Jeff Adams

Lost in Reflection

The remnant of Jews in Nehemiah’s day assembled together to worship God and pray to reestablish the foundations of Hebrew society. As they prayed, they listed all the many ways God provided for them and their ancestors and also their continued disobedience.  In the Nehemiah study this morning I took this example to say that two obstacles that can keep us from fulfilling the mission God has for us are pride and failure to grow.

Grow is the one word theme we have adopted for this year. Both as an individual and as the church we are asking God to grow. Not only do I want to avoid pride by surrendering the control of my life to God, I want to learn from my sin and mistakes, avoiding them in the future. So, along with you, I am examining my life and assessing those areas where I need to grow.

This assessment of areas where growth is needed is all part of the discipleship process. When Paul left Titus in Crete, he gave him the following instructions. He was to find out what was lacking in the lives of the believers and fill the void. Then, he was to reproduce himself by developing other leaders (Titus 1:5).

We have been through a wonderful week of The Summit. There is a growing sense and awareness that God is doing something special. Let’s not blow it! Let’s set aside our pride and learn from past mistakes. Let’s examine our lives, find out what’s lacking and fill the voids. Then, let’s grow and reproduce ourselves in others!

Y habló Jehová a Moisés,  diciendo: Toma la vara,  y reúne la congregación,  tú y Aarón tu hermano,  y hablad a la peña a vista de ellos;  y ella dará su agua,  y les sacarás aguas de la peña,  y darás de beber a la congregación y a sus bestias.

Entonces Moisés tomó la vara de delante de Jehová,  como él le mandó.

Y reunieron Moisés y Aarón a la congregación delante de la peña,  y les dijo:  ¡Oíd ahora,  rebeldes!  ¿Os hemos de hacer salir aguas de esta peña?

Entonces alzó Moisés su mano y golpeó la peña con su vara dos veces;  y salieron muchas aguas,  y bebió la congregación,  y sus bestias.

Y Jehová dijo a Moisés y a Aarón: Por cuanto no creísteis en mí,  para santificarme delante de los hijos de Israel,  por tanto,  no meteréis esta congregación en la tierra que les he dado.

Estas son las aguas de la rencilla,  por las cuales contendieron los hijos de Israel con Jehová,  y él se santificó en ellos. (Números 20:7-13)

Este es el pecado por el cual Moisés no pudo entrar a la tierra. El caso es complejo, pues Moisés padece de varias emociones y frustraciones acumuladas en la trayectoria de los años en el desierto con las quejas y murmuraciones continuas del pueblo de Israel. ¿Será frustración, enojo o impaciencia? Sí, y sin duda otras cosas también.

En su forma más sencilla este pecado es la desobediencia. Dios le dijo hablar a la peña, y la golpea.

Por supuesto se ve además el orgullo de Moisés en sus palabras al pueblo congregado. “¿Hemos de hacer salir aguas de esta peña?”

Perdona, Moisés, pero ¿quién va a hacer salir aguas de la peña? Será Dios, ¿no?

Su falta de paciencia es entendible, pero no su falta de control. Tomándose de la situación, Moisés golpea la peña con la vara y, como para hacer hincapié en el poder de su esfuerzo, la golpea dos veces.

Dios ha sido misericordioso y lleno de gracia en estar dispuesto a proveerles aguas a pesar de su inmadurez. Moisés, al contrario, carece de gracia aunque es recipiente de ella. Moisés ha caído de la gracia (Gálatas 5:4).

Aun con todo lo que se puede decir en cuanto a Moisés y su complejo de emociones, orgullo y falta de paciencia, es sumamente interesante el análisis divino de lo que ha pasado. Dios señala dos pecados básicos. El primero es una falta de fe. “Por cuanto no creísteis en mí.” Más básico no puede ser. Dios le había instruido, y Moisés no le ha creído. Dios le dijo hablar a la peña y Moisés pensó mejor.

Más sorprendente aún para mí fue observar lo que Dios dice a continuación. Le acusa a Moisés de una falta de santidad, pero no de una santidad personal, sino la falta de santificar a Dios. Por no haber creído a Dios, Moisés ha fallado en no haber santificado a Dios delante de los hijos de Israel.

Sabemos que Dios es santo. Pero tenemos que recordar que santificar es sencillamente apartar, separar o hacer muy especial a alguien o algo. Dios es santo porque, como el único y verdadero Dios, él es apartado de todo y de todos. Nosotros somos santos porque él nos ha apartado como muy especiales debido a la obra de Cristo Jesús en su muerte, sepultura y resurrección. Nosotros vivimos vidas santas por lo que nosotros apartamos a él – nuestras vidas juntamente con todo lo que tenemos y somos.

Pero, también nosotros tenemos la capacidad para santificar a Dios – apartarlo de una forma muy especial en reconocimiento de su naturaleza única. En este caso, Moisés había de santificar a Dios por medio de obedecer la instrucción divina y lograr el resultado deseado (las aguas) dando testimonio de que el gran poder y gracia del Omnipotente había hecho esto. Cuando Moisés dirigía la atención a su propia persona con sus palabras bravas y sus obras de golpear la peña, Moisés estaba santificándose a sí mismo, pero en competencia con la santidad de Dios, no como resultado de la misma. Sólo de esta manera puede Dios recibir toda la honra y la gloria. Moisés le está quitando lugar a Dios. Logró el resulatado de las aguas, pero no el resultado más importante de santificar a Dios

Somos santos por la gracia de Dios. Él nos ha apartado como su tesoro especial. Nosotros hemos de corresponderle este amor santificando a él como la Persona más importante y especial en nuestras vidas. Si la santidad consiste en lo que apartamos para él, ¿qué podemos apartar el día de hoy para la honra y gloria de Dios? ¿Nuestra propia agenda, vocación, familia, sueños o dinero? Temo que muchas veces logramos resultados, pero no el resultado más importante de santificar a nuestro Dios delante de la gente.

You remember the Abraham and Lot story, right? Abram, as he was first called, has just come back from Egypt after taking refuge there in a time of famine. In Genesis 13 it becomes apparent that the combined and expanding flocks of Abram and his nephew Lot are seriously taxing the land.

Lot has been along since the original migration from Mesopotamia (Iran/Iraq), but this is the first glimpse scripture gives us into his character. Rising tensions between shepherds for both men and other herders in the area bring matters to a head.

Abram wisely decides that something has to be done. He offers Lot first choice of the area he desires for his flocks. Whatever he chooses, Abram will go in the opposite direction in order to maintain peace in the family. Lot chooses the obvious best option – the rich Jordan Valley. As things would turn out, this is great for his herds, but probably not the best choice for raising his children.

Many years pass and both men prosper in spite of significant challenges, including the first “war” recorded in the Bible between two coalitions of local kings.  Abram rescues his nephew after he is kidnapped in the battle for control of Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot calls home. Abraham continues his journey of faith, growing by God’s grace and learning from his mistakes.

Abraham is still living the nomadic life in Genesis 18, when heavenly visitors arrive at his tent to announce the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to unbridled sin and perversion. Abraham intercedes for the righteous living there.  His prayer is answered.

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. (Genesis 19:29)

What I find fascinating is the commentary on this story that is offered in Peter’s second epistle.

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. (2 Peter 2:6-7)

God spares Lot from destruction and calls him just or righteous! Can you believe that! By this time his life is a disaster and getting worse. Lot lived the good life of Sodom for quite a time. Now, with the destruction of his city of choice, he looses his h9me, his influence, his wife and everything he has. He doesn’t even have the credibility to convince his sons-in-law to flee the coming doom. Soon, he will fall into incest with his daughters.

There is an obvious disconnect between God’s use of the term just and the reality of Lot’s earthly existence. This is much like the credibility gap between those who have put their trust in the Gospel for eternal life yet contradict their faith daily with the way they live out their lives.  Lot lacks integrity and it seems everything points back to his choice of the best land for himself. From this moment forward, his life begins to spiral downward.

Here’s the question that occurs to me. What would I have chosen had I been Lot? Would the “spiritual” decision have been to choose the worst land for me so Abram could have the best, giving deference to the elder? Or, would it have been possible to have worked out some compromise or alternative? Perhaps they could have instituted some sort of rotation system.

At the very least this causes me to think about the importance of the decisions and choices we make in life and the lasting and extended consequences they bring. Maybe what I can take away from this is the idea of making choices by considering not my own potential benefit, but the benefits to the Kingdom of God.

I’m dead serious. I would really like any honest input – short, succinct and, above all, practical for real life in real time.

Do you ever struggle with this whole idea of holiness? Who would dare to say that they are holy? Wouldn’t that negate the whole concept? So, we wrestle with feeling like we’re not holy, or not holy enough. Or, we just choose to ignore it and think that holiness is for someone we read about in a book, probably someone who lived long ago. Someone else may be holy but not me.

I’m going to try and answer this question Sunday morning, but in the meantime I would love to hear any thoughts. After all, we are instructed to be holy because the Lord our God is holy. It would probably be good to have an idea of what that means beyond dressing, speaking and acting a bit strange.

Hablo muy en serio. De veras quisiera cualquier comentario – corto, sucinto y, sobre todo, práctico para la vida real en el mundo contemporáneo.

¿Luchas tú a veces con esa idea de la santidad? ¿Quién se atreve a decir que es santo? ¿No sería eso anular el concepto?  Entonces seguimos lidiando con el pensamiento que no  somos santos, o por lo menos no somos lo suficientemente santos. O, elegimos a ignorarlo totalmente y creer que la santidad es para alguien de quien leímos en un libro, a lo mejor que vivió hace muchos años. Algún otro puede ser santo, pero yo no.

El domingo que viene intento a contestar esta pregunta., pero mientras tanto me gustaría escuchar cualquier pensamiento de ustedes. Pues la escritura nos instruye a ser santos porque nuestro Dios es santo. Probablemente sería bueno tener una idea de lo que es la santidad más allá de vestirse, hablar y actuar de una forma extraña.

Most of us know firsthand what it is to pass through dry, desert phases of life. My first reaction during such times is to think, “What did I do?” Could it be that sometimes God himself has led us directly into those times in the spiritual desert?

Motivational speaker and author Os Hillman offers some insight into this based on a passage in Hosea. Check out these couple of paragraphs.

Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. – Hosea 2:14

If you have an important message to convey to someone, what is the best means of getting the message through? Have you ever tried to talk with someone who was so busy you could not get him to hear you? Distractions prevent us from giving our undivided attention to the messenger. So too, God has His way of taking us aside to get our undivided attention. For Paul, it was Arabia for three years; for Moses, it was 40 years in the desert; for Joseph, it was 13 years in Egypt; for David, it was many years of fleeing from King Saul.

God knows the stubborn human heart. He knows that if He is to accomplish His deepest work, He must take us into the desert in order to give us the privilege to be used in His Kingdom. In the desert God changes us and removes things that hinder us. He forces us to draw deep upon His grace. The desert is only a season in our life. When He has accomplished what He wants in our lives in the desert, He will bring us out. He has given us a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after we have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert. Fear not the desert, for it is here you will hear God’s voice like never before. It is here you become His bride. It is here you will have the idols of your life removed. It is here you begin to experience the reality of a living God like never before. Someone once said, “God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged saints so He can put them in enlarged places!”