Good Friday! The curtain is torn!

Because it’s Good Friday, I want to focus today on what Jesus did for us on the cross. It’s incomprehensible to me that Jesus died for me while I was yet a miserable sinner, completely ignoring Him! Even though I would have been considered a “nice” person, there was really nothing righteous about me before I gave my life to Christ! And when He died on the cross He took on not only the punishment for all of my sins, but for those of the whole world, past, present, and future. No wonder “darkness came over all the land” while he was on that cross! (Matthew 27:45)

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)

And the truly amazing part for me, the one thing that always jumps out at me when I read about the scene of the crucifixion is what happened as soon as he died:

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51)

The significance of this can’t be missed. The curtain in the temple was what separated the he Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, which symbolized the very presence of God in the temple. The Holy of Holies was off limits to everyone but the High Priest. When that barrier was removed at Jesus’ death, and note that it was torn from top to bottom (God reaching down to us vs. our efforts to reach up to Him), the way was opened for access to God through Christ. I can now enter into the very Throne Room of God! Hallelujah! He wants me to come in! Amazing!

This is why the writer of Hebrew implores us to come:

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Because of what Jesus, our High Priest, has done, we can enter into God’s presence BOLDLY! He not only CAN answer our prayers, He WANTS to! What are we waiting for? This access cost Jesus His life! How can we neglect it or take it for granted? Thank you, Jesus, for this amazing gift! Just in case this doesn’t have you jumping up and down yet, I’m giving you this link this morning to my favorite Easter video. It’s short, but will have you shouting, “Amen!” Enjoy! Happy Easter to you all!  

Proverbs 15:17 Apples again?

Lately my retired husband, Don, who has taken on all of the domestic duties of the household (bless him), has been so busy taking care of things for his father and staying on top of our laundry (the urgent), that he has not had a chance to do any real grocery shopping, so our pantry looks bleak. Yet, we’ve managed for about three weeks to eek out decent meals. We had delicious chicken soup made with the leftover Costco chicken last night. And we’ll still get another meal out of this week. But when I went to find a late night snack last night, I left the pantry shaking my head. Nothing appealed to me. I was looking for a Skor bar, actually! :)

So, today’s verse spoke to me:

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is

    than a fattened ox and hatred with it. (Proverbs 15:17)

Even though I left the kitchen grumbling a little bit like the Israelites (“What? Manna again?”), I realized that 99% of the world would give anything to have access to my pantry! In fact, this week so would my own daughter Emmy and her family! They are in the middle of an experiment, based on the book, The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker. It’s the book that their small group is going through together. The author’s purpose is to help us shed ourselves of excess.

The idea of the book is that you fast in seven different areas: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress. Frankly, that last one on the list sounds like a great idea! So, this week the Blakely family is limiting their intake to just seven items of their choosing. They are halfway through a week of just bread, chicken, rice, avacado, peanut butter, apples, and salt. I may not have that exactly right, but you get the point. The first day into it I received a text from my grandson, Beau, who is 10: “NEED SUGAR!” His dessert that night had been a peanut butter sandwich!

They are really living out our verse for today! And Emmy has gained a genuine appreciation for the splendor of all of the wonderful foods that God has given us, along with the tastebuds to enjoy them! As Emmy said yesterday about God’s abundant provision: “He could have just given us sustenance. But instead he gave us French fries!” :)

I’m excited to watch them go through this process - although I think the media fast will be the most difficult. When Beau next hears at Sunday School the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert eating nothing but manna, I think he will understand in a way that many of his friends won’t.

We were actually studying that passage in Exodus in our women’s Bible study at church a couple of weeks ago. We were considering that God used manna to create a hunger in the Israelites for more of Him! Any time we fast from something for Him, it will give us a new vision of His character and His loving provision to meet all of our needs. And wouldn’t you rather have a dinner of herbs in a home filled with the love of the Lord than a prime rib feast in a house without Him?  

Proverbs 15:3 He doesn't miss a thing!

About the time my girls entered middle school they were increasingly faced with choices outside the home that were beyond my ability to monitor. When they were spending nights out with friends they had to choose which movies or TV to watch, which music to listen to, etc. I resorted to reminding them, only half-joking since it was true, that, no matter where they were, Jesus was also with them and would be watching the same movie or listening to the same lyrics. Would He enjoy watching that movie or listening to that song? These reminders were always followed by a groaning, “Oh, Mom!” I think Molly took me seriously, but Emmy pretty much thought I was a major fuddy-duddy! :)

But our verse in Proverbs this morning confirms what I said!

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,

    keeping watch on the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)

Now, some people find this creepy. They don’t like the fact that God is always watching! But I find this extremely comforting! There’s not a thing he misses, and, frankly, I’m glad! Not only does He know when what I’m doing, good or bad, but He CARES! He is a 24/7 God - watching over me and counting my hairs! I love it! And when He convicts me about something I’m doing, it’s actually a GOOD thing, because He’s trying to transform my thinking. He doesn’t want me conforming to the world so that I look exactly like it!

I couldn’t believe it when I saw this verse, though, because Emmy and I had just had that same conversation we had in junior high just this week! We were talking about our current culture, and I was expressing shock at some things Christian women will read or watch these days. I reminded her again that Jesus is right there with His people as we are involved in our activities, and we should be asking if it’s something He’s enjoying with us. And I got the same old response! :) She STILL thinks I’m a fuddy-duddy!

But I kind of wonder, if we applied this thought from Proverbs 15:3 as we made decisions about what we do, read, watch, or listen to in our free time, if it wouldn’t maybe just change our choices. Would I watch that DVD, would I read that book if they came with a warning label: “Caution: Jesus will be watching this with you?” I’m just asking...

Now, I’m not saying that I don’t ever watch or read something that might be considered a “guilty pleasure,” but I have certainly been known to turn off a program or quit reading a book if I thought it was taking me where I do not want to go! Here’s what I know is true. My recreation time is VERY limited. So when choosing what I do, I’m pretty sure I should probably be making wise choices, and fill my mind with those things that edify and work toward my transformation. Paul put it this way:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

This fuddy-duddy is going to try to make better choices!  

Today’s passage comes back to the subject of our words. The LORD knows we need lots of instruction in this area, because it is our mouth that gets us into so much trouble!

A soft answer turns away wrath,

    but a harsh word stirs up anger.  

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,

    but the mouths of fools pour out folly. (Proverbs 15:1-2)

 “You catch more flies with honey!” I’m not sure when I first heard this saying, but it goes along with verse one above. This just seems intuitive to me, that you will get a better response if you frame your words in sweetness when you need to respond to a criticism or voice a complaint. Yet, our natural response when we feel we have been “attacked” is to get defensive, and often, when we have a complaint, we want to be heard, so we up the volume and become hostile. This just escalates the problem!

One year I made a REALLY dumb decision in my classroom that involved one of my sweetest girls. Her mom, who is actually one of my favorites, came in the next day to give me an earful. There was nothing to do but admit that I had been incredibly wrong and apologize profusely. I could have defended my decision as the teacher and just stood my ground, but it would have been wrong for several reasons. First of all, the mother’s complaint was legitimate, and second, had I answered in a defensive manner, her anger would have skyrocketed! Once I accepted my responsibility, her balloon of anger popped and we had a really constructive discussion that actually allowed me to bring the LORD into the discussion. We remain mutual fans!

Jon Courson has an interesting look at verse two above, because he says even knowledge can be used in a foolish way. He reminds us of the night that Peter got into trouble with a sword. Remember when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in order to defend the LORD. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the ear, his final healing before the crucifixion. Courson points out that, in the same way, we can use the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, to strike out at others to prove or defend a point.

Peter had impulsively used the sword right after failing to stay awake and pray with Jesus in the garden. So, Courson speculates that he may have been using activity to make up for his lack of piety. Hmmm... there’s one we have all been guilty of at some time.

So, whether we are making a complaint or giving out God’s Word, we first need to slow down and pray that our words will be edifying, rather than destructive. If we do this, first, we may just decide that our words are not even needed! But, surely, any words we give out will be more Spirit-directed! This just seems like good ol’ common sense.  

Proverbs 14:26 A refuge for my family

There are so many gems in Proverbs 14 - about wisdom, the value of hard work, the folly of a quick temper. Any one of them would make a great poster for a high school classroom. But the one verse that just leaps out at me is verse 26:

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

    and his children will have a refuge. (ESV)

The NIV (1984) puts it this way:

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Usually when we fear something, we LACK confidence. But the fear of the LORD actually builds it! When we revere God, honor Him, recognize who He is and remember His attributes, we are filled with confidence - not in ourselves, but in our God. That’s why most teachings on prayer say to begin with worship or adoration. Even the LORD Jesus taught us this when He gave us the Lord’s Prayer, that begins with “...hallowed by Thy name.”

When we meditate on His character, we are enabled to make our requests to Him boldly, because we know He’s not only willing to listen and help, He is also able. We remind ourselves that He is sovereign over all, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, the Creator, all-sufficient, compassionate, faithful (even when we aren’t), merciful, righteous, and just. And above all, He is holy, holy, holy - which is why we are in awe (or fear) of Him.

This is a God who can handle my life. This is the God who can handle THIS day! And when I live each day in this confidence, demonstrating that my complete trust is in Him and not myself, I am providing a place of shelter or refuge for my family. When our children and grandchildren see us making decisions based on our faith in God - when they see us trust Him through hard times - when they see us lean on Him to provide for our every need - when they see in us the desire to be transformed by God - when they see us authentically and transparently walking the talk - then they, too, can live in confidence.

I knew as a younger mommy that passing the faith onto my girls was my utmost priority. When my girls married godly husbands, I kind of relaxed and said, “My job is done!” But now that I’m a grandmother, I can see that the job of continuing that with my grandchildren is just as critical. They are watching Nanny and Papa. We need to support their parents in raising them in the Lord. We need to help them see that the LORD is THEIR secure fortress, that He will be THEIR strength. They are watching us as we care for Don’s father, their great-grandpa. They are watching as we demonstrate our priorities in the use of our money and certainly in the use of our time. Do they see that Jesus is the LORD of our lives?

Yes, grandparents have the privilege of spoiling their grandchildren - and we have the pleasure of seeing the world all over again through their eyes. But we also have the responsibility of helping them see God everywhere and in everything. Several years ago I found a devotional regarding the place of grandparents passing on the faith. I love the challenge it presented:


If you do nothing else in this life but help to keep the sacredness of Christian faith alive into the next generation, you will have succeeded. Recommit yourself to that task today.

Amen.  

Proverbs 14:10 Just between us...

One of the things that I treasure about my relationship with God is that there are some things that are just between Him and me. No matter how much I share with friends or family or even with my favorite confidante, no one, not even me, knows my heart like He does.

That thought came home to me one day when Molly, at the age of 5, had spent a weekend away from us with a friend. As I listened to her recount with joy all of the fun things she had done, and tried to envisage it, it struck me that most of her life would be completely separate from me. There were thoughts and adventures and sorrows that she would know that would only be known by her and God. She would have a special intimacy with God that would be just theirs. And then I realized that was true with each of us, and I just marveled at that. And the verse we’re looking at today is a poignant reminder of that:

The heart knows its own bitterness,

    and no stranger shares its joy. (Proverbs 14:10)

The reality is that when you are in the midst of great sorrow, no one but God can know the depth of your pain. Certainly others can grieve with you, and some will have been through something similar and will be able to empathize and even encourage you. But your true sorrow is known only to God. I think of my sister, Jodi, who lost her son Justin two years ago this month. As much as we all mourn with her, there is a solitary grief that only she and God fully comprehend.

And, conversely, no one can feel the height of your joy when you hold your first grandchild. Yes, your friends rejoice with you, and those who are already grandparents have an understanding, but only you and God know the particular joy of that bond you feel.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

    you discern my thoughts from afar.   

You search out my path and my lying down

    and are acquainted with all my ways. 

 Even before a word is on my tongue,

    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether... (Psalm 139:1-4)

 He gets us! I don’t know about you, but that just blows me away!  

Proverbs 14:6-9 Seek and He will find you!

Mockers and scoffers. Jesus certainly met a lot of them during His ministry here. My guess is that you all know plenty of them yourself. Some may even be in your family. They can’t understand why you actually believe all of this Bible stuff! Take heart! Today’s verses speak to this:

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.  
Leave the presence of a fool,

    for there you do not meet words of knowledge.  
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

    but the folly of fools is deceiving.  
Fools mock at the guilt offering,

    but the upright enjoy acceptance. (Proverbs 14:6-9)

I thought it was interesting that, in verse 6, we are told that scoffers can be “seekers.” The problem is that their seeking of wisdom is all in vain. They will never find as long as they refuse to believe God’s Truth.

Years ago, when I went back to college to finally earn my bachelor’s degree at age 37 (I left UCLA after my junior year to marry Don), I enrolled in a humanities class called “The History of Christian Thought from Martin Luther to the Present.” The reality was that once we left Calvin and Knox, we pretty much deserted Christian thought! I had the sweetest professor, who called himself a “Christian humanist.” Turns out this is really an Eastern metaphysical outlook attached to Christian principles (but not necessarily Christ) - basically Buddhist. He considered himself a seeker.

There was a 27-year old young man in the class, who also professed to be a Christian humanist. Not sure if he was trying to kiss up or really bought into the philosophy. At any rate, the older professor had enough wisdom to be humble and actually acknowledge the possibility that he had not yet found what he was seeking. The younger, being a cocky dude, proudly proclaimed that he loved being a seeker and would spend his life continually seeking some wisdom. It was like he was proudly wearing a badge that said “Seeker!”

Every week as I prepared to go to this classroom, I needed to pray up for boldness and for the words of the Holy Spirit, because the class was filled with young people, who were eager to believe whatever our professor said. Anyway, one afternoon, after the young seeker had been spouting off about his great ambition to seek, I had to say something (does this surprise you???).

So I said to him directly, “You know, this whole idea of continuing your whole life to search for some higher power is great for you here in America, where you can afford to be going to college your whole life and spend your time thinking lofty thoughts. But my God is available to the woman in the fields of Africa who is only trying to find enough food to feed her children. If God were only available to the intellectuals pursuing Him, He would be off-limits to 99% of the world! My God is available to EVERYONE! We have been studying in here what men in ivory towers, men who were paid to think all day thought about Christ. I want to know what the woman cleaning toilets in their day thought. How did these men’s philosophies affect their lives? How did it affect their relationship with their family members? Because I can tell you that Jesus has radically changed my life and my marriage.” Yeah, I was on my soapbox!

After class a girl came up to and said, “I’m a Christian, too! I’m so glad you know what to say, because I don’t really know how to defend my faith.” I responded to her in a very direct fashion (again, you are not surprised), and said, “Well, you better learn!” The next week I brought her all kinds of materials and urged her to get busy reading! :)

On the day of the final, I brought my beloved professor several books, including C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity (totally appeals to intellectual men), and Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter and Evidence That Demands a Verdict. I thanked my professor for such an awesome class, but told him I thought he might be interested in hearing another side of Christian thought. He thanked me profusely. A few months later he wrote the most amazing letter of recommendation for me, in which he specifically noted that he had never met anyone who could so powerfully and humbly defend her beliefs (was he saying I was pushy??). Loved that man and pray that he finally found our Savior. Wondering whatever happened to that young seeker...

The wisdom that the Bible says we need does not come from intellectual pursuit. It comes from the Holy Spirit. We can claim no pride in “finding” Christ - because the reality is that HE found us!!! We are surrounded by scoffers. Keep praying for them - but be ready to give an answer!