Tag: god’s purpose

Seen by God (Genesis 16:7-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward all his brothers.”

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. (New International Version)

I’m blind as a bat without my glasses. They’re the first thing I put on when waking in the morning, and the last thing I take off before retiring at night. Without them I can’t distinguish anything very well, at all. I cannot see others unless they are inches from my face.

As bad as it would be if I didn’t have my glasses, it would be even worse if you were not seen by anyone. I believe that one of the great tragedies of modern Western civilization is that we can live among so many other people, yet not be seen by so many of them. The loneliness of not being seen is a terrible situation.

Hagar certainly felt that way. Perhaps even worse, she felt that God didn’t see her. It was as if God lost his glasses somewhere. 

Because a slave, Hagar’s body was not her own. Through a bunch of decisions out her control, she became pregnant with Abraham’s son. It was messy and complicated. Dysfunction was all around. A very pregnant Hagar ran away.

Having been abused by her mistress, we can feel Hagar’s despair… but there was someone watching, someone seeing the desperation on the face of a pregnant slave: God. 

The Lord saw everything – all the craziness, all the mistreatment – and stepped-in and acted on behalf of Hagar and her unborn son.

As a result, Hagar began to call God, “The God Who Sees Me.” She never again had to wonder or doubt whether she was seen. 

You might feel today that God doesn’t see your pain, is aloof and distant from your hurt, and is blind to your deep wounds. But God sees… all of it. The Lord may not be working on the same timetable as you and me, but nevertheless, you are seen with divine eyes.

You “see,” there is someone watching who specializes in hard cases. The Lord came alongside Hagar and spoke a promise to her that she could hold onto in her time of trouble. It was a promise way beyond what she could have dreamed of, far above her station in life.

Hagar gave a name to God. “El Roi” means “the God who sees.” At a low point in Hagar’s life when it seemed she was an unseen nobody, God showed up and let her know different.

I’m sure there have been times in your life, just like there have been situations in my life, where you wonder if anybody sees you, including God. You feel that if you stepped off the earth today, nobody would even notice or care.

Conversely, to be seen brings wonder, joy, and awe into life. To know the God who sees you is to be transported into the garden of paradise, enjoying divine presence and fellowship.

You are not alone. The Lord knows your every move. God watches because God loves and adores you. The almighty Lord is not a god who is aloof and distant. The One true God looks upon you and me with the kind of affection that a new parent has standing over the crib of their infant child. It’s a look of care, protection, joy, pride, and compassion.

One of the most fundamental theological statements we could say about God is: The Lord sees each individual person, and the Lord of all creation cares for each one.

Yes, terrible tragedies and gut-wrenching evil exist in this twisted mixed-up world. And God has anger and wrath, and is not okay with all the injustice throughout the earth. Yet, God’s wrath exists because of God’s love. The Lord will do something about it, and will do it in the proper time.

God is working out good purposes and plans. God will judge the living and the dead. The Lord has not forgotten you. God sees you, created in the divine image and likeness, and will act on your behalf.

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all, to you be praise and glory forever. In your tender compassion the dawn from on high is breaking upon us to dispel the lingering shadows of night. As we look for your coming among us, open our eyes to behold your presence. Strengthen our hands to do your will, so that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be you, God almighty. Amen.

Why Are We Here? (Matthew 9:2-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Exploring Church Ministry Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Jesus heals and forgives a paralyzed man

Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (New International Version)

“The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints.”

Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”)

Why does the Church exist? Why did Jesus come to this earth? What are we supposed to be doing? Does Christianity make any difference in this world? Why are we here?

The Church is not on this earth solely for the benefit of Christians, any more than a hospital exists for the benefit of the doctors or insurance companies.

Rather, the Church is designed to extend the mission of Jesus through proclamation of good news with the restorative touch of grace. The Church is the community of the redeemed, gathered together for worship and encouragement, and then sent into the world to be the continuing presence of Jesus on this earth.

This mean that the Church’s calling is not to find others who can help them with their tithing and budget, or to keep the pews warm with fresh bottoms.

Some folks are not healthy. Some are sick physically, and others spiritually. Even more are emotionally brokenhearted. And then there are those who are sick-and-tired of being sick-and-tired.

Please know that Jesus came neither to condemn nor heap a pile of unrealistic expectations on us. Christ points us to the source of healing and transformation, and invites us to come to him. 

Conversely, there are many other people today who are healthy, spiritually alive, and have a good well-being. And they possess the opportunity to participate in ways that bring holistic healing to the world as Christians. The mission of Jesus is our mission, as well.

Jesus came to bring forgiveness and transformation. In today’s Gospel healing, it was a case where the person’s paralysis was both physical and spiritual. The paralytic found in Jesus healing of both body and soul.

The religious insiders observed the healing of the paralytic. Yet, they didn’t rejoice over it. Instead, they were hung up on Jesus claiming to be God. Although this may have been a hard truth to accept, Jesus labeled their response as evil – because of an inability to perceive the situation as a divine intervention. Since the religious insiders wrongly discerned who Jesus is, they wrongly interpreted the situation. 

It’s important to see Jesus as the Human One who extends compassion and forgiveness. If we fail to see this about Christ, we will get caught up in all kinds of silly matters concerning personal preferences and power plays, based in how we think things should go, rather than how God is shaking out things.

Jesus came to forgive our guilt and shame. Healing the body is good, but it’s not enough. Christ came to heal both the body and the spirit. At the heart of the human condition is spiritual brokenness, and Jesus wants to remove the obstacle of sin and create a new healthy society. This is a radical vision which seeks to encompass all persons – which means Jesus touched many people overlooked by others.

Jesus came to call the despised people of society, the “sinners.” He called Matthew, a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated. They were corrupt characters who extorted money from innocent people. And furthermore, Jesus had dinner with Matthew, along with all of his unsavory buddies. This kind of behavior by Jesus was deeply offensive to upstanding citizens.

However, Jesus did not back down, saying that it’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. And he backed up his social actions with Scripture by encouraging offended folks to meditate on what the biblical phrase, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6)

It is possible to engage in outward rituals of worship, do all the right things, fulfill duty, yet still miss the heart of what God wants for humanity. Mercy is what God wants. Jesus knew this. So, Christ entangled himself with sinners to bring spiritual healing and restoration.

If we want to see God deliver people from their unhealthy situations, we must entangle ourselves with them, into complicated lives that are not pretty, with persons who have been tainted by sin. 

Lots of people are in awful predicaments. Christians, like their Lord, will need to get their hands dirty and their feet wet to extend Christ’s ministry of mercy and forgiveness.

The gospel was never intended to be proclaimed from afar, but up close and personal. The merciful mission of Jesus requires the following three activities:

  1. Intimacy with Jesus. Engaging in the spiritual disciplines of prayer, giving, fasting, reading, and meditating on Scripture. These practices help us to know Christ better and how to respond with mercy.
  2. Intimacy with fellow believers. We are hard-wired by God for community. Superficial relationships only provide superficial community. Christians need to help one another with spiritual growth, and to hold one another accountable for the mission of Christ.
  3. Intimacy with “sinners.” This world is filled with sick, needy, hurting, and lonely people who are locked in unhealthy patterns of living. They need a merciful change of life that comes from the merciful Jesus acting through merciful Christians. 

Mercy, not judgment, is at the heart of all change. For things to be different, we must be acquainted with mercy.

Most merciful God, we confess we have sinned against you in thought, word, deed, and neglect. We have not held fast to your commandments and have strayed from your teachings. We turn away from self-centered actions and pride. For the sake of your Son, Jesus, have mercy on us and forgive us so that we are released from all sinful obstacles. Empower us with your wisdom, revelation, and discernment so that we might be your merciful hands, feet, and words to one another and those who do not yet know you. Amen.

Donkey Talk (Numbers 22:22-28)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The angel of the Lord meets Balaam with a sword, from “Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us” by Charles Foster, 1897

Balaam was riding his donkey to Moab, and two of his servants were with him. But God was angry that Balaam had gone, so one of the Lord’s angels stood in the road to stop him. When Balaam’s donkey saw the angel standing here with a sword, it walked off the road and into an open field. Balaam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.

Then the angel stood between two vineyards, in a narrow path with a stone wall on each side. When the donkey saw the angel, it walked so close to one of the walls that Balaam’s foot scraped against the wall. Balaam beat the donkey again.

The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around. So it just lay down. Balaam lost his temper, then picked up a stick and whacked the donkey.

When that happened, the Lord told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done that made you beat me three times?” (Contemporary English Version)

This is one of those stories which speaks for itself. It’s clear to see that the diviner Balaam made a jackass of himself. A dumb donkey could see things better than a famous seer.

The nation of Moab was afraid of Israel. Balak the Moabite got in touch with Balaam the diviner in order for him to put a curse on Israel. Even though Balaam had the sense to know that he could only speak what God told him, he was influenced by Balak through vanity, and enticed with a small fortune. So, off he went to Moab.

But God was angry with Balaam. Three times the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose Balaam. The donkey knew what was up, but Balaam was too dense – stubborn as a jackass – to what was going on. It took God talking through the donkey before Balaam could finally see the angel.

When God wants to speak and accomplish a divine purpose, the Lord can use anything or anybody to achieve it – even by means of a talking donkey.

In fact, throughout Holy Scripture, God oftentimes uses the weak to further the divine agenda. Whenever God determines something, it will happen, usually by means nobody ever expects.

Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. (1 Corinthians 1:26-28, CEB)

If God can use a donkey as a teacher, then none of us need ever be discouraged. The Lord can and will use us to make a difference in this world. God takes special delight in choosing and using the nobodies of this world to fulfill divine purposes and to communicate important messages.

This is why we can always bank of the promises of God – because nothing and nobody can ever stand in the way of the Lord’s will. God is creative and determined, using whatever means and whomever God wants, in order to bring about the good and the right and the just, in this old fallen world.

Most of us don’t have to worry about having a big head or a vain spirit or being a famous prophet like Balaam. The majority of us struggle more with having a lower view of ourselves than we actually are.

God created us according to the divine will and in divine wisdom. The Lord has equipped you with your particular DNA both biologically and spiritually. And, most of all, each one of us has been stamped with the divine image and likeness of God. We carry within our very being the stuff of our Creator.

So, I hope it won’t take some donkey talk to help you see and understand who you are and what your purpose on this earth is for. And there is no need to consult a dubious diviner to try and obtain something that you already possess. Not even a jackass does that.

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, MSG)

Set Apart for a Purpose (Exodus 30:22-38)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Aaron is anointed by Moses, by Jack Baumgartner

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Collect choice spices—12 1⁄2 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 1⁄4 pounds of fragrant calamus, and 12 1⁄2 pounds of cassia—as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.

Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil. Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand. Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

“Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests. And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation. It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts. Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle.

You must treat this incense as most holy. Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.” (New Living Translation)

It’s not everyday that you get a scripture text like this one to reflect upon. Yet, since all of Holy Scripture is given to us and for us, it’s good to occasionally have to work through the place and purpose of seemingly mundane passages within the Bible.

The ancient world of the Israelites had a relationship with their God in which everything and every part of their lives were to be holy – both worship and daily life were infused with reminders that they were set apart entirely to God and for God.

Therefore, what the people wore, what they ate, and how they went about daily tasks of living and worshiping was dictated to them from the Lord. The purpose of all the detailed instructions was to reinforce the importance of being a holy people, a kingdom of priests, who could show the world how a community of persons devoted to Yahweh lived, talked, and acted.

Concerning the people’s worship of God, chapters 25-31 of Exodus provide detailed plans for the sacred space and symbols which were to be used in that worship. Elaborate specifications were given for their construction and placement.

Today’s Old Testament lesson deals with the special formula for anointing oil. In keeping with the holiness which is to be pervasive throughout all of Israelite life, this particular oil has a specific use, and is never to be used outside of that ordained purpose.

The sanctity of the oil is communicated in the strongest of terms; profane use of it is strictly forbidden. And all of the work is to be done during six days of the week, because the Sabbath is a day set apart as different, with an abundant rest from labor.

The anointing oil is used for symbolic marking in the service of God. The priests (the Levites Aaron and his sons) were to use the oil, since they were the only ones set apart to do the priestly work. The articles used for worship were also marked with the anointing oil. (Exodus 29:4-7)

None of this liturgical action was in any sort of way magical; it communicated the important theological concept that God is holy, and therefore, holiness is to be woven into every facet of Israelite life. The anointing oil was a sign of God’s acknowledgement and approval that the objects and the people being anointed were to be exclusively used for worship.

Holiness and being set apart aren’t only ancient ideas and practices; it’s also an important part of the New Testament and the way we are to live today. That’s because holiness isn’t merely something God does; it is inherent to God’s very nature. Therefore, as people created in God’s image and likeness, we too, are to live sanctified lives, set apart to live as humans are designed to live.

“You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2, NLT)

“You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.” (Leviticus 20:26, NLT)

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:15-16, NLT

Followers of Christ are set apart for a purpose – to be holy and sanctified in all they say and do. And, much like the ancient followers of God, Christians are to worship the Lord alone, living differently than the rest of the world.

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. (1 Thessalonians 4:3a, NIV)

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV)

We have an opportunity, as people anointed and set apart for God’s good purposes, to bring mercy as we have received mercy, love as we ourselves have received love; and to maintain the integrity of holiness everywhere we go.

In today’s mass produced factory products, consumers only see the end results; they are ignorant of the person and process that made the product. Most things we buy and use come to us without any history of how they were made and who made them.

Yet, the people and the processes used in making anything is significant because holiness cannot be factory-made. There is always a connection between the person, the process, and what is being produced for the end product.

In God’s economy, it isn’t enough just to have anointing oil composed of the right ingredients; the individual and the craft employed are what make it truly an oil for anointing the holy.

People, in truth, are neither interchangeable on a factory floor assembly line, nor with the worship of God. The individual person offering their process will always have a particular outcome unique to that mix of person, process, and product. The belief that singing, praying, serving, and whatever else happens in worship is to be done with consistency – no matter who does it – is both impossible and not expected by God.

Though the ingredients of a particular spiritual experience always remain the same, Holy Scripture suggests that the subtle differences each individual brings to the craft of worship is good and necessary; without that uniqueness, there cannot be holiness.

Sanctify your church by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth.

Sanctify us by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth.

Sanctify me by the truth, O Lord; your word is truth. Amen.