Category Archives: Faith

Exiled! part 3

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“For I know the plans I have for you…”

plans

 

That has got to be one of the most encouraging and hope-filled statements in the Bible.

If you are reading this post before part 1 and part 2, please click to go back and read those.

It will make more sense. =-)

 

The Israelites are finally getting the words they have been longing to hear. God told them to settle down and work. This verse is tells us the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’.

What were they supposed to do? Look at the verbs in verses 5-7: BUILD, SETTLE, PLANT, EAT, MARRY, REPRODUCE, INCREASE, SEEK, PRAY

That is the work God called them to do. And now He explains why.

He has a plan.

He knows that plan.

The plan is to prosper, bring hope and a future.

 

Jeremiah was not the only author to write about the plan of God. Here are a few highlights;

  • Genesis 50:19-20 reveals Joseph understanding that God had a plan.
  • Exodus 1-5 explain how Moses was part of God plans to free the Hebrews.
  • If we skip to the new Testament, there are too many examples of Jesus talking about ‘the plan’. He kept saying how it was not His time yet. There were words of a plan in those statements.
  • Paul, writing to the church in Galatia, eludes to the plan of God. Here is verses 4 and 5 of ch. 4, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
  • Turn to the back of the book. Revelation 22:20 tells us, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

God always has had a plan. That plan is never gone. Whatever our situation is at any given time, we can know and trust that God’s plan is still there. The really cool thing is that He wrote it down for us so we don’t have to doubt it.

I think the exiles were grateful that the letter they received had the what (meaning the work they needed to do) but it also contained the why (God’s plans for them).

 

the point 2

The point is to go to work and understand that God has a plan for your life.

Trust in Him and work hard.

Exiled! part 2

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The Israelites. Yes, those ancient people who always seemed to be going in circles. One day they are serving God with all of their heart. The next day, we might find them building an altar to a foreign god. They are hot and then they are cold. Repentant and rebellious almost in the same breath.

Does that not describe us as well? Sorry to say it but I think it does.

It is one of these hard-heart moments that we find the Israelites being exiled. Sent away to Babylon. Even carried by God! See my last post, Exiled! part 1 to get an idea about being carried by God especially if you are facing great tribulations.

They have now been transplanted to another country. The landscape is different. The smells are confusing. The language is unintelligible. The people are uncaring. Even the air is stuffy. They don’t want to be there.

I get it. There are times when I don’t want to be where I am either. Bad job? Sinful habits? Rough marriage? Rebelling kids? Depressed? In a word, exiled.

And all you want to do is escape!

Although I do not consider myself a history buff, I do have a working knowledge of the timeline and main events of World War II. I especially like to read/watch things about prisoners. My particular favorite are stories about Colditz. Colditz was a Nazi prison. But not just any prison, it was a castle. Here are a few random pictures from the web;

colditz 2colditz 3colditz 4

That last one has props and other things used in various escape attempts.

It fascinates me every time I think about the extent to which these men went to escape! They created german uniforms. They dug tunnels. They bribed guards. They made ropes from bed sheets. They even built an airplane!!!

colditz glider

Although it never flew, the Colditz glider was certainly the most extravagant attempt to escape.

I wonder if any of the Israelites ever went to such lengths to escape Babylon?

Maybe I am speculating here so before I say anything else, let’s see what the Bible says. We can pick it up in verse 5 of Jeremiah 29.

5“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 

They were supposed to be there and settle themselves. God wanted them to stay, not flee. Build, not destroy. Plant, not uproot. Increase, not decrease. Pray, not grumble.

I don’t know exactly how these words were received but I am sure it was not with great joy and celebration! It can be super difficult to trust God in these situations. We want to get out. But God says wait on me. We want to run free but God says stay here.

Waiting on God usually means working.

BUT God is faithful. He knows the end game here. More on that next week.

So for now, take a deep breath and get to work. Plant, build, settle. Put effort into your current situation instead of holding out for the future. Get to work!

Waiting does not mean sitting on your butt doing nothing. You only do that if you are at the bus stop.

 

 

 

3 small simple words

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What is the most popular verse in the Bible? Have you ever seen something like this at a sporting event?

john_316_sign

What verse pops up in your head? Here are some of the others that came to my mind:

Genesis 1:1; Philippians 4:6-7; I Corinthians 13

To read these verses or any other verses in the Bible, click Biblehub.com

There is another passage that also comes to mind. But before I get to that, let me give you the back story.

Back in December, I was meditating on 2016. Multiple questions were circling through my head about things I wanted to do, blogs I wanted to write, places I wanted to visit, and goals I wanted to accomplish. What were my plans for 2016? This is what I go through at the end of the year. I evaluate myself and then project what the future holds.

It was in this place that these three small simple words came to mind.

Do The Work.

What!?!? God, I am making plans here. You need to reveal great things for my life. Do the work? Are you crazy? That is all God has spoken to me as of right now.

Let’s get back to the popular verses. I have listed four of them and you might even have others. Here is the one that also came to mind. Jeremiah 29:11. 

If, by chance, you don’t know this one by heart, here it is, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This is the stuff that I was hoping to hear from God about. He was going to lay out the next 12 months so I could follow Him. At least that is what I thought I needed from God.

That passage in Jeremiah is one that I have heard literally dozens, if not hundreds, of times. But it is coming into a completely different focus for me right now. A new light is shining into those words. God is speaking to me. And I want to share it with you.

But for right now, I am just trying to do the work.

 

 

More…there is always more.

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I saw an old friend today while waiting tables. She was a young lady who got married almost 10 years ago. I officiated her wedding. It has been fun to see her grow in God. She is happy with her husband and has two children. God is good.

I do not typically remember my wedding sermons. In fact, I throw away the notes and make new ones for every wedding I do. My count is around 165 or so. Most of the messages don’t stick with me. It was different for this young lady’s wedding as I can still vividly recall the message. The topic was simply “more”. I encouraged them to keep seeking God because there is always more…in God. Regardless of the circumstances or situation they will face as a married couple, there is more!

Jump back to the present.

After she leaves the restaurant, I begin thinking about Paul. You know Paul, right? He is perhaps, the most famous Christian to ever live! He also wrote much of the New Testament. Take a look at this passage from II Corinthians 11:22-30; 12:1-10:

 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?17In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul had plenty to boast about. But he realized that God allowed him to experience all of it. He also knew that his weakness was God’s opportunity to be strong.

Paul knew that there was more!

In my own flesh, I could write a list similar to Paul. It would not be quite as intense or even as long but it could be something in which I could boast. But I am learning (every day, practically) that I need God more. The more knowledge and experience I accumulate, the more I understand my need for God. But in a mind-blowing way, there is still more to God! You never even get close to the end of the Almighty! Think about…

His love for me…

His patience for me…

His mercy in my life…

Let me echo the words of Paul as I conclude;

“He is sufficient for me. In my frailty, He can be my support. When my limits are reached, His are just beginning.”

 

Death and God’s Word…What a combo!

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Ever had those days? I am having that kind of week. On Monday, my grandpa, 98 years old, went to be with the Lord. He was a great man and a godly man. My life has been forever shaped by his influence. Thanks Grandpa!

We drive to North Dakota this week for the funeral. It will be great to see cousins, aunts, and uncles I have not seen for years. That is the part about this whole thing that will be wonderful. Reunion.

Reunion. A getting-back-together again. I now have all four of my grandparents in heaven. My parents are also there. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that when I die, I will be reunited with them. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 comes to mind. It will be pretty awesome to see Jesus and my loved one again.

So why am I fighting depression right now? Why do I feel like sleeping all day? I am not a therapist or counselor but I am a pastor. And my experience tells me to go to the Word. So I did just that. Psalm 91 to be precise. You can click on the link to open another window but I felt like posting here also.

So for any of you out there who are grieving a loss, fighting depression, or just having a rough day, let Psalm 91 do what God intended in to do.

Psalm 91

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.a

2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because heb loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”