Some final thoughts from Zechariah

I finished reading Zechariah this morning. Only one more book to go and I will have finished the entire Bible! Wow! I am even now doing a cheer - you should see my awesome self. (Just Kidding) I thought I might share a few scattered thoughts about the last few chapters in Zechariah. Like a blog within a blog?

God's Resume
Being a recent new hire makes me way too familiar with my resume. I spent hours trying to figure out how to make myself sound professional and like I know what I'm doing. My qualifications just don't measure up when compared to God's Resume. Zechariah 12:1-2, "...This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the spirit within humans." I am humbled at the reality of God's might and holiness.

Some major fireworks
I enjoy fireworks on the fourth of July. This last year was the first year that I remember not shooting off any fireworks and not going to see any shows. I was actually sick in bed on the fourth. What a bummer. I also love a fire in the fireplace during the winter. There's nothing as charming and comforting as sitting in front of the crackling fire.

However, I would not want to be in a fire. I am even now looking at a scar on my wrist from a recent battle in the kitchen. (the stove won.) But check out Zechariah 13: 9, "I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.' " Truly it is because of some really hard (fiery) times in my life that I have an intimate relationship with God. It seems that the hard times are necessary to focus me on what's important and force me to depend on God who never fails. I wish that I was one of those people who could learn things the easy way, but unfortunately I am rather stubborn. I don't enjoy hard times, but I would not trade my intimate knowledge of some of the aspects of God's character that I have learned during the darkest spots of my life.

Last Thoughts
Zechariah was an interesting mix of hope and doom and stuff I really didn't understand at all. Hope you all enjoyed this book, too.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my "meet the teacher night" at school. Ya'll pray that I will be able to finish my preparations and that I will make a good first impression on my parents and students. I am pretty nervous. I know that you are all totally shocked by that revelation.

An Uplifting Quiet Time

In my quest to read the entire Bible, I have certainly found some very unique passages of scripture. I have learned a great deal about following Christ, a lot about the history of God's people, have had several great laughs, and occasionally run across passages that I find boring. (Can you say Leviticus?)

Today I was reading Zechariah 11. Zechariah's ministry was very interesting. In this passage, God has called him to be a worthless shepherd in order to show God's people the difference between a bad shepherd and the Good Shepherd. This is a very serious passage, meant to convict us of our temptation to follow after other loves instead of God. I tried hard to be convicted and repentant, but I just couldn't get over laughing about the harsh wording of Zechariah's sermon. It reminded me of some pastors I remember from revivals as a child. The ones who yelled their way through their sermons until they were hoarse and then sang 500 verses of "Just As I Am" until somebody walked the aisle. See what you think.

"I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves. DOOM is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will CUT HIS ARM and PIERCE HIS RIGHT EYE! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!"

"I won't be your shepherd any longer. If you die, you die. If you are killed, you are killed. And those who remain will devour each other!"
(here's my odd sense of humor - normally when you die, don't you die, and normally when you are killed, don't you get killed?)

Seriously, there are some great truths in this passage about how much God values faithfulness. Please don't let my twisted sense of humor cause you to miss God's point about the seriousness of sin. I just got tickled about the wording and thought, "Wow, God, what an uplifting start to my day!" (sarcasm)

Small beginnings

Today in my quiet time, I found a verse that I have never seen before. Ever! Zechariah 4 :10, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." I read that out loud like 4 times in a row. Small beginnings - that pretty much sums up most of my life. I often worry and fret about making my life count. Could I not do bigger, better, and more? Instead, I tend to make small contributions to the world. Sometimes I wonder if God is disappointed by that, so I was excited when I found this verse that says God rejoices to see the work begin.

What a great verse for a church plant!

Gonna get me some new clothes!

In recent years, shopping has lost its appeal for me. There's just something about going to try on clothes with 4 kids that's not so much fun. Even when I have the opportunity to go alone, it's always a fast mission to try to hurry up and get in and get out. Then there's the size thing. Men's clothing is sold in measurements. A 34 inch waist is a 34 inch waist. Women's clothing is random. Sometimes I wear a 14, or a 16, or an 18, or a Large, or a medium, or an extra large. So trying on clothes is a royal pain. Incorporate into that equation the whole I used to be skinny thing. I have found that there are no clothes that will remove 50 pounds. And dressing room mirrors are 3-sided, so you can't even fake being skinny by only looking at one side of you at a time like you do at home. Anyway, clothes shopping is definitely not something I look forward to at all and generally try to avoid.

Now where am I going with this? Yesterday I was reading Zechariah chapter 3. This chapter tells the story of the high priest Jeshua standing before the angel of the Lord. His clothes are filthy so the angel gives him fine new clothes and a new turban. vs. 4 "So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." I just started thinking about how beautiful it will be to have all my sins removed someday, to no longer struggle with temptation, to no longer have to fight the darkness that is within me, and to be able to shine with righteousness. I'm looking forward to those "new clothes."