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Staring across a river at a likely hostile army, a Man came to Jacob. And they fought and in the struggle Jacob recognized the Man: It was the God of the Universe. We treat God as though He is absent in our hardship – when He is perpetually present. We claim He is indifferent to our pain – when He is embroiled in the solution. We accuse Him of being cruel and heartless when He is actively pursuing our best. Because in the struggle God becomes known.  Jacob is staring across a river at a 400 man army headed by his estranged brother, Esau. The predicament in this chapter is the confusing result of several sins, not all Jacob’s, a few mistakes, and his act of obedience to God’s instructions. A situation that the honest among us will admit is like the circumstances of our lives at various points. But in it God was at work. God brought him back to face Esau, and in the fear and anxiety God met him. And even in the pain and humiliation of the meeting with God, it was a blessing for Jacob’s obedience. 
Have you ever noticed in romance novels the heroine can be ever so quirky, but her love interest is absolutely ideal? She may be unfair and jump to conclusions, but he will be patient. She is often uncertain, but he will always be faithful. She will be unkind and inconsiderate, but he will forgive her. She is scarred; he will heal her. She may be anything and everything, and he will love her anyway. It is a reflection of the cry of our hearts: I am flawed – please love me always. We just don’t realize it’s not a person we are seeking – it’s God. We were created for our God and Father, who is perfectly patient, always faithful, sacrificially forgiving, infinitely wise and loving. He is the One our hearts yearn for...not a Rom-Com connection.  It snowed all day, and by the time I got home, my poor daffodils were pushed all the way to the ground by the weight. My gut reaction was to rush over, take the snow off, and free them from their oppression. It wasn't fair -- it was spring! They should have to deal with that cold, heavy burden. And I was on my way to rescue them when I stopped. Snow is an insulator. If I removed it, the colder temperatures overnight may very well freeze the delicate petals and destroy the blossoms. No, if I wanted the best for them, I had no choice but to leave them to endure their hardship and allow their snowy caps to melt off naturally, little by little. I stared at them from the doorway. We know God sees our hardships. But we also know He could take them away. The Master Gardener knows infinitely more than me about snow. Yet how often do we trust Him, that He leaves our burdens for our good? For our protection? For our long-term growth?   “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." -- Matthew 10:16
Christ's call is clearly for innocence -- as in free of guilt and clearly separated from darkness, having a good reputation and unsullied by sin. But often the command for "serpenthood" is largely overlooked, even unconsciously negated with an interpretation of innocence as ignorance. Christ's statement is not in any form a request for naivete -- but a challenge to prudent knowledge. Simply being ignorant of sin's names or description does not guarantee innocence. In fact, one can be fully unschooled in a sin, but with a heart that is already inclined that way, we can still fall prey. Or possibly be even more susceptible, having no warning or prepared defense. Hence: Wise as a serpent. The goal for this wisdom is not to investigate sin or satisfy our curiosity of sin, but to know enough. No more. No less. And address the world, sin, and Satan in godly wisdom.  "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." -- James 3:17
This is God's wisdom. It is based on the fear of God. It is not founded in facts or figuring, not in experience or in education. James' description of wisdom is the reflection of Christ in our lives as we submit our thinking to His authority and mimic His priorities and perspectives. So it is self-defeating to use worldly knowledge, experience, or understanding as the way to gain godly wisdom. Instead, if we want wisdom, we pursue God (James 1:7) and allow Him (not us) to choose and use the tools He desires in our lives to produce a meek, selfless, sincere wisdom. List one verse that assures you of your salvation. And I wrote: 1 Corinthians 1:9. "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." It surprised them, I think, that this was my go-to verse. But it is the character and the faithfulness of God that is the key issue to assurance of our salvation...shhhh...that both Calvinists and Arminians seem to often miss. On one side, the Calvinists lean hard on their "chosen" status -- not the character of the Chooser. But the doctrine of "election" is a human interpretation of God's divine revelation of who is saved and how we are saved. As a human interpretation, it is not a safe landing place in the face of fear and doubt. On the other hand, Arminians lean hard on their "choosing" of Christ -- not the character of the Chosen One. Man's work nor thoughts can never be the pillar of our confidence -- because we fail... or we wouldn't need a Savior to begin with. But either way you swing, it is wide of the mark. It is the unyielding truth of Who God is where our assurance resides. He is trustworthy, He is faithful, He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God (Hebrews 7:25). Rest in Him.  It wasn't my choice of wallpaper for my computer -- but I flipped open my laptop and saw a gigantic face of a humpback whale. It was a still photo, but I could easily imagine her floating quietly along, thinking about a nap and wondering if there may be a snack nearby. I laughed to myself about how her mouth scooped up in such an odd manner, almost cradling her eyes. And then I thought, "But it would look just as funny if it scooped the other direction!... Except, it wouldn't be practical at all." And, of course, God knew that. Next time you see a humpback, take a look. If the mouth went the opposite way, the water would run out, taking plankton and other food into the ocean. But it's not -- this allows the lower jaw to act like a ladle, instead of a slotted spoon. How wonderful is our Creator? And if He has done that for whales -- has He not also done even more for you and me?  As I gazed up at this glass marvel, catching the light, I saw it as a simple picture of the Christian life. We are designed to reflect the light -- this is our God-given purpose. Sometimes it feels like we have made this impossible. Our glass is dirty, and broken, and etched by hundreds of mistakes and bad decisions. But God redeems. Stained glass is gorgeous because of the way the Master joins the pieces to reflect the light. And yet, often we are angry or bitter when God begins to cut or break our lives into pieces that can be used. But God keeps working. Through those very pieces we fought Him tooth-and-nail on, God creates what we said we wanted all along: To glorify Him and reflect His light to a lost and dying world. Through our success and our failures may others see Christ in us. Amen.  |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
August 2026
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