Coffee With The Lord

One of the scariest things a person has to do sometimes is start over (or as the figure of speech goes, “start from scratch”)!

Perhaps things did not go well, some bad decisions with consequences… Or perhaps circumstances beyond your control, and you lost everything, and you had to start over! It may be a business… Or your profession… It may be your marriage… Or your reputation… You may have just gotten out of prison… Or a storm, a flood or a fire destroyed everything… You’re scared to death! You’ve got to start over! Will it work? Will you succeed? You’re almost afraid to try – but you must!

God’s people, Judah, had made some terrible decisions… They bore the consequences of their sin! Jerusalem was destroyed! The temple had been dismantled! The enemy, Babylon, carried off their brightest and best – everything of worth was pillaged! When Babylon was done Jerusalem itself, and the temple, the pride of the nation, was just an ugly, smoking pile of rubble! And then 70 years of exile… 70 years of neglect… 70 years of unmown grass, and rats, and ugliness!

But then God fulfilled His word and performed a miracle! After 70 years of exile Judah was headed back home! Psalm 126 (the passage I read this morning in my devotions) tells the story… describes the emotions of the people…

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream!… Our mouths were filled with laughter, and out tongue with shouts of joy! Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them!’ The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad!”

But then reality set it… They had to “start over… they had to start from scratch!” And all they had to work with was an ugly pile of rubble! They were an agrarian people… and all they had was a bag of seed…just a bag of seed! Do you plant it (an act of faith) – or do you eat it? That’s when “starting over” gets tough! Here’s how Psalm 126 describes it…

“Restore our fortunes, O Lord! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing precious seed [just a bag], shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him!”

Hey listen, if you’ve experienced a disaster… or the consequences of sin and bad choices have destroyed your marriage or your reputation… God is faithful! He will help you start over! You’ve got to, you know! Take what little you have (and it may be very little), cry out to Him (“Restore our fortunes, O Lord!”) and begin “sowing” (even if your eyes are filled with tears and your heart with fear)! Conquer what is past with the Lord’s help and faith! I believe you’ll experience “reaping and rejoicing!” Com’on! With God’s help start over! I’m praying for someone today who is scared to death to start over… conquer your fear with faith!

I want this to be my “work ethic”! … Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving! (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

An antonym… a word that has the exact opposite meaning of another word.

Today as a result of my Bible reading two such words that might qualify as antonyms came to mind: “gloat” and “grovel.” The problem is both of those words are viewed as negative human behaviors. So are they the best examples of antonyms? The first word is an ugly human behavior driven by arrogance and pride. The second is equally distasteful, and is viewed as the result of a distorted self-image.

Perhaps a more accurate antonym set would be “righteous” and “unrighteous.” One is truly a positive moral virtue (especially when it is God’s assessment of an individual and not “self-righteousness”) and the other word is expressive of a life void of righteousness (i.e. wickedness.)

The passage I read this morning that provoked these comparisons? Luke 18:9-14! Here it is…

“Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ‘Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ [By definition a textbook case of self-righteous “gloating”!] But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner!’ [There might be some who would label that “groveling” – I think God would call it humble, authentic “repentance” and “confession of sin”]

And what did Jesus say? He declared, “I tell you, this sinner [the tax collector], not the Pharisee, returned home justified [made righteous] before God.”

Just a few additional comments on this subject… Self-righteous gloating is particularly a problem for “religious folk!” In fact, a friend of mine this week put it this way: “If you think you have it all together, and are righteous and holy, and will never fail or sin… I can hear a rooster crowing!” (And on that issue read about Peter’s experience in Mark 14:29-31 and 66-72)

In another place Jesus gave this assessment of some self-righteous “church people”…

“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked!” (The church in Laodecia Revelation 3:17 NLT)

Oh, and how did Jesus end the story of the self-righteous religious person and the despised, sinful tax-collector? He said, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted!” Gotta tell you, I want to be on the right side of that issue!