Tag: fools

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The Beauty of the Ashes: Search Me O God

Search Me O God

O God, you know my foolishness,
and my faults are not hidden from you.

Psalm 69:6

abraham-lincoln-quotesThere are many wise sayings attributed to Abraham Lincoln. One of the most common is this:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

That’s true, but there’s one person you can’t fool, any of the time – Jesus Christ. By the very definition of being God, knows everything we’ve ever done, said or thought. Yet sometimes we act as if we can fool Jesus by not admitting our sinfulness to him. How foolish we are.

God knew everything we would ever do, say or think before the world was created, so why do we act like we can hide anything from Him? When we realize that Jesus Christ, our Creator God, loves us in spite of all our foolishness and sins, we can finally become who He created us to be.

Real joy comes from being who God made us to be. Yes, even with all our faults and failures. The Father doesn’t want us to pretend we’re perfect. He doesn’t want us to try and please Him in our own power, trying to be someone we can’t be on our own. He wants us to give Him all of ourselves; all our sins, all our foolishness, all our hurts, hang ups and bad habits, and then let Him remake us into the beauty of His image; the image He bestowed within humanity in creation. When we realize this, confession becomes something, we long for, not something from which we run and hide.

‘Real joy comes from being who God made us to be.’

One of the reasons I love the season of Lent is that it offers us time to concentrate on becoming who we were made to be. Through increased times of prayer and fasting we place ourselves under the light of God’s loving microscope. We ask him to search our hearts as it says in the Psalms…

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:23-24

On this second Friday of Lent, why not spend some time in confession. Ask the Lord to search you out, to show you all your foolish ways. Stop trying to fool the One who knows you better than you know yourself. Prayerfully read and meditate on Psalms 139 and 51. Allow the Holy Spirit to check your spirit, to lead you in confessing everything He shows you. Ask Him to burn away all the sin and shame He reveals to you, then watch as He brings beauty out of your ashes.

Shalom for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

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The Remnant

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.

Psalm 14:1

I remember as a young boy my mother taught me to never call anyone a ‘fool’. I didn’t understand then. I just thought anyone who acted like a fool deserved to be called one. But after many years of studying scripture I learned why. To this day, I try never to use the word fool in describing someone, though it seems they are plentiful in our world. Why is ‘fool’ such a bad thing to call someone? Because the Bible tells us that a fool is basically an atheist. An Atheist says there is no God. Yet, scripture teaches us the fact of God is self-evident in creation.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20 Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;

The Psalmist speaks of a time when it seems no one believes in God anymore. In verse two he says of the Lord that He looks down from Heaven to see if there are any that, “act wisely” and “seek after God”. Verse three brings the answer, “…there is none that does good, no, not one.”

The problem of most of the world seeking after other gods and turning their backs on the Lord is not a new one; it has been common to every generation in varying degrees. But God has always had a remnant. It may seem like no one believes but there is a remnant of the righteous as the Lord told to Elijah (1 Kings 19:18).

So is everyone who turns from God to worship other gods a fool? No, not really. We shouldn’t confuse the idolaters with atheists. Idolaters are lost people seeking something or someone in which to believe. However, an atheist is one who says there is no God, and only a fool would say that. To be a fool is to be the most lost of all people. We have a chance to show the lost the true light of Christ, by the way we live as true followers of Christ. But, an atheist has hardened his heart. We can’t show him anything because he does not have eyes to see or ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.

The Psalmist ends in hope. With God there’s always hope. He knows deliverance will come for God’s people. You and I must live in that same hope. No matter how bad it looks out there in our world, God always has a remnant. The true church is His remnant, and that remnant is the hope of Christ to a lost world  Let’s be sure we’re a part of that remnant. Let’s be sure we’re not fools.

Shalom,

Pastor Brad

image credit: http://iamremnantbook.com/

 

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Raised from the Ashes: Tuesday – Day 6

Lent 2016 Daily Devotions-4

The Way of the Fool

“30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;”

I Corinthians 1:30

Read I Corinthians 1:18-31

 

Have you ever been called a fool? If so, chances are it hurt to hear it. As a kid, my mom always told me not to call anyone a fool, not matter how foolish they act. She was thinking of the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:22 that says, if we call anyone a fool we are “in danger of hellfire”. I didn’t understand why I would go to Hell for using a simple word, but it worked. I stopped using the word fool. However, as I grew I always remained curious of what Jesus meant by such a damning sentence for the use of a simple word.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul talks a lot about fools. He speaks of how God used what the world calls foolishness, on which to build His kingdom. You, see the message of the gospel seems foolish to the those who are perishing, but the wisdom of God for those who believe (Vs 18).

In Lent, we often think we should focus on ourselves, and how we are trying to deny ourselves in order to become more like Christ. But, the focus of Lent is actually Christ himself, not us. When we turn our attention to meditating on the mystery of our faith, Jesus calls us deeper into the Spiritual life

Are Lenten Sacrifices Foolish?

In the wisdom of the world (an oxymoronic thought), Lenten sacrifice seems foolish. Denying our flesh in order to tame its cravings, concentrating on serving others through works of mercy, spending time in prayer, meditation, and study, such is folly to those who think they are wise already. Though their actions are indeed foolish, Jesus would not have us call anyone a fool, because a fool is one who thinks he/she is wise in their own eyes, and as such are lost. The one who thinks they don’t need God is as Jesus’ said, “in danger of hellfire”, and that is a label we don’t wish on anyone.

Have you ever felt foolish for your faith? Great! You should know it’s a hallmark of honor to be counted a fool for Jesus. God our Father is the source of all life. He is the fountain of all wisdom, and that wisdom is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He alone is the source of our redemption and sanctification. He alone is the hope of the world. If we are to be fools in anyone’s eyes, then let us be “fools for Christ” (1 Cor. 4:10), for we may look foolish now, but soon we will be raised from the ashes.

Grace & Peace for a Holy Lent,

Pastor Brad

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6