Author: Christine Wyrtzen

“You nullify the word of God by your tradition.”  Mark 7:13 

What God leads my conscience to do, or not do, is entirely specific to me.  The problem comes when I feel that every other child of God should make the same choices.  My father in law, the evangelist Jack Wyrtzen, came to Christ out of a culture of dance bands and nightclubs.  He was a musician and played in a band.  Every time he heard jazz, the sound took him back to the clubs he had left behind for Jesus.  To him, jazz was a stumbling block.  Jazz however, in and of itself, is a neutral thing.  It is just music; an assembly of notes, rhythms, and instrumentation.  How many churches have split over the issue of music styles when the real emphasis should be on the Spirit behind the music and whether the people who lead it have been anointed to do it.  Talent and style of music are secondary issues.

In Paul’s day, there were similar hot topics.  Jesus’ ministry was conducted almost exclusively within the Jewish community.  Keeping kosher was an important part of Judaism.  But Jesus stretched his fellow Jews out of their comfort zone when he and His disciples ate without washing their hands ceremonially.  Jesus even sent His disciples into the town of Sychar (in Samaria) to buy food for lunch.  A Jew would never touch food that a Samaritan had prepared.  When the Pharisees erupted over Jesus and His group breaking the law, He answered them by attacking their legalism.  “You nullify the word of God by your tradition.”  Mark 7:13  Then He talked to them about their hearts, that it’s what in the heart that makes a man clean or unclean.  But we’ve always tried to make our Christianity about external things; what we do and don’t do.

Having grown up in legalistic circles, there were many rules. Don’t go to the theater because someone seeing you exit won’t know if you saw a PG or an R movie.  Don’t order a glass of wine at dinner because someone watching won’t know if you drink excessively in the privacy of your own home.  Don’t even play the game of Rook in your own home because someone driving by might see you playing cards and assume they’re real playing cards.  Of course, as a teenager and young adult, the only things I wanted to do were the things that were denied.  Human nature.

Am I over legalism?  Nope.  I still fight it.  The rules have just changed.  I can avoid those circles who are legalistic and want little to do with them.  My bias can easily do a 180 degree turn and that’s just as sinful.  God is constantly dealing with me about this.  He often sends me to legalistic churches to bring the healing message of grace to them.  To teach them, I must forgive them.  To teach them, I must ask for forgiveness.  To be effective, I must love them.  And to be effective, I must let God love the sinful Christine.  Oh, I’m a work in progress and it’s humbling how far I have to go sometimes.  You can pray for me.

Legalism kills.  Others killed my faith but I often still do it to others in new and creative ways.  Show me.  Forgive me.  Change me.  Amen

In His days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Psalm 72:7

What drives man’s propensity to sin? Is it the effects of the fall on this world? I can think so. I believe that when I’m not loved well, I must rise up to take care of myself and do whatever I need to do to be loved. When life is not fair, I must rise up to seek and enforce justice. My sin erupts from a personal need to fix a broken world, right?

If that were all correct, the converse would be true. A perfect world, one where God is King, would be so wonderful that no one would need to sin. Perfect love would exist. Perfect justice would rule society. Sin would be unnecessary and the compulsion to sin would disappear.

Let’s fast forward to the millennial reign of Christ. Satan will be bound. (Revelation 20) Jesus will be King. The rulers under Him will be the appointed saints who have already died in Christ and been glorified. (Rev.20:4-6) Perfect love. Perfect justice. Perfect authority figures. But in this thousand year span, humans will still live on the earth. They will procreate and have children who will grow up to father new generations. These people will still be under the effects of the fall while living under an umbrella of perfection. So what will they do? Will they sin?

Can you see the deja-vu here? Adam and Eve were created and lived in the perfect environment. God walked with them in their world. They didn’t experience lovelessness, loneliness, unfairness, cruelty or danger. Yet, in spite of this perfect existence, they still sinned. And in the millennium, under the next umbrella of perfection, man will sin again. The presence of Holiness won’t ensure righteous responses. Adam and Eve wanted autonomy and so will many of the children of men under Jesus’ reign. When it comes right down to it, what we seek is not a perfect world. What we demand is the right to decide who rules us. We are repelled by the idea that we must bow the knee to Jesus. Even in the presence of Perfection, our need to be our own god rises up to tempt us.

Today, we hear all kinds of excuses when people sin. “I just needed to be loved.” “I needed to make things fair.” May we not be fooled! These rationales were not the driving force. It was the failure to surrender to a holy God who rules all things well. It was the failure to trust Hope deferred.

Today, this will also characterize my battle with my own flesh. I cut to the chase and I ask God for the grace to surrender to His Will above my own.

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you for Your grace today so that I am able to surrender in all the places I have set myself in charge. I lay down my pride and forfeit all rights to challenge Your Kingly rule over my life. Amen

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth upon it.”   Job 1:6-7

 There’s a reason Jesus prayed without ceasing. And there’s a reason I am told to do the same. While I have a God who is always aware, active, and faithful, I have an enemy who is roaming back and forth, aware, active but destructive. I cannot take a vacation from spiritual alertness and unceasing prayer.

For every action, there is a reaction in human relationships,. When I do something, then someone responds. If I am kind, they make a move. If I’m hostile, they bristle. If I move close, they might express mutual desire.

As is true in the physical, so it is in the spiritual world. When I sow something spiritual, I reap something spiritual. When I draw close to God, His heart responds and draws near to me. If I sin and push Him away, He doesn’t barge His way into my heart again. He responds by waiting at a respectful distance.

My enemy also has quick reflexes to the activity of a child of God. Every time I act, he reacts. If I advance the Kingdom through Spirit-filled labor, he will retaliate. If I sin, he preys to tempt me again. That’s why prayer must keep up its momentum because everything is constantly in motion.

Sometimes after a spiritual mountaintop, I believe that I can rest and let down my guard. I believe there is a lull. Not true! There is never a lull. Though things appear quiet, there is scheming at the gates of hell. The church is promised victory if the prayers of the saints prevail against it.

Resting in You is not taking a break from prayer. You provide a refuge after the battle is waged on my knees. Give me grace to endure as a soldier. Amen

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1

While I might think that the genealogy of Jesus in the first chapter of Matthew is boring, it was anything but that to the Jewish people. They saw Matthew’s opening as a legal and biological proof of Jesus’ authenticity.

Not every genealogy of Jesus is presented the same way. Luke’s version and Matthew’s version only share a few of the same names. They each highlight different parts of Jesus’ lineage. Luke, in his condensed list, provides the legal proof as he traces back to Joseph and the paternal fathers. Matthew, though, includes women in his listing. And, not women of respect like Rachel and Sarah but those whom society would call black sheep.

• Tamar, who had twins by her father-in-law.
• Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho who helped the Israelite spies.
• Ruth, an Arab who moved to Jewish land and became King David’s great grandmother.
• Bathsheba, the one who had the affair with King David.

Matthew hopes we’ll read between the lines to understand that God uses the most unlikely of people for kingdom endeavors. Matthew, himself, was a black sheep. A tax collector was known for being corrupt. They were not admired nor were they trusted. Throughout his ministry as Jesus’ disciple and apostle, he must have thanked Jesus over and over for mercy and a fresh start.

I can often believe that good people find Jesus more appealing while black sheep find Him repelling. That’s not always true on either account. Good people are often offended by the suggestion that they are sinners and need a Savior. Black sheep see their sinfulness but must surmount the challenge of trusting a love as pure as Jesus’ love. God is no respecter of persons. He does not bestow blessing because someone has a good pedigree, has lived a good life, and has a track record for making wise choices. Nor does he shun a black sheep because of his sinfulness. He goes where a man or woman admits they need Him. He is a Physician to the sick.

Perhaps you have lived a lifetime hiding from God’s face. You can’t dare trust His exclamations of love. Decades of discrimination, even in the church, have made you skittish. But Jesus is like no other man, no other priest, and no other king. The more broken your past, the more glorious your salvation. The darker your history, the brighter your future. If people have referred to you as someone ‘too needy’, consider this the best news as it just might qualify you to move to the front of the line where Jesus waits. The more any of us need Him, the more He likes it. Our future is ahead of us and in the annals of kingdom history, redeemed black sheep will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I’m thinking of those who shield their face from the Light today. Go looking for them, Jesus. You will find just the right words to heal their shame. Amen

Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.  John 8:56 

This quote by Jesus was not meant to convey that he roamed the earth when Abraham lived.  This is a statement about faith.  When might Abraham have seen Jesus?  Perhaps it was when he took Isaac to Mt. Moriah and waited for the provision of a lamb.  Though God ultimately provided a physical lamb to sacrifice in place of Isaac, when Abraham’s arm was poised to come down on his son, clutching the knife,  perhaps the eyes of Abraham’s spirit saw Jesus, the ultimate sacrificial lamb.  Jesus said that Abraham saw him and believed.

Abraham didn’t see Jesus on the way up the mountain.  He didn’t even see him as he built the altar upon which Isaac would be sacrificed.  He had to see obedience through to the end, to come to the moment where there was no turning back, in order for the lamb to come into view.

Over what do I feel desperate today?  I may be stressed, momentarily pressed to the limit, but perhaps I’m only making my way up Mt. Moriah.  I’ve not reached the top yet.  I’ve not yet built the altar and taken the knife in my hand.

One thing is sure.  For the one who lives by faith, the provision of salvation is sure.  Just like Abraham, I can live with spiritual eyesight, one that looks ahead and sees a Savior who promises deliverance.  I can listen in that still small place inside and hear the promises of the One who is faithful, even when our own flesh and blood are on the line.  The end of my rope is the beginning of God’s.

Help me see with the eyes of faith.  Amen

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

The focus of our church this summer is Psalm 46. Our pastor has strongly encouraged all of us to memorize it ~ even to the smallest child. He has not required something of us that he is not willing to do either. This past Sunday, he recited it at the front end of his sermon. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. It was a quiet, thoughtful delivery. We all knew that he was moved by what came out of his mouth.

He made some extensive comments on the famous verse, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ My view of that scripture changed. He first recited it as if it were coming from a God intending to soothe and lull His child to sleep, like whispering in a child’s ear. He admitted that this is what he always believed to be the context; like comfort for the fearful. But in studying, he discovered it was not meant to be a whisper to soothe the soul.  Rather, it was a rebuke. What?

So, I went digging for myself. Sure enough. In the chaos and confusion, in the heat of battle, in the striving and fury of activity, God is telling His children to stop fighting Him. They are playing God. They are trying to control what He controls. The cry for them is to be still, to surrender, and to remember who is God. Now, that changes everything, doesn’t it?

Surrender is the hardest thing to do until I’m out of strength. Before I’m willing to lay down my arms and trust God, I have this need to fix things myself. I want to put everything in place so I can feel secure. Only when I’m spent and out of options do I turn to God. Oh, that my initial response would always be surrender! When I acknowledge God at the beginning of my day, at the beginning of my crisis, and when I remember who has the power, then I will be confident and peaceful.

I put my whole trust today in a God who so easily moves things around with His finger and a puff of air.

Many of us are hearing you say today, ‘Stop what you’re doing! Surrender!’ We lay down our arms and relinquish control. Amen