Awakenings: What We've Been Hearing

Psalm 90--a song of Moses
Isaiah 40--pay attention to the grass image
Ecclesiastes 12--we're all gonna die, but not till we get real crusty, some of us...
James 4--eschew arrogance

In Meeting this week, I asked Mr. Weiss if he considered himself "Lucky" to have reached 80+ years. Dude, you guys should pay attention to the look on his face. "No", he replied. Did you see the sincerity? The loneliness? The frustration at losing his strength, focus, memory, life-partner and friend?

Honestly, I don't know why we are so obsessed with living so long and so well. It's this whole "american dream" thing, I guess.

Think about it, How few of Earth's inhabitants get as Rich, Healthy, strong and Knowledgeable as the descendants of Those Dutch and Scots who got this America thing started? Granted, we're evening the score with a diet made up of almost entirely fat, grease, oil sugar and meats, which spawns a curve-leveling rate of diabetes, gout, heart disease and general malaise...

But seriously, how many of earth's inhabitants are offered the opportunity that even the poorest of us Americans is afforded? Check out Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia... Now scoot on through the USSR or Russia or whatever that great mass of splintered nations and cultures (Gog? Magog?) is gonna be called on the new maps this year... and check out Greece, Macedonia, and France and Italy...
Dude, a kid in Italy? the mafia so has things held down there. get serious. You can't get anything done in Italy. In america, you can start your own skateboard company and give it to your friend and he can make something of it with God's help. In Italy, it sucks.
Now check out England? They had the world taken over. Blew it.
Foget about Africa? Forget about south America? forget about that "world as a village" book that shows us that we are KINGS in the history of the earth, if we have a cup of coffee to read this by?

So as Christians among an amazingly affluent society, we are so often decieved, like a frog in an ever-heating pot doesn't know he's about to boil, into a quest for immortality that is a direct affront to the ways of God!
We neglect those parts of the Message that pertain to the fragility of our lives, the sureness of our decline and demise in this world, and the eternality and thoroughness of God's Judgment at the end of it all.

here in Isaiah, Psalm 90, and Ecclesiastes 12, we have solemn reminder to hold loosely the things of earth, though they are entrusted to our stewardship for the moments strung together that we call "Our lives". Consider that it is the breath of God that withers the strength and achievements of mankind, not some aberration...

Consider Romans 8, which speaks of God, who is love, subjecting the world to frustration in hope of it being liberated...
Consider the smallness of our perspective and the greatness of His, described in Isaiah 55 "...my thoughts...my ways...your thoughts...your ways..."

Think about the liberation that humility before Him brings, and consider the fear that is due Him. Consider that fear, that very terror as resolved and transformed by the Murder of our Lord on that day... He has proven that He loves you more than His very own life!!! And embrace that fear, letting it do the work in your heart...
Consider Matthew 10, where Jesus calls it as he sees it, once again, saying something like, "...don't be afraid of those who can only kill your bodies, but be afraid of the one who, after killing your body can throw both body and soul into HELL."

I can't imagine how ridiculous all of the vampire/witchcraft lore of this world is to God. This "ooh, the witchdoctor stole your soul! ooh the satanists are going to steal your soul in some out of body warfare..." have you ever encountered those beliefs? Maybe something like Buffy the Vampire slayer or something. Man that's wack!

...and I can't imagine how ridiculous all of the christian-esque religion of our land's churches is, either! Because you won't get drilled with these scriptures in a month of sundays, lambs! I'm serious. These are the Scrips that make wise and make faithful, and they get relegated to some "fire and brimstone" label and softer fare is offered...

and the fire is gone from our pulpits, and the churches have become pawns of so much that they were meant to shine light on.
and they have grown fat with numbers of people who don't actually believe in the Jesus who is described faithfully in Scripture...

so it would be great to be up this morning pressing out a fresh, sweet encouragement to all of you, or diving deep into some massive Old Testament shadowing and imagery of Christ... but the Spirit is calling us to a contention for the truth.

The gloves are off. There is a Jesus. he is faithfully and authoritatively described in Scripture. Get Into Him...