LENT 2020 Day 38 “Ride or Die”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2031:9-16;%20Job%2013:13-19;%20Philippians%201:21-30

Job 13:13-19  (NIV)

¹³ “Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may.
¹⁴ Why do I put myself in jeopardy and take my life in my hands?
¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely^[a] defend my ways to his face.
¹⁶ Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless person would dare come before him!
¹⁷ Listen carefully to what I say; let my words ring in your ears.
¹⁸ Now that I have prepared my case, I know I will be vindicated.
¹⁹ Can anyone bring charges against me? If so, I will be silent and die.

Ride or Die

“Life’s not fair”. These are the first spoken words in the classic film The Lion King. Scar seems to believe he has been wronged by the universe. Have YOU ever felt like Scar? Have YOU ever gone through a tough time and YOUR friends with good intentions found ways to get on your last borrowed nerve? Has life ever challenged you to the core of your very soul and caused you to reexamine your views on just about everything. Have YOU ever had to express the courage of your convictions despite visual evidence to the contrary? In short, have you ever had to determine what it is that you believe so strongly that you will ride with it even if it means you die from it?

Our text from Job comes at a critical point in Job’s journey. With his body racked in pain and his family all dead, his friends have been carrying on a dialog that ends in him being blamed for his troubles. Job seems to be fed up and responds, “Keep silent and let me speak”. Earlier he has said to his friends, “If only you would be altogether silent! That for you would be wisdom.” Now the challenges Job faced were real and his friends like many of us equate being blessed with having a reduction of struggle. We believe that good things happen to good people and when bad things happen we must have done something wrong. This is logical but not always true. To know the whole story of Job is to know Job was blameless and yet he was afflicted on every level. The response here is epic. Job says, ¹⁵ Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Job is saying in effect no matter what happens to me I’m ride or die with YHWH. Job says even if I die, I will not lose hope. Job would rather die with hope than live in despair. Friends Job is confident that he has done no wrong and if he has he is willing to be accountable if only YHWH would tell him his offense. This text from Job speaks to an attitude we can approach the pandemic we face. There have already been some saintly people who have died and some villains. The pandemic is no respecter of persons. No matter the outcome, living with hope increases your chance for survival. Hope says it will be alright in this realm or the next. Hope says we will pick up the pieces when this is all over. Hope says we are going to make it, somehow, someway.

As Lent draws to an end, the season of struggle will remain. The hope is that times of reflection and consecration enhance our ability to walk by faith. The journey of Lent like the 40 of Jesus in the wilderness will present temptations to overcome and grace to guide us. To be ride or die for YHWH is to be all in, and I am convinced trouble don’t last always.

Points to Ponder: How are YOU dealing with the pandemic? What are your fears? What inspires you to be ride or die?

Lent 2020 Day 27 “Self Sabotage”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20146;%20Isaiah%2059:9-19;%20Acts%209:1-20

Isaiah 59:9-19

⁹ So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
¹⁰ Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
¹¹ We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.

¹² For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities:
¹³ rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
¹⁴ So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. ¹⁵ Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased

    that there was no justice. ¹⁶ He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. ¹⁷ He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. ¹⁸ According to what they have done, so will he repay
wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
¹⁹ From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.

Self Sabotage

Who is responsible for all this mess? Everything is in shambles. All the trusted spaces and places that once brought joy and happiness are gone. If I ever find out who is responsible I am going to let them have it. This is ridiculous. I don’t even know where to begin to fix this, and what’s the use anyway. In the midst of a crisis and turmoil, most of us try to make sense of what we are going through. One of the main responses is looking for someone or something to blame. This is even true during the COVID 19 pandemic. Just take a listen long enough and you will hear the blame game being played over and over again. No matter how well we play the blame game it is not until we look inward that we may begin to realize the enemy may be the inner me. We may have played a role individually and collectively in sabotaging our own outcomes. I will also acknowledge that the blame game is a distraction from dealing with our dilemma. No matter who is to blame nothing will be done until we do it.

Isaiah is dealing with this in our text. In the verses preceding our text, the Israelites are despondent after returning home from being exiled and they have accused GOD. Isaiah the prophet points out that GOD is not the problem they are. This leads to the introspection we see beginning in vs 9. They articulate their feelings and then they realize it wasn’t YHWH who was the name for their pain but their inability to treat each other with justice. They really have sabotaged their situation. It is they who have turned their backs on YHWH inciting revolt and oppression. They have engaged in rebellion and treachery against the LORD. As easy as it is to blame someone else they had to bite the bullet and be accountable. The result was a disaster of their own making. The good news in the midst of this mess is although YHWH is displeased, YHWH will step in and fix it, not because of them but in spite of them.

This resonates for me today because Lent helps me to be intentional enough to move the rocks in my life. When the rocks get moved unpleasant things that were hidden now come into the light. This light presents an immediate challenge that when dealt with will yield a harvest of blessings. We must be willing to confront our fragile egos and know that in the midst of our weaknesses and rebellion YHWH is still faithful and will provide. My friends keep the faith, face your fears and erase the doubts that lead to despair.

Points to Ponder: How have you sabotaged areas of your life? What responsibility do you have to address your indiscretions? What role has injustice played in YOUR breakdowns? How will YOU offer grace to someone in need today?

Lent 2020 Day 24 “Peer Pressure”

Daily Scriptures: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023;%201%20Samuel%2015:22-31;%20Ephesians%205:1-9

1 Samuel 15:22-31

²² But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” ²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” ²⁶ But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!” ²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.  ²⁸ Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. ²⁹ He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” ³⁰ Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

Peer Pressure

Nobody wants to stick out like a sore thumb. If I were to ask 1000 people if they enjoyed walking the road less traveled, most of them would say “Naa, let me just get in where I fit in. In some cases fitting in doesn’t pose a problem, but when fitting in is in opposition to what YHWH has instructed us to do it becomes a major problem. We often associate peer pressure with being a young person or teenager. I suggest today we do not age out of the pressure of fitting in. This pressure causes us to remain silent when co-workers are saying inappropriate things. Peer Pressure will lead us to turn the other way when injustice is occurring. Peer pressure can cause us to work overtime and chase someone elses dream of success. Peer pressure will make us say yes when we know we should say no. At one time or another, we have all felt the pressure to conform to the norm or be left out.

In our text, Saul has succumbed to the pressure. Chosen by YHWH to be the first King of Israel there was great promise in Saul. Saul was equipped by YHWH to lead the people who wanted so badly to have a King. Unfortunately, Samuel is now confronting Saul on his disobedience to YHWH. The first attention grabber for me in the text is, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Its so easy to try to make ourselves feel better by sacrificing or making amends but the best pathway would be to not mess up in the first place. No matter how many sacrifices we make we can not unlive the past. We can learn from it but we cannot erase it.

Secondly, Saul confesses and his confession speaks to the pressure we can allow others to place on us. Saul says, “I have sinned… I was afraid of men so I gave in to them. Saul has placed more power into the hands of the created than the CREATOR. Saul has yielded power and gone along to get along. Heavy is the head that wears the crown and Saul caves to the pressure. Many of us do the same thing. We get scared. We may know better but we do not always do better. Thanks be to GOD it’s not all over. Our text concludes with Saul, though stripped of his kingdom desiring to worship GOD.

As we continue on in Lent 2020, our consecration time may reveal aspects of our lives where we have missed the mark. We may identify transgressions or just spiritual oversights due to inattentiveness to details. We may feel bad and despondent but I encourage YOU to worship in spirit and in truth. The truth is we mess up and the truth I YHWH will never stop loving us. We may not reclaim our status but we can reclaim the joy of our salvation. When we surrender we can truly stand.

Points to Ponder: How have YOU felt the pressure to fit in? What have YOU gained? What have YOU lost? How committed are YOU to YOUR spiritual identity?

Lent 2019 Day 28 “Naughty By Nature”

Tue Apr 2

Psalm 94, 95, 97, 99, 100

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Romans 7:13-25

John 6:16-27

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+94%2C+Psalm+95%2C+Psalm+97%2C+Psalm+99%2C+Psalm+100%2C+Jeremiah+17%3A19-27%2C+Romans+7%3A13-25%2CJohn+6%3A16-27&version=NIV

^{Romans 7:15} I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Naughty By Nature

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. This line written by John Steinbeck effectively captures how many feel when they start the day with good intentions and end the day in a self made hell. What comes over us? We have such good plans. We are going to love evrybody, lift as we climb, and ultimately make a positive impact on those around us. Then all of a sudden the good that we intend to do goes out of the window. Something rises up within us and we take a detour to devilment. We know better but the temptation overrides our best efforts. We sit at the end of the day with our head in our hands and futily have to acknowledge, we are “Naughty by nature”.

Paul, the writer of Romans is having a crisis. His crisis is familiar to most of us. We develop a case of the “can’t help its”. It is confusing on so many levels. Reading and relating to this text, my mind paused at the word want to do. Want is passive while work is active. All the things we want will remain wants unless or until we put in the work. The more time we spend wanting, the more time we lose working. My children will often say “I want this”, or “I want that”. My response is I want a million dollars but if I don’t work for it, it wont fall from a tree.

The Lenten season challenges us to do more than want to do good. We consecrate ourselves daily and put in the work to actually do good. Because we are wired for comfort we realize wanting without working leads to the paralysis of analysis. More than make resolutions and wishes we prepare to confront the “inner me” enemy. Yes may have a sin nature and we may fall daily, but that does not define us. Its not our falls that  make us who we are but our getting ups. We are not just naughty by nature we are also saved by grace.

Point to Ponder: How do you deal with transforming wants into works? In what ways are you naughty by nature? Can you forgive yourself and others for their best laid plans that go astray?

Lent 2019 Day 27 “How Long?”

Mon Apr 1

Psalm 89

Jeremiah 16:10-21

Romans 7:1-12

John 6:1-15

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+89%2C+Jeremiah+16%3A10-21%2C+Romans+7%3A1-12%2C+John+6%3A1-15&version=NIV

^{Psalm 89:1} I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
² I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.                     ¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
    who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
¹⁶ They rejoice in your name all day long;
    they celebrate your righteousness.
¹⁷ For you are their glory and strength,
    and by your favor you exalt our horn.^[d]
18 Indeed, our shield^[e] belongs to the Lord,
                                             our king to the Holy One of Israel.                                                                        ⁴⁶ How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how fleeting is my life.
    For what futility you have created all humanity!
⁴⁸ Who can live and not see death,
    or who can escape the power of the grave?
⁴⁹ Lord, where is your former great love,
    which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

I hate to bust your bubble but all the things we say and think are solid until they are tested. It is easy to see and declare the endless love of GOD when you are safe and secure in your walled house with locked doors. in the western world it is especially easy to associate the blessings of GOD with the stuff that we have. Some preachers have built whole ministries around the desire of congregants to feel good about their ability to acquire stuff. Prosperity gospel proponents link Godliness with gold and goodies. If you want more stuff just be more holy. Without going to far into this let me just say that is a fallacy that takes advantage of how many think.

The Psalmist begins by declaring the stability of the love of GOD. In good times when the sun is shinning we will song of the LORDS love with exuberance and fervor. Yet as we keep reading the Psalm we get to the other side of the emotinoal coin. The Psalmist now asks, “How long LORD, will YOU hide forever?” How soon we forget. I am sure that some one reading this may recognize themself in this scenario. At one time you were on fire for GOD. Couldnt wait to get to the sanctuary. Singing in the car and whistling spiritual love songs as you worked. But then trouble came your way and it came in waves. One calamity sfter another. Loved one dies, money get low and bills get higher. Children need more and respond less. All of a sudden the praise become sparse and the question arises, “How long LORD, HOW LONG?” During Lent as we sacrifice we must remember it will ain on the just and the unjust. Our consecration is not an shield against challenges. Even then at the end of the day may we finally resolve to say like the Psalmist in vs ⁵² Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. Our praise is not based on what we have but who GOD is.

Point to Ponder: Have you recognized any loss of fervor in your life during times of distress? What is the greatest obstacle to your praise? In what ways are your stretchings obscuring your blessings? How will you praise through to your breakthrough?

Lent Day 2019 Day 3 “Under Attack”

Psalm 31 (NIV)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
² Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
⁴ Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
    for you are my refuge.
⁵ Into your hands I commit my spirit;
    deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

⁶ I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
    as for me, I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul.
⁸ You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
    but have set my feet in a spacious place.

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,^[b]
    and my bones grow weak.
¹¹ Because of all my enemies,
    I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten as though I were dead;
    I have become like broken pottery.
¹³ For I hear many whispering,
    “Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
    and plot to take my life.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.
¹⁷ Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent in the realm of the dead.
¹⁸ Let their lying lips be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

¹⁹ How abundant are the good things
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
    on those who take refuge in you.
²⁰ In the shelter of your presence, you hide them
    from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues.

²¹ Praise be to the Lord,
    for he showed me the wonders of his love
    when I was in a city under siege.
²² In my alarm I said,
    “I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
    when I called to you for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
    The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
    but the proud he pays back in full.
²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.

Under Attack

Have you ever been Under Attack? Have you ever lived life and Everything seemed “complicated”? Often times our best intentions are met with a snicker or a sneer. We smile and the response is a stare. We work overtime for no extra money and everybody acts like that is what we were supposed to do. Life is filled with a constant barrage of challenges and choices to respond. Being under attack is frustrating. Being under attack is stress inducing. Being under attack requires a response.

One way many people deal with being under attack is to blame someone else. when we are under attack we look for the source and most times the source is from someone or something outside of ourselves. When this happens we tend to look for relief in any way we can find it. On this 3rd day of Lent, we may be experiencing feelings of attack. If we have given up a certain food or behavior our body is screaming out, “What’s going on?” Why are you forsaking me?

The writer in Psalm 31 is under attack. The whole Psalm is pointing to getting help from GOD. The writer speaks of rescue, refuge, and resilience. The writer, like us, is experiencing challenges and simply wants it to be over soon. feeling unjustly attacked,  the writer calls on GOD to come quickly and rescue him from the shenanigans of shame. The writer exclaims, ² Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. The writer continues on to say, “keep me free from the trap that is set before me.

As I ponder this response I am challenged to wonder if the trap set before us could be the trap of believing our source of sorrow is someone else and not ourselves. As long as we can blame somebody else and ask GOD for help to defeat an enemy, we can easily overlook the enemy of the inner me. Lent provides us an opportunity to be introspective and identify how we may be complicit in our own struggles. Take the time not look deep and ask GOD to deliver us from traps with the awareness that the trap may not look like we think it looks.

Point to Ponder: How are we playing a role in our own destruction? What can we do to identify our traps and blind spots in our faith?