Acts 2:37-41

Acts 2:37-41
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's remarkably clear, isn't it?  Repent and be baptized.  Peter issues the call, and thousands of years later, the church's cry is the same -- repent and be baptized.  The message hasn't changed much, but the world around us has.  Any more, the message of the world is that everyone is ok and all this talk of sin is such a downer.  I'm okay, you're okay, and we'll just whistle as we wander past the graveyard -- who wants to dwell on the negative?
  I drove by a graveyard the other day, and it sent chills up my spine.  I am a temporary resident of this planet, and I can choose how I want to spend my time.  When I look forward, should my energy be devoted to building up my own kingdom, or should I rather invest in something permanent, something eternal, knowing that doing so requires me to admit that I am sinful and in need of repair?
  In the grand scheme of things, one day I will break down, beyond the point where modern medicine can fix me.  In that moment, do I want to be sorrowful that my efforts to build monuments for myself will never be completed, or do I want to be grateful that I took part in the greatest epic of all, that I contributed to the construction of an eternal kingdom that will have no end, even though doing so required that I empty myself of pride and took on humility in order to do so?
  I know what my choice is.  Here, Peter is inviting the crowd to make their own.  What is your choice?

Acts 2:29-36

Acts 2:29-36
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Have you ever been in a position where you really didn't want to hear the truth?  Maybe you knew you had done something wrong, or maybe you were coasting along in a good place, and you just didn't want to hear that everything wasn't as good as it looked like.  I've had some moments where my car was broken and I knew it but I  kept driving anyway -- just turn the radio up and pretend that everything is ok!  The repair would be costly, and I wanted to pretend I didn't need it.
  Here, the leaders of the Jews had convinced the people that Jesus was a fraud, and they didn't want to hear Peter's message that he was the Messiah, but they needed to.  The only way to find a solution was to accept the reality of their brokenness -- it's a necessary step for them to understand that the only way forward was to recognize how wrong they were and that Christ was truly who he claimed to be.
  We, too, are in the same position.  We are sinners, lost without hope, and then Christ reaches down and redeems us from sin.  He saves us by his sacrifice on the cross, and because of his selfless love, we have hope.  The only way we can have this hope, though, is to recognize that there is something fundamentally wrong -- we are sinners in need of a Savior, and we cannot save ourselves.  Only Christ can do this, and once we accept this truth we can receive his grace and be reconciled to God.

Acts 2:22-28

Acts 2:22-28
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Do you realize who it is that loves you?  Jesus Christ was part of the definite plan of God, and death itself could not hold him, and yet he was willing to give up his life so that you might be redeemed from your sin!!  He was so powerful that death was overwhelmed by him, and this is the man who loves you mercifully, who forgives your sins and leads you into everlasting life as the shepherd leads his sheep into green pastures where abundance grows.
  David had moments where he understood this -- you can sense it in the Psalms, when he recognizes that the God who is so intimate is the same God who carves the mountains from the rocks.  The God who sits on high is the very God who rushes to our defense.
  We should be in constant awe of this God, of this relationship.  Our path of life is made possible because the stones have been laid by an infinite God whose greatest desire is to know us fully and be fully known by us.  This is the life that is truly life -- to be in relationship with Almighty God.

acts 2:14-21

Acts 2:14-21
English Standard Version (ESV)

  The longer I live, the more I recognize how little control I have in the world.  I try and control what I can, and I often try and control what I can't, but it's a big, big world, and there are so many forces beyond my control.  Just driving down the freeway is a good reminder of how small I am -- so many cars are careening this way and that while the driver answers some vital email that it's all I can do to safely arrive at my destination.
  And so when I look beyond the stars and wonder at the God who crafted it all, I can't help but be grateful that Peter spells out very clearly what the path forward through it all is:  to call upon the name of the Lord is to be saved.  To bow the knee and confess him as Lord is to transfer responsibility from myself to Jesus Christ, the Holy and Risen Son of God.  At that point, it's not about how small I am, but it's about how big God is.  I am no longer lost as an insignificant speck in the mass of humanity, but I acknowledge that God has formed my inward parts and loves me as a unique child of God.  I am beloved and I am saved, because I am His.

Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0)

  I finished Off to be the Wizard, the first in Scott Meyer's Magic 2.0 series.  It's a fun read about a man who discovers computer code that allows him to change his life, quickly leading him into trouble with the modern law before sending him back to 12th century England to be a wizard, only to discover that he's not the first programmer to chart this unique course.  I enjoyed the book, and there's enough action to keep the pages turning.  It's not a terribly challenging read, but it's nice to have something light-hearted, considering that 9 out of every 10 articles on the internet today have to do with Donald Trump.
  Off to Be the Wizard is a wonderful cautionary tale about what can happen when you suddenly have unexpected power.  If you were granted the ability to make every wish come true, to give yourself infinite wealth, would that solve every problem?  The short answer, demonstrated sadly by large numbers of lottery winners, is that the answer is no.  So often, people who come into large amounts of wealth discover that riches can bring great tribulation into life.  Having your dreams come true doesn't always mean what we think it might mean.  I walked by the powerball notice today, which is now at $410MM, and it's easy to think that would solve all my problems.  It might solve some of them, but I imagine it would create different ones.
  As a Christian, I am taught that true satisfaction comes only from Christ.  The world offers satisfaction, but often the things it promises don't match up with reality.  It offers products or relationships that should satisfy needs or wants, but these often tend to be temporary satisfactions, and I end up craving more.  My appetite grows and grows, and this can lead to dangerous cycles.  What started out promising to satisfy ends up dominating my life and leaving me empty and alone.
  In Christ, our true needs to love and companionship are met.  This is why the Bible talks so much about being rich toward God -- monetary wealth can be wonderful in some ways, but it can also leave us being fearful and anxious.  There is no room for fear when we are rich in God -- for that cannot be taken away from us.  When we are rich in God, we are fed by Him, and that fills the soul in the way a good meal cannot.  When we are embraced by Him, we experience an unconditional love the world cannot duplicate.  When we are truly satisfied by Him, we come to learn that nothing the world can offer can duplicate that sensation.

Acts 2:5-13

Acts 2:5-13
English Standard Version (ESV)

    To think those Jews had no idea what was in store for them when they gathered.  Some probably had high expectations for the festival, but none expected anything like Pentecost.  This was a new thing, and God had gathered a crowd to take an active role, even though they surely didn't expect sure miracles.
  This is the role of the church.  We are to show up, ready to worship but also ready for God to do a new thing, for God to reveal a new course for us to chart.  We have a role of active listening -- we can't be so certain of what will happen that we block out any room for God to do the unexpected.  This is why we have Sabbath - so we can devote ourselves to attending to what God has to say to us.  We aren't merely following a rut -- God is at work, and it's up to you and I to show up, every day, with hearts ready to be inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit among and within us.

Acts 2:1-4

Acts 2:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've read this passage so many times, and I still can't even begin to imagine what it was like.  I like to think the disciples were expecting something, but how can you begin to wrap your imagination around this?  It's a scene from a movie, with special effects and all, and it's due to the fact that the God who shaped the stars in the sky has decided to send his Holy Spirit to dwell within you.  How does one picture this without it happening?
  In today's day and age, I think it's vital to note just what the Spirit gave them power to do.  In modern religion, if we were writing this, we'd probably say the Holy Spirit made them feel good about themselves and their relationship with Jesus, and we might be tempted to let it stop there.  We've so personalized the Gospel that we've left out the horizontal nature of religion -- we forget how intertwined we are, how we have a responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.  The Holy Spirit gave them the ability and boldness to speak to others, to tell them the Good News of the Gospel.  Pentecost is a story of the Gospel going forth and being shared.  The Holy Spirit came to send!  And just as the Spirit came then, the same Spirit whispers to us now, calling us beyond our comfort levels and sending us into the world, to speak and relate to the strangers in our midst, so that all might know of the Good News of the Kingdom!!!

An Honorable Man - Paul Vidich

  I recently finished Paul Vidich's An Honorable Man, a story about spies in the Cold War.  It was a quick read, and seemed to be written after the style of John LeCarre -- not a whole lot happens in the book, but it's about silent soldiers fighting a distant war that extracts great cost from actors who move around the stage unseen.

  Throughout the novel, there are opportunities for the characters to stop fighting, to slip away into an alternative future where their lives are not defined by an unceasing war that seems to be constantly testing loyalties.  There are pushes and pulls, and there is a sense of sorrow for what the actors have sacrificed.  Too many have died fighting for information, and so many others have paid a great cost.

  There are aspects of the book that strike me as parallels to faithful discipleship.  So often, discipleship waxes and wanes over small decisions, made day after day, that transform the loyalties of the heart one way or another.  It's not necessarily big actions that we can point to, but little things that, over time, build a life that points to Christ or to something else. 

  If we choose to follow Christ, there is a cost to be paid, and we have to sacrifice -- our time, our money, our energy.  Sometimes, we have to be willing to change relationships in our lives.  It isn't always easy for people around us -- but there is a far greater reward, even if it is not always recognized on this side of death.  Loyalty and honor are rewarded, but those rewards may not be easily counted by the community.  Building up a treasure in heaven looks very different than building up a treasure on earth, and many would consider it folly to choose the former over the latter.

  An Honorable Man is an interesting read, haunting in some ways because it makes you think about the small battles that are fought every day, and it makes me question how hard I'm willing to fight for something that I can't always grasp, that I struggle to define, that might not reward me in material ways when so many other things promise satisfaction, even though true satisfaction is found in Christ alone.

Acts 1:15-26

Acts 1:15-26
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  So many organizations lose their way after the founder departs.  They become so wrapped up in the identity of the founder that they simply don't know the next step.  Steve Jobs and Apple is the obvious example -- the company could not make a path forward without him.
  When Jesus ascended into heaven, one could imagine the challenges the first century community would face.
  But Jesus didn't leave -- he sent his Holy Spirit to be with the church, to encourage and empower them.  He continued to lead them as when he had been present on earth.  He continued to raise up leaders to teach and proclaim the Good News.  He does so today, calling people everywhere to lead his church, continuing to send his Spirit to empower, that the church may be a light in a dark world, shining hope and love into the darkest corners of modern life.
  So even though one of the original members of the New Testament church turned his back on his colleagues and betrayed the leader to the point of death, the church moves forward, because nothing can stop it, and it is the bride of Christ, destined to shine forever with the light of God's love.

Acts 1:12-14

Acts 1:12-14
English Standard Version (ESV)

 As a parent, it's an amazing feeling when you tell your children to do something, and they go do it.  Most of the time, when I'm telling my children to do something, it's usually for their own good, even if they wouldn't agree with that.  They fight and resist, preferring their own will, even when my long-term goal is for their flourishing.  They have such short-term vision that they can't recognize the benefits that some things will offer them.
  As a Christian, I understand exactly what my children are going through.  So often, I choose short-term ways of living that are contrary to my long-term benefit.  I avoid spiritual disciplines or pursue short-term pleasures that may compromise my ability to perceive's God's work in my life over the long run.  I opt for what I want, because that's clearer to me, over what God wants, although that is better for me.
  Now that Jesus has left the disciples, it would be easy for them to go their own ways, thinking that their work is concluded.  They might be tempted to give up, wondering what change their can really be.  If they had stopped gathering, who knows what might have happened.  Would Pentecost still have occurred?  I don't know.  God would have found a way, but fortunately this faithful group continued to gather, continued to pursue God's will, and as a result the New Testament church grew out of a body of believers willing to be faithful above all else, just as God had charged them.

Acts 1:6-11

Acts 1:6-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

    And here is the mystery of faith, all wrapped up in one beautiful scene.  First, Jesus gathers us together around himself, but the disciples aren't certain exactly what the plan is.  So Jesus starts by telling them that they aren't going to know and understand all of it -- that's not their place.  While full knowledge is not for them, they do, however, have a mission -- to share the Good News.  And then Jesus departs, leaving us in a place of mystery, uncertainty and wonder, while the angels remind us that there is much for us to, but it all depends on and centers around him.
  This is the disciples' experience of the Ascension, and this is our life today.  We don't have full knowledge, but we know enough to go forth and fulfill our mission, spreading the Good News.  We aren't to simply stand and stare into heave, but we are to go forth and tell people to gather around Jesus -- we don't understand it all, but we know enough of the story to invite others to experience God's love.
  And it all centers around Christ.  Now and forever, it's all about Him.

Acts 1:1-5

Acts 1:1-5
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  In one of my favorite scenes from a book, the children in the Chronicles of Narnia series are discovering, in the end of the very last book, that the Kingdom of God gets better and better.  It gets higher and richer and more alive the deeper they go, and they never outgrow it -- there is always more to pull them deeper.
  This is the truth of the Gospel -- it always gets better.  We have never plumbed the depth, for there is always more to the love of God.  When we begin to grasp the story, it gets more amazing the more we comprehend it, for as our minds and faith mature, the story gains more nuance and reveals richer storehouses of love.
  Think of the disciples, all of them unworthy of reaching the highest levels of established religion at the time -- they are invited to be disciples of the greatest teacher ever.  They witness his miracles, they listen to his teaching, they have discussions about the riches and mercy of God.  They are his friends, and when they think it has all ended, he rises from the dead and displays triumph over death and sin.  Then, when they think there are no more wonders, he ascends to heaven, and he promises greater things still -- the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
  If we take our faith seriously, as we read through the pages of Scripture for the first, second, fifth, tenth time, each time more treasure awaits.  Each time there is more for us to behold, to take in.  Each time, the Holy Spirit calls us deeper, and the love of God is more amazing still.

Isaiah 66:15-24

Isaiah 66:15-24
English Standard Version (ESV)

  It's Valentine's Day!  How about celebrating by wrapping up the book of Isaiah, reading about endless suffering?  Really sets a mood, doesn't it?
  The book of Isaiah is filled with clashing images -- at times we are caught up in a rapturous hope as our eyes drink in visions of the glory of heaven.  At other times, we shrink back at the images of judgment and wrath that fill the pages, as Isaiah describes (often in great detail) about the end awaiting the enemies of God.  Other chapters are filled with warnings to the Israelites about the consequences of their choices.
  The book comes to a close here with a call to action.  You who have been loved by God, who are infinitely treasured, are charged to play a role, as one sent to declare God's glory among the nations.  The end has not yet come, which means that there are still people to be gathered on God's holy mountain.  Will we who know the fullness of God's love go out of our way to tell of such love to others?  Will our lives be pointed towards God's eternal kingdom, or will we dabble with our own while eternity passes us by?
  On Valentine's Day, you are enclosed in a love you can only begin to imagine.  That love has made you, it has called you by name, and it will shepherd you throughout the days of your life.  In return, how will you love those who are around you?

Gone Girl

  Yesterday, I finished up Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.  I had picked it up at the library the weekend before -- I've downloaded it to my Kindle three or four times, always intending to read it, but I'd turn the Kindle on one day and then it would just disappear, since my rental had expired and the library took it back without notice!  I solved that problem by turning off the WiFi, but it's been so long since I turned my Kindle on that when I do turn the WiFi on, all the library books on there I've been meaning to read will instantly disappear.  First world problems...
  Gone Girl was gripping and intense.  It's the story of a couple who end up down on their luck in small-town Missouri, and things fall apart, and quickly.  Pretty soon, the wife has disappeared and it looks for all the world like the husband has done it.  Things only get eerier from there.  By the end, it's downright creepy, but fascinating all the same.  I couldn't stop reading, but I'm not sure that I want to see the movie or not.  It's a completely original story, and well-written, but it's not for the faint of heart.

  There are two major themes that dominate the plot.
  The first is the fascination with what happens when we try and mold ourselves into an image that will find the approval of others.  The main characters in Gone Girl discuss how desperate they are to win approval, and they do some disturbing things, tell some startling lies, in order to portray a certain persona to shape how other people perceive them.  We are wired with a deep need to win the approval of others, and so often we will contort ourselves in order to gain attention, to be liked, to be included.  It's easy to let principals slide, to change how we talk and act, in order to gain acceptance into a social circle.  I did this for years at school, constantly drawn to find acceptance through whatever it took.  It's dangerous to start running this cycle, because pretty soon we're so far down a different path that we have long ago forgotten who we are and are finding our identity in the eyes of others.  We end up at a point where we will say and do anything if it means others might admire us.  All hope of integrity has faded at this point.
  The amazing thing about being a Christian is that we don't have to re-shape ourselves when we come before God.  Jesus points this out to us when he discusses the difference in the Pharisee whose prayers are reports about how good he is and the man who cowers in the corner and confesses his unworthiness to God.  The second man recognizes the true nature of the relationship, but he has an absolute trust in God that his standing isn't dependent upon earning God's love, but he is welcomed and loved because of what God has done.  Unconditional love means we can come before God as we are, and we trust that in Christ we are washed clean, renewed by his love.  It's an amazing and unconditional love, and we should give thanks that we don't have to change who we are to receive such love.

  The second theme is how hard marriage is.  I was unpacking some boxes today and I found the book I wrote to Rachel when we were engaged.  Love was so much easier then -- it was idealized and everything was perfect, because our worlds hadn't fully collided then.  In Gone Girl, the couple at the center of the story have an ideal life in NYC until it all comes crashing down.  Both lose their jobs, then they lose their security blanket, then his mother's health falls apart and they find themselves in small-town Missouri.  At this point, when the ideal life has fallen away, their marriage is tested, and they spend their time and energy blaming the other person, wondering when the other person was going to fix themselves so the marriage would be okay.  They don't take responsibility for the relationship, they only wait for the other to act.  Their marriage is a passive one when problems arise.
  In any marriage, it only works when each spouse chooses to put the needs of the relationship above their own needs.  It's hard work to do so, but a necessary selflessness, because this is the way the relationship grows -- when spouses choose to water the marriage before serving themselves.  It often means giving up what one might want, but in the long-term, a deeper, stronger bond is built.  But this necessitates long-term thinking over short-term pleasure, and this is something I always struggle with.  I end up thinking about what I want now, forgetting about tomorrow.
  Faith is the same way.  In order to grow in faith, we have to be willing to take up spiritual disciplines, putting the relationship with God above our own needs, wants and desires, trusting that building the relationship will lead to a greater pleasure than we could have found on our own.  When we choose to sacrifice what we want for what is best for our discipleship, we make a choice that will eventually benefit us, but we have to have the imagination to trust God to build us up.  Choosing prayer over sleep, Scripture over television, service over party -- this is hard work, and it's not short-term fun, but it shapes us into the kind of people who recognize the emptiness of many pleasures and the true satisfaction that comes only from God.

  So Gone Girl is fascinating, and it portrays the ugliness of real life in some very brutal ways.  It can teach us, as all books do, about how to grow and how to live in such a way that puts first things first, recognizing the danger of living for the approval for others and how challenging marriage can be.

Isaiah 66:7-14

Isaiah 66:7-14
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Now, I'm not terribly familiar with farming, but it must require great patience.  There are seeds sown in spring, cast into the furrowed ground with trust that some transformation will occur that will bring them up from their tombs.  When shoots of green first appear, they bring with them hope of a harvest, but that is a long way off and there is much to weather between the first signs of life and the bountiful harvest.  There are thunderstorms and pests to brave, droughts and windstorms, each of which threatens a different peril to the crops.  And then there is waiting -- weeks and months of waiting for the the promised crop to deliver, checking to see if everything is ready.  There is much waiting, and only an expert can tell when things are truly ready.
  Here, God is reminding us that there is a process to the promised deliverance.  It doesn't occur in a day, and only God truly understands the process.  There is much that threatens the life of the church, from external oppression to internal dissension, and each point of conflict threatens something else.  Through it all, we trust in the God who brings life where there once was death, who sows hope and nourishes until it is time for the harvest.

Isaiah 66:5-6

Isaiah 66:5-6
English Standard Version (ESV)

  For as long as people are willing to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be others who doubt his Lordship, who mock those who follow his way of selfless love, who call for the Christians to prove their faith, waiting for God to do something dramatic to prove that there is a God.
  For Christians, this can be hard, as we patiently endure the slings and arrows, hoping that God will do something, will act in some way, to prove our faith.  We trust that the sound of the Lord will be deafening in its coming, but we don't know when the coming will be.
  And so we wait, and while we wait we faithfully serve God, and we love our enemies.  It's easy to ignore our enemies, to hope they go away and leave us alone.  It's a much harder thing to love them, to wish them well and to be willing to sacrifice for them.  I struggle with the thought, much less the reality of it.  It's hard to love a lot of people, and nearly impossible to love our enemies, but in doing so we put on Christ and demonstrate selflessness, showing others how amazing the love of God is.

Isaiah 66:1-4

Isaiah 66:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This may be hard to believe, but sometimes my children act up.  We get them to apologize, and often what happens is that they spend so much time crafting their apology to meet our expectations that any actual contrition has been lost in the making of the apology.  They've said the right words and put the appropriate look on their face, but a heartfelt apology it is not.
  Have you ever watched a movie where it was clear that the director was so amazed by his own abilities that the story got lost somewhere in the making of it?  It's the same concept.
  And so God is warning us here about crafting a life that spends so much time trying to get the outward appearance of worship right and yet somehow misses the heartfelt worship of God that is born of awe and wonder at God's power and might and grace and love.  This is the purpose of the first few verses -- to remind us of God's absolute majesty.  We should be in complete awe, filled with wonder, at the thought of God in his glory, that there is no other way to approach him but in humility.  We dare not approach him on our own merits -- what could we say or do that would make us worthy of such an appearance?  The thought is laughable, really.
  But sometimes we fool ourselves, we craft our thoughts in such a way that forgets how separate the majesty of God is from our humble sinfulness.  We lose perspective, and we think ourselves cleverer than we are.  These are dangerous times, and so we are wise to remember that we have been saved by God, and we know God only because he has chosen, in love and mercy, to allow himself to be known by his creations.  This should make us even more amazed at the complete and perfect love of God!

Isaiah 65:21-25

Isaiah 65:21-25
English Standard Version (ESV)

  This is written for a people experiencing exile, a people who do not have a home, a people who temporarily move from place to place, always longing for home, knowing their true home is far away.  They do not know peace, and yet their hearts long for it.
  This is written for us, a people who are far from home, who live in a place that is not quite right, who do not experience peace, who are in the midst of chaos and noise, longing for peace and the satisfaction that only Christ can give.
  This is written for you, to remind you that God has greater things in store, that you may know that there is a future where you can sink down roots and grow like a tree, watered and sustained by God, where you will know peace and be set free by truth.  This is the future, where the things that clash will lie down together in peace.  This is the future, where violence will be ended and wholeness will reign.
  So our job, then, is to prepare for this future, and to do everything we can to live our lives today as though we are practicing for this future.  We are to place our complete trust in God, to live in peace with loved ones and enemies, to be confidant in the grace that sustains us and to rest in his amazing love.

Isaiah 65:17-20

Isaiah 65:17-20
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Have you ever cooked a meal and felt like there was something missing but you couldn't quite place your finger on it?  You could tell that it wasn't right, and it felt like one ingredient could set it straight, but for the life of you it was impossible to put your finger on exactly what was missing.
  Humanity is so often at that same point.  We know that things aren't right -- there is a prevailing sense that things aren't as they should be.  Politicians try to capitalize on this by pointing to various solutions, building on the angst, but the solutions they point to aren't what will truly fix the problems that have plagued humanity for millenia.  We have a problem with sin, and things just aren't how they should be.  Relationships are broken.  We desire the wrong things.  Our relationship with the  natural world is not as it should be.  We are selfish.
  So what is the solution?  It can only come from outside of us -- God creates anew, a new heaven and a new earth, and all that is old is wiped away, gone, forgotten.  What is new is beautiful and whole and at rest.  It's the sense of Shalom the Bible discusses -- a wholeness, a completeness.  This is what God promises, and we won't search or be hungry -- in Him we shall be satisfied!

Isaiah 65:13-16

Isaiah 65:13-16
English Standard Version (ESV)

  That Super Bowl last night was incredible.  As the second half unfolded, I could scarcely believer what I was watching.  I was hoping the Falcons would win, and everything pointed in that direction for most of the game, until it didn't.  Everything suddenly fell apart, and those who had aligned themselves with the Falcons lamented while those who opted for the Patriots rejoiced.
  Much of Isaiah's writings, including this passage, are warning and encouragements to choose wisely where we will place our loyalty.  So much of life unfolds mindlessly, and if we simply let ourselves be carried by the current, we will drift far from what we imagine life should be like.  So God is speaking through Isaiah to call the people to pursue faithfulness actively.  Make a choice, the prophet proclaims, and follow God with our hearts.  Those who submit to his Lordship will find the treasures of heaven, while those who choose their own kingdoms, stubbornly refusing to submit to Christ as Lord, will discover the emptiness of those efforts.
  Our money, our fame, our reputation, our health -- these will all pass away, and basing our sense of purpose on such worldly items will eventually erode beneath us.  They are gifts from God that can be enjoyed, but to worship them as more than they are is to risk discovering our true identities too late.  We are sons and daughters of God, and living out of that identity will lead to satisfaction, joy and peace as we treasure the gifts that cannot be taken from us.

Isaiah 65:8-12

Isaiah 65:8-12
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  Reading Isaiah, this isn't the first time we come up to a promise of blessing and curse running into one another.  There is both, right here, with a contrasting future.  Those who seek the Lord will discover a future of rest, of satisfaction, of peace, while those who seek other gods (setting a table for Fortune and wine for Destiny refers to pagan rituals here) will find a destitute future.
  We tend to skim past these brooding sections, preferring the ones that promise light and hope.  But let us linger for a moment here, because it's important.  We who have chosen Christ often think these passages carry little weight for us, but they should be meaningful to us, because they should remind us that the light of Christ is something to be shared.  I'm not going to stand up and say that I know exactly who is fated for what future, but I do believe that salvation comes from Christ alone -- mostly because Jesus said so, and I tend to believe those who can predict their own death and resurrection.  Everything he promised has come true, and so I expect whatever other promises he has to come true as well.
  Because of this, I should feel an urge to share the Good News of Christ.  I shouldn't get so comfortable with my own salvation that I ignore those around me.  This message matters, and there is an urgency to it.  May we appreciate that, and may the Holy Spirit provide opportunities to share the Gospel with those we love, with our enemies through works of love, and with those we barely know, that every knee may bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Isaiah 65:1-7

Isaiah 65:1-7
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Imagine that you're in high school, and every day you call your beloved to confess your undying love.  You send flowers every morning, and you compose a song in the afternoon to serenade your beloved.  You long for them to turn back and return your love, and yet you get nothing in return.  How long would you continue?  What would make you stop?  Would anything?
  The love of God is so much stronger than what we can imagine.  God reaches for us, time after time, opening the windows of heaven and pouring down blessings upon us.  He calls to us, pursues us, offers us forgiveness and grace, even though it is undeserved.  We are loved more than we know, more than our minds can grasp.  The very God of the universe sends his own Son to die for us.
  So often, God's love goes out and is not returned.  We get caught up in building our own temporary kingdoms, ignoring the permanent Kingdom of God, to which we have an invitation.  What is stopping you today from living as though that invitation were the most important thing on earth?  What prevents us from spending our days returning God's love, spreading God's love, making that our first priority?

Isaiah 64:8-12

Isaiah 64:8-12
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There are many people who preach hellfire & brimstone, threatening people that God is angry and ready to condemn unless we toe the proper line.  What is missed in these sermons is the emphasis in verse 8 -- that God has created us, and that we are his beloved creations.  He has invested himself in creating, and this is not a thing easily discarded.  When we moved, I found a box of art I had made when I was a child, and it was terrible art, but it was still my creation -- this was hard to get rid of, because I had made it.  I spent time and energy and love in the act of creation.
  So I think it's important to remember that hell is a real place, but God does not readily cast us out.  God loves us as his children, and he is eager to save, to reach and to love.  When we are beset by tribulation, we cry out to God because we know that God loves us, and we trust that he is eager to save.  God does not forget us in the midst of the storm.