What about God and Dishonor?

From yesterday's blog.  "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?"  Romans 9:21


Yesterday I wrote a bit about God and the clay that He molds.  I talked about how that can be a painful thing for the clay, and how I have seen that at work in my life quite frequently.  But I also included the above verse from Romans 9, about how the potter makes some clay into honorable use vessels, and others into vessels for dishonorable use.  So let's talk about that a little today.

What would be a vessel for dishonorable use?  Well, think about some of the ceramic fixtures in your house that you don't exactly show off a lot.  Maybe the first one to jump to mind is found in your bathroom.  Let's face it, going to the bathroom is not exactly something that springs to mind when we think about honorable use.  We treat it with more modesty, hiding it behind closed doors, precisely for that reason: it isn't the most honorable thing in our house.

So, if God molds the clay, and some of it is for honorable use, and others for dishonorable use, then what would be those vessels of dishonorable use?  Or, to put it in a slightly different way, what would be the equivalent of the toilet when God fashions people?  A necessary part of life in this world, but not exactly one that we are proud to admit that we need to use, or that we even really want to admit to having to use.  So what would be the people equivalent of that?

Well, God does actually paint a few pictures of that for us.  Think about Pharoah at the time of the Exodus.  God actually speaks that He put Pharoah in charge so that He could demonstrate His power in freeing His people.  Pharoah would seem to be a vessel for dishonorable use.  Or, at the time of the exile, when God would utilize the Babylonian army to destroy the temple, Jerusalem, and Judah, eventually to bring about their downfall because they overshot what God had given them to do.  It may seem that they were set up for a dishonorable purpose, to be God's sword against His people, only to be discarded for what they had done.

The point I basically make is really the same as yesterday.  If God decides to do that, what can we really say against it?  Can we say that He is wrong to do such things, especially as it serves the purpose of His will and design?  Can we say He is wrong in that at all?  After all, who are we to question the one who makes us, and who has His design for our role in the grand scheme of things?

Really, I think it boils down to this one thing.  How comfortable are we with really saying, believing, and knowing that God is the one who gets to call the shots, and we really don't have much say in the matter?  But don't we say that our lives are in His hands, and that He should do with us what He sees fit?  What if He decided that you were to be a vessel of dishonorable use?  Would you still be able to say, "Praise the Lord"?  If not, what would be getting in the way of that?  It's a thought well worth thinking about. 

The Pain of the Clay

"But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand."  Isaiah 64:8

"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?"  Romans 9:21

"Daddy, make a ball for me."  That was the request of my three year old the other day, as she played with some play-doh.  So I dutifully rolled a ball out for her.  However, she noticed that there was a small "crack" in it, where it had folded over on itself, and I hadn't done an adequate job of getting rid of the "crack".  So she made me roll another one, watching as I squeezed it and pushed it, making sure that it was one solid ball, rather than just several clumps of play-doh pressed together.

At times, it seems that I find God doing much that same thing to me.  He takes this lump of play-doh or clay, and He mashes it together according to His will and design.  Now, I have never heard the play-doh scream out in pain when I've rolled it or pressed it before.  However, it does seem to me that, when God is doing that same thing in my life, it can be rather painful.

There are times in life where I think I have discovered something that looks promising, and then God shows me how He wants the thing to be formed by having me ask others about what I am considering.  Quite often, I have discovered that other people have insights or viewpoints that I had not considered, which sometimes means that the "brilliant" thing I am considering needs considerable refinement.  That is painful, especially to the ego, though I admit that it is a pain that I take rather willingly and joyfully, especially as it pertains to God's kingdom and His people.

There are other times where it seems that God is intent on pressing me in an effort for me to realize just how resiliant He created me to be.  Stringing together nights of little sleep, caring for children who suffer from illness, God has, on a few occasions, shown me just how resilient He created me to be.  I have been amazed how much I have been able to do after nights of only 2-3 hours of interrupted sleep.  The pain of the clay, but done willingly (not always joyfully) for the good of other loved ones.

Let's face it.  It hurts when God forms us.  And yet, I would dare to suggest that this is necessary pain.  How can we be the creation that He intends for us to be if we aren't open to His pressing, pushing, and pounding?  Yes, He loves us with love beyond measure, but He also intends to form us into something incredible in His eyes, and that involves us being formed.  (I actually think this is a great challenge for the men of God, and men in general.  How manly is it to run from the pain of being formed, and how much more manly is it to stand up and be formed by the God of all creation?)

The thing is, being God's vessel means letting Him do with the clay what He wants.  It may even seem that He is forming us to be a vessel of dishonorable use (maybe tomorrow I'll write about that one a bit, because it seems significant).  And you know what?  That's okay.  It's still Him forming us, and when we are formed into what He wants us to be, I dare say we will find ourselves closer to Him than if we resist His formation, even if it would save us a little pain.

Who is God, and Why is the Question Important?

Who is God?  That might not be the question on the mind of many people, at least not on any kind of regular basis.  Sure, when significant things happen in life, they might wonder about some entity bigger than they are, but in the day to day runnings of life, most probably don't give a great deal of thought to the question. 

That often leads to the question getting relegated, as I mentioned, to those significant moments of life.  The problem is, those moments are most often tragic, or moments of pain and hurt.  A loved family member dies unexpectedly.  A relationship is painfully broken.  Then, the question comes out, why would God let/cause this to happen? 

I would suggest that the question of "Who is God" is most difficult to answer in those cases if one hasn't been asking the question throughout one's life.  If you start off each day asking who God is, and you see the sunshine, or the needed rain, or you hear the birds singing, or you see the fall colors, or new growth in the spring, you start to see God as much more involved in this life and world, than if you only focus on those significant moments.  And then, if you see God's hand working in these kind of ways, then you start to see that the supposed absence of God in those tough moments actually show that God's goodness is far more prevelant than the times of His supposed absence.

That's why this question is important, not just at those significant moments of life, but daily.  God created and designed this world to run in a particular way, a way that is truly fascinating to behold.  I've had the joy of living in places where you can see His hand at work in creation, and it truly is amazing to see.  I've had the joy of seeing God working in the lives of many people, and see how their recognition of His daily presence gives them far greater strength when the tough times inevitably hit.  When we relegate the question only to the big moments of life, we're going to be far more disappointed, because we fail to see how God is concerned with everything that happens each day.  We expect the miraculous, which God only seems to do on occasion, and then we are disappointed that God didn't throw a miracle our way to stop our pain. 

How does that question invade your daily life?  As it does, what do you see about who God is? 

Does God Want Some To Be Poor?

"For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me."  Jesus, recorded in Matthew 26:11

Imagine walking up to a poor person in some large metro downtown and bringing them this message.  "God wanted you to be poor."  Just throw a guess out there as to how well that message would be received.  That doesn't sound like a loving, caring God, right?  Why would God want anyone to be poor? We might not have any difficulty giving thanks to God that He provides far more than we need in life, but we'd probably have a tough time giving thanks to God that He made us poor, if He happened to do so.

Let me toss a question out here for us to think about.  What if God, working in this sinful world, actually does find it helpful to have poor people among us?  What if God wants the people of this world to recognize that they have been given much, and therefore, much is expected to be given from them, and so He provides the poor as the means by which His people develop and grow in generosity?  I know, that seems strange to our way of thinking, but it actually does seem to fit somehow with how God often works in this world.

In Old Testament times, God gave the command to His people that they weren't to harvest their fields all the way to the edges, but were to leave the edges for the poor of the community.  Likewise, they weren't to go back into their fields to see if they missed any of the harvest for the same reason.  God created His people to work in such a way that those who had plenty would intentionally provide for those who had less.  And, as we see in the words of Jesus above, it's as though God knows and expects that we will always have the poor among us, for us to show care and compassion toward.

Does God want some to be poor?  In a sense, I think we often forget that, absent God's grace, we all begin at the level of poor.  God, in His grace, gives to us, and how much He gives is up to Him.  So we shouldn't think of it that God wants some to be poor, but that God does indeed give extravagantly to some, but always with the expectation that they are looking out for those to whom He hasn't given quite as much.  That truly does seem to be a godly thing.

Internally or Externally Motivated?

One of the things that often intrigues me is the question of motivation.  Part of this comes from my faith as a Christian, in which my love and care for my God and my neighbor inspire me in many of the things that I do.  I have also seen that frequently Christians can seek to impart their particular values and morals upon others, expecting them to follow suit without question.  And that's where I see a big difference between being internally motivated or externally motivated.

When you are internally motivated, you tend to make changes based upon your ow thinking, or the need that you recognize.  It is incumbent upon you to be the agent which directs and guides the change.  When you need motivation for achieving the change, it comes from within, and that makes it a little more powerful.  You see the need, and you recognize the need, and therefore, you are the agent which guides and influences the change.

It's a completely different thing when you are externally motivated.  When this happens, the change is being enforced upon you by another.  In our human nature, that's something that we are naturally opposed to.  We don't like it when others tell us how we are supposed to be, what we are supposed to do, and how we are supposed to act.  We may go along with it for a while, but when the external pressure is removed, it shouldn't be a surprise that we go back to that which we find comfortable and natural.

When God works upon us by His Spirit, He works to create a new heart within us.  God knows that, if He were to outwardly enforce His will, law, and design upon us, we would naturally rebel against Him.  Shoot, we already do that, even when it's just knowing what He says in His will, law, and design.  Imagine if God were to actively stop us from any kind of breaking of His law.  We would end up going along with it simply because it would be less painful to do that, rather than out of any kind of internal motivation.

But God is really about changing our hearts to where we become internally motivated to follow what He says and to do what He has commanded.  As God removes our heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh, He changes us to become a people who are inwardly motivated by our love for God and our care for our neighbor.  We do it, not because someone else is forcing it on us, but because we see how it benefits others, and we do it from that internal motivation.  That is, by far, a more powerful motivation.  Inward motivation will often go much farther than any form of external motivation.

At its heart, the Gospel is about us become internally motivated to do that which God desires, wills, and commands.  Doing it, because we are loved by God, and therefore, we love others. 

Does God Want Me To Be Safe?

"In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  Jesus

The question of safety is one we all face daily.  You get in your car, and what's one of the first things you (supposedly) do?  Put on your seat belt.  Very likely, your car has been tested repeatedly for safety things like impact.  You probably have air bags to keep you safe in an accident.  And safety takes on even bigger impact in other venues.  You go to the airport and have to empty your pockets and walk through scanners, all in the name of safety.

Now, I don't want to downplay the importance of safety to us as humans.  We want to be safe.  In fact, our safety is one of the needs of life, rather than a want.  It's hard to ever be calm or focused if you don't feel safe.  Think about people you know who live in dangerous situations.  They are very stressed, they may not sleep, and it causes a lot of problems for them.  Safety, to some degree, is a need for our human lives.

God recognizes this, which is why we have Him establishing the governing authorities.  One of their roles is the safety of those over whom they have authority.  That is their God-given responsibility.  And yet, the presence of sin in the world also means that safety in this world is a fleeting thing.  To put it another way, we could have a police officer in every classroom in the U.S., but one sinful person bringing a gun to class puts the people in that classroom into danger.

Does God take our safety seriously?  Yes.  However, is our safety God's ultimate priority in this world?  That's where I would venture to answer, "No".  God's primary purpose for us is to be found in Him, in Jesus, so that we inherit the perfect world in which issues of safety are non-issues.  While God wants us to be safe in this world, He also wants us to know that, even in times when we aren't safe, we are still in the blood-stained hands that purchased us, hands which have prepared an eternal, safe kingdom for us to live in forever.

I think we have a duty to teach this to one another, but especially to our children.  Legislation will not bring about ultimate safety.  Sure, it might eliminate a few threats, but the threat of sin never goes away.  Our ultimate safety lays in the fact that we are in the nail-pierced hands of Jesus, and nothing will ever take us away from those hands. 

Doing Good And Fear

"For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer."  Romans 13:3-5

The Bible teaches us that God makes a new creation spring forth within us through the water of Baptism.  A new creation arises, one that is connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  This new creation is perfect, guided by the Holy Spirit, and has the gift of eternal life in Jesus.

This new creation lives to do God's will perfectly.  And I should mention that, if you have been baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you have this new creation life within you.  It lives to do God's will.  It wants to live in line with how God created us to live.  It doesn't engage in sin, but strives to be in line with living the way God designed us as His human creation to live.

The new creation does what is good and right in God's eyes.  Therefore it has no need to fear, either to fear God and His wrath and condemnation at sin, nor to fear human authority, as it seeks to do good.  For the new creation, things such as laws or rules carry no fear or terror, because the new creation does them.  That's its nature.  It does good, and perfectly loves God and our neighbor.

Part of our trouble in this world is that we possess this new creation, courtesy of God through the waters of baptism, but at the same time, we still inhabit the sinful nature that is ours courtesy of our first father and mother.  Tomorrow I'll spend a little time talking about how that old nature looks at things like God's will and the laws of this world.

Of Ashes and Repentance

Many Christians today observe a holy day on the Christian calendar, a day called Ash Wednesday.  You may even see some wandering around with a big cross of ashes on their forehead.  Sure, it's likely to get a few strange looks, but it also presents the opportunity to teach a little bit about our faith.

To help explain Ash Wednesday, it's necessary to explain a little bit about the overall season of Lent.  Lent is a time where we reflect on the sin that separates us from God, and which presents our need for God to send a Savior.  As Christians, we believe that God has taken care of the sin that separates us from Him through Jesus, who bore our sin on the cross and then rose victorious to give us a new, sinless life.

In a sense, God has taken our sin and burned it up in the fire of His wrath and justice.  That's what Jesus endured as He gave up His life on the cross.  Our sin has been reduced to ashes.  And so, we wear crosses of ash upon our foreheads to remember what God has done in taking our sin away, as well as how God accomplished that, which is the cross of our Lord Jesus.

So God has done that for us.  As His people who have had their sin removed, and who have been given new life in Jesus, we then strive to live according to that new life.  That puts us in a position where we face a battle.  We have our new life in Jesus right now.  The problem is, we also still inhabit this life and body, where sin exists.  Our sin that we battle against will seem to come out on top from time to time, and at other times, it may seem like the new life in Jesus wins the victory.  Regardless, what we discover is the constant need to return to God as we battle against that sin.

That's why Ash Wednesday, and in fact, all of Lent, is about repentance.  We recognize and believe in what God has done for us in Jesus.  We live in that hope and reality.  And yet, while we still inhabit this world and body of sin, we face a struggle.  We will need to turn our back on that sin and look again to God for our help, our hope, and our forgiveness.  And what we find there is what the prophet Joel spoke about so many years ago.

"Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster."  (Joel 2:13)  The God that we return to is one that has already poured out abundant grace to us.  We are His.  He has reduced our sin to ashes.  He has given us new life.  He calls for us to come back to Him, the one who knows what our true life looks like.  And He does that because He is a gracious God to us.

A Few Random Thursday Thoughts

I realize that it's been a while since I did a blog post that was merely a blog post and not a devotion of some kind.  I should probably make much more of an effort to do these.  It's a reminder to me that blogging is not just a thing that you do from time to time, but is, in some ways, a whole lifestyle, and one that you have to dedicate yourself to, and to make time to do.

It's been remarkably busy around here lately, mostly because of a somewhat intense travel schedule that I've been keeping.  So far this fall I've had trips to the Atlanta area and to Colorado, and still have one more trip upcoming.  When I travel, I try to get everything taken care of ahead of time, so that means cramming in some extra work before I leave. Not offering that as an excuse, but saying that it has impacted my blogging life in some rather intense ways.

So what's been on my mind lately?  One thought that has been there has been along the lines of figuring out how we discern God's will in some of the particulars of life.  We know that there are some major areas of God's will that are fairly plain for us as Christians.  God has redeemed us and given us new life through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.  God provides what we need to sustain our lives each day.  The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  All of these are, in some respect, God's will.

Most Christians don't really question those too much.  When it gets tricky, though, is when it comes to specifics and particulars in life.  For a college student, the question may be, is it God's will to study chemistry, calculus, or engineering?  For a single person, it may be, is this person the one with whom I will share my life?  For a congregation, it may be, is it God's will that we engage in a particular type of ministry, or does God have something else in mind?

In some ways, I want to say that God's will may not be fully discernible in any of these particulars simply because they don't involve something that would go against God's will.  For the student picking a major, engineering isn't "sinful" and chemistry "righteous".  God can be actively working through that student regardless of their major.  Same thing for the single person, and for the congregation.  While they live within the guidelines of God's will, they also recognize that God can work in whichever way they go.

That's one of the reliefs that we find as God's people.  God can work through our life, regardless of some of the choices of direction that we make.  Sure, some may open up more opportunities than others, but God can work in each of them.  And, even as we engage in those opportunities, we also realize that God's will continues to be done as He daily renews and re-creates us through the washing waters of baptism.