Times Such As This

Everything in my garden is dead or dying, except for my okra. 

We are in the dead of summer in southeast Texas, in the middle of a severe drought. Where I live is usually known for its lush greenery and stifling humidity, but currently the grass crunches beneath our feet. Even though I have an automatic watering system in my garden which gives regular moisture to my plants, those plants cannot survive the suffocating Texas heat. Except for the okra, because okra was designed to suffer extremes and still bear fruit. 

My cucumber vines have literally disintegrated. The ducks have ravished what’s left of my peppers. The winter squash vines I have left, can only muster enough energy to grow leaves. But the okra still bears fruit because it’s high enough from the ground so the ducks cannot reach the fruit, and the plant itself is drought tolerant and heat resistant. One could say that okra was born for times such as this. When all other plants are struggling and dying in drought and heat and harsh conditions, susceptible to roaming hordes of hungry foragers, okra not only continues to stand tall, but it also grows and bears fruit. 

Today, after my devotional time, the Lord called me out to this garden to take note of the okra. The Spirit reminded me of all the promises of the Lord to be everything we need when we are rooted and grounded in Him. Not merely to survive, but to also bear fruit when everything else around us is withering and dying, susceptible to roaming hordes of damaging foragers, succumbing to the harsh circumstances of the environment. 

One could even say that those rooted and grounded in Christ were born for times such as this.

(Ps 1:1-3) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

(Jer 17:5-8) This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD. He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.”

(Is 32:1-5) Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice. Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

Discovering The Depth

I’ve been watching our pond dry up. 

To give you perspective, the log in front of the duck should be under about four feet of water. I never even knew that log was there until this summer. That’s the funny thing about things drying up— you discover stuff that had been lying just beneath the surface the whole time. Stuff that lay hidden, but as the water recedes,

it becomes exposed because there’s nothing for it to hide behind anymore. 

Every few days, I’ve been walking out there to take a look. At first, the receding waterline was barely perceptible. But there were signs. There were markers that the water was leaving. Visible water-level stains on the bridge beams, tree roots peeking out from the water’s surface. I kept hoping for rain, but I just got more exposed tree roots and embankment instead. I don’t know how deep our pond is, but I may find out before it’s all said and done. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing— for something to dry up so you can see how deep it really was. For something to dry up, so you can see it’s depth.

As I watch my pond dry up, I ponder how God seems to be allowing the same thing spiritually. At first it was barely perceptible, and I don’t think most people realized what was happening. But there were signs. There were markers. Now that things are being exposed, things that had been lurking beneath the surface all that time, I think people are beginning to realize that there is nowhere to hide anymore. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing…

…for something to dry up so we can see how deep it really was. 

(Luke 8:13) The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

(Matt 24:8-13) All these are the beginning of birth pains…they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.

(Heb 12:26,27) At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.” The words “Once more” signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.

Holding Out For Rome

Jesus wants to give us eternal life, but many of us hold out for answers about Rome instead. 

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, He poured out beautiful truths about His kingdom. He gave answers that were not understood by the earthly-minded and descriptions that seemed too simple and mundane. Jesus unequivocally preached His kingdom, and He revealed the way one could enter it. But most of the people wanted to hear about Rome instead. 

Many did not want to hear about seeds and plants and wheat and soil. They wanted to know what sort of retribution would be given to Rome. They wanted to know when God would bring vengeance. They wanted answers to earthly problems, not descriptions of heavenly realities. The problem many had with Jesus was that He simply did not give them what they wanted. He did not give them the answers they expected. Oswald Chambers said, “There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause— He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself.”

To the religious, He said, “Why do you judge the speck in your brother’s eye and ignore the log in your own?” To the political zealot He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” To the unduly burdened He said, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two.” And to the poor He said, “When someone sues you for your shirt, give them your cloak also.” Jesus indomitably preached His truth, not ours. He preached the mind of God, not the mind of men. 

And the mind of God is not concerned with our causes, it is only concerned with His kingdom. 

(Luke 4:43,44) But Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why I was sent.” And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.

(Matt 5:43-45) You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.” but I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

(Matt 13:19-23) When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart... The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

Focusing On Fruit

It’s difficult to watch something die, unless you understand that it’s sole purpose was to bear fruit. 

This squash plant wasn’t meant to live forever. It was merely meant to be the structure needed to form fruit that could be consumed and give life to someone— fruit that matured long enough to form seed within it that could be planted to grow more squash.  More squash to be consumed and give life. More squash to form seed to be planted again, over and over. Because the point of the plant is to provide structure to grow the fruit. 

Too many of us are more interested in tending to the plant for the sake of the plant, rather than tending to the plant for the sake of the fruit. We must understand that the plant— the structure given to us for the purpose of bearing fruit— was not meant to live forever. Only the fruit will remain. We have not been appointed to keep the plant alive, we have been appointed to bear fruit. The structure is passing away, but the fruit will live forever. 

I see many holding onto structures, when they should be holding onto Christ instead. We must ask ourselves, what are we really abiding in? A structure, or a person? Christ-like things, or Christ? Are we more focused on keeping the plant healthy because we take pleasure in its appearance, or do we understand the transient nature of the plant, which exists for the sake of the fruit? 

I wonder how many of us have enough faith to let go of the plant, so that the Lord may have His fruit?

(Luke 18:8) …Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

(John 15:16) You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

(John 15:5,7,8) I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing…If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.

(Matt 21:34) When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.

(Mat 21:43) Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

(Mark 4:26) Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

(Is 27:6) In the days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with fruit.

Year Of Favor, Day Of Vengeance

“The God of peace…”

“The gospel of peace…”

“Blessed are the peacemakers…”

(Heb 13:20; Eph 6:15; Matt 5:9)

I live in a small town in southeast Texas that became home to the 4th deadliest school shooting in America on May 18, 2018. That is, until we were bumped to 5th place by the school shooting in Uvalde. That day in my classroom, when I heard the news about the death toll in Uvalde, I felt numb. It’s my go-to reaction when I know that if I were allow myself to feel, I wouldn’t be able to bear the intensity of it. 

Over the next two days, as I listened to the polarized political and cultural narrative unfold, I kept asking the Lord, “What are the right words in a time such as ours?” I wanted words that would bring people to silence. I wanted words that would cause people to stop pointing fingers and stop grasping at superficial and misguided solutions. And the words that kept repeating through my mind like a foghorn were, “…the Lord longs to be gracious to you…” (Is 30:18). But I didn’t want those words. I wanted answers. So I stubbornly decided to sit at the Lord’s feet until He gave them to me. 

This morning during my devotional time, the Spirit spoke again, reiterating His perspective that seems so antithetical to ours— offering grace, compassion, and mercy when we are seeking retribution, vindication, and practical solutions. During the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Jews understandably wanted Jesus to bring retribution to Rome, to vindicate centuries of wrong, and to give them practical solutions to their problems. But He gave them grace and truth instead, and He was killed. Because Jesus doesn’t give people what they want, He gives them what they need. 

I’m not sure how much more tragedy lies ahead of us, what more God will have to allow to bring us to our knees in utter recognition that there is no answer, no fix, no practical solution other than His Son. Our wound is incurable by human standards. No doubt we will continue to try and put bandaids on our mortal moral wounds, no doubt we will continue to fracture ourselves into a thousand opposing perspectives. No doubt, the Lord who longs to be gracious to us will continue to give us grace and truth until the door is shut on “the year of the Lord’s favor,” and we face the maw of “the day of our God’s vengeance.”

Beloved, the Lord longs to be gracious to you. Accept that grace while there is still time. 

(Is 61:1-3) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.

(Is 30:5-8) For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength." But you were not willing, You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee, until you are left alone like a pole on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill. Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

(Jer 17:5-8) This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

The Two Enochs

The Spirit keeps ministering to me about the theme of two types of humanity throughout the biblical narrative. 

Throughout the Bible, we see the dichotomy between those who pledge their allegiance to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, versus those who wittingly or unwittingly pledge their allegiance to the prince of lies. Those who are the sons of light, versus those who are the sons of darkness. Those who trust in what they cannot see, versus those who see that they cannot trust. Those who simply walk with the Lord, versus those who build systems and cities on earth.

At Genesis 4 and 5 we are told of the two Enochs. Cain, the first murderer, “went out from the presence of the Lord… and built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.” Then we are told of Enoch, the descendant of righteous Seth, who “walked with God” and never died— he was raptured by the Lord and never saw death, “for God took him.” In these two chapters, we see the distinction between those who build and those who walk. We see Enoch, the name of the first city built on earth, the descendant of unrighteous Cain who “went out from the presence of the Lord.” And we see Enoch, the descendant of righteous Seth, who walked with God rather than build structures in this world, and was taken up by God to dwell in His heavenly presence forever. 

Cain the murderer, left the presence of the Lord and the first thing he was compelled to do was build something in this world that could be measured, seen, and admired. Cain’s city was built for Cain’s glory. Cain’s home was this cursed earth. Enoch, the descendant of Seth, built nothing. He “walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.” 

His home was the heavenly city, the Jerusalem above. 

(Heb 11:16) Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

(Gal 4:26) But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

(John 3:31,36) The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

(John 8:23,24) Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

(John 15:19,21) If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you…But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

(Matt 16:23-25) But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said His to disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

The Measure Of Your Words

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34)

There are all sorts of things you can pretend to be through your actions. You can feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit prisoners, teach Sunday School, march on the Capitol for all sorts of noble causes and inalienable rights. But at some point, the mask will come off through your words and you will be utterly oblivious to your own hypocrisy. You will stand naked and exposed as foolishness and ignorance flow freely from your mouth, and you will be none-the-wiser to your own self-condemnation. 

Jesus teaches that on judgment day, every human being will be held accountable for every “ARGON” word that they have spoken (Matt 12:36). This Greek word means “unprofitable, blameworthy, mindless, thoughtless”— injurious words due to lack of any effort to “get wisdom” (Prov 4:7). Words spoken from the self-centeredness, ignorance, and wickedness tucked away in men’s hearts. Words that are an overflow of a heart that has not been purified by the active residing and dwelling of Christ within. 

We can pretend to be a lot of things, but we cannot pretend to be the image of Christ. And one of the truly terrifying realities, is that you cannot even discern this truth until Christ indeed dwells within. In a paradoxical way, you cannot know until you know, you cannot see until you see. You can think you speak reasonable, logical, and noble things, until the Lord helps you understand that you in fact, do not. And then you are devastated at all that came forth from you before. You are devastated because you finally see, but there is a part of you that wishes you couldn’t. 

On that day you tremble with the fear of God, because you realize that by our words we will be either be acquitted or condemned. 

(Prov 9:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

(Matt 12:34-37) Offspring of vipers, how are you able to speak good things, being evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

(Ps 37:30-33) The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter. The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death; but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

(Prov 4:7-9) Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.