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.

Daily Reflections on Ps. 139:14-18 (I'm Not a Jerk, I Am Somebody)

There are a couple lines by Steve Martin from "The Jerk" that I really love. "I was born a poor black child," cracks me up since Steve Martin is white. It sets the scene of the movie, a white orphan taken in by a poor black family. Martin never seems to fit in so he moves on to make it on his own. He finally gets a job in a full service gas station and is allowed to live in a back room of the station. Shot in the days before cell phones, Martin gets his own hard line phone. He is excited when the new phone book comes out. He flips through the pages and finds his name. At that point he shouts with glee (my other favorite line in the movie), "I am somebody, I am somebody."

When you read these verses from Ps. 139, you ought to shout with the same enthusiasm, "I am somebody." Listen again to the phrases: Created by God; knit together by God; fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God's eyes watched with interest the formation of your body. He looked into the future and saw your life laid out before Him. He celebrated in advance your victories and joys and achievements. He mourned in your losses and defeats and set backs. He wiped your tears that had not yet trickled down your face. He held your hand before you took the leap of faith yet to happen. He knows your ups and downs before they happen.

If God is that interested in me, why do I forget about Him so often? Why do I ignore Him. Why do I sometimes try to hide from Him? It's kind of weird if you think about it. If God already knows everything about me and knows what I'm gonna face, why wouldn't I want to hang pretty close to Him? Why wouldn't I want to get inside His mind? Why wouldn't I establish such a relationship that I was in tune with Him so I could at least maneuver life's challenges with a little more ease and security?

God thinks I'm somebody special. God thinks I have what it takes. God thinks I'm worth something. God wants to hang out with me. If that's true who cares what anyone else thinks? It's irrelevant. My creator, designer, guide, friend, savior believes in me and thinks I'm worth it. He knows me, loves me, longs for me. Now who can resist that?

God, the more I know about you, the more I want to know you. The more I know you, the more I want to hang out with you. The more I hang out with you, the more I want to hear your wisdom, guidance, advice, truths. The more I hear your truths, the more I want to be in your presence emotionally, spiritually, mentally and ultimately physically.

Daily Reflections on Mt. 15:1-14 (I Didn't Know It Was There)

It was amazing. One week I could see and the week I turned 40 my eyes failed me. I couldn't see to read. It was embarrassing asking my kids to read menus or phone numbers or labels to me. The most common line in my vocab was, "What's that say?" How could you read so clearly and then it's gone.

It probably happened slower than I expected, but it felt like I just went blind. My eye doctor, Tami, explained the "maturing" process to me and ordered me a pair of glasses. Even with glasses my eyesight has deteriorated with each maturing year.

Jesus seems to be talking about what happens to a lot of religious people. The older they get, the blinder they become. Traditions gets confused with truth. Practices/methods get confused with doctrine. Church gets confused with Christianity. It becomes harder to offer grace and easier to embrace rules and rituals. A form of spiritual blindness sets in. Music styles, dress, evangelistic approaches, translations of the Bible, even church names become tests of fellowship. Unfortunately I've encountered the people described in verses 8-9 of our text all too often in the church.

Recently my hard drive died in my laptop and had to be replaced. After describing the problem to several tech/computer gurus, the nearly unanimous opinion was that a nasty virus had corrupted my files and killed my hard drive. The only solution, buy a new laptop or put in new hard drive. Some how or another, even with my virus protection, something got into my computer and killed it. Once it was inside, the problem grew, unnoticed, until my whole operating system was infected.

Eyes, blindness, computer viruses they can sneak up on you, even if you're trying to be vigilant. Sometimes they grow and eat away at your vitality without you ever noticing. That's what Jesus is pointing out to us spiritually? What's developing in your heart, in your attitude, in your behavior? What's taking over and spilling out? Are you more concerned about worship styles and what people are wearing to church than you are about those who don't yet know Christ as Lord and Savior? Are you more concerned about having pews instead of chairs than you are about people suffering through divorce or physical abuse or single moms struggling to make ends meet. Are you more concerned about your church programs than you are about the aged, the homeless, the broken, the helpless in your community?

God, help me to see you clearly. Help me to see my own heart and attitude clearly.

Daily Reflections on Num. 13:26-33 (When Things Look Bad, Small Things Make a Difference)

A halfling, a hobbit destroyed the ring and brought defeat to Mordor. If only the Israelites had seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then they might have gone into the Promised Land right away. Instead, the sight of the walled cities and giants kept them from seeing victory by the hand of God. Seems like that God likes to take small things up against big things to show His power.

There was Gideon and his 300 men up against tens of thousands seasoned soldiers with only trumpets, lanterns and lips. There was David, the ruddy shepherd boy, with only his sling and five stones up against the giant Philistine warrior, Goliath. There was only one measly prophet, Elijah, against 400 prophets of Baal, oh and well maybe one nasty queen, Jezebel and whole kingdom complete with army at her disposal. Nothing for Elijah to worry about. Right! Just because she hated his guts and wanted him dead. And then there was this one small boy who had a Long Johns' Fish and More special and 5,000 people wanting lunch.

Why do we minimize the power of God in our life? I get really tired of naysayers who tell me it can't be done. I need to hang out with a few more Calebs. 38 years later, wearing the same clothes and shoes, the Children of Israel had to face the same scenario of walled cities and giants in the land, but this time they trusted God and watched His hand at work in their behalf. Gideon and his men never raised a sword. Elijah watched God display his power on the altar and then watched the death of the 400 prophets of a false, non-existent God. It only took one stone guided by God to slay Goliath. And the five loaves and two fishes were more than enough to feed the hungry mass. They even had leftovers for the next day.

The Apostle Paul said that God is able to do immeasurable more abundantly than whatever I can think or imagine. Jesus said with faith the size of a mustard seed I could move mountains. So why can't I believe God wants to do some incredible things through our church, His church? Why should I listen to people who say, "It can't be done?" If God can make the sun stand still and even back up and if Jesus can calm winds, waves and seas, heal the sick and raise the dead, why couldn't He handle a few small issues of money, building, resources? I was always taught that He owned the cattle on a thousand hills, in fact they made me sing the song. Why shouldn't I believe that God can do great things in my life, through my life, and through my/His church?

Okay, so the odds don't look good. Things don't look possible. But I don't serve a God who worries about odds. I have a God who laughs at stuff people think is impossible. I don't want to be like those Israelites who cowered in the desert and failed to receive their promise. I don't want to sit around and bemoan or lament the formidability of the challenge. I don't want to get caught up in my inabilities or inadequacies. I'm following the Jesus who's riding the white horse to victory. I getting out of the way and letting the Holy Spirit do His empowering thing. I'm jumping in like Caleb. Just tell what to do God. Point me in the right direction. Give me your vision.

God, I wish I always had the faith and fire of Caleb. I sure can talk big, but sometimes I'm a faithless coward. Show me your power again. Strengthen me. Help me with my resolve to follow you. Pick me up. Dust me off. Invigorate me. Remind me again that something as small as an atom splitting can create a nuclear explosion.

Daily Reflections on Lk. 14:28-33 (Why Is Everything So Expensive?)

Why does everything cost so much and getting more expensive? I don't know what $100 a barrel of oil means, but I know what $3 a gallon means. Ouch! I fully expect $3.50 by Christmas. I don't know how people are doing it? Can anyone say credit card debt? How about second mortgages? I seriously look for mortgage or quick cash lenders to start showing up at or next door to convenient stations. Several grocery stores and Wal-mart already have them in their buildings in my area.

After several years in ministry, my observation is that most people can't spell budget. It's simply not in their vocabulary. Now spending, that's a whole new subject. People buy, go, spend with little thought about income. A lot of people I know are like the freshman girl a former college administrator and friend told me about, who wrote checks all over town thinking that the bank would just fill up her checking account when it ran dry. Wouldn't that be great? Talk about bounce protection.

My observation is that most people end up in financial trouble when they fail to develop and work a financial plan. We call that accounting and be accountable. Can't outspend your income. It's just that simple. But you can carefully budget and plan so that your bases are covered. Driving an Escalade or Lexus would be nice, but my 92 Ford Areostar Van gets me there and hauls stuff around for our church plant just fine. Insurance is less. Property tax is less. Tags are less. No car payments. And nobody wants to steal a 92 Ford Areostar Van. In other words, it fits a church planter's personal budget. It's what I can afford. Right now I couldn't handle payments on a new vehicle.

Counting the cost is hard. But here's what else I've learned; people who don't count the cost financially, rarely count the cost in various other areas of their life. They don't count the cost in their relationships. They don't count the cost in their behavior. They don't count the cost of their time. And if we don't count the cost, more often than not we get caught short. Some people live life believing they can do whatever they want and they won't get caught or have to pay any consequences.

I have a little saying that goes like this, "You can choose to do whatever you want. But you can't choose the consequences." There are always consequences for our actions, good or bad. Jesus says in this passage that anyone with any smarts will sit down and do the accounting. If you don't figure the costs, you're gonna pay the price. It's true in all areas of life, including your spiritual life. Jesus says that if you're not willing to give your life over to Him you can't be His disciple. If you're not His disciple, you're on your own with God. Question: Who do you want to be representing you before God on Judgment Day, Jesus or you? Just a thought.

God, I know it's all or nothing with you. You want all of me or none of me. My problem is that I want you but I want things of this world too. Sometimes I just don't count the cost. I want to fudge the numbers. Help me count the cost daily in areas of my life.

Daily Reflections on 1 Cor. 2:6-16 (I Don't Get It, God!)

God, I don't always understand you. There are some things I just don't get. Today they announced on the news that the body of a nine year old who had been missing for a week was found just ten miles from her home. She'd been taken from her room. I confess, God, I'm a little bothered by it. And I still haven't gotten over Charles suffering death. A godly man, great teacher dead at 45 because of cancer. To be honest, the guy that did this to this little girl deserves the suffering cancer. Slime ball.

I don't get a lot of things. But who am I really? Like Job, I wasn't there when you created the earth. I didn't separate light from darkness or set the moon, sun and stars in place. I didn't develop the order of things in the universe. Gravity was your idea. Okay, Okay. I know that I'm not God, even though I play one now and then.

There are lots of things about life I don't get. I get a lot of advice but I'm not sure I get a lot of wisdom. People share their thoughts and ideas with me all the time, but that's just it, it's their thoughts and ideas. Making the right choices, knowing what to do sometimes is really hard. Half the time people tell me stuff, I think they just want to hear themselves talk. It's no skin off their nose if I make the wrong decision.

God, sometimes I feel life is kind of like a game show. I pick the right numbers or box or whatever and I win. I pick the wrong one and I lose. I spin the wheel and hope for a winner. I flip a coin. I draw a straw. Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo ... I choose ....

As confusing as life is, I need a guide. I need some sort of spiritual Mapquest. I need wisdom. I need someone to help me with decisions and relationships and finances and career and family and kids. I need solid direction to get through the maze.

Paul says, that wisdom is available from God. His wisdom is not our wisdom or any human wisdom. His ways are not our ways or any human ways. No matter how brilliant or studied or experienced someone is on this planet, it doesn't even compare to God.

God, I need your wisdom.

Daily Reflections on Rom. 12:1-2 (Bed, Bath and Body Works)

Body, mind and spirit all work together. Paul's admonition to present our bodies as a living sacrifice is tied to the renewing of our mind. Last night at our Bible study we were discussing the fact that our bodies are temples of God's Holy Spirit from 1 Corinthians 6. There Paul urges us to glorify God with our bodies but he has been talking areas of personal discipline and holy living. I liked what my friend, Donna said, "Every time I go to put something in my mouth, I'm gonna asked myself, 'Would Jesus want that in there?'"

Where have you been taking your body? What have you been doing with your body? What have you been exposing your body to? What are you ingesting through the eyes, ears, mouth? Are you taking care of your body physically? Are you giving it enough sleep? What you do to and with your body, you are doing to and with Jesus. Your body isn't your own. It belongs to Christ.

What I do with my body is under direction from my mind. By renewing my mind, aligning it with God's Spirit, my body becomes truly His. I can prove God's will through my connection with God. If I'm truly pursuing Him mentally, emotionally, spiritually, with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, my body will come along for the ride.

God, here's my body and my soul and my mind. I offer it to you. It's yours anyway. You bought and paid for it.