Choosing Difficulty

This is the time of year a Babe who humbly entered the world is celebrated. This is the time of year God's Goodness came to earth. This is the time of year we marvel at a faithful, obedient young virgin and struggle to imagine the shock she must have felt on hearing of God's plan for her life. This is the time of year the selections we read or the sermons we hear make mention of, but usually gloss over, all God had in store for a man who simply wanted to take a wife. Matthew 1, tells us Joseph was a man who kept the law of Moses. The Bible doesn't tell us of his romantic feelings for Mary. We're not told if he chose her, or if his family pushed the issue. Tradition says Joseph was an older man; Mary was in her early teens. I imagine Joseph, having his own business, a small cache of regular customers. I imagine him working all day, coming home late in the evening to a meal of vegetables and some barley bread, praying and heading off to bed. Stable, quiet, routine, drama free. Taking a wife should have been a time of blessing. Taking a wife should have provided him with a helper. some children, someone to keep their home. But before any of that could be -- difficulty. 

Mary was "found to be pregnant." How? I think many of us assume Mary told Joseph as soon as possible; but "found" to be pregnant doesn't quite sound like that. We know she spent some time away at her cousin, Elizabeth's. When she came back was her baby bump showing? Were tongues wagging? Imagine if Joseph had heard through the grapevine. The law said he was innocent, and she was not; he was a victim, and she the criminal. Everything he'd been taught since he was a child, said she could be stoned or, at the least, exposed as an adulteress and his name cleared. Instead, he chose to divorce her quietly. And simply for that we can admire him. Showing grace although his heart may have been broken. Taking the higher road despite having to endure all those looks of pity and being made the subject of whispers. For choosing to be righteous rather than right. But God had other plans -- difficulty.

God didn't want Joseph to simply show grace to Mary. God didn't want Joseph to simply demonstrate righteousness in his dealing with her, to be godly and move on. God's plan was for Joseph to be inextricably linked to her -- a young woman thought to be an adulteress -- and to the greatest Gift mankind would ever know. The angel messenger appeared to Joseph in a dream, reassuring him of Mary's innocence, exposing God's plan, and giving Joseph some very clear, very unconventional instructions: take Mary into your home and name her son Yeshua (Savior, Deliverer). Matthew 1:24, tells us that when Joseph awoke, he did just what God, through the angel, had told him to do. Once God gave the command, there is no record of any further struggle. God said it; Joseph did it.

Joseph searched for a suitable place in Bethlehem for he and his wife to stay. Joseph had tended to Mary when she delivered God's Son. Joseph continued to watch over them and seek protection for his family by consulting the One who could best lead them to safety. Joseph led his family in faith and the observation of God's laws. Joseph loved Jesus and cared for Him as a good father cares for his own son. Joseph demonstrated time after time, through obedience, his love for God and love for God's plans. His efforts weren't half-hearted. He followed God's direction as faithfully and explicitly as if this life was all he ever wanted. We don't see that he treated Mary with any sort of bitterness or demanded from God any sort of refund. We see quiet, steadfast obedience, despite whatever expectations he had. Despite the difficulty.

We like to think God's plans will keep us safe. We like to think God's plans will be easy. What we find is, sometimes, when we are squarely fixed dead-center of God's will, we are neither safe nor comfortable. The storms, the uncertainties, the grief, the pain may just be part of God's plan; but we can find comfort and courage in knowing that if God has allowed it, God will redeem it. None of us can comprehend all of time or all of humanity, but God can, and He has a BIG plan for all of it. He is the infinite Master of everything, and the intimate Shepherd of the least of us. He will not betray us or go back on any of His promises in any way. If He is working for our good (and He is, Rom. 8:28) and He is sovereign over all (and He is, Col. 1:16-17), we have only to choose trust -- no matter our circumstances -- and know that He is doing something glorious. His plans may not be easy, and His plans may not be safe, but His plans are always perfect. We have only to choose to believe that. What better example than the guy standing quietly in the background of every creche, faithfully, obediently, keeping watch over a King.

A Dying Wish

I recently had a birthday. Time waits for no man, right? I think we all wonder something about death: when? how? what will I be doing when it happens? My brother, a pastor, joined Jesus in Heaven a little while back. One morning, he sat down to study his sermon notes, no doubt talking to and focused on his Father in Heaven, and in the blink of an eye, found himself face to face with the very One he had only known dimly. What a glorious blessing! I imagine I'd like to be sorting clothes in our church thrift shop when the Lord says, "It's time to go." Or, studying Scripture and sharing those lessons through the printed word when He reaches for my hand! Wouldn't that be a tale to bring glory to the Lord's name? But the truth is, He may not "catch" me doing the things that bring Him glory. Why? Because I don't always obey. If I am sincere about bringing Him glory, if my dying wish is to exalt His name in all I say, think and do, obedience is the only way to get it done.

There's an old Gospel song, "When He Was on the Cross, I Was on His Mind." It's a touching sentiment, but Jesus didn't die for the exclusive purpose of saving me -- or you. 1 Timothy 2:3-4, tells us our Savior desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. His sacrifice was the only means by which we can be restored in relationship with the Father; His blood is the only sufficient atonement; and only He was willing and able to bear the wrath due us. So, He willing laid down His life for the salvation of men. He wants that to happen, but without His obedience to the Father, none of that would be possible. He had to go with the Father's plan. He had to submit to the Father's will. Even in Gethsemane, He prayed three times, if there would be some other way, but "not as I will, but You will." It's clear He was fighting to resist temptation. His dying wish was to bring His Father glory through obedience, but it was going to be the hardest thing He could ever do. Nevertheless, Jesus laid down His life in obedience to the Father. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection accomplished a number of things, but they were all because Jesus obeyed; it was His obedience that brought glory to the Father, fulfilling His "dying wish." 

It's a silly little thing, really, but when I was in elementary school I learned a little acronym to remind me how to have true joy in life:

J - Jesus

O - Others

Y - You

My purpose is to bring glory to the Father by putting His Son first, just as Jesus' purpose is to bring glory to the Father -- above all else. Our relationships with others follow. Our interactions with others are an excellent means of demonstrating obedience and bringing glory to the Lord, much the same way the elect, those Jesus died to save were given to Him by the Father that He might bring the Father glory through them. As Jesus hung, bleeding and dying on the cross (obedience) He brought glory to God (purpose) -- His "dying wish."

So, what is yours? Is there a bucket list of things you wish to complete? Skydiving or running with the bulls in Pamplona? Is there something you wish to leave behind for generations? A record of all your accomplishments or family heirlooms passed down for centuries? It is the things of the Lord that will remain forever. It's wonderful to dream we will be doing the things that please the Lord most when He calls us home, but each of us needs to ask, "Based on my daily habits, is it likely that will happen?" And then, we must do all we can to improve the likelihood. That, requires obedience, of course, and a no holds barred, all in, fully sold out dying wish to glorify the Lord. 

Carry the Torch

It's 2020, and I don't think my prayer list has ever been longer. Sickness, unemployment, mental health, isolation, grief, and far too many people who have not yet come to know God as He is revealed to us in the Scriptures. 

If I can, for just a moment, talk about that last one. People have lots of ideas about God. The only truth about God, however, is found in the Bible. Great, you see Him in a sunrise, or you hear Him in the sweet coos of your tiny new grandchild. He is there, for sure; the Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from God. Whether you know God or not, whether you choose to believe He exists, no matter what you think, if you've got something good, He gave it to you. And that's that. But if you're looking only at the places or things in which His goodness is revealed, you're not going to know Him -- all of Him. You have to read the Bible to know who He is, in His. Own. Words.

In the last few years, I have known the passing of several beautiful, sweet souls. And they were all very clear with regard to their dying wish: that people would come to know Jesus. Their family, their friends, their neighbors. One was hopeful her illness would bring her sister to her so she could share the Gospel with her. One had prayed and loved on her children for years, in hopes they would return to the God they knew as little ones. They had a profound desire that was focused on the Lord and His universally inclusive work on the cross, that those they loved and cared deeply for would know truth that sets the captive free.

This morning, I was praying for the folks the saints have left behind. As I prayed, I realized I had this idea of what should have happened: the prodigal weeping at their loved one's bedside, contrite and overcome by gratitude for their loved one's faithful petitions, turning to the Lord right then and there that the dying saint might pass on in peace. Very Hallmark. It didn't happen, and it's a scene that will never take place. Why, God, did You allow someone who prayed so persistently, who loved so much and so well, who spoke life to those they loved at every opportunity -- why did You allow that kind of godly influence to be withdrawn from the lives of others? And before I could think another thought, the answer came. It wasn't that He had allowed a saint to be removed and their loved ones to perish without knowing Him, but the goodness was in the fact saints were so public about their desires, there's no forgetting it. These saints had shared their hearts, making known to us all the very thing they wanted most -- whether they were around to see it, or they were in Glory -- for their loved one to know the Savior. And here I was, praying for people I've never met because of the testimony of those I have held dear. 

God is still working and believers are still interceding, and until it's over, it's not over. So, what is your heart's desire? Do you dare to hope your daughter and her husband will stop tearing one another apart and begin serving the Lord? Do you dare to pray in faith for your neighbor to turn from false religion and confess the King of kings? Make your requests known to the Lord, yes, but make your heart's desire known to other believers as well. Give them the opportunity, the privilege, the responsibility of carrying that torch, even after you are gone.

What Are You Lookin' At?

"Eyes up here, Class," our sixth grade teacher used to call out when we weren't really paying attention. One of our classmates had the brilliant idea to make balls out of masking tape with the sticky on the outside. He drew an eye on each one. So, one day when she asked for eyes at the front of the room... Yeah, he launched them. I don't recall her reaction. Was he in class the rest of the year? Hmm...

There is a reason she wanted everyone looking to the front of the room. She was in the front of the room. She was the source of the information we needed to acquire. That is where our attention needed to be. Look at all the damage distracted driving has done. When driving, our eyes need to be on the road. If our full attention is on the backseat, or our phones, or the Cheeto we dropped between the seat and the console, there will be things happening on the road we will miss -- things that may require our reaction, things that definitely require our attention. Allowing our focus to be drawn away from the things that are most important can have devastating consequences.

2 Samuel 11:1, tells us there was a time of year when all kings went to battle. On this particular year, King David did not. We're not explicitly told why, but maybe he had a "good reason." Maybe he was tired. Maybe he had full confidence in his men; he had trained them, had passed on the torch, so to speak, and it was all good. No matter the reason, it wasn't God's. I've done that. My excuses have made perfect sense -- to me. "They have plenty of people to help with Vacation Bible School," or, "I've done it for years. Let someone else do it." Is that what God is telling me? Probably not, and He definitely didn't tell David to sit this one out. David looked away from God and His will. The King of Israel put his eyes on his plan, and we know what happened next. He saw Bathsheba, another man's wife. He succumbed to temptation and got her pregnant. He brought Uriah, her husband, back from the battlefield for a little "family time." When he found his soldier would not leave his men to relax with Bathsheba, David hatched a plot to have Uriah killed. David allowed his focus to be drawn away from the Lord, and many suffered. 

Full disclosure, David had been heading this way for a while. This was not the first time he neglected to have his eyes where they belonged. 2 Samuel 3, tells us David had multiple wives and concubines. Satan had found himself a foothold in David's life, sexual sin. All the more reason the king's eyes should have been riveted on the King of kings. We need God each and every moment of every day. Without Him we can do nothing. In those times when we are faced with the things that appear most desirable, we need to move closer to Him, test things against His truth. Maybe you remember the old movies where the guy is wandering around, dehydrated and delirious in the desert, and stumbles upon his last hope -- an oasis. He throws himself into the water and begins to gulp it down as quickly as he can. Draught after draught. Just what he has searched for! Just what he needs! Only to find, it is a mirage. He has been deceived, and has swallowed cup after cup of nothing but sand. And he dies. He did not test what he thought he saw, but threw himself recklessly at a brilliant illusion. David did as well. So have I.

There's a reason coaches tell their players to keep their eyes on the ball. There's a reason driving instructors tell their students to keep their eyes on the road. There's a reason Mrs. Gough demanded we keep our eyes on her. Where your eyes are, your body and mind will follow. May we all be diligent in keeping our eyes on the Lord.