Honesty...God's Policy

Deuteronomy 25:13-16  -   "You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise,  and you must use full and honest measures.  Yes, use honest weights and measures, so that you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.  Those who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God.

There were so many things Moses had observed over the 40 years he had led them through the wilderness…so he allowed God to form his last words into short bursts of random ways to please God in all that we do. He must have seen some problems with honesty…for God allowed Moses to speak these words about the accuracy we must use when buying and selling….to remind them of his previous words in Leviticus 19:35-36.

I don’t think God is talking just about the scales we use to measure our deli purchases here…the concept of honesty stretches far past a simple purchase at our local store. We are called to be honest…when dealing with other people…no matter what...so Satan cannot come in at a later time and convince us somehow that we deserve more than our fair share.

Dishonesty is hated so by God because it shows a character that does not truly love what God loves. God is fair and just…and always gives us more than we deserve. A man who is accustomed to using false weights and measures to cheat people…sure hasn’t allowed God to change his heart. I guess that is why he got so angry at the money changers that day in the temple. He just couldn’t allow the greed and sin to permeate his house.

The anger of Jesus had such an impact on the disciples that all four gospels record the story…one only has to read Matthew 21:12-13… Mark 11:15-18… Luke 19:45-46… and John 2:13-17. It must have been one of Jesus’ most frustrating moments…to see such greed and dishonesty…to see the people he loved be taken advantage of.  His heart was already heavy with emotions…knowing his death was soon…his heart must have ached for us as he realized this was one of the sins he must die for on that cross.

He must have really been happy with those that bought there though….I mean think about it….they all knew that they were being scammed…and they exchanged their money for that pair of doves anyway! They wanted above all things to offer the right sacrifice to God…so they allowed the money changers to be dishonest so that they could please him.

This may be a total stretch…but maybe those of us that pay our taxes without trying to find loopholes and deductions that aren’t quite true…please God because he knows our heart just can’t be dishonest.  God loves us no matter what…but he will bless us if we allow the heart he changes by his love to always show others how to be honest in any matter that involves weights or scales or money exchanges.

Father…I thank you for the reminder that I need to be honest.  Help me to never allow Satan to trick me into thinking that I deserve anything more than what you have allowed.  Let my yes be accountable and always truthful….and let my no be evident when Satan tries to lure me with dishonest thoughts. Show me how to live an honest life…and like Zacchaeus...reveal to me any dishonest dealings I need to make right. Amen.

Are You Leaving Enough Love For Others To Glean?

Deuteronomy 24:19-21 - When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.

It was God’s plan to always care for those that found themselves in hard times…especially the foreigner ...the fatherless…and the widow. Moses made sure that he reminded the Israelites one more time…of God’s plan before he left them. Leave some of the grain…the grapes…the olives in your fields for the poor…the needy…the ones that found themselves alone…the ones who were traveling to new places.

Ruth knew this practice well. God led her to the fields of Boaz. As she gleaned his fields ...God also allowed Boaz to be curious about the hard work she did and her background…building a new relationship between them.  God took care of Ruth in full because of this law.

Jesus even gleaned.  In Matthew 12….it retells how he and the disciples picked some grain to eat as they traveled. Jesus knew before he ate it that he was going to use it for a sermon later…when the Pharisees took offense that he did it on a Sabbath. 

I am not a farmer…or even own land with any food….so I must push the definition of gleaning to a deeper level…to apply its meaning to my life. If I apply this principle to my retired life… to everything I do…I could ask myself… “What am I leaving for others to glean from what I do each day?” Quickly…some of the ministries and activities I am involved in come to mind.  Each quilt that is sewn and given away…each card I write to the homebound… every person I pray with at helping hands ( our church food ministry) … evry bag of laundry I have done this summer for the Ministry trainees studying at our church…this week I also helped pray with some local police.  All these things leave seeds of God’s warmth and love for those who don’t know him to glean.

The world must not be leaving enough of Jesus for everyone to glean.  The world is leaving so many  seeds of evil and hate lately that we need to plant double what we are used too to overcome the weeds that grow in the fields of love and generosity Jesus wants us to plant. For me that means doubling what I already do….stopping and asking God to help me find even more ways to plant his seeds of love around my community…my nation…my world.

Father…thank you for the reminder that you need my help to spread your love throughout the world. Forgive me for the times that I have done nothing…or a little as I think I have time.  Open my heart and mind to every way possible that I can use the resources and time you allow in my life to plant more seeds of your love …so more of the lost in this world can know you.  Amen.

Vows Are Serious Business

Deuteronomy 23:21 – 23 -  If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.  But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.  Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

Tucked into chapter 23 are more miscellaneous rules the Israelites needed to keep their lives holy and clean. Included in these directions is a reminder that any vow you make to God is serious stuff.

A vow is simply a promise you make to God.  Whether it be in a moment of extreme pain or anguish…in fear or remorse…. Or in a moment of thankfulness and praise…God remember every promise you ever made to him. He will hold you accountable for each one.

The New Testament agrees with this reminder from Moses.  Ecclesiastes 4:4-7 says. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.  Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?  For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.

Breaking your promise to God breaks more than just your word.  It breaks your relationship to him. It breaks your relationship with others.  It damages the trust you might have built with others that see and witness your actions. Let’s face it…God hears every vow we make to others.. Just because it isn’t a promise to God…doesn’t mean we have the right to break our word to anyone.

Thank the Lord that Jesus fulfilled all the laws and forgiveness is offered for this sin. I for one would have paid dearly for the breakage of my first marriage vows. And I am sure that I have broken vows I made in the past…so many I can’t remember them all. I needed the penalty paid big time for this serious sin. I sure needed the reminder that it is better not to vow at all than to vow and never keep my word.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my word should be a true measure of my character. Forgive me for the times I have broken promises to you and others in my life.  Thank you for the forgiveness you offer for my sin.  Give me the courage and wisdom  need for you to help me uncover all the broken promises I have made to you and others…and begin to make amends where it is possible….finally coming through with the pledge that I made. Amen

Be An Obedient...Generous...Compassionate Steward

Deuteronomy 22:6-7 - If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

This chapter is another collection of miscellaneous commands for these people moving into a more permanent living situation.  Moses wanted them to know that it is a sin to do nothing….a sin to be greedy in taking natural resources….to be careful not to imitate any pagan planting practices….to take measures to protect the ones you hired to build for you…and that genders had specific roles that were not to be imitated by the other.

These rules were not there to limit the Israelites…but to teach them the best ways to show love and fairness in the world.  God shines with pride and love for us when we practice  obedience…compassion… generosity… and show him that we accept the roles he placed us in when we were born. He rewards obedience with blessings…..he rewards our small gestures of complete compliance by trusting us with even more of his world for us to share with others.

I thought of the parable…of the talents... in Luke 19.  Then there is the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16.  And let’s not leave out the bags of gold in Matthew 25.  Each one of these New Testament teachings of Jesus repeated Moses words here…that those who are obedient with little…those are the ones that God will give even more of his resources to share with others. Matthew 25:28 – 30 says….  “So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What a great reminder that what God allows us to have in our time here on earth does not belong to us at all.  It all belongs to him….we are called to be the managers of all he put in our hands.  I needed God to remind me of these simple rules.  To not be greedy…to be content with what station in life he has already assigned…to care for others things as if they were my own… to practice fairness…and above all else…to remember to be obedient to God in all things… no matter the earthly cost to me.

Father…thank you for the reminder to practice obedience….compassion…generosity… using what you have allowed us to manage for you to its highest heavenly value. Forgive me for the times that I have mismanaged what you have placed in my hands…and let earthly greed and feelings of entitlement to sway my faithfulness to what you have told me to do.  Help me to seek your wisdom…and guidance in all that I do and say from this day forward…so that I can be a better steward of what you place in my hands.   Amen.

Jesus Paid It All...All To Him I Owe

Deuteronomy 21:3-4 -  Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. 

Deuteronomy 21 contains many miscellaneous rules for dealing with the rarer occurrences the Israelites might have encountered. From who offers the sacrifice for a man slain with no apparent person to pin in on…to how to take as a wife a captive form the many battles they would fight.

My first thought was what in the world would God be telling me to work on from these passages.  Then it hit me. Someone had to make atonement for every sin that was committed. The elders of the nearest town must find an unworked heifer…and take it to an unplowed valley…and offer it up to God to atone for the sin that was committed…even when no one could be blamed for the sin.

Jesus came to fulfill this concept…and offered up his life as an atonement for all sins. No death penalty would ever be more sacrificial. No death would ever be required again …for any sin …after his selfless act of love.

What a great reminder of the price paid for my freedom. I am so guilty of taking the gift of atonement Jesus gave me for granted.  I needed a reminder to thank him today for my life…and the lives of all my Christian family that believe.

Thank you father for the gift of love you gave to the world in your son. Forgive me for all the days I have forgotten to thank you. Help me to find new ways to pay forward his gift …so that more people will come to know his love ...and receive this wonderful gift of atonement for sin.  Amen.

Put Away Negative Thoughts

Deuteronomy 20:8-9 -  Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”  When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.

As the people neared a time of battle…Moses gave them specific instructions for each situation they might face in war.  Most of the instructions were directed at what spoils they were allowed to keep…and what must be destroyed.  But Moses made sure to include several verses that gave those with unfinished business…or too much fear…a chance to go home.

I might be stretching my understanding of these verses a bit too far…but I couldn’t help but see a lot of value …in war or other times….in letting our negative emotions get to the point that they begin to affect others.  Negativity breeds more negativity…it says in Galatians 6:1…” Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

I am guilty…as usual….and needed a reminder that when I allow negative thoughts…and especially when I voice them to others….satan loves to take them and plant seeds of discourse. I need to claim Philippians 4:8…which says…”Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I must stay positive…never giving satan a chance to use my negative thoughts against me or anyone else in my pathway.  Forgive me for the many times that I have allowed negative thoughts to harbor…or be voiced at all. Help me to spend so much time with you that I hear your small still voice reminding me of a positive thought …anytime my thoughts turn negative. Amen.

Love No Matter What...Follow The Command to Turn The Other Cheek

Deuteronomy 19:4-7 - This is the rule concerning anyone who kills a person and flees there for safety—anyone who kills a neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought. For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life. Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought. This is why I command you to set aside for yourselves three cities.

Moses reminded the people that God wanted them to strategically place up to 6 cities of refuge within the borders of the land he was giving them.  God knew there would be accidental deaths among them…and those who missed these loved ones would want to seek revenge on the ones who caused the deaths. These cities would be places where one could run and be protected until the avengers had stopped threatening their life.

In the same chapter is a reminder that anyone found to cause deaths with any forethought…should be put to death as a punishment. Following those instructions is the familiar verse that says…Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. But later on in Matthew 5:38-39…Jesus told them the fulfilled meaning of this law. He said… “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

I am so glad that Jesus fulfilled this Old Testament law with his death on the cross. All the eyes…feet….hands and hearts that broke this law or ever will break this law….were redeemed in that moment that Jesus sacrificed  his perfect life for all sins. We no longer have to judge whether anything is a sin…that is God’s job. And we can be comforted by the fact that very life taken in error or with evil forethought will be given a new…body to live in Heaven…glorifying God and basking in his glory for eternity.

My only job is to love everyone…no matter what. Yes…I admit that this is hard.  One has to view all people alike…even the most evil hearts that we see committing the most recent heinous sins against completely innocent people. One has to rid themselves of all our own perceptions…and clothe our hearts with God’s perfect view of any heart that was created.

In truth…Jesus was the only one to ever do this.  The rest of us get it once in a while…when it is easy for us…or when one of our own family is involved…or sometimes when God just gives us a passion for one soul that he knows can be transformed with the love we can give them…God’s perfect love.

I know in my heart that responding to these evils with hate and malleus is only making it worse.  Hate is multiplied…and the evil is given more territory to spread its destruction. I needed the reminder that my response to all evil acts that I perceive as sin…must be to show so much love of god that the evil will run from this flooded area of God’s light.  Evil can’t handle this holy presence of God…the Bible says in many places that demons were cast out in Jesus name.

Father…thank you for the reminder that love will someday triumph over the evils God allows to manifest in the earthly world.  Forgive for the times that I do not do my part in helping God conquer evil by loving all others no matter what my earthly heart tells me.  Help me to find the strength …courage…and wisdom to show your love in all situations to all people.  Amen.