Cosmic Accidents

“Ann Hodges never intended to be famous, but in 1954 she found herself thrust into the national spotlight when her afternoon nap was interrupted by a falling meteorite. The Alabama woman has the distinction of being the first documented case of a person being struck by a meteorite. She survived with a bruised hip…Hodges, who was 34 at the time, had been home with her mother on the afternoon of November 30. The meteorite crashed through the roof of Hodges' home at 2:46 p.m, Slate Magazine reported. "Ann Hodges was taking a nap on her living room couch and she was under a blanket, which probably saved her life somewhat," Prondzinski said. "The meteorite came down through the roof in the living room and it ricocheted off a stand-up console radio that was in the room and landed on her hip." Her mother, who was in another room, ran to her daughter's assistance when she heard her scream. In the aftermath, neither Hodges nor her mother knew what had happened. "All she knew is that something had hit her," Prondzinski said. "They found the meteorite, this big rock, and they couldn't figure out how it had got there." It weighed around 8.5 pounds.”* What are the odds, huh? The total surface area of the earth is roughly 197 million square miles. And yet, a small meteorite hits one small human body in all that vast expanse.Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But I want to talk about someone being in the right place at the right time. That someone was Jesus. “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). The birth and death of Christ were according to “...the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God…” (Acts 2:23). The amazing work of the Messiah is not some cosmic accident.

God loves you!

Mike

*www.sciencealert.com

I'm Scared

Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” (Jeremiah 1:6).

The opening verses of the book of Jeremiah speak of God’s call to the youthful Hebrew who shares his name with the writing that tells his story. There are good human reasons for the fear Jeremiah feels for the task ahead of him. The nation of Judah, as a whole, had strayed very far from the God Who had chosen them. As you read the book, reference is often made to the horrific sins they practiced. Jeremiah had likely witnessed much of what was happening. Now God wants to send him to the rebels with a message of rebuke and repentance? Sorry, but no thanks. He hides behind the excuse of youthfulness, but his fear likely runs much deeper. Notice how God deals with his concern.

First, He reminds Jeremiah that this wasn’t a last minute decision on His part. Plans for this effort have been in the works for a long time. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

Second, God tells him he would be on a divine mission and the only one he has to please is the One Who called him. “But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. (Jeremiah 1:7).

Third, God doesn’t downplay the reality of Jeremiah’s fears but promises to deliver him from the struggles he will face. “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8).

God’s call in our own lives can be scary. But, like Jeremiah, we can also depend on the planning, program, and protection of our Father. The faithfulness of God is the antidote for fear. Learn to lean into it.

God loves you!

Mike

I'm So Angry!

“Frederick Buechner points out that “Of all the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel, both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you”” (Wishful Thinking, Harper & Row, 1973, p. 2; quoted at preaching.com).

Anger is a destructive and debilitating emotion and the Bible frequently warns against it. The Lord Himself taught that unchecked anger often leads to other serious sins like murder (Matthew 5:21-26). In His parable about the lost son, Jesus revealed that it was the older brother’s anger that kept him from rejoicing over the return of his brother and to reject his father’s pleas to celebrate (Luke 15:25-30). Outbursts of anger are included in Paul’s list of the deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). In another place, the apostle says this: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31; cf. also Colossians 3:8).

So is anger always sinful? Apparently not because Jesus Himself became angry. He looked with anger at hardhearted Pharisees who took Him to task for healing a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5). This teaches us that there are some things in this world that should make us angry. But the key is to not let our anger lead us to react sinfully. “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger…” (Ephesians 4:26). Be “...slow to speak and slow to anger…” (James 1:19). Remember: “...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Be very careful with anger!

God loves you!

Mike

We Need A Law...Or Do We?

“The Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove is filled with small town charm, despite its close proximity to Indiana's state capital. In this quiet little municipality, the population of 15,000 is subject to one of the  weirdest food laws ever written in the U.S. If you were hoping to one day enjoy some watermelon in one of Beech Grove's public parks, you better think twice — lest you risk breaking the law. 

“In a state where 80% of the land is devoted to farming and woodlands, this law may seem totally outrageous. However, Indianapolis news outlet WRTV reported in 2017 it received confirmation from board members of Beech Grove's local government that a watermelon ban had been instituted several years before. The reason? Those pesky watermelon rinds were tearing holes in the trash bags lining the cans at public parks. Someone had enough! So, a call to action was made and a ban supposedly written into law, though the whereabouts of this written record remain unclear.”* 

Laws are useful, even necessary, in peaceful society. If everyone was left to do what seemed right or what felt good to them, chaos would result. But the answer to lawlessness is not to give in to the temptation to make laws to govern every possible scenario in life. This temptation is prominent in religious circles. Some try to help God out by making laws where He didn’t make any.

Imagine there is a religious belief or practice that I don’t like. Maybe I was always taught it was wrong but, the trouble is, I can’t find any place in the Bible where God specifically condemns it. How should I deal with this? In choosing a way forward, I must guard against making a law where God didn’t. I must guard against drawing unnecessary inferences from general principles in Scripture in an effort to make my case. In areas where God hasn’t made a law, the best course is to act upon my own conscience and let others do the same, even if it breaks MY “law.”

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.mashed.com/1920160/is-it-illegal-to-eat-watermelon-in-beech-grove-indiana-parks-local/