by RobertCummins | Oct 15, 2014 | 42. Gathering
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Zephaniah the prophet, speaking to Judea, is announcing imminent destruction and ultimate glory. He is declaring judgement on the masses and mercy on a remnant. Our portion of his message is focused more on the future glory.
“At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the people of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
As the One gathering, I can envision the Lord, as a master weaver drawing many threads together, creating a grand and majestic tapestry. To us there seems to be so many dissimilar threads, so unrelated, so incompatible, that we struggle to embrace the idea or the hope of God’s intentionality. And even if we do get a hold of that, what does it have to do with us?
So many threads. There are nations and individuals. There is evil and good, rich and poor, weeping and rejoicing, the sovereignty of God and the will of man. There are judgements and restorations, attacks and testings, time and eternity and the list goes on to include innumerable religions and philosophies. Zephaniah and scripture declare that God is weaving all of these and more into something that will ultimately cause unprecedented celebration.
Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Two major threads of the tapestry are the nation of Israel and the Church. God began by claiming a people out of the desert and introducing Himself to them through the Law of Moses. The weaving of this people and their Law into the tapestry, though not forgotten, has been delayed until He gathers all the individual Gentile threads into the fabric, who by faith, have also become sons of Abraham and will be a part, I believe, of the rejoicing Zephaniah is foretelling.
I believe that a catalyst for this “kingdom of God” tapestry will be the ones Zephaniah identifies in verse 18, “those who grieve about the appointed feasts“. There are those around me who are working to restore the rhythms of life and the blessings associated with the Jewish feasts and calendar. There are also those who grieve that the church is not partaking of the feast that has already been set (Ps 23:5). This group is unique in that they at least have acknowledged that a tapestry is being woven. Their grieving arises because it seems, at times, as though someone is pulling on the threads, instead of gathering them. The presence of evil and the delay of righteousness is a burden to them.
The petitions and prayers of this humble caring remnant who have been willing to look beyond the immediate affairs of man to the ultimate intentions of God, to even carry some of God’s yearnings in their heart, will be leading threads that God will make use of in His tapestry. He will use their story of Him taking away His judgements against them and clearing away their enemies to awaken and attract the nation He first called His own. He will use their advance celebration and their joy in relationship to Christ to provoke jealousy and ultimately produce faith.
Father, even if it only appears now to us to be a crude net with gaping holes, permit more and more of your children to see Your intention and even the indescribable and incomprehensible artistry of the inevitable completed tapestry. Grant that our individual lives may be the living threads they need to be and that our eyes might soon see the awakening of Your original chosen ones and Your glory resting upon them as never before. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Oct 14, 2014 | 42. Gathering
Exodus 16
Two and one half months into the exodus, the approval rating of the new administration was zero. “And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.” The source of the grumbling (on this occasion) was their hunger. With a common voice they let their leaders know they would have preferred slavery with a full stomach as opposed to freedom on an empty one.
The greater part of this passage though is devoted to the distribution of manna; very specific procedures were given as to how to gather the substance. If the instructions were not followed the manna would spoil into a nasty mess. Wasting manna was a concern to God.
This passage addresses another form of waste. This waste took place when the children of Israel blamed their unpleasant circumstances on their leaders. Moses and Aaron picked up on it immediately. They said,”..and what are we, that you grumble against us?” Moses attempted to redirect their complaints. “for the Lord hears your grumbling which you grumble against Him. And what are we (Aaron and I)? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.” Looking to men as our recourse is also a tragic waste.
What Moses and Aaron were saying was the same thing the writer of Hebrews was trying to say; Don’t direct your complaints (or your praise) to men because ultimately it is “God with whom you have to do” (Heb 4:13). In God’s economy, He endeavors to give us abundant life through His Son, the Manna of Life. This vital nourishment will be wasted if we are not looking to Him as the One with whom we are really dealing with. The personal relationship God desires to establish with us requires that we process all of life through Him since He is, in actuality, our Life.
It is in our abandonment to this living encounter that our relationship with Him grows and we personally become acquainted with him. This, most precious of all human opportunities will be squandered if we are blaming our unhappiness on people or circumstances. God does not want to see us make a nasty, bitter mess of our lives. Wasting Manna, which for us is nothing less than Jesus, our daily Bread, is still of concern to God.
The divine economics of “causing all things to work together for good to those who love God..“, implies God’s intentions are to use everything, to waste nothing that touches our lives. This is the essence of having a personal relationship with God, entrusting ourselves continually into His care. Here is how God has oriented Himself to us:
He has enclosed me behind and before, and laid His hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high I cannot attain to it. (Psalm 139:5,6)
How God can make the tough circumstances of our lives, which range in intensity from irritation to nightmarish, is beyond our ability to understand but for those who can work through the pain and the temptation to be bitter, a deeper more refined faith results which has great value now and forevermore.
With whom do we have to do? Have we issued our approval ratings (or judgements) against those around us (especially God) whom we consider to be the source of your misery?
Here is a prayer that was given to me that captures this idea and will be a great hedge against waste if we can build it into our lives……
Lord, I forgive (fill in the appropriate name). I give you permission to take the judgement and bitterness out of my heart. I don’t want this in my life. I surrender it to You and ask You to remove it – to heal me where I have been wounded, to forgive me where I have sinned. I choose not to blame or hold the actions of others against them. I herby surrender my right to be paid back for my loss by the one who has sinned against me, and in so doing, I declare my trust in You alone as my Righteous Judge. Father God, bless them in every way. In Jesus Name. Amen.
NOTE
For those of us whose wildernesses have brought us to that place, as Brad Long describes it; “where our neat theological synthesis collapse; where we are experiencing the raw paradoxes and mysteries of our faith – God’s love and wrath, our freedom of will and His sovereignty and the mystery of good and evil”, we are standing face to face with God. Here we simply stand in awe and silence with no explanations.” Long would go on to say, “These are not empty dogmas but descriptions of the very core reality, and the only adequate interpretation of our deepest experience.” My point in sharing from Long’s Passage Through The Wilderness is that the wilderness is not an accident, its a set up. If you are at or near this place in your pilgrimage, please read this book; especially Chapter 14, Anger With God. It might save your life and sanity, as I suspect it did mine.
Father, enlarge our hearts. Energize our faith that we may lay hold of the mystery and not stumble over our natural minds failure to process the paradoxes that inhabit and surround us. Strengthen us that we might let go and discover the economy of your never ending kingdom. May many who do not yet see be challenged as they see your children regularly partaking of your abundance. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Oct 13, 2014 | 42. Gathering
John 6:1-14
I believe it is helpful in understanding scripture to ask why the characters are doing what they are doing and saying what they are saying. So, I approached this passage with these questions; What was Jesus motivation in feeding this multitude of people who had followed Him into the country? and, What did the multitude want from Jesus?
My first thought was that Jesus performed this miracle, and all miracles for that matter, so that the multitude would believe in Him and that many souls would be saved. I have come away with a different understanding at this reading. First let’s look at Jesus audience, the Jews. He had just come from Jerusalem where he told a group of them, who likely considered themselves to be sons of Abraham in good standing, that they were were incapable of believing because they sought approval from one another. He even told them they didn’t even believe Moses, the giver of their precious Law, so they weren’t going to be able to believe in Him either. So, it is certain they were not following Him because they believed in Him as God’s son. Even after the “big feed” the best they could do was consider that He was Elijah who had returned to earth. Verse 2 clearly states why this multitude was tagging along. It was “because they were seeing the signs He was performing on those who were sick”.
Verse 15 lets us know that “taking Him by force, to make Him king” was also a part of their ambition. In verse 34 we learn that along with miracles, this crowd liked eating for free, preferabley for evermore. These Jews were not inclined to believe. They were inclined to try and qualify Jesus further and to grumble (verses 30,31,41). Jesus knew these people’s hearts. He had no illusion that this extraordinary miracle was going to convert them. So then, what was Jesus hoping to achieve?
Beyond the fact that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and that the miracle served nicely to set up His explanation of Himself being the Bread of Life, He was testing His disciples. Knowing fully what He was going to do He asks them what their ideas were. After listening, he then instructs them to have the crowd sit down. He then takes a meal that might feed 5 and serves 5,000 with all kinds of food leftover. He instructed His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost“.
Upon hearing this comment, someone might dare to grumble that Jesus seemed to care more about saving the food than the souls that were being lost. Regarding these unbelieving Jews, Jesus was not worried. As if their souls were not of primary concern. He said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to me I will surely not cast out“. Also; “No one comes to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day“.
God had come to earth to reestablish His communication with His creation and tragically, all they wanted was a new leader and a free lunch. They did not believe in Him as God’s Son. Not even all the disciples truly believed in Him, “But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus may have been pained by this but again He explains how it is that men come to believe in Him, “no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted Him by the Father“.
The idea that God the Father had not drawn these Jews to Himself or other multitudes of souls who would be lost over the millenniums is hard to process. This “apparent” exclusivity makes Christianity offensive to the multitudes. I say “apparent” because I don’t believe He is exclusionary in any way. Peter tells us that God is “not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
The great news for man is that God has given us His Life. He has invited all of us to partake. And for those that do, we have Jesus’ pledge that He will gather us. Again, we hear Jesus say, “and nothing will be lost.” Just as there were an abundance of fragments of food leftover after a meal that should not have been, I believe we will be surprised on that “last day” at the abundance of souls whom He has gathered up in His great patience and mercy.
The question I think Jesus is always asking those who are following Him is, “What do You want?”. Why are you following Me?
Father, thank You that You are always inviting people to Yourself. Thank You that You are the Bread of heaven that has become our Life. Help us to grasp all that means to have Your Life within us. Like Jesus, show us how to live out of Your Life within, to love and work with those few (or many) that You have placed close to us so that Your Life might be expressed in ways that draw men to you and so that ultimately nothing will be lost. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Oct 18, 2013 | 42. Gathering
John 6:1-14
I believe it is helpful in understanding scripture to ask why the characters are doing what they are doing and saying what they are saying. So, I approach this passage with these questions; What was Jesus motivation in feeding this multitude of people who had followed Him into the country? and, What did the multitude want from Jesus?
My first thought was that Jesus performed this miracle, and all miracles for that matter, so that the multitude would believe in Him and that many souls would be saved. I have come away with a different understanding at this reading. First let’s look at Jesus audience, the Jews. He had just come from Jerusalem where he told a group of them, who likely considered themselves to be sons of Abraham in good standing, that they were were incapable of believing because they sought approval from one another. He even told them they didn’t even believe Moses, the giver of their precious Law, so they weren’t going to be able to believe in Him either. So, it is certain they were not following Him because they believed in Him as God’s son. Even after the “big feed” the best they could do was consider that He was Elijah who had returned to earth. Verse 2 clearly states why this multitude was tagging along. It was “because they were seeing the signs He was performing on those who were sick”.
Verse 15 let’s us know that “taking Him by force, to make Him king” was also a part of their ambition. In verse 34 we learn that along with miracles, this crowd liked eating for free, preferabley for evermore. These Jews were not inclined to believe. They were inclined to try and qualify Jesus further and to grumble (verses 30,31,41). Jesus knew these people’s hearts. He had no illusion that this extraordinary miracle was going to convert them. So then, what was Jesus hoping to achieve?
Beyond the fact that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and that the miracle served nicely to set up His explanation of Himself being the Bread of Life, He was testing His disciples. Knowing fully what He was going to do He asks them what their ideas were. After listening, he then instructs them to have the crowd sit down. He then takes a meal that might feed 5 and serves 5,000 with all kinds of food leftover. He instructed His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost“.
Upon hearing this comment, someone might dare to grumble that Jesus seemed to care more about saving the food than the souls that were being lost. Regarding these unbelieving Jews, Jesus seemed unconcerned, as if their souls were not really of primary concern. He said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to me I will surely not cast out“. Also; “No one comes to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day“.
God had come to earth to reestablish His communication with His creation and tragically, all they wanted was a new leader and a free lunch. They did not believe in Him as God’s Son. Not even all the disciples truly believed in Him, “But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus may have been pained by this but He again explains how it is that men come to believe in Him, “no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted Him by the Father“.
The idea that God the Father had not drawn these Jews to Himself or other multitudes of souls who would be lost over the millenniums is hard to process. This “apparent” exclusivity makes Christianity offensive to the multitudes. I say “apparent” because I don’t believe He is exclusionary in any way. Peter tells us that God is “not wishing any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).
The great news for man is that God has given us His Life. He has invited all of us to partake. And for those that do, we have Jesus’ pledge that He will gather us. Again, we hear Jesus say, “and nothing will be lost.” Just as there were an abundance of fragments of food leftover after a meal that should not have been, I believe we will be surprised on that “last day” at the abundance of souls whom He has gathered up in His great patience and mercy.
The question I think Jesus is always asking those who are following Him is, “What do You want?”. Why are you following Me?
Father, thank You that You are always inviting people to Yourself. Thank You that You are the Bread of heaven that has become our Life. Help us to grasp all that means to have Your Life within us. Like Jesus, show us how to live out of Your Life within us; to love and work with those few (or many) that You have placed close to us so that this Life within might be expressed in ways that draw men to you and that ultimately nothing will be lost. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Oct 17, 2013 | 42. Gathering
Jeremiah 31:1-14
“He who scattered…will gather..”.
In meditating on this passage, I am drawn to this phrase and Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways!”
It is beyond our natural understanding and our willingness to understand, that He who gathers is also He who scatters; that He who tears also mends; that He who drives away also draws us back? At least this has been so for me. How many times have I come to this place where I must say, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high I cannot attain to it.“? (Ps 139:6) Interestingly, I have come to this place at times in bitterness and at other times, more recently, with joy.
The greatest stumbling I have experienced in my walk with God; the most undermining thing I have ever done to my faith has been searching for unsearchable things and attempting to fathom unfathomable things. Let me try and explain. That God is ever-present, all-powerful and all-knowing, places Him at the scene of every incident. In every case, If He knew about it and could have prevented it, is He not, at least, an accessory with questionable motives? The grand inquisitor, which has been my heart, asks; “Why was this permitted?” Did this happen because, in His capacity as Judge, He is exacting payment for someones’s sin? Did it happen as a consequence of God’s incompetence? Did the devil just overpower heaven and successfully steal something right out from His (or an angel’s) supposed care? Was God just indifferent? Are there just so many lives that He cannot really spare the time to get too personally involved? We are stumbling toward a unique encounter with God if this is our line of thinking.
I discovered there was something insistent within me that demanded an explanation as to “why”. “WHY do bad things happen”? If you have shopped in the theological marketplace you have probably discovered that many vendors are hawking their particular dogma as to why God does this or does that. There is great demand for dogma because “not knowing” limits what we can control. When you encounter such a one, who without tears and with great confidence makes his confident assertions regarding unsearchable things; may I suggest that you politely, yet quickly, just move on to the next shop. Knowledge and understanding are not without value but they can also be a hedge against the simple childlike faith God is trying to form in us. Trust and faith are the things that connect us today to eternity. Knowledge may be helpful but faith is absolutely essential.
A question. Could God gather us if we were not scattered? Could He mend us if we were not torn? Could we appreciate His drawing if we had not been driven? Would we appreciate His presence if we had not tasted of His absence?
Our hearts can become paralyzed in their capacity to believe by the mountain of apparent evidence we collect and file away that has suggested to us questions about God’s motivations. We are left in our inquiry with the notion that there is something in the outcome that is incompatible with His love, care and power. Even though we do not quite make a formal indictment against Him, our hearts can nurse deep questions about God’s love and/or His competence. I suspect many a busy, noisy life has been crafted, both consciously and sub-consciously, to keep these kinds of thoughts at bay. This is why slowing down, retreating and opening up to God is so essential in our spiritual formation.
“With weeping they shall come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of water, on a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a Father....”
From experience I recommend weeping and supplication as opposed to taking refuge in the certainty of some readily available and popular religious dogma. As to “why” we have been scattered, torn or driven I cannot say for sure. I believe for the sake of our faith, which is of eternal worth, He spares us from explanations. When I stand before God, I do not want a file-search to reveal I have file after open file of incidents where God is still the suspect with questionable motives. I want Him to find a file called “Mysteries” that is rarely opened, where I have filed away my questions regarding the unsearchable and the unfathomable. I want Him to see all the files that are open where I am actively collecting evidence – persuading my heart all the more of his goodness; of His wonderful nature and character.
While God’s ways and judgements may be unsearchable, His nature is discoverable. We can come to know Him experientially. Case by case, face to face, we can gain adequate assurance for our hearts that all His dealings with us are motivated by an incomprehensibly strong love. It is His heart, that He desires each of us to progressively love and to trust. It may require some tearing. It may involve some lonely desserts, but if we will only acknowledge His nearness, we will discover that we have somehow been drawn, even in our pain and disorientation, into His great heart. We will discover a “Father filter” has been installed in our hearts that will aid us in how we process and file away our experiences. We will stumble far less when we are resting in His love. This is where we will discover the songs, the shouts and the praises that are so becoming and native to His sons and daughters.
Father, we do not understand pain. It is disorienting and incomprehensible to us. Grant us hearts that will hold You harmless. Grant that we would not stumble over Jesus as some rock of offense; that we would not be offended at His eternally focused, love-driven dealings with our hearts. Amen.
Suggestion; Read the passage again. Try, in God’s presence to ask yourself about your files and filing system. Try praying with David and all those who have become satisfied with God’s goodness, “Search me Oh God and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
by RobertCummins | Oct 16, 2013 | 42. Gathering
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Zephaniah, the prophet speaking to Judea, is announcing imminent destruction and ultimate glory. He is declaring judgement on the masses and mercy on a remnant. Our portion of his message is focused more on the future glory.
“At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the people of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.
As the One gathering, I can envision the Lord, as a master weaver who is drawing many threads together, creating a grand and majestic tapestry. There are so many threads that appear so dissimilar, so unrelated and even incompatible, that we struggle to embrace the idea or the hope that there is any intentionality of design. And, even if we do, what does it have to do with us?
So many threads. There are nations and individuals. There is evil and good, rich and poor, weeping and rejoicing, the sovereignty of God and the will of man. There are judgements and restorations, attacks and testings, time and eternity and the list goes on to include innumerable religions and philosophies. Zephaniah and scripture declare that God is weaving all of these and more into something that will ultimately cause unprecedented celebration.
“Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!”
Two major threads of the tapestry are the nation of Israel and the Church. God began by claiming a people out of the desert and introducing Himself to them through the Law of Moses. The weaving of this people and their Law into the tapestry, though not forgotten, has been delayed until He gathers all the individual living threads of His saints into the fabric, who by faith, have also become sons of Abraham and will be a part, I believe, of the rejoicing Zephaniah is foretelling.
I believe that a catalyst for this “kingdom of God” tapestry will be the ones Zephaniah identifies in verse 18, “those who grieve about the appointed feasts“. There are those around me who are working to restore the rhythms of life and the blessings associated with the Jewish feasts and calendar. There are also those who grieve that the church is not partaking of the feast that has already been set (Ps 23:5). This group is unique in that they at least have acknowledged that a tapestry is being woven. Their grieving arises because it seems, at times, as though someone is pulling on the threads, instead of gathering them. The presence of evil, the delay of righteousness is a burden to them.
The petitions and prayers of this humble caring remnant who have been willing to look beyond the immediate affairs of man to the ultimate intentions of God; to even carry some of God’s yearnings in their heart, will be leading threads that God will make use of in His tapestry. He will use their story of Him taking away His judgements against them and clearing away their enemies to awaken and attract the nation He first called His own. He will use their advance celebration and their joy in relationship to Christ to provoke jealousy and ultimately produce faith.
Father, even if it only appears now to us to be a crude net with gaping holes, permit more and more of your children to see Your intention and even the indescribable and incomprehensible artistry of the inevitable completed tapestry. Grant that our individual lives may be the living threads they need to be and that our eyes might soon see the awakening of Your original chosen ones and Your glory resting upon her as never before. Amen.
