God Loves the Fat – Part 2 (personal testimony)

(Part 1)

When I was 9-years-old, I made a public profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a very serious step for me. I understood that I was a sinner, that Jesus gave His life to pay for my sins, and that I now owed my life to Him. I was a fairly compliant child anyway, but after that I felt I owed Jesus, and I sought to give Him my best.

I was also human and failed in my resolve constantly, but my heart was turned in the right direction. At least it was until I was enticed by something that seemed good to me, and I slid into a period of rebellion.

I maintained my outward facade. I even read my Bible and prayed daily. I still believed Jesus was the Way and sought to serve Him. Nobody would have been alarmed by what they observed, but I entertained a secret that I knew was not pleasing to God. As the months passed, the joy of my sin decreased and the burden of guilt grew heavier. Still, I continued in sin.

I was sick from the toxins in my soul.

Finally, I could not stand it any longer.

One afternoon, I slipped into a chapel by myself. I knelt on the steps leading up to the speaker’s platform, with my head bowed low. Tears dripped from my face as I poured out my heart to the Lord.

I unburdened my soul, spewing the toxins that weighed on me, ridding my heart of sin, guilt, and shame as I laid everything before my Lord.

The heavy weight was replaced with feeling of peace, lightness (like I was floating), and freedom, plus an overwhelming realization that Jesus forgave me and that He loved me. My mind reeled with, “HE LOVES ME! He really does love me!”

I wanted to dance, twirling around with arms spread out and face lifted to the sky—like a ballet dancer (which I definitely am not!).

As I left the building, I could see myself twirling and telling everybody I met, “Jesus loves me! He loves me! And He loves you too!” I didn’t, but I’d never experienced such an urge. Or such a deep confidence in m Savior’s love.

Even though I’d tried to hide my sin, Jesus saw it and loved me anyway. Our relationship had chilled, but He waited patiently for my return. When I knelt in repentance, the knowledge of His great love became personal. Doctrine became reality. It moved from my head to my heart.

My life was transformed because I gave Jesus my fat. He embraced me with His forgiveness and love, and I will never be the same.

Now, my relationship with Jesus—and with Father God–is personal and alive. He walks with me and talks with me, and I can’t imagine life without Him.

Years after this event, I became bitter at Robert for something he did. In the midst of our struggles, I didn’t realize I was bitter, but it threatened to destroy our marriage. It also disrupted my relationship with God. Once again, I served out of duty—along with a deep knowledge that I should because it was right and God is good.

When I acknowledged my sin and offered my toxins up to God, the sweetness returned in my relationships with my husband and with my Lord,

God loves the fat (the sin and toxins that destroy us) when we offer our toxins to Him. It’s a sweet-smelling aroma, because we are then freed to have sweet fellowship in communion with him.

Let the Light Shine

Jesus’ words are being confirmed today: “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Luke 12:2-3

There are times when things seem to stay concealed for a mighty long time. However, lately words and deeds that seemed to be hidden have been shouted from the housetops so loudly that it’s nauseating. Sexual advances that were covered over in Hollywood were no surprise, because of the immorality that is depicted in the entertainment produced there.

Those revelations and the reactions to them have given women courage to report similar activity in businesses and in the halls of government. The uncovering of such hidden activity has likely just begun. I pray that it leads to a change in moral standards and greater respect toward others.

Similarly, reports of unethical and criminal dealings of government officials are being made that indicate deeds were intentionally covered up so they would never be known. And yet, they have been exposed and will apparently be investigated—and declared from the housetops.

I could give names and list offenses, but those things are not in my sphere to do anything about. What the constant news of such has done is remind me of the verses that warn us that things we do in darkness will come to the light—and likely be exposed for all in our spheres to see.

It’s reminded me of the times I sneaked an extra cookie—and got caught red-handed. And of the extra pounds that shout from the housetop my lack of needed self-control. There’s more, but I’m not ready to reveal my whole list.

But, whether our hidden deeds involve little, one-time actions; habits that don’t glorify God; or if they are life-style choices that twist and deny God’s Word, we are fooling ourselves if we think nobody will ever know.

Even if our neighbor never finds out about our hidden sin, the Lord knows. He’s deeply grieved because those things block fellowship with Him. They cost us deeply every day by keeping us from experiencing the fullness of life we could have in Him.

With young children, the experts say discipline for wrong needs to be administered quickly so the child will see the connection between the crime and the punishment. If that is so, I’ve often thought why the Lord isn’t quicker to expose things in our lives—or to “spank” us. With quick consequences, we might be more reluctant to sin.

Why is God so patient with us when we need discipline?

Could it be that He wants us to obey and to please Him out of love for Him, not out of fear? If He were always quick to administer consequences, would we see Him as a loving and merciful God? Would we relate to Him out of love? Or fear?

Yes, there is reason for fear. Genuine fear, because the Lord is all-powerful and is a jealous God. But He’s also a God of love. We don’t have to fear the One who gave His Son to carry the punishment for our sins.

But, if we choose sin, and try to hide it, rather please Him, there is reason to fear. His light will shine into the darkness where we hid those things, and they will become known.

As they are revealed, He is glorified because His Word is fulfilled.

The revelations are disgusting, sickening. And yet, as light shines in the darkness, exposing sin, I pray that people who have become acclimated to darkness will have their eyes opened, will see their need, and will be drawn to the Light of the world.

I no longer read the daily reports of one more person who has lost His job because of recent revelations. I’ve seen enough.

But I do pray that the Lord will let His light shine and that it will turn hearts from sin and darkness and direct them to Him.

What are your prayers in response to the wickedness being brought to the light?

An Apple a Day

Our neighbors have a June apple tree in their back yard. They’re generous folks and allow us to take all the apples we want, and they’ve never complained about the occasional Image result for image of an apple tree apple pie that comes back their way.

The one disadvantage is that they aren’t serious about growing apples. To them it’s mostly an ornamental tree, so the tree isn’t sprayed regularly to rid it of apple loving worms and bugs. Consequently, preparation time takes a little longer because you have to discard bits of the apples.

It doesn’t matter to a pie or applesauce if the apple looks pretty or if pieces of apple are uniform and even, so I chose to first use the marred apples and save the pretty ones for snacks.

However, as I worked I needed a little more apple to fill up the pie, so I reached for an unspoiled apple. As I began to cut into it, I was thinking of the smell of a fresh-baked pie filling the kitchen when my husband came in.

The smile on my face faded quickly. The apple was rotten on the inside. It had just enough good apple on the outside for it to keep it’s shape. Its heart was brown and ugly. Several other apples had the same problem. Image result for image of a rotten apple

As I cut through those apples, I wondered if that’s how we look to the Lord. Are we marred with bug bites and bruises? Do we try to look shiny and nice, being careful to hide what’s within? Or, do we think we look shiny and nice, but God sees otherwise? Apples that haven’t been tended, taught me a lesson.

Some sins are visible to those around us, marring our desirable appearance and our witness. If we submit ourselves to the Lord’s discipline, those things can often be cut out just like the bad spots in the apple.

However, if we hold hidden sin and thus allow it to take residence in our hearts, like the worm or larva in the apple, the damage grows unnoticed, causing great destruction. As we try to hide it from others, the damage grows.

There is good news and bad news in this scenario. First, the bad.

Sometimes we aren’t aware that we have hidden sin. If, for instance, we lie or commit adultery, we may try to justify it, but our conscience knows otherwise. However, we may lean on someone emotionally or take special joy in their company and slide into committing adultery in our hearts long before taking physical steps in response to those emotions.

Likewise, we can unknowingly harbor pride, bitterness, greed, or other sinful attitudes that spoil our righteousness, peace, and joy, much less our relationships and testimony. Like the larva in the apple, if we hold sin, the fact that it is hidden does not mean it is not causing damage within.

The good news is that our God is a redeeming God. Unlike the apple that had to be thrown away because it was rotten, in Jesus Christ we can be made whole again. He will wash away the rottenness that blocks our relationship with Him (and others) and our usefulness in His kingdom.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

They say an apple a day will keep the doctor away. I’m thinking that if I remember the lesson of the rotten apple, an apple a day might keep the devil away. Apples, whether perfect or not, could serve as a reminder to submit to God, asking Him to show me if I am harboring any unrighteousness.

Will you join me?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23-24).

Just an apple a day.

Were You There?

“Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”

I was blessed when a group of children sang this at our church on Saturday. They were mostly children that we bus in on Wednesday nights. For the most part, their par Image result for image of easter lilies ents are unchurched and many of the children are unfamiliar with Jesus, much less the story of the crucifixion and resur-rection. The children had a program which shared the story before they had their egg hunt.

We are blessed to share the good news of Jesus. However, while preparing to teach adult believers about the resurrection, I realized we probably all need to regularly ask the question. Thinking of the main characters in the drama shown the light in my own life, leading me to ask if I was there.

The commotion began with the Jewish church leaders, people who gave their lives to serving God. Apparently driven by envy of Jesus and fear because people were following Him, they rejected Him as the Son of God, and sought to discredit and destroy Him.

They justified their actions by labeling Jesus a blasphemer, and they schemed and lied in order to get Him crucified. The church leaders were so busy serving God that they missed seeing Him when He was in their midst.

Pilate could find no fault in Jesus and was reluctant to rule Him guilty. He repeatedly said he found no fault and sought to free Jesus. He remained convinced that Jesus should be freed in spite of accusations that He was an evildoer, that He claimed to be king, and that He said He was the Son of God.

However, when the Jewish leaders told Pilate that “Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar,” Pilate relented. He wasn’t willing make Caesar unhappy and risk his power and position in order to save a Jew, even though the accused was apparently innocent.

Pilate tried to remain neutral, but you can’t remain neutral about Jesus. You are either for Him or against Him (Mk 9:40).

As I meditated on the scene, I realized that the same root problem turned Pilate and the Jewish leaders against Jesus is common today. Furthermore, the same problem causes me trouble.

The thing that turned them against Jesus was their own selfish interests.

Oh, I want to put Jesus first in my life, but the time I’ve set aside to fellowship with Him is too often cut short for other things. Sometimes, I don’t make the extra effort to reach out to somebody that’s on my heart because I just don’t feel like it. Or I turn to mindless TV instead of reading an uplifting book. Or . . ..

The reasons are many. Too often, minor, meaningless activities slide into priority positions.

I’ve committed my life to the Lord. I haven’t rejected Him like they did. So is this really the same?

I don’t know. I’m not judge, but I wonder if I’m more kin to the Jewish leaders and Pilate than I want to admit.

I wonder because I’ve known the Lord’s love and faithfulness and have seen His glory. After all His blessings, how can it be so easy to push Him aside for self-centred reasons? Or, why am I sometime like Pilate and am reluctant to take a stand and speak boldly on His behalf?

Do I crucify the Lord when I choose my way? After reading the brutality of what happened to Him, I don’t want to even consider the question.

Still, I know He feels the sting. When I put other things before Him, it is rejection, is it not? And it is for selfish interest, is it not?

He gave His all so we could be joined with Him as one. So we could fellowship and work together to show forth His glory on earth. And so we can experience righteousness, peace, and joy and be glorified in Him.

Instead of focusing on the crucifixion, and on our shortcomings, I’ve decided to ask forgiveness—after all He took our sins on Himself—and focus on the new life available because of Jesus’ resurrection. In Him we can find forgiveness when we choose ourselves and the grace to deny ourselves.

The cross is empty. Furthermore, if we are in Jesus Christ, we were there when He rose up from the grave. With the saints of old, we can cry, “Glory! Glory! Glory! in spite of our short comings.

Pulling Weeds

Change can be difficult, even when you want it.

For instance, this past week, it was hard work to weed the flower beds because they’d been neglected for a couple of years. I wanted the flowers to look their best, but it’s been difficult to find the time for yard work. Once I did, the job was a challenge. It took hard work with a hoe to get the job done.

As I pulled weeds from the midst of daffodils, I kept thinking of how similar that was to pulling weeds out of our lives.

It doesn’t matter if it is an unwanted attitude that hangs around, an unhealthy hobby or habit that we’ve acquired, or an addiction that’s truly harmful, if we neglect dealing with something that blocks our relationship with God and with others, it soon becomes hard to change.

It doesn’t have to be a serious sin, even something as simple as overeating or spending too much time on FaceBook can be difficult to modify. And yet, neglecting to deal with the issue can be harmful to our physical and spiritual life.

Like the weeds that grow in the midst of flowers, they compete for control and eventually take a serious toll.

Notice how these facts about garden weeds also apply to weeds in our souls which hamper our lives.

It’s hard work to pull weeds. Once they’re there, they want to stay.
The longer we allow the weeds to remain, the more difficult they are to remove. Roots are not nearly as strong and tenacious when they are young.
Not all weeds are bad. Some are simply where they don’t belong–such as grass or henbit in the flowerbed, or a computer game when a job awaits.
Weeds are thieves. They compete for nutrients, sun, and space—or for time, attention, and energy.
Weeds become entangled with the desirable plants, stealing and distracting from their function and beauty.
If you break weeds off instead of uprooting them, they quickly reappear. Meanwhile, their roots become more entrenched.
Leave them untended long enough, and weeds multiply, increasing the effort needed to clean them out.
It’s easier to pull up weeds if the soil is moist—or when we are enjoying rich fellowship and communion with the Lord.
It’s hard to see all the weeds in the first attack. When you come back to apply mulch, expect to find some that were missed. Getting them all out is often a process that takes time.
Mulching desirable plants offers protection from weeds and encourages growth. Likewise close fellowship with other believers is stimulating to our growth in the Lord.
Neglected gardens are quickly choked with weeds.
Weeds don’t pull themselves. Flowerbeds don’t rid themselves of weeds. The gardner does the work. Likewise, we need to call on the Gardner, the Vinedresser, to rid our hearts and lives of weeds. Self-effort is often not up to the task.
Once the weeds are gone, the flowers are much more beautiful to behold.

It’s easy to let issues slide, because we like to pursue the things that please us. But as we do, we allow them get more and more entrenched in our lives. Consequently, our lives become more about what we want and less about the purposes of God

But life isn’t about us, it’s about our Creator and what He made us for and called us to. Weeds rob us of God’s best for us, and they rob our fruitfulness for His kingdom.

Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain . . .” (John 15:16).

As I pulled the weeds out of the daffodil beds, so it
would be pleasing to me and for those who passed, I was reminded of my need to clean the weeds my of my life–so I would be pleasing to the Lord and be available for His service.

Weeding daffodils convicted me. I want to be free from distractions and encumbrances. Freed for fellowship with and service for God. It’s time to pull weeds. What about you?

Hijacked!

Our summer has been hijacked. Renovations have taken over our lives.

In early summer, Robert began painting the outside of our big, 100-
year-old house. The job is long overdue. We knew it wouldn’t be simple and would take time, but we didn’t know it would rule our whole summer.

First, Robert power-washed one side of the house and discovered that the paint Displaying IMG_0421.JPG was turning loose from the stucco in spots and that the loose paint on the whole wall needed to be removed with a steal brush. Then he realized the soffit (the wood under the roof overhang) had rotted and a long section would have to be replaced.

Rotten wood needed repair in several other places too. It was further complicated by the need to find thicker wood and plane it down so it would fit properly. Work often required two ladders against the house with scaffolding between them so they could reach the 25 to 30 feet high work area.

Complications happened daily, like the need to replace a couple of windows.

Normal responsibilities and involvement in the lives of others also created delays. In addition, Robert had a couple of long trips, funerals, a delightful weekend with family, and so on.

High temperatures, high humidity, and frequent rains also made the work more draining, more difficult, and shortened many work days. But the job weighs on our minds, even when we’re taking a break, whether for work or pleasure.

I’ve realized that repair and upkeep on an old house has a lot in common with renewal in our spiritual lives. When God shines His spotlight on something in our lives that needs to be fixed, we may agree that it’s needed, and may even realize it’s a big job, but we rarely understand what will be involved or how long it will take.

We picture sprucing up the outside, and then realize we can’t do that until we power-wash and scrape the trash away. Then we discover hidden rottenness (sin) that needs to go. We appreciate a face-lift, but rarely consider all that it might require.

In the midst of the make-over, we welcome any distractions that offer a break from the pain of cleaning up the old man so Jesus can make us new. However, in the midst of daily activity, the renovation is never far from mind as God walks us through issues that need to be addressed before the job is done.

It seems that our lives are hijacked, on hold until the job is complete. Sometimes, like with the house, it seems it will never end.

However, without overhaul, rot will continue to grow and paint will continue to flake, allowing more damage. If it is not tackled, further deterioration will make the job more difficult .

Paint could be applied without fixing all the problems. For awhile, it may look good from the outside–while the rot continues within.

We, too, can paste on a smile and pretend we’re fixed up, while hiding rot which grows within. But God sees it.

Jesus said, “Woe to you, . . . hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (Matt. 23:27).

Renovation is often rough. It can make us feel like we’re hijacked, out of control, and like we’ll never get through it. However, it’s worth it.

We can rejoice in the process because of the joy of the finished project. Cleaning decay and toxins (sin),

stops it from causing further destruction,
frees us from internal drain, temptation, and destruction so our peace and joy will be genuine, and
allows us to relate to others more freely and graciously. Most important, it
lets us receive love and grace from the Lord more consistently, so we can enjoy fellowship with and victory in Him.

Don’t wait to be hijacked for a make-over, move over and give the controls to God. Let Him dig as deep as He wants and take as long as He needs. When it’s over, you’ll be grateful.

He specializes in redemption.

What correlations do you see?

God’s Spotlight

This past week three well-known, admired people made the news because secrets about them have been revealed. Things they have kept hidden are now in the spotlight for all the world to know. It’s impossible to hide a secret well enough that God’s spotlight can’t find it in the darkness.

Once hidden secrets are now the target of articles, blogs, and tweets as well as sidewalk chat as everyone makes comment on the latest revelations. But I’ll refrain from joining their ranks.

I’m reminded of the time that the Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in adultery before Jesus to be stoned, “He straightened up [from writing in the sand], and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

The woman’s guilt was obvious. She was caught in the act, but Jesus, the Son of God, did not join in the chorus of condemnation. Instead, He turned the spotlight on the accusers.

He led them to search their own hearts.

In response to the latest revelations, I believe that we too need to search our own hearts.

We need to consider:

Jesus said, “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matt. 10:26). We’ve seen how quickly and unexpectedly hidden sin can be revealed. God knows all things anyway. It is so much better to humble ourselves and confess in the appropriate time and place (Jas. 5:16) rather than be found by a spotlight.
God disciplines those He loves (Rev. 3:19). Sin blocks our relationship with Him (Is. 59:2). When He shines His light in the dark corners of our lives, it is an expression of His love for us so sin can be removed and we can walk in freedom and victory with Jesus.
We are all tempted (1 Cor 10:13), and we have all fallen to temptation. Jesus said that when we look at a woman with lust, we have committed adultery already. We may not have lusted for a woman or a child, but how often has our heart yearned for things that were not of God? (Matt. 5:28). Can we justify pointing our fingers at another?
Jesus said, “Do not judge lest you be judged” (Matt. 7:1). God is judge. It is not our place to judge the guilty person as to motives or to condemn him/her by our gossip.
We need to pray for the person that has failed, their family and others involved. Pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done in their lives (Matt. 6:10), or join Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph 1:18-19).
We need to pray for ourselves, that God would shine His light on any hidden sin and give us courage and humility to repent and confess. But for the grace of God, go I.
God will come to our aid to help us resist temptation (Heb. 2:18). Furthermore, He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can resist if we call on Him (1 Cor. 10:13).

Instead of focusing on the sins of others, we need to ask God to shine His light on us. Like David, we can pray, “Search me, O 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” (Ps. 139:23-24).

“God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).

We don’t have to fear the spotlight revealing our secrets, we can run to the light and be cleansed of our sins.

Declutter: Make a Fresh Start for the New Year

What is your New Year’s tradition?

We’ve been to a few parties and have participated in watch services of prayer and praise to bring in the New Year. I’ve also made resolutions, but haven’t done anything consistently enough to establish a tradition.

However, with the change of the calendar year, I do look back to see what God has done in previous months, and to review what I learned about life through things that happened in the past year.

I also look forward, asking, “Where am I going? What does the Lord want from me in the year ahead?” I have an inner since of making a new start and a question of, “Lord, what are you saying to me?”

His word to me this year is being reinforced by the deep cleaning we are doing as we transition an inherited house into our home. As I clean out “their” closets and drawers, I run into things that have not been used in years. As I take our boxes out of storage and go through them, I wonder, “Why did you keep this?”

I’m keenly aware that “stuff” is cluttering our house—and thus our lives.

I’m also increasingly aware that harmless—even good—“stuff” can quickly crowd out better things in life. I’m seeing that good can rob us of better. It can even cause harm–that we’re likely not aware of.

This is true in our spiritual lives too—probably more than in our physical lives.

In the last days it has also occurred to me that years ago, nearly every prayer included the clause, “and forgive us our sins.” The phrase was used so much that I heard a sermon from the ’80s about how that petition could become a meaningless ritual and that we needed to be specific in confessing our sins.

Today, I rarely hear anybody ask forgiveness for “our sins” unless they are repeating the Lord’s prayer. It seems that we’ve swung so far in focusing on God’s love that we forget that our sin separates us from the source of that love.

As I find forgotten things in closets and drawers, I wonder how much “stuff” I have hidden in the closets and drawers of my heart in the past year—or years. How many sins have I let pass without seeking forgiveness, i.e. without clearing out the dregs?

How many times have I grumbled, complained, or coveted rather than being grateful in all things? How often have I said hurtful or empty words, rather than being an encouragement? How often have I sought my own pleasure rather than seeking the Lord? How many times have I kept quiet when given the opportunity to give credit to God for His goodness and faithfulness? And so forth.

How much clutter have I deposited this past year?

“If we confess our sins, [the Lord] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).

When we don’t confess our sins, do we bury them in forgotten places of our hearts, like the forgotten stuff I’m finding and throwing out?

In Psalm 19, David prayed, “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression” (12-13).

In David’s words, it seems our “stuff” may not be harmless at all. It could rule over us. Some of it could be “great transgression.” The New Year is a good time to do spiritual house cleaning to get rid of the stuff that clutters our soul, an opportunity to unburden our souls of unneeded stuff.

We can then begin the New Year with a clean heart and a fresh start.

David offered prayers that are appropriate for the New Year, “Search me, O 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” (Ps. 139:23-24).

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).

Do you seek a fresh start in the New Year? What do you do?

God With Us

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). . . .

Jesus Christ was in the beginning. He was here before time began. He was with God. Indeed, He was–and is–God.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” (Gen 1:26)

God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden, built for their enjoyment. He visited with them in the cool of the evening—until His created beings chose to eat enticing fruit rather than obey. They were driven from the garden, their sweet fellowship broken.

In order to re-establish intimacy with man, God established a blood covenant—the closest bond possible—with Abraham , including his family and his descendants forever. But His children kept going their own way. For generations, they rejected God.

“And being found in appearance as a man, [Jesus] humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).

Jesus—the Almighty, the Creator, the living God–humbled Himself by leaving His heavenly home and coming to earth. Because of His love for us, He chose to walk among man, even though He’d been rejected so many times before.

His loved us so much that He came to earth as a baby even though He knew He would die a cruel death on a cross, paying the debt for sins so we could truly fellowship with Him.

We celebrate Jesus’ birth and resurrection months apart, but the two must be linked to tell the whole story. Jesus came to earth in order to die for us. He walked the earth and experienced the scorn of the multitudes, all for us.

The manger has a cross behind it, looming over it. Jesus humbled Himself to be born on earth—even in a manger. He humbled Himself to die for us—even a cruel death on a cross. All because He loved you and me so much.

He humbles Himself still, by living in hearts that, like Adam and Eve’s, are wooed and torn by the enticing fruit of our own desires and of the world around us. In spite of our fallen nature, He is Emmanuel, God with us.

It’s too much to grasp, too wonderful to understand. And yet, it is true. Indeed, it is Truth. The holy, living, all-powerful, Creator and God desires to be with us. He desires and intimate relationship with us.

In this busy, glitzy, season, filled with enticing fruit, I pray that you will find time to wonder at the reason for our celebration. May you experience the joy, peace, and fellowship that is found in Him. Emmanuel, God with us.

Is It a Sin to Be Angry at God?

“Is it a sin to be angry at God?” I sensed that the one who questioned had a personal interest in knowing the answer.

It’s a good question. I don’t believe the Bible states the answer directly, but there are some facts that give clues as to the answer.

God gets angry, so anger itself is not necessarily a sin.
God isn’t intimidated when people get angry at Him.
1. When Cain got angry at Him for rejecting his sacrifice, God asked, “Why are you angry?” (Gen. 4:5)
2. When Jonah got angry because God didn’t bring calamity on the Ninevites and when he got angry about the plant drying up, God asked, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4, 9)
3. When the Jews became angry at Jesus for healing a man, He asked, “…are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:23).
In each situation, God responded to man’s anger with a question. He turned the focus back to the heart of the angry person. Why are you angry? Jesus added a warning which questions the judgment that led to anger.

If we get angry at God, rather than pointing fingers at Him, we need to ask ourselves why we’re angry, and we need to search our hearts to find the answer.

IF the Lord acted unrighteously toward us, we might have a reason to get angry, but that won’t happen. His ways are always righteous, just, and loving. We may not understand the hows and whys, but if the action is from the hand of God, it is good.

Most of the time, we get angry because we’re self-centered instead of God-centered. We react in anger when things aren’t going the way we think they should.

Cain reacted when God didn’t approve of his sacrifice.

Jonah took it personally when his predictions for the destruction of Ninevah didn’t take place. Then he got mad because the vine—which grew supernaturally fast to shade Jonah—wilted. Jonah wasn’t grateful for the shade God had provided; he was just angry when it was gone. His anger grew from his focus on himself and what he wanted rather than on God’s purposes.

Jesus questions about the Jews and their judgment of Him healing on the Sabbath brings the question back to individual heart condition. Which is important, making a man well, or forcing legalities on people that bind them?

Asking, “Is anger against God a sin?” is probably the wrong question to ask. If we are angry at God, we need to ask, “Why am I angry?

Am I angry because I want God to do things my way? Do I have enough faith to let God be God and trust Him with the results when things don’t go my way?”

Asking, “Why am I mad?” offers opportunity to find the real sin in our hearts, the sin of wanting to be god, of wanting things to go our way instead of God’s. The sin of ungratefulness, judgment, or lack of faith. (Or maybe it’s something else.)

As long as we’re angry at Him, our fellowship is broken. Likewise, as long as we harbor sin, our fellowship with Him is broken.

God knows we’re self-centered and that we will get angry. Even if being angry at Him is sin, He isn’t surprised or flustered by it.

Instead, when we become angry at Him, He would probably ask us a question. He probably wants us examine our motives so we can take care of the sin that led us to be angry.

When we take care of the underlying unrighteousness, we will find that the anger is gone and we can once again trust Him and fellowship with Him.

Robert & Kay Camenisch encouraging and equipping relationships