Stubbornness

Oh, what a day of crushing defeat! … Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons. You inspect the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool. … But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago. — Isaiah 22:5-11

Too many times I’ve sat across the table from my sweetheart in silence.

We’ve walked passed one another speaking only perfunctory comments. We’ve laid in bed in the darkness wide awake with a thick tension between us.

Who will be the first to apologize? Who will be willing to at least own their part of the ugly?

Stubbornness is a relational jackhammer that attacks the sacred bonds of marriage and all other relationships for that matter.

Over and over again in the Bible, as in our scripture for today, God confronts stubbornness.

Specifically, his people’s stubbornness as it related to his instruction and will for them.

They tried anything and everything to solve their own problems except cry out to him for mercy.

Even in the face of his prophets telling them to stop and turn to him, they resisted and persisted in their stubbornness.

Today, too many people are stuck in their stubbornness. They are so convinced of their understanding of the situation that they are simply unwilling to even have a conversation with others.

Regardless of where it is found, stubbornness steals. It takes the life out of all that is to be life-giving, particularly a relationship with Jesus.

Is there some stubbornness in your heart that needs to be rooted out?

Don’t forget

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) … God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. — Ephesians 2:4-10

I sat in the meeting helplessly distracted.

My attempt to keep my notes brief resulted in an abbreviation that I simply could not recall.

It wasn’t a terribly significant conversation point, but the forgetting was beyond irksome.

I did my best to move on and engage with the conversation only to shout out an hour or so later, "I remember what it was!"

Oops.

Graciously, they allowed me to share it and we moved on.

Paul told the church in Ephesus right after our verses for today, "Don’t forget!" Instead, remember.

Remember who you are. Remember who you were before you turned in faith to Jesus.

Remember what God did for you. Remember what he promised he will do now and in the future.

Remember what he has planned for you to do. Remember to be thankful for all of it.

Our "rememberer" can get distracted in the realities of this life. It’s one the primary reasons Jesus established communion — "Do this in remembrance of me."

It’s one of the key roles of the Holy Spirit — "he will teach you everything and will remind you of all that I have told you."

Mercy. Grace. Love. Death to life. Raised Jesus. Gift. Salvation. Masterpiece. Created anew. Good things. … Don’t ever forget.

Privilege

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for him. — Philippians 1:29

Several years ago, I was invited by a friend to a very exclusive luncheon.

It was put on by one of the big universities as a thank-you to individuals and businesses that had made significant donations to the school.

The guests of honor and speakers were the varsity basketball coaches of both the women’s and men’s teams.

It wasn’t until the coach came in and sat down next to me that I realized we were at the head table! What a privilege.

Privilege was also on Paul’s mind when he wrote his friends who made up the church at a city called Philippi.

Paul was nearly martyred there as he boldly laid his life on the line so they could hear how to be saved.

"Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved," he told them.

And they did.

Privilege, he told them, is both receiving salvation from Jesus and suffering for Jesus so others receive it, too.

I know of no other context where suffering is presented as an example of being privileged.

This revelation is truly puzzling.

Doesn’t being privileged mean smooth sailing? We even bristle at the thought of the Holy Spirit asking of us something that might make us a little uncomfortable much less suffer.

Perhaps, in light of the love and suffering of Jesus for us, the time has come to embrace all our privileges.

No rest

O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth. — Isaiah 62:6-7

Whenever our family goes on vacation, I look forward to what I call the "sweet middle."

At the beginning of the week, my emotional, mental, physical RPMs are still pretty high.

They begin to dial down in the change of scenery and schedule.

Eventually, I enter this moment where unconsciously the switch is actually turned off — the sweet middle.

Rest.

This moment lasts a few days until I think of our return and what’s waiting for me when we do.

God is a huge fan of rest. It actually made his Top 10, "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy."

No work. No planning. Just rest.

It’s fascinating to consider Isaiah’s call to "take no rest."

He then put an exclamation point on it, "Give the Lord no rest."

Wow!

Jesus echoed this same sentiment. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking. The throne room of heaven is to continually be filled with the prayers of God’s people.

God calls for us to rest. Of that, there is no doubt.

He also calls for us to remain in continuous fellowship with him through prayer.

"Pray without ceasing," Paul would say.

Continuous prayer reminds us who we are and why we’re here. Continuous prayer prepares us for kingdom encounters and spiritual battle. Continuous prayer knits our hearts together with Jesus’ heart "so that the world will believe you (the Father) sent me (Jesus)."

Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.