History repeats itself

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. (Albert Einstein)

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)

History merely repeats itself. If we are honest here, the 'history' of our own lives is kind of repetitive - at least until we ask Jesus to help us stop repeating the same mistakes! Einstein was right - we never should stop questioning - in the questioning, we often discover something we have been believing or doing that really isn't all that good for us. When we question where we are with taking the steps God asks us to take, we are merely asking God if we are moving in the right direction. There is nothing wrong with a little 'internal housekeeping' on occasion!

If you haven't noticed by now, the steps we take toward total obedience to the revealed will of God are really not 'new steps'. They are just a little further along on the same path. Sometimes we get so caught up in God having to do 'something new' in our lives that we miss out on the fact he has already set us on the path toward that 'newness' or 'freshness'. We just have to turn toward it, take a step into it, and learn to live in it. All that is old is passed away - what is new is really our steps toward total, committed, and permanent obedience.

As Einstein pointed out - we need to learn from yesterday. Too many repeated mistakes happen because we don't learn to let go of the past and move into the present. We hold onto what God asks us to let go of, imagining it might be 'better' now than it was 'back then'. How's that been working out for you? For me, not so well! What is in the past is just that - past, unchangeable, done, over. Today is an opportunity for a fresh step of obedience. Will you take it? Or will you allow history to repeat itself once again? Just askin...

Too hot to handle

When I shop, I am kind of a 'wanderer' - I go with a certain thing in mind, but I wander a bit to see what I may find that is a 'bargain' that I didn't count on finding. The moment I find that 'bargain', I am glad I wandered a bit, but not all my wandering is that successful! Sometimes I find the wandering doesn't produce much more than a few extra steps. It is possible to find 'good' within our wandering, but it certainly isn't the best mode of operation when it comes to our Christian walk!

You have done many good things for me, Lord, just as you promised. I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word. (Psalm 119:65-67)

A walk of integrity requires a commitment to stay the course. In other words, there isn't a whole lot of 'wandering' to see what one may find. God has frequently had to show me where my 'wandering' wasn't really producing the best results. In fact, the wandering was kind of producing outcomes that weren't all that edifying. They weren't helping me but were rather hindering me in my walk with him. No wonder he had to send a little discipline my way in order to get me to commit to the course!

Good judgment may come with a bit of wandering, though. It is because of the misplaced steps that I knew not to step there again! One does not need to burn one's hand on a hot stove to know it is hot. One can feel the heat long before their hand ever comes into contact with it, but one must be receptive to observe the heat! The reason we wander is that we aren't being all that observant of the warnings we are given. The glowing red burner, emanating heat, and the red warning light on the stove are just a few of the warning signs we could ignore when we aren't paying attention to the condition of the stovetop. 

It is quite possible we have been given various warning signs of 'this is too hot for you to handle' in our life's circumstances, too. God makes every effort to warn us to dangers in our midst, but when we are so caught up in the 'wandering' that we refuse to focus on the signs, we can find ourselves in dangerous circumstances. Just sayin!

The storm proves otherwise

But the Lord brought a great storm on the sea. The wind made the sea very rough. The storm was very strong, and the boat was ready to break apart. The men wanted to make the boat lighter to stop it from sinking, so they began throwing the cargo into the sea. The sailors were very afraid. Each man began praying to his god. (Jonah 1:4-5)

We asked the important question yesterday: "Can we outrun God?" Though we attempt everything to outrun his call, we need to pause for a moment to consider God doing whatever it takes to get us back on course in our lives. Is it possible that some of the 'storms' we have in life are caused because we have been trying to outrun something God has asked us to do? We find one distraction after another, or just plain go the opposite direction, hoping to put some distance between us and whatever it is God asks of us. The moment we decide to 'run' is the moment God begins to prepare the storm!

We might find that the general condition of our life's events turns from smooth sailing to rough seas. The more we resist God's pull, the harder it gets for us to navigate our life. Why? God knows the best path for us is one of obedience and there is nothing he asks of us that is 'too hard' or 'too impossible' for us. The moment we resist his work within our hearts, minds, or souls, the storm begins to ramp up. It isn't to punish us, but to make us see the futility of our 'retreat' to our places of perceived safety. Jonah went to the interior of the boat and attempted to sleep through the storm. In case you have done something similar, you are not alone!

There is always a cost to our rebellion. These boat owners and sailors counted on the delivery of that cargo they were forced to throw overboard that day. They would have lost the income that would have come when the cargo was safely delivered to its destination. Instead, they attempt to control the effects of the storm by lightening the load the boat was carrying. We need to understand that the 'storm' in our lives rarely just affects us. It has some form of ripple-down effect into the lives of others. We may be resisting God's call to obedience, but when we do, we begin to affect the lives of those who are nothing more than innocent bystanders. 

Disobedience isn't ever the easy way out. God will pursue us in whatever way is necessary to see our lives put back on track. We might think we can escape, but the 'storm' proves otherwise. Just sayin!

A stake and a hammer

What do you do with the clear instructions God gives you? Do you immediately obey them, or do you hesitate a little, then come up with a slightly different plan? When God says, 'do this', are we quick to give him 'other conditions' that need to be met before we will take that step of obedience? If the task ahead is daunting, it stands to reason there may be a little hesitation. We get a little fearful of the steps forward, but in that hesitation, we find time to concoct a plan that 'adds to' God's original plan. Rarely is this the best thing to do, but we have a hard time taking God at his word.

After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. Deborah...was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time...the Israelites would go to her for judgment. One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” (Judges 4:1-8)

The Israelites had a way of going 'whole hog' with God at times, then drifting into complacency and compromise at others. The latter is the case when Deborah comes to be the judge in Israel. She finds God gives her clear instructions on how to be out from under the oppression of an evil king and his mighty armies. She was not a warrior - she was a prophetess. Her warfare was in the heavenly realm, while Barak's realm was to be in commanding Israel's army - complete with chariots and warriors who could fight. If you were a commander of an army, do you think you'd ask a 'woman prophetess' along in the battle? Women just did not go out to battle in those days. They didn't have a place on the battlefield. Was this his way of changing God's plans? If we read on in the account, Deborah agrees to go with him. She warns him that the defeat of Sisera would not be at Barak's hand, though. The defeat would be credited to a woman (something not really heard of in those days of battling foreign forces). As Sisera approaches the army of Israel, all his mighty men are thrown into some kind of panic and chaos erupts. They are solidly defeated, but Sisera escapes on foot. He finds shelter in the tent of a woman named Jael, asks to be hidden under some blankets, and tells her to lie about anyone being in her tent, as he knows the Army of Israel will pursue him to his death. 

She agreed and when he fell asleep in utter exhaustion, she took a hammer and tent peg and drove that peg through his head, ending the terror he could bring on Israel any longer. Deborah may have gone with Barak, but as Deborah had indicated, the enemy was actually defeated at the hand of a woman - Jael! God had a plan - use Barak to defeat the armies of Jabin. Barak altered the plan - taking Deborah out to war with his troops, perhaps thinking she would use some form of 'mojo' to help them in the battle. Yet, God did not use Deborah, but the wife of a man who was known to 'be on friendly terms with King Jabin'. Wow! Her loyalty was not with Jabin, but with God. God may use the unlikeliest and the 'least among us' to accomplish his mighty plans. When obedience is required, will we act? Remember this - God does not need us to accomplish his plans, but he may call us to engage with him as he works his plan. Change the plan even a little and we may miss out on the honor God intended for us. Obedience is never 'conditional' on our part - God's plans are his plans and we would do well to enter into them without laying out other conditions. Act upon what God asks and we might just see how much he can do with the little we bring to the table. Just sayin!

Obedience doesn't come with options

Because you have satisfied me, God, I promise to do everything you say. I beg you from the bottom of my heart: smile, be gracious to me just as you promised. When I took a long, careful look at your ways, I got my feet back on the trail you blazed. I was up at once, didn’t drag my feet, was quick to follow your orders. The wicked hemmed me in—there was no way out— but not for a minute did I forget your plan for me. I get up in the middle of the night to thank you; your decisions are so right, so true—I can’t wait till morning! I’m a friend and companion of all who fear you, of those committed to living by your rules. Your love, God, fills the earth! Train me to live by your counsel. (Psalm 119:60)

If you are like me, you have probably made a promise or two to God in some moment of great need, then as things got a little less 'intense' in your life, you found yourself wavering a bit on the obedience part of those promises. Just as with King David, I needed to take a long, careful look at my ways - realizing I was not staying on the path God and I had discussed. In short, we call that disobedience. Those long and careful looks at life are not accidental - they are orchestrated by a loving God who desires to see us continuing to take the right steps in the right direction with a right purpose and a right heart-set. What we do next is totally within our control. We can bury the promise, or we can get back up on our feet and be heading down the trail God has blazed for us.

My only hope is that every moment God takes to help me examine my steps is followed with a determined 'step-taking' in the right direction - no feet dragging, no stubborn digging in. This is the key to God's grace. We need to be back on the right path, but anytime we drag our feet, we are in danger of choosing to remain slightly or completely off course. As with David, we need to recognize God's direction is always right for our lives. We can spend a whole lot of time debating that with God but take it from me - it isn't going to change the fact God has determined the best path for us to follow. I may have a thousand other 'options' to that path, some of them quite 'close' to the same path, but none of them will be the path he has determined to be the BEST for me.

Where there are any 'rules', there are also multiple 'commitments' that must be made and kept. Speed limit signs require a commitment to travel at that speed no matter how late we are to our destination. Failure to do so could result in anything from a blown-out tire to the loss of a life. Those 'rules' are there for our safety - we are supposed to 'commit' to them. The truth is 'life's rules' are not just for us - we travel with a whole lot of others committed to the same path. If we fail to commit to follow the desired actions God puts forth for us, we can actually be placing others in danger. If you have ever been on the highway, traveling along at a speed that 'everyone else' is travelling, then looked down at the speedometer only to realize you are posting a speed well in excess of the limit, you have been placed in danger by two things - the influence of others and your inattention to your own actions.

If we are to live in community with each other, we need to realize we all influence each other to some extent AND our inattention to the steps of obedience we have committed to follow could place others in danger. We need each other to remain consistent - one spurring on the other. We need each other to realize when we are drifting off course - one realizing there is a distance beginning to occur that could suggest one of us is not quite on the right course. Commitment to God's purposes can be made in the spur of the moment, but when we start to travel that 'commitment highway', it can be hard to stay within the boundaries that will keep us safe without each other, God's constant care, and the Holy Spirit to remind us of each step of obedience we need to take. Obedience doesn't come with options - it comes with protections. Just sayin!

Large and In Charge!

God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives. Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance. 

(Proverbs 20:27; 21:2-3)

Has the thought ever occurred to you to consider carefully who might just be "in charge" of your life? Most of us would say we believe God is in charge of our lives - and we'd be correct in this assumption - yet most of us live as though WE were in charge of our lives! We don't consult God with our daily decisions - we make them and then look to him to "back us up". We get ourselves into "binds" and expect him to bail us out. At those moments when we are struggling to hold our head above water, we even get to thinking God may have just abandoned us. Our reality isn't that he abandoned us, but that we totally missed out on the fact of his watchful protection over our lives even when WE insisted on being "in charge". After wallowing for a while in our self-pity because we recognize our "plans" were not all that good, we find ourselves a little "exposed" by our folly, don't we? Exposure often results in us wanting to "cover up" - we don't want to honestly admit the mess we have made of things, but it is hard not to!

God has an amazing way of penetrating our hearts. The "power" of this penetrating light actually allows discovery where there is resistance. This is what "penetration" means - something exerts enough force or strength so as to overcome the resistance it faces. God has a way of doing exactly that - not settling for a glossing over of our inner character just because we are resistant to change. In fact, God not only "sees into" us - he sees "through us". This is a good thing since so many of us still like to hide behind our "masks" thinking no one will ever be able to uncover the reality of our shame, guilt, or pride. Motives are the things which actually cause us to act a certain way. When our motives are not self-serving, we see the actions as being sacrificial and directed toward the best for another. When we see our motives are inwardly directed, we might just see all the actions as a little self-seeking or selfish in nature - the actions serve to satisfy self. This is why God needs a spotlight - to expose the motives which influence or direct our actions. Motives are "internal" and there is the need to "unmask" them in order to really get at the heart of what makes us act as we do.

We cannot escape his examination - because without it, he cannot get at what motivates us to act as we do. Until he gets past our rebellious "crust", he cannot impact our inner character. When we finally admit we have been in charge - he is free to begin to take control. He moves from just "bailing us out" all the time to actually keeping us out of the position of being over our heads in mucky stuff in the first place! When we are young, we rely a lot upon our strength. When we begin to get a little older, we rely not so much upon our strength, but upon our wisdom. We have learned a few lessons along the way which help us to "work smarter" instead of "work harder". We may think our ways are right, but God is the best judge of this, not us. We see things with "blinders" on - only allowing a cursory view of what is immediately in front of us. God has a way of seeing things without the blinders - he knows the peripheral effect of every action and has the greatest opportunity to help us avoid the harmful hazards. The Christian walk is not about a lifetime of bringing God sacrifices - what it is we DO for him. It is about a lifetime of what God DOES for us, because even the purity of our heart and motives is all because he intervenes to DO the clean-up for us!

Our mode of operation is to make hasty decisions - not thought out well, kind of self-centered, and a little bit too close to the edge. God's mode of operation is to help us learn to wait on his movements - taking the time to plan well, moving beyond our secret rebellion of always wanting to be in control, and then moving further away from the edge and more to the center of where he wants to keep us - right next to his heart. Just sayin!

Bigger than life

What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him makes it. (Psalm 18:30)

I just returned from a road trip that didn't stretch across the loveliest of landscape, nor did it include the best of roadways. It seems every state has a different way of paving and differing priorities for how they will accomplish the task. Some places had potholes, rough surfaces, and barely visible striping dividing the lanes. Other places had that nice sound-proofing rubber overlay that made driving over those places quite nice. We all travel different types of roads, don't we? Some of us get way too many of those bumpy, under-maintained patches, relishing those moments when there is just a short break from dodging hazards and enjoying the ride. We desire the smooth patches, but we develop a certain sense of alertness when we might have to dodge this hazard or the next!

Whenever I travel to the high country, occasionally making my way out of the dry desert lands, I manage to encounter four-legged creatures that like to stand by the roadway and even dart across it from time to time. Those larger than life elk and sweet brown-eyed deer all look so innocent, but when they want to go from this patch of green grass to the next, there is no stopping them. People who drive around these animals all the time know their habits, but I do not. I always slow down, take notice of how they are acting, and observe for the slightest movement that indicates they are intending to dart. I love seeing them, but their presence makes me hyper-vigilant and attentive. Did you ever stop to consider the hazards in your path as those things that may just make you 'hyper-vigilant and attentive'?

Yes, God prepares straight and smooth patches for us, but even the patches that are a little rougher than we might like are 'road-tested' by God. He knows each of the hazards and helps us to become hyper-vigilant and attentive to their presence. We cannot ignore the reality that we sometimes travel paths God never intended for us to travel. Does that mean we aren't going to be alert to the hazards? Not necessarily, but we might not believe any exist just because we don't immediately see them. The thing about the elk and the deer by the roadways is that they 'blend in' with their surroundings so well. Their hides are made so they can hide! The hazards are there, they just don't reveal themselves all that easily to us.

I think that is why God asks us to take the paths he has prepared for us rather than launching off into territories he doesn't really want us to go into - the hazards may be pretty large and come at us unnoticed. If you have ever wanted an argument to support obedience, that may just be one of the best ones. We will always encounter hazards bigger than we'd like whenever we are traveling into areas of disobedience. They won't always be immediately apparent, but they are bigger than life nonetheless! Just sayin!