Sunday, January 12, 2014

How Long Will We Waver?

Remember the story of Elijah squaring off with Jezebel’s false prophets, the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal {1 Kgs. 18:22}? 1 Kings 18:21 tells us, “Elijah came near to all the people [Meaning he got right down in the midst of them, face to face, muzzle to muzzle:] and said, ‘How long will you hesitate [Or ‘waver,’ NIV] between two opinions?” The Hebrew verb pasach means- ‘pass, spring, or skip over;’ lit., what it says is, “How long will you hop back and forth between the Lord your God and Baal, how long will you skip from one to the other?” You see, the sin of the Northern Kingdom was religious syncretism, an admixture of allegiances, a sometimes subtle but more often not-so-subtle blending of the worship of Baal with the worship of Yahweh, taking a little bit of the true and adding a whole lot of the false!

Now, here comes some very practical advice. Some of us reading this need to see it and hear it— maybe this moment. “If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’” Whatever your “god” is out here, whatever you’ve made your god and given your heart to, whatever you’ve placed over, in front of or before the Lord Jesus Christ, follow it whole-heartedly. Give everything you’ve got to it, without reserve. If this is your god, then this is what you believe can make you happy, bring you peace, satisfy your soul. Right? Don’t play these foolish little games and turn to one, then back to the other, then back again. If you’re going to worship this false god, give it your undivided attention, affection, and devotion.

As a shepherd of souls, I happen to agree with this approach wholeheartedly. Go grande or go Home, baby... but don’t monkey around with your idol-worship! Give it everything you’ve got. Cause if you don’t, if you’re just toe-tapping on the dance-floor of America’s false gods, there’s always going to be a little voice in the back of your mind saying, “Maybe you ought to give it one more try.” “As a dog returns to its vomit...,” right? So goes the Proverb.

Scripture then says, “But the people,” wisely I might add, “did not answer him a word.” This is at least some measure of wisdom and discernment: “the people did not answer him a single word.” They were going to wait this one out, see for themselves who wins this battle. In the end, they make their choice... the right one. They choose the Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ {Yahweh Elohiym} over the filth and the falsehood of demonic idolatry. How long, my friends, before we do the same?

Ric Webb, Shepherd
Heart's Journey Community
hjcommunity.org

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Emptiness of Arrogance

Let’s begin with a question. Do you want to wage War effectively in the Conflict of Christ? Walking in humility is how we do it, in the opposite of arrogance and anger. Humility is a matter of knowing in the deepest depths of your heart who you are in Christ Jesus, the beloved Child of a perfect and passionate Father; then living from that reality. Humility is the grateful recognition that all we have, all we are, and all we ever will be is courtesy of grace; everything honorable, true, powerful and pure in our lives is a gift from God. Jesus said, and I think it’s as clear a statement as has ever been uttered, that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” {Lk. 18:14}.

Understand that history is a story of the defeat of arrogance. History is a story of the inadequacy of arrogance in every endeavor of life. It is a sordid Tale which chronicles on the pages of human lives and written in bloody ink the insufficiency of arrogance as a personal approach to Love and to Life. When you live this way, as practical atheists {some of whom are believers, but obviously not Followers}, rejecting God and His perfect provision in Jesus, there is only judgment left. When you spurn His grace and spit on His mercy that leaves only swift and certain judgment. And sooner or later, arrogance is always judged.

Sir Francis Bacon once said, “It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else, and still unknown to himself.” Oh my gosh… wow. What do you say to a sentence like that in a world like ours?

Unfortunately, and it is unfortunate, it is sad beyond description, I’ve known many such men in my life— and women. And so have you. Utterly and incomprehensibly blinded by the arrogance of self-absorption, the pride of self-promotion {yes, even in ‘Christian ministry’}, or the hubris of self-hatred, which is equally as toxic to our lives in the Spirit of Christ. Honesty, openness, transparency and humility would be good places to start, don’t you think? Ruthless honestly concerning our selves, our sin, and our Savior, openness with others, transparency toward those I love, and humility before the God of this Universe, and we just might find ourselves in a very healthy place, well on our way to a whole heart and a holy Life. What do you say?

Ric Webb, Shepherd
Heart's Journey Community
hjcommunity.org