Do I Have to?

 

We human beings don’t like being told what to do. From the age of 2 to the time of a one’s death, we want to make our own decisions, make our own way in the world. I remember when I was in my early 40s, my husband and I recycled cardboard and bottles. Then the city passed a law to force all of us to recycle. To my shame I thought, “Well, since they are forcing me to do it, now I don’t want to.”

All through our childhood, we were forced to do many things we didn’t want to do. I did not want to go to school. I was afraid of everyone there. I did not want to go to bed so early. I didn’t want to miss some shows on TV. I did not want to go to church. It was excruciatingly boring and there was no air conditioning. We lived in Southern California. We had fans with Jesus’ picture on them, but it didn’t help much.

When I was a teen, I couldn’t go to dances. The church said it was dangerous because you hold each other. I couldn’t date until I was 16. I wanted to date at 15. I STILL had to go to school after years of agony, so I took some sleeping pills. Not enough. I got my wish for one year. I had a government teacher in my home and got straight A’s. But the next year, they sent me back to school again. After acting in crazy ways, my parents sent me to live with relatives in Canada. No more school, thank you God.

Those relatives had rules though, and I wanted no rules. I wanted to be with my boyfriend, drink and have sex. So yeah, I got pregnant and the two families berated me until I married him. But to tell the truth, I ended up being glad because I loved my baby daughter and my husband too. We had a second daughter, but our marriage ended in divorce, which was horribly painful.

So to summarize, I would say from my experience with my daughters and other people in my family no one wants to be told what to do. In general, the controversy over masks, vaccines, guns, and sexual identity, no one in the world wants to be ordered around by anyone, even if it is good for you.

I’ve been wondering if that is why many people balk at the idea of God telling them what to do. Perhaps it is the main reason they don’t want to accept him, walk with him or pray to him. It’s our pride in ourselves and our independence we don’t want to lose.

I have found, through trial and error, that God’s way is always best for me. I was dating a man, the first since my divorce, he wanted to marry me and I wanted to marry him. I had been so achingly lonely before I met him. He seemed very nice and he liked my girls. One night, I asked God if it was okay if I married him. I heard God speak to me, which was a surprise, he said, “What agreement has God with Satan?” That verse is in the Bible. Did I listen to God? No, I didn’t. I kept dating him until something awful happened.

One night I was sleeping at his place, and when we were having sex, he started to hurt me. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t. The next day when we were with my girls, he looked at my oldest daughter and said, “She’s going to be a real looker.” I saw how he looked at her and knew that he was a pervert. I was horrified and broke off with him. I told God I was never going to look for a boyfriend or husband again. If he wanted me to be with someone, he would have to send him to me.

That’s how it worked out that two weeks later, I met my second husband, who was a believer in God and he still is. He had way more faith in God than I ever did and still does. We went through hard times, but I’m very glad I married him.

I said to someone once, “God isn’t asking a lot from us. The Ten Commandments are not that hard! The first four are about worshipping God as creator of the universe. The last six are: “Be respectful to your parents, don’t murder, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t sleep around on your partner, don’t be envious of what others have.

Are those things you want to do? Do you want to murder etc.? Of course, we are all tempted to do some or all of these things. That’s where the first four commandments come in. If we worship God and tell him we want to do good things, then he will put that in our hearts and his goodness covers us. The temptations won’t be so overwhelming. Still, some of us have sins that come into our minds a lot, some of us give in to sins a lot. But God says, “Though a righteous man falls down seven times, he will rise up. The wicked man falls down once.” God lifts us up time and again as we stumble through this life on this sinful, dark planet. He knows what we face for he has lived here himself. He was also tempted to do wrong – he just never did.

I have a temptation that comes to me a few times a month, but I say to God, “Lord, I don’t want to think about that.” And then I don’t. He has shown me to just think about something else the moment the temptation comes. Not that I am perfect, far from it, but as Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12-14

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For Your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:36-38

 

 

Habakkuk Asks God Questions.

 

I just finished listening to a sermon by Tim Keller on the book of Habakkuk chapter 1. He spoke this in 2009, after the 2008 crash of Wall Street. Many people lost their jobs at this time. It had become a hard time for almost everyone. As I was listening, I thought it could be a sermon preached for today.

The people of Israel had become wicked. They were even doing more evil than the countries that surrounded them. God had sent them many prophets, but they would not listen to them.

Habakkuk was a prophet of God at this time and his book opens with him asking God,

“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.”

I would say destruction, violence, strife and contention is the order of the day in our world and in our own country. Americans have become two sets of people who argue continually and some become violent and kill. There are record mass shootings, the rule of law is threatened and of course when you think about justice, it is sorely missing.

Habakkuk wanted to know why God wasn’t doing anything to stop it. Where was he? God answered him by telling him the Babylonians would be coming to take the country of Israel by war. Their goal was to rule the known world, which they did.

Habakkuk didn’t like to hear that and asked if they would all be destroyed. He said, “Are we like fish to be caught and killed?” He decided to wait and watch for God’s answer.

The answer is interesting, because God tells him to get pen and paper and write down what he says. He tells Habakkuk what he is saying is going to happen in the far future and the end of time. I know God’s answer is a lot to read, but it is also vitally important if a person wants to know what the Lord’s will is for people. He wants people to have love, justice and generosity, but what he describes of the world is the opposite of that.

God is saying that at times he must put an end to evil, in Habakkuk’s time and in ours. It’s because there is too much evil and too many people are being harmed. At the end of time, I think it will be a necessity because the world is dying from global warming. He will come to rescue those who believe in him.

I’m just going to copy and paste Chapter 2 of Habbakuk.

Then the LORD said to me,

“Write my answer plainly on tablets,

so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.

This vision is for a future time.

It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.

If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,

for it will surely take place.

It will not be delayed.

 “Look at the proud!

They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.

But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

Wealth is treacherous,

and the arrogant are never at rest.

They open their mouths as wide as the grave,

and like death, they are never satisfied.

In their greed they have gathered up many nations

and swallowed many peoples.

 “But soon their captives will taunt them.

They will mock them, saying,

‘What sorrow awaits you thieves!

Now you will get what you deserve!

You’ve become rich by extortion,

but how much longer can this go on?’

Suddenly, your debtors will take action.

They will turn on you and take all you have,

while you stand trembling and helpless.

Because you have plundered many nations,

now all the survivors will plunder you.

You committed murder throughout the countryside

and filled the towns with violence.

 “What sorrow awaits you who build big houses

with money gained dishonestly!

You believe your wealth will buy security,

putting your family’s nest beyond the reach of danger.

But by the murders you committed,

you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives.

The very stones in the walls cry out against you,

and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

 “What sorrow awaits you who build cities

with money gained through murder and corruption!

Has not the LORD of Heaven’s Armies promised

that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes?

They work so hard,

but all in vain!

For as the waters fill the sea,

the earth will be filled with an awareness

of the glory of the LORD.

 “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk!

You force your cup on them

so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.

But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced.

Come, drink and be exposed!

Drink from the cup of the LORD’s judgment,

and all your glory will be turned to shame.

You cut down the forests of Lebanon.

Now you will be cut down.

You destroyed the wild animals,

so now their terror will be yours.

You committed murder throughout the countryside

and filled the towns with violence.

     “What good is an idol carved by man,

or a cast image that deceives you?

How foolish to trust in your own creation—

a god that can’t even talk!

What sorrow awaits you who say to wooden idols,

‘Wake up and save us!’

To speechless stone images you say,

‘Rise up and teach us!’

Can an idol tell you what to do?

They may be overlaid with gold and silver,

but they are lifeless inside.

       But the LORD is in his holy Temple.

Let all the earth be silent before him.”

 

At the end of his book in Chapter 3, Habakkuk accepts all that God has said. He finishes with a paragraph filled with faith:

 

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,

and there are no grapes on the vines;

even though the olive crop fails,

and the fields lie empty and barren;

even though the flocks die in the fields,

and the cattle barns are empty,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD!

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

The Sovereign LORD is my strength!

He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

able to tread upon the heights.”

 

If the time of the end of the world happens while we are here, this is the attitude we must have if we want to be saved from this world of sin. We see the sin in the news every day. Everyone must choose who they want to follow, God or Man. Do we want the things of this world which will ultimately be destroyed? Do we want to do anything we can to have wealth, status and power? These are the people who ignore or use the poor for their own ends. These are the people who start wars in order to make money. These are the people who fight against the poor to have a living wage. They buy up land, apartment buildings and houses and then ask exorbitant prices so they increase the homeless population. Do you want to align with such people? This is what the Lord is asking all of us. He has left that choice to us, he cannot force anyone to turn to him and with his strength, become a good person.

 

If you would like to listen to Tim Keller’s sermon, you can find it here.

Why Does God Do Nothing? - Gospel in Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Childhood Heroes.

Photograph: https://www.flickr.com/people/67543249@N02

I give permission for anyone to use my posts.

I remember going to see the movie, “Peter Pan,” when I was a very little girl. The scene that sticks in my mind is when Peter rescues Tiger Lily from drowning. From that moment, he was my hero. I probably didn’t know what the word hero meant, but I was in love.

Later on, Superman was my hero and the last one was Cary Grant, the movie star. He rescued a lot of women too. “Notorious” was my favorite movie. He played the role of a spy during WWII. Ingrid Bergman was a fellow spy too and she married a man who was helping the Nazis. Her husband found out she was a spy and started to slowly poison her. The scene I remember the most was Cary Grant coming to their house and finding her in bed. He realized she was very sick and asked what had happened. She smiled when she saw him, touched his cheek and said, “They’re poisoning me.”

At this point in the movie they were in love, but he was angry at her for marrying the other man. All anger left, only love filled the room. He picked her up out of bed and began taking her down the staircase to the front door and his car. The husband heard them and came out. There was a big scene, but they got away.

I think I was strongly drawn to Peter Pan, Superman and Cary Grant because I felt in danger by my father who was abusing me sexually and sometimes physically. I wanted to be rescued. As I aged, I lived in a fairytale world of looking for my hero.

Of course, I never found him, I found human, fallible men who sometimes loved me well and sometimes hurt me badly. I had unrealistic expectations of what a marriage would be. I was asking too much from the men who loved me. I chose men who were overly confident, because I had no confidence in myself. I chose men with a temper, since that is what I grew up with and it was familiar.

I wish I had understood myself and men when I was a young woman. Alas, that isn’t how life usually is. Walking through life is how you learn about yourself and other people. Now I’m 73 and I write about my experiences in the hopes I can help other people. After all, it is through books and therapy that I learned what I was thinking was wrong. But I am happy to report that since my husband had a stroke and we are now together 24/7 all that learning has helped us have a close relationship and happy retirement.

I did finally find my hero though; it was Jesus all along. I wanted to belong to Jesus when I was a little girl, but I had heard you couldn’t sin when you became a Christian. I knew that wasn’t possible for me, so I gave up. But that was another lie in my head. God doesn’t care if I’m perfect. Jesus was perfect for me – the great plan of salvation.

I had all these thoughts about my unrealistic expectation of life as I lay on the sofa listening to Danny Gorkey singing, “This is What it Means.” Here are the lyrics.

I've built some dreams
I've held them close
Celebrated perfect days
I lost the one i loved the most
Now she's 6 feet of earth away

I've cried til I thought I couldn't stop
And I've laughed until it hurt
And I've prayed in an empty parking lot
And my friends were my church

Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive, alive
This is what it means to be alive

I've seen the face, I've held the hand
Of a child without a home
A casualty of circumstance
Written off and all alone
I've cried for the wars that they've been through
And i've walked by their side
I've watched what the power of love can do
And how it changes lives

Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive, alive
This is what it means to be alive
This is what it means, this is what it means, this is what it means to be alive, alive
This is what it means, yeah

Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive

"I'll Love You Tomorrow."

 

Last night, as I sat on my balcony, I heard a young man say to his girlfriend as she was leaving his place to go home, “I love you, girl. I’ll love you tomorrow.” As she drove away, I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever heard. I wondered, had his girlfriend been left by men before? Was she afraid of being left again? Or was his love so overpowering that he couldn’t help but say it?

I thought about God. I thought that one of the best things about God is that he will never leave us. If we have given our lives to God, it is we who must make the choice to leave him. Jesus said, “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”  Matthew 28:20

In the book of Hebrews, Paul repeats this promise in Hebrews 13:6. I thought it was interesting Paul would write about greed in the preceding words. He wrote, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:6

At first, I thought it was a strange thing to bring up right before God’s beautiful promise. But then I thought about what it was like to be greedy, love money and not be content with what you have. I realized these things would draw us away from God. If they are the most important desires in our lives, we would soon be thinking of these desires continually and forget God, or walk away from him. As Jesus has said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

My sister and I are always commenting to each other how glad we have a God who always listens to us and helps us. Problems that may seem small to other people are sometimes huge problems for us. We both have chronic illnesses and when we have to do some ordinary things, like take our car in to get fixed, go shopping, or go to the dentist, these tasks loom like mountains before us. So, we ask God to help us, to give us the physical strength we need to get through it, and he always does. We feel sorry for people who don’t have his power and love to lean on.

This doesn’t mean he says yes to every prayer. We have not been healed, people we love have died, but we understand that we live in a world that is very imperfect. And if we don’t have the strength to leave home, we don’t. But honestly, I don’t think that has happened when we have had an important appointment.

I’m going to write down a few more verses on God’s promise to be with us. May the Lord be with you all.

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  Isaiah 41:13

“I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Psalm 73:23-26

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Deuteronomy 31:6