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The other night I was driving around in my very beat up ford ranger; she has been through a lot, my mind began to wonder about the normal or not so normal things in life. Like will there be mountains or oceans in heaven? Or will there be animals we have never seen? Will God look like I imagine Him (as a black man with a voice that sounds like coffee smells.) It might seem like an obvious answer but I don’t really think it is. It reminds me of conservatism.
Being conservative—in the Christian sense—conjures up a few images of old ladies in unflattering dresses or country folk taking a ride to the city and talking about all fast paced, loose, immoral people. Maybe even it will bring an image of a soap box preacher with a megaphone shouting out to the mocking passerby-ers that they are going to hell if they don’t repent of their wicked, wicked ways. Or, if you happen to be in downtown Orlando on a Tuesday night, you might just hear one yelling “If you’re a faggot you’re going to burn!”
Most of those are not pleasant images (not that I have anything against old ladies and their dresses,) but they don’t really appeal on any level do they? But what about the conservative who is against abortion or national healthcare and big government; not because he is against abortion or national healthcare or big government, but because his religious standings prevent him from believing or voting for such things? What about the conservative who is soft spoken, meek, truthful, honest and thankful; who does not judge or scream or holler; who does not call people “faggots” or blow up abortion clinics?
What about me? I call myself a conservative Christian—though by most standards I would not be—but that all depends on point of view. I am loud, often times I make quite a ruckus. I love to laugh and push people to justify why they believe in something instead of “just because.” That makes a lot of people upset. I also hang out with pregnant girls who aren’t married. I have friends who are gay. I know a stripper or two. I have read my bible while having a beer. I have talked about the power of the Holy Spirit while smoking a cigar. My aggressive nature is largely misinterpreted. I love Jesus more than anything in this world. That makes most people think I am not conservative. (It probably makes them think I am an apostate.)
With all these different views and thoughts of what a conservative is how can we pin it down? We can’t. The lines are too faded and mostly have no reason for being in the first place. Non-conservative, conservative, liberal, neo-post-modern-ultra-orthodox-catholic-semi-Calvinist…what does it matter? Where do these titles come from? We need some yes to define things in our mind. We like things orderly and neat and able to place into a category or relational bubble. There are things that don’t fit and cannot be placed in a bubble or category. Things like Jesus. You can’t put God in a box, and if you can I would say that what you are so delicately guarding in that finite imaginary cube is nothing more than something wholly other than God.

We have become great at creating gods, haven’t we?

The two natures; PART 2

The two natures; PART 2

Jacob, he was a son of Abraham. The genealogies list it like this, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The crazy thing here is Jacob was not the first born. He was not the one to be listed in that line, it should say Abraham, Isaac and Esau.

But something happened.

Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. There are a couple things that could trip us up here. Can a birthright be sold? Aren’t you born into it? Is it even tangible?

Yes, yes and yes.

As I said previously about Esau, The birth right that he sold was not only about a parental blessing it was about taking the word of God at face value. But this is about the nature of Jacob…

Jacob was supplanter, he schemed he lied, and he deceived. So how did one like this ever get the blessing of God that would bring about the redemption of mankind?

After Esau sold his birthright, later Jacob tricked his father and lied to him-with the help of his mother; from that lie Jacob received the blessing due to the first born. This blessing wasn’t just about saying something nice about the first son, by receiving that blessing Jacob literally became as the first born.

After this he fled and married Leah and then Rachel. He had twelve sons. He later left his father in law and after some turbulent affairs came to a place where he was going to meet Esau. Jacob hangs here in a place of fear and uncertainty. His nature flares up again, he attempts to appease his brothers perceived anger by sending gifts.

And then something changes…

In Genesis 32:24

“…and then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25Now when he saw that he-the man-did not prevail against him-Jacob, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacobs hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26And He said, ‘let me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me!’…” In the following versus the angel asks him his name and then renames him “ISRAEL” which meaning “God prevails”

Jacob stepped into something.

Despite his nature of deceit he grabbed hold of God and would not let go until God blessed him. Even after being wounded by God he still held on and said “I will not let go.” Within us as believers in God and His son Jesus we have these natures in us. They both fall grossly short of God; proving our need.

There are times, moments of destiny if you will, when we step into a moment so divine we must tread lightly and violently. “For heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” Jacob grabbed hold of heaven with violence and even after being physically struck and afflicted he would not let go. We have to have that same quality in ourselves. Esau forsook that covenant for food. Jacob held onto it even in the face of physical affliction.

The natures we have in us will either bring us to a place of raw abandonment and leaning on God or to the destruction of our souls and separation from Him.

Jacob held true to who God and pursued the Lords blessing over his life and became the one from whom the 12 patriarchs came. He gave birth to 12 pillars of which the world’s destiny would be forever linked to...