IS HE AMAZED?

Mark 6:6a

“And He was amazed at their unbelief.”

Those with whom Jesus had grown up in His hometown of Nazareth refused to believe Him.  “Familiarity breeds contempt”, I guess.  These people had known Him, many since He was born, in every childhood circumstance and situation.  If He were anyone else, I could possibly understand their attitude toward Him.  But the Bible tells us He was without sin . . . as in zero, zilch, nada!  So, even seeing Him as a child, playing childish games, being comforted by His mother over a scraped knee, being taught carpentry by His father, without sin, they refused to believe!  Really? Truly amazing!

But . . . is Jesus amazed at MY unbelief?  I have to ask!  No, I didn’t see Him grow up, I haven’t seen Him with my eyes touch a blind man and give him sight, or been in the tossing boat watching Him walk on waves; but, He has healed me of a thousand diseases and will heal me of a thousand more before I reach Home.  He continues to shape me and form me into the woman He wants me to be.  (Now there’s a miracle!)

And I have the whole of the Scriptures!  I can read God’s story from start to finish, meditate on it, and write about it; read one sentence and chew on it for a month, or a whole book at one sitting if I want.  The people in Nazareth didn’t have all that.  So, whose unbelief is worse? 

Is He amazed when I don’t trust, don’t obey, and don’t expect Him to act on my behalf?  You bet!  I think, “How could those people NOT believe?”  But if those Nazareth homies were here, looking at all the faith-resources I have at my disposal, I’m sure I would hear them say, “Back at you, Deb!  How can YOU not believe?”

Father, I believe!  Please help my unbelief!

GOD IN A BOX

John 19:21

“Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

We’re always trying to make God into our own image, aren’t we?  These priests, who knew the Scriptures backwards and forwards, were trying to fit Jesus into their own tiny box so their control over the people wouldn’t slip away from them.  They knew Who He was, but refused to acknowledge it.  We say, “How dare they!  He didn’t just SAY He was King, He IS King!”  Indignation drips from our voices.

But we do the same thing!  How often do we read a passage from God’s Word, feel the conviction raining down on our heads, but then do nothing about the change God wants to effect in our lives?  Instead, we want to change what He has said to us into something more palatable, something easier to fit into our lives, something that won’t hurt us to do.  How often do we go the other way when God asks us to speak to someone about His love and His sacrifice, and by that turning away, risk both our own heart hardening and that person’s eternal soul?  Is this not trying to make God into our own tiny image?  (He didn’t REALLY say THAT to me!  He doesn’t REALLY want ME to do THAT!) 

We look intently into the mirror of our lives, seeing ourselves the way we really are, and God for Who He is, then walk away and conveniently forget.  We’re in charge again and God is tucked safely back into the small box on a shelf somewhere in our minds, to be brought out when we walk into our house of worship or we need something.

If He’s King, then let’s let Him be King!  If He’s God, He won’t fit into any box anywhere!  Let’s be His true subjects, obediently leading lives of holiness, allowing Him to make us into the people He wants us to be.  The only way we can fully experience God’s blessings is to fully experience immediate and thorough obedience to Him.

Let’s stop trying to “change” Who God is.  As CS Lewis said, “He’s not a tame Lion.”

INNOCENT BYSTANDER

Luke 23:26

“As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside.  The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.”

Have you ever been thrust into the middle of God’s work when you just “happened” to be there?  Don’t believe it!  We never just “happen” to be where God is accomplishing great things.  God tenderly, deliberately, and strategically places me exactly where He wants me.  He knows exactly what I’m capable of when I pick up my end of the yoke.

Simon of Cyrene didn’t just “happen” to be walking the same Jerusalem stones as Jesus that day.  Nothing in all of creation ever “just happens”.  No, God brought him that day to carry the Lord’s cross to His execution.  He chose Simon and planned the timing perfectly so that Simon would be crossing paths with those Roman soldiers at exactly the right moment.

Not only can I be assured that God’s plan for Jesus was perfect, but that His plan for Simon on that day was perfect.  I expect to see Simon of Cyrene in heaven some day; how could he possibly have carried Messiah’s cross to Golgotha and NOT made a decision to follow Him the rest of his life?

A FOGGY DAY

A FOGGY DAY
I was driving home the other day & it was foggy! Very foggy! I couldn’t see more than about 25 feet in front of my car. Of all driving conditions, I dislike fog the most. I don’t know about you, but I hate the sensation of not knowing what’s ahead. But, having to drive so slowly, switching back & forth between high beam, low beam, & fog lights gave me to think. There are times when I have experienced “spiritual fog”; times when I couldn’t see very far ahead.

I looked up fog on the internet & found a layman’s definition: a cloud which is touching the ground, formed when temperature conditions are right, from air that is very dense with moisture.

So, why do I experience “spiritual fog”? Could it be that my way is “dense” or cluttered, with unconfessed & unrepented sin, nonessential activities; my way is dense & I can’t see through it. Or perhaps it is God, drawing a veil over my future so I will be forced to trust Him.

In dealing with this spiritual fog, I must discover its source. If my way is foggy because I have moved from the straight path of God’s will, I must get back on the path. I must repent of my sin, unclutter my life. If it is because God is veiling my way, I must slow down & trust Him; surrender my agenda to Him.

One thing I discovered as I was driving slowly through that pea-soup fog: my high beam lights were useless! Trying to see too far down the road only made my way foggier! The road ahead disappeared into a blurry whiteness & I found myself straining to see farther ahead--& missing what was right in front of me. My low beam lights gave me a much clearer view of what was right in front of my car.

Now, I’m sure you know where I’m going with this! God desires me to trust Him with what’s ahead, no matter what it is. When the fog comes, I must slow down & focus on what He has put right in front of me. That could mean getting rid of some activities in my life. It could mean realigning my focus from one activity to another. Or, it could mean narrowing my attention from a group of people to one person; even focusing upon my own spiritual needs for a time.

When the fog comes, He is calling me to attention. I don’t need to be afraid of it. He’s not even calling me to pull over & stop most of the time (although He may do that at times). He calls me to slow down, take time to think, focus on what’s really important--the things He has placed right in front of me. He calls me to stop trying to see farther down the road than He knows is good for me, because He is already there.