God With Us

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

God with us. The tragedy in Newtown, CT this last week brings these words into stark relief. God with us. We watch that kind of evil unfold and ask why? We wonder how such things could happen? We get a glimpse into the darkness that resides in the hearts of men and find ourselves shocked at what we see. But we shouldn't be. The whole sordid tale of humanity is marred by a whole lot of ugliness. We cry out for answers and for safety. The anti-gun crowd and pro-gun crowd are gearing up for the inevitable clash over gun regulation. I read an article this morning about the connection between psychotropic drugs and school shootings. Investigators are looking at the shooter, his mother, his family, his background and his mental illness for an answer into why. We want answers and we want to see that it never happens again.

It will happen again. Sin is, unfortunately, a present reality for the human experience. We don't like to talk much about sin anymore -- not even in churches, but it is what it is. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" We tend now, in our culture, to judge God according to the standards of man. God can't be good or even real because people are judged. I wonder how many people who don't believe in Hell are now hoping that Hell exists -- at least for Adam Lanza anyway. This kind of event knocks us off of our easy platitudes and wishful thinking. Man struggles enough with Jesus. The history of man without God is ugly.

God with us. God help us, because we so desperately need Him. Culturally we seek to marginalize God until tragedy strikes. We don't want Him in the public discourse. We don't want Him in our schools. We don't want Him in our politics. Have your religion, but keep it to yourself. We tell kids that they are just animals like all the other animals and then we wonder why they behave like animals. You're just another monkey off the family tree, not a very special person, created in the image of God.  We make life cheap by killing some 50,000,000 unborn babies and we wonder why people don't value life. Morality and virtue are outdated and subjective. The United States of America has never been a theocracy, but it has been a nation with a God consciousness for most of its existence. Despite revisionist history that is just the truth. If you don't believe me forget what some people now say and go back and read the history -- it's all there in black and white and pretty darned clear.

God with us. That's what Christmas is all about. The answer was not in the law or in the hearts of men or the strength of men or the goodness of men. God became the answer, in part, because there is no other answer. Never has been. In a sin riddled world the answer to the question is still Jesus. What question? Every one that matters. Sadly, Jesus was the answer for Adam Lanza. Jesus is the answer for these children who have gone to the presence of God. Jesus is still the answer for those who are left behind. 

In Jeremiah 8:22 the prophet asks the question, " Is there a balm in Gilead?" In Matthew 12:20 we read about Jesus: "A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory." Our prayers are with those left behind in Newtown. Our hearts go out to them. There are lots of victims here. As we search for answers, maybe, just maybe some will find the real answer.  

'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Reminders

"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." (Deuteronomy 4:9)

It helps so much to be reminded of what the Lord has done in our lives. When we're going through a tough time or struggle it can really be encouraging. The Israelites would build stone monuments at places where important events happened. They were visual reminders of what the Lord has done.

Takes some time today to meditate and be thankful on the good things the Lord has done in your life! It will bless and encourage you!

Where God is Honored

And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"—so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!"He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.


This story exhibits in stark detail the problem of how religious observance can seem right and good, but be totally cut off from the heart of God. The Pharisees were great at looking good, but they had serious heart problems. They cared more for the minutiae of the law over everything else. In this encounter Jesus healed the man and the Pharisees sought to kill Him! They didn't really care that he was actually healed. They only cared about their interpretation of the rules. They missed the point.


Sometimes we do the same thing. We miss the point by focusing on what matters less. We get caught up in plans and programs and agendas. We fall prey to the wrong attitudes. We miss ministry opportunities. We see people through the lens of failure and not through the lens of potential. We lay down compassion for law. We lay down love for judgment. 


I think the irony of this story is in the Pharisee's approach in asking Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Somehow I just don't think a lot of healing was going on when Jesus wasn't around. They had apparently seen Him heal (or they wouldn't have asked the question), but were too blind and jealous to grasp the fullness of the Messiah. So they chose to play petty games and attempt to trap Him. 


Compassion is not all that matters, but it does matter a great deal. Somewhere between legalism and spiritual anarchy there is a place where God is honored. It's a place where misdirected compassion that leads to humanistic narcissism can't exist, and yet it's also a place where the rules become subservient to the heart of God. That's where true ministry takes place. Ministry that changes lives. It's a place where love flourishes and fulfills its purpose. It's a place where we can really seek the best for others because we actually care for them as people. It's a place that reflects the heart of God.