"For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face,

 but in the time of their trouble they will say,

 "Arise and save us". 

But where are the god that you have made for yourselves?" 

Jeremaih 2:27b-28a

     I wonder how many times this can be said of me...turning my back but not my face to the Lord. A shameful act, but one we are all guilty of. Prayers that are nothing more than pleas for ourselves. Prayers uttered in the midst of unconverted sin, yet coveting blessing. Turning from righteousness with the back, with the doing, but turning the face, the mouth, to seek blessing. God's word promises to withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly and to hear the prayer of the righteous, but nothing is promised to those who seek for their own gain (Psalm 84:11, James 5:16b). When we describe someone putting all they have into something we commonly say, they put their "back" into that. Having one's "back" involved shows one's self being involved in something. I can set my face toward something, i can lock my eyes upon a prize, but it remains unattained until my back has undergone the necessary training and doing to attain the goal. The Lord utters in these verses the state of the nation, they had foolishly turned to false gods, forsaking Jehovah. Those whose backs had once set themselves to serve the Lord, the God who brought them out of Egypt, had now turned their back to Him and sought after foolish gains. The following verses describe the multitude and complications they brought within their lives, having many different gods..."For according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah" (vs. 28c). How foolish, we think, to turn to a life of having a different god for different things, when they had all they needed in the One true God, Jehovah Himself. However, that same foolishness is often seen in our own lives. True, it may not be in such a blatant form, but similarly we allow the desires, the responsibilities, and the distractions of this world to become rivaling gods in our life, rivaling our time and our position before Jehovah. 

     What is your position before Him this day? Is your back set to the work He has placed before you? Or is only your face toward Him? Are your prayers for strength to endure in the work for His kingdom, or for selfish gain? Are you just looking to Him or are you running toward Him? If the nation was so easily able to be rightly accused of turning their back on Jehovah, may I take it as a warning to consider the position of my back. It would be a shame to live as only a face or only a voice, apart from a back ready to work, hands ready to do, feet ready to go. 

     Lord, may we never be found with backs turned toward You, but may our bodies and our lips be one in our work unto You. May our prayers be for the establishment of Your work completed through our backs, our bodies, being poured out for Your service. May the world see the foolishness of the gods of this age, as we turn their eyes to walk on to see Jehovah's holy face.

"And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; 

but on whomever it falls, 

it will grind him to powder. Matthew 21:44

     When faced before Jesus, a heart must decide, a beautiful or harsh consequence awaits.

As to all things in this life, consequences always lie a stone's thrown away; yet, it is within the short distance between, that our decision demands the direction of the thrown. 

Who is this stone? The Chief Cornerstone, Jesus the Christ. 

Speaking to the hypocritical religious leaders of the day, He warns that their distance was quickly shrinking, making a decision that would effect a nation. The Jews were rejecting their Messiah. Pride was keeping them from bowing before Him. Jesus' words seem to echo the voice of the prophet Isaiah, when he declared, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).

Before them stood LIFE, but receiving this stone required brokenness. The consequences of Life requires the stone to remove sin and give a clean slate, this only comes through brokenness. 

A breaking producing full healing; falling upon a stone may scrape, but it heals, sin removed may be uncomfortable to the fleshly heart that has grown used to the practice and residence of sin, but the eternal results are wholeness, newness, restoration, and life. 

The curved thrown is to have such a stone fall upon you, in this case, bringing grave damage.

Jesus therefore, cries out, "Receive Me! Receive brokenness, surrender in this life, that you may stand secure upon the rock of salvation, eternal life in Me!"

Every soul must decide standing before the thrown, the consequences he will choose. I have heard many resist Christ or the church due to hypocrisy that they have victiminly witnessed, but here-in we see Jesus rebuking the hypocrites, He warns them of their consequences, He is just, the hypocrites will be judged, but so will you. Stop looking at what you disapprove of, this is your choice, your consequence, what will YOU do with the stone before you?

The Jews rejected and the results of their own "powder" impairs their vision still. 

Many live thinking they can duck from the stone's thrown or that they will never fall, and never allow a stone to fall upon them. However, their own idea does not prove reality. One day, every knee will bow, one day everyone will know that this stone is truly the only way, truth, and life. For many, their pride decided the consequence, although their eyes will see the Truth before them.

The question of what you will do with the Stone lies in the distance between. What will I choose?

THe stone has been revealed, Jesus came, lived, died, and rose conquering sin and death, are you receiving this stone to stand upon and give protection in the day of battle? or are you choosing for this stone to bring you back one day to the powder of the earth? :Dust you were, and dust you shall return to be" (Genesis 3:19). You alone can chose the direction of the thrown. Love is waiting. Allow brokenness to build you up.

"On the same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore." 

Matthew 13:1-2

     Ever taken the time to just "sit by the sea"? In the midst of a busy day, sneaking away and being alone in the midst of creation? Ah those moments! Here in these verses, I see a tendency within myself, but an example of Jesus to chose a different tendency. Jesus went out of the house to sit by the sea. Probably desiring a moment apart from the crowds, maybe a little privacy, or just time to think, to listen to the sound of the water, to be alone just for a moment. We know that Jesus did not have much time alone. Constantly multitudes were following Him, the disciples always beside Him, and home life, filled. We read later in this chapter the names of His earthly brothers, and a reference to sisters, giving understanding to there being at least eight people in His household. Time to Himself was not common. He could of easily become frustrated with the constant public eyes watching, following, judging Him; yet He didn't. In a moment He found to leave the house and be by the sea, the public eye interrupted, and yet, He stared back with love and compassion. His eyes were fixed on what He came to do...upon the Father's will. Earlier that day we read of while He was teaching the multitudes, He was interrupted with a request from his mother and brothers to speak with Him. His response? "...Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:49). When I'm surrounded by crowds of people, I quickly find myself desiring a moment "by the sea". A moment to get away and be alone. However, when I am with family; although I still enjoy moments alone, the need for it is far less. I believe that Jesus' perception of the multitudes as His Father's children, His Father's family, is what gave Him the love, patience, and stamina to endure with them, and to look back at them in love. For the love He had for His Father, He was willing to lay aside His "by the sea" moments, and instead spend time teaching these people of God the Father. Jesus' eyes were fixed on what He came to do. He understood that He did not step into the created world to enjoy the sea and moments alone, but to pour out upon the Father's created beings. To point their eyes to the will of God, to give them the invitation to be apart of God's family. Jesus' view of the multitudes as potential family members of God's kingdom gave Him the love He needed to welcome them to Himself. To give them His time, attention, and compassion.

     Do I view my public surroundings as opportunities to welcome another into the family of God? If I viewed others as family, or potential family, those moments of needing to be alone would be far less because their need to know that they are not alone would outweigh. Their need to know of the Father's love. His love is residing in me, I am apart of His family--is it so I can be content, satisfied, and sit alone watching the sea? No.

Sure, there will be times when I will get those "by the sea moments", but overall, there is a greater calling. I am called to minister to God's children, to invite them to know God as Father...to enter into the family of God. Am I viewing them this way? Am I laying down my moments to pour out? Father, give me eyes to see Your people as You see them, and to follow in the steps of Your Son, Jesus.