For over two weeks I have resisted the temptation to reflect publically on this blog the whispers and touches I have received from the Holy Spirit whilst reading His Word.  Though I have read, prayed and written each morning, I accepted the urging of a slightly louder voice to retreat into my own space for a better view of what God is doing with and on me, so personal and painful have the touches been.

The pause gave me some time to think and pray about the purpose of this blog.  Is it for my own edification?  Or is it something bigger?  Something that glorifies God?  Am I and my stuff too much in the way of the Spirit’s effort to animate my life?

I think the fact that I paused for over two weeks as I dealt with my own personal stuff showed me that this blog is not about the writer.  I wrote every day into my journal, just not here.

No, I write here to insert into the vast public social media arena snippets of the Spirit’s work.  I believe that God’s Word is a living, breathing, eternal, wholly contemporary and relevant revelation of God our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And so into the cacophony of pontificating Christian bloggers I have stepped with the still small voice of the Spirit at work in my little corner of the world.  I think it excites our Abba Father to see how conversation about His Word has just exploded exponentially as the world wide web has.

That being said, a personal scriptural journal is not wholly relevant to anyone but me.  And I’ve struggled a bit to separate touches that fall clearly into the ‘personal application’ column from those that speak to a broader community.

But this morning, I find myself back on this blog with what was a very personal ‘aha!’ that at the same time suggested to me a broader application, both prompted by this line from the Gospel reading:

¹⁵So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

People lie.  And people lie so often for money;  To secure it.  To earn it.  To provide it.  To maintain it.  To be identified with it.  To buy other people’s stories.  People lie for money.  People lie for security.  For power.  For authority.  People lie to serve themselves.

Any lying – telling a story to explain something that is not explainable any other way but by truth-telling serves not God’s purpose, but the purpose of those lying.  It intentionally keeps others ‘in the dark’; doesn’t allow the light to shine, the truth be told.

And in so doing effects separation from God not just for the deceiver, but for those deceived, too.  Entire generations are separated from God – not lost, but separated and ‘in the dark’  – because of a story the Pharisees insisted upon to maintain the status quo – maintain their worship community, their respect, their power, their world view, their security, their authority, their relationships.    An entire people – God’s people – separated because of the lies bought.

And I’m being prompted to think this morning about those who have lied to me.  Or those I know who have lied to others when only truth telling would explain the unexplainable.  When light had made its way to the head and heart of the one who later lied, but was when shut out; denied.*

The perpetuation of that lie allows them to maintain the status quo, authority, relationships, money and provision, like the Pharisees were able to do.  To continue to live as they were, but now within, a darkness allowed into the head and heart in order to serve self.    Their story maintained ‘to this day.’  And I when I think of this, I am moved to tears.

Yes, the truth will ultimately trump.  But how sad in the meantime.  How very sad.

So how do these two disparate bunny trails connect this morning?  I guess in these ways:

• glorifying God:  how do we know that what we do, say, and how we live is to glorify God and not our selves?   I’m pretty comfortable this morning with the whisper sent me that this blog is not about me.  In fact I see today’s post as a hint of how Jesus answers very specific, personal prayers while pointing us to a broader application.
• serving self:  this is where the gospel aha! moment intersects with what the Spirit was saying to me today.  Serving self is about as far as one can get from glorifying God.  Lying glorifies and serves self.    Truth glorifies and serves -truth IS – God.

Wow.  Long winded one again.  I think I’m rusty from not posting regularly.  Thanks for hanging with me, today.

Have a great one and God Bless.

*And we all have these moments of denial – even Peter – but we are also, like Peter, given many chances to make right what we have made wrong by our denials – God never gives up on us!