1 & 2 Thessalonians Released Today

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Don Merritt

Today I’ve released our study of 1 ^ 2 Thessalonians as a complete document for anyone who desired to have it for personal study, reflection or use as a teaching or small group resource. As always, you may feel free to use it, share it or make it your own, as long as you do not sell it. To download, please click

HERE

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Naked Before God and the Wonder of it All

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Don Merritt

Last time, we ended with my saying that in this next post, it would be time to look at the concept of naked before God in a practical rather than an abstract way, so it might seem odd to begin with the wonder of relationship with God. Yet I think you’ll see that this is exactly the right place to begin.

Small children view the world around them quite differently that we adults do; they can still see their worlds with a sense of wonder. When I was a small child, my Mom was proud of her roses; she had roses in bloom year-round. I remember that as a small child, I loved the smell of her roses and it never even occurred to me that boys would be thought weird for smelling them. However, I grew up, and now I am not really sure what they smell like. As a small child I could lay in the grass on a warm summer day and watch the clouds in the sky as they floated along; I was filled with wonder… but I grew up, and I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve really noticed a cloud.

When I was seven years old, my family drove from Los Angeles to Wichita Falls, Texas on vacation to see my grandparents. I remember how many hours I spent looking out the window of the car at all of the strange sights along the way; desert, mountains, grasslands, rivers… all so much different than the suburbs where we lived, and I was filled with wonder at how big the world seemed to me. I remember how amazed I was at how different Texas felt; the air was heavier than California, the sun wasn’t as hot, but I always seemed to feel wet; amazing, fascinating, wonders never before experienced, but then I grew up; it was humid and miserable in Texas!

When I was a “new” Christian, the whole idea of “talking to God” was a matter of wonder for me; that God, the very One who created everything, would actually notice me… Wonder is the only word for it.

But then I “grew up” so to speak, and relationship with God became the norm, something I “do” and I lost track of the wonder of it all. In truth, it became more like a ritual or a practice than something so incredibly awesome and amazing as it seemed at first; I began to take it for granted.

I was a busy man with an important job. I had worries, concerns, responsibilities; time with God was at a premium, and my concerns became the subject of my prayers; OK God, here’s what I need from you…

A corporate relationship with God can become like that as well; there’s a certain order of things, you stand up here, and now you sit down. I like that song, but not this one (looking at watch) come on, let’s get down to business; time is money…

Being naked before God is all about being real, about taking all of the games, self-importance, pride, and selfishness away; it’s about surrendering to Him. So, you want a practical first step?

Find the wonder again.

We can find the wonder of being in God’s presence again by slowing down, smelling roses, watching the clouds roll by, feeling a warm breeze and actually taking notice of the wondrous little things that we haven’t paid attention to in years. We must reclaim the wonder we had at first at the very thought that the God who created the universe would even notice that we exist, the wonder of knowing that He cares about us, the wonder of knowing that God Himself loves ME and YOU.

We reclaim that wonder by never taking Him for granted; that’s where humility can be found, because wonder requires humility and being naked before God requires both.

Step one is slow down and bask in His glory, sing praises to His glory, thank Him for loving you, marvel in His presence and stay there for a while and ask Him to bring the wonder back into your life. Be sure, you wait for His reply, since He isn’t normally in a big rush to end a conversation.

That’s enough for today, I think. There is so much more to say, but for now, I look forward to your observations.

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Everything will be Different

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Don Merritt

Hosea 2: 16-23

“In that day” everything will change, for out of her despondency, Israel will once again be the Bride of God. God will woo His people, He will show His unfailing love to them in a variety of ways, and out of captivity and return, they will once again return to Him.

Yet we need to bear in mind that this is a prophecy to the Northern Kingdom, Israel. Their return wasn’t as clear as that of the Southern Kingdom, Judah. There were no more recognizable tribes there, they were never again accepted as being Jews, but instead were rejected and scorned as the Samaritans. Some might try to dispute this, but this prophecy did not find its real fulfillment in the remnant that returned to Samaria but is instead found only in Christ.

Our text here describes in highly figurative language the establishment of a New Covenant, called here a new “betrothal” between God and His people (2:19).  Notice the language of love that the Lord uses here and we can see how difficult it must have been for Him to have had need to execute judgment upon them. So many people read the Old Testament and think they see an angry God who is anxious to smite somebody. Yet reading these verses, we can see that such a view is miles from the real story.

In the last three verses, once again in highly figurative language, we see that the entirety of Creation will rejoice when that day comes, the day of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood, the covenant that made everything New again.

In the next chapter, a very short one, we see this same story in a different light. We will see that chapter two actually links together the story of Hosea’s marriage, the adultery of Gomer and then their reconciliation. As we read it, we may even come to realize that the first three chapters of this book actually tell the very same story, but that will have to wait for next time.

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Reflections on 2 Corinthians Released

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

Today I’ve released our study of 2 Corinthians as a complete document for anyone who desired to have it for personal study, reflection or use as a teaching or small group resource. As always, you may feel free to use it, share it or make it your own, as long as you do not sell it. To download, please click

HERE

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Intimacy, Relationships and God

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

Last time we came to an important understanding in this study of the metaphor that is nakedness before God and that understanding is that we are always naked before Him, for none of us has or ever will have secrets from Him, for He knows all.

A sobering thought for anyone.

Yet when we voluntarily bare all before God, when we take away our pretense, our pride and our coverings and come into His presence in humble submission, holding nothing back, amazing things happen, and we become “naked and unashamed”.

There is a very fundamental reason for this; actually, it is a theological reason that is elegant in its simplicity: we were created for the purpose of intimate relationship with our Creator. What is all the more amazing is the fact that this is true of us both individually and collectively, and it is why marriage between a man and woman is used in Scripture as a metaphor to illustrate the relationship between Christ and His Church: It is the most intimate of all relationships.

Many times over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak with Christian leaders in academia, in well-known ministries and in local churches, and I have often been surprised that these leaders, as amazing as many of them are, focus on all of the wrong things. They focus on doctrinal points, which may or may not be important, or they may focus on traditions of corporate worship or worship style or preaching style… or they may debate the best kind of microphone to use in preaching.

Yet none of these things bring about an intimate relationship.

To be naked before God means that these kinds of things fall into their proper places, that we gain better perspective on what our priorities should be, for the highest priority of any Christian should be their relationship with our Lord, their intimate, bare-all-in-humility relationship with our Lord.

I’ve worked with a fair number of married couples who have marital difficulties, and almost without exception the ones who couldn’t resolve their issues failed for one of two reasons: Either they did not trust one another, or one or both of them lacked humility in some way. Of course, this should surprise no one, for marriage is the most intimate of human relationships; it is physically intimate, emotionally intimate and it is mentally intimate. Intimacy of this kind requires complete trust, and complete trust requires a fair degree of humility, for one does not gain the trust of another by setting him or herself above the other. God created humanity for an intimate relationship, and when things went south, He was willing to go to extreme measures to redeem us; there He stands, arms wide open. Do we trust Him enough to run to Him and have a “naked and unashamed” relationship?

When all is said and done in this life, and we are on our deathbeds, the only thing that really counts is our answer to that last question.

Next time, I’d like to expand the scope of this discussion and transition from the abstract into the practical. In the meantime, please share your comments, observations and insight…

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The Other Side of the Coin

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Don Merritt

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness
    and speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards,
    and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will respond as in the days of her youth,
    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

Hosea 2: 14-15

There will be difficult days ahead for Israel because she has turned away from her covenant relationship with the true God, the God of their ancestors and gone after other gods in unfaithfulness to the God who has brought them prosperity as He had promised. Even so, God will make overtures “in the Valley of Achor” which means “troubles”. To put it very simply, God’ judgment will be executed against Israel, but even His judgment will be used to call Israel back into relationship with God.

God will use this process as a door of hope to offer His people one more chance to repent out of their distress.

You’ll recall I mentioned this pattern when discussing the first chapter, a pattern repeated often in the Old Testament prophets: The people rebel against God who sends multiple warnings to them to repent. They scoff at the warnings and treat the messengers badly. Then God is forced to execute His judgment and extends a ray of hope to them that a better day is coming.

As we will see, this ray of hope extends through the rest of this chapter and the next…

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Photo of the Week: JUly 4, 2018

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson, “Author of the Declaration of Independence”

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TLP Living Special Edition: 7/4/18

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Independence Day Reflections

This morning I was sitting here sipping my first cup of coffee as the first rays of the sun began to gleam in the sky to the east. I could hear the crickets chirping their song, joined by a chorus of frogs down by the creek, and some birds overhead in their trees. I probably wasn’t entirely awake; my mind was wandering around to nowhere in particular, sort of carried away by the warm and humid breeze as I was taken to a place far away and long ago.

I found myself sitting in the front passenger seat of my Dad’s 1964 Ford Galaxy as we drove slowly through a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. I had a clipboard in my hands as we drove and I was on the lookout for houses that were flying the flag; it was another Fourth of July, July 4, 1968− exactly 50 years ago.

I began waking up in earnest at the thought of that: Fifty Years Ago!

It was my first ever experience at working in a political campaign: 50 years ago today. Can I possibly be that old?

1968 was a tumultuous year in America, and outward shows of patriotism were not at all in vogue. Vietnam, Civil Rights, demonstrations, riots, violence, assassinations, long hair, beards, flower power… Even I knew that things were a mess; it wasn’t quite a month since Senator Kennedy had been assassinated right there in LA: In LA! Things like that simply did not happen in my hometown…

Congressman Corman had a very smart idea. He would ask volunteers to go through ever precinct in his district and take down the addresses of every house that flew the flag on the Fourth of July, and then he would send each one a personal thank you, and that was what I was doing with a little help from my Dad that day, my first time as a campaign volunteer… 50 years ago today.

I took another sip of coffee, and that’s when it came to me: July 4th, 50 years, Adams and Jefferson.

Back in 1776 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were both members of the Continental Congress, they both served on the Committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence along with Benjamin Franklin. Adams and Jefferson became very good friends in the years that followed, both served in the Administration of George Washington, Adams as Vice President, Jefferson as Secretary of State. Yet they fell out over political differences in the second term, and after Washington shocked the world by stepping down they ran against each other for president.

It got a bit nasty if I’m honest. Adams won the election, but Jefferson defeated him four years later, and they did not speak for many years. Yet as the years went by, both regretted their estrangement, and finally Adams sent a letter to Jefferson, and they renewed their friendship as pen pals. By 1826 both men were in poor health, but as the morning of July 4th dawned, each man had the other on his mind; it was 50 years to the day since the Declaration of Independence.

About mid-morning Jefferson slipped into eternity. A few hours later, Adams joined him. Not knowing what had taken place earlier that day, his last words were, “Jefferson survives.” Thus, the last two living men who signed the Declaration of Independence both died on the fourth of July, 50 years after its signing.

What were the chances of that happening?

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Action Required

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Don Merritt

Hosea 2: 9-13

“Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens,
    and my new wine when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
    intended to cover her naked body.
So now I will expose her lewdness
    before the eyes of her lovers;
    no one will take her out of my hands. (2:9-10)

Picking up where we left off last time, we see that the narrative continues with everything that God will withhold from idolatrous Israel as a result of their turn to worshipping false gods. Remember, this began with a plea to turn things around, and as I mentioned previously, Hosea was not the first prophet sent to the Northern Kingdom. In fact, unlike Amos, Hosea was a resident of the Northern Kingdom. If you look carefully at these verses, you will see an interesting thing: God isn’t taking “things” away from Israel in these lines so much as He is keeping the (negative) promises of the Law of Moses. The Law promised the Israelites that if they followed the Law they would receive temporal blessings such as long life, good crops, material abundance, many children and so forth. It also promised that if they failed to keep the Law, God would take those blessings away, and they would have famines and floods and every sort of disaster in this life. The text continues:

I will stop all her celebrations:
her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals.
I will ruin her vines and her fig trees,
which she said were her pay from her lovers;
I will make them a thicket,
and wild animals will devour them. (2:11-12)

There’s some interesting insights here; Israel seemed to think that God’s blessings had been provided by false gods (her lovers). Can you imagine? God’s promised covenant blessings credited to false gods! No wonder God is taking steps…

I will punish her for the days
she burned incense to the Baals;
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
but me she forgot,”
declares the Lord. (2:13)

Finally, verse 13 clears up any questions we might have had about what is going on here, and about who the speaker really is. Israel had fallen into Baal worship and had thus renounced her covenant relationship with the God of her forefathers. For many of us today, more accustomed to thinking of God as merciful, meek and mild, seeing His judgment pronounced against Israel here might come as something of a shock. Yet this is a rather naive viewpoint, if I may speak directly. Israel had willingly entered into a very explicit covenant with God. It spelled out exactly what they would receive from God if they held up their end of the bargain, and God certainly held up His end of it. As Israel began to slip away from their responsibilities, God was more than patient; He sent multiple warnings that action was required to come back into compliance. Yet the people scoffed at the warnings and dealt harshly with the messengers.

It finally got to the point where God had to act, to keep His promises about what a fatal breech of the covenant would bring about. No sir, the people were entirely without excuse.

However, the story is far from over…

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To Stand Naked Before God

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Don Merritt

Have you ever had a dream in which you are at some kind of a social event where everyone you know is present and then you realize to your horror that you are naked? I know that a lot of people either have had, or regularly have a dream like this, and I’m sure that psychologists have an explanation of its significance; maybe it’s feelings of inadequacy or insecurity or… who knows? I do know, however, that for a great many people, that is one of the scariest scenarios imaginable, right up there with public speaking. The truth is that the way we dress affords a certain sense of security for most people; it’s a statement of who we are, how we think of ourselves, or even who we want others to think we are. If that costume or uniform is suddenly taken away and we are seen by others as we truly are, the whole façade is gone…

Mark Twain once quipped that if all government officials were required to be naked when at their jobs, all oppression would cease. I’m not really sure, but I do suspect that if we walked into a government office and found ourselves dealing with naked people, their attitudes would probably be a lot more humble than they usually are.

The whole idea of being naked before God is found in these things, for to be naked before God is to achieve a state of mind and spirit in which we are in humble submission before Him. We would have no secrets, we would be unable to convince ourselves that there could ever be anything we could either hide or keep from Him. It would be a state in which we would become entirely real in His presence; no airs, nothing withheld, nothing covered up, and for sure, nothing avoided. In a very real sense, it would be as though we lived back at the very beginning of time, when Mankind lived in perfect harmony and fellowship with God, when:

Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis 2:25

Of course, I’m speaking metaphorically, even though in the case of Adam and Eve it was literal. You see, you don’t actually have to be undressed to be naked before God. In reality, that’s how He sees all of us all of the time anyway, for no one can hide anything from God, not our thoughts, not even our innermost motivations.

I’ve been doing this longer than I sometimes like to remember, and right here in the conversation there’s usually someone who jumps in to tell us about their amazing spiritual life, how many hours each day they pray, how much incredible time they spend in the Word, how they put Christ first and ‘self’ last in all things, and generally how much farther along they are than everyone else. As I say, I’ve been at this a very long time, certainly long enough to recognize that the ones who really are far along in the Journey never talk like that. Like the Apostle Paul, they are quick to admit how much farther they still need to go.

For most of us, the idea of baring all before God is a daunting one at first; for sure it’s humbling, but don’t worry, humbling is the whole point.

OK, yes, this discussion has probably gone on long enough for today, so I’ll leave you with a little exercise. Please do not share your answers, it’s just for you. Suppose you were in a room with your 10 closest friends from church, or your 10 closest Christian friends if that works better for you. Suppose you were invited to share your testimony about Christ in front of that group, completely naked as a sign of your honesty, humility and truthfulness. The deal is that nobody will call the police, nobody will laugh, and nobody will judge you or tell anyone else about it.

Why wouldn’t you do it?

See if you can limit your reasons to 5, the 5 biggest reasons. Remember, this is just between you and you: no one else will hear your answers, because you aren’t going to tell: Be honest with yourself.

Why should you do this little exercise?

Because you will end up with a list of the 5 biggest impediments that stand between you and your relationship with God. That is the power of this metaphor, by the way.

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