Facing the Facts

Abraham was not afraid to fact the facts. He fully recognized that his and Sarah's bodies were "as good as dead" when it came to being able to produce new life. Romans 4:18 says that there was no hope, yet "against ALL hope, Abraham in hope believed." He did not allow facing the facts to weaken his faith. How could this happen? V. 21 says that hewas "fully persuaded that God had power to do what He has promised." Think about that persuasion as evidenced as he took his son Isaac up to the mountain as God had commanded for a burnt offering and he proclaims to Isaac that "God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering." Abraham in hope believed. It was this persuasion that was credited to him as righteousness. Oh, may I be so fully persuaded that God has to the power to do what He says He will do.

Homelessness

Homelessness…I met her last night
She’s probably in her late 20’s
She has no family here
Dad’s back east
Mom’s in prison, should be out in 2011
They’ll get a place together then
Until then…there’s no place to call home
She stayed bundled in her sweatshirt, hood up, and coat
from the time she came till she left
Slept all night on a foam camping pad on the floor at the shelter
The shelter…
A warm place but only if it’s below freezing outside
A dry place but only if there’s more than an inch of precipitation
If it’s just above freezing or a little less than one inch…then where?
Then morning came…out by 7
It’s cold out there…
It’s Saturday…where do you go?
Nothings open…walk the streets…try to stay warm…
She came back in …do you have a sleeping bag?
Yes…do you need gloves?
Would you like a scarf?
Yes…but how do you put it on?
Oh, my dear…
have you never had the nurture of a mother to tenderly tie a warm scarf about you?

Homelessness…I met him last night
Didn’t expect hard times
Lost his job
Was staying in a transitional home, rent paid up… looking for work
Someone stole his money while he was sleeping
He raised a fuss…he got kicked out
The Veteran’s Home is full
Now he’s on the streets
Wanted to stay in this area to be near his kids
But, “it’s hard to find a job when you have no stable place”
Going to give it two more weeks
If nothing comes up, will head east
It’s morning now…out by 7
It’s cold out there…
It’s Saturday…where do you go?
Library doesn’t open till 1…walk the streets…try to stay warm

Homelessness…I met him last night
Where is your southern accent from?
Mississippi
How’d you get here?
The Navy
Thought things would be good when I got out
What was I thinking
Didn’t sleep to well last night…
Snoring…that guy talking in his sleep…
It’s morning now…out by 7
It’s cold out there…
It’s Saturday…where do you go?
Nothings open…walk the streets…try to stay warm

Homelessness…I met her last night
She is so young…early 20’s?
Brought here by a caring taxi cab driver who wanted her to be safe
She cam in late…left early…don’t know her story
But she carefully put on her makeup before she left…getting ready for the day
What kind of day?
It’s cold out there…
It’s Saturday…where do you go?
Nothings open…ride around in a tax?...walk the streets…try to stay warm

Homelessness…I met him last night
He’s been here before
When he came in he greeted me by name
Light blue eyes and a pleasant smile
But as folks settled in something went askew…something snapped
He accused, he blamed, he insisted, he threatened
He threatened to kill…he left no choice
The police had to come…he had to go
He left confused…he had no clue
He truly had no recollection of what had transpired…
Where did he go?
I do not know?
It’s cold out there…nothings open…walk the streets…try to stay warm

It’s morning now…out by 7
Yes, it’s cold out there…but I’ve somewhere to go
For down the road a piece is a house that is warm
And as I crawl between my flannel sheets
My mind wanders to…a woman waiting for 2011
a man who hit hard times
a man who served our country in the Navy
a woman who took time to look nice
a man who is tormented
All are out there…with nothing open…walking the streets…trying to stay warm.

Holiness

I've been reading...and wrestling...with...goodness and holiness. These thoughts were primed in the introduction chapter to "Holiness" by J.C. Ryle. How often have I heard, "She is a good person," or do I think. "I'm not so bad?" I always struggle with this when someone dies who was a good person...they helped destitute people, gave sacrifically, loved unbelievably, etc. I know from scripture that only those redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb will enter into eternal life in glory, but when I see people "so good", I, humanly, struggle with that person missing out when they gave so much.
I believe, now, it is because I not only focus on goodness, but that goodness is one that is rated so on human terms. God's expectation of goodness is on a much different level and is it not an outgrowth of holiness? As we pursue holiness, then will we not also truly be good as God see's good? I believe that God's chief concern is holiness. "Without holiness no one will see the Lord."(Heb. 12:14) "Be holy, because I am holy."(Lev. 20:7, 1Pet. 1:16) "God saved us and called us to a holy life."(2Tim. 1:9)
The greatest application here is to the depth of my own heart. When I approach God's merciful throne and I have a proud heart that thinks that I've really been doing pretty well...how do I measure up against God's standard: HOLINESS! Now I see how wretched my heart is, how far I fall short. Oh for a humble and contrite heart. Oh to be holy as He is holy. May I never be tripped up by goodness when holiness is the standard.

At God's Mercy

As in typical fashion, just as things are going well for King David and Israel, Satan in his conniving "rises up against Israel and incited David to sin." (I Chronicles 21) It's one of those sins that in and of itself really seems harmless. In fact it seems like it could be kind of helpful. David counts the people of Israel. The problem? It promotes confidence in human resources rather than confidence in God alone. Keep in mind that David is a commanding warrior and numbers are a crucial bit of information. So, the people were counted and then David realized his grave sin. David has a tendency to act rashly, but David has a tender heart toward God and he is quick to repent and seek restoration when he comes to his senses. This time, God gave David three options to choose from as consequences: three years of famine, three months of being swept away by the enemy in battle or three days of the sword of the Lord. How does one choose? David, the one whose heart was after God, whose heart rested in God's character that he had experienced time and again, exclaims, "Let me fall in to the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is very great..." David proclaims God's mercy over and over in the Psalms. David knew God's mercy.
True to God's character, as the angel was destroying Jerusalem by plague, "the Lord saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, 'Enough! Withdraw your hand.'"
"God in his rich mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions." Ephesians 2:4
"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever..."

Temptations Rethought

Oswald Chambers was a man of deep thought. He has an amazing way of looking at our daily spiritual walk through another facet of the prism that causes you to ponder its application to your soul. Such is the case as he discusses temptation. "Temptation is a suggested short cut to the realization of the highest at which I aim - not towards what I understand as evil, but towards what I understand as good." Naturally we don't think in those terms as we are struggling with temptation, yet are we not shortchanging ourselves as we are thinking that our way to meet a felt need that we deem as good is itself good and therefore satisfying. In reality we find that we are short changed and we are not satisfied, nor was it good. The felt need still exists and we are again searching for a way to satify that need. Oh that we would let "God lift us to a higher plane where we would face tempations of another order."

Careful Zeal

King Jehu came in like wildfire. He himself says, "Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord." (2 Kings 10:16) Even the annointing of Jehu as king gives you an idea that things are going to happen. Elisha sends one of the men form his company of prophets with the instructions to "take him (Jehu) in an inner room, pour a flask of oil over his head, say 'This is what the Lord says: I annoint you king over Israel,' and then open the door and run without delay." The Ahab and his son who preceeded Jehu were persistently wicked. From the moment Jehu left the inner room of annointing, he begins his sweep through Israel. He doesn't leave a descendent of Ahab alive. Next, he rounds up and destroys all the ministers of Baal under the pretense of calling an assembly to honor Baal. He is shrewd. Yet, by verse 31 the statement is made, "Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel with all his heart." He let some of the of the idol worship persist. Oh that in our zeal we don't overlook the careful to keep...with all our heart.

Only God...

"No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-
that he should live on forever and not see decay...
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself."

Psalm 49:7-9,15

Such truth to ponder. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...My God my Savior ransomed me." Praise, awe, humbled..."I'm forever grateful to You, who came to seek and save the lost."

ALL of God's Goodness: Who can imagine

Moses said, " Now show me your glory." And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..." (Ex 33: 18,19)
Wow! What must that have been like? God's glory displayed by all His goodness. We continually see and experience God's goodness, yet I think that we only recognize it in snatches. We attribute this blessings and that provision we receive to God's goodness. We proclaim the delight of experiencing God's creation in a fresh snow or brilliant sunset as His goodness to us. I think that I tend to look at God's goodness as a dividend here and a dividend there, yet he is always good, all the time. It is His character. "You are forgiving and good, O Lord." (Ps 86:5) When I fail to recognize God's goodness at all times, then I am failing to recognize the extent of His glory. For it was the manifestation of all His goodness that was God's means of showing His glory to Moses. Oh, that I might not be short sighted. Oh, that I might recognize all of God's goodness, all of the time, so that I might behold His glory!

Raised Hands

Three times (Ex. 23, 24 & Deut. 16) God makes this amazing exclamation. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed."
How do I come before my Lord, my God? Too often it is with wanting hands. Yes, those are empty. Oh that I may first come with hands filled with praise, adoration, exclamation, admiration, and proclamation to my God for who He is, what He has done, and what He is to do. Then as He receives my "sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15) I will have hands ready to be filled with His goodness.

A Friday Night Teen Night talk

On Friday nights, The Coffee Oasis in about two things: a fun safe place and Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God has given us the privilege of providing that two-fold emphasis for almost 12 years now. Wow! Over that time God has brought hundreds of kids through the doors. Sometimes kids have come back after "outgrowing" the Friday Night Teen Night to thank us for providing a safe place. Some have come back to thank us for telling them about Jesus.
Ten years ago a young man, John, came just about every week. He found Teen Night to be a fun safe place as he was weathering those difficult years of high school. John wasn't a particularly popular kid. He was slight in stature and was finding his niche in the ROTC as Bremerton High School and was most excited about his involvement in the Orienteering Club. We weekly hung out with John: played pool and table games, talked about his life and most importantly we talked about Jesus, lots!
John will never come back to thank us for a fun safe place. Nor will he come to thank us for talking to him about Jesus. John committed suicide a couple of weeks ago.
In the book of Psalms God describes people in two ways: a tree that flourishes by the stream or as chaff that is blown by the wind. What is it that makes the difference in what a person becomes? It is what they do with God and His Word. That same Psalm (1) identifies people with one of two labels: righteous and wicked. Romans 3:23 says that we all start out wicked; "All have sinned..." I was there, many who come through the doors of The Coffee Oasis are still there. Romans 6:23 says there is one penalty for that sin which we all have and that is death. Yet, John 3:16 says that God loved us so much He send His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay that penalty of death. But, we must accept it.
John didn't ever accept that gift of life and without it, the burdens of this earthly life became too much for him. He never found God's hope and forgiveness.
Acts 16:31 simply says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." We do not have to dry up to chaff that is blown about by the wind. Jesus offers life and hope. Believe.

Not Forgotten

"God remembered Noah and all the wild anaimals and the livestock that were with him in the ark..." (Genesis 8:1)
Sometimes when we are in the middle of what God has called us to do and things are just carrying on and on, we feel like God has sort of forgotten about us. We would like a bit of reassurance that we are where we are supposed to be and doing what God is still wanting us to be doing. I think that is how Noah was probably feeling 150 days into God's flood as he carried on his daily duties aboard the ark. As we know, God hadn't forgotten Noah and all the animals and neither has He forgotten us. Faithfulness is all He asks of us. He will not forget, He will remember. And as He sent the wind over the earth for the waters to recede, He will continue to minister to us through His Holy Spirit as we carry through the task that He has set before us. Praise God.