These Dreams

I just finished reading the book of Daniel.  A recurring theme throughout the book is dreams, visions, and their interpretation.  My head is practically spinning from all the imagery, metaphor and symbolism.  Between all the kings and kingdoms represented by beasts, stars and horns and the visions of the short term mixed with visions of the end times, it's difficult to absorb it, let alone correctly interpret it.  Like most Biblical prophecy, I believe Daniel has multiple layers of meaning.  Some prophecies that were understood and recognized as being fulfilled by the contemporary readers may yet have meaning for readers of today.  When I read passages like this, I remember these words from Isaiah:

“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.  Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:9-10

This is what the Lord decreed for His faithless people when the vast majority of them had abandoned Him to pursue other deities.  The words of warning spoken by Isaiah were apparently intended for the few remaining faithful, who would become the stump of God's chosen people, but I'm confident that they have meaning still for us today.  Why?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17

No Problem, Mon

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9

This is a very simple idea; so simple in fact that it is easy to forget all about it.  I wonder how many people take the time to do an inventory of the past day and confess to and ask forgiveness for their sins?  If God already knows everything, He surely knows what our sins are, far more clearly than we do; why does He want us to confess our sins to Him?

Confessing our sins does not benefit God; it benefits us.  It does not change God, it changes us.  All sin is evil; from simple lies of convenience to murder.  This is the bad news.  The good news is, there is no sin that God cannot and will not forgive when we sincerely seek forgiveness from Him.  God is infinite; His ability to forgive is infinitely greater than our ability to sin.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18

No matter how badly you think you have failed; no matter how far you think you have strayed from the path that God has set for you, He is willing and ready to take you back if you will just return to Him.  Think of the story of the so-called “Prodigal Son”.  After he had lost all his money, this young man returned home in shame, intending to beg his father to take him back as a hired servant.  As he was nearing home, his father saw him from a distance.  This father, who had every right to be angry and berate the son for his foolish behavior, forgot his pain, forgot his pride, even forgot his dignity, and ran to his son.  God is just like the father in the story.  Just as the father in the story bore the cost of his son's failure, God has paid the cost for us.

This is what God says; “If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just and will forgive all of your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.”  This is the most incredible invitation that anyone could ever receive.  Take the simple step and that this invitation today.

Ninety

A hundred miles from Omaha

A sunny day, but not quite summer

A child was born; a baby came

Leola had a little girl

Soon she was a woman

Wild at heart and brave

With a soul of independence

And a spirit none could tame

She put her hands to work

Though but a child still

Arcing current, wielding fire

She bent iron to her will

With hands that had formed steel

Now grown a bit more soft

She raised and reared six children

Setting each of them aloft

Those hands, so used to working

Just seem to keep on moving

She sets a proud example

In the deeds that she is doing

In her hands, crocheting needles

Turn threads to works of art

Every stich is filled with love

For the people in her heart

Four generations now

Her children, great and grand

Her touch is felt by dozens now

With many more at hand

So many she has touched

How many she has blessed

Of all the hearts on earth

She ranks among the best

Nobody's Fool

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:25

I routinely ask God for wisdom; what if I asked Him for His foolishness?  How foolish could I be for God?  What if I need to look foolish to the world to better serve Him?  What would it look like to be foolish for God?  From Ecclesiastes, I know what wisdom looks like; more wisdom and more knowledge bring more sorrow and grief.  In other words, sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16

What does this seemingly contradictory statement actually mean?  Let's think about what's happening here.  Jesus is sending the disciples out to announce the kingdom of God to the people of Israel.  This is hazardous work; Jesus knew that He was headed to the cross, to die.  This was His whole mission on earth.  His disciples would suffer similarly as they worked to achieve the tasks God had given them.

Now, what about snakes; how are they shrewd?  What does it mean to be shrewd?  To be shrewd is to be crafty and observant, always on the lookout for ways to accomplish your goals.  This is a trait that Christians would do well to strive for.

Finally, we must be as innocent as doves.  Doves live with few cares.  They build sloppy nests in dangerous places.  And yet, they are a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  And why shouldn't they be?  When it comes to pouring out the Holy Spirit, God is reckless.  When God gives good gifts, He gives them like this: “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into your lap.”

So what does this mean?  I think it comes around it back to where we started.  Let us live shrewdly, filled with the wisdom of God while appearing foolish to the world with our reckless generosity.

Three Lock Box

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

If there could be just three passages that sum up what our approach to life should be, I think that these three would be a good choice.  In just a few simple sentences, we see laid out for us these seemingly simple principles that no government on earth has ever improved upon.  No system of philosophy, code of conduct or set of regulations ever devised is likely to produce better results than this behavior model set out for us in the Bible.

Serve others.  Be content with what you have.  Work hard at whatever you do.  These statements would not be out of place in a modern self-help book.  It is curious to me that many supposedly secular ideas about morality seem to be based on biblical principles.  This similarity in the moral code between otherwise unrelated worldviews seems to indicate that there is such a thing as objective morality.  In other words, there are certain moral standards that are true for everyone, everywhere.

Abstract concepts such as morality, logic and reason do not have physical reality.  In order for abstract concepts to exist, there must also exist intelligent beings, capable of abstract thought.  To imagine it another way, think of your reflection.  If there were no mirrors or other reflective surfaces, could your reflection actually exist?  In the same manner, the thoughts in our minds could not exist if we did not have minds to think thoughts in.

If anyone is willing to concede that abstract concepts actually do exist, and very few people would claim that they do not, then the door in their thinking is open to the existence of immaterial things.  From there, the idea of a creator, existing outside of the universe is not such an impossibility.

We Belong

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”
John 15:18-21

Just about a year ago, I wrote of how God can use people the world sees as useless to accomplish His purpose.  “The world doesn't want you”, was the central point of my discourse.

This passage goes a bit further.  Here, we see that the world does not just have a passive disdain towards the followers of Christ; there is an active hatred towards them.

This makes me immediately uncomfortable.  According to these words, straight from the mouth of Jesus, captured in an intimate moment as he was speaking to His closest followers, we should expect to be treated just as badly as Jesus was.  I'm pretty sure you've heard... Jesus was executed, brutally.  These words proved prophetic for the disciples as well, considering that all but one of them were eventually killed for their faith.  When have I faced anything worse than embarrassment or inconvenience for my faith?  If there isn't some evidence of the hatred the world should bear for you in your life, it may be wise for you to sit down and take a serious look at your relationship with God.  As usual, I am writing this as much for myself as for anyone else.  Based on this standard, my relationship with God is severely lacking.

“His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
Acts 5:40-41

This is how the apostles responded after being flogged and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus.  They rejoiced because of their suffering.  I don't know about you, but I hate suffering.  I hate being uncomfortable or in pain for any reason.  How incredible would be to be so caught up in your relationship with God that the suffering in this life means nothing to you?

If you truly want this kind of relationship with God, you can have it.  There is no turning back once you start down this road, however.  After everything that God has done for us, and in light of His incredible sacrifice on our behalf, we truly owe Him nothing less.  The world may not want you; the world may even hate you, but we belong to God.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot...

2012 was quite a year, huh?  For me, it was the year that my God was the central focus of my life.  My life has had it's ups and downs, with both challenges and joys nearly every day.  My family was my other priority and where I spent the vast majority of my time and energy.  Finally, each one of you, my extended family and friends who have been reading the words I have written this year on facebook, in my books or on my blog; I have attempted to give you a glimpse into my mind.  I pray that I have made you think, laugh, cry or maybe even consider your place in relation to God.  As we look forward to the year to come, I pray that we do so in hope, ready to accept the sunny days and weather the dark, stormy clouds that we are certain to face.  In this world, we will have trouble, but there is one who has overcome the world.  Now to you, 2012; I bid you farewell.

In His Love and Peace;

Kenny R Brown