2010 – October 4 – Hurting Only Ourselves

Study from God’s Word… Esther, Chapters 5 – 10: 3 … Passage for Reflection: Esther 7: 10 … NIV So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

My Journal for Today: The feast of Purim in Jewish tradition, established by Mordecai at the times we read about in the Book of Esther [see Chapter 9], is the celebration of the deliverance God provided for His people through the courage and actions of Queen Esther. But in the events which transpired to overcome the evil Haman almost perpetrated on God’s people, there is an ironic turn-about which is chronicled in this portion of Scripture which gives us a lesson in humanity as we seek Godliness.

We find that rather comical (if it weren’t so tragic) event in today’s highlight passage where Haman was lynched to death on the very gallows he had had constructed for Mordecai to begin the planned holocaust of the Jews. And discovering that Haman was going to hang the very man, Mordecai, who had saved the life of King Xerxes, the king used that very gallows to string up Haman. And as Dr. Smith points out, it can be the case that our attempts to hurt others, possibly with gossip or some other malicious intent, can be turned on us and we end up “hanging ourselves.” As Dr. Smith points out, That’s why the Bible is so sensible … [with] many admonitions to self-control, tolerance, and forgiveness.”

It’s easy to point fingers at the faults of others; but there’s an old saying, which I learned years ago. “When you point a finger at someone else, there are three of your own fingers pointing right back at you.” So, … we need to be careful that our singling out evil in our culture – which we certainly need to do – is not a desire to hide something within ourselves which is sorely lacking or evil itself.

Being in the ministry in which God has led me to lead, where we try to help Christian men who’ve gotten themselves trapped by their own sexual desires, we’ve seen a number of so-called “Christian leaders,” who’ve spoken out loudly in public against sexual sin of various types, themselves be uncovered being deeply into the same sexual and lustful traps. And these men, who’ve stood publically for sexual purity, hang themselves on the same social gallows to which they had built to call attention to others who had fallen into sexual sin. And in the process, the kingdom of God is set back by their breech of Christian self-control.

So, … like the drunk who avoids going into bars for personal entertainment, I’m very careful about pointing fingers toward others who are uncovered into one form of habitual sin or another; because I realize my own proclivities and weaknesses for which I must humbly seek God’s enabling grace to walk in HIS purity and HIS strength. So, beware of pointing your finger of blame at others, lest you reveal yourself, pointing back at yourself.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You know that my past points me only to You for deliverance and strength. Amen

2010 – Mar. 8 – The Blame Game

Study from God’s Word… Deut 31: 1-16, 23; Deut 31: 17-18; Deut 31: 19-29; Deut 31: 30 – 32: 43; … Passage for Reflection: Deuteronomy 31: 17 – 18… NIV 17 On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?' 18 And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

My Journal for Today: In my study today, my devotional author, Dr. Smith, had me reading about the time, from Deut 31 – 32, where Moses turned over the mantle of earthly leadership to Joshua, with God encouraging God’s people as they are about to cross over the Jordan River and move into the Promised Land. However, God and Moses foresee that these fickle Hebrew people will once again become recalcitrant and selfish, turning away from God and His Law. And once again the people will shift the blame for their selfishness away from their own sinfulness and blame God.

Ever been there? Have you ever been in a place in life where you felt that God had turned away or was distant from you? Maybe you’ve seen some other believer – a good friend or a loved one – who couldn’t see their own sin for what it was and blamed God for all the bad stuff going on in their lives. It probably wasn’t you, was it? ;>)

Certainly we see hardened criminals trying to hide the blame for their crimes by denying responsibility; and we even see three year old kids, caught red-handed, who will blame anything and everyone but themselves. It’s part of the human condition to default to the blame game. Adam did it in the garden by blaming Eve; … Eve did it by blaming the serpent. And we often try to blame God for not being there when we need Him.

But who is really to blame? Does God change in some way or become mysteriously absent in our lives when things go awry? No, … if you’re reading this, I think we’re all looking into God’s mirror of truth; and we probably don’t like what we see looking back at us. We want to see God’s image – that of Christlikeness; and certainly His likeness does reflect back from His word, which is our best mirror of truth. However, we so often want to deny that what we see in the mirror is the self which we have not totally surrendered to God for transformation and re-formation.

My friends, it is only when we can – and will – know that God never leaves us, nor forsakes us, that we can be in the seeking posture God needs for us to be for Him to reshape us into His image. That was actually there for me to read today in Deut. 31: 6. But God not is not only just there for us 24/7, … He goes on ahead of us to prepare the way for our path in life (see Deut. 31: 8). And so, … we need to see the truth when we look into God’s mirror, … His word. We need to see God for Whom He is; and we need to see ourselves for the rank sinners we are. But finally we need to see that God is reshaping those of us who’ve received Him into our hearts to become like God, the Son.

Blame shifting just won’t cut it in this life, my dear one. So, let’s see God, seek God, and let Him shape us into His image.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I stand here a sinner, surrendered to be transformed into Your image. Amen