Coffee With The Lord

The British Crown Jewels… Wouldn’t even know where to begin describing their value, their uniqueness, their splendor, their beauty!

I was reminded of that as I read one of the “crown jewels” of Scripture today… Isaiah 55!  So much elegant, powerful, treasured beauty there! … Stuff to savored, enjoyed, treasured, embraced, appropriated, heeded!!!  I won’t include it all in this post… Only enough to whet your appetite and perhaps “blow you away” with its beauty and power…  My advice?  Take your time, savor every sentence and word, let the Holy Spirit shine upon its message, enhance its truth and make its gems glisten!  (I’m still in WOW mode! … could you tell?)

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love…

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands!”

(from Isaiah 55 ESV)

Conscientious parents scold their children for bad behavior!  They won’t tolerate a display of angry envy and resentment when someone else is honored, when they are given a gift, or receive a generous act of kindness.  The tragedy?  Sometimes adults (even the very parents who did the scolding) behave in the very same away that they would not tolerate in their children.

Thought of that as I read the parable Jesus told of the landowner who paid his workers who labored in his vineyard… The story goes that he went out very early in the morning and hired some workers looking for work in the city square, agreeing on their wages for the day… About 9 a.m. he went back and hired some more, and then again at noon, 3 p.m., and again at 5 p.m.  Time came to settle up with those he had hired… And he paid them all the same amount – the amount he had agreed upon!

I can just imagine the outcry… the complaining!  This is how the Bible describes it…

“Each one received the standard wage!  When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner, saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day!’  And the landowner replied to them, ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?  Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last man the same as I gave to you.  Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matthew 20:10–15 NET)

I don’t know if you’ve ever struggled with the insidious evil attitude of envy, resent or anger when God blesses someone else, they are honored, or when they prosper… I have to admit the evil head of the “envy monster” has risen a time or two in my life!  I’d scold my children for that!  Oh God, cleanse my heart from that attitude!  May I learn to “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice!” (1 Corinthians 12:26)  May I learn to accept what I’ve been granted with gratitude and rejoice when God blesses another with His wonderful “grace gifts” – “one grace on top of another!” (John 1:16)

The Lord knows what makes us tick – what our inner motivations are – better than anyone else!

A rich you guy came up to Jesus… obviously, something had been bothering him… he had a lot of money and plenty of “toys”… but there was still something missing!  A lot of people looked up to him!  He was the epitome of success… probably “dressed for success,” enjoyed a lot of recognition in the community, attended a prestigious synagogue, lived a good life – in every way looked like it had it all together… But deep within there was still something missing… a haunting uncertainty… “eternal life”?  What about “eternal life?”  What happened after death?  Could you get “insurance” for that?  Was that an “investment” you could make?

He had heard Jesus knew a lot about those kind of issues… so he put on his best suit, and approached Jesus at one his meetings respectfully after one of his talks… “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?”

Jesus suggested a few commandments from the Torah… The Bible.  His response?  “I’ve kept all of those to the best of my ability… But there’s still something missing!

I think Jesus knew Him inside-out! He knew what “made him tick!”  (He knows us all that completely and thoroughly!)  He knew this incredibly successful young businessman had a “stealth god” … Materialism!  Mammon!  Money!  Perhaps even, God forbid, greed!!

Jesus nailed his issue!  Here’s what the Bible says about the encounter… “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’  But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!  Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.’”  (Matthew 19:21–24 NET)

Jesus knows us inside-out!  He knows what motivates us deep within!  Our “stealth god” may be money and possessions (it is for many people – it even was to a degree for Peter… read the next verses and Peter’s “what will there be in it for us” comment).  But for you and me it may be something else.  Jesus knows… He’ll put His finger on it if we’ll ask Him.  Oh my!  I’ve got to tell you… “I don’t want to go away sorrowful” because I’m unwilling to deal with it!  I want “eternal life” more than anything else!  I don’t want any other “gods” before Him!  I want to serve Him with a “pure (undivided) heart,” don’t you?