Kingdom of Love

Readings for today: Isaiah 13-15

The words from Isaiah today are powerful. They present a vision that is foreign to us. Alien to the human experience. In our experience, thrones and dominions and kingdoms are founded on power. Authority. Control. It doesn’t matter whether one is talking about monarchies, dictatorships, socialist republics, or democracies. All human governmental institutions are established in power. They are maintained through power. They often come to an end because some other power rises up against them. This is the way of the world and it has been like this since the beginning. Furthermore, those in power tend to become corrupt. They begin using their power to pursue their own selfish ends. How else can one explain the rampant financial and sexual and criminal abuses that we so often see from our political leaders? Certainly not all of them succumb to such temptations but it must be hard to resist when so many are trying to curry favor. And, of course, the ones who do find the strength to resist are often successful only because they cling to a higher purpose. A greater meaning to their lives that gives them the strength to overcome.

Isaiah identifies that “higher purpose” for his people. It is love. “When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ended, and marauders have vanished from the land, a throne will be established in love, and one will sit on it faithfully in the tent of David, judging and pursuing what is right, quick to execute justice.” (Isaiah‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬) When a throne is established in God’s love, justice and mercy naturally flow. When a kingdom is founded on God’s love, it becomes a light to the world. A beacon of peace and righteousness and goodness that shines for all to see. This was the whole point of the nation of Israel. To show the world a different way. To be a light to the nations around them. To be a country built on the foundation of righteousness and justice where steadfast love and faithfulness undergirded how they lived. In such a nation, outcasts would find refuge. Enemies would become friends. Widows and orphans would find care. The poor would be lifted up. Oppression would cease. Destruction would end. Peace would reign. This is a picture of the Kingdom of God and it is what we pray for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

Jesus affirms this Kingdom. He came to establish this Kingdom on earth through His life, death, and resurrection. Jesus is love. He is the love of God incarnate. He is the love of God made flesh and blood. And as He lays down His life for us, He defines love for us. It’s not a feeling. It’s not an attraction. It’s not selfish or arrogant or boastful or impatient or unkind. It is self-sacrificing. Self-denying. It always puts the needs of others before itself. It always focuses on the welfare of others before it’s own. It is costly. It is a high-risk endeavor. It never loses hope. Never gives into despair. It always endures. It always perseveres. It never fails because Jesus never fails.

Ultimately, a passage like the one we read today points us forward to Jesus. He is the One who gives counsel. Who grants justice. Who shelters the outcast and the fugitive. He is the One who puts an end to all oppression and destruction and brings peace. He establishes His throne from the cross, the place where perfect love and perfect justice meet. He sits on His throne with faithfulness and is always swift to do righteousness and justice. As followers of Christ, we acknowledge Jesus is our King. We acknowledge Jesus as Lord. We acknowledge His authority over our lives. As such, we who are called by His name must align ourselves with His Kingdom. We must seek to incarnate His values in our lives. We must reject the ways of this world. The will to power. The will to pleasure. And instead find in Christ the will to love.

Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays

Everlasting Faithfulness

Readings for today: Micah 5-7

I grew up going to church every Sunday. I said the creeds. Prayed the prayers. Sang the songs. My mom was a music teacher and she instilled in all of us a great love for music, especially the music of the church. My brothers and I all participated in choir and we learned the great hymns. One of my favorites growing up was a hymn titled, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” More upbeat than most, the chorus goes like this. “Leaning, leaning; Safe and secure from all alarms! Leaning, leaning; Leaning on the everlasting arms.” Though I did not come to faith until college, I’ve always experienced God as a comforting presence. Mainly because of songs like this one that declare His nature and character. Even though I was not a believer, God was instilling in me through the music, prayers, creeds, and sermons I heard a deep understanding of who He is. Building a bridge to my heart that I would later walk across at CU.  

I love how Micah concludes his prophetic work. “Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬) In this passage we hear echoes of the great epiphany of Moses from Exodus 34 where God literally appears and reveals His divine nature and character to His people. "The Lord, the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Throughout their history. Thousands upon thousands of years. Israel leaned on the everlasting arms of their God. They trusted in His forgiveness and grace. They experienced His deep, loyal, steadfast love. They rejoiced in His great compassion. Every week when they would gather for worship, they sang. They prayed. They declared the glory of God. And they passed on their faith to each successive generation. 

Why is worship so important? Why is reading Scripture every day so important? Why is coming before Christ on a regular basis so crucial for our faith? Because we need to be reminded of God’s great faithfulness. We need to be reminded of His great love and compassion. His mercy and grace. His forgiveness. We need to be reminded in the midst of judgment that while “weeping may tarry for a night, joy comes in the morning.”(Psalm 30:5b) We need to be reminded that while God will not be mocked and will by no means clear those who are guilty of sin, He will not remain angry with us forever. “For His anger is fleeting but His favor lasts a lifetime.”(Psalm 30:5a) We need to be reminded that God knows our weakness and has provided a way for us to salvation. “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times…He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.” (Micah‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I don’t know what you might be facing today. The challenges. The crises. The difficulties. Maybe it’s a health issue. Maybe it’s a family issue. Maybe it’s a job issue. Maybe you’re staring at an uncertain future. Maybe you’ve made a huge mistake and you’re paying the price. Let me encourage you to lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus! Trust Him. Believe in Him. Place your faith in Him to carry you through! Maybe things are going well for you. Life is blessed. Success seems to follow you wherever you go. Your kids are doing great. Your career is on the upward swing. You’re surrounded by people who love you. Praise Jesus! Thank Him for His great faithfulness. Rejoice in His favor. Share it with others. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, friends. (Hebrews 13:8) There is no shadow or turning with Him. (James 1:17) Believe Him for your life today!

Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 16-17, 2 Chronicles 28

Intervention

Readings for today: Micah 1-4

I often get asked the question, “Why doesn’t God intervene?” Why didn’t God intervene and save the children in the floods in Texas? Why doesn’t God intervene and save the innocent in places like Ukraine and Gaza? Why doesn’t God intervene and stop injustice and oppression and violence in our world? Why didn’t God intervene in my own life when I experienced trauma or abuse or pain or suffering? These are really important questions. Not to be dismissed.

At the same time, whenever I field these questions, I immediately think of a famous C.S. Lewis quote. (Remember C.S. Lewis lived and taught during the Great Depression and Second World War.) He writes, “I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it.”

This is the kind of intervention the prophet Micah refers to when he talks about the Lord “leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside.” (Micah‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It is God coming to earth with overwhelming force. God coming to earth to put an end to evil once and for all. God coming to earth to bring justice and righteousness. It will not be selective. It will not be partial. It will not be only for those with whom we disagree. When His judgment comes, it comes for us all. When His judgment comes, none of us will be able to stand. Every knee will bow under heaven and on earth and under the earth. Every tongue will confess He is Lord whether we have believed or not. All of creation will acknowledge His authority and it will be the end of the world as we know it.

Both Micah and Lewis point us to even more fundamental questions. Are we on the Lord’s side? I think of the recent political debates in my own country and how both parties attempt to co-opt God as if He were on their side. Both parties twist the Word of God to support their own political and social agenda. Both sides pray for God to intervene and stop their opponents. But if God were to truly intervene, both parties would find themselves on their faces before the judgment throne for both parties are corrupt and God doesn’t grade on a curve. Do we believe in the Lord? Do we truly trust Him? I think of so many people I know who proclaim to be Christians with their lips but deny Him in the way they live their lives. They try to have a foot in God’s world and our world. They are what the Bible calls “double-minded” in that they want it both ways. They want the safety and assurance of salvation but they want to live life on their own terms. It simply doesn’t work that way. Do we love the Lord? With all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? None of us can answer this in the affirmative. Not completely. But what we can discern is whether we are growing in our love for Him in all these spheres. Are we seeking Him? Are we pursuing Him? Are we surrendering more and more of our lives to Him? This we can answer in the affirmative if we are walking in the Spirit.

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 5-7

Peace

Readings for today: Isaiah 9-12

One of my spiritual disciplines is to stay up with the news. I make sure to read sources from across the political spectrum. I try my best to discern truth which is not always easy because humanity seems literally hardwired for conflict and hatred and even violence. It is so hard to land on an accepted set of facts that everyone can agree on. If facts are inconvenient or don’t support the narrative we want, we tend to dismiss them. If facts support our pre-determined position or ideology then we cling to them with all our might. One could argue that it doesn’t matter. People have a right to believe what they believe. However, in the real world, this attitude doesn’t fly because while I may have a right to my opinion, I don’t have a right to my own facts. Real decisions are made that have real world consequences and people are often hurt. For example, I was recently talking with an immigration official about the conflict that exists between immigration policy in our state and immigration policy at the federal level. That conflict puts state and federal officials at odds with one another and what ends up happening is the immigrant is caught in the crosshairs. That’s just one example among many I could cite. Taken to an extreme, this can lead to violence. The kind of violence I often see when I travel to other countries around the world.

Thankfully, God has a different vision for the world. One He casts in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah. “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.” (Isaiah 11:6-9 CSB) When the Messiah comes in all His power and glory, the world will finally know reconciliation. The world will finally know peace. True shalom. The end of all division and violence and hatred and enmity.

How do we know this to be true? Because of what God did on the cross. There He tore down every dividing wall of hostility that exists between us and He gave us His Spirit to bring unity. The church is therefore called to live in such a way that we give the world a picture of what life will one day look like in the Kingdom of God. Imagine the power of the witness we could have if God’s people would embrace Isaiah’s vision? Imagine a church unified across political, ethnic, tribal, economic, generational, and theological divisions? Imagine a church that took seriously the commands from Psalm 133 and John 17? Imagine a church that chose God’s Truth over particular political, social, or even theological truth? It’s actually not all that hard to imagine if we take seriously the call to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus and seek to follow the example He lays down in Philippians 2:5-11.

Readings for tomorrow: Micah 1-4