Wisdom from Job

“‘You formed me with your hands; you made me,
    yet now you completely destroy me.
⁹ Remember that you made me from dust—
    will you turn me back to dust so soon?
¹⁰ You guided my conception
    and formed me in the womb.
¹¹ You clothed me with skin and flesh,
    and you knit my bones and sinews together.
¹² You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
    My life was preserved by your care. Job 10:8-12


Job's story reminds me that my life is in the hands of God...a God who is sovereign over all of my life, good and bad. My life is formed by him, even in my mother's womb, and only he knows the days that are numbered for me. My responsibility is to live life to the fullest each day, not for my own gain, but for the sake of the gospel. For the gospel is the only thing worthy of giving our lives to completely. 

The God Who Is Able

Jude 1:24-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

A Prayer of Praise

²⁴ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. ²⁵ All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

I'm thankful that my salvation isn't dependent on me, rather on God. He alone is able to keep me from falling, preserving me until that day that I meet him face to face. He truly does deserve glory and honor in our lives!

Because of His Mercy

Titus 3:4-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁴ But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, ⁵ he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.^[a] 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. ⁷ Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” ⁸ This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

Powerful words for us to be reminded of each day! It's not the righteous things (remember those are like filthy rags) that I have done that make God love me. I  once heard a preacher say that he was thankful for God's but because it saved his butt. "But because of his mercy" he loves us, he cleanses us, he makes us new and whole. He wraps us up in his arms of love when we need it most. He carries us on eagles wings when we can't run another step. Indeed Paul is right, the promise of the gospel is a trustworthy saying...it is so trustworthy it makes all other sayings or statements seem false.

Thanks be to God!

God's Grace Revealed

Titus 2:11-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹¹ For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. ¹² And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,¹³ while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. ¹⁴ He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

A good reminder that the grace of God is for all of us who recognize our need for a savior. A better reminder that we live in this tension filled world with a pull towards godliness and a perhaps at times stronger pull towards the evil and sinful pleasures of this world...that we would see our need to die to ourselves daily and the soon returning hope of the nations who gave his life to free us from sin and call us to a holy life!

Ash Wednesday Readings

Joel 2

Locusts Invade like an Army

 ¹ Sound the alarm in Jerusalem^[a]!
      Raise the battle cry on my holy mountain!
   Let everyone tremble in fear
      because the day of the Lord is upon us.
 ² It is a day of darkness and gloom,
      a day of thick clouds and deep blackness.
   Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains,
      a great and mighty army appears.
   Nothing like it has been seen before
      or will ever be seen again. ³ Fire burns in front of them,
      and flames follow after them.
   Ahead of them the land lies
      as beautiful as the Garden of Eden.
   Behind them is nothing but desolation;
      not one thing escapes.
 ⁴ They look like horses;
      they charge forward like warhorses.^[b]
 5 Look at them as they leap along the mountaintops.
      Listen to the noise they make—like the rumbling of chariots,
   like the roar of fire sweeping across a field of stubble,
      or like a mighty army moving into battle.
 ⁶ Fear grips all the people;
      every face grows pale with terror.
 ⁷ The attackers march like warriors
      and scale city walls like soldiers.
   Straight forward they march,
      never breaking rank.
 ⁸ They never jostle each other;
      each moves in exactly the right position.
   They break through defenses
      without missing a step.
 ⁹ They swarm over the city
      and run along its walls.
   They enter all the houses,
      climbing like thieves through the windows.
 ¹⁰ The earth quakes as they advance,
      and the heavens tremble.
   The sun and moon grow dark,
      and the stars no longer shine.
 ¹¹ The Lord is at the head of the column.
      He leads them with a shout.
   This is his mighty army,
      and they follow his orders.
   The day of the Lord is an awesome, terrible thing.
      Who can possibly survive?

A Call to Repentance

 ¹² That is why the Lord says,
      “Turn to me now, while there is time.
   Give me your hearts.
      Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
 ¹³ Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
      but tear your hearts instead.”
   Return to the Lord your God,
      for he is merciful and compassionate,
   slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
      He is eager to relent and not punish.
 ¹⁴ Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,
      sending you a blessing instead of this curse.
   Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine
      to the Lord your God as before. ¹⁵ Blow the ram’s horn in Jerusalem!
      Announce a time of fasting;
   call the people together
      for a solemn meeting.
 ¹⁶ Gather all the people—
      the elders, the children, and even the babies.
   Call the bridegroom from his quarters
      and the bride from her private room.
 ¹⁷ Let the priests, who minister in the Lord’s presence,
      stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar.
   Let them pray, “Spare your people, Lord!
      Don’t let your special possession become an object of mockery.
   Don’t let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say,
      ‘Has the God of Israel left them?’”

The Lord’s Promise of Restoration

 ¹⁸ Then the Lord will pity his people
      and jealously guard the honor of his land.
 ¹⁹ The Lord will reply,
   “Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil,
      enough to satisfy your needs.
   You will no longer be an object of mockery
      among the surrounding nations.
 ²⁰ I will drive away these armies from the north.
      I will send them into the parched wastelands.
   Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea,
      and those at the rear into the Mediterranean.^[c]
   The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.”   Surely the Lord has done great things!
    ²¹ Don’t be afraid, my people.
   Be glad now and rejoice,
      for the Lord has done great things

 Thus saith the Lord through the prophet Joel. Thanks be to God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21
¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,^[e] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
The reading of the second Epistle to the Corinthians, thanks be to God.

 Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are repentant: make in me a clean heart, a heart that hates...laments sins and readily acknowledges my wretchedness, grant your perfect cleansing and forgiveness of sin; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May You Be Filled With Joy

Colossians 1:9-14 (New Living Translation)

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

I read this passage about a week ago and was reminded of a couple of things:

• I need God's strength and power so that I can have patience and endurance
• I long for my life to always be filled with joy, which it usually is
• I was once a slave to sin and the powers of darkness but now I am set free by the power of the cross
• I always want to grow and push others around me to grow
• No matter what we go through or experience God is always with us and at work in our lives as Christians

The interesting thing is that I have had literally countless conversations and/or encounters this week with people and this passage would pop into my mind. It's almost as if God has made this my prayer for people this week...I can't seem to move past the thoughts that Paul has in mind here. I can't believe how God breaks through the ordinary and mundane of our lives to give us a glimpse of his goodness and glory!

What do Moses, Bob Dylan, and Jesus have in common?

Bob Dylan, a folk singer original who when he burst on the scene garnered legions of devoted fans. He literally electrified his loyal following when he plugged in his guitar and played an electric set at Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Dylan asked a lot of questions in one of his early songs that all had the same answer.

Blowin' In The Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Copyright © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music

Dylan would later comment on this song by saying, "You gotta figuring out what the wind is first." Perhaps at the core of Dylan's own early questions is this longing for something more, something better, something that can only be found in the God who created the wind.

In John 3, Jesus has an interesting encounter with Nicodemus in which Jesus talks about the answers that can be found in the wind, but nevertheless, that is where the answer lies. What makes Jesus' statement even more interesting is that in Greek and Hebrew, the word used for "the spirit of God" or "the Holy Spirit" is the same word that can be translated as wind.

John 3:5-8 (New Living Translation)

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

I find it strange and yet in keeping with the Jesus of the New Testament that he says just like you can't explain the wind and how it blows, you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit. Perhaps that's a critique of our churches and traditions that say being born again is through baptism, saying a prayer, walking an aisle, having the 2nd blessing of the Holy Spirit, going through a class, or keeping the Law. It seems that as elusive as the wind is, Jesus is saying so too is the work of God in people's lives. It's not something to be contained and dispensed as seen appropriate like a vat of ketchup at your favorite fast food establishment.

Rather as Jesus goes on to say in chapter 3 of John, the real work of the Holy Spirit is manifested when Jesus who was raised up on a pole, like the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up, is seen for who he truly is...the Son of God making a relationship to his Father possible for you and for me. That is the answer that is "blowin' in the wind."

Follow My Example

1 Corinthians 11:1 says "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." This is my heart's cry. As I seek Christ and his will may I not be leading others to follow me and my example, but only the example of Christ. May the attitude of Christ dwell in me as Paul admonishes in Philippians 2. My only goal as a Christian should be to be more and more like Christ...that my life would point people to Jesus is my only desire. My example seems so futile and fragile but in his sovereign wisdom God chooses to use human beings like myself who are at best, a shell the grace and love of God.