What's your real need?

The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. (Matthew 12:7)

Picture Jesus out with his followers, walking through the fields, probably on their way from one spot to another. It was the Sabbath - a day which carried very strict rules the religious of the day had to follow if they were to be even remotely close to being acknowledged by God. One such rule was that of not "working" on that holy day - so all manner of normal "housework" or "house care" was to have been pre-planned on the day prior to the Sabbath. This meant they prepared enough bread for two days instead of their normal one, laid aside a portion of the meat they had cooked on the day prior to the Sabbath for the partaking on the Sabbath, and ensured enough water was drawn from the well to make it through. It was like work shut down for the day - because the Sabbath was dedicated to the Lord. 

The only problem with this was that there was also a whole lot of other "rules" added as time went on and the purpose of the Sabbath somehow got "lost in translation". To the Jewish believer of the day, the Sabbath had so many rules attached from how many steps one might be able to walk in that day, to not even being able to pulverize a medicinal herb should the need arise. It was on this day, with this frame of reference, that the Jewish religious leaders point out the followers of Jesus as "non-adherents" to the rules of the Sabbath. They were passing through the fields, hunger setting in, and plucked a few grains of wheat in passing. Shucking the wheat a little in the palms of their hands, they partook of those tiny grains to give them nourishment and stamina for their journey. In so doing, they have "broken the rules" of the Sabbath and are now judged by the religious leaders as "non-adherents" to the Law. It was as though Jesus was being pointed out as one who was leading these people into some type of sin. It was just like Jesus to take their own "rule" and turn it around to show how utterly absurd it was to rely upon the "rule" more than the soul of the one being expected to keep the rule!

Hearing this condemnation, Jesus began to point out how much it mattered that they found nourishment. It was something they didn't have time to pre-plan for when they set out to follow the one who would lead them into all truth and liberty, they didn't know their journey would extend into the Sabbath. Truth was right there being revealed in the person of Christ setting at liberty all who would follow, but the religious leaders could only see the "rule-breaking" behavior, not the hungry hearts of those seeking truth. Isn't it just like us to focus more on the rule being broken rather than the heart behind the rule-breaking? Jesus counters their judging spirit with a pretty awesome answer when he tells them they really didn't know the "intent" of the rule - they were just keeping it without understanding why God gave the rule in the first place. That is sometimes how we go through life - keeping rules without any clue "why" we keep them or "why" the rule was given. We keep the rule because we feel some "obligation" to keep it. Maybe this is the way we view life within "religion" - as a set of rules for which there is no room for violation. We believe penalty awaits those who "violate" the rule.

While there is some truth to this, rules aren't given to penalize or punish the individual - they are given to provide the individual an element of safety or protection when they are kept. Rules place someone under obligation. If we view rules as always carrying a penalty, we will see them like the religious leaders of Jesus' day - judging the behavior of those who don't adhere fully to the rule as "wrong" or "deviants". We often "miss" the intent of the rule because we focus on the "action" over the "heart". Jesus countered with: "I want you to show kindness to people." Jesus was saying when we focus on the action only, we miss need within their heart. We see the behavior and don't even stop to consider the hunger driving their heart. These were "hungry" people - not just physically hungry, but emotionally and spiritually hungry. They longed to be in the presence of the one who revealed truth and who actually embodied truth. This even impacted their "planning ahead" so much that they had no meal prepared for the Sabbath. They were willing to "risk" the violation of the rule in order to be in the presence of the one who would give them what their hearts yearned to receive.

We are "doing wrong" by judging without knowing the heart of the one behind the "rule violation". Do we ever find ourselves seeing only the goodness of others by how well they keep the rules? The lesson for us today isn't whether the rule is right or wrong - it is that the heart is always to be considered anytime there is a violation of a rule. The rules are provided for a reason - but we might have a good reason for violating the rul. The heart always matters more than the rule - failing to see more than the rule will always set us up to discount the needs and the actions of the human heart. Jesus made it a priority to consider the heart - we would do well to follow his lead. Just sayin!

So that's what you are planning!

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. (Romans 12:12)

How many times are we less than delighted with the plans we see being laid out before us? We might be a little 'okay' with them, but in the long run, they aren't what we really 'wanted', so we end up going along with them, but not whole-heartedly. God isn't always going to lay out plans we are going to jump with joy about. Some of the stuff he asks us to walk through will give us an opportunity to develop trust in his direction, while other stuff will be easy-peasy. It is the stuff we walk through that will eventually develop our character and a deeper trust in his ways that we struggle with the most.

Why? It requires us to be patient and that isn't always the easiest reaction to things that give us a little 'trouble' along the way. In fact, we want to either bypass the trouble, or get some kind of instant 'faith boost' to make it through without much effort. Unfortunately, those 'instant faith boosts' don't always come - sometimes we just need to walk through that hard stuff before we really begin to 'feel' or 'appreciate' that our faith has actually been increased. Prayerfulness in the midst of the trouble is always God's recommended plan. It is how we develop the patience to walk it out. 

I have sometimes begun my prayers in those times with complaint - telling God just how 'uncomfortable' I am in the midst of the trouble, how much I want 'out' of it, and what I believe HE should do in order for me to be relieved of it. Ever been there? In rather short order, I usually find God changing those complaints into more of a discussion - showing me where I need a bit of change, how much he is caring for me as I go through the challenge, and what steps to take next. In essence, he is helping me embrace the trouble with less complaint and more trust. How about you? Have you started out with complaint and ended with thankfulness, not really understanding how you got from 'crankiness' to 'joyfulness'?

It is only by God's hand that we walk through those troubles. We can be glad in the midst of troubles, but it may take some honest 'unloading' of our feelings and frustrations before God in prayer to get us to that point. Never be afraid to express yourself to him - he knows what is in your heart, but sometimes he just needs to hear us express it to him. In so doing, we open the door for him to bring peace in the midst of anxiety, hope in the midst of what seems to be unlikely, and freedom when it seems like we are being 'boxed in' by some force beyond our understanding. Just sayin!

The 'considering process'

God’s works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out. His miracles are his memorial—this God of Grace, this God of Love. (Psalm 111:2-4)

Endless: Of or seeming to have no limit; boundless; infinite; incessant. Our challenge today is for us to consider the works of God. I would like us to put a great deal of effort into this "consideration", then to proclaim what it is we have been "considering" rather than keeping silent about it. There is to be a certain attitude in our consideration of the wonders of God. Get to know God on a personal basis and I believe you will not be "shy" about proclaiming what it is you have discovered in him - in his Word and in those times you spend alone with him. God's works are so great - worth a lifetime of study. God's works - everything from his creative to sustaining power - is worthy of our consideration. His works produce something, don't they? They are not idle works - just fooling around in the "workshop" of creation. They are purposeful and productive - they accomplish something. Every word he utters either sets something in motion, or holds something in check. Not even one word he utters lacks significance. Maybe this is why God wants us to value our time of quiet with him each day - to give us time to consider his works. We often get so busy - just glancing over his Word and not really considering his works, but it is in this considering process that we come to really "apprehend" the greatness of our God.

We are guaranteed a positive return on our "consideration" of God's works - endless enjoyment. I have spoken before about times of retreat, when we just have to take time away from the busy life we lead and center again on the important things in life. I think we need to take 'consideration times' to a whole different level - not just "seasons" of retreat and renewal, but a daily consideration of the works of God in which are sure to find encouragement, hope, and the basis of our trust. To find a way to "consider" God each day for just a few moments - developing the "skill" of studying his works so as to find the endless enjoyment he has for us in them - this is our mission. Splendor and beauty mark his craft. Splendor could also be written as "brilliant distinction". In looking upon God's "craftsmanship", we see such brilliant distinction - everything he creates has a beauty unique to that creative process. Even the "ugly" cacti of the desert have a beauty all their own. Have you ever stopped to explore the crags of the path, seeing deep into the crevices? The tiniest of insects crawl make this their home, protected from the elements, and far outside the reach of passing footsteps. God created the "crag" as a brilliant display of his protection for these little creatures. I wonder just how much we'd see of his splendor and beauty if we stopped to consider all the tiny "crags" he has created along the way in our lives?

His generosity never gives out. In a purely physical sense, my generosity is found lacking at some point. I "give out" until I feel I cannot give anymore. God's generosity finds no end point - there is a continual renewal of his grace, peace, love, and care. There is a liberality and readiness which mark his generosity. He is not a "stingy" giver - his grace cost him all he had! "God loves it when the giver delights in the giving." (2 Corinthians 9:7) When we consider the example of the Giver of all things, we will be challenged to "give" in the same manner - with delight! His miracles are his memorial. A miracle is something which surpasses human knowledge - we just cannot explain it. God's miracles are his memorial - they help "plant" memories of his goodness and greatness displayed in the lives of mankind. I don't know about you, but I want more "memorials" of his goodness and greatness in my life - things which humankind cannot explain. Things like the change of my character - transitioning me from a self-centered sinner into a creature of his love and grace. How about you? Want to be a display of his goodness and greatness? What "miracle" are you expecting of God today? Maybe in considering what God has done already in our lives, we might just find a few memorials we can put on display for all to see! Just sayin!