DO YOU KNOW GOD?

DO YOU KNOW GOD?

Sometimes when we hear the Old Testament stories of the relationship between God and the human race, it appears that there must be two Gods.  That one is often frightening and very hard to love, seeming to want only obedience to law. Many terrible deeds are attributed to Him. On the other hand, God as presented to us by Jesus, is all loving, all caring, forgiving and wanting only our happiness.  Jesus was not introducing a new God.  Jesus was the bridge between the old image of God and the real nature of God.  God has always been present in the Bible, but one must take time to seek Him out.  He is most definitely there.  This is God seeking us, offering us the road to peace and love:

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Everyone from the least to the greatest shall know me.  (Jer.31:33-34)

This command, which I am giving you today, is not too wondrous or remote for you. It is not in the heavens where you must say, ‘who will go up and get it for us?’ …No it is somewhere very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart.” (Deut.31: 11-1

I will remove the heart of stone from your chest and give you a heart of flesh.”.

 (EZEK 36: 26)

Not two Gods, but two interpretations of God.  The first, created by man in his own image; vengeful, punishing, full of wrath; the second, full of love, striving to connect with his creation, teaching love, speaking through His prophets, guiding the human race to love one another and therefore find peace. He made every effort for us to know him, not as a warlord, but, as it is written in Kings, God was not in the fire, the earthquake or the storm but in the whisper.  (1 Kings 19:11-18)  As a mother soothes her child in the night so does God speak to us.

If we are to live as God wills us to live, we must get to know the true nature of God.

God needs nothing from us.  God is perfect.  Nothing can be added to God nor taken away from God.  We must take care not to assign human behaviors or motives to God.  Jesus spent his public life in service to the human race by healing, comforting, enlightening everyone to the true nature of God.  All the good in the world is a reflection of God’s love if we would but see it. It’s easy to look down on the early Jewish people and wonder why they did not obey God, but chose to live counter to his commands and treat His prophets so badly.  But are we any better?  Are we not stubborn? Don’t we ignore God’s commands?  Don’t we mislead people by speaking of God as though he were human and changeable?  God hasn’t changed; He still seeks you to tell you how much you are loved and that he forgives without exception.  To really know this you must know the true nature of God better and the scriptures is the place to start.

Blessing,

Carol Lemelin OPA

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UP HILL BATTLES

UP HILL BATTLES

Do you ever have the feeling that you are fighting an uphill battle? (I’ll wait till you stop laughing.) There are few people who have not felt this way.  Most of the time you will keep plugging away despite the obstacles.  Parents of teens know what this is about; Doctors and police officers keep on fighting despite the feeling that the triumphs are outweighed by the failures.  Something stronger than themselves drives them to continue.  And so it was with Jesus and his efforts to literally change the world.  Over and over he is met with arguments using the Law and Moses for ammunition.  Over and over, he maintains the rightness of his arguments, never backing down or avoiding the situation. 

Confronted with the woman caught in adultery he was reminded what Moses said about such women and what their fate should be. They were trying to trick him into questioning the Law of Moses or abandoning his compassionate stance.    It didn’t do them any good because he was ready for them.  Still, these kinds of confrontations were way too plentiful. They got in the way of his mission because he knew their questions came from ego and not true inquiry. He was patient, but not wanting to waste his time, which he knew was limited, but rather to gather the poor around him and give them hope.

He also was discouraged by the way they had perverted the Law for their own ends. In one case he scolded those who confronted him yet again for overriding the commandments, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!  Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother’… Yet you say, ‘If a person says to parents, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God”, you allow him to do nothing more for his parents.  You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition.” (MK 9:10-13) This kind of thing went on daily in Jesus life.  Even his disciples questioned some of his words. 

When we get tired of the struggle to do what is right, we would do well to remember these things that happened to Jesus.  Every time yet another issue confronted him, he prayed to God for assistance and was confident he would receive it.  The betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus was the final treachery.  He faced it with the same unswerving bearing. Jesus has many titles, but when it comes to uphill battles he is Jesus the Steadfast. With him as our example and with the same Father supporting our efforts we will be able to climb as high as necessary.

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin

HAKUNA MATATA

HAKUNA MATATA

(No Worries)

The advertising of some companies proudly say their product is ‘worry free’.  I’m sure that is a great selling point until, of course, you find out that nothing is absolutely worry free.   If we could eradicate worry from our lives we would all look a lot younger.  As it is, worry is a burden that begins, I believe, on your first day of school and is your companion for the rest of your life, but how much worry fills your life is critical to your happiness.  Some people have made a life’s work of worry.  Some people have the ability to control their worry.  Some people never worry, but they are usually on something.  It isn’t possible to live a worry-free life, but, as it was with grief, Jesus knows all about worry.

Don’t you think Jesus worried about his mother alone in Nazareth after the townspeople turned on him?  We know he worried about the Disciples when he tried to protect them from the soldiers at the time of his arrest saying, “… if you are looking for me, let these men go.” (Jn18:8) Even at the point of death, he was concerned for his mother’s future and called upon John to protect her.

In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “ I tell you, do not worry about your life… can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” 

When reading those passages there is always a tiny part of me that says, “That’s all well and good, Lord, but are you really suggesting that nothing is worth worrying over?”  So today sitting by the lake, I asked him.  His answer was was immediate.

“No, I am trying to point out that worry over trivialities is wasted time.  Why should you fuss over whether your friends have seen all your outfits? (Ouch!)

Don’t worry about things you can’t change.  Stop worrying over things of which your God is fully aware. Trust the Father who loves you beyond measure to give you all you need to ease those worries. How many times have you heard me say, ‘Peace be with you’? That isn’t just my opening line. It is my profound wish for you.  I gave my life for your peace. So, Hakuna Matata!”

Blessings

Carol Lemelin OPA

Note: For those who don’t know the phrase, it’s from The Lion King when the Meerkat and Warthog befriended Simba and taught him to think life was just a bowl of cherries – Hakuna Matata – No worries.