Make Us a Crumby!

^NAU Matthew 15:27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.

Observation: Who would think to call casting out a demon "crumbs from the masters table?"  One with great faith!  One who understands the greatness of our God!  A woman who had seen in the eyes of Jesus the God of Psalm 68:

Psalm 68:4-6   ⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts (KJV translates this word heavens), Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.  ⁵ A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation.  ⁶ God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 

Application:  What is my understanding of God?  What are the crumbs and what is the full meal?  Starting a worship team, leading one to Christ, seeing someone be healed of cancer, casting out demons, these are crumbs.  I believe the Lord would have me to know this.  In contrast, fellowshipping with Christ daily, learning to be an intercessor, and praying without ceasing, I believe these are the full meal deal.

I think of the church.   Will we share the crumbs from our masters table?  Crumbs for the addict, the abused, and the depressed.  Do we have crumbs to spare for the gang members of our inner cities?  Is our picture of God big enough to realize that healing for the people and issues that we see as momentous are really just crumbs from our masters table?  Have we been pretending to feast on the bounty of our God, like children playing with plastic fruit and bread?  What would happen if the we were truly feasting upon the bounty of our God and had crumbs to spare?  What kind of miracles would we see?  What kind of transformations would happen?  

Prayer: Lord Jesus make us a crumby church.  Let the bounty of Your blessings dirty the floors of our aisles, hallways, and city streets.  And bring the dogs who are hungry for the bread of life.  After all, we are all dogs.  We have wondered the streets and alleyways of this world.  We were once without a home.  We were "once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now we are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; we had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now we have RECEIVED MERCY." (1 Peter 2:10)"  

And Lord, I pray You would make us ministers of the mercy we have received.  Allow us to join you in the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21  ¹⁸ Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  ²¹ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

Sprinkle My Heart

^NAU 1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

2 Corinthians 6:16 For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

Observation: At the heart of the sanctuary is a cleansing of the heart. The apostle Peter tells us we were chosen by God's foreknowledge and by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood. And, the writer of Hebrews tells us specifically that it is our hearts that are to be sprinkled with the blood of Christ:

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:19-22 ¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

In the sprinkling of the heart comes the cleansing of the conscience. Christ tells us that it is out of the heart that "evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slander" comes (Matthew 15:19). It is God's desire to change all this by sprinkling our hearts with the blood of His son Jesus. Cleansing our conscience through His perfect life. And a cleansed conscience means new cravings, new priorities, new decisions.

In the sanctuary we find provision for the cravings of this life… For the hunger of our hearts, the table of shewbread (Hebrew leḥem pānīm, literally 'bread of the face (of God).') points to Jesus the bread of life. For the longing of our eyes, the 7 branched candlestick points to Christ, the light of the world. For our ceaseless quest for intimacy, the alter of incense points to the Lamb of God who loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And, for our undying pursuit of success and significance the ark of the covenant points to our hearts, that Most Holy Place within us (Proverbs 4:23), where our Most Holy God desires to dwell:

Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

1 Peter 3:15-16 sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; ¹⁶ and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

Colossians 3:15 ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Application: I am God's temple. My heart, where my conscience is found, is the Most Holy Place in which He desires to dwell. My heart is where my desires are born; it is that part of me where my cravings and longings seethe. And it is here, at the heart of my hunger, my longing, my thirst, and my devotion that Jesus Christ desires to reign as Savior, Priest, Lord, and King.

His promise is: ^NRS Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. He is calling me hunger for Him; longing to see His works in my life. He offers me the thirst quenching waters of His Spirit. And invites me to the deep, soul satisfying communion of His presence. His guarantee is new desires as I delight in Him.

Prayer: Father I don't need what I desire. I need the desires You want to place within me. Desires for truth, righteousness, and self-sacrifice. I long for goodness to be my greatest longing, and purity to be my grandest hope. I want to hunger for health, balance, and simplicity. I want to celebrate kindness, compassion, and unselfishness in my life. The heart of my need is a matter of the heart - a pure and clean conscience that is attentive and obedient to Your voice.

Wash me Jesus. Cleanse me. Cause me to walk in Your ways and long for Your will to be accomplished in me no matter the cost.

Got Bread?

NAU John 6:15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Observation: I've always read the miracle of feeding the five thousand and thought to myself, no big gig. I don't know why. It just doesn't seem as miraculous as raising the dead or giving sight to the blind. But the reality is that receiving sustenance from God is always a miracle. Whether it be bread or the bread of life.

How many in this world are suffering from physical and spiritual famine. The prophet Amos described a great spiritual famine:

Amos 8:11-13 11 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. 12 "People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it. 13 "In that day the beautiful virgins And the young men will faint from thirst.

Application: I think we are fast approaching Amos's description. In our own church people are becoming less and less familiar with the word of God. Rather than studying out issues for ourselves and going to the word of God for guidance we are content to share opinions and feelings. We would rather believe the most articulate and most inspiring preacher than discover for ourselves what God's will would be on a particular issue.

As preachers, we seek the praise of the people rather than the praise of God. We are hungry for God's presence and we don't realize it. We spend our days talking about the bread, remembering the bread, seeking bread that doesn't satisfy, and wondering why we always feel restless, and why our souls always feel hungry.

It is not only the praise of men that is false bread. But our own personal accomplishments. We can become proud of how well our devotional life is going only to find our pride is like eating cotton candy. It tastes good for a moment, but has a bad after taste. So we eat more. And when we've engorged ourselves our stomach feels sick, and we have a jittery sugar high that makes us want to crawl into a hole and die.

This is not the bread God has for us. In this simple descriptive verse of Christ, we find the answer. The people wanted to crown him king. False bread was beckoning him. But what did he do? He withdrew to the mountain by Himself alone. He went away to be with his Father. He sought the sustenance of solitude.

I know God is calling me to this today. And especially after the times I have to preach or lead worship. Nothing can satisfy my soul like simply being in his presence and feasting upon his fellowship. He revives my like no other. His smile of approval is one which looks deep in my soul and appreciates me as His precious child and not as a impressive preacher.

Preaching sermons and multiplying lunches is not the primary purpose of what we were created for. We were created, first and foremost for intimate fellowship with our Father. When we loose this, it is like trying live off of cotton candy. We end up feeling sick and cranky.

Prayer: Jesus thank You for calling me to feast off of the bread of life today. Thank You for reminding me of the importance of seeking Your face and not the praise of men. Thank You for reassuring me that You love me and want to be with me. Lord, humble me. Teach me to be content with responsibility because You have given it to me and not because people tell me well done. Mens' praise is empty. No matter how many compliments, I still feel hungry. All that satisfies my soul is Your love. Knowing you're crazy about me because of who I am and not what I do; knowing you will not stop loving me, ever! Thank You Jesus!

Angst & Awe

Reading thru my journal from a year ago, and I came a cross the following:

I just watched Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell.  At the end He said: "The reality of the Kingdom of God is right here....  The Kingdom isn't there, it's here."

To which I say, Mr. Bell, what about your principle of yeah... Both and...  You see God created a good world that has gone bad.  Good people who have grown old...  And in this midst of this perverted reality, in which God still shows up, still loves, and still redeems... In the midst of this "right here"... where He brings His Kingdom "right now"...  Well, in the midst of this, He also promises to bring His Kingdom "soon," and very soon.  It is the now and the not yet.

The Kingdom Here is meant to create a longing within us for the Kingdom there.  When God awakens my heart, He also angsts my heart... He births in it a longing for home... And this longing in it's purest form causes me to make this world a better home for my brothers and sisters.

Interestingly, Sabbath seems to be the link between of the now and not yet.  Sabbath Rest is taste of the promised land... The OLD TESTAMENT speaks of a rest not only of time but of space...  And this rest of space is a place... a land... a land flowing with Milk and Honey...  And this land of rest theme carriers over into the New Testament when the writer of Hebrews declares:

"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10 NAS95S) 

O that we might be in awe and wonder of this great, big, wonderful world as Mr. Bell challenges us.  May we rest in awe.  But may we also wait in angst.  May their be a holy hunger in us for Kingdom Come.  We are Seventh-day Adventists, a people of rest and a people of angst.  A people who work and a people who wait.  A people who worship and a people who cry out:

"Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20 NAS95)