Work in Progress..

For the last 7 months I've been working my way through a chronological reading of the Bible.
A reading plan is a great way to get disciplined in your daily devotions and it's been interesting to read things in the actual order that they happened.
For instance, the Psalms make more sense when you understand what David was dealing with at the time that he wrote each one.
Isaiah makes more sense when you are reading it intermixed with 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles because you see what issues Isaiah was actually confronting within Israel.

The hard thing with it is that sometimes I don't get much from it. Some mornings I read 4 or 5 chapters of genealogies or lines of kingship. For historians and academics, this is gold. For me, it doesn't really set my spirit on fire while I try to get out of bed each morning.

But, I am a big believer in habits and I've stuck with it. Sometimes I may read for a couple of weeks at a time without 'getting anything.' But there's always a day that comes around where something jumps out at me and I realize the benefit of this habit.

I'm nearing the end of my time in Isaiah, Kings, and Chronicles and this morning part of my reading was Isaiah 48. The title my Bible gives that chapter is 'God the Creator and Redeemer' - which are 2 of my most favorite aspects of God. The Creator Who Redeems. Frick.

Anyway, in this chapter Isaiah smashes it from verse 1. He is addressing Israel and says, "who swear by the name of the Lord, and invoke the God of Israel, but not in truth or right."
Whoa. They are swearing by and invoking the name of God, but not being bothered with truth or right? Sounds kinda like what a lot of people do nowadays... But that's not the point of my writing today. It's a bit of background to where Isaiah goes within the chapter though (it's vital to know who is being addressed in Scripture - otherwise misinterpretation is almost sure to follow).

In verses 10-11 Isaiah says, "See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of adversity. For my own sake, for my own sake I do it, for why should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."

Wait, what?

How many times have we heard people say that 'God won't give us more than we can handle'? (Which is a misquoting of a verse in Corinthians that says He won't allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle and will always provide a way out... Big difference.)

Why would God test us in the furnace of adversity for His own sake?? That seems pretty sadistic.

Brief personal background as to why this hit me so hard:
Lately, things in my life have been pretty good - but it always seems short lived. It's almost like, as soon as life starts coming together, some invisible wrench gets thrown in the cogs and everything comes to a standstill, or just flat-out breaks. It's been a pattern I've seen in my life for years and last night I got fed up and pissed off about it. I had it out with God.
(If you don't do this, you should. He knows what you're thinking and feeling already - why try to act like you're not angry?)
I told Him I was over it all. I have worked my whole life to live a life that honors Him. I have endeavored for years to learn as much as I can about what I believe to make an impact on every person I come in contact with. I have separated myself and tried to live a disciplined and sanctified life of character and integrity. I have given up everything to pursue what I feel like He has called me to.

So why the hell does stuff keep getting screwed up??? I'm a good dude after all - doesn't God know that??

My whole life I have been taught by the church that if you live good enough, give enough money, work hard enough - that God would bless you and favor you and give you all the desires of your heart. So why don't I have any of those things I've been promised by preachers for years?

Then, I wake up this morning and grab my Bible to read today's chronological plan (you can be mad at God and not give up your faith or quit your good habits). When I read the bit in verse 11 that says, "...for why should My name be profaned?" - I felt like something clicked.

The things we go through are there to help us become stronger people because we are representatives of our King, Jesus. I hate clichés, but it's not about me. It's about Who I represent.

God was using Isaiah to tell Israel that they've been using His name in vain because they are putting His name on what they are doing, but they aren't concerned with truth or right. He needed to put them through the furnace of adversity to get them to wake up and realize that they were, in essence, hurting His reputation. They were meant to be God's chosen people. Not just any god, but God the Creator and Redeemer. The God above all other gods. And they were acting like spoiled brats who thought that God existed for them, when the reality is we exist for Him. We are part of His plan, not the other way around.

I have to constantly work to remind myself that I exist to be part of His ultimate plan of redeeming creation. I have a huge responsibility to accurately represent His character. After all, Genesis tells us we were created as His image-bearers. Try thinking about that in a world where kings and empires are still relevant: kings put images of themselves all around their kingdoms and empires in order to remind the people who was in charge, even if they couldn't see him. That's us. Image-bearers of the Most High.

We are meant to be this world's reminders of Who is in charge, what His character is like, what He loves and what He hates. Who am I to decide what that image should look like? God determines that and as the Creator, it is His right to shape and mold me in to the image He most needs represented in the space I occupy.

My job is to stop complaining and let Him continue to chisel the unnecessary pieces out of my life so I most accurately reflect Him to the world around me.