LOOKING UP FROM THE BOTTOM.

Remember Oscar the Grouch? He lived at the bottom of a trash can on Sesame Street–and somehow he was happy there. I always thought he had sunk about as low as anyone could. 

Have you reached the bottom? Different people have different bottoms.  For one, a single failure in school or bad performance review on the job, may cause them to change their ways forever.  Others find themselves homeless on “Skid Row,” but still refuse to make any changes.  If your life is ever going to change, it will probably happen when you reach the bottom, that point where you know you need to suddenly change everything or all is lost.  For many, it is that realization that drives us to Christ: we know we have finally reached the bottom and nothing but a complete reversal is going to get us out of this.

When I was a kid, Larry Gatlin recorded Chris Christian’s song, “Light at the End of the Darkness.” This long-forgotten song has a pair of lines that I have never gotten out of my head:

“I was looking up from the bottom when it finally shined on me.  I was looking up through the bottom when it finally shined on me.”

Have you ever reached the bottom? Has your life sunk so deep in a pit you feel like you fell down a well? Have you been to the bottom, where the only light you could see came from an opening far above you? Have you crashed so hard that only a complete change—such as putting Jesus in the driver’s seat—will repair the damage?

Israel reached that point when God brought punishment for the nation’s idolatry. Wars and famine brought the nation so low that some actually engaged in cannibalism, Lamentations 4:10.  (I call that reaching the bottom.)  But they prayed.

“I called on Your Name Yahweh from the depths of the pit. You hear my plea; do not ignore my cry for relief. You come near when I call on You. You say, ‘Do not be afraid.’” Lamentations 3:55-57. 

When you find yourself looking up from the bottom, TURN TO CHRIST.  Cry out to Him. Some of us will reach bottom more than once.  Maybe you turned from one sin, but fell into another.  Or you did not sin, but God simply allowed unexpected circumstances to knock you down and humble you.  The Christian life is a mountain range—and every mountaintop is surrounded by valleys.  You may hit bottom several times in life. When you do, turn to Jesus.

“I called on Your Name from the depths of the pit … You come near when I call and You say, ‘Do not be afraid.’” Lamentations 3:55-57.

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SCHOOL IS NOT PUNISHMENT.

I was unhappy in high school.  And I was not the only one. Sharpstown High School had all the worst problems of American high schools, from drugs to riots to shootings. And for several months one year, someone phoned-in bomb threats nearly every day. The first time it happened it was funny and exciting, a fire drill that lasted three hours.  It was going to be a great story to tell our parents and the little kids who weren’t in high school yet. Then there was a bomb threat the next day.  And the next.  It immediately became extremely annoying.  One student—probably using a pay phone on campus—was calling in anonymously to report the presence of a bomb (a fake bomb, of course), and now thousands of us would spend two or three hours standing around in the sun and mosquitoes while bomb-sniffing dogs searched every inch of the school.

Thirty years later, the building was demolished and a new high school built in the parking lot next door.  Somehow that felt like poetic justice, and we made jokes about blowing up the school.  But the jokes rang hollow.  As bad as you may hate your school, few really believe it needs blowing up. Deep down we know that education matters. A life without schools, teachers, or instruction would be a terrible loss.

When God punished Israel, education dried up.  “Instruction is no more, and even Zion’s prophets receive no visions from the Lord” Lamentations 2:9.

Can you imagine the devastating loss? The better your own education, the more you will recognize what’s at stake. When Hitler came to power in Germany, he started off slowly. He did not immediately round up God’s Chosen People and send them away to their deaths. First he had the children released from schools. Why? Because Jewish children allegedly could not be trusted with an education. How did the Jewish children feel about that? They immediately realized, some perhaps for the first time, how critically important an education was. There would be no more half measures; they would learn as much as possible every chance they had for the rest of their lives.

School is a blessing, not a punishment. 

NOT going to school is a punishment.

God, thank you for education, for teachers, for quality instruction. May we work HARD to earn the best education possible. Fill us with a love and passion for your Word! Bless our education in the 66 books of the Bible.

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TWO QUESTIONS. Lamentations 3:31-33.

QUESTION #1. Can you name this villain? To what cruel person do the following verses refer?

“He is a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding. He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces. He left me desolate. He strung his bow and set me as the target for his arrows. He pierced my kidneys with his arrows. I am a laughingstock to all my people, mocked by their songs all day long… He ground my teeth in the gravel and made me cower in the dust” Lamentations 3:10-16.

Sounds like someone terribly cruel—and extremely skillful. A bear? A lion? An archer. A wrestler who could plant your face in the pavement, grinding off your teeth?

Goliath? King Nebuchadnezzar? The Romans who attacked Jesus? Or maybe the devil himself?

Actually, you may have realized this passage refers to God Himself. When Israel pushed God so far that He had to punish the nation, He did so. –And boy, is He skillful at meting out punishment!

QUESTION #2. How does God FEEL about punishing His children? (Thoughts?)

I’ll give you a clue—He does not enjoy punishing. He does not punish out of anger or to get vengeance or to feel some feeling of having settled a score. He only wants to make us better.

“For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant faithful love. FOR HE DOES NOT ENJOY BRINGING AFFLICTION OR SUFFERING ON MANKIND” vv. 31-33.

Remember, God loves you. God delights in you. He wants to bless you! But when His children become entrenched in sin, He will act to rescue them—and to rescue those they are hurting.

But remember this too—God defines Himself by one noun: love. “GOD IS LOVE” 1 John 4:8. He does not say, “God is anger,” or even “God is justice,” or “God is holiness.” GOD. IS. LOVE.

God, thank you for your love and compassion. Never let us forget it, no matter the troubles we face!

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JESUS CHRIST: THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER. Lamentations 3:25-33; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 4:8; Hebrews 1:9.

Homer Simpson is confused about God: “He’s always happy. No wait. He’s always mad.”

Which is it? Have you heard people argue God is always mad in the Old Testament, but always loving in the New?

God never changes. God judges sin. You reap what you sow—both the good and the bad. He judges sin, rewards good, and salvation is only possible by faith in His grace. But He does not change.

Lamentations is an entire book lamenting disaster. During a seige, Israel is so starved the book actually includes cannibalism, including two prostitutes fighting over whose baby they will boil and eat first. But even in the midst of suffering, we are reminded that God is a God of love and mercy:

“Because of the Lord’s faithful love, we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness! I say, the Lord is my portion, therefore, I will put my hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to quietly wait for deliverance from the Lord…. For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love. For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind. “ Lamentations 3:25-33.

So how would you answer Homer Simpson? What can you say to one who thinks God is angry in the Old Testament, but happy in the New?

God loves you. He will judge sin—but even His judgment is done in love, and it teaches us to live better. It also reveals our sin and reminds us to repent and seek forgiveness. But in the end, remember 1 John 4:8 “God is love.” And remember the joy of Jesus as explained in Hebrews 1:9 “God has anointed You [Jesus] with the oil of joy above all Your brethren.” That is, no one has more joy than Jesus.

So, in the end, no matter how much judgment is included the Old Testament (and the New!) God is LOVE, and God is JOY.

Embrace Him today.

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Is the Bible Too Long for You?

There’s a fascinating verse at the end of the Gospel of John:

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. John 21:25.

What a way to end the story! It’s as though John writes, well, my story ends here, but there’s so much more that I could never tell it all.

Doesn’t that make you wonder what he left out? What are we missing? What did Jesus preach about that was never recorded? What miracles do we not know about? What did He say to the Pharisees or Sadducees? Or to the lost or hurting? What did He say to all those children He loved to be around? Imagine it: the world itself might not contain the books that could be written … wow.

The gospels, a unique new genre, are the only four books in the world in that category. And they’re not that long—all four are not as long as some of the Old Testament books. Yet, those short books have revolutionized life on earth for centuries, bringing repentance, forgiveness, hope, and eternal life to millions and millions.

And the other 62 books of the Bible have continued to bless people, transforming individuals, families, and nations, for two thousand years. The Bible, not one book, but an amazing collection of 66 different books written by over 40 different people, writers separated from each other by as much as 2,000 years—is amazingly, miraculously consistent.

The Bible seems long when you are young. But as you study it, it becomes a familiar, rich place, a destination you love to visit, a land full of life and truth and grace and peace and HOPE.

God put everything we need in those pages. Do you need wisdom? Forgiveness? Encouragement? Hope? Love? Joy? Read the Bible. Sure, God could have said more. He could have filled the world with books about His glory and power and holiness (not to mention the unreported words and actions of Jesus). But 66 books were enough. In fact, God was efficient and economical: no writer ever said more with fewer words. Bible scholars spend their lives studying the Word and never stop learning. I know that I always get something out of it. “God’s mercies are new every morning” Lamentations 3:23. Every morning the Word blesses me, no matter how many times I may have read it.

The power of the Bible is not because it is long, but because “the Word of God is living and active … able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” (Hebrews 4:12) and because the Holy Spirit comes to you and speaks to you EVERY TIME you read it. Sure, Jesus lived an amazing life, filled with power and miracles, many of which were not recorded. But God gave us enough.

Pray. Ask God to fill you with a love for scripture, a hunger for His Word, to make it more interesting to you every day. Ask Him to help you love it, revere it, read it, study it, and memorize it. Ask God to help you submit yourself to the authority of God’s Word. He loves you. He can’t wait to bless you the next time you open up those pages….

And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. John 21:25.

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Every Morning: New Mercy from God! Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the Lord’s faithful love, we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22-23.

—Great promise after pages and pages about God’s judgment. He will punish sin. We do reap what we sow. But He is merciful too. Praise the Lord for that!

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 A PARENT’S PRAYER FOR GREATER FAITH. Mark 9:24.

One of my favorite verses on prayer has always been, “Lord, I believe; please help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24. 

I love this verse because the speaker tells Jesus, “Yes, I believe!” and immediately admits he is also struggling with doubt: “help my unbelief!” I love that honesty—and I think God loves it too.

Have you ever felt that way about a prayer? Have you believed and doubted at the same time? I bet everyone has.

And reading this today I noticed the context. This is the prayer of a parent desperate to help his demon-possessed son. He has told Jesus how bad it is, that “ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him,” and the father has run out of options. No one has been able to help the boy, not even Jesus’s disciples.

Jesus answered “If you believe, all things are possible.”

That sounds hopeful, but the father knows his own heart.  He knows that his faith is shaky at best and it grieves him.  “And straightway the father cried out with tears and said, ‘Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief!’”

And Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and rescued the boy. And that’s a big deal. Why? Because this father did NOT have perfect faith. He knew it, he agonized over it, and when Jesus said, ‘If you believe…’ the father cried out because of his own doubts. He was struggling. The father’s hopes had been dashed so many times before. He wanted to believe now, but he was struggling. 

Yet, Jesus gave him what he asked for anyway. You can be honest with God. You can pray saying, ‘Lord, I believe, please help my unbelief!’ I have prayed those words many times. God loves you. “He is mindful that we are but dust” Psalm 103:14. You don’t have to be perfect. Seek him. Pray honestly—pray hard—and be real. God will bless you and those you pray for. Even when you have doubts.

PRAY: Lord, I believe! Please help my unbelief.

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“DON’T LET THE WORLD SQUEEZE YOU INTO ITS MOLD.” Romans 12:1-2.

This is good advice:

Do not be confirmed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [through God’s Word], so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect. Romans 12:1-2.

Does your mind conform to the mind of the world? Have you been molded into the same shape as everyone else? If you think not, then how exactly are you different?

Young people want to rebel, to take a stand, to be INDEPENDENT. 

Well the greatest independence you may ever assert is your independence from the culture, values, and morals of the world around you. That kind of independence requires true courage.

And God insists on it. Consider His words in Old Testament language:

“Come out from among her, My people! Save your lives from the Lord’s burning anger!” Jeremiah 51:45.

“DON’T LET THE WORLD SQUEEZE YOU INTO ITS MOLD” Romans 12:1 (Phillips).

The desire to rebel is natural and seems born into every young person. But rather than rebelling against all the things that are good for you, why not rebel against the world that seeks your destruction? Jesus says “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy,” John 10:10. REBEL against him! Rebel against the one who would destroy you! Rebel against your own laziness, your stubborn-ness, your selfish or childish ways. Rebel and fight the deception that makes you think good habits are a waste of time and authority figures are only trying to control you and take away your fun. REBEL and prove to yourself that you can change.

You won’t regret it.

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STEP BACK. Jeremiah 51:6,45.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, God might strike me down for saying this, but, I think the Yankees might lose,” and then everyone listening steps back, as if there’s a chance God might actually send a lightning bolt? The old cliché always strikes me as silly and a bit irreverent.

God will not strike you down for insulting the New York Yankees.

But think about this: Are you surrounded by people who make bad choices and dishonor God? Do your peers, friends, or coworkers break God’s law? Step back.

No, seriously. STEP BACK. People who continually sin against God are storing up judgment for themselves and will be punished. It will come. They will reap what they sow—but the harvest is delayed. They may appear to be getting away with it. But the punishment will come later.

So step back. You do not want to be on their ship when it sinks. Or in their car when it crashes. Or in business with them when the company goes bankrupt. STEP BACK.

God warns the Jews to leave Babylon before His punishment falls on the evil nation:

“Leave Babylon; save your lives, each one of you! Don’t perish because of her guilt!…. Come out from among her, My people! Save your lives, each of you, from the Lord’s burning anger.” Jeremiah 51:6,45.

God WILL judge the sinner for His sins. Step back. If you are deeply entangled with the serious sinner (even if he is born again), God’s judgment may take you down too.

For example, two men I know were successful business partners. The two of them designed and built one of Houston’s largest master-planned communities. One day Bob told Joe that Bob was getting divorced. He had been cheating on his wife for years. Joe shocked Bob by immediately ending their partnership. Bob asked why, and Joe said, “If you’d cheat on her, you’d cheat on me.”

Joe showed wisdom. Do NOT be too deeply entangled with sin or sinners. Love them. Help them. Encourage them. Pray for them. Share your life and faith with them. But don’t put your future in their hands. Don’t let their sin destroy your dreams, business, achievements, or plans. STEP BACK. 

Pray for God’s wisdom and God’s discernment in all your relationships.

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*Painting by Graig Kreindler, the Painter of the National Pastime, http://www.graigkreindler.com


SOWING AND REAPING. Jeremiah 50:29; 51:63-64; Galatians 6:9.

Do you know much about sowing and reaping? Remember: plant good seeds, and you will have a good harvest, and don’t forget there is a delay between planting season and harvesting season—don’t let the delay discourage you.

As Jeremiah nears the end of his lengthy message, he pronounces God’s judgment not only on Israel, but on all her neighbors. God used the neighboring nations to punish Israel, but a generation or two later, God brings punishment on the punisher. So as the book winds up, judgment is pronounced on Babylon—and sowing and reaping comes up again:

“Repay her according to her deeds; just as she has done, do the same to her.” Jeremiah 50:29.

Babylon is in big trouble—because they have done so much harm to so many. And they did that harm many, many years ago. But the reaping—the harvest—always comes after the sowing.

LET THAT BE A WARNING: sins you commit today, that you think you are “getting away with”—may create consequences that will arrive later. God is patient, giving you plenty of time to repent and change.

LET THIS ALSO BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT: the good that you are doing today may not appear to make a difference, but it does. Keep planting good seeds. Keep using self-control. Keep working hard, studying hard, pushing yourself, getting up early, reading your Bible, going to church. God WILL bless you. He will reward you. The HARVEST ALWAYS COMES LATER. So keep planting good seeds! Don’t get discouraged.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time, we shall REAP if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9.

Finally, Jeremiah hits Babylon with the BIG FINISH—more great writing in God’s word. First, Seraiah is going to read the scroll to the people of Babylon:

“When you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River. Then say, ‘in the same way, Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the disaster God is bringing on her.’ “ Jer. 51:63-64.

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