“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” -Isaiah 41:10, NIV
Throughout the Bible, God commands his children to not fear regardless of circumstance such as an advancing army, or the unknown. As human beings, we are prone to fear what is beyond our control. Natural disasters, economic collapse, looming war, the end of a marriage or friendship, or a bad diagnosis can leave us spiraling, and many people are experiencing anxiety, depression, and fear as a result of these things.
Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God commanded his people not to be fearful because he was with them. Those who place their trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are commanded not to fear because he has absolute knowledge, wisdom, and power. We must remind ourselves that God is not like individuals who are trying to cheer us up without any knowledge of what is to come, or how to get us out of difficulty. His command is rooted in his character. From Genesis through Revelation, we see how God shows up for His people although he often has to discipline them for disobedience.
Those who walked closely with God, like David, often reminded themselves of his character when they were faced with fear-inducing circumstances. In Psalm 27:1-3, NIV, he writes,
“The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.”
Take a moment to acknowledge before God what or who is causing you fear. Whether you write down your thoughts, speak them, or pray, know that God is concerned about what is troubling you and is more than capable of guiding you through difficult times.
Gather other scriptures that remind you not to fear such as what Jesus said in John 16:33, NIV,
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Incorporate these scriptures in prayer throughout the day to shift your focus from your problems to God’s power and sovereignty.
reciprocity (n): the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit
Last week, as I was getting ready for the day, I thought about conversations around inclusivity and the love God. At the heart of these dialogues is the belief that God loves people no matter what they do. I believe people are more likely to come to God if they understand He loves them. What’s missing from many of these conversations is the reality that God has a standard for how we live our lives, and that He has a right to do so. On this particular morning I thought about how self-absorbed we can be in our relationship with God and forget He desires reciprocity.
Most people understand relationships thrive or diminish based on reciprocity, respect, trust, and consistency. This is true in families, platonic and romantic relationships, and in the workplace. In contrast, once people come to church, the idea of reciprocity with God seems to go out the window even as people volunteer for ministries and attend services on a regular basis.
In some Christian circles, I have heard people say, “God doesn’t need you! He’s powerful all by Himself.” I get what they’re trying to say, because God can accomplish His purpose in a variety of ways. The Bible depicts God calling people from all walks of life. Nonetheless, we too often forget that God is relational. Worse yet, we may cultivate a narcissistic relationship with Him in which He exists simply to meet our needs. God wants to engage with us on a more meaningful level than listening to our needs and wants. Reciprocity demands that we also listen to Him. We all know what it’s like to be in a relationship in which one party expects their needs to be met without taking into consideration the other party would like the same.
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Many people have replaced Jesus’ words with, “God understands my heart” which allows them to live in any manner without accountability or reciprocity. If we are to please God, we also need to ask ourselves whether we are even interested in understanding and responding to His heart.
I believe God is looking for people who are interested in hearing from Him about His concerns, not just their own. I know the process of sitting with God long enough to hear what He wants to share with us is an ongoing one because of distractions and responsibilities.
Lord, forgive us for thinking our spiritual walk is all about fulfilling our needs and building the lives we want. Help us to be reciprocal in our relationship with You.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One of understanding.” -Proverbs 10:27
This day I call on the heavens and the earth witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD you God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. – Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you halter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” – I Kings 18:38
…my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of our God, I will also ignore your children. – Hosea 4:6
To say the United States is in turmoil would be an understatement; however, we’ve been this way for a while. Our approach is usually the same, to turn to politicians to solve our issues even though we know lobbyists, corporations, and extremely wealthy individuals make campaign contributions to ensure their agendas are accomplished. We ask ourselves and one another why there is so much chaos and death, and we are desperate for relief.
A few months ago, my pastor made the following statement during a Sunday morning message, “Christians have been quiet about a number of things for a while, but there is coming a time when you will have to take a stand.” One of the main ways Christians have become silent over the years on several issues is to allow people tell us how we should love them. That love generally equates to us lying to people so they don’t see us as self-righteous and judgmental. Are those two attitudes sometimes present in the church? Absolutely. Do we also need to show grace to people? Yes. At this point, I’m sick of these arguments because they imply that non-Christians have somehow overcome their hypocrisy and inconsistency. As Christians, we’re still battling our human nature. Furthermore, we need to acknowledge that there are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in many of our churches. Although that scripture is often used to criticize church leadership that have the wrong motivations, it applies to the people in the pews. We’ve also allowed ourselves to be played when people use the one verse everyone seems to know, although they take it out of context, “Judge not lest you be judged.” Yet, I’ve also noticed that people don’t mind the hypocrisy of Christians when it supports the way they want to live their lives.
If anyone in the church is asking why or how our nation is in its current condition, it is because of extreme compromise in the body of Christ. If we’re honest, the Christianity of this nation is largely cultural, and not built on following Jesus. It has been tainted with political affiliations from which we need to repent, myself included. What many of us have done over the last few decades is decide we can come into agreement with fornication, promiscuity, pornography, adultery, witchcraft, gossip, unforgiveness, jealousy, and other mess and please God. As a matter of fact, many Christians are not concerned about pleasing God, we’re mainly concerned with whether the church service will have a good vibe. We have even tried to appease ourselves by saying, “God knows my heart.” We can’t afford to flatter ourselves that our decisions, public and private, have no consequences.
I absolutely believe that God is gracious and gives us chances to turn from wrong beliefs and behaviors; however, many Christians have manufactured a God who is all love and no consequences.
I have been thinking about several scriptures lately, three of which I placed at the top of this post. I am deeply grieved by the rage, murder, and violence that are rampant in the United States; however, the root of this mess in people rejecting God. Let’s be clear, I am not naïve enough to think this nation was ever as good as revisionist history would have us believe. Evil has always had its place in this nation, but there were still boundaries.
Photo Credit: Tom Parsons on Unsplash
I also know many Christians focus solely on the love of Jesus and don’t pay attention to spiritual principles outlined in the Old Testament. Jesus also spoke about hell (Matthew 13:36-43), something that is almost never mentioned in church anymore. He also stated there was a narrow and broad road (Matthew 7:13-14). The narrow road leads to life while the broad one leads to destruction. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for sin, so we did not have to continue animal sacrifices and is our high priest forever; however, I believe the blessings and curses outlined in the Old Testament still apply. There is a reason why so many young people are dying as a result of school shootings, and the cause is not just the lack of effective gun laws. Children are also dying because of suicide, murder, accidents, and being aborted in the womb.
For the past few decades, young people have been fed the message that they are wonderful and special, but many have not had boundaries enforced. They are not honoring their mothers and fathers that their days may be long. Rampant disrespect leads to early death, and yet people insist on their right to sow death while complaining about the consequences of their behavior. In addition, many grow up in chaotic homes raised by parents who have not addressed their own traumas. I’m a firm believer that going to therapy and talking to God about trauma in your lineage is important for healing of individuals, families, and communities.
To compound matters, nature is out of control. In the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis, the earth was cursed because of Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God. If you read throughout the Old Testament, drought was often a sign of judgement for the people’s rebellion. Every time I hear the word climate change, I think, “No, this is judgement for rebellion.” Our problem is we don’t really believe the stories in the Bible occurred. To us, they are just morality tales.
The Bible indicates that judgement begins with the house of God (I Peter 4:17) and Jesus is returning for a Bride (the church) without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). We are ridiculously spotted and wrinkled. When we see the fall of certain well-known pastors and ministries due to scandals that are being exposed, I believe God is cleaning house; however, the cleaning is also for the congregants and casual church goers who believe they can continue their private sin and rebellion because they’re not as well-known as Joel Osteen and TD Jakes. Unfortunately, we are like the emperor in the children’s tale who insisted that he was dressed in the most beautiful clothing although he was naked. We cannot be healed if we do not acknowledge our sin before God. I am not coming from a place of perfection, but we have to get back to having reverence for God. Right now, we often treat Him as a casual lover who we go to when we need to feel good or help.
Happy New Year! I noticed people’s expectations for 2022 have been more subdued than the ones they had for 2021, and I think that’s a good thing. One of the hardest things to admit to ourselves is that we are not in control. Sure, there are choices we can make that will lead to better outcomes for ourselves and others, but ultimately, we are fragile creatures with ridiculously large egos.
I take breaks from sharing my writing publicly because I don’t want to get into the habit of writing for likes when I haven’t wrestled privately with things. As I read the gospels, I notice that Jesus frequently drew away to quiet places to pray and encouraged his disciples to do the same. In short, I don’t want to perform my walk with God for others. One of the things that has bothered me for several months is the commodification of faith, and the “getting back to normal” approach I see in several arenas, including the church world. Are we getting closer to Jesus, or are we busy with conferences and concerts? Don’t get me wrong. I have seen churches open their doors to those who had nowhere else to go and expand their food pantries to meet the needs of congregants and people in the surrounding community. There are folks who still visit the sick and prisoners. The work continues. On a personal level, I have been fortunate to fellowship with other Christians although I have not attended church in almost two years.
Jesus’ call is to follow Him is simple but insistent. Although I have said the following several times, I’ll say it again: Jesus never begs anyone to follow Him. His invitation to draw close is easy to dismiss because we are so often affronted by any suggestion that we need help outside of ourselves. We are our own gods. In one of life’s greatest ironies, I see an increase in greed, selfishness, hopelessness, rage, anger, and anxiety as people insist on their right to themselves. The lie so many people believe is that if we do what we want, we will find freedom.
People refuse Jesus’ invitation to follow him because they love their lives too much, that includes church goers. I find myself constantly wrestling with my right to myself. Society tells me to give in, but people become slaves to whatever they bow to. To diminish the seriousness of His call, people have presented versions of Jesus that are emptied of his glory, divinity, and authority. So, instead of the Messiah, people reduce Jesus to a good man who told interesting stories and helped people, or a prophet. Or Jesus becomes a mascot for social justice because He was a man of color who was executed by the state. By making Jesus common, we make him more palatable. What Jesus says about himself in the scriptures runs counter to how He is often presented:
“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4)
“Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses His life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only few find it.” (Matthew 12:13-14)
Jesus should be presented as He is in the scriptures. Nothing more, nothing less. The church’s great experiment in seeing how we can draw large numbers of people to Christ has failed because we haven’t presented Jesus as He is, the only way to the Father. We have often presented Jesus as another self-help guru who enables people to actualize their lives, and He won’t be common just because we want Him to be. Jesus’ call demands that we confront the lies and excuses we tell ourselves and others. He demands that we stop relying on the prayers of others to limp through our spiritual lives instead of speaking to Him face to face. Jesus demands that we stop making gods of our careers, relationships, habits, creativity, intellect, and addictions. He also demands that we stop replaying the trauma of our past as an excuse not to respond to Him.
I have never been a charismatic person, nor have I ever been popular. If anything, I have often been awkward, sometimes harsh, and self-righteous though well-intentioned. He’s working on me. Nonetheless, Jesus often uses the unlikeliest people to share His gospel because He’s not sharing His glory with anyone anyway.
This week, I’ve been reading through the last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew because I find I must revisit who Jesus is. The church gets into trouble when we rely on old memories of Jesus to inform us about who He is or when we search the Bible only to find verses that fit our positions on various issues. As I listen to myself and the conversations many Christians are having, I find that we are apt to get caught up in our own logic and arguments about who Jesus is and what He stands for. These conversations are necessary and important. But, I wonder whether we are more transfixed by our own ability to make compelling arguments than we are drawn to Jesus? What has drawn me back to Him in spite of life’s challenges is Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not say, “Come to me when you’ve figured out a way to manage your hypocrisy and weaknesses or convinced other people to do the same.” He simply says, “Come.” I find that I become unburdened when I accept that invitation instead of bashing people over the head with scripture. I was raised in church but there was a point when I had to look at Jesus for myself and determine whether He was worth following. I still have to do that because I can fool myself into thinking I have God figured out when I’m just skimming the surface of His character.
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