The Better part, week #2

 

This week's Better Part FB posts:

The Better part, day #8:

Heb 12:12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,

Heb 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

This one hit me like a thunderbolt this morning, especially with a sore leg and after an ad for a local pedorthics place. My question to God having been, "How DO I get rid of habitual sin?" I realized the bad habit is the lame leg and the only way to heal it is to walk as if it wasn't lame- Even if I need a 'cane' to do it! Now, I have to get working on the cane- a new 'habit' replacing the old- so this can be a year of healing.

The Better part, day #9:

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Last night I happened into a discussion that started in Revelation when two people joined in to tell us all that everything we knew about the Bible and how to read it was wrong. I won't get into the details- mainly because I so much want to- but I will tell you that both of them offered books by 'experts' and the ever-present YT clip that conclusively proved that "70% of Revelation had already happened" and the Lord's return to judge the earth happened "When the Romans destroyed Ireal (sic) in 70 ad."

Not that I believed this garbage at all- in fact, I was a good boy and left with a goodbye and a 'turn off notifications'- but having this verse come up in my morning reading was like a loving pat from Jesus. Unless, of course, the Romans came like a thief in 70 ad and destroyed the entire world by fire. I've seen it too many times- minds that refuse to accept the vastness of God and will listen to anyone who will pare Him down to a non-miraculous, 'man-sized' God. NEVER listen to someone who tries to make Christ "me-sized".

 

 

The Better part, day #10:

Gen 22:7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

Gen 22:8 Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

David Jeremiah was doing a sermon on Abraham today, and I got thinking about "the Friend of God" later on. It struck me that twice in Abraham's life God demanded he give up the most precious thing in his life. The first time, he kinda messed up- instead of leaving everyone behind him and going to Canaan, he drug dad and nephew along and stopped at Haran. Then he got to Canaan- and didn't stay put. The second time, though, God required the most irreplaceable thing he had- Isaac. And he was ready to give him up, until God provided another sacrifice. It struck me that God didn't require that ultimate sacrifice from him- but He required the obedience TO make that sacrifice. God doesn't require that one thing from everyone- but He demands the obedience needed to sacrifice it if called on. And THAT calls for some hard soul searching.

 

 

The Better part, day # 11:

1Sa 19:24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

I do not want to get into the sorry state of politics here, but everything keeps leading me back to Saul. At this point the Holy Spirit had left him and he had made attempts at David's life, as well as insulting his own son over his friendship with David. Here, he prophesies, but it is the why that is important- not because he is beloved of God, but that while trapped in the ecstasy of the vision, David makes good his escape. Even though he spoke prophecies of God, he himself was not blessed, because of his hatred and jealousy. The people repeating the proverb were saying, "Look at how great Saul is- he's saying all the right things!" But his own spirit was not with God. All over SM you've seen in the last few months people giving our outgoing President almost godlike praise- some still are. But by your fruits you are known- and your 'faith' exposed.

 

 

The Better part, day #12:

2Ch 29:36 And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had prepared for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.

The first thing that caught my eye here, in Hezekiah's revival of Temple worship and celebrating the Passover, was "suddenly". It took 14 Levites 8 days to get the Temple even ready for rededication; another month to celebrate the first Passover in ages. And I saw, through their difficulties the face of our Church today. Trying to keep these posts brief, you think on how today's Church has these same difficulties as I rapid fire them off:

The doors were closed and broken- the way in blocked (v7)

The eternally burning lamps were put out- no Light (v7)

No incense burning- no true worship (v7)

No burnt offerings- No repentance (They ended up sacrificing 370 animals and consecrating another 3,600 just to reopen the place- v7)

Uncleanness had built up (Think about "Amen and Awoman", v16)

The tools of service and worship had been cast off (vv18-19)

The priests were few, and what there were had not been diligent in sanctifying themselves (Mainly because priestly leadership had walked hand in hand with evil kings, v 34)

When the message was proclaimed, it was greeted with scoffing (Ch 30 v 10)

They had a lot of altars to idols to remove (C30 v14)

And a majority of the people faithful enough to come had not properly sanctified themselves (C30v17)

And yet, with obedience and prayer, it was accomplished swiftly, by God preparing the people! And He could do it again, too, for today's Church- if there was any to desire it.

 

 

The Better part, Day#13:

2Ch 28:22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.

I said I didn't want to get political, but here it is, laid out. We have a King of Judah, reeling from defeat by Syria, a defeat caused " for he had given up all self-control in Judah, sinning greatly against the Lord" (v19). So he decided that if you can't beat them, join them (2Ch 28:23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel), and now, he was going to be evermore known as "THAT King Ahaz."

It was then, like we discussed last time, that the Temple was shut up, the lamps were put out, and the tools were cast aside. And anyone that could have mis-seen him as a man of God had their eyes open.

His legacy from then on was so bad, that "they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel" (v27). To me, this hits as a rather chilling parallel...

 

 

The Better Part, Day #14:

Pro 10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

This further expands the Day #8 post. I look at my life and instead of seeing the straight path, I see myself zig-zagging, weaving in and out, almost as if I think I can do it too fast for God to see. I come away scarred inside with broken toes and briar cuts. How long, o Lord, until this body of flesh understands it's just not worth it?