Listening

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

— Psalm 81:11-12, ESV

"Agh! How could I do it again? That ugly, old habit. That slip of the tongue. That selfish impatience. That voice raised in anger. Why do I do that?"

Ever wish your life was like a recording artist in the studio? You'd have a producer listening closely, ready to instruct you how to sound better. And, of course, give you a chance for another take. Life would be easier if we got multiple takes.

"Sorry, the real me came out right there. I didn't want you to hear that. I'm not that mean. At least I don't think so. Or want you to think so. Take 2!" And you play it all over again with the nicer, edited you.

It's our preferences. Our expectations. Our pride. Our fear. Our selfishness. Even, let's be honest, our sinfulness that leads us into those ugly moments we wish we could edit out.

Psalm 81 tells us one reason we get ourselves in such trouble. When we are taken aback by the stubbornness of our hearts—that ugly, unbending self-will. When we taste the bile of our own foolish—those untrusting thoughts of God or the intentions of others. When we have those moments, Psalm 81 pins our shortcomings not on our circumstances, or the other guy, or Satan, but on us.

It is when we do not listen to God. It is when we are proud before God. When we do our own thing. When we disobey Him. This is when we get ourselves into trouble.

If only we would listen to Him. The Sovereign God of all who loves each of us as if there was only one of us. In Psalm 81, God recalls the good He has done for His people, He announces the blessings He will give even then to His people, if... If they will only listen and obey.

Maybe we need to turn off the distractions—social media, TV, the radio, smart phones. We need to open God's Word, humble ourselves, confess our sins, ask His forgiveness, and seek His will.

Imagine yourself putting on the headphones. Nothing but you and God. Hear Him. Obey Him.

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Ever

Ever.    

Short word. Long time.

I’m the positive sort; optimistic, even idealistic at times. I’m also realistic; not naive, but pragmatic. Call me the Pragmatic Optimist. But I’m facing something tomorrow that has me concerned. I want to be optimistic, yet I’ve got to be practical as well.

I’m a runner. Or, possibly, was a runner.

I do not know if I will ever run again. Ever.

Ever.

Small word. Great import.

After running a fast and fun Market to Market Relay with my team October 11th, I set a personal goal of pursuing a new half marathon PR. I was excited by the relay and energized by my goal. Then something was wrong.

On my next three runs—each standard, three mile jaunts—I felt a pain in my right knee unlike any I’d ever had before. I’ve run 5000 miles and four marathons over the past seven years, so I’ve experienced a little of every setback a runner might face. This was different. Following that third run it hurt so bad I fought tears of pain. And despair.

Instinctively, I knew there must be a cartilage tear. I knew it’d mean surgery. I knew it might mean I’d never run, or run the same, again.

Tomorrow I'll have arthroscopic micro fracture surgery. My doctor will cut the cartilage flap off the anterior medial condyle of my right femur then drill into my femur to cause new cartilage to grow. It’s a common procedure. It does mean eight weeks on crutches. I should recover well. I should be able to run again. I may not, however, ever run the same again.

There's that word again: Ever.

Don’t quite reading yet and misjudge my intent in writing. I’m not looking for sympathy—“Poor fella may not be able to run. Bless his heart.” I’m not complaining—“What a whiner! Deal with it.” I am desirous that you and I ponder a different perspective—“How amazing? What a blessing!”

Everything we have—our abilities, talents, possessions, friends, and family—is on loan from God.

Everything we are—our personality, character, thoughts, goals, and dreams—is through God.

The realization that everything is by God’s grace is humbling. Humility is liberating. Stewardship is empowering.

I may not ever run again. And that’s okay. I said it. Why can I say it? I have so, so, so much more to live for and be thankful for. Don’t we all?

Ever.

Consider everything. Humbled evermore.

“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

— 1 Corinthians 4:7

What do you have that you did not receive?

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Why a Baby?

An eternity changing announcement is made. Ever wonder what the angels thought?

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven...”

— Luke 2:13-15a

From verse 15 and following we follow the human story. As such, we miss the potential angelic wonder.

Imagine if Heaven had a locker room. Not unlike winning an athletic championship less the showers of champagne, the newly returned heavenly host are celebrating. They announced THE redemptive plan of God for humanity. They sung it out. They even got to freak out the shepherds. Then, through the tumult, one angel says to his buddy, “Hey, I gotta question.”

Shoot, buddy.

So, I’m just thinking. We went down. Sang some praise. Did it bigtime. Even if it was for just a few shepherds and not all our angelic brethren announcing it to all humanity, but that’s not my question.

Yeah, and?

Well, I’m thinking. God, He can do anything He wants, right? I know that.

Right, yes.

Then why is it—I mean, I don’t want it to seem like I’m second-guessing God, but why—why is it that He did it this way?

What do you mean, “this way”? You got a better way?

Well, yeah, right. I know I’m just an angel. And I know He is God, but it seems to me that if you wanted to redeem humanity—I know God loves them and longs to save them from themselves—that you might do something other than a baby. I mean, why a baby?

“Why a baby?,” what do you mean?

The baby, well, he is the prophesied Messiah, that is clear. He’s got a great name—Jesus, that is “God saves”—but I’m just worried that, I mean, he’s a baby! Dude. So much can go wrong. What if he dies young? What if his parents—they seem like nice folks and all—but what if they screw him up? Or what if, what if he chooses another path, decides he doesn’t like the whole God’s Son on Earth gig? What if?

You know, what? You’re right. That baby is helpless, vulnerable, and lots can go wrong. It seems crazy. There is a lot about it I don’t know. We angels, we followed the game plan—appear, make it big time, praise and sing—and, man, we executed it flawlessly. It was awesome. We did our part. There is a lot about it I don’t know, but here is what I do know: God never makes mistakes; God always has a reason.

So you’re saying God has a reason that He wants to seal the deal for humanity’s redemption beginning with a baby?

Exactly. God never makes mistakes. God always has a reason. He is sovereign. It’s His will. It’s His way. He’s big enough for us to question Him, but we don’t get any say in the final call. It’s all God. So, what I’m thinking is that God has a reason for sending His son as a baby. Think about what that reason might be and learn something. Something about God. Something about how He made people. Something that He knows how best to reach them. God, as a human, gone to earth a baby. God born of flesh that He might die a sacrifice for humanity’s sin. The confounding choice. The amazing humility. The incredible condescension. The tremendous compassion. The supernatural love. 

You’re right. Coming to humanity as baby says something about God; it also says something about how humanity should come to Him. Why a baby? Why any other way?

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A Different Posture

All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them! ”— Luke 15:1-2

Jesus is teaching in a new place. His reputation proceeded him and crowds come. These people were labeled as "tax collectors and sinners." Despised, tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Romans within the taxation machine all the while extorting their own countrymen for unfair profits. All the rest who weren't in the Jewish ruling elite are simply called, "sinners." Unrighteous. 

That elite "the Pharisees and scribes" saw Jesus as their enemy, not as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets but as a destroyer thereof. They ruled others by oppressive layers of manmade laws covering the Law of God which they meticulously kept. Their rule keeping, works based righteousness is legend. Self-righteous.

We often miss the power of these two verses due to their company. They begin the chapter containing the iconic parable trio of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost (aka Prodigal) Son. Don't miss these verses, however. They contain two little words that teach us a big lesson.

The tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. The unrighteous were humble before Jesus. They saw their need of his message and salvation. Jesus was a man who welcomed, and ate with, sinners—those like them.

The Pharisees and scribes were complaining about Jesus. The self-righteous were arrogant before Jesus. They saw no need since they had it all figured out. Jesus was a man who welcomed, and ate with, sinners—those beneath them.

What is my posture before Jesus?

Should I adopt a different posture?

The Truth Can Set You Free?

I am not one to disagree with God’s Word. I am one to seek to understand the Bible. This verse caught me short, however.

In John 8:32 Jesus declares, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Truth will set you free. That’s what it says. Then why doesn’t it? 

Shouldn't it be the truth can set you free? That’s where I’m coming up short. See what you think about the next paragraph. 

People tend to have three different reactions to truth depending on the person and the situation that person is in. The following thoughts are my paraphrase and remembrance of concepts from Chapter Seven of Henry Cloud’s Necessary Endings.

• The wise person will recognize the truth and adjust themselves to it. The wise person changes because new truth has been introduced.
• The foolish person will try to change, dismiss, discount or adjust the truth itself. Rather than changing themselves, they seek to change “the truth.”
• The evil person doesn’t care about the truth and has no intention of changing for anything. Their own ideas, motives, and mantras are truth to them and everything else is relative.

So as much as Jesus says, “the truth will set you free,” I’d like us to consider these statements

• The truth will set you free if you are wise enough to recognize it.
• The truth will set you free if you are humble enough to respond to it. 
• The truth will set you free if you love enough to be moved by it. 

Truth will ultimately overcome all the lies we speak and believe in this fallen world. Yet truth, in order to set you free, must be recognized and received as truth. Don’t overlook the first phrase of John 8:32, “You will know truth.” Ginosko in Greek translates that know; it is knowledge by experience. 

When you know God, when you know His Word not only can truth set you free, it will set you free. The question: Will you know Him to be set free?

Free from sin. Free from guilt. Free from shame. Free from worry. Free from fear. Free by truth.

As John 8:36 states, “Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

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