The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in ,Psalm 22:1-2
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest."
I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, but the other evening I tuned into several of those cable channels that host "religious broadcasting." Every once in a blue moon I do it just to see what kind of childish nonsense these shysters are peddling. I admit, a diseased curiosity.
One year (trust me, I punish myself no more that once a year or so with such an unwholesome activity - and I can bear no more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time at that) I discovered it was a year of Jubilee! Just send in your Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars or more and you can throw out those overdue credit card bills. God will take care of them! If you have a medical bill or are behind in your mortgage, God will take care of it! Just send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge! Several "ministries" were on board, pitching the same game. They seem to copy each other at times. I surmise they would point to the Holy Spirit as to why they copy each other... you know... the common source of their schtick prompting them to imitate one another on whatever the "new thing" is that year - as long as it is working.
This year I found myself somewhat disappointed. I didn't find any of the "creative and meticulous" research into years of jubilee or anything like that. It was just pretty hum-drum "Sow your seed! Send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars and see how God prospers you in the new year!" The term "seed" is always used as a euphemism for a quid pro quo, pay-to-play payment made by the fleeced sheep. Of course, since it appears the same venues are populated by the same people, it has to be evident it isn't working, otherwise the farmers that sowed their hard-earned Faith-Promise-Pledge would have no need for the camp meeting the following week. Yet, there they are. Certainly they didn't receive their "blessing" due to a lack of faith on their part or something. But, no matter! This next one is really going to work!
So what does all that have to do with Psalm 22:1-2? Simply, the writers of Scripture were apparently left bereft of the insights of these "TV evangelists". Look how David suffered, as he makes his appeal to God in the opening verses of this psalm. A man commended by God as one who was after his own heart. Yet, David suffered. I suspect these name-it-and-claim-it preachers would say that it must have been because of David's adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Yet, as it turns out, this psalm, although accurately pointing to David's suffering was really a prophecy about the suffering of Jesus Christ as he hung on that miserable cross, an amazing first hand account of Jesus as he hung there suffering.
All we hear from the TV evangelists is the prosperity and health we can all enjoy if we send in our "seed" - a real distortion of what life in Jesus Christ is all about.
Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Paul points out we likewise will suffer as his children (not for our sin but for his purposes as he pursues his agenda through us), "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18.
It appears these "health and wealth" preachers no nothing of that. The only suffering I've heard them talk about is what might come our way if we don't send in our Faith-Promise-Pledge, the "seed" they attempt to squeeze out of their listeners.
Well, I feel disgusted talking about these things - but why not point it out? It never hurts to identify just who those wolves are in sheep's clothing.
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest."
I guess I must be a glutton for punishment, but the other evening I tuned into several of those cable channels that host "religious broadcasting." Every once in a blue moon I do it just to see what kind of childish nonsense these shysters are peddling. I admit, a diseased curiosity.
One year (trust me, I punish myself no more that once a year or so with such an unwholesome activity - and I can bear no more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time at that) I discovered it was a year of Jubilee! Just send in your Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars or more and you can throw out those overdue credit card bills. God will take care of them! If you have a medical bill or are behind in your mortgage, God will take care of it! Just send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge! Several "ministries" were on board, pitching the same game. They seem to copy each other at times. I surmise they would point to the Holy Spirit as to why they copy each other... you know... the common source of their schtick prompting them to imitate one another on whatever the "new thing" is that year - as long as it is working.
This year I found myself somewhat disappointed. I didn't find any of the "creative and meticulous" research into years of jubilee or anything like that. It was just pretty hum-drum "Sow your seed! Send in that Faith-Promise-Pledge of a thousand dollars and see how God prospers you in the new year!" The term "seed" is always used as a euphemism for a quid pro quo, pay-to-play payment made by the fleeced sheep. Of course, since it appears the same venues are populated by the same people, it has to be evident it isn't working, otherwise the farmers that sowed their hard-earned Faith-Promise-Pledge would have no need for the camp meeting the following week. Yet, there they are. Certainly they didn't receive their "blessing" due to a lack of faith on their part or something. But, no matter! This next one is really going to work!
So what does all that have to do with Psalm 22:1-2? Simply, the writers of Scripture were apparently left bereft of the insights of these "TV evangelists". Look how David suffered, as he makes his appeal to God in the opening verses of this psalm. A man commended by God as one who was after his own heart. Yet, David suffered. I suspect these name-it-and-claim-it preachers would say that it must have been because of David's adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Yet, as it turns out, this psalm, although accurately pointing to David's suffering was really a prophecy about the suffering of Jesus Christ as he hung on that miserable cross, an amazing first hand account of Jesus as he hung there suffering.
All we hear from the TV evangelists is the prosperity and health we can all enjoy if we send in our "seed" - a real distortion of what life in Jesus Christ is all about.
Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Paul points out we likewise will suffer as his children (not for our sin but for his purposes as he pursues his agenda through us), "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18.
It appears these "health and wealth" preachers no nothing of that. The only suffering I've heard them talk about is what might come our way if we don't send in our Faith-Promise-Pledge, the "seed" they attempt to squeeze out of their listeners.
Well, I feel disgusted talking about these things - but why not point it out? It never hurts to identify just who those wolves are in sheep's clothing.
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
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