The Phil Files

My reading today is Genesis 1. Wow! What a big and overwhelming message to absorb. Order out of chaos. Light out of darkness. Beauty out of void. Life out of dirt. Relationship out of nothingness. Morning and evening and day.

God spoke. God saw. God said … it was very good.

//Inspiration: Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

//Incarnation: My take on what this means for me
In the beginning God … How do I understand something, Someone, who is bigger than the universe and older than … well to be honest, not older than, but existed before … any beginning?
Eternal is beyond my comprehension. I’m so time-locked and time-conditioned and time-conscious that my little head hurts when I think of existence before a beginning and after an end.
I am reminded of how small I am and that my significance is bound up not in what I do in my colony on this tiny blue planet in the middle of a universe I cannot fathom. Instead, my significance if found in connecting to the one who is Alpha and Omega, who has no beginning and end. He chooses to know me and care for me and love me. So I choose to honor Him and find my life in Him.

//Invitation:
O Unfathomable God, thank you for Your vastness that is beyond my comprehension, your nearness that draws me to you, and Your love that defines my life and gives it purpose. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

God has sometimes provided things in my — and I’m guessing also in your life — that we didn’t immediately appreciate. In fact, this “provision” for the Lord seemed more like a punishment, a curse, or a calamity. In fact, when the “LORD God provided” it to us, we might have even been angry with God for not taking care of us as we thought He ought to do so.

When Jonah rebelled against God and his shipmates tossed him overboard, God “provided” a fish for his rescue. Jonah had a task to do that God had commanded him to do. Nineveh was a great city that needed the opportunity to repent and to turn to God. Jonah had rebelled directly against God’s will. For each of these reasons, Jonah needed to be rescued. It wasn’t that his life was in peril — Jonah would die sooner or later anyway. It was that Jonah’s relationship with God and the people of Nineveh were in peril. God provided Jonah an escape from his rebellion and an escape to the purpose God had given him.

But Jonah’s heart clearly wasn’t right. Even though Jonah did what the Lord asked of him and Nineveh was saved, Jonah resented these results. Jonah’s heart was not saved and his relationship with God remained in peril. Jonah hated the people of Nineveh and he as mad that they were spared. God has more work to do to give Jonah a chance to change his heart — that is what chapters 3 and 4, our reading today, are about. As Jonah put it …

//Inspiration: Jonah 4:2
“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

//Incarnation:
God “provided” (mentioned three times in chapter 4:6-8) an experience of loss for Jonah to make him confront his rebellious heart. God has used this last year to shake me to the core about some things in my attitude and my heart. These were hard things to experience. Some of the hurt remains. Yet in many ways, God “provided” these experiences to make me confront some things that were not right in my heart — things lurking there in the unexamined dark corners of my own thinking. Just as God delivered me on several occasions when my life has been threatened, God has also worked to deliver me from some of the stubborn and self-righteous darkness in my own heart. Such is a walk with God — sometimes it takes “a severe mercy” to make us confront our own prejudices, self-righteousness, and self-sufficiency. I’m guessing my storm may not be unique; maybe you’ve had experience with some things “the LORD God provided” you?

//Invitation:
God, I have asked in the past that you humble me gently. In many ways, I think what felt harsh at the time of the experience was made gentler because your grace prevented them from being too hard to bear. Yet I confess that there are times that an old heart like mine needs a bit more breaking to get through it’s crusty exterior. As I stand on the door of another year, I ask that you mend what is broken, but continue to humble me gently in the areas that need to changed to make me more like you want me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grace is a precious gift. Jonah 2, my reading for today, reminds me again of how precious that grace truly is. Jonah’s rebellion is no worse than Nineveh’s — in fact, it may be worse. Yet God’s grace is extended to Jonah when he calls out to God for help.

//Inspiration: Jonah 2:2
In my distress I called out the Lord and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

//Incarnation:
More than just a reminder that I can call upon the Lord and He will rush to save me, this song of deliverance is a reminder of God’s incredible grace. Jonah 2 stands as the great reminder in this little book that if God will offer grace to me, how can I refuse it to anyone else? God is gracious! How can I not be gracious to others?

//Invitation:
O precious and mighty God, you have been so forgiving, loving, and gracious with me. Open my heart to be like you and share with others the grace that I have received from you! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

There are few times in our lives after we have crossed the threshold of the two-year-old-auto-”NO!”-rebellion phase of life when we just downright refuse a direct command from someone who is our “superior.” First, few of us want to flaunt the social code of nicety toward those to whom, as my Granny put it, “we are beholden.” Second, we recognize in social situations, this just does not benefit us much.

Jonah, however, retreated to his two year-old-”NO!”-rebellion phase of life in a big time way. When God sent him to Nineveh to bring a message of repentance, he decided, “I’m refusing this one!” He hated the dreaded enemies of Israel, knew God would forgive them if they repented, and so he refused to go. In fact, he ran in the opposite direction of where he supposed to go without realizing that the one he was refusing was already at his runaway destination with a storm in place to get his attention.

Jonah 1 is a about a hard-headed and hard-hearted man who refused to do what God wanted done. And Jonah’ refusal brought a lot of excitement on a bunch of sailors because God sent two things to shake Jonah out of his reluctance to do what he wanted. First, God sent a storm to show him how important this sharing the word with the evil folks of Nineveh really was to God. Second, God send a big fish to rescue Jonah from the waters when he was heaved overboard — in God’s plan, Jonah still had unfinished business in Nineveh. Third, God saved Nineveh; bey saving Jonah. Jonah would eventually do what God called him to do.

So I want to ask myself: Why do I refuse or procrastinate on something I know God wants done? Is it just neglect, or bad priorities, or distractions, or a desire to be accepted, or prejudice, or what? Why is it so hard to accept that some things need to be done simply because they need doing and they are the right thing to do. But other times, does my prejudice toward a group of people interfere? Do I really want those kinds of people responding to my message because God might just forgive them and include them in his people? They would be given grace like I am. Hmm.

While we would like to think that such a thing wouldn’t occur in our hearts, the guy who studied and baptized Jeffrey Dahmer has received death threats, ridicule, and ostracism because his work with this criminal before his death! Folks who worked for integration in the 60’s were ridiculed if they were seen with other races and working for their causes. Churches that had members of all races in the genocide of the former Yugoslavia were threatened because the races and people who were supposed to be bitter enemies took the Lord’s Supper together. A preaching school in the days of apartheid in South Africa had whites, blacks, and coloreds all in the same classes — which brought the strong racial displeasure of people in power.

Jonah becomes our moment, my moment, to look in my heart and see if there is any part of it that does not reflect the will of God to reach and include all peoples in repentance and new life in his grace. I MUST NOT EVER drag my feet or be a part of delaying God’s grace reaching all peoples!

There is no prejudice so scurrilous as one entwined with denial and religious preferences. And like the reluctant hero of our story, many of us have those latent prejudices that slow down what we need to do or re-routes through other friendlier neighborhoods in our outreach. So let’s get the hideous pretensions out of the way and hear the call of God to Jonah to not only love our enemies, but to convert them and them and include them with grace.

//Inspiration Jonah 1:12
“Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

//Incarnation My take on this verse for me
Ouch! Facing my own prejudices about whom I will and I can share the Gospel is convicting. It tells so much more about me than about anyone else. But God is THE God of Salvation. He redeems! He saves! He protects! And I expect that he may just do that in the lives of people I’m not all that sure I want in the a-list of gloryland! I hope it doesn’t take a fish to get me to open up about it all, but knowing my blindspots and needed attitude adjustments, the rough water and the fish might just be on my way.

//Invitation:
O Father, I don’t know what holds me back from being more demonstrative to other people who need you grace. Please nudge me with your Spirit to be more of a blessing rather than a just a place-sitter refusing to do anything. Amen.

A love story full of sadness and despair that ends with faithfulness with a manly twist and deep river of gracious blessing from God’s people and the LORD himself — that’s how I would characterize the incredible story of Ruth. So many biblical themes percolate in this story — care for the poor, the widow, and the foreigner, God’s faithfulness, the faithfulness of a foreigner, the faithfulness of a godly man, the love between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, the way God’s Law provided blessing for the disadvantaged, and how God kept his promise to use his people to be a blessing and how he used that blessing to keep his promise to his people.

Ruth’s loyalty is rewarded by God and Boaz. Boaz’s loyalty was rewarded by God and his choice of a lineage for the King. We are reminded, in the course of this story, of God’s great love for all peoples and his desire to bring them to himself.

//Inspiration: Ruth 2:12
[Boaz said to Ruth] May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.

//Incarnation: My take on the reading for me
I can’t help but notice all the “blessing” that goes on in such short book. Even in the middle of deep bitterness for her loss, Naomi can find a heart to bless her daughter-in-laws and look out for their best interests. This giving a blessing becomes the background music for this whole story. This is a story of God’s faithfulness to bring about His blessing. But the greatest blessing of all was to be an outsider — a foreign widow — who was brought into the covenant family of the Lord. Ruth was brought into the family and then made the great grandmother of King David and in the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus the Lord. This short book is a reminder that I’ve got to find ways to help those who are widows and orphans and poor find their way into the grace of God’s wings of protection. Maybe this is where the trip to Africa fits in.

//Invitation: My Prayer Today
O LORD God, please bless the Malagassy students who are so close to completing their journey through school and who still need my support and encouragement. Thank you for Dale and Joyce who have offered them so much. Use me in some way to make a difference now, here, for them. I also pray that you will help me do the work you want me to do in my upcoming trip to Uganda. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

So much interest swirls around angels these days. While some of that has to do with Christmas and the angels who welcomed Christ at His birth, a lot of has to do with interest in spiritual things. Angels are a “soft” way to talk about spiritual matters without having to lay your cards down on the table and confess that you believe that Jesus is THE answer. With angels, you can talk about the nether-world of spiritual matters, but never have to make the ultimate spiritual commitment about THE One spiritual guide to whom you will entrust your life. You can play “all religion is basically the same” card and keep from offending anyone.

The birth of Jesus Christ, however, challenges us to hear the claim of Scripture. Jesus is God, come to be with us in human flesh (John 1:14, 18). He Himself claims to be the only way to ultimate spiritual truth, the only genuine path to God, and the only One in whom is found lasting and authentic life (John 14:6).

My daily Bible reading today, Hebrews 1, makes the claim that Jesus is far superior to angels. He is God’s Son. He is God’s ultimate message, God’s great and authoritative Word to us for the last days. Jesus is the one angels worship!

//Inspiration: Hebrews 1:6
“And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

//Incarnation: My take on this verse for me today
Angels are God’s blessing to us. They are sent to serve us as we seek to serve Christ. But, as fascinating they may be and as big a role as they play in the birth of Jesus, I must never, ever, lose my sense of the uniqueness and sufficiency and exclusive nature of Jesus.

//Invitation:
O Father, thank you for speaking to us completely and fully in your Son. I join the angels in worshiping and honoring Him as Lord! Amen.