Monthly Archives: November 2010

Freewill of the Prophetic Turn

Posted by on November 24, 2010 No comments

If a nation, that God has turned against, turns from its evil, God will also turn from the calamity He planned to bring upon it. (Jeremiah 18:8-10)

This act of grace and mercy by God, to turn and do good for a nation that turns from evil to good, has significant consequences. It implies the reverse situation is also possible — to the nation that turns from good and dos evil there must be an equal response from God — to turn from the good He had promised.

After stating this fact Jeremiah then speaks a prophecy of calamity on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. His prophecy is justified, not just because it comes from God and is His will. It is justified because God is responding to Jerusalem's actions. It is justified because it is the result of Jerusalem's own choosing. It is justified because there are nations that turned from evil to good and thus deserve good in return, so Jerusalem who turned from good to evil is deserving of this calamity.

The prophetic call to turn implies free will. The refusal to heed does not imply predestination.

© 2010 – 2012, VoiceWind. . .Greg Loveless. All rights reserved.

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Silence Before Evil Refrains from Good

Posted by on November 17, 2010 No comments

When events place us in a bad situation and things are not going right, we attempt to take back control of the situation through a process of elimination. But as we eliminate events, even though we may halt the bad and even the evil within these events, we also are then cut off from the good that could arise from these events if we would just step up and act.

For it is through us, those who are bothered by the evil events around us, that the good that would transform these events would come. So when we shut down, when we become silent in the face of evil, we not only cut off the evil from us, but we cut off the good we would bring to the event and to the land.

It is in these types of situations that we can contribute to God's creation. But we can only do so if we do not remain silent. And here in lies the issue — we must speak out for good in the presence of the evil. We must take the risk.

So in Psalm 39 the Psalmist at first convinced himself that to remain silent would be an appropriate protest to the evil around him. But his silence in the presence of evil even cut off the good that he could offer.

I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.

I was mute and silent,
I refrained even from good,
And my sorrow grew worse.

His courage to speak out will only come when he remembers,

Lord , make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.

When we are mindful of the limits of this life in comparison to the eternal, we understand that we cannot control our outcome by remaining silent. Silence in this life may cut us off from evil in this life, but it does not provide any benefit in eternity.

In fact, since this life is but a breath when compared to our eternal existence, we should no longer fear speaking out against the evil in this world that will soon end.

In the end, our courage to act comes from the knowledge that this life is but a breath.

© 2010, VoiceWind. . .Greg Loveless. All rights reserved.

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Expects a Body Sees a Gardner

Posted by on November 9, 2010 No comments

This is a powerful image painted by John in chapter 20:14-17. Mary is looking for Jesus. She turns and sees a man standing next to her but does not recognize him as Jesus. After all how could it be Jesus, he is dead. She is looking for his body.

Like all of us Mary's vision is influenced by her expectations. She expects Jesus to be dead so she sees only what her mind will allow her to see – she sees the Gardner. This cannot be Jesus, after all he is dead.

Then Jesus, standing next to her, calls her name. It is then that Mary recognizes the one who was standing next to her the entire time as Jesus.

In life we are all Mary. We go through life looking for the right job, the right partner, the right place to live, the right school to attend. The list goes on and on. And all the time we are looking we miss what is right in front of us.

In faith, we are all Mary. We go through life looking for Jesus — How to serve him. How to get close to him. What to do to allow him to get close to us. How to worship him. And yet the whole time Jesus is standing in the midst of our lives, and yet we do not see him. All we see is the Gardner, the janitor, the homeless, the widow, the orphan, our neighbor, our coworker, etc.

Why do we miss Him? Because we are looking into the tomb of our lives and have certain expectations. These expectation limit what we see. But what if we could see all the potential? What if we could see what could be, rather than what is? What if we could see what is actually there?

Do you here Him calling? Do you hear Him calling your name? Do you see Him? Do you see Him standing next to you? Or are you looking into the tomb of your life? Are you looking for the dead among the living or the living among the dead?

John 20:14-17

© 2010, VoiceWind. . .Greg Loveless. All rights reserved.

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