RECONCILIATION

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…  Ephesians 2:14

Paul had a real mess on his hands:  one group that was especially militant, willing even to kill to retain their status as God’s chosen people.  The other group, having been saved to serve and follow their new-found Lord, wanted only the liberty to be free from the bondage of their old lives.  The militants knew they had lost their special privilege by willing servitude of other masters and dared not go back.  And the new converts sought the engrafting promised by a God who “loved the [whole] world.”

There was no earthly power that could bring the two together.  No speeches; no negotiation; no government beaurocracies; and no conciliatory measures.

God had a resolution.  Tear down the wall of enmity that separated the two and make them one through the death of his only Son.  “For all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23), and all equally needed the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the grace that is available to ALL without favoritism.  Paul would tell the new disciples (those who were longing to be part of the Kingdom God was building), “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).  One people with equal access to the Lord and Father of all.

The Law would not be disbanded; it would be interpreted through the words spoken on the Mount.  The new life for all parties meant new hearts and a new Master.  First the structure and then the indwelling.

Working out the solution to unity would be, is, difficult.  God had opened the way to salvation, transformation, and freedom through the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it was up to the new faith community, the Church, to implement what God had begun.  And there were instructions:  “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you” (Matt. 18:15).  Or when one party had harmed another,“…if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23, 24).

Living and applying this new faith would be destructive to the old nature, but it would create a Body, and it would build a temple for the Holy Spirit within each life.  Walking by faith would be difficult, but it would glorify Christ, and it would bring freedom and reconciliation.

Father, when Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he meant US.  Here we are.  Use us.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

CHANGED PLANS

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”  Genesis 22:2

 

Can we even begin to imagine the pain that Abraham experienced when God ordered him to take this child and offer him as a burnt offering?  Isaac was the child of promise who had been born to Sarah and Abraham when they were long past the time of parenting.  He had been given after years of yearning and trusting, and now the One who had given the gift was asking that Isaac be given back.

The text does not recount the angst and suffering Abraham must have felt when he heard this somber command.  We do not know, but we can speculate.  Even so, Genesis 22:3 tells us that early the next morning Abraham began the journey up the mountain.  He didn’t procrastinate.  He obeyed in trust.  Not knowing what God would do, he trusted.  Even when Isaac asked him where the lamb was, Abraham trusted.

At the summit of the mountain, Abraham made an altar, placed the wood on it, tied up his precious son, and laid him in place.  Just as he was about to perform the final act of obedience, God stopped him.  One writer said that, had Abraham not known God as intimately as he did, he would have said the voice he heard was that of Satan.  But Abraham knew and stopped.  He had passed the test, and GOD PROVIDED the lamb.

I heard of a family that quarreled and allowed their differences to divide them.  When the matriarch of the family died, one of the sons wanted to erect a headstone, but the others aligned themselves against him.  He grieved at the lack of unity and respect until he spoke with his parish priest.  The wise man prayed with him, asking him to give his pain and expectations to the Lord.  The priest counseled him to abandon his desire to place the headstone on his mother’s grave and to instead honor his mother by affecting reconciliation within the family.  He surmised that that would be a greater memorial than a headstone.  At peace, the son obeyed and succeeded.

Even when we set out to do God’s will, there may be unknown factors that change our plans.  Abraham trusted God when he set out to climb the mountain; the grieving son trusted God when he abandoned his plans.  In both instances, God was faithful and was glorified.  Can we trust him to do the same with our changed plans?

 

Loving Father, we are so often certain that we are following you whole-heartedly when there comes an obstacle to our obedience.  Help us to trust you even when we do not understand.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

 

Please pray as I accompany a team today on a mission to another country.  I will not be posting on Thursday.  God bless you and thanks.

LIVING EXPECTANTLY

 

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…  Ephesians 3:20  (KJV)

 

I am reading a book about a group of women in Germany who responded to a call to live together in community and service just after World War II.  Initially, they stayed with the parents of the founder but prayed that God would provide property, funds, and materials to build a chapel and a Mother House in the devastated remains of Darmstadt.

 

The book, Realities of Faith by Basilea Schlink, is astonishing as it details persevering prayer, how the women broached hindrances to their prayers, and divine provision as they dedicated themselves to God’s glory.  One of the stories tells of their needing a particular piece of land on which to build their print shop; however, the owner, an elderly lady, was intent on keeping everything she had ever inherited and would not part with the land.  The women prayed and fasted, and, in their poverty, each felt directed to sacrifice some personal thing (a little wooden cross, a pretty picture, etc.).  Mother Basilea then visited the old lady and could hardly believe her ears when she was told, “I’m not too much sad about the land, but it’s the plum trees; I do hate to lose the plum trees.”  The women made and signed a contract that all the plums would go to the owner while the land would become the property of the religious order.

 

Over and over God met needs as the women prayed together, sacrificed, confessed their sins, and reconciled when there were grievances.  Today the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary has eleven orders all over the world.  They continue to live out and teach principles of reconciliation, justice, divine provision, and God’s love.

 

As I am reading Realities… I think of how our contemporary Church has moved away from expectant prayer.  We are so familiar with the rituals (every church has them) that we forget we are speaking to the Living God.  We take worship for granted, and when God does not answer a prayer for his glory, I wonder how often we examine ourselves to see if there are fractured relationships or unconfessed sin?  How frequently do we dare to make personal sacrifices that God’s work may continue?

 

Realities of Faith has been a wonderful reminder of who God is and wants to be in our lives and in our fellowships.  This is simply a journal of women who were serious about following Jesus and who found him to be everything and more than they ever hoped.

 

Father, thank you for the saints among us who encourage us in our journeys to climb higher and to get closer.  That really is our heart’s cry.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

TWO FRIENDS

 

[Jesus], having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.  John 13:1b (NKVJ)

 

 

They were part of a hand-picked cadre of men who had been carefully trained for a long-term mission.  For several years they had eaten, slept, lived, and traveled together in anticipation of deployment.  They were aware of the hazards that lay ahead and the potential dangers.  Still, they remained part of the chosen few.

 

While their training had been identical, their paths would slowly and imperceptibly begin to diverge although no one would know until much later.  One was a highly capable and trusted financial manager while the other was a married man who had initially answered the call of the sea.  Both were drawn to their charismatic leader – the money man cherished plans of a massive takeover; the fisherman, impetuous by nature, quickly apprehended their leader’s direction and just as quickly missed the deeper implications of his teachings.

 

After years of being part of an elite team, the money man became impatient and frustrated with their leader’s failure to seize the power that was just within his grasp.  The fisherman was content just to follow and to learn and to love and be loved.  While the fisherman fell more deeply in love with his leader, the money man became more fascinated with the funds that were entrusted to him.  He began to think of them as his own and to treat them as such.  He made of himself a thief.

 

The leader, knowing all these things, held an exclusive dinner party – just for his special men.  Taking his place at the head of the table, he seated the money man at his left side, thinking perhaps he could whisper a few words that might alter his course.  As the evening progressed, he told the select gathering that one of them would turn against him.  Was this an opportunity for the money man to change his mind?  The men were shocked and in low tones began to ask each other who that could be.  The fisherman signaled to a team member on the leader’s right to ask the identity of the traitor.  Looking with unbearable grief and entreaty at the money man seated on his left, the leader explained.  “I’m sharing this piece of bread with the one who will betray me.” Another possibility for turning.  Instead, the man took the bread, consumed it, and walked out into the darkness of treachery.

 

The fisherman swore undying loyalty to his leader.  When soldiers came to take the leader away, the fisherman followed but under pressure, he, too, betrayed the one he had sworn to love.  He betrayed him not just once but three times.  The fisherman’s heart was broken when he saw the extent of his infidelity.

 

Two friends followed the same leader.  They ate, slept, lived, and traveled together and were taught by him as they awaited deployment.  One friend took the money he’d been given to betray his leader but then tossed it back.  Instead of returning to the leader who’d chosen him in the first place, in final despair he threw himself away.  The money man played god and went to his grave.

 

The fisherman went back to his nets.  Within days the leader found him and tenderly, graciously mended his heart and re-commissioned him as a sign of reconciliation.

 

Two friends:  Judas rejected Jesus, his love, his salvation, his future.  Peter rejected Jesus but was restored by his love, his salvation, and given a future.

 

Father, nothing can separate us from your love.  You have called us, and you are able to keep us.  When we have sinned and failed you, remind us of the great price Jesus paid that we might be forgiven and restored.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve. James 5:16 (CEB)

Of all the times during my lifespan, this seems to be one of the most crucial periods for believers to vigorously engage in prayer. Friends are coping with serious medical conditions; some are dealing with economic crises; relational stresses are threatening families; and the political and global situations are unprecedented. If we ever need to be effective in prayer, now is the time.

If we are to pray all the time (I Thess. 5:17, Rom. 12:12), our physical position must be inconsequential. If right-standing with God signifies power in prayer (above), the form of our prayer—formal or informal, spontaneous or read, silent or said aloud—has no significance. It appears that God is primarily concerned with relationships—between us and him and us and others—when it comes to prayer.

Here are just a few of my gleanings from Scripture about prayer:

• The focus of prayer is relating to God and not about getting answers. (I Chron. 16:11, Psa. 145:18, Song of Sol. 2:14 and many others)
• We must be reconciled to him and others before we pray. (Matt. 5:23, I Peter 3:7, Luke 6:27, 28)
• God listens to our prayers. (I John 5:14, Jer. 29:12, Psa. 145:18, Heb. 4:16)
• God always responds to prayer in his time, according to his will, and in his way. (Mark 11:24, Jer. 33:3, Matt. 6:6, I John 5:15, Jas. 4:2b)

When my children were first away at school, I knew that almost every time they called, they wanted or needed something. As their mother, I was happy to respond to meet their needs when I could. But the day finally arrived when they called just to chat. What a joy. We had moved beyond need to relationship.

How happy God must be when we talk with him just because we enjoy his company.

Our Father in heaven, teach us to pray and to come to you just to enjoy your presence. AMEN.

RECONCILIATION

Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Matthew 5:23, 24

Walking with Jesus is not for sissies. Nor is it for narcissists. Jesus calls us to crucifixion and requires that we take his demands seriously. In this Matthew passage he asks us to immediately stop our worship of him if there’s an issue with someone else. We have to be the ones taking the initiative to make peace in a circumstance in which we possibly had no control. It really seems unfair.

I once heard a preacher say that God tasks the person who has the most faith with the responsibility of being the peacemaker. Simply put, God is the one who looks into our hearts and instantly recognizes whether or not Jesus is Lord there. He recalls how malleable we have been in his hands and how amenable we are to trusting his ways. And then he calls us to dealing with unfairness, with misinterpretation, and even with wrongs that we may have unknowingly provoked.

God looks in our hearts and knows if we are willing to obey without counting the cost in humiliation or misunderstanding. He knows that taking up the cross and dying to the flesh can only be done by one who walks with him and who knows how to access his measureless grace. And God requires that sort of sacrifice from the one who wants to grow in him.

My mom once told me of a quarrel that she’d had with my dad. Apparently, they were in the car going somewhere – she couldn’t recall where they were going or what the disagreement involved, but she remembered the tension. She said she was prompted to reach over and give my dad a mint, but she resisted. Again, the prompting came, and again she resisted. Finally, she took a gulp of grace and reached across the seat to offer the mint. The tension was broken; the atmosphere was changed. But she had to make the first move.

Father, help us to trust you to give us what we need in our daily relationships with those around us. Give us grace to be peacemakers even when we think we are without fault. Remind us that you are constantly reaching out to us to draw us to yourself, even when we least deserve it. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.