In 1 Kings 3:5-12 we read a most interesting story about asking things of God. David had died and had passed down the throne of Israel to his son, Solomon. There is much debate as to just how old Solomon was when he became king of Israel. 1 Kings 3:7b we read that Solomon viewed himself as “only a little child.” In Judaism, still to this day, a boy becomes “of age” at 13 and in the time period of 1 Kings, the age when a young man married was between 16-18. Certainly by the age of 20, a young man would be expected to have children and be supporting his own family. Utilizing a biblical “time line” it would appear that Solomon was 20 when he took over as king.
God appears to Solomon in a dream and says to him “Ask for whatever you want me to give you!” If God came to you in a dream and said that to you what would you ask of God? Wealth, fame, a long life, all those things come to mind. But Solomon asks for wisdom (literally a discerning heart), not for himself but so that he could “govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (3:9a) Leading any nation is a daunting task and Solomon knows this. He knows how the nation of Israel seems to be constantly in war with neighboring countries and he knows the task that is at hand for him. Instead of asking for material things, he asks for the ability to lead God’s people forward. Because of this, God was pleased and granted Solomon’s request. God promised Solomon that he would in fact be wise beyond imagination and have a discerning heart. God also promised to give Solomon the material things he did not ask for. Please take special note that Solomon did not ask God to rule the nation of Israel for him! Today, do we ask God to do things for us or do we ask for discernment and wisdom to do things for ourselves? “We should not ask God to do for us what God wants to do through us!” (study notes from the Life Application Bible, page 667) Amen. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 NRSV) Pain is nothing more than a part of life. However, it seems to me that the older I become the more pains I have and the longer they seem to hang around! Pain is a reality and someone once said that pain is God’s way of letting you know you are still alive.
But is all pain bad? Well, in a word, no, all pain is not bad at all. Sometimes pain reveals a much deeper situation. For example, if you have a tooth ache, it could be a warning sign that you have a small cavity which, left unattended will result in losing the tooth or spending lots of money at the dentist to have it fixed. There are other pains that reveal something that needs to be taken care of. There are also pains that are not physical, but mental pains. The loss of a loved-one comes to mind or a relationship that comes to an end is another one of those. But do we ever think of how much pain we cause God? I am sure that there have been lots of times when I have broken God’s heart by not living the way I should. Just like any good parent, however, God always welcomes us back and God has this unbelievable ability to not bring up our past mistakes and to just focus on the future. With all that said, the scripture verse I quoted is from our scripture reading for this Sunday and it reminds us that no matter what this world throws at us, the promise of life eternal with God and Jesus in Heaven will one day make all the pains of this world seem paltry and trivial! My hope for each of us today is that the pains of this world will be as minimal as possible but that when those pains do come (and come they will) we can push through by keeping our eyes fixed firmly on the reward of Heaven! Amen. If I had to sum up Paul’s “ethics” I could do it in just three words: Just Be Yourself! (or maybe “be who you really are) Today, we live in a superficial world. At the General Assembly this past week, PopCon was in Indianapolis. From their web-site, this event is described as “a convergence of innovation, pop culture, and fandom, where we celebrate the spirit of the independent creator and their fans. If you’re a fan of tv/movies, gaming, internet culture, cosplay, and/or comics, then you’ll be able to support budding artists and find fun at PopCon.”
Well, I can tell you we were amazed at the people we saw there—how they were dressed and how they even acted out (not in a bad way) their favorite pop culture characters. It was amazing and at the same time very disturbing. Sure, it was just a short week-end event where people could escape the reality of their lives and live in a fantasy world. However, it made me wonder what their lives would be like come Monday morning. What drives people to become something, even for a short time, that they are not? For Paul, in writing to the Church in Rome he is telling people that they have to become something new, something they have not been before. He urges them, and you and me today, to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Paul realizes the weakness of the flesh and the strength of the Spirit. Today, I wonder if we realize the stark difference in those two things. Those who choose to be “in Christ” become new creations and are no longer living in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Today, those who choose Christ instead of the world share in a powerful marker of what Paul calls the New Age: the Spirit. How can we better live in and with this Spirit? Ask God and it will be revealed to you – God promises us that! Amen. In Matthew 11:28-30 we read these comforting words, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
From time to time, we all become weary. The world in which we live can be difficult on a good day! We don’t think too much about carrying heavy burdens, but there are times when we do just that. Health issues seem to come unexpectedly. Financial issues seem to come without warning. Family tragedies or conflict hit us hard sometimes. All these things are what Jesus is referring to when he is quoted as saying that we carry heavy burdens. These few verses do not promise us that Jesus will take all our burdens away or solve all our problems. What Jesus does promise us however is rest. Rest is so important and I think that sometimes we fill our lives with so much “stuff” that we really don’t rest the way we should. Rest is necessary for all of us. Even God “rested” on the seventh day of creation. Think about that just for a minute. If God needed rest, don’t you think we need rest as well? The best way to rest, I mean really rest is to take these words from Jesus seriously. Give all you burden to Jesus, just for a while and rest. There is a little chorus I would encourage you to take to heart. The words are, “I cast all my cares upon you. I lay all of my burdens down at your feet. And any time, I don’t know what to do, I’ll just cast all my cares upon you.” Try that and see if rest won’t come your way! Amen. |
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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