My people are being destroyed
because they don’t know me.
Hosea 4:6a (NLT)

As part of my morning devotional I have started reading the “Minor Prophets”. First on the list is the book of Hosea. I’ve read it before and it is certainly interesting reading. God commands Hosea to go and marry a prostitute named Gomer (hide your snickers please) as an illustration of how Israel prostituted itself with other gods. He also tells Hosea to even have children with Gomer the prostitute. Not what you would typically expect…but God is trying to get Israel’s attention.

In the process God makes His “case against Israel” in chapter four. In making His case God makes the above statement…that the primary cause for His people being destroyed is because they don’t know God…they don’t have a relationship with Him. This truth holds today. We see it every day…people falling away and having their lives destroyed. Why? Because they don’t know God. They don’t have  personal relationship with Him.

By the way, you can call yourself a Christian and not really know God. God isn’t saying we need to know about God…we need to know Him personally and intimately. I don’t know about you, but this is a reminder I needed today!

If only you would listen to His voice today!
Psalm 95:7b

This was in my devotional reading this morning and it hit me like a ton of bricks! I ask God every morning to speak to me through His Word…and He certainly came through today. I need to hear God’s voice and I must confess that there are times when I don’t…and I wonder what the problem is.

This verse seem to intimate that if I’m not hearing His voice it isn’t because He’s not speaking…it’s because I’m not listening. I should probably even change my morning prayer and instead of asking God to speak to me I should ask God to help me listen…to hear His voice…to listen more carefully and more intently.

So that is my prayer today: Father, let me listen to your voice today….really listen and hear what you are speaking into my life through your Word and through your Spirit. Amen.

“Life is not measured by how much you own…a person is a fool
to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Luke 12:15, 21 (NLT)

I read this passage in my time with God this morning. In the story a man comes to Jesus and asks him: “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” (Luke 12:13). In typical Jesus fashion, He turns the discussion from the topic of greed and hording wealth to our personal relationship with God.

I absolutely love the language Jesus uses here when he talks this relationship. We are to have a “rich relationship with God”. Now of course Jesus is making a play on words here since He has been talking about riches, but the language still strikes a cord with me. It intimates a deep, close, personal relationship. I don’t know about you, but yearn for that!

And let’s not forget, we are talking about God here…not some guy we work with or run into every now and then.  The Creator of the Universe. More specifically….MY Creator. He spoke the world into existence. He’s more than my mind can even hold onto.

And He wants a rich relationship with me. He wants a rich relationship with you! Wow! We were made for this relationship. On this Easter weekend we remember that He even died for this relationship. It means that much Him.

I pray that I will grow in this rich relationship. And I pray that you will too.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
Psalm 90:12, NLT

Life is too short. Even according to Scripture we only get somewhere around 70 to 80 years (Psalm 90:10). I got thinking about that this morning thanks to this passage. Now I don’t actually feel old or think I’m old (even though I’ve joked about it in the past). But if I have even 80 years on this rock then I am nearing the mid-point of my life.

I haven’t done everything I had hoped to do. I’m not the man I had hoped to be. And life is short. But according to this Psalm, coming to realize just how brief our life is on earth is the first step toward wisdom. Knowing it and accepting it help us life life from a different perspective. I can’t go about my day assuming I’ve got an unlimited supply of them…there is a ration of days already in place.

So it begs the question for me, how am I going to spend the days that God has given me? Am I going to waste them or am I going to invest them? Am I going to do what’s important or am I going to do what’s easy?

Tough questions for me to ponder…

So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
-Jesus in Luke 14:33

I am challenged and disturbed by these words of Jesus. I also must confess that these are not the only words that He spoke that have that effect on me. I don’t know about you, but I prefer a little more “wiggle room” in my life than Jesus allows. Here is the DPV (David’s Paraphrased Version) of this verse:

So you can’t become my disciple without giving up a few things you didn’t really want anyway.

But…those aren’t Jesus’ words…no matter how much I want them to be. Jesus is just so black and white and it makes me uncomfortable. I think that was His intention too. Jesus wants all of us…He said it Himself: “EVERYTHING”. Doesn’t leave much room for interpretation or misunderstanding.

I must confess that most times I’d prefer to give Him about 99% (OK, probably more like 49.9% but who’s counting?). This kind of commitment to Christ takes supernatural power that can only come with a personal, intimate relationship with Him. And that’s the kind of relationship I want to have with my God…

How about you?

This has been a crazy, busy week (even more than usual) so it’s been awhile since I’ve had a little time to blog…but I had to make the time this morning for a little “blog therapy”. =0)

This morning one of my readings was from Matthew 10:37-39:

 If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine;
or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

Taken at it’s face this is a tough passage to swallow…almost seems like Jesus is asking us to make some tough choices here. But we know in the greater context of Scripture that Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything crazy…we are commanded to love everyone with great passion and love.

What Jesus is telling me is that no matter how much I love my family and friends (and even my own life)…I should be valuing my relationship with Him even more! Here is where it does get tough. If I examine my life and my sould can I honestly say that I love and value my relationship with Christ more than: My Mom and Dad, My Kids, and My Life??

And am I willing to lay down everything for Him and live a life focused on Him (and all of the potential hardship that goes along with that)?

As I examine my own life I am afraid I don’t always measure up to that standard. And I’m pretty sure it’s not even possible in our own power and strength. For that, we need God’s power and strength…we need His Spirit and a vibrant relationship with Him.

The very relationship He is asking us to value above everything else…

We are going through a sermon series at our church (Pinecrest Community Church) on the book of Genesis. We are only three chapters in and it has been challenging, controversial, and enlightening.

Yesterday, Pastor preached on Genesis 3. This is the chapter where The Fall occurs…where Adam and Eve blow it by disobeying God (with a little help from You Know Who). As I was reading the passage I was struck by something in the exchange between God and Adam…especially since I’m a father. In the story, Adam and Eve have already sinned, have already felt guilty, and are hiding from God as He comes into the garden to walk with them. Here is God’s response:

 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)

So here’s what strikes me…God asked the wrong question! Every dad on the planet knows what the right question was for the circumstance: What have you done? Adam has just blown it…big time…and God doesn’t even bring it up! Now there are some who would say that He already knew what Adam had done…but He already knew where Adam was hiding too. So the question was more for Adam’s sake than God’s.

The question God asks blows me away. He isn’t as concerned with Adam’s action (although He does care and Adam pays the price)…He is more concerned with His relationship with Adam. God had come to the garden to walk with Adam and Eve…to spend time with the. And when He got there they were hiding from Him. I think it broke God’s heart!

And it makes me wonder how often I hide from God and how much it breaks His heart. I have to pay the price for my sinful actions, but God is always more concerned with my relationship with Him. When I am far from Him I can almost hear his voice asking: “Where are you?”

I’m starting to think that the only way God can my attention lately is through repetition. Yesterday I read Matthew chapter 7 during my devotions and I even highlighted a couple of passages. But nothing really stood out in the reading…nothing that caused me to pause and think (mostly because I wasn’t listening).

Last night I went to the bookstore to look around and found a new book to read (just what I needed). Last night I read the first chapter and the author referenced one of the passages I highlighted in my devotions that morning…and a light bulb went on. See…it takes repetition, but at least I listen eventually (well…sometimes anyway).

The passage is one that even many who don’t know much about Scripture can recite…at least the first part of the passage. I’m going to share it with you “in reverse” because it’s the second part that has me thinking this morning:

This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12b

That’s a mouthful. Jesus gives us “the essence”, the core, of the entire Biblical teaching in one short sentence. Must be packed full of deep, theological teaching right? Must be complicated and hard to understand. Must be for those with formal training and the wisdom of the ages…right?

Wrong! Here it is…

Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.
Matthew 7:12a

We even have a fancy name for this verse: The Golden Rule. Think about this for a second. The Golden Rule is the essence of everything taught in the law and the prophets. What? Yep…once again God shows that He is more concerned with relationships than anything else. He wants to have a relationship with us and He wants us to have good relationships with one another.

So, how about it…are you living out the Golden Rule? I must admit I don’t get an “A” in this territory. I don’t always treat others (at least not everyone) like I want to be treated. I’m still working on how to do better…so forgive me while I work on it.

You and I are both painfully aware that sometimes (or maybe most times) life is hard…very hard. But I read something in Psalm 56 this morning that I’ve missed probably every time I’ve read this Psalm, but it jumped out at me this morning. It’s a short sentence but it’s full of power and promise:

This I know: God is on my side!
Psalm 56:9b (NLT)

Do you know it?