October 2016 – Counter-Balance

I wanted to share something that has been impacting me deeply as of late. Recently when I was praying (and feeling broken), I heard the passage from Isaiah 53:

“But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.”

This is one of the most potent scriptures concerning Christ, but it is also a profound window into the nature of God. “The Lord was pleased to crush Him…”. In the moment I heard this verse, the Lord was communicating something of His nature to my heart. It’s not a very popular aspect of God in our humanistic, self-seeking, pain-avoiding culture – but there are times when God does deliberately wound us, crushing us, so that a pleasing fragrance may arise – so that He can make something beautiful from the ashes, if we’re willing.

Continue reading “Carrying God-Inflicted Wounds”

It seems to me that right now, in our current climate, “hypocrite” has become one of culture’s favorite words. Men and woman of small character love to hurl that word at others. More often than not, in my opinion, it’s just an attempt to justify controversial opinions (at best), or to ease their own guilty conscience (at worst). The reality is, we’re ALL hypocrites, at least according to the working definition by which this insult is being exchanged. Unlike God, we have a limited capacity. We CAN’T carry a burden for every form of injustice in equal and simultaneous measure, or fight them all with equal passion. That doesn’t make us hypocrites, though. It makes us finite.

Continue reading “Hypocrites?”