Superheroes aren’t that original…

“The Lord answered Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.’” -Numbers 11:23 (NIV)

“…whether or not..” Does this phrase drive you crazy? Or do you think it drove Moses crazy? Here he was, with hundreds and hundreds of hungry, grumpy people on his back demanding food, and the Lord plays a “wait and see” game. Of course, we can just read ahead in the story and find out that God did fulfill His promise to provide meat in the desert to the Israelites, but not only that, He showered them with millions of quail, to the point of the Israelites complaining that His answer to prayer was too much. A lot of people think the Israelites were ridiculous and too demanding, but how often do we complain to God in our own forms, on our terms about his answers to our prayers?

This blog is not meant to guilt trip you, however. I just find the phrasing of this sentence interesting. Why did God beat around the bush and not just give Moses a straight answer? He knew Moses was stressed out; He had just had some of the elders of the community come so that they could help Moses bear the load, and it wouldn’t ride solely on him. I think the reason is God’s love of mystery and adventure. There’s a good reason why we love superheroes in movies and books. We love the part where the good guy swoops in at just the right time, right when it seems like he bad guys plans are going to be successful. And to top it all off, the good guy usually even has the perfect line to say! In fact, I believe writers may be having difficultly in writing stories like that because we’ve become so expectant of that certain outcome. We enjoy this plot because it is part of God’s nature and we were created similarly to His nature, in His image. He loves mystery; He loves coming when everyone says its too late (example: Lazarus’ death – John 11:1-44); He loves to be the hero and lift us out of the bad situation right before it conquers us. It is this mystery about Him that some struggle with comprehending or appreciating, but how fun would it be if God just functioned as a secretary all day and answered our calls? We need to embrace His adventure, His spontaneity, His sense of humor and fun, and not just see Him as a bully who tries to with hold things from us as long as He possibly can. Rather, view Him as the hero, saving us in the nick of time in order to demonstrate His glory that much more.

Never ending mystery…

I’m currently attending a college/career class at my church, and we have been studying Focus on the Family’s The Truth Project. It has been a really challenging series that I have really enjoyed so far, and if you are looking for something to expand your thinking and perspective on God, I would recommend watching this series.

After each episode, we participate in some follow-up/review questions as a group. Last night, there was a question that said something along the lines of, “should we accept and embrace the mystery of God, or attempt to simplify Christianity in a simple statement?” I’m sure I totally butchered that question, but that was the idea of what it was saying, at least. I think the easy answer here, if we really don’t want to put in the effort, would be to attempt to sum up God, Christianity, all that goes with it, into a simple statement. But what are the benefits of embracing the reality that God is a mystery? How is that fun and not just frustrating? If you’re into mysteries and solving puzzles, then this could be of some interest…yet, if God is so incredible and magnificent that He ultimately can’t completely be figured out, then what’s the point? If you can’t solve the mystery and find the answer, why look for the answer?

I believe that the answer to these questions is: levels. No, we’re never going to totally figure out God until we get to heaven, and we may not fully understand God even then. But God is a God of purpose and order and I believe that He’s left clues of Himself along the way for us, creating this beautiful scavenger hunt we can choose to participate in our whole lives. I think, God portrays Himself as a mystery to us on purpose. Yes, the answer may be that we simply cannot handle to know 100% who He is; as humans, this may be too overwhelming for us. Yet, I also believe that God wants to go on this incredible adventure with us, holding our hand along the way, as we explore His nature and uncover new things about Him at different levels, constantly. So why embrace the reality that He is ultimately a mystery? Because He designed it that way so that we have somewhere to go from. If we sum Him up in one statement, then that moment is over, we can move on, and have nowhere else to go. But if God is a mystery, one that we can keep discovering new things about, then the possibilities are endless and the adventure continues.

When you were younger, did you even go to a birthday party with a scavenger hunt? When I was little, my parties were the ones that had fun games like scavenger hunts, because I was blessed with a mom that goes over the top for birthday parties. I remember one year we had a list of things we were supposed to find in the mall, and whoever finished their list first won a prize. The Bible talks about keeping the awe and simplicity in our faith, like a child has:
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to  such              as these.’” –Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

So even though not being able to figure out the answers is something that drives me crazy, I’m grateful that God took the time to write out His Word and reveal Himself to me, in a way that gives me somewhere to go from here, a place to continue to grow in.

“‘But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.’” Daniel 2: 28a (NIV)

Savior? Lord? What’s the difference?

Did you forget about me? I’m still alive, just on a different schedule, thus my blogging has been down. But in my devotions today, I discovered an interesting thought, compliments of the Fire Bible…

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” –Romans 10:9 (NIV)

  “The earliest creed (i.e. statement of belief) or confession of the NT church was not ‘Jesus is Savior,’ but ‘Jesus is Lord.’” [1]

  So how simple of a statement does that seem like? Savior? Lord? Ok…both great titles; both names we usually associate, at one time or another, with Jesus. So then I started to think about this more. To me, when I think of the word ‘Savior’ I almost think of a super-hero. The adored character who swoops in at just the right moment, saving the damsel in distress at the nick of time. I looked up the word ‘Savior’ on dictionary.com and here’s how it was defined:
Savior – a person who saves, rescues, or delivers. [2]
Now, granted, there are some instances, as we are only human and do make mistakes, that we do need to be saved more than once. Still, this definition implies an instance of saving: the person is rescued, the end. Yet, it’s not the end, for Jesus is not only a one-time (or two-time, or five, or ten time) Savior, but He is Lord.
Lord – a person who has authority, control, or power over others. [3]
‘Lord’ implies a constant, consistent force; One who stays in command, who sticks around. He is Lord. All powerful. Ever present. Always faithful and always near. How awesome is the fact that Jesus is not only Savior (as words cannot express how much we need just that!), but He is also Lord?

The Fire Bible continues on with this idea, in a way that I can’t sum up any better in my own words:

   “No one can truly receive Jesus as Savior without receiving Him as Lord – and then continuing to follow Him as the ultimate Leader and authority in life.
   ‘Lord’ means having power, authority, control and the right to exercise ruling power as Master. To confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ is to declare Him to be equal with God and worthy of power, worship, trust, obedience, and prayer.
   Jesus must be our Lord at home, church, school, and on the job. He must be the Lord in intellectual, educational, and recreational aspects of life – in fact, in all areas of life.” [4]

1. “10:9 Confess…’Jesus is Lord’.” Fire Bible: New International Version. Ed. Donald C. Stamps and Carey Huffman. Springfield, MO: Life International, 2007. 1601. Print.

2. “Savior.” Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dictionary.com>.

3. “Lord.” Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dictionary.com>.

4. “10:9 Confess…’Jesus Is Lord’” Fire Bible: New International Version. Ed. Donald C. Stamps and Carey Huffman. Springfield, MO: Life International, 2007. 1604. Print.

What do those “churchy” words mean?

“‘…I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.’” –Exodus 19:4 (NIV)

Here God is talking to Moses, referencing how He delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Now, I’ve grown up in church my whole life…my dad has always been a pastor, and so I’ve just grown up in the “behind the scenes” of church atmosphere. Having said that, I’ve definitely experienced and even said my share of  “churchy lingo” ~ those phrases that make sense if you’ve gone to church for a long time, but to someone new, they just sound scary and weird. Yet, just because I’ve grown up around the phrases, doesn’t mean that I understand them all. Actually, until today, I’d never really understood what “on eagle’s wings” meant. I’ve heard it in a lot of worship songs, and even found myself worshiping along with the song, just because the phrase sounded “right” or “spiritual,” but honestly I never fully knew what it meant. So in my study Bible (The Fire Bible – Pentecostal Study Bible, Student Edition) it gives an illustration and explanation of this phrase that’s simple, yet so impacting:

“A mother eagle swoops down and catches her young on her wings to keep them from crashing while learning to fly…This expression demonstrates God’s love, which is the greatest reason for obeying God and following His plan.” (Fire Bible, pg. 124; verse 19:4 note)

Just the visual of a graceful mother eagle gliding down to save her baby, in the nick of time, was such a cool image to me. This phrase is mentioned in the Bible, I believe a few times, as we are intended to view God in this way. He allows us the opportunity to fly, but He’s always close by to catch us at just the right timing… even if we don’t necessarily view the timing, at that moment, as “right.”

“Your Song”

I don’t normally blog about personal stuff, I usually keep it based on whatever I’m discovering in my Bible for that week. But today I’m going to give myself a little plug…I am a singer/songwriter, and currently self recording and producing my own album. I will then send off my demo, and we’ll see if anyone is interested in picking it up. But for right now, I’m just using the good ol’ GarageBand on my Mac, and it produces a really decent sound. Sooo… I just released a single entitled “Your Song.” To purchase go to my music website: www.wix.com/ashleebest/music
Thanks so much for the support!

Do we peg the bad guy as innocent?

“‘But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you.’” –Exodus 7:3-4a (NIV)

This passage is describing one of the moments that God and Moses shared. God had just revealed himself to Moses and explained what he wished for Moses to do: stand up to Pharaoh and demand that he free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, so that they may be free to go and worship God. Now, this is kind of one of those “classic” Bible stories that, even if you don’t go to church regularly, you’ve probably heard of this story. So I don’t know if you’ve every gotten this feeling, but have you ever felt kind of sorry for Pharaoh? When I read this story, sometimes I wonder if Pharaoh was kind of set up to fail here. God said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart, basically so that He could display His power through the miracles of the plagues. So is this an issue that, even if Pharaoh wanted to let the Israelites go, he didn’t have an option because God had hardened his heart against it? Was the choice really not his to make? Even though I know that Pharaoh was a bad dude, keeping these innocent people in slavery for so long, part of me has felt some feelings of injustice in his case. So, having said that, I read a note in my Student Edition, “Fire” Study Bible that really helped explain this to me, so I hope it helps you too:

“God did not force Pharaoh to resist Him. Pharaoh’s heart was already hard towards God. So when God confronted him and pushed against him, Pharaoh resisted even more. This additional hardening was a punishment for Pharaoh’s defiance and opposition toward God. 1) God was demonstrating a principle that applies to all who resist God and refuse to turn from their own stubborn way. There comes  a point where God finally turn people over to the full effects and consequences of their sinful desires, and actually harden their hearts even more. People in this dangerous condition are often spiritually blinded to God’s love and the truth of His Word. God often allows this so that a person will come to a point of hopelessness and finally turn to God for help and salvation. 2) Notice how the judgments of the early plagues softened Pharaoh’s heart a little. But when God removed each plague, Pharaoh’s heart hardened again. In other words, Pharaoh resisted God and hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.” [1]

Pharaoh had a long history of resisting God. He even viewed himself as a “god” of Egypt, as that’s how the Egyptian culture was in regards to Pharaohs. Yet, even though Pharaoh thought he was completely shutting God out, he wasn’t (up until this point when Moses confronted him). God could have totally wiped Pharaoh out for blatantly defying him, and worse yet, putting himself high up on a pedestal, which is a position for only God to hold. By his grace, God allowed Pharaoh to choose this. By His grace He gave Pharaoh the option of what he wanted. By His grace, He gave Pharaoh multiple times to get himself straightened out. And by His grace, He gave in to what Pharaoh had made clear his choice was. This isn’t an issue of blaming God and saying that it wasn’t “fair” of Him to sway the emotions of Pharaoh, when Moses stood up to him. This was God being so merciful to honor the path Pharaoh had chosen, that He stopped “saving” him, and let all his consequences cave in on him, thus hardening his heart more and leading to Pharaoh’s ultimate destruction. Take a look at the choice you’re making; God will honor it, no matter what it is. Where are you going to end up when God lets it all cave in?

1. Huffman, Carey, ed. “Exodus 7:3-4a.” Fire Bible Student Edition New International Version, Black, Bonded Leather. Ed. J. Wesley Adams. Springfield: Hendrickson Pub, 2010. 107. Print.

Still rejected: then and now

I have been reading through my study Bible, Old Testament and New Testament at the same. I read all the extra interpretations at the bottom of my study Bible that talk about different verses in the chapter. I was reading John 19 the other day, and this was one of the little “blurbs” at the bottom of the page (written for John 19:4, if you want to look it up), I thought was worth sharing:

“The real reasons people rejected Jesus before His death are some of the same reasons people reject Him today. Often Jesus does not fit people’s expectations. Many people misunderstand Jesus or have misguided notions regarding His purposes. In most cases, people reject His message because it contradicts their selfish and sinful desires and lifestyles. As a result, people today still reject His message and persecute His followers.” –Student Study Fire Bible, pg. 1486

P.S. – I recommend this Bible! It is so good! It’s my favorite out of all the Bibles I have.

“In All the world”

“Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” –Genesis 41:15-16 (NIV)

Joseph had just spent two years in prison, for being wrongly accused of trying to seduce Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). He had been lied to, lied about, rejected, and forgotten. I think the natural reaction here would be to “brown-nose” or “suck up” to Pharaoh. I wouldn’t want to disrespect the king of Egypt and risk being thrown in jail again, or even killed. Yet, Joseph never let his faith waver and he never changed or was ashamed of who he was in God. And God covered that and also covered Pharaoh’s response:

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is not one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’” –Gen. 41:40 (NIV)

Joseph didn’t try to earn respect from Pharaoh, and yet he got it, and then some! Joseph “stuck to his guns” and trusted God and was greatly rewarded for that. By that last line Pharaoh says, I think Pharaoh would have been willing to step under Joseph’s command and authority, were it not for the law, regulations, and traditions of Egypt. Lastly, God used and blessed Joseph so much more than Joseph ever expected. God had given him a little insight of his future in his own dream, many years earlier (Gen. 37). While he was a slave and prisoner, Joseph probably never forgot that, and probably questioned God as to what he was doing there? (Have you ever questioned God? “Why in the world am I here?”) From his dreams, he was expecting to just be above his brothers and parents, yet God had the whole world turn and look to him:

“And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.” –Gen. 41:57 (NIV)

What do you know to do?

“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.”‘ –Genesis 35:1-3 (NIV)

A little bit of a back story… Jacob managed to get himself into trouble a lot in his life: he deceived his father and stole his brother’s birthright; worked 7 years for the girl of his dreams, married her, to then find that he’d been given the wrong girl; ran from his brother who wanted to kill him; had arguments with his father-in-law (of two wives, which wasn’t good either), because his father-in-law had issues with him; and now, right before this story, his daughter (Dinah) has been assaulted by a guy named Shechem, and Jacob’s sons went out, took vengeance on the guy, killed all the males in the city, and kidnapped the women and children. The first problem of this story: Jacob and his family weren’t supposed to be there in the first place! I don’t know if Jacob was an adrenaline junkie or liked the excitement of getting into trouble and running for his life, but his decision to not listen to God and not move to Bethel in the first place (Gen. 31:13), but instead move near this pagan city, cost not only him, but severely affected his children and family. Now, there are a couple of things I want to break down in these verses (brace yourselves, this is lengthy)…

1. As mentioned above, Jacob had gotten himself in a tight spot again, and now was faced with a decision. This is a pretty well-known statement, and not original on my part at all, but it’s still really good: our actions don’t just affect us, but they ripple out and affect those around us, those close to us.

2. Jacob knew his mistake. I don’t see Jacob as being a naive, clueless guy. He knew what he was doing, or rather, what he wasn’t doing, which was obeying what God had told him to do. Jacob tried to ignore God’s command, but eventually it got to a place where he hit rock bottom, and because of the consequences he was facing, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. It might seem like a better alternative at the time, but by disobeying God, you’re only hurting yourself. I recently listened to a podcast by Mark Batterson, and he was talking about how scary it may seem to obey God; it might seem like you have to sacrifice so much. But really, you’re not sacrificing anything, and on the other side, you will gain so much more than you had to begin with. That’s not the reason for listening to God, obviously; we shouldn’t be doing things, just to reap the rewards. We obey because we love God and want to honor Him; He rewards because He loves us and wants to bless us – it’s the best, functioning, fulfilling relationship you’ll ever have, in your whole life.

3. What did God tell him to do? Answer: to go do what he knew to do; what he’d done before. This wasn’t the first time he was running for his life; this was at least the 3rd time, actually. But in the past, he had stopped and built an altar to God, to worship Him and ask for help…worship being the key part there…even amidst the chaos he was facing. That had worked for him before and that always works for everyone! While there is no magic formula for God to get the answers we need, the act of taking the time to be with Him, pray to Him, worry to Him, is all He wants from us. He wants to hear that we realize we can’t do it on our own, but we need Him. In those situations, our actions are the same…we go to the altar, worship, pray, seek… but what changes, is the answer; the answer is never the same, for God always speaks new things to us (…but it’s new, if we’ve done the others things he’s asked us to already . However, it works only if your whole dwelling is pure from the sin…

4. Jacob had to remove the idols from his home and his family, but also all who were under his leadership (vs. 2).

5. “After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.” –Gen. 35:9 (NIV). After Jacob… what? Stayed where he was? After he shut God out some more? Then God blessed him? Nope. After he moved.

6. Finally, I love how Jacob realizes that even through the mess, God never left (vs. 3). Jacob stepped back from God, and God with his ever-present grace to honor our free will, stepped back too…but He never left and welcomed Jacob back with open arms.

Quick words of inspiration…

No, I haven’t dropped off the face of the planet…just the face of reality! I’ve been on vacation, then finals week, then spring break. But I will be back to normal schedule soon and back to writing. For now, here are a few short quotes that I found inspiring.

 

“Embrace relational uncertainty. It’s called romance. Embrace spiritual uncertainty. It’s called mystery. Embrace occupational uncertainty. It’s called destiny. Embrace emotional uncertainty. It’s called joy. Embrace intellectual uncertainty. It’s called revelation.”
— Mark Batterson (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars)

“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”
— Mark Batterson (Primal, pg. 150)

“The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God.”
—Phil Vischer (qtd. by Mark Batterson, twitter)

Definitely recommend this book – so good!
Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson