Making Fun of God, Really? (Daily Reflections on 2 Chronicles 30:1-14)

There is nothing more exciting for me than to watch someone come alive with enthusiasm for God and a relationship with him. I especially see this with new converts who have suddenly discovered the love, grace and forgiveness of God. There is a freshness to their new found passion, a fire within their souls that is captivating and contagious. That's why I love hanging out with new believers. They haven't learned to tone it down yet and live mundane lives like many long term believers. These novice followers of Christ are eager to learn and apply their learning and truly hunger for God and His righteousness.

As I was reading about King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 30 and 31, I felt his enthusiasm for God. Like a new follower of Christ, Hezekiah was eager for others to embrace his passion for God. He decided to make a big push for celebrating the Passover Feast the way God intended. Since it hadn't really been celebrated by the nation as a whole in recent years, he called together his leaders to get them on board with his idea of having the biggest feast possible and even inviting the kingdom of Israel to join them.

A spiritual renewal started in Jerusalem and Judah. They began tearing down the idols of foreign gods and tossing them in the Kidron Valley to be burned. Hezekiah sent runners throughout the land of Judah and Israel with the call to come to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. But an interesting thing happened to the messengers. The Bible says that "many" people just laughed at the idea and made fun of the runners. Now I remind you that the Passover Feast was THE major feast/celebration that God had instructed the Israelites to follow. It is THE key reminder of how God brought them as a nation out of bondage from the most powerful nation on the planet at the time, Egypt. And these people were laughing and mocking the idea of coming back to God and worshipping him.

I could possibly understand someone not from the Israelite nation laughing and not understanding the invitation. But someone who is where they are because of the grace and power of God, that's a different story. It was their heritage. They would have still been living in slavery had not God intervened. Yet here they are making fun virtually of God and His passion for them.

Unfortunately, that attitude is way too prevalent today. I see plenty of people mocking God. They laugh at His calling and passion for them. They make fun of His followers or messengers. They don't just ignore His invitation to join in relationship with Him, they ridicule it and deride those offering the invitation. Wow, really? Mocking God's invitation to know Him deeper and celebrate life with Him, and for eternity? Is that wise? Those who do are eventually going to be in for a rude awakening.

To be honest, I watch people not just ignore God, but mock Him all the time by their behavior. They laugh off their life killing and aberrant behavior. They jokingly make fun of their own sinful lifestyles and continue to pursue the things that will lead to eternal death or separation from God. But I have also witnessed many older believers slough off young, exuberant believers with their new found passion for God and the things of God. They ridicule any potential for spiritual revival or expression of passion for God. They make fun of people who stretch their hands upward to God in celebration, praise or surrender. They downplay enthusiasm and a deep heartfelt pursuit of God.

As you continue reading 2 Chronicles 30 and 31, there were many people who did respond to the invitation to celebrate the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. And a true spiritual renewal took place when these people began to truly worship God. Lives were transformed. A renewed passion for God and the things of God broke out across both nations. People went home and got rid of the false idols in their communities and turned many back to God. Passion for God and deepened relationship with Him became the norm.

God, I am sorry for the way we mock and ridicule you as a nation or society. Our treatment of you is atrocious. Forgive me for any part I may have had in this obnoxious behavior. I want to pursue you with all my heart. I want my passion for you to rub off on the people around me. I want to see my neighborhood and community transformed as they discover you and your grace. I want to be like King Hezekiah who issued a call to return to God and started a revival among his own people.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 7:36-50 (Spiritual Arrogance or Genuine Desire)

Apparently all Pharisees weren't bad. Some actually gave Jesus a chance and must have even followed Him. Joseph of Arimathea gave up his tomb for Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus personally after work to hang out and learn. And in this passage today, Simon invites Jesus over for dinner for some conversation.

It's no wonder that the Pharisees had a hard time with Jesus, because even the guys that were open to Him had trouble making the mental shift. They were so ingrained in their religious thinking and traditions, that breaking free meant a radical paradigm shift. It was almost like calling "red" "yellow" to them. Jesus blew their minds. The Pharisees had been the foremost keepers of the Law and customary traditions of their day. In fact, they were so entrenched in the Law that they failed to see people.

Jesus shows up at Simon the Pharisees' house with His normal entourage. He always seemed to have people following Him everywhere He went. Instead of totally humiliating everyone Simon allowed some of the entourage in with Jesus. Among the group was a woman who the text says "lived a sinful life." If she wasn't a prostitute, she no doubt was a gal with a dubious reputation for getting around.

Now the weird thing about this story is the foot washing that Jesus received from her. Something about Jesus had evoked great emotion in this woman. She was crying so hard that she had enough tears to wash Jesus' feet in them. She also obviously wasn't destitute because she anointed Jesus' feet with perfume, which means she had some cash.

Simon the religious Pharisee was instinctively repulsed by her behavior. He saw this, "sinful" woman and couldn't believe that someone like Jesus would allow her to touch Him. After all, any righteous Jewish man would know that touching or being touched by someone "unclean" would make you "unclean." Simon, normally wouldn't have gone near her or probably even allowed her in his house because she was a sinful woman and he wouldn't have wanted to expose himself or his family/household to someone like her.

But not only did Jesus allow her to touch Him, He cleansed her and taught this confused Pharisee a lesson. The Pharisee saw this woman as a hopeless lowlife to be avoided at all cost. Jesus saw her as a woman in need of God's love and grace. As you read this account, it becomes clear who had a greater appreciation for the presence of Jesus. Simon treated Jesus like a peer. The woman treated Jesus like the Savior and Lord that He was.

Too often, followers of Christ invite Jesus into their life, space, home, whatever for some light dinner conversation or even to debate a theological issue. They are not moved by His presence. They think of Him more as a peer or equal or just another guest. They miss who He really is. They aren't impassioned by Him and thus their life seems ordinary and spiritually mediocre. They are often intellectually aware of who Jesus is and what His truths mean, but not really enlivened by Him.

If Jesus entered our home or place of worship, I wonder how He would be treated. Would we kiss His feet, wash His feet with our tears or simply usher Him to the best seat in the place? Would we be really moved or would be delighted just to converse with Him?

God, first I want to see you as you are. I want to have the heart of this woman. But I also don't want to have the heart of the Pharisee toward those in similar situations to the "sinful" woman. Give me your eyes and heart.

Daily Reflections on Hosea 3:1-5 (It's Still Adultery)

Affairs, unfaithfulness, infidelity, adultery is all too common in today's culture. Having an affair or a fling just sounds more like an adventure or possibly a vacation than the latter words. Call it what you will, it doesn't mask the abandonment and betrayal of a spouse. Having sex with a person other than your marital partner breaks the oneness and intimacy of that marriage. Even excuses like, "We didn't mean for it to happen" or "It was only a one time thing," doesn't dismiss or minimize the severing of trust. First of all, neither excuse holds water. It's not like you spilled a cup of coffee. Jumping into bed with someone who's not your spouse means that there's been a build up to that point. A "one time thing" stops at the flirtation stage and even that shouldn't have happened.

Let's be honest about it. Having an affair is being unfaithful to your husband or wife to whom you promised to be faithful. Having an affair is breaking your commitment. Let's call it what it is, having an affair is adultery. Committing adultery is sin. You sin against your husband or wife. You sin against their husband or wife or future husband or wife. You sin against your children. You sin against their children. You sin against God. And the Bible says that you sin against your own body. Sexual sin is different from any other sin.

Interestingly, God compares adultery to our abandonment of Him. Here in Hosea, He uses the adultery of Gomer to portray Israel's behavior with God. He calls Israel an adulteress. He tells Hosea to go get her, buy her back, bring her back and love her. He says be everything to her. Don't let her prostitute herself or hook up with another man. It's supposed to be a demonstration of how God loves and pursues us even when we've betrayed Him, abandoned Him, and embraced someone or something else.

Several time Hosea has to go fetch and redeem his wife. It's a picture of God's persistence with us. Yet at some point, God divorces Himself from Israel because of her unfaithfulness, her adultery.

Why would Gomer leave a husband who passionately loved her, cared for her, coddled her, protected her, gave her a secure home? Why did she keep going after other men who only wanted to use her for what they could get? Why did she want to sell herself to who knows what? Why walk away from her kids and family? Weird, isn't it?

So why do we walk away from God? Why do we betray Him? Why do we prostitute ourselves, sell ourselves out? Why do we give up life, love, security, protection, empowerment, eternity with Him? Weird, isn't it?

God, thanks for passionately loving me. Thanks for bringing me back and reminding me of your grace and mercy and genuine love. Thanks for forgiving me. Thanks for looking past my faults.