faith: in the cold gray light of dawn

The Word for today:
Genesis 15

mark this: Genesis 15:6 --
Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD accounted it to him for righteousness.

and this: Romans 4:19 --
Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead and that Sarah's womb was also dead.

When we talk about "saving faith"--the faith that saves--the first instance of it is in the life of Abraham:

Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

God promised that Abraham and his wife Sarah would have a child in their old age--and that through this child all the earth would be blessed. (The child would be Isaac. Through that child came Jacob, Judah, David, Jesus Christ -- through whom all the world has been blessed.)

Romans 4, the entire chapter, is an explanation of the faith that saves--the faith of Abraham. And the verse which forever changed my concept of faith was Romans 4:19:
Abraham faced the fact that his body was as good as dead and that Sarah's womb was also dead. (NIV)

Another translation says he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb. (NASB)

He faced the facts, he contemplated--he considered long and hard--every relevant factor. He did not deny the obstacles.

Biblical faith in God is not devoid of reason. It is a faith that does not deny the existence of obstacles, but evaluates them in the light of God's word and power.

Abraham considered his own body, now "dead." He weighed the human impossibility of becoming a father at his age against the divine impossibility of God being able to break His word. He decided that it was more impossible for God to break his word, and so he believed God. And God counted it to him for righteousness.

Thus Romans 4:19 marked a deepening of my understanding of faith. Faith turned from screwing my head on differently to an honest analysis of the situation.

Faith was no longer, "This isn't a problem." Instead it became, "This is a big problem, but it's not as big as Jesus."

Do any of you have a big problem? Don't deny it. It is what it is. But it is not as big as Jesus.

Faith is not a leap in the dark. It is a well-contemplated decision in the cold gray light of dawn. Faith isn't screwing your head on differently in order to deny reality.

I've seen a lot. So have you. We don't need to deny our eyes. I turned a bright light on everything I've seen, everything I know--and I decided to follow Jesus. That's biblical faith.

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not like most people I know

(by Pastor Joe)

The Word for Today:
Genesis 13:5-14:24

mark this: Genesis 14:22-23
I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, `I made Abram rich.'

Abram (henceforth referred to as Abraham) is the original Bible hero. Certainly, that's not to say that there were not any godly people before him; there certainly were. But Abraham is the first man in scripture where we have a real significant amount of background, history, and family dynamics recorded. I can't say that I would have wanted to be in his place- because in page after page in Genesis, we see his legacy: strengths and weaknesses, highs and lows, faith and doubts, all play out in his life and within the next three generations. There is no hiding- its all there, the good, the bad and the ugly. Most people I know couldn't take that kind of scrutiny.

In yesterday's reading, we saw the first reason that Abraham was the patriarch of all patriarchs: his faith. In today's, we see main reason number 2, his willingness to make the right choices.

In these chapters, you can't help but admire good old Abe as a stand up guy. He's a successful business man, yet his god is not the bottom line. He patiently and graciously deals with his less than grateful nephew, Lot, by deferring to him the right to the first pick of the land. He's not going to let a little thing like his net worth ruin his family relations. He says nothing when it seems that Lot scams him of all the "well watered" land, leaving him with the less desirable land of Canaan. Most people that I know would have sent Lot packing, but Abraham is not like most people I know.

Sometime later, Lot finds himself tangled up in some serious political unrest and battles. He wanted the fertile lands, but is now paying the price for his proximity to such notorious neighbors. He's captured, along with all that he owns. But with unending loyalty and the equivalent of 318 Green Berets, Abraham rescues Lot (and inadvertently, the Kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar). Most people that I know would have said, "to hell with Lot. He made his bed, now he has to sleep in it!" But Abraham is not like most people I know.

And it is here in the last 8 verses of chapter 14 where Abraham demonstrates exactly why he is a hero of faith, why we are still talking about him some 4000+ years later. Two polar opposite figures interact with Abraham, and we see two contrary reactions. The first is that mysterious Melchizedek- certainly a type, and foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. Melchizedek provides the bread and wine and blessing, and Abraham rightly respond by giving back to one greater than himself. (There is so much more to be said here- look for it in Hebrews 7:1-14) Most people that I know would have missed the significance of this mysterious stranger, but Abraham is not like most people I know.

But now take a look at the second figure, one King of Sodom. After rescuing Lot and the various goods from these defeated kings, Abraham has the right to take a huge cut of the spoils for all his heroics and hard work. The king of Sodom gives him a "blank check" kind of offer. Most people that I know would have gladly collected the money, but Abraham is not like most people I know.

He, with little tact, tells the king to get lost. It didn't take fire and brimstone for Abraham to recognize Sodom for what it was. He wanted nothing to do with it. He, like Joseph and Moses and Daniel after him, learned to say no. The world could not bribe them. All of them, literally or figuratively "regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because they were looking ahead to His reward. (1)"

Today's passage hit me hard, because I realize that far too often, I am much more like most people I know. That's exactly why I need an example like Abraham who can point me towards Jesus Christ.

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(1) Hebrews 12:26

the Land of Promise

The Word for today:
Genesis 11:10-13:4

mark this: Genesis 12:1-3
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

God started with Adam, who was created in God's image. But his sin marred the image and separated him from God.

Then God started over with Abraham, who was recreated (born again) with the righteousness of God (think of it as God's image restored and suffused all the way to the core) and reunited with God.

So God is Adam's Creator. But God is both Abraham's Creator and his Redeemer.

Every human being who ever lived is linked to Adam. We are all born with his marred image. He is our progenitor ('father') in the flesh.

But only some are linked to Abraham, because the blessing is inherited by faith. Only those who share his faith are credited with the perfect righteousness of God. Abraham is the progenitor ('father') of those with faith in Jesus Christ:
It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:8)

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:7-9)

Adam and Eve could see their blessings: the perfection of paradise surrounded them. God didn't have to promise them anything because he'd already given them everything! But despite the evidence of their own eyes, they didn't trust God. They are exhibit A and A-1 that seeing is not believing.

Abraham did not live in an Eden of empirical evidence. He lived in the Land of Promise:
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise…(Hebrews 11:8-9)

Then he was promised a son, even though he and Sarah were old. Ten years passed, and all they got was ten years older. But Abraham believed what he could not see, because God said so.

As you read your Bible, remember that it is God's Word. Be Abraham as you read, and you will see the word of God materialize before your very eyes.

One of the very first concepts that the Bible teaches is that God's Word will materialize:
God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

There was no cosmos; there was no nothing. Then God said a word--and there it was.

But the cosmos is just a warmup for the Logos, Jesus, who was the Word before he materialized in the flesh:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1, 14)
***

We start out hoping the Word will come true. Then we believe it will come true. Then we expect it to come true. Then we reach the point where we flat-out know it will come true.

We reach the conclusion that the Word of God has never deceived, while eyes often have--that Eve was deceived despite all the empirical evidence in Eden.  At that point --when faith proves to be a more reliable guide than sight-- a revolutionary reversal occurs, and faith becomes our habit of mind, our modus operandi. In fact, faith becomes the only sane and rational--the only trustworthy--way to proceed.

Thus we find ourselves walking by faith, not by sight (1)--all the way from here to the Land of Promise, in the direction of faith.

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first person, plural

(by Pastor Joe)

The Word for today:
Genesis 10:1-11:9

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Tower of Babel. To many, it seems a strange story; one that modern man likes to mock for being too simple on one hand, too fantastic on the other. "A tower that reaches to the heavens!?! The whole world had one language!?!" Surely, you must be joking! So this story, along with Noah's Ark and Jonah and the great big fish, gets placed in the "fantastical" realm. But not so fast!

After looking at ancient history and the history of language--it no longer seems so fantastic. First of all, the great tower was not a castle, nor a temple, nor a skyscraper. It was very likely the world’s first ziggurat. Not surprisingly, remnants of several ziggurats, made of the same materials and in the same manner of the Biblical account, stand to this day--mainly in modern day Iran and Iraq, the general areas where the Bible says.

Secondly, when one studies the history and development of language, they may not be so different as we might think. Consider this, over one half of the world's population (3 Billion +) speak a language that is a descendant of the Indo-European Language. That means anyone speaking English or Hindi or Norwegian or Gaelic or French or Spanish or Albanian or Russian or German or Portuguese or Italian or Persian of Kurdish or any of a number of other languages all speaking from a common mother tongue. Suddenly it doesn't seem so far-fetched.

But what exactly is going on in this story that applies to us? That is likewise a challenge.
First, the people plan the "Original Stairway to heaven." They say, "Here’s a cool new way to build. Let’s get together and make a city that has a huge tower. Let’s stick together." Next, God shows up and he says "not so fast!" He proceeds to confuse the language and scatters the people. There goes this construction project. What is the point?

It seems to me that what we have here is a Reverse Pentecost. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit empowers the people to speak in languages that they didn't know- bringing people together to hear the Gospel Here, God comes and divides the people by confounding their one language into many.

What is the big deal? What is the sin? Why did God intervene?

That answer is found in the tower they attempt to build and in the very words they speak. The ziggurat was a unique building- not a pyramid, a burial chamber, not a temple nor a fortress. This kind of structure was constructed right next to a temple and was literally an attempt to create a link between heaven and earth. Kind of like an elevator or wheel chair ramp for the gods.

It was an attempt to reach God on our own, to use God for our purposes, to bring God down to our own level. Basically it was God Abuse. Thinking that God can be used or manipulated.

Secondly the words of the builders give us a glimpse of their motives, and they are less than pure. They want to make a name for themselves. Just count the number of times that the first person, plural pronoun is used (AKA "we" or "us"). The Tower of Babel was a project of man, by man, for man’s glory. Its all about we. Its the story of human history.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, we have been fooling ourselves that we can ourselves be god and have no need for the true & living God. The function of this tower was reach out to God. But that is humanly impossible. Every attempt ends in failure. Our best efforts and plans are not good enough.

But there is good news! God Himself has reached out to us- and the mediator is Jesus Christ. He said to His disciples in John 1:21 “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus Christ bridged the gap we cannot cross ourselves- He's the only "Stairway to Heaven."

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the floodlight of the world

The Word for today:
Genesis 8:20-9:29

mark this: Genesis 9:16
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

I once set out to find my wife's ring. I had never seen it, but I knew that I would find it. I remember going from jewelry store to jewelry store. I knew it was somewhere. I would know which ring it was when I found the gemstone that perfectly matched her eyes. I looked in a hundred stores, and then I looked in more. In a shop on a side street in Medina, New York, I found it. Those were romantic days.

But not nearly as romantic as these days are. I get crazier and crazier about her all the time. When I look back over the story of my life, over misspent days and wayward ways, over all that was lost and found, she will be what shines:

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.  (1)

Shelley's my favorite color. But I don't ever want you to be that color. Because if you did, there would be something missing from the rainbow.

Jesus said some wildly wonderful things. Amongst all the wonder that dripped from his lips was this:
I am the Light of the world (2).  You've heard that one.

But there's more. He also said this:
You are the light of the world (3).

And then he said this:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven  (4).

***

How can it be that Jesus is the Light of the world and we are the light of the world? The answer's in the rainbow.

A rainbow is comprised of the many colors of light. When light passes through a raindrop or the mist of a cloud, it displays a whole continuum of colors from red to violet and even beyond the colors that the eye can see!

This spectrum of colors, when combined, looks white to the eye.

Do you see how important it is that you shine forth your particular color, and I mine, and that Shelley shine forth hers?

***

Just the other day someone told me I should be a different color. The Spirit within me resisted her advice. Though I am not her favorite color, I occupy a little part of the spectrum. It was Jesus who placed me right there.

***

Jesus never said that any one of us is the light of the world. But in the aggregate, if you so shine and if I so shine -- if I'm my hue, and you are you -- then the Light of the world will flood the scene.

That's the flood promised by the rainbow.

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(1) from "The Song of Wandering Aengus," W. B. Yeats; (2) John 8:12; (3) Matthew 5:14; (4) Matthew 5:16

time to put the crayons away

The Word for today:
Genesis 7:1-8:19

mark this: Genesis 6:5
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

and this: (Genesis 7:16)
And the LORD shut him in.

Noah's Ark--a floating zoo! What a neat story for the kids: Noah builds the big boat. The animals enter two by two. We see the raven, the dove; the olive leaf, and the rainbow. Now where's that unicorn?

We were all kids once, but it's time to put the crayons down and see this story in the context of biblical history (the past) and biblical prophecy (the future).

The story starts right here, with the darkest line in scripture:
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5)

Every…only…all.  It was all evil, all the time. And so the LORD God decided that he must cleanse the earth. He decided to give it a big bath!

And he told a man named Noah what his plans were. Noah believed God and started to build an ark, a big ship, according to the plan God showed him. Noah told everyone that a storm was coming, and that they were welcome to enter the safety of the ark.

Noah preached this warning for 100 years. But nobody outside his family believed it. Then a hard rain fell. Only those in the ark escaped judgment.

In the context of scripture as a whole, Noah's Ark is to be seen as a prefigurement of the judgment which is coming upon the earth in the future. That's how Jesus Christ saw it:
When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:37-42)

In that passage, Jesus is Noah and the Flood and the Ark!

He is Noah, warning us that sin is going to be forcefully obliterated.

And he himself is the Force that will obliterate it.

And he is the Ark, because those who are "in Christ"--whose sins were judged at the cross--will not be judged with the unbelieving world on the "outside."

Let's look at the most meaningful verse in the story:
And the LORD shut him in. (Genesis 7:16)
You're safe in the "ark"--in Christ. Once in the ark, you're not going to fall out, because you are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30)

But what about those on the other side of the door? The closing of the door of Noah's ark is a subtle prophecy of both God's mercy and judgment, combined in a single image,

a single image which represent God's utter forgiveness and his uncompromising hatred of sin--all at once, combined in a single act.

If we look at Noah's Ark long enough, we begin to see it as a prophecy of the perfect mercy and the pitiless judgment of Jesus' all-encompassing cross.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this could be your day

The Word for today:
Genesis 6

mark this: Genesis 5:21-24
Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not,  for God took him.

About a month ago, Stand in the Rain answered this question:

Q. Is hell pictured in the Bible?
A. Yes, a clear and definitive picture of hell can be found in scripture:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1: Matthew 27:46)

I've been asked, since then, if there is a corresponding verse that gives us a picture of heaven. There certainly is:
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)

I could go on and on about Enoch. There are only a few verses in scripture about him, and yet he means so much to so many.

I could tell you how he has become a symbol of what is called the Rapture of the church, when God will take believers out of an unbelieving world just before judgment falls.

Or I could tell you how, like many of us, Enoch did not turn to God until later in life--when, it seems, the birth of a child caused him to take stock, and turn his life around.

But I think I'll step aside and let a little girl tell us about him instead. The story begins when her Mom asked her what she'd learned that day in Sunday School:

“Our teacher told us about Enoch and how he walked with God.”

“Well," her Mom asked, "what about Enoch?”

“It happened that every day God would come by and say to Enoch, ‘Enoch, would you like to walk with Me?’ And Enoch would come out of his house and down to the gate, and he’d go walking with God. He got to the place that he enjoyed it so much that he’d be waiting at the gate of his house every day. And God would come along and say, ‘Enoch, let’s take a walk.’ Then one day God came by and said, ‘Enoch, let’s take a long walk. I have so much to tell you.’ So they were walking and walking, and finally Enoch said, ‘My, it’s getting late in the afternoon. I’d better get back home!’ And God said to him, ‘Enoch, you’re closer to My home than you are to your home; so you come on home with Me.’ And so Enoch went home with God.”

***

Enoch had never walked with God until, one day, he did. I had never walked with God until, one day, I did.

You may have never walked with God. The only thing that means is that this could be your day.

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