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Missing the Mark

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Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

In 1980 “It’s Hard to Be Humble” was a song written and recorded by Mac Davis that became an international hit. Here’s a sample of the lyrics: “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, When you’re perfect in every way, I can’t wait to look in the mirror, Cause I get better lookin’ each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man, Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, But I’m doing the best that I can. I used to have me a girlfriend, But I guess that she couldn’t compete, With all of them love-starved women, Who keep clamoring around at my feet. Well, I could probably could find me another, But I guess they’re all in awe of me (oh, man), Who cares? I’ll never get lonesome, ‘Cause I treasure my own company…”

Humility is like a slippery fish an angler sought to contain once he landed it in his boat. Oswald Chambers once remarked: “The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining in the sight of God the things that sound humble before men, and you will be amazed at how staggeringly impertinent they are.” 

On the one hand we observe Jonah exemplifying what humility is not. On the other, we observe the Ninevites defining what it was, is, and always will be. William Temple, in his book titled, “Christ in His Church” defined humility by stating: “Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all.” Jonah had no idea Who and what he was symbolizing through his three day imprisonment in the belly of a great fish. Nor was he aware of Who was with him as he emerged resurrected from the abyss. Although Jonah was ignorant of the Resurrected One the people of Nineveh encountered Him in conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. In that moment of encompassing awe the only thought they had of themselves was of a great need to go as absolutely low as they could – physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. Their entire lifestyle had been altered. In effect they were thinking only of God centering all their time around Him. Isn’t this what prayer and fasting is? It’s not going on some kind of freakish diet of self-abasement. It’s a pursuit of His Presence that seeks whole-hearted surrender, and passion for the manifest Presence of God. It’s a centering of all time, and activities around the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit. It’s listening, watching, and obeying.

Isn’t it strange that the only hint of Jonah’s confession of sin was in his yielded obedience to God’s assignment? He never confessed his sins and in the process failed to recognize his sins focusing on the sins of others – namely Nineveh’s. Similar to the angels in the parable of the wheat and tares we often become consumed with pulling up the tares of sin in others rather than focusing on the Sower of the good seed. He is humility. Rather than seeking to appear humble why don’t we seek the Emptied One Who didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped? Why not confess missing that MARK – Who is the MARK?

Conceived by the Spirit

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Matthew 1:19-20 And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly. 20 But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.

A drunk husband snuck up the stairs quietly. He looked in the bathroom mirror and bandaged the bumps and bruises he’d received in a fight earlier that night. He then proceeded to climb into bed, smiling at the thought that he’d pulled one over on his wife. When morning came, he opened his eyes and there stood his wife. “You were drunk last night weren’t you!” “No, honey.” “Well, if you weren’t, then who put all the band-aids on the bathroom mirror?”

I was in a School of Life meeting with Brad McClendon who said something quite profound and astounding: The spirit of this world find’s fault. The Spirit of God seeks God – seeks life, and we are living in the wrong realm if all we see is the nakedness and sin of others. In Genesis 3:10-11 the Lord says something profound (as He always does): He said, I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.11 And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? Satan often tells us we are naked, less than, shameful, and unworthy. He seeks to expose and condemn us. He is the negative voice seeking to mimic the only Voice we should tune in to and turn to. When we look for what’s wrong, crooked, or dirty in others – that’s our focus – we are eating of satan’s fruit: experiential knowledge of good and evil. We use ourselves as the plumb line; the sum total of all that is good. We want to pull up the tares in others lives failing to realize that often we are tearing down the wheat growing right alongside of it. If all we are looking for are tares in other people – that’s all we will ever see in ourselves. But if we are looking for the Pearl of Great Price the tares will seem unimportant. We will end up spending time trying to get rid of the tares rather than spending time with the One Who sows the good seed.

But that which is “conceived by the Spirit” isn’t willing to expose, shame, and disgrace others. Having the Father’s heart we seek to clothe people’s nakedness. Joseph “covered” Mary of what the people of her village – family, friends, neighbors, strangers – called sin. Joseph married her. He was wed to the Spirit and the Word. His focus wasn’t on what people called sin. His focus wasn’t on telling Mary she was “naked”. He chose to eat the fruit of Life rejecting the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. As Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:8, “love covers a multitude of sins“. Not that Mary had committed sin, and neither had the Godhead. Sin is all about missing the Mark – God’s Perfection. Often man misunderstands and misses God’s Perfect Love because of fear. Perfect Love drives out fear. Perfect Love sows good seed, and from it Jesus is birthed and manifested.

What kind of seed are you sowing? Is what’s conceived in you of the Spirit or of the spirit of this world?

Falling to Rise

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 Friday, October 4, 2019

James 4:7-10So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins]. Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

When Jesus presented the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, He placed the people of the Last Days, in two groups. Those two groups are compared to wheat and tares. Wheat and tares look almost identical. In fact the only person who can detect the subtle differences is an expert farmer. One interesting fact about wheat and tares is that during the summer heat of dry conditions, and scarce rain the wheat begins to grow fruit. The tares remain fruitless. In fact, as the wheat ripens, in the heat of the sun, it begins to grow heavy and bows down. The tares? They simply remain upright, and fruitless. What’s really interesting is that if you were to ingest the tares you would quickly discover that they are noxious and will kill you. Isn’t that appropriate? As new, spiritual beings we are constantly being surrounded by those who are poisonous, and noxious. What does one do?

James has the answer. First be subject to God. In other words, surrender and submit to Him. This is actually the first step towards humility. The second step requires resisting the devil, followed by the third step of coming close to God to purify your heart from divided interests, and spiritual adultery. Finally, grieve over your sin, weeping over your disloyalty. These steps will insure humility and entering the Presence of the Lord. 

Isaiah 57:15 promises: For thus says the high and lofty One—He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin].

The lower we go the higher He stands to stoop down to revive us. How powerful is that? The “3 For 10” Fasting Menu doesn’t include desert but may I say that encountering Him is the Desert? Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

Psalm 25:14 The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.

Psalm 27:4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.