Because

Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25, Ekev, "Because"

When I sit down to write these blogs, my pattern is to write on the Torah portion from the previous week.  I do this for several reasons.  Mostly, it puts my writing after I have allowed myself the greatest exposure to where the Spirit may be leading me.  

First I do my own reading and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal what is personal to me.  Then, I do my study and preparation for the weekly Torah Club I attend on Wednesdays.  As I go through their literature, I am led down a path that First Fruits of Zion felt the Holy Spirit’s leading relative to their ministry.  Wednesday mornings are usually dedicated to writing about the prior week’s Torah Portions and this reminds me of where we were the week before and sets a foundation of continuity as to where the Holy Spirit may be leading me into this week’s journey.

During Wednesday night’s time together at Torah Club, I am given another perspective as the facilitator of the group will take what First Fruits of Zion has provided and blend it together with where the Holy Spirit is leading her and present the material from that slant.  As the week moves on, I might watch a few movies, go to the Aleph Beta site and watch a few teachings, or do some other reading.  Life happens and through the experiences of life I find that the principles the Holy Spirit is revealing are being presented in real and tangible ways through all the nuances of life.

Finally, the Sabbath arrives, I spend Saturday starting this cycle over as I move into the upcoming week’s readings while also holding onto the readings associated with the week we are still in.  Saturday evening a small group of us meet here at my home and it is during this time that the foundations of the blog I will be writing during the upcoming week are formed.  During this group discussion I try to follow where I believe the Holy Spirit has led me through all of what has been presented to me through the week I have lived with this particular section of scripture at the front of my mind.  As others share, new insights are added to what I have felt, and I feel a confirmation as to where the Spirit is leading me to write.  Over the next few days I spend some time reflecting over what I have “heard” and prepare myself for this time of writing.

My final preparation is to clear my mind, sit down in front of my computer, and begin typing.  I usually have a concept of where I am being led, but I try not to be too specific in where I believe I will go and how I will say what will ultimately be said.  As I begin typing, bits and pieces of what I have been “shown” and what I have “seen” come to the surface and the writing flows forth.  Usually there are new understandings and insights that I have not even considered through the previous ten days journey with the scriptures.  This is why most writers will say that even though they write for others, they are truly writing for themselves.  I simply would not see what I see without this commitment to share what He is giving me with others.  Do you see the double meaning in the answer of “I write because”?

There are two things that I really want to focus on today and I believe they are interconnected and they both stem from this concept of “because”.  Ultimately, they tie back to what was shared last week in regard to “Why God would bless us and/or curse us over what appears to be such trivial laws and rituals”, what the purposes are of the blessings, and ultimately who our covenant with Him is really all about.

The first concept I would like bring up is a soap box.  Have you ever heard the expression about someone getting on a soap box?  This expression comes from times past when someone would come into town and have a message to share.  In an effort to elevate themselves above the people and be more easily heard they would grab a shipping container and stand upon it as an impromptu stage.

The point is, all of us have soap box ideas that we are passionate about.  It’s OK.  I believe that this is a major part of being in the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit has created each of us differently and put a burning within us relative to different aspects of who He is.  This area of great passion can tend to lead us in seeing this particular message in any section of scripture that we read, message we hear, or teaching we are presented with. 

The challenge is to get off our soap box long enough to let the Holy Spirit use the scriptures and other people’s revelation to lead us into new areas of understanding.  As a facilitator, it is vitally important to “get off my soap box” or I will find that every message I share has the same basic concept.  As a facilitator I must understand that this passion is from the Holy Spirit and is what God is asking me to bring into the Body.  At the same time, I must understand when to put that aside, be open to where the Spirit is leading me, and present new and refreshing ideas each time I am called to facilitate and lead. 

We must remember that everything does not revolve around our particular passions and that God has a greater purpose in and through us on a moment by moment basis.  We must be willing to do this “because”.  In this week’s reading the word “because” takes on new insight and in this comparison back to our particular passions and the putting down of the soap boxes we tend to carry around with us there are three “becauses” I would like us to consider:

• Because He wants us to open up so that we can see, hear, and carry something new,
• Because He wants us to carry this new thing so that He can use us to share it with others, and
• Because He wants to use this process to lead us and them into greater freedom and Christ likeness.

On Friday I had a chain of events that led me into a place where I found myself emotionally involved and responding in a way that I have not done in a really long time.  This led to some repentance, and a lot of time with God, and those I turn to who I know can speak truth to me.  During these conversations I learned a lot about myself.  At the same time, I became more confused about what to do with what I was seeing.  In one hand, I learned that I tend to let myself be taken advantage of and that good character wouldn’t allow this.  On the other hand, scripture teaches us that the world will take advantage of us, and as His followers, this is to be expected.  So, what am I to do?  Grow in my character and not let myself be taken advantage of, or grow in my Christlikeness and not let it bother me when I do?

After spending some time in prayer, the answer came to me.  Because.  you see, the problem is we are this or that in our thinking and not this and that.  Hebrews reminds us that anytime the priest would go into the Holy of Holies for the purpose of interceding for the people of Israel he would first have to spend one on one time with God and get himself right with Him first.

It wasn’t a question of “OK God, which do I do today, get right with you myself, or come before you to intercede for the people”.  It was simple.  “OK God, first I need to get right with you, so that I am capable of interceding for the people.”  In this we get the answer to the great “because”.

When things happen in our lives and we are moved into emotional circumstances that push us to becoming what we don’t like to be we must go before God and ask why.  When we do, He will respond back with two answers.  It isn’t until we get through the first that we are capable of hearing the second.  The first because is always about us, our freedom, our journey with Him, and our journey in this world.  It is for freedom that He made us free (Galatians 5:1).  At the same time, it is only in our freedom that He can use us to lead the world to Him and their own freedom.  That is the second and GREATER because.

This takes us full circle back to what was shared last week and is the heart of this week’s readings.  The heart of the covenant that God has with us is about the hurt and lost people of the world.  He blesses us to give us tools so that He can reach them His way, not as a response to how committed we are to the tools He has given us.  (you might want to read that again).

What I came to realize is that no two situations are the same and no two people are the same.  Because of this, the intercession (and the interaction) must be different in each situation.  However, it isn’t until we experience the growth that we need to experience that we can be open to and of the character to intercede and interact as He would have us.  Once we get right with God and come to understand the heart of our emotional response to a given situation, we can let God transform us in a way that allows us to be more greatly used by Him.  Once in this position we are now capable of listening to Him and hearing how He wants to use us in the lives of others. 

What the world would view as codependent might be what God is calling us to do in the name of love.  On the other hand, what may appear as unloving in the eyes of a scripture that calls us to allow the world to take advantage, may be the very response God is asking of us.  God may be attempting to use us to move that person into a new area of growth.  Allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of would only reinforce the old patterns that have that person in a self-destructive life cycle.  In this case, standing up and pointing out the wrong may be the very thing that is “best”.  In this case we must remember that there doesn’t have to be conflict in confrontation.  When confrontation is done in true love there is no conflict but relationship and intimacy.  The "truth" must revolve around them, not us.

The bottom line is this.  Every day we are flooded with choices.  Each time a choice presents itself we make a decision.  Those decisions are typically entered into because of emotions.  Our daily growth is to allow ourselves to investigate how we may have missed an opportunity to be used by God in a positive way because we acted on our emotions instead of His calling.  In the past two weeks, I missed at stopping at two accidents that I should have stopped at because I allowed my emotions to dictate my interaction (or lack thereof).

This is the great because.  Because He loves us.  Because He loves the world.  Because He wants us to be free.  Because He wants them to be free.  Because it is in our freedom that we become available for Him to use us.  Because it is in our freedom that we are most like Christ who said “I do nothing on my own initiative” (John 8:28).  Because this is what we have been called for, called to, and been given.  Because this is the promise.  Because this is what is possible.

I pray that this has been a blessing to you, and that in and through what the Holy Spirit has spoken to you in this brief time together, you have learned something about you that will help Him use you in a new and exciting way.  Amen.