Category Archives: Repentance

Why God Won’t Listen

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Don’t bother praying for those people; it won’t do any good.  That’s what God said!  He said, it’s a waste of time to pray for them because I’m not going to listen and I won’t help them.  Really?  Who was He talking about?  ISIS?  Babylon?  Nope.  He was talking about His own, Chosen People.  He’d had enough.  Here it is, straight out of the Bible:

16 “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.  (Jeremiah 7:16)

Obviously His own people had done something very offensive to lead to that attitude from the same God Who rescued them from slavery, provided them a land “flowing with milk and honey,” and protected them from their hostile neighbors.  What had they done that was so bad?

17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.  (Jeremiah 7:17-18)

Today, this same evil masquerades as religious tolerance.  “All gods are the same; all religions are equally valid.”  “I won’t teach my children about God because I want them to choose which god to worship – if any.”  Go far enough down that road and you can forget about praying.  The real God won’t be listening.

But, in case this sounds to you as though God has an ego problem, consider, when He brought His people out of slavery, the first thing He taught them was this:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.  (Exodus 20:2-3)

His motivation was not for His own fame or esteem but for their well being.  Here’s the rest of what He said to Jeremiah:

22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.  (Jeremiah 7:22-23)

Laced through all the tough, “don’t bother praying” passages in this prophecy, is the invitation and plea for His people to turn back and be restored.  God isn’t being cruel.  He alone is God.  He knows what works and what does not.

Not so “Meek and Mild”

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Jesus chased people out of the temple courts with a whip.  Why?  They were using the place to make money.  Another time, as He tipped over their tables and chased them away, He said:

“‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’  (Matthew 21:13)

If those guys had been paying attention to God’s Word, they’d have known better. Jesus was quoting from a complaint by God written several hundred years earlier.  Here’s the first half of what Jeremiah wrote:

Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?   (Jeremiah 7:11a)

Religious shysters were nothing new in Jesus’ day.  They are still at it today.  A quick Google search, using “pastor” and “swindling” will give you 401,000 hits!  Apparently those crooks aren’t paying attention either.  Instead of shaking down the flock they’d be shaking in their boots.  Here’s the rest of what God said:

Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.  ( Jeremiah 7:11)

God wasn’t kidding…

Ancient Paths

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Do you still use your “Veg-e-matic,” or have you gone back to your kitchen knife and cutting board?  There’s a reason you see so many infomercial products on garage sale tables.  The old, tried and true methods, generally work better.  They’ve stood the test of time.  It’s important to remember that when you consider whether to buy the next better mousetrap.  Or idea.

Our culture has majored in tearing down old, tried and true ideas.  We celebrate our freedom from them, proudly following new, contemporary ideas.  But history has seen many Veg-e-matic ideas tossed on the garage sale “free pile.”  There really is value in paying attention to the wisdom of generations past.  I’m not talking about ideas like the world is flat.  I’m specifically thinking about knowing the value of living with a deep respect for Almighty God, a responsiveness to His guidance.  People abandon that idea, thinking it will tangle them up in old superstitions.  But check it out:  that old idea is tried and true.  What it really does is bring peace:

This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.  (Jeremiah 6:16a)

Done

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Can you really forgive if you don’t forget?  God doesn’t think so.  When He forgives He forgets.  Speaking about all those who accept His forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus, He says:

12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.  (Hebrews 8:12)

So, this woman goes to her priest and says, “I have a word from God for you.”  “Oh no,” he replies, “we don’t do that in this church.”  She persists and he finally tells her to prove she really is in contact with God.  He tells her to ask God to tell her the last sin he owned up to in confession.  If she gets it right, he’ll listen to what she has to tell him.  When she comes back, the priest asks her what God told her was his last confessed sin.  She says, “God said He can’t remember…”

Of course, you could ask all sorts of logical questions about what could be impossible for an all-sovereign deity.  But the point is this:  once God has forgiven you, that is the end of it.  He will never bring it back up and hold it as leverage against you.  When you accept Jesus’ payment on the cross as a full payment for all  your sin, your account is paid in full.  It’s done.

Christmas Lights – Part 3

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The next morning, it took Fred awhile to remember where he was.

 [This short story begins here]

When he looked around and remembered, he wasn’t sure just how much of what had happened had been a dream. Trying to get a better grip, he got up and splashed cold water on his face from the basin in the corner.  He quietly made his way down the stairs, thinking, “I’ll just leave a note of thanks and some money.” But Papa was just setting out a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and called him into the kitchen.

As they ate together, Papa said, “You are probably a bit confused just now about what has happened to you. It’s all right; don’t worry. That is the way it feels to most people when they come here. They wake up with a lot of questions, wondering if they have been dreaming or something. That is why I gave you the book. You are going to find a lot of answers in there. You will be amazed at how, the more you learn, the more questions you will have and the more you will want to know. Just keep that book handy.  Gradually, you’ll begin to get the hang of it.”

“What happened to me?” Fred asked.

“You had your heart fixed; you came to Life – real Life. That empty place in your heart has been filled with life and light. Jesus has come to live in your heart. You don’t have to protect yourself from being hurt anymore, you don’t have to be afraid to love and be loved. You don’t need to worry about being vulnerable. Now that He is alive in you, you will never be alone. You have been given a new kind of life and power – a new kind of light. It takes some getting used to, but as you will see, everything will be different. Oh, your car is still broken. It’s still cold and snowy outside. Your wife and kids are still gone. None of that has changed. Perhaps some of that will get fixed, in time – who knows? But you will discover as you leave here and go back out to your car, you will experience all these things with new peace, new power. But don’t worry: Trust Him, like He said. And, oh, by the way, let me be the first to say it to you: Merry Christmas!”

About an hour later, as Fred climbed up into the cab of the tow truck, he noticed how the snow, which had looked so menacing last night, now seemed to sparkle with beauty. The driver looked over at Fred, jammed the truck into gear, and growled, “Bummer to be stuck on Christmas, eh?”

Fred just smiled and said, “You know, the most amazing thing happened to me last night…”

The name of that story is, Christmas Lights. There are many kinds of light that we experience at Christmas.

  • There are Christmas lights on houses, for example. Some only see those lights from a distance, but others go over to get closer. The Wise Men did that.
  • Then there is the light that is an invitation, spilling out from God’s front door. Some see that light and walk on by, feeling a bit wistful but not going in. Others kick the snow off their boots, go in and accept a hot mug of cider and a seat by the fire. Mary did that.
  • Some are content to just sit in the glow of the firelight, and the lights on a Christmas tree – but others see a gift with their name written on it. As they open the gift to see what it is, they discover that the gift is Jesus, who offers to heal the wounds, take away the twistedness and sin, and light a lamp of life in the darkness in their heart.  Some say, “No thanks, I can do this by myself.” But others trust Him and receive the gift. Lots of times they wake up the next day, a bit bewildered. With amazement, they begin to learn what has happened, and how Jesus died to make it possible. They have heard these things before but now they begin to understand. It is like the dawning light of a new day – the thrill of watching the sunrise on Christmas morning – as they begin to see how it all fits together.

Of all the different kinds of Christmas light, that one is the absolute best. It is the light that Jesus lights in a heart that never goes out, the light of true life. Jesus said it like this: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“Yet in the dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.”

Merry Christmas!  May you be blessed in 2017!

Tom

Kindness

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The divers came upon a whale, tangled in an abandoned net, who would die if not released.  Trouble was, the whaled was freaked out and likely to injure or kill them if they got close enough to help.  But by their gentle and peaceful approach they gradually won her trust.  She allowed them to begin the tortuous task of cutting away the tough net to set her free.  Their gentleness, their kindness, convinced the whale she could trust them and submit to their rescue procedures.  I watched this amazing story with awe and will give you the link below.  But read this verse from Romans carefully and think about that principle:

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?   (Romans 2:4)

God’s kindness was costly.  He accepted the risk of excruciating death in order to draw close enough to cut away the net that holds us captive.  Don’t dismiss that kindness or take it for granted.  Submit to what He is trying to do for you.  Let Him cut you free.

To watch the whale video, click HERE.  Make sure to watch all the way to the end to see a pretty good image of what Jesus meant by “life to the full.”