of those who follow Jesus should be one filled with joy. But how many of us walk around defeated, distressed, and depressed? We are convinced our circumstances or the people in our life or those missing from it are the cause of our slumped shoulders, deep sighs, and frowns; but really, we are destroyed from within. Yes, we do this to ourselves!

Joy is a choice, you see.

Joy can be yours if you follow Christ, but you must claim it for yourself. Accepting Christ is not an automatic potion to a life of joy. In fact, pursuing His calling often brings much, much difficulty; it rarely negates life’s hardships but sometimes brings about more. There may be great sacrifice in claiming His death and resurrection: after all, Galatians 2:20 states that we are crucified with Christ. Yet we can glory through all of it.

How then? By choosing to see it all through His eyes –and to let His still, small voice be our vision when our human sight is impaired.

In I Thessalonians, Paul encouraged believers to see their life as a beautiful calling from the Lord –and they should rejoice in this realization. “In everything gives thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We can REJOICE in His will! It is worth being thankful for!  A few days ago, Amy Carmichael pointed out in her devotional Edges of His Ways the strong truth in Romans 15:13: God equips us with “all joy and peace in believing.” There is JOY in truly believing Him –in trusting Him, in choosing to view His plan through His unseen ways, and in pursuing Him in reckless abandonment.

“’Hush’ to the thoughts that would depress, for the day is holy; it is the day that the Lord has made, that we may rejoice and be glad in it. Let us join hands with Paul, and thank God and take courage” (Amy Carmichael, Edges of His Ways). It is HIS day for HIS glory, regardless of what may or may not happen. Temptations and trials, difficult people and disappointments, hurt and strife –as followers of Christ, you and I can still rejoice through it all. We must trust Him to use it all for His plan and for His glory. So let us rejoice and be strengthened by His JOY.

"What though the way is long

In Thee my heart is strong

Thou art my joy, my song..." 

-Amy Carmichael

The Veil Has Torn

The writings of Exodus can appear long-winded, repetitive, and even useless at times. Oh the many times I have complained about its content! But when in my head and heart God connects dots from this more challenging piece of Scripture with the often Christian favorite of the New Testament, I am left humbled and can only rejoice with the delight He brings.

This morning I was thinking about all the things on my to-do list –the things I want to do and those I don’t; the things I take pleasure in and those I despise; the things that are easy and those that require effort. Lying in bed hearing the birds already worshiping, I knew what my soul needed but I wanted to indulge my head and attempt to accomplish everything in my own might. I wrestled, hid under the quilts –but already the sun revealed His glory through my half-drawn blinds, luring me to His feet. Finally, I rolled over, pushing away my human feelings. Sitting by the window and sipping coffee, I started writing down my worry and wanna-be achievement list while meditating on Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” As my pen traced on the journal page each of my thoughts, God supplied His peaceful answer.

So I rejoiced along with the birds.

As I continued my reading of Exodus, I was captivated by the glorious description of God’s commandments concerning the tabernacle as well as the clothes worn by the priests.  One verse, though, that bounced off the page as if already highlighted without my pen was Exodus 26:33-34: “and the veil will divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And you will put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.” The people of Israel were not to enter this most holy section where God’s Spirit was; they could not approach God on their own because of their imperfections compared to His holiness. A veil separated them.

One day everything changed, though: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in half from the top to the bottom; and the earth did shake, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51). THE VEIL WAS TORN. Why? What had just happened? Jesus, the Son of God, had just died, crucified on the cross and taking every single sin upon Him. He acted as the perfect sacrifice acceptable to God, making it possible for those who believe in Him to approach God anytime anywhere about anything. JESUS made it possible for me to approach God’s mercy seat this morning, leave everything at His throne of grace, and rejoice. “[The] veil is done away in Christ…when [we] turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Corinthians 3:14-18).

The veil has been torn. What are we waiting for? Let’s gather at His mercy seat and REJOICE. 

In or Of: Whom Do You Fear?

When what I am reading in a class coincides powerfully with a theme in my current Scripture studying while challenging me in my daily life, it becomes all the much more powerful and personal, as if God’s Spirit were drawing lines in my dot-to-dot designs in my head of what my walk with Him should look like. A couple weeks ago I started reading Genesis, a little nervous of this Bible adventure. I am not positive I have ever finished that book or read it in its entirety at once. But, reading it became a dare I could not resist.

I have now reached chapter 33 and have noticed a reoccurring theme. Frequently, the narration includes God providing man with a promise, as if giving him an inside view of His plan and that man’s role in it. The man accepts and embraces it, clinging to it with all his might and emboldened for his journey. However, soon come various challenges against this promise, forcing the man to make a bold decision in either a negative or a positive way. The negative would have been the easiest; but the positive would prove to be the best in the long run.

In his humanity, Abraham chose both negative and positive alleys. Out of fear for his life, Abraham introduces his wife as his sister to foreigners, not once but twice, and almost loses her to them. God intervenes, though, and spares them both. On the other hand, in the well-known incident of God requiring Abraham’s sacrifice of his long-awaited son Isaac, Abraham’s faith is undeniable; God must intervene again, but, this time, because Abraham had thrown everything –including God’s promise of many generations to come- at God’s feet in submissive, reckless obedience to Him.

Lot undergoes similar choices as well. While living in a sinful city along with his family, he is offered a way out before God brings destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah. Even with the knowledge of the looming annihilation of his city, Lot does not care to hurry his family out. Rather, Scripture states that Lot took his time and God had to intervene again: the angels had to pull him and his family out of the city. Lot was so concerned about the seen and the things of this world (the city, perhaps his belongings, his lifestyle) that he and his family came very close to dying. Lot was so focused on this world that God was not GOD in his life. After that escape, God urges Lot to flee to the mountains for refuge. Yet, Lot responds with fear and prefers to stay in the city of Zoar, in his opinion safer than the wilderness. It is incredible and challenging to see just how much FEAR (fear of everything except fear of God) kept Lot from probably following God’s best for him and even for his daughters too who felt forced to take matters in their own hands in order to preserve their family tree.

Again, this time in the life of Jacob, we see fear of man and his temporary threats colliding with faith in God and His promised plan. Countless times, Jacob moves in FEAR of this world and relies on deception to try to mold his life into what he knows is God’s plan for him. Jacob even physically wrestles with God or an angelic being, as if God were stating, “Stop living and acting in fear, Jacob. Don’t you believe in my promises, in my presence, in my plan? Will you fear me or continue to fear men?”

Today, God is asking me the same question –and He is asking YOU that too. It is not my job to tell you what about specifically; only you in your heart can know that for sure as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. But I know I would rather God intervene in my life because I have trusted His plan in fear of Him than because He is working against what I have planted in fear of this world.

There are so many things we can focus on in this world instead of GOD, our relationship with Him, and His plan for this world! SO MANY: possessions, relationships, success, dreams, insecurities, safety, reason, fear, destruction, etc. -the list goes on. It’s good to think about those things –we are “in” the world after all. BUT we cannot be consumed by them. We are NOT “of” this world. The only thing we should truly be consumed by is the world we actually belong in…the eternal, the unseen, the relationship we have with Christ. Once we realize and embrace this, we become truly free to fulfill our part in His grand plan. We become truly only “in” this world and not “of” it. Fears of worldly concerns vanish; godly confidence steps in. People’s words still hurt our human heart but cannot touch our invincible soul. Darts and stones may end our breath here on earth, but this ending is only waking up at Jesus’ feet before the throne of God. Yes, “in” this world…but oh not of it!! So I must focus on my GOD, my relationship with Him, His promises, His plan, and my part in it…then will my eyes be opened to His beautiful, powerful, eternal, unseen…

Nancy Pearcey explains this concept in her book Total Truth with the following: “for the believer…the natural world is only part of reality. A complete perspective includes both the seen and the unseen aspects of reality…Day by day [Christians] are to make choices that would make no sense unless the unseen world is just as real as the seen world” (p. 361-362).

UNLESS THE UNSEEN WORLD IS JUST AS REAL AS THE SEEN WORLD.

As if those words were not powerful enough, Pearcey then challenges her readers: “The only way the church can establish genuine credibility with non-believers is by showing them something they cannot explain or duplicate through their own natural, pragmatic methods –something they can explain only by invoking the supernatural” (p. 363).

SOMETHING THEY CANNOT EXPLAIN OR DUPLICATE THROUGH THEIR OWN METHODS.

God’s plan doesn’t always make sense in our boxed-in human minds. God’s ways are not our ways but higher. God’s timing is perfect and beautiful. God carries out ALL of His promises. We are to live for eternity. We like to quote these truths to our Sunday School classes, print them on magnets for our refrigerators, and highlight them as comforting pieces in our Bible. 

But do we truly live them?

There Is Glory in Weakness.

We are taught to be strong. We are told to be held together, to hold our heads high, to be brave, to be bold, to let none see our weaknesses –the list goes on. When you show your power, others will not sense your vulnerabilities, will fear messing with you, will leave you alone, and won’t try to tear down your walls. You won’t be challenged. You will be in control. You will be safe.

Well, let me challenge you as I was…

I just read through I and II Samuel and watched unfold before my eyes the life of David. I almost cried when this man so faithful to his God in the middle of a crowd fell in a secret, deep sin. Yet my heart rejoiced when he found forgiveness and mercy in a God who still cared to have him remembered as the one after His heart. Known so well for his triumphant defeat against Goliath, David should stand out to us not only for a blatant victory against evil but also for his silent trust in a Sovereign God.

Though beyond a shadow of a doubt called by God to be the next king of Israel, David found himself RUNNING from his predecessor who had come to hate him for the very reason he had first asked for him: dedicated service and a heart for God. For years, David hid in the mountains, the wilderness, and even his enemies. Twice he had the opportunity to kill the very man who was keeping him from God’s call on his life –his friends, even, encouraged him to slay Saul. It would have been so easy. It would have been so fast. Then, by the swing of a sword, Saul would have finally been defeated and David could embrace his already guaranteed kingship –his calling. He had been anointed by Samuel after all. Both times, though, David refused to harm Saul. Was David weak? Was David a coward?

He realized he was but a mere man that a Sovereign God wanted to use. That same Sovereign God who had called him to kingship would take care of ALL of His adversaries in His time. David had no right to decide when that timing was. Perhaps this does make David weak, in the world’s standards.

But there was glory in this weakness.

David recognized that all along, all his life, even when he was a young shepherd boy, God honored his humble heart that pursued and craved Him.  Later in his life, when David had to face his sin and its consequences, it was “weakness” that brought him back to the heart of God. Again during his kingship, David was faced with foolish adversaries who mocked him; David’s men encouraged him to destroy these enemies. David could have easily put anyone to death in his kingdom –he was king! Yet he insisted that God would settle the matter in His own time, in His own manner. He knew He could trust God to fulfill His promise. He chose to do nothing and maybe even be viewed as a weak king so that he could leave room for God to work. There IS glory in weakness.

I started reading I Peter a couple days ago, and this morning, a similar theme seemed to shine from the pages: I Peter 2 points out Christ’s behavior when He was falsely accused and in the midst of unfair suffering: He completely left it in the hands of the Sovereign God. He knew what He was called to do –and He knew He could trust the Father to fulfill His side of the promise too.

We are called to a similar walk in life. What can this world really do to us?

No matter how weak we are, we feel, or we realize we SHOULD be…there is beauty and there is glory in that weakness. It is this weakness that draws us to our knees, that motivates our hearts to thirst for His face and His truth, that moves us to compassion to a starving world, and that secures our hope and true confidence in OUR Sovereign God.

“You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands” (I Samuel 45, 47).

This was David’s cry throughout his entire life –against the bears and lions that sought to steal his sheep; against Saul who coveted the blessing of God on David’s life; and against all other enemies that mocked David’s leadership and delight in God. Will it be yours? Dear readers, I do not know what you’re going through. I probably will never hear from you nor hear your story. But I wager to say that you have weaknesses –everyone does! It’s really not a matter of having them but of what you will do with them.

Will you be ashamed of your weaknesses? Will you stuff them in a closet, hoping that the doors will not accidentally open when you have company over? Do you have power but long to restrain it but are afraid to? Will you accept and embrace your weaknesses, leaving them at His feet? Will you commit yourself to the One who judges righteously (I Peter 2:23)? Will you trust Him?

There is GLORY in these weaknesses, no matter what these are.