Pick and Choose

Most of us recognize that rules are a way of life. If we agree with them, they're pretty easy to follow. If we don't, we try to figure out a way to manipulate them so that they have minimal impact on our way of life. When this manipulation occurs from those who should be setting an example, there are a host of attitudes that surface -- e.g., cynicism, frustration, and apathy.

In Malachi 2, God was disgusted with the religious leaders because they were not following the ways of God but had "shown partiality in matters of the law." They had added to the law (over 600 rules) and they had manipulated others (withholding support of family members claiming to provide for God and His temple). Jesus confronted a similar issue in Matthew 23:23 (NLT):

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

This message from God follows his call for the people to set their hearts to honor God. God's laws were put in place to protect his people, to benefit them, and to guide people to him -- to set them apart for him. Yet, the people were "breaking faith" with God and with others. They put on the semblance of being followers of God, but their heart was self-centered. They brought their offerings to God (v. 12 even though he brings offerings to the Lord Almighty) with weeping at the altar (v.13 you flood the Lord's altar with tears). But as they left the altar, their lives did not manifest change. They were violent toward their fellow man, divorced their wives, and misrepresented their offerings.

As I read this passage, I thought "the more things change, the more they remain the same." We manipulate God's law to fit our lifestyle. We bribe God -- adding "good deeds" to our balance so that we can feel better when we manipulate the rules. We're not fooling God.

Malachi has a theme through this chapter to challenge us:

1. Do not "break the faith."
2. Guard your heart.
3. Set your heart to honor God.

This really boils down to whether we see life being about us or about God. Jesus summed up the law for us by calling us to love God and to love others. Then, he fulfilled the law by being obedient to God and by dying for our sin -- our failure to keep the law. To complete the picture, he arose from death to give us life. We can follow God when Christ lives through us. When we focus on loving God and loving others, these other things will fall into place.

Set your heart!

The heart:

1. the center of the total personality, esp. with reference to intuition, feeling, or emotion
2. the center of emotion, esp. as contrasted to the head as the center of the intellect
3. spirit, courage, or enthusiasm
4. the innermost or central part of anything
5. the vital or essential part; core

I don't really know how I ended up reading Malachi, but I'm there ... in chapter 2. Verse 2 sends a somber caution to us:

If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.

The heart is considered to be the center of our spirit or soul. We are told to guard our heart throughout scripture. The mind, center of intellect, and the heart are often at odds. If the conviction of the heart is strong enough, it almost invariably wins. Thus, we have to guard our heart. Proverbs 4:23 calls the heart the "wellspring of life."

In this passage in Malachi, God is calling us to set our hearts to honor him. We do this through knowing him, learning his ways, and being obedient. We need to see as he sees so that we do as he does.

God demands this of us. The alternative ... cursing our blessings. Now, that's a dichotomy. Curses - bad. Blessings - good. What does it mean to curse our blessings. I don't know, but I have an idea.

The current economic situation may be the perfect example. In America we have been blessed with abundance and affluence. When the two of the top issues in our society are debt and obesity, we're not lacking. Yet, this abundance is becoming a curse. We go into debt. We become obese. Our savings or retirement goes in the tank with the market declines.

Know that our heart follows our treasures (Matthew 6:21). I heard someone say recently that we're upset with the economy because our god is dying. Yes, the economy is bad. However, we're still the wealthiest nation on earth and we're still blessed among the nations. When we don't set our hearts to honor God, these blessings are cursed.

God will bring us to a point of honoring him ... either in this life or in the one to come. Make it your life's mission to honor him. Set your heart on him.

Peril of Good Intentions

Hannah Arendt, a US (German-born) historian & social philosopher wrote:

As witnesses not of our intentions but of our conduct, we can be true or false, and the hypocrite's crime is that he bears false witness against himself. What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one.

Our character is determined more by what we do than by what we say. One of the most judgmental monikers placed on Christians is "hypocrite." Unfortunately, it is often an appropriate description of who we are.

In Matthew (21:28-31a), Jesus tells a story which speaks of the perils of good intentions:

But what do you think about this?

A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?”

They replied, “The first."

Jesus isn't surprised when we struggle with following him. He knows that we have to fight our natural tendencies in life. He knows that we can only live and follow him when we do so through his power. Yet, in an effort to appear good in front of others, we often say one thing, but because of the struggles, we do another. And worse, we judge others when we see them fail. Note Jesus' response to this story:

Then Jesus explained his meaning:

I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

Perhaps, the issue is one of the heart. We become so accustom to "intentions" that we no longer place value on the integrity of our life which is "intended" to carry them out. The Bible says that we deceive ourselves when we hear the word but don't act on it. We begin to believe our own lies where our intentions do not meet with action.

I'm not describing legalism. This isn't about living according to rules. This is about knowing and understanding the heart of God and through his power living out the love that he has given us through lives committed to him. John in 1 John 2:4-6 (NLT):

If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word
truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Don't kid yourself. Be real before God and others. His power is manifested in our weakness. Admit your struggles and call for his help in living your life beyond just "good intentions."

Contempt for God

There are very few who would openly claim contempt for God. Sure there are some, but most claim some belief or spiritual relationship with God. However, our lives often hold God in contempt. How? We're not dissimilar from the people of Israel who rebelled and returned and rebelled and returned and rebelled in their relationship to God. He became a God of convenience.

In Malachi 1:6 (NIV) God says, "... where is the honor due me ... where is the respect due me ... It is you ... who show contempt for my name." In this passage, he was talking to the most religious of the day -- the priests. The priests on behalf of the people were bringing God their leftovers as sacrifices. They were bringing blind, crippled, and diseased animals to God as sacrifices.

From the very beginning of time, God has demanded our best -- the first of what we have to offer. So often, we think of God conveniently. We'll live for him when we're done with our personal goals or tasks. We'll give to him if we have money left over.

Our insatiable appetites never reach a point that there isn't always something else that needs to be done or some thing that we need to have. God calls us "cheats." "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord." (Malachi 1:14)

We continue to push God into the background until it's convenient for us to reach out to him. He receives our leftovers -- whether it's time or financial resources. Don't claim God as Lord and then conveniently move him into the background.

Romans puts this into perspective in 12:1 (NIV) where we read the challenge to "be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable." The best of our lives is what God wants. He is jealous of our worship "for [He] is a great king ... and [His] name is to be feared among the nations." (Malachi 1:14)

Economic Woes

Blue birds, nuthatches, chickadees, Carolina wrens, cardinals, woodpeckers, dove, Eastern towhees, goldfinches, house finches, titmouses (or is it titmice), chirping sparrows, brown thrashers, ... I fill our bird feeders two times during the week. There is a lot of feeding activity in the early morning and late afternoon and sporadic activity during the day. I enjoy relaxing and watching them. Sometimes, they spar over the food. More often they take turns perching on the feeders to grab a bite -- sometimes eating and sometimes gathering returning to their nests.

The Bible tells us to consider them. In Luke 12:24:

Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

Okay, we do have ravens too. This morning watching the birds, this passage came to mind. In light of the economy, these words take on new relevancy. In times like these, a normal reaction is to hoard or to store up. Certainly, there is an amount of prudence in saving and preparing for the future. However, this passage is addressing anxiety or fear. In this discussion (Luke 12:22-34), Jesus is addressing our normal response to uncertain economic times. Verses 22-26:

... Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. ... Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

We have little control over the economy. This is not an argument against financial management but rather a response of fear or worry. Fear or worry drives us to hoard, to retreat into our cocoon or perhaps even to lash out at others.

This passage follows the story of a rich man who had placed his trust in his wealth (Luke 12:16-21). The man was a very successful farmer who was filling up his storage silos with his harvest, planning for his lavish lifestyle or his retirement. As he admired his economic position, he said, "I’ll sit back and say to myself, 'My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come.'" He had arrived to a point of financial security. His 401K was all set. His investments were growing. ... Then the market crashed! Or, in his case, his life came to an end that evening.

Jesus follows the story of the rich man with a discussion of our worry over our financial situation. He communicates that we have little control over our circumstances. I didn't see this completely until recently. I believed (and still do) in hard work, persistance, prudent financial management, etc. Note that this passage isn't supporting irresponsible living; there are numerous teachings from the Bible regarding hard work, sound financial management, and responsible living. However, this passage is addressing where we place our trust or our motivation.

The latest market conditions show that we can't place our trust in the financial markets nor in our government. Jesus says in his teaching (verse 29-31):

... “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

He says that this worry dominates the world. Isn't that true? What are we seeing on the news now ... almost every channel? Note also the keyword NEED. Our perspective has been set by our affluence. We have incredible wealth by the vast majority of the world's standard. This feeling of entitlement drives our fear when we're concerned that our standard of living may vanish before us.

God calls us to seek Him above all else. The last part of this teaching is pretty incredible ... the complete opposite of what we would expect to do during a time of financial hardship (verses 33-34):

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Give to those in need?!? We are all storing up treasures. But, what kind? Are your treasures being stored up for yourself out of worry and fear? Or, are you trusting in God? This trust calls us to be hard workers, and sound financial managers so that our needs can be met and so that we can help others in need. If your hearts desire is to bring glory to God, your treasure will be found as you share with others around you.