Coffee With The Lord

Those who have served in the military will understand this… They use the term “volunteer” differently than the general population (know what I mean?) Someone in high rank says, “Do I have any volunteers?” … and “volunteers” just materialize miraculously and quickly.

I think Isaiah’s experience with the Lord (Isaiah 6) had some similarities with that situation…

Isaiah had just had a powerful (and I mean POWERFUL!) encounter with Someone of “rank.” (Did you notice that I capitalized “Someone”?) Here’s the account from the Bible…

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!’” (Isaiah 6:1–5 NIV)

Can you imagine having an experience like that with the Living God – Jehovah Himself – in all his holiness, splendor, and power – an experience that was visual, auditory and felt physically? A couple of feeble words come to mind – sometimes overworked, but appropriate… Wow!! Awesome!!

Then think about what comes next in the passage…

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I replied, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (vs. 8)

You know what, given what happened to Isaiah, I think I would have been inclined to respond with “Here am I, send me!” I don’t know though… I’ve seen how some people respond to authority. Isaiah’s experience with Jehovah probably helped, but his heart had to be inclined to respond to the Lordship of God. I just want to go on record as saying this… When God calls, I want to be ready with my strong affirmation – I want to say “Yes, here I am! Send me!” I really need and appreciate awesome experiences with God! I want them to influence me powerfully! But I also want to have a heart that’s ready to say “Yes!” … Don’t you?

Left to themselves – left to their own inclinations and inner impulses – what happens to humankind? The Noah story in the Bible tells us… “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5 ESV) The power of sin – The evil infection of the human species – the impact of “the fall” upon us all has been great and devistating!

But in the midst of all this moral chaos and depravity – when “Every intention of the thoughts of humankind were only evil continually” – a success story! “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9 ESV)

I am so impressed (and challenged) by Noah… No Bible – the written word of God! No weekly church services where he could meet with fellow believers to encourage him and sustain his faith. No pastor to provide counsel and messages to sustain, guide and foster his faith. No Christian radio or television. No worship music to access to inspire and uplift him. Only evil, depravity, and temptation all around him and his family! Evil actions, wicked people, seductive temptation, and perverted behavior everywhere! And Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation – He walked with God!

Wow! It can be done! God is faithful! His grace is sufficient! “He [the Lord] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy!” (Jude 24) Noah found ways to sustain his faith! Here’s his secret on a single phrase of Biblical text… “He walked with God (step-by-step, moment-by-moment, day-by-day)!” At the outset of this New Year I want to do that… I purpose to do that by God’s grace! It worked for Noah!

Hypocrite! It has the ring of condemnation and disgust about it, doesn’t it? In fact after hearing the term used derisively, you almost want to add a word and say “dirty hypocrite!” We dislike intensely what the word represents… Someone who advocates one thing and practices quite another – someone who condemns others for their behavior and all the while are guilty of the same behavior. Dirty hypocrites!

I’ve said it before in my “Coffee with the Lord” posts… but I’ll admit it again – I am a recovering hypocrite! I confess it! I acknowledge it! And believe me, I turn from it and repudiate with repugnance the tendency in my life (that means that I “repent” of it). I want nothing to do with hypocrisy! Instead, with the Lord’s help and grace, I want to live a life of authentic righteousness! Never “holier than thou” – just “holy” with God’s help!

Was reminded of all of that as I read the following indictment of hypocrisy in the Bible this morning…

“Therefore you have no excuse – every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2:1–11 ESV)

So, here’s the deal… I never want to stiffen and rebel when God deals with me! I don’t want to defend and justify my sin! I want to repent and turn from it! God is fair! He shows no partiality! He uses the same ruler to measure every man. No one gets by with anything. We all face judgment! There is only one solution… God’s forgiveness and mercy – and, praise the Lord, I need it and He gives it (1 John 1:8-9)! With His help I want to live a righteous life and please Him… “True blue” – righteous “inside-out” – that’s my desire! Help me Lord by your grace!