Mocked and Scorned

On August 31, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 115: 2        God’s Word

Why should other nations say, “Where is their God?”

This is one of the things which has most bothered me about the corona virus outbreak. No nation has had a bigger outbreak than the United States. My thinking is that we ought to fare well because of our God. Let me show you this same verse from the Passion Translation. It reads, “Why should the unbelievers mock us, saying, ‘Where is this God of yours?’” Does that not aggravate you a little? It bothers me a lot. This great nation, established in and by God is struggling with the viral outbreak. Why?

In the beginning of this, I thought we would get our prayer guns out and defeat this. It hasn’t turned out that way. God gave me a prayer for us to pray. He gave me a vision of what the solution looked like (you will find each on my website, IveyMinistries.org). In my heart and mind, I imagined us combining in fervent prayer with the result being that we would quickly overcome the virus. I feel mocked, like other nations are saying, “Where is their God” and it does disturb me. Whose theology is right? Have I gotten mine wrong?

I believe in my Father, as do you, and I cannot believe He is not eager to move by His great might on our behalf. I strongly believe He is poised and ready. What, then, is holding Him back? Why has He not surged to the fore and slain our enemy for us? I have no doubt that the vision and prayer I received was from our Father. Why are we not seeing this virus seared out of existence? Not only should this nation have overcome this virus, but we should be the force for good to pray for all other nations of the world sending healing and the eradication of the virus for all. I am perplexed and chagrined that this is not the reality we are experiencing. Worst of all, I feel guilty. If God is not to blame, then what is the problem? Are the nations of the world mocking my God or are they mocking me? It is irritating, but mostly because in my heart I fear I am the problem.

Verse 16 of this same psalm reads, “The highest heaven belongs to the Lord, but he has given the earth to the descendants of Adam.” This is the verse that is disturbing. Is God poised but awaiting me? Is that what this new dispensation is about? God within me means I am His hands in the earth? We know that we are to live a life intertwined with God. That means that we don’t run off and do anything in our own strength, but it means, also, that God’s movement in the earth is intertwined with us. That thought is troubling. I welcome your thoughts.

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Supremacy

On August 24, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 114: 7 – 8

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, before the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of water.

This psalm is about how the earth yielded to the command of the Lord when Israel fled from Egypt. The sea parted, the river stood back, and rocks even produced drinking water. This may be a good meditation for a world overrun by a viral enemy. Everything which has a name must bow to the Lord. That includes mountains, rivers, seas, and viruses.

Tell me, what distinguishes the time of the Exodus from our time? The Israelites saw many miracles. Is there any reason we should not? We seem to experience fewer miracles in our everyday existence but is it true that they are not happening? And, if they are, why are they happening in some circumstances and not everywhere and prolifically?

I do believe this new “Christ in us” life has changed the playing field. The Israelites had an intercessor, someone who spoke to God on their behalf. Moses and Aaron were appointed by God to speak for the people. We, however, no longer need a priest to go before God for us. We have direct access to the High Priest, Jesus Himself. Moreover we have been invited to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,” (Hebrews 4: 16). We do not have to stand outside the gate and beg admittance or solicit someone else to make intercession for us.

This change is great for us, but I wonder, too, if it doesn’t place a greater responsibility upon each of us as individual priestly servants unto the Lord. God is still on His throne and He is as interested in us individually and collectively as ever. The earth does tremble before Him and rivers will pause in their course. He will even heal a nation or an entire world. But how? And what role do we play in it?

Our God is all powerful and mighty in deed. I want to see His power reigning in the earth. I want to see His victorious triumph. Show yourself, Lord, to a hungry people. Make the earth stand up and take notice of your greatness. Heal the land, Father, and all who dwell upon it. Lead us and teach us to serve your goals and desires. Give the victory into our hand through our faith and devotion to you. Bless your people O, Lord, as we learn to live in Your ways.

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Praise

On August 17, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 113: 1 – 3              The Message Bible

Hallelujah! You who serve God, praise God! Just to speak his name is praise! Just to remember God is a blessing – now and tomorrow and always. From east to west, from dawn to dusk, keep lifting all your praises to God!

This is one of those verses which has different readings in different translations. There are varying nuances on the theme, and you might be interested in reading it in different Bibles. One of the easy ways to do that is to go to Bible Gateway. You can bring up this, or any other passage, in multiple translations at once. I landed here for one simple reason. The idea that simply remembering God is a blessing provoked my thinking. Having read that I backed up a sentence and thought, “Just to speak His name is a blessing.” It reminded me of a chat I had with the Father yesterday. I was about to pray for some people and began my prayer with, “Father.” I was struck by what an amazing blessing and privilege it is to get to call Him “Father.” I almost wanted to whisper so He wouldn’t figure out what a bad deal He got when He got me. There is no way I am worthy to be His own child. In fact, that is crazy to me.

I don’t praise Him nearly as often as I should. I don’t sing to Him as often as I should. I remember singing for my grandmothers and how much they enjoyed that. Maybe He loves that simple time together. And I believe when I breathe His name it blesses Him simply because I am thinking about Him. It is a blessing to me, and I believe blessing flows down that connection I have established with Him when I call His name.

From the rising of the sun, until its setting, God’s children should speak His name and lift praises. That praise gives us strength and establishes us in the way we should go. It aids us in integration and walking hand in hand with Him. Praise the Lord, all His people. Sing your gratitude. Let the air be saturated with praises to the King.

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Righteous Life

On August 10, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 112: 1 – 6

Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever.

Today’s passage shows the characteristics and benefits of a life lived in reverence to the Lord. It describes the life of the person who loves the Lord. Blessing and prosperity adorn his life and he is prosperous in all his ways. It also shows his personality traits, traits which are gained through living enamored with God.

The person who loves God is a righteous person. That does not mean he is holier than thou. It means he is in right standing with God. Our righteous standing with God is part of the miracle and part of the mystery of Jesus’ victory. If I boast in my righteousness it is only because of what Christ has done for me. Though we didn’t earn it, that righteousness entitles us to a benefits package. I think it has a price too. We are to trade our life in the world, and any benefits it may have, for a life in Christ. We give up our place in the world for a life in him. It appears as a sacrifice but once you have transitioned you realize that you gain far more than you give up. I find this is a process. We are beginning to glimpse the great joy and benefit of living in Christ. The more we give up of ourselves, the more we gain. That is just like our Father. His kingdom makes no sense to the worldly mind.

This life in Christ has a transformative impact on our personalities. Now, that will cause some people great consternation. “Do you mean I have to give up who I am to be in Christ?” No, not really, and then, absolutely yes. The laying down of our lives becomes a pleasure, a freedom rather than a sacrifice. And truthfully, you are not giving up who you are but rather the imperfected you in exchange for the glorified you. You will still be you but the 2.0 version, and then 2.1, etc. You are evolving, transforming, coming out of your chrysalis as the beautiful butterfly which was always in your DNA. This transformation is reflected in today’s passage. Please look at this language again, “He is gracious and compassionate and righteous, . . . [he] is gracious and lends.” You can measure your level of transformation by this quote. As the transformation takes place, you will find yourself more generous, compassionate and gracious. It strikes me that graciousness is listed twice. The repetition must have significance.

I was just thinking about how we bless and care for others and Father blesses and cares for us. The blessing must flow downstream. Jesus wants us to live intertwined with him so that he can take care of us and has told us that we are not to have care about our own lives. We are to care about others. Once our minds and spirits are free from worrying about ourselves all the time, and thinking about ourselves, then we are able to hear the Lord communicate with us about the needs of others. It really is a great joy to be used of God to bless someone else. It is an honor to be trusted with even a small fragment of Jesus’ ministry.

Blessed is the person who loves and reveres the Lord. Blessed and to be envied is the one whose life is intertwined in the Christ. May it show in our actions. Let God’s name be lifted up and praised because of the generosity and caring of His children.

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Our Time

On August 3, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Psalm 111: 4

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

My favorite verse in this psalm is actually verse 10, “The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” That is the verse I intended to use for today’s Word of the Day. I didn’t use it because when I read verse 4 this idea of God’s compassion overtook my mind and heart. I was immediately given to understand that being in the Lord is how we are able to express compassion and to be gracious. Those two traits might not be intrinsic to humans, but we have the ability to express them expansively because He is in us giving life to our mortal bodies. His life within us is filling us with His goodness so that we have His love to share with others. This, the love and compassion of our dear Father, is what the world needs now, most of all.

I had an interesting conversation, this week, with someone who shared with me the sense that Christians are not showing their love at this time. Where we ought to be the voice of love and grace, she hears judgment and hate. I am chagrined down to my bones. My spirit has not been so aggrieved in many years. How is it that in the midst of a worldwide calamity, Christian compassion is not the talk of the town. As I listened, I had to admit that I have turned off Facebook for the very same reason. I don’t hear love, compassion or Christ like zeal either. I hear judgement and division. I decided that my time was better spent in prayer and meditation.

This is a challenging time for us all and as a political science major and law graduate, I was initially drawn in by political analysis. This is a historical time and I wondered how history would record our reactions. I began watching how different political systems dealt with the crisis. It was fascinating and I wanted to be back with my political science buddies, hearing their thoughts. But then something happened. I was called upon to be the pastor that God has called me to be. It forced me into a paradigm shift where I had less luxury for contemplating political science kinds of questions. The world was hurting and that called upon the Spirit within me to respond with God’s comfort. I was blessed to see the immediate sense of community and camaraderie. That spirit of cooperation and teamwork waned though. I had a project in mind that would require the assistance of others. Before I could get it off the ground, compassion and caring were supplanted by politics, division and judgment. No longer was it all for one and one for all.

I am moved, however, in knowing that Christians are still praying. We are God’s hands and voice in the earth to bring comfort and peace. We have an important job to do and that is to spread the love, compassion and graciousness of our Father to all people without regard to race, country of origin, ethnicity, political party or jurisdictional borders. Only we have the power and authority of God for such an important mission and I don’t think we should be taking our role lightly. We shouldn’t forget that every single Christian is an important part in the body of Christ and, as such, is called upon in this time of need. Let others argue about face masks and politics. We have more important things to do. We have the real answers. Why should we burden ourselves with worldly thoughts and arguments? We must decide for whom we stand in this hour of great need. Is it a political party, candidate, position or our Father? Let’s not be argumentative, but rather understanding, compassionate and caring. Let’s reach out to each other and those who may not yet know the love of the Father and give them a taste of His unfailing love. Remember, if we do not show God’s acceptance and understanding, no one will.

You have been called to this day and don’t believe you haven’t, but not to political debate. No, we are called in this time to prayer and the expression of His love. This is the time when you must stand up for love and show your true colors. Turn off the TV and spend some extra time in meditation and conversation with your Father. Open your heart honestly and let Him give you direction and ideas. You are a powerful force for good and this could be the greatest evangelical time of our lives. Let’s not waste it being judgmental and divisive. You are the blessing God has put in the earth and though you may feel like you are not important, I can assure you that you are. Don’t waste your power and authority in Christ Jesus. Be the blessing and voice you were born to be. Be the voice of compassion and grace. Don’t miss your time. Don’t underestimate your value.

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Melchizedek

On July 27, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 110: 4

The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek is an interesting figure. He appeared in Genesis 14: 18 after Abram defeated the three kings. Interestingly, though, Melchizedek is mentioned more often in the New Testament than the Old. When Abram returned from the battle, Melchizedek, the King of Salem and High Priest of God, brought out bread and wine to Abram. Abram, in turn, gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils of war. Very interesting indeed!

First, let us not miss that Salem means peace. So, this Melchizedek was the King of Peace and Jesus is called the Prince of peace. Also, the bread and the wine foreshadow the communion which is the remembrance of Christ’s body and blood being broken and spilled for us. Today’s verse speaks of Jesus that he is forever a priest according to the standing and ways of Melchizedek. Jesus’ priesthood is of the order of Melchizedek.

We can glean many things from today’s passage and those other passages about Melchizedek to which it points, but it cannot be missed that a very important aspect is that Abram gave a tithe of all to the ministry which represents the coming Lord and High Priest.

People really get hung up on tithing and it truly amazes me. I find it harder and harder to teach or preach on tithing because it increasingly seems that it is like breathing, meaning it is just something we do but not something that generally needs a great deal of discussion. When I am pressed to discuss it, I hardly know what to say. Father Abram set the example. Melchizedek brought him out wine and bread, symbolically the broken body and spilled blood of our beloved. How can that remembrance not invoke in me a desire to lay my pittance upon the alter that received my Lord? How is ten percent of anything of more value than my precious Jesus? Abram was only looking forward to the coming Lord. In our day, the Lord has already come and endured horrendous suffering for each of us. Is that not enough to motivate us to replicate Abram’s simple act? And really, should it even take thinking of Jesus’ sacrifice to spurn me to such minuscule action? What of his and the Father’s kindnesses to me today and every day? What of the promise of eternity in their presence? If all God has done for us does not inspire us to a desire to bless Him, then what could He ever do to earn our generosity? You see, I just don’t get it.

We should consider it an honor to support His ministry. We should race each other to the alter to give into His work. I am not unsympathetic, it’s just that I don’t understand the hesitancy. I am blessed, without a doubt, and I bless God that I am able to add my little bit to His offering plate. I could not do it without His grace and help and I know that. I am nothing in myself, but our God enables us to be a blessing and I thank my God that He allows me to be a contributor. It is a joy we should all experience. It should bless our hearts and just feel good to get to partner with God.

Bless the Lord and bless you. I know I am preaching to the choir today. You are the people who give. You are the blessing God has sent. I bless you today in the name of our Lord, Jesus, who is the Christ, the one who has saved and anointed us into his own ministry. May you continually wear his loving grace as a cloak about your shoulders.

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Hand of Salvation

On July 20, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 109: 26 – 27

Help me, O Lord my God; save me according to Your lovingkindness. And let them know that this is Your hand; You, Lord, have done it.

There are two aspects of these verses which sing to me. The first is that our Father saves according to His kindness. The second is that our salvation shall be recognized as the grace which comes from the hand of the Lord God, Yahweh, our Father and deliverer.

The first part is such a relief. God extends His saving grace to us not because we deserve it or have earned it but rather because He is love and kindness. What an important concept this is for us individually as well as theologically. We are relieved of the pressure of earning His many graces. We are expected to turn to Him in our need without regard of our righteousness or lack thereof. Hallelujah! Theologically, doesn’t this make the job of every minister on the planet easier? We do not have to teach you how to earn God’s favor nor continually harangue parishioners to works which will grant them God’s graciousness. I hope that God’s many kindnesses towards us stimulates kindness in us but nothing we can do will help us to earn His kind intentions. No matter how rotten any of us have been in the last week, month or ten years, He still loves us and is willing to help us in all things. Salvation and forgiveness are constantly in His hand.

Some see the glorious touch of the Lord’s grace and still deny His presence, yet our prayer is that His salvation shall be so loud, so glorious and so obvious that no one will be able to deny that it was the hand of the Lord. Father, send your angels with your Word to bring salvation to the earth. Save us, Lord, from our daily perils. Meet our needs by your richness in Christ and shower us with your never-ending mercies. Cause the world and worldly to see you face and your grace. You cause the son and the sun to shine upon the saved and the unsaved; your rain waters us all. Let each person receive of your bounty and be filled. Father, you are the Righteous One. Let us revel in your presence and the beauty of your face. We seek you Lord and beseech you on behalf of all people. Let not our sin fall upon us but rather your mercy. We offer you praise and thanksgiving for caring about us and caring for us. Be praised dear Lord. Amen.

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