Do We Have The Persistence And Faith To Be Good At Serving God Through Difficulties?
Good Morning Friends,
In today’s lectionary selection God is addressing disappointed and disillusioned people who accuse God of being unfair. We got a sense of the situation in the story of Jonah yesterday and now an echo of this problem from the book of Malachi. People are bitterly frustrated and begin to speak against God. But the writer is clear. God is still in control and still loves his people they just do not yet know the plan of Jesus. Friends, the beauty is that we belong to God and are one of the treasured possessions of God, but the story is not about us, it is about God. We may even feel special and realize that there are rewards in our character in living a Christian life. But sometimes even the religious will have doubts and can become cynical. To explore this problem, we pose today’s question. Do We Have The Persistence And Faith To Be Good At Serving God Through Difficulties?
Scripture: You have spoken harsh words against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, “How have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God. What do we profit by keeping his command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of hosts? Now we count the arrogant happy; evildoers not only prosper, but when they put God to the test they escape.” Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the Lord and thought on his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Malachi 3:13-20b (NRSV)
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:5-13 (NRSV)
Message: Well, the answer to today’s question is a big no! In fact, the prophets and the disciples we right in a way, for the task is impossible for humans. So, stop beating yourself up. The text even says we are evil. But we cannot leave the answer there. For what is impossible for us is possible for God and if we ask God to do it for us, we might just be transformed in the process. Sure, in the trying and failing there are rewards and punishment. This is part of the story in our doing or the lack of doing. And ultimately, we must decide if the consequences are worth it at all. People will have doubts here. But that is not the problem. The issue is not our doubts nor about the power of God, for we believe that God has the power, but we miss the thing about God wanting to give us good things and yet still we want to do it on our own, even though that is impossible. We miss the point about God’s nature being persistent and faithful enough to make up for what we lack. I will say it again, it is not about us. It is not about our pastors or priests either. It is not about the missionary in service of the Kingdom. It is about God and thankfully
God considers us as jewels and of great value to be gathered together when Jesus comes again even though we are for the time being all rather pathetic. But do not grieve the Spirit. God is still in control. And even though we are evil, God never wills this and is gracious nevertheless.
And So, we are to believe therefore that God has our best interests at heart. We are to believe that God does want us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of a moral and spiritual order. We get the sense of this in passage from Luke about the shameless neighbor. You see, we are to speak out but also love. We are to ask, seek and knock as an active work of prayer believing that God will do what we cannot. And so, even though a response is demanded, and we cannot do what we must do, God’s grace solves the problem once we understand it is about God’s will and character not ours.
Pray we have a proper perspective of who God is when we engage in a conversation with the divine. Pray our speech is not deceptive, perverse, unkind or abusive. Pray also that we realize this is not about good feelings and thoughts, but it is about the right attitude. Pray therefor we share in the persistence and faith that is a gift of Jesus and not of our own doing. Pray in Christ’s faith we are transformed with reverence and grace that spills over into the lives of others. Pray we serve God with courage and righteousness. Pray Jesus make our sanctification completed so we might inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for us. Pray we love God apart from the fear of punishment and the hope of rewards. Pray we give some serious thought to what we ask of God for we might just get it.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 