Look at your life

Today: Haggai

Yesterday I was in close proximity to one of the most tragic events ever. I wasn't sure I should write about it, but I think it's too important NOT to write about.

In the middle of the morning, I noticed colleagues gathering around the windows of our office building. They described seeing a dead body on the street, surrounded by a pool of blood. A man's dead body was in front of a nearby parking garage.

Was he hit by a car?

No cars were nearby.

Was it a hit and run accident?

No.

We quickly learned that this man's death was not caused by either one of these tragedies. Apparently, the man jumped from a high level of the parking garage--on purpose.

I am not an expert. I don't know what it feels like to be in such a place of hopelessness. Personally, I couldn't even look out the windows. I did not want mental pictures of this tragedy imprinted on my mind.

I don't know anything about the deceased man, but as the scene unfolded and I watched the reactions of others, I couldn't help but wonder: What separates us from suicide?

That may sound like a strange question, but I think most people, at some point or another, feel that their lives are futile. They feel sad or stuck in a rut or lonely--but they don't jump. Why?

Today's passage shed some interesting light on this topic. Take a look at God's Word to His people here:

"Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over.
You have spent a lot of money,
but you haven't much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates,
but you never get filled up.
You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
but you're always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes,
but you can't get warm.
And the people who work for you, what are they getting out of it?
Not much— a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that's what.

That's why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said:

"Take a good, hard look at your life.
Think it over."

Then God said: "Here's what I want you to do:
Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me.
Honor me.
You've had great ambitions for yourselves,
but nothing has come of it...

The beginning of this excerpt points to the emptiness of lives without a sense of purpose, love or honor for God. It's about people whose lives are focused on themselves, stuff and temporary highs.

The ambitions that seem so great are actually empty--but when we honor God, our lives are enriched.

It's interesting that in this passage, God talks to His people about how He wants to be honored: by giving to His House.

He doesn't just say to the people, "Love me. Pray. Sing me some songs." (Though in other Scriptures, it's clear God does want our love and worship). Here, He asks His people to give of their wealth to rebuild His House. God knows that our money represents our time and talent--and that we spend money on what we value. Part of God's righteous anger was because His House was in ruins while the peoples' homes were overflowing with riches--it just wasn't right to Him.

God doesn't want us to live empty lives--He doesn't want anyone to live without hope because He IS hope! God created us to live abundant adventures. However, this kind of living happens when we stop living solely for ourselves, when we honor Him first, give and hope for a greater purpose.

Tomorrow: Zechariah 1-7

Designated spaces for God

Today: Ezekiel 43-45

"Ahh...my own space!"

Have you ever thought that?

As I'm typing this, I'm sitting in one of my own favorite spaces--a corner of my room with a comfy chair and ottoman, perfect for reading and writing.

I also have that feeling when I drive down my street (particularly in the fall) and see my tree-lined road. I feel calm and at home. Simultaneously, I have a sense of pride like, "This is MY street!" or "How cool! That reading corner is designed just for ME!"

When I read today's passage, I pictured God having the same feeling. I bet that He has a special pride of ownership and comfort in the spaces designed to welcome Him. I believe God is present everywhere, but my hunch is that there are some places where He likes to linger.

Similarly, I think that designated spaces for God are not necessarily churches (or the Temple described in today's passage). Case in point: Designated giving to God's House. Chapter 45 describes God's instructions for His people to contribute offerings out of their harvest. The interesting thing about God's economic system? All of the people were told to sacrifice equally--based on a portion of what they had. The amounts they gave were different, but each person was instructed to give "one-sixtieth part" of their wheat, for example. God is all-powerful and owns everything anyway--but He likes the designated space in "our" wallets and purses.

I'll be extra clear in this post and say that God wants ALL of our hearts and lives. In this post about designated space for God, I'm not saying that we should keep God away from some parts of our lives--He sees and knows it all anyway!

There's a difference between opening your life to God and setting aside certain things for Him. Perhaps it's similar to marriage: There's a difference between a husband saying to his wife, "You know my life is an open book to you--you can call me anytime or ask me anything" versus the husband who says those words and then goes the extra mile to designate special time for his wife--perhaps by planning an amazing date.

With that in mind, I'll close this post with a question: What are some other examples of "space" we can designate for God in our lives?

Tomorrow: Ezekiel 46-48

Gifts and dedication

Today: Numbers 7

Have you ever given (or received) a gift given out of obligation?

Gifts given from a sense of "I'm supposed to do this" are not fun for the giver or the receiver. There's no heart in them.

Like you and I, God likes to receive gifts given out of dedication. In this passage, a literal dedication (of the Tent of Meeting) was taking place. After the gifts were given according to His expectations, God showed up and talked with Moses.

Throughout the Bible, God celebrated people who gave gifts out of dedication--people like Jacob who built an altar to God, the wise men who honored Jesus after His birth, the widow who gave her last coins, and the woman who anointed Jesus with perfume before His death.

These givers gave different amounts. But they gave gifts not out of obligation, but dedication--out of LOVE.

Tomorrow: Numbers 8-10

Creating opportunities for the poor

Today: Leviticus 19-21

Last night I saw my church's annual production Scrooge the Musical for about the billionth time (no lie--I've probably seen it annually since I was about four--back when my family didn't even attend the church that produced it!). Like many of Charles Dickens' works, "A Christmas Carol" tackles issues like poverty, greed and the exploitation of the poor (in Dickens' writing, it's often children--ala Tiny Tim).

Have you ever thought about how the poor are exploited today?

I realize that's a big, loaded question. But I think that, like in Dickens' time, it's because of greed. It's greed that causes companies to think so much about the bottom line that they outsource labor to people (sometimes children) in developing countries, paying pennies on the dollar for hard work. It's greed that keeps people saying, "I don't have enough to give" to non-profits (and the people who benefit from their donations), while simultaneously filling their homes with more "stuff" they don't need. And it's greed that keeps many of us from thinking about how we can really help the poor...not just through donations, but by creating jobs for those who are able to work.

I thought this part of today's reading was interesting:

When you harvest your land,

don't harvest right up to the edges of your field

or gather the gleanings from the harvest.

Don't strip your vineyard bare

or go back and pick up the fallen grapes.

Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.

I am God, your God.

This idea is interesting for a few reasons--God was teaching His people to be unselfish, to leave a portion of their crops (their wealth) for the poor to harvest. However, the poor weren't given the grain that the owners had already harvested. They had to go out and glean the fields themselves.

If you own a business or work for one, think about what the "gleanings" from your organization could be. What's a task or an untapped revenue source that could be an opportunity for the poor? I believe that if you (or your company) think creatively about what you can do to innovate and build opportunities for others, you will reap some rewards. The rewards might come from God in eternity or in other areas of your life. But once you start thinking creatively, I think our Creator is big enough to give you other ideas to build your business...

Tomorrow: Leviticus 22-23

Offerings from the poor

Today: Leviticus 14-15

All right--so today was another one of the Leviticus passages with more laws and instructions. I hope you're sticking with me (and this reading project we're on together) because these are the kinds of passages that test our persistence. :)

One of the things that I noticed today was God's instruction for poor people giving offerings. (See these verses for example.) Did you notice that? It was interesting to me because God didn't say, "Well, if you're poor, you don't need to bring anything." He also didn't say, "If you're poor and can't afford the offerings, too bad. You can't be clean before Me." And He didn't say, "If you're rich, give some of your extra money to the poor, so that they can give offerings to Me." Interesting, huh?

God's system of giving is really unique and pretty cool, I think. He asks that we all do our part. He wants us to be obedient. But He does not ask us to give more than we're capable of giving...and He doesn't ask us to take on the responsibility of giving on behalf of others. No--each of us is responsible. We have an opportunity to give the best we can. And He deserves our giving, our effort and our hearts.

Tomorrow: Leviticus 16-18