A Picture of Hungering and Thirsting

This post is written by my godly word loving wisdom filled wife... I am blessed

Perspectives from Josiah's life:

2 kings 22:2 "He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his ancestor david. He did not turn away from doing what was right."

So...here we have a godly young leader who wanted to get judah back on the right track. What was he to do? He had no bible training to lean on. His father (amon) and grandfather (manasseh) for sure had not given him any kind of model to follow. He grew up in what i would call a spiritually messed up and confused and biblically illiterate culture, but yet deep within his heart there was a longing to know God.
After finding and reading the Word of God, he longed for righteousness in his own life and in judah.

Remember, judah had gone through half a century of rebelling against the Lord and His Law. So, God's law wasn't going to go over to well with the people. God's Law condemned most all things manasseh, amon, and the people had been doing. Priests during manasseh's reign had probably ignored the scripture for fear of their lives. If the priest would have preached from God's word they would've had to say there is one living God. That would've led to trouble just as it leads to trouble today. So, the high priest had probably locked it away in the temple somewhere and just gave short encouraging talks to the people (what they wanted to hear 2 tim. 4:3...they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.") Now 50 years later this new generation of God's people didn't know God's Word and had no idea what righteousness was.
That's what's going on today- people don't want preachers that talk about righteousness. Lot's of people today look for pastors who tell a few stories, a few jokes, and then give a "5 steps to a healthy marriage" or "6 steps to a successful life" or 5 steps to a happy family" etc etc etc.. kind of sermon You don't need the Bible to do that. BUT, if a church does this, then in a generation they'll have young people like josiah growing up, who long to know God, but don't know where to find Him, because they're sure not finding Him at church. That's where Josiah was-until age 26- longing to know God but not knowing where to find Him.

Then...... the Bible was read to him and "...when the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair."
(2 kings 22:11)
He took the Bible seriously. When the commandments were read to him he said, "we are not doing this". (vs.13). How could God's people have gotten so far away from what God required? Without God's Word, people have no standards for telling right from wrong. So, they just operated on "what does this generation of people want?" and that changed with every generation. During the time of Manasseh, it was sometimes right to put your children in the fire.
Righteousness is shown to us in God's Word.
Josiah heard the Word of God, took it seriously, and then said, "this is how i'm going to live!" (vs.23:3). He did more than read the Bible. He put it into practice and began with his own life. He lived it out loud. He listened to the Scriptures and wondered what it would be like if he and God's people lived in complete obedience to God's Word. So, he got all the people together from the least to the greatest at the temple. Then the king read the whole book of Deuteronomy to the people and then he stood by the pillar of the temple and made a personal and public committment to obey the Lord. (23:2-3). Then he had the rest of the people make the same commitment. (2 Chron. 34:32).
Then Josiah went through the country trying to reform the whole land. He completely destroyed every altar, Asherah pole, and every kind of idolatry in the land. He destroyed all of Solomon's altars (that had been there for 300 years (no other kings would get rid of them). Then he went to the North (Israel) and destroyed all the altars. There had been other kings who had said "Let's worship God", buy none of them (in the North or South) had ever had the courage to destroy all the other pagan altars in the country.
God honored Josiah's leadership (22:18-20) and held back His judgement on the nation during Josiah's lifetime.

But there wasn't much change in the hearts of the people during Josiah's reign. Most of the change came from Josiah himself. He personally destroyed the altas and got rid of the pagan priests. He MADE everyone renew their committment to God. (2 Chron.34:33). But as soon as Josiah died, the people went back to their old ways.

Why?
"....Judah had never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry." (Jeremiah 3:10).

A good leader can change laws of the land, but he can't change the hearts of the people. It's not hard for us as Christians to act like we're EXPECTED to act with other christians, but as soon as we're with a different crowd or culture, we'll act like them.

Righteousness MUST come from the heart!

Ezekial 36:26-27
"I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you and MOVE you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

God would change the people's hearts so they would WANT what God commanded. They would hunger and thirst for righteousness!

When we come to Him, He puts a desire for righteousness in us. He gives us more than His law, He gives us Himself! That's His promise of the new covenant.
A hunger and thirst for righteousness is one of God's greatest blessings. It will fill and satisfy us, not leave us empty and frustrated (like when we go after worldly things).

God's purpose for us is not to always be keeping His laws on the outside, but to have a deep inner desire for righteousness. This is the Holy Spirit's work. He changes our hearts and gives us a hunger and thirst for righteousness and makes us ABLE to live a life pleasing to God.

God's Plan for Spiritual Formation

The nation of Israel was about to finally step into the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham and onto the actual land. Before they went in, Moses shares the most pivotal things they were to do as they began to live in the promised land. This whole chapter gives the Spiritual Formation they were to embrace in the land. I will not give much detail, but over the next days, I will write about each of these as they show us the Spiritual Formation Process we need to embrace.

1. Aim Your Life After God's Commands
6:1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
We are all going to aim at something and if it is not God's Word, then we are really wasting our time.

2. A Faith That is Solely God-Centered
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

3. The Home Would Be the Primary Setting for Discipleship
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

4. Embrace God as the Sole Provider for our Lives
10 “And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

5. Obedience is the Only Way to Take Ground and Take Back Lost Ground
16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

6. Know and Declare the Story of Our Faith
20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

As I said earlier, I will unfold these in detail in the days ahead. In closing for today, I just have this question for us all. Does your discipleship consist of those 6 primary principles? If in any way they do not, then it is time for an adjustment and a return to the original blueprint given to a nation about to be birthed.

The Citizens of Heaven

With all of the yuck that our lives go through, it is the thought of heaven that for me, brings some perspective to not only the mundane, but also the days that make this life downright depressing. My thoughts of heaven help me remember that this life is so short and that the life on the other side, in His presence, will never end. Heaven's reality calls us to live a grander and bigger life since we know that our ultimate destination is there, not here.

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ". Philippians 3:20

In writing to the Philippian church, Paul reminds them of something they truly understood from their citizenship in the Roman Empire. Philippi was a Roman colony made up of many soldiers, who after serving 21 years in the military, were given full citizenship. Wherever one of these colonies were found, one would see Roman dress, customs, religion, education, language (Latin), morals, and Roman justice. These places were just other versions of Rome someplace in the world. So when Paul calls them to remember that just as they were Roman colonists/citizens and could not forget it, because it permeated every aspect of their lives. He makes the same inference to them that Christ Followers are citizens of heaven and that they cannot forget that they belong to heaven. You see...

Our conduct will always match which citizenship we are embracing.

What are the implications for us in regard to heaven? There are many, but here are four:
1. We do not belong to this world. We are here for a short bit, just passing through to a land that is beyond our wildest imaginations.
2. We will never find that earth fully satisfies. Life here can be so awesome, but nothing compared what the kingdom of God gives us.
3. We will never find the world to be loving and loyal to us. This world will turn on any and everyone at a moment's notice. God said he would never leave us nor forsake us. This world is bent only in using us until it is done with us and then it just moves on.
4. We get the full privileges of Heaven. Citizens have the full rights to that citizenship. We should take full advantage of that.

Paul said this also in 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."

Heaven awaits and I so long for its coming.

When Faith Deepens...

In these recent days the subject of "Depth", "Deepening" or "Deep" has been at the center of many of the conversations I have had. Much of them have come from men that I know who have grown weary of lives that seem shallow and lifeless. This same desire and longing for more has been stirring in my heart. I have some thoughts that have risen to the top concerning the longing for more.

Q: What happens when faith deepens in a person or in a church? What results manifest? Here are a few thoughts:
1. There is an embracing and enjoyment of deep and challenging teaching.
When spiritual depth plants itself in a seeking heart, that heart wants the sharpness of God's shovel to move through the rock and clay that may be there. We welcome the pain or breaking of our heart because we know it means more of His presence being established in us. Run from a church that does not offer challenging teaching.
2. There is a brokenness over sin and a hatred of it.
Biblical holiness always results in a brokenness and hatred of those things that God himself despises. Again, this comes about from the teaching of the Word of God as it is.
3. There is a moving beyond self-focused faith to an others focused faith.
Knowing God in depth means that we are making less and less of ourselves and that naturally opens our eyes to those around us, both those in the faith family and those outside of it. Nothing is more crushing to a faith family than faith that centers on self and not the Spirit.
4. There is an outpouring of the Spirit's power.
There is no better place to be than where the Spirit is moving in the hearts of holy men and women.

Churches that do not focus on depth find themselves only finding and teaching truth that makes us feel good about things. There is no focus on shaking up our lives to holiness, but making sure our injured souls get enough comfort to make it through the day. We are called to so much more than that. We are called to live a life that is much much bigger than our selfish interests. We should abandon any church where depth of faith is not valued, where there is never any brokenness of sin or where it is taught that faith means you just focus on yourself.

May depth be the sincere cry our our heart.

My Hopes for the New Year

Now that 2011 has come, I have this prayer for my life. My prayer comes from this passage in Luke 24:13-15 - "That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them".

These are the prayers for my life as 2011 begins:
1. Movement - I want to be moving forward, going somewhere - into cities, villages, and homes.
2. Walking with Deep Spiritual Companions - I am tired of having petty conversations that have nothing to do with Jesus and His Kingdom with petty people who think only of their little kingdoms.
3. Conversations about the Spirit's Movement - (Luke 24:14ff) These two men centered their conversations about all the events of the preceding days concerning Jesus and His work.
4. Walking with Nearness of Jesus - As they talked Jesus drew near and He went with them. I don't want to do anything or go anywhere this year if it includes anything where He is not.
5. Full Understanding of the Heart of the Gospel - The two men still had some confusion and doubt about all of the events of the previous days and it kept them from fully seeing. I don't doubt the heart of the gospel, but it is not always as front and center as it needs to be. This too, keeps me from fully seeing what God is doing and wants to do.
6. A Heart that Burns within from Opening of the Scriptures - After they realized it was Jesus, this is what they said "...Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?"
7. A Life that Tells the Story to Others - (Luke 24:33-35) The world is lost and needs those with burning hearts to tell the story.

Those are the 7 prayers I have as 2011 opens. I pray that God grows a Big Life in me this year.

What Are We Waiting For?

The most pressing question in my life at the moment in regard to my walk with God is this one: What am I waiting for? This question has come from a careful analysis of Paul's conversion in Acts 9. The passage has always intrigued me, and in these last weeks, I have read the story with fresh eyes that resulted in fresh impact.

As Paul is headed to Damascus to continue his attack on the followers of Jesus, Jesus interjects himself in the life of Paul. God is always the great Initiator of life. There was a way that seemed right to Paul, but its end for him would be death as he had based his whole life in the pursuit of a man-centered righteousness. Then after meeting Jesus, he comes to the great realization that none of that was enough to get salvation. Acts 9:9 tells us that after his encounter with Christ, "And for 3 days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank". It was in these 3 days that Paul makes his decision and his life goes in a new direction. He did not wait more than 3 days until his decision was made.

Now look at what he began to do in Acts 9 after his decision was made to live for Jesus.
---Acts 9:8 - Immediately gets up and goes into the city as told by Jesus. He obeys from the begining.
---Acts 9:18 - Immediately he was baptized
---Acts 9:20 - Immediately begins to proclaim Jesus
---Acts 9:21 - His life change is immediately seen by all
---Acts 9:22 - Immediately he starts growing and moving forward in his faith
---Acts 9:23-25 - Immediately the Jews start to seek to kill him
---Acts 9:26 - He does not fit in the establishment at first.
---Acts 9:31 - His passion influences how the church walks with God

Paul did not wait long to decide if he was going to really live it. All of this happened without going to a discipleship or evangelism seminar. It was enough for him to decide to follow and then actually do it.

So, I ask us all again: What are we waiting for? Do we think something better is going to come along? Do we think something else is required? For Paul it was enough to simply walk with Jesus. The great pursuit of his life became one thing - to know the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. Nothing mattered more than this pursuit.

What are you waiting for?

Fan or Fanatic

Over the last several weeks I have been contemplating this thought: Am I a fan of God or am I a fanatic follower of God? As I look around I wonder if we have reduced our faith to one where just like a post on Facebook, we simply in our hearts click a like or dislike to the things of God. It is as if as His followers, it is our place to interject our view on subjects that He has been clear on for thousands of years. I wonder of myself and those around me: Who do we think we are? The Bible is not like facebook where "friends" give the thumbs up or thumbs down to what is written. The Word does not need our opinion about it, it needs to be obeyed. This is where the "Fan" idea has come to me.

Fans can be fickle and fairweather. They have enthusiasm and they can be very critical with their "boos". Some fans change their lifestyle and attire to be in line with their favorite team. Some fans are devastated with a loss and elated with a win. Still others want material icons to show their love of team and have them placed in special places at home or on the car. And, others join a "fan club" and pay a monthly due to get the inside information for the upcoming weeks game or season. Fans sit in a stadium or in a living room or bar and watch from the outside those who are actually playing the game.

For far too long what I wrote in the above paragraph has become true of those who claim Christ's name as theirs. We have become just like a fan. We like God, so long as it is all going in the way we want it to. Though we may be in the "fan club" and pay some monthly dues with money, time, or enthusiasm, I wonder if we stop and wonder how crazy it is to think that God is looking for fans. He is not!! He is seeking those who will worship in "Spirit and Truth".

Followers follow. No matter how it is going, where it leads, or what may come - they follow and trust.

The original word in Latin where we get the word "fanatic" is "fanaticus". "Fanaticus" meant 'insanely but divinely inspired'. Over time in the English language, it was shortened to what we now use, "fans". The original meaning has been lost, but it carries a beautiful description of who you and I need to be as His followers.

I want to be 'insanely but divinely inspired' as I live for my King. Do you? It is time we all move from being a fan to being fanatic. Fanatics are followers who are moved by the Spirit to walk with God no matter what comes.

So, what will it be for us?