How come?

How can someone who has seen the God who sees her (He sees you...), and has heard the God who hears her (He hears you...), turn and go back to a life of bondage?

That's what happened to a woman named Hagar, Sarah's servant, way back in the Bible.

Why wasn't she redeemed and transformed? Why was her son destined to become "a donkey of a man"? Why was she forever regarded as the "slave woman," while Sarah (though, herself, thoughtless and mean) was a "free woman"? (Gal. 4:22)

Hagar's son was born according to the flesh. Sarah's son was born through the promise (according to the Spirit). It's a lesson to us: That which comes from the flesh is destined to fail. To experience hardship. To find angst in the world. When we let the Spirit rule, there is hope. A future. A promise of peace... somewhere down the line.

When all is said and done, the Lord has granted us "free will," and Hagar exercised the will to go back to what was familiar to her. What was comfortable to her. She went back to Egypt, and all that went with it. When she left Sarah for the last time, she also left the God of heaven and earth.

It would seem that she let Sarah and Abraham dictate the character of God, as she would understand it.  Their living example wasn't enough to sustain her faith in the One True and Living God. The awful taste in her mouth, from two of God's finest examples of grace, overpowered her own personal experience of His presence.

We're human, aren't we? Prone to fail. Prone to let people down. That's why God's grace is so precious to those of us who have been saved. We know the ugly truth. We also know the One who knows us - sees us - hears us. It seems like a crazy triangular irony. We get saved, we share God's love, we screw up.

Is God strong enough to save those who are perishing? I believe His is. In spite of my feeble efforts.

Lord, bring freedom. Bring truth. Bring life. I praise You. Amen.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Voices

A flock of sheep are on a hill near Jerusalem. The sun has set, and there is a bright star on the horizon. As the constellation continues to rise, a breeze blows across the field. The wind seems to whisper, and a little lamb hears its voice...

"Do you see what I see?

Way up in the sky, little lamb,

Do you see what I see?

A star, a star, dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite..."

The little lamb is so excited, "Yes! I see it!"

The lamb speaks to the shepherd keeping watch over the flock. He wonders if the boy has heard the same voice...

"Do you hear what I hear?

Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,

Do you hear what I hear?

A song, a song high above the trees

With a voice as big as the the sea..."

Amazed, the boy cries out, "Yes, I do!... I've got to go tell the King! Surely he'll want to know!" He runs as quickly as he can to the outer court of the great palace. The King is on the terrace, and hears the small voice...

"Do you know what I know?

In your palace warm, mighty king,

Do you know what I know?

A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--

Let us bring him silver and gold..."

Humbled by the remarkable news, and quickened deep within his soul, the King sets forth a decree for all the people. He proclaims in a loud voice...

"Listen to what I say!

Pray for peace, people, everywhere,

Listen to what I say!

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light..."

written by Tami Rosin (based on the carol Do You Hear What I Hear? by Noel Rigney and Gloria Shayne Baker, 1962)

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

~Isaiah 9:6

"...if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." ~Revelation 3:20

May you have a very merry Christmas!

"I'm not defensive!"

"As human beings we ARE defensive. But when we feel unsafe and attacked, it usually gets worse. " ~Leslie Vernick

I never thought of it like that. I know we get (more) defensive when we feel unsafe and attacked, but the first part got me.  The question I asked was, "Why?  Why ARE we defensive as humans?"

The answer is:  Because we are guilty.

Guilty of what?

We are "GUILTY" before a living, loving, holy God.  The prophet Isaiah recognized this immediately as he stood as a witness in God's throne room: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple." (Is. 6:1)  In response, Isaiah, who was relatively good in the midst of his culture, cried out, "Woe is me!  For I am lost: for I am a man of unclean lips... my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Is. 6:5)  We are guilty of all that He is not.  That is, sin.

Thus, we ARE defensive.  We are in a defensive position before a holy and mighty God.

In Christ, though, we are declared innocent.  Jesus Christ IS our defense.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, alive in Christ Jesus, has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2)

So, what does that mean?

If you trust Jesus, you don't have to stand in defense of your sin.  Through the Holy Spirit, you are being convicted of sin, and repenting of sin, and living in freedom from the bondage of sin.  1John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  We don't defend our sin, we forsake it!

Defensive-ness is the response of someone who is insecure in their standing... before God, before men.  Whether it is true guilt we are feeling, or something unjustly imposed on us by someone seeking to gain authority and power over us, we need to deal with it.  -  Are you guilty?  Admit it.   If someone is unjustly accusing you, say so.  Your defensiveness is understandable, but not helpful.

In Christ, we have a sure foundation. 

"God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from sin." (2Tim. 2:19)

Where do you stand?

The Janitor

There I was... alone in an empty gymnasium.  "It seemed like a good idea at the time.  It was a great party.  I had a lot of fun."  But when it was all over, it was just me.  I was sitting in a chair beside an empty table.  My posture was sort of slumped as I reluctantly surveyed my surroundings.  Dressed in a ball gown, my hair and make-up looked like it usually does at the end of the day. There was confetti scattered across the floor... streamers and balloons, too.  As I looked up, Someone else had entered.  He was dressed as a Janitor.  Looking down as He swept, He sort of shook His head.  Instead of disgust, I saw pity and compassion and sorrow, all at once.

This was a vision I had at 26.  I'd been a Believer for three years, and Jesus had come to tell me, "It's time to grow up.  Stop living so impulsively."  In that moment, I didn't want to have Him come in and clean up after me anymore.  I wanted to learn to stop and think... to pray and to submit.  To really put into practice all that He'd poured into me in my first few years of faith.  It continues to be a struggle.

Can you relate?

This much is true:  The more I trust Him, the less He has to clean up.