Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8
Today I see a great contrast between the splinder of God and the depravity of man. It speaks of a vision of God filling the entire temple in the Holy City. Imagine the greatness, al of the golden tools, the amazing decorations that line every inch of space. The most beautiful things we have seen pale to the glory of God that Isaiah envisioned.
He saw all this glory, the angels serving, the altar burning the sacrifices for worship, and suddenly he began to realize that he was not fit to be in the same area. Many of us realize that we too are not fit in ourselves to be in the same room as God. We have done many things in the past, probably today your thoughts might not have been in the right place either. When we view our life in relation to the life of the saints recognized by history, the Apostles, or Jesus we realize we are really gross dirty people. This is what Isaiah sees in an instant. All the so called good deeds he di in the past were nothing now because he saw that his culture was corupt and he has done nothing to make it better.
I look at our own culture. I see self rightious people on the side of the republicans that seem to throug out the ideas of charity and grace. They seek to save the lives of the unborn yet seem to think there is not chance of redemption for a person that has commited a crime. Then there is the other side who wish to give money freely to people in various forms of socal welfare. Corporations focus on their stockholders instead of their employees, and special intrest groups politic for increased benifits for their clients. In short we are a society focused on greed, culturally and personally. We are a corupt people.
I try not to focus on politics too much but today I just seemed to fall in that direction. Isaiah said he was a dead man in God’s presence because of his culture we are not much better. God asks who will I send? In our own power nothing. We are corupt coming from corupt people, we work fo corupt,companies, and have corupt governments we cannot change without help. The intresting thing is that in one moment God redeemed Isaiah by taking a coal from the altar of sacrifice and touching it to his lips. In an instant we to can be purified by the grace of God provided through Jesus.
Toda as you pray remember the abundant grace and love God has for you, and listen to His voice and be obedient to His calls.
Scripture: Psalm 29
Over the past week many of my friends from Kansas have had bouts with severe weather. This is par for the course in the great plains. My sister’s community was one town that had a tornado pass through. This storm was not as bad as the one that passed through Joplin, Missouri last year, but every tornado and storm has the potential to be devistating. I grew up in awe of these storms, there is a love hate relationship between me and weather. I remember sitting in the tractor over the summer watching as the thunder clouds would build large and darker on the horizon. It is one of the most intresting things to watch. Then comes the wind and rain, suddenly the beauty turns into something horrible, even in this the skys light up with an electric light show greater than any concert.
Today the scripture speaks of the power of the weather. It can break the trees, floods the plains, and sets the ground on fire. God is greater than these acts of nature. It reminds me of the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat as a storm threatens to sink the disciples. They are fearing for their lives yet Jesus sleeps. They cry out to their teacher and he rises and comands the wave to be still.
We all face storms, waves crash, thunder rolls as lightening flashes. We can do several things in these storms. Remember the storms you have faced in the past? How did you respond? Did you watch the flashes in awe or were you afraid? Jesus can calm the storms, God is more powerful than the storms of our life. This does not mean he will take us out of the storm,but he will be with us through it.
Take some time considering the storms you have survived and the ones you are in. Are you trusting in God or your own strength? Are you enjoying the weather or afrad?
Scripture: Romans 8:22-27
This morning I woke up with a groan. I stayed up to late talking with people from church. Now I’m not complaining about the conversations I had, I would have those every night. I just really do not like mornings. My great grandpa was a morning person, my grandpa is a morning person, but I seems to have stopped there. I think it has something to do with working night shifts.
Well back to the point. I groaned when I got up. I did not want to be awake, and work was the farthest from my mind. I’m sure some of you out there understand this groaning, maybe it is not mornings for you but being required to stay up later than normal or something else. Our bodies groan, when they are required to do things that are out of the norm.
Paul is saying all of creation groans. It is in pain, it is annoyed and in discomfort. Have you ever really thought about what that means? Really have not, until I had to start moving furniture at my job today. I was groaning when I woke up and I groaned when I was working. I groaned…it was not exactly they kind of day I would normally use as a highlight to my faith and devotion in Christ. We are to be joyous at work, working as if it is for God not a major retailer. Well usually I try but today I was not in the mood, it was a day of groaning.
I was groaning because I really did not want to be where I was doing what I was doing. I had a number of things I would rather do. Can you imagine the earth groaning, our community groaning, our nation groaning becaue of the stress put upon it? It is hard to go to work many days because I am one of those people the news talks about as being under employed, at least in my own mind. Often we all have to apply effort just to be professional and respectful at our jobs. It takes a lot of disipline.
We complain sometimes because we do not know the larger picture. If we all understood the larger picture we may be able to approach life with less groaning. So what is the big picture? Redemption.
The earth groans, creation groans, and our communities groan they are all crying out for that unseen hope. Imagine if we were to live our lives telling of the bigger picture. How much better would we be able to drive into work if we realized that it was not only a job, but a chance to encourge someone to get a glimpse of the unseen. What if our farming friends were to speak to the earth and let it know that the produce that it will grow will assist us in sharing the hope of redemption. What if a construction worker were to sing praises to God around the beams and boards used to build the places of business letting the building know that it has a place in the greater story in bringing about redemption.
I realize that many of these things are inanimate, but a misplaced perspective is the problem. We live around many people an things we relate to them. I’m sure all of you have had conversations with your computer or car. Everything is participating in a story unfolding before our eyes. Some have roles others are props each is important and each is in the same state groaning for the fulfillment of time. If we try to adjust our perspective we will begin to see the plot in a different light.
To look at things and people from different perspectives takes energy and time, it can become difficult in the long term and many will fall back into the groaning instead of praising. The good thing is God knows our condition. He lived in our human bodies has seen the world He created through human eyes, has smelled what we smell, and has tasted what we taste. He knows why we groan and at times I’m sure He would agree, that the tastes and smells fom my cooking are groan worthy. He knows and understands and He gives us help when we are open to receive it. It is amazing to me to think that as I reflected on this passage today that the groans did seem to fall away, maybe it was the coke I drank, but I think it was more. The perspective was changing. I was not just moving the boxed furniture to sell, but participating in the improvment of someone’s home, I was participating in the livelihood of my coworkers, I was contributing to the improvement of my community. And then I was able to praise instead of groan.
As you pray, think about the things that make you groan and I encourage you to attempt to look at from a diferent point of view. What changes when from that perspective, are things worse or better, do you see a place to improve or is it just pointless, is there hope or is it hopeless. As you do this let the Spirit of God move you in to praise.