Let's Talk

Come here, let's talk

Isaiah 1:18

As I continue the adventure of intercession the one thing I am finding myself doing is spending a lot of time just talking with God, like I would one of my friends. In fact I have started to pretend that God doesn't know how my day went, and I just tell him like I would my wife.

And I find that it is addictive. I find that I want to tarry more with God now, just talking with Him, and then I wander to asking Him about things, and for things: for myself and for others.

Amen

Coffee Talk

Come on now, let's discuss this!

Isaiah 1:18

As I continue to explore (and practice) intercessory prayer (is there any other?) in reference to my boss and my friend, I am struck with the notion that God wants me to talk with Him. Like I would my wife. At night we often sit and just talk about the day. It has never occurred to me, to just tell Him what has happened in the day. To take the time to say out loud the happenings of the day as if God did not know what happened. Of course He knows, but it seems that there is some great value in taking the time to say it.

I find this is one of the most important parts of intercessory prayer, for a couple of reasons: 1) I have noticed that when I do this I tend to concentrate on things I know (facts) and not on assumptions. 2) I have noticed that when I spend my time praying about assumptions, my spirit is never comforted, nor do I receive wisdom. 3) When I pray about things I know, I am finding that like the sun rising in the morning, so does my understanding. I find that my understanding of the situation -and more importantly - the person - grows.

Which isn't all that odd, how can you be wise - ie understand -  anything about nothing?

So he said he would destroy them—

    had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him

    to keep his wrath from destroying them

Psalm 106:23

Amen

Vocation

and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation

Exodus 19:6

People effect each other in weird ways, and I find that the family emergency of my boss and her husband has led me to explore the concept of prayer, and it has led to a place I never expected: what my vocation is. As a person I had always thought it was to be funny or an artist, but I think I have to rethink that.

This has occured to me as I read about the story of the first intercessor ("religious" lawyer) Abraham. The thought of intercessory prayer had never occured to me. Sure I'd prayed for people, but not like a that. The power of that appealed to me, but not for the usual reason: to get prayers answered.

I found myself just simply wanting to draw closer to God. The first job of a priest. But the work of a priest is always for others, so I was surprised to see that both at the "beginning" of God's work on earth and its "end" (in revelations) He has always called His people to the work of priesting. Its ministering, it is drawing close to God, and learning to pray in a way that is in line with Him.

He is my Father, and I find myself simply want to spend time with Him. The first part of any intercession. It isn't about using God to do what we want but being with Him, and in turn everyone else.

and you have made them a kingdom 

and priests to our God,

    and they shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 5:10

AMEN!

Captain Suffering

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 2:10

I had a conversation with my Buddhist leaning brother, and one thing I noticed that comes up a lot when our conversations turn to this is the topic of suffering. I could totally be wrong, but it seems to me like he is trying to avoid suffering, or minimize it. (And by suffering it seems to me personal suffering, I don't think any one of any persuasion would want others to suffer.)

At times when we talk like this I think of the Hebrews verse I quoted. Christianity seems to embrace the concept of suffering, and make it a part of our redemption. At the heart of my faith is the concept of taking on suffering for others, in fact it is the reason Christianity exists. Jesus' willing sacrificial (suffering) offering of himself for others.

I don't so much want to run away from suffering (and don't long for more) but I want to work through the suffering in such a way that on the other side I am better for it not worse. Because suffering is inevitable but my response to it does not have to be.

Amen.

Fast Forward

"I Will Be What I Will Be

Exodus 3:14

I had a conversation with my brother who is a Buddhist. He mentioned that he has only this time, right now, and nothing else. I appreciate this concept. It is cool to be in the moment, and often I think I am not.

As I thought about this I have also been studying a bit about Judaism, and was interested to note, that the English translation of I am that I am could also be translated as I will be what I will be.

This is future language, and I think essential to both Judaism and Christianity: the forward look to God making everything right. In God, as a Christian, through Christ, I do have the future, the present, and the past. They are not simply gone, meaningless, and wasted. 

As Paul says in speaking about the importance, relevance, and power of the Resurrection: 

Throw yourselves into the work of the Master,

 confident that nothing you do for him 

is a waste of time or effort

1 Corinthians 15:58

  Amen!

Back to the Future

This is heavy ~

Marty McFly

The week started with learning about being a lawyer (priest) in prayer. A new thought for me. The idea that I am expected to bring the case of my friends and relatives to the Heavenly Bench.

And I listened to a sermon about the hebrew word "kavod" which originally meant "heavy, or important". The idea impressed me, and then yesterday I had a heaviness I have had before, but did not recognize as "kavod".

Coupled with intercessory prayer, I found myself praying very earnestly for those in my orbit who were having to deal with a disruption in their life. It wasn't a sadness or sorrow, just a heaviness, a seriousness, that I was grateful to experience.

I am grateful for the fact that I did not assume what my friends "kavod" was, but realized that they will have it in different areas from me, but they will still have it. I found myself asking the Aaronic Blessing for them over and over:

May the Lord bless you

    and keep you.

²⁵ 

May the Lord smile down on you^[a]

    and show you his kindness.

Numbers 6:24-25

Amen.

Legal Prayer

Then Abraham approached him and said

Genesis 18:23

The thought of intercessory prayer had never occurred to me until listening to a sermon by Timothy Keller about priesthood. Of course my main problem was that I didn't realize that intercessory prayer is basically acting like a lawyer for someone. That makes more sense to me.

You gather your evidence, and present it to the Judge.

Now I know that Jesus is doing this for every believer, that is what the book of Hebrews is all about. But I had not thought about that being my job as a believer. And yet, right there in Revelations 1 I read God "made us a kingdom of priests".

The job of a priest is to present a legal case for the accused.

So I took this idea, and I practiced it, with a friend whom I am mad with. I presented the case to God, in a way I had not before, asking that wrath would not descend on him (not God's primarily, but mine). I have never had an experience like that before. I not only felt the presence of God as I prayed, I felt closer, more understanding, about my friends experience.

Amen.

Ending the Beginning

The end of a matter is better than its beginning

Ecclesiastes 7:8

I read this and balked at first. My mind then went to friendships, or loves. Mostly because I think one is ending, and I find myself strangely content, or settled about it.

I think it is because I know what it was, and that it is over, or close to it. At the beginning of the friendship I was full of questions: What will it be? How long will it last? When will we do something?

Ambiguity is really hard for me, I want to know and I am learning that knowing is only something you get after it is all over.

Amen.

I love....

Whoever loves money never has enough

Ecclesiastes 5:10

I have been listening to a podcast about the 7 deadly sins. And today I listened to greed. This was one of the teaching texts, and it made me think about greed in my life.

The word apparently comes from the latin word for coveting. When I looked at my life, I can see that I covet things that are strictly material: things like attention. It made me stop and think about the greed in my life that isn't so obvious since I typically don't run after material things.

Amen.

Testing...Testing

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves

2 Corinthians 13:5

At bible study we had been working our way through 2 Corinthians, and neared the end. The facilitator, Jim, told us that most commentators felt chapters 10-13 were a repetition of the first chapters, so we skimmed them.

But our discussion did land on this particular verse (among others) about testing yourself. Although I could not have said is so clearly in the past, I like the fact that the main focus of the New Testament seems to be about the transformation of the individual.

That is acknowledges that "we" are the ones that need to change, or repent. I know I am more than willing to request, or require, the change of those around me. Its easy to do that. It is harder, and much more satisfying for me in the long run, to realize, and to participate in, that change in me.

Then I wondered well, what is the test, how do I examine myself, how do I know if Christ is in me? The previous session Jim had handed out this bible verse:

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

Now I just have remember fruit doesn't grow overnight, may I be righteously patient.

Amen.

Knock Knock

 Listen! My beloved is knocking: Open to me

Song of Solomon 5:2

This whole chapter is about a lover and the beloved. Someone reaching out to another person, and the other person, at least initially, not really wanting to make the connection. The beloved doesn't want to get out of bed, doesn't want to get dressed, and doesn't want to walk on a cold floor to meet the loved.

WOW, talk about love.

Over the weekend I was reading some material about co-dependency. A term originally applied to the families of alcoholics, but has since been applied more liberally. I like the casual definition I found on the WebMD site: It's kind of a weird phrase, and it doesn't sound like it means a one-sided relationship. But that's what it is. It means you're trying to make the relationship work with someone else who's not.

Solomon's story seems to hit on that to a degree.

And of course I think this happens in every relationship. Because of illness or life events, often one person is required to give more, for the moment, than the other.

For me, the wisdom is in learning when something is temporary or "permanent" and having the grace to avoid one sided relationships, something I am not very good at.

Amen.

Confession

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

As a non catholic believer, I have had very little use for confession. Any kind really, even out loud to God. This is due in no small part to the absolute guilt I was encouraged to feel at every failure. Especially the failures that my particular Christian sect (Adventist) had decided were the worst (Sabbath Breaking, Eating Meat, Being Human).

And I think that is the problem with SIN!!! As Christians we have spent so much time demonizing sin (is that even possible) to the point where I know I am afraid to confess it.

And yet, if I don't confess it: name it, call it out; as failure to do what I know we ought to, am I not just strengthening my propensity to do it even further? I think so.

Call it what it is, and no doubt eventually it will seem repugnant. Holiness is a life time venture.

Amen.

Wicked Ways

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

This describes the last 6 months or so, perfectly. And it makes me mad. I want everyone else to change, especially in response to my actions. I want to know they value me like I value them. But if that is my reason for loving and honoring others, then it is wicked. It is manipulative, and it is the road that leads to bitterness.

I am more and more amazed at how Jesus makes the point that it is the motivations that God focuses on. WHY are you doing this? seems to be the question, and I find it searching my heart, and revealing some rather ugly facts about me. The fact that I only love and respect others in order to get love and respect. How revolting.

I hate Christianity, it calls me to be a better person, it demands I love and honor and respect others never expecting it in return. This is even more galling to me when I have to deal with people who seem to give me no thought at all.

In it all, I think God is asking me: Am I ~ alone ~ enough for thee?

And He isn't, not yet.

Amen.

Value Subtracted

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26

This verse hit me the other day. I had never thought that some of my problem is the fact that I do not really believe I am valuable. That I have value. At least to those beyond my very immediate family (ie Mom and Dad). I struggle with this thought even with my wife.

In college my favorite word was "iconoclast". Which is idol crusher. I was going to prove to others they had a reason to hate me. And I was successful.

For the last 2 years God has been crushing my idol of selfworship. He's shown me that what I wanted from others was not grounded in Reality. People do value me, just not in the way I want.

Idols are not idle, they die hard.

Amen.

Will He or Won't He?

Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.  

Luke 22:42

I have been wondering about God's will lately. It seems that the more I live the more I start to think that what Christians call "Gods will" is just a fancy way of saying what the French say: C'est La Vie ~ "What will be, will be", or more crudely "Sh!t happens!".

For a long time that would have been very hard to take, because I think God is King. But I have realized he is not a Tyrant King imposing his will, that is not him. If you have any doubt, look at Jesus.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps what God wills is not what God wants either. That perhaps God's will and want are towo different things. God may not wanted Jesus to suffer, but it was what had to happen in order for the people on this planet to avoid the Final Sentence of Death.

I don't know, and yet, this idea explains to me better the purpose of prayer. According to Strong's Concordance one of the words defined as "prayer" in english, can mean "to rub down" or sand. Like in a carpenters shop.

And I like that idea of prayer. One that acknowledges that much of life is out of our control and yet we are not consumed by it, but rather, as co-creators with God, we take the darkness and make light. Out of the loss, the hurt, the pain, we bring forth works of joy, love, and truth.

Amen.

Talk the Talk

Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.

Isaiah 1:18

I read a book about dialogue called "Why Can't We Talk" by John Backman. It was a quick read, partly because I had been thinking about many of the topics it covered: namely valuing another person and showing it. 

In fact from the moment I read the book, all the way to the end, the verse from the Bible that came to my mind was this one from Isaiah. In King James version it is : Come let us reason together. I like this softer approach because argument in our culture is quite vitriolic and I do not think God wants us just yelling at him. Surely there is a time for that, but not always.

In other words God wants to talk. He wants to hear our thoughts, and ideas. No matter what. Because he values us (ie respect).

Then curious me I wanted to know what the words meant in their original language. I was surprised to note that the word translated "come" in our language has among its meanings: the way you live your life: your lifestyle.

I thought it was interesting that perhaps God wants us to make a lifestyle out of talking, valuing, and loving others enough to talk with them and learn about them.

Amen.

Watch and Pray

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation

Matthew 26:41

For the past few months the story of Job has really been pressing upon me. At first the first chapter. Then the ensuing chapters as Job and his "Friends" wrestle with what was happening and more importantly WHY it was happening.

The "why" part totally put them out of their element. They were all wrong. They knew nothing about why. They were familiar with the what; the facts of the case, but the motives they were blind to, in fact they were totally wrong about WHY this was happening to Job.

I think this is what God even directly implies this when he replies to Job:

Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about? Job 38:1

And yet how often, in far less dire circumstances do I do this very thing: try and figure out why something is happening, or more importantly why someone is doing something. Almost all the time. I am not comfortable with not knowing why. I want to draw conclusions from what I know.

In fact I think that most of my problems in relationships stem from this very issue. How many times have I fought with my wife NOT over what she did, but why she did it. And how many times have I been wrong? Most of them.

I think that Jesus' advice is pertinent to this issue, perhaps the best way to deal with "why" things happen. Perhaps the only way to even get the slightest idea of what is going on - or gain the slimmest glimpse into another person's world -  is to watch and pray. In this way we may avoid temptation and sin.

Amen.

Respect

I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you!

Isaiah 43:4

This word is still on my mind: Respect. It seems the fundamental problem in my life, and it is certainly a problem at my job. The Staff has to routinely talk to the children we take care of about respect for things and each other.

We used the word so much it seems to have no meaning. Then I read the dictionary definition of respect, and then I found God talking about it. I had never thought the bible talked much about it. And yet right in Isaiah (and elsewhere) he does.

Its about valuing something or someone. Or at the very least acknowledging their value.

That made me think of respect in a whole new way, one that was far more practical. For example, I readily cast blame on others. Its kind of my thing. On the doctor for not knowing how to diagnose, on past bosses for being uncaring, or on my wife for anything really.

But one day I was prompted to look up blaming on the internet, because it seemed inherently disrespectful for some reason. One the Wikipedia page for Blame it says this:  Blaming is also a way of devaluing others. 

This stopped me in my tracks. This is not valuing others, this is not showing them (especially my wife) how much they mean to me, this is vicious. We get mad at China for their currency manipulation, but show little regard for the fact that Blaming is currency manipulation of the worst sort: it devalues another person. A person who is the very image of God. Everyone of us is, whether or not we take the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Advantage: Them

no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.

1 Thessalonians 4:6

I heard this verse (and hadn't really heard it before) in a podcast about Lust. The full text, if you read it says: In this matter (of sexual immorality; ie Lust) no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. So if I just wanted to obey the letter of the "Law" I would just worry about Lust.

But it seems to me Christianity is about everything. In everything no one should wrong....a brother or sister. I like this because it seems the gospel to me: self sacrificing love for another. Putting someone else's needs above your own.

Of course that could make a person a doormat for others, but I don't think it has to be that way. Long suffering and kindness may seem like that on the outside, but they are the virtues of the Kingdom of God.

Amen.

Man and Wife

Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh

Genesis 2:24

My wife and I are reading a book about marriage. We are about to go to marriage counseling. It is scary to think about for me because marriage is a gamble, like just about everything else in life. Will it work? What does it mean when it "works"?

Who knows?

I think God does. I think He knows that each of us longs for companionship and support. I think He knows we are all very lonely. Life on this planet (and no doubt sin) made us this way.

But marriage is often not a place of comfort, companionship and support. Often it is just a war with the other person who you really just want to live with in peace and safety.  You desperately trying to get those needs met while trying to fill the other persons needs. It is weird.

And I think one of the most human things we do.

Amen.

FAIL

if you forgive other people their failures

Matthew 6:14

The other day I was upset at my co-workers for not asking me if I wanted anything for lunch. I started to come up with all kinds of paranoid reasons for their actions. Then I happened to read the entire chapter of Matthew 6 in the translation of the Bible we use for bible study.

Part of that chapter includes the Lord's Prayer, and a translation of Sin I had never seen. Instead of SIN the word is simply translated "failures".

That gave me pause, and made me think about how I often fail to do things. It cast sin in a new light, not as some giant scary thing we all do, to a more mundane thing, one of everyday life, and simple failure.

From the terror of ultimate evil to the failure to get the right bread at the grocery store, the failure to fill up the gas tank, or even the failure to ask a co-worker if he wants to order lunch.

And realizing that sin can also be a simple failure to do something, it made it simpler to forgive.

Amen.

Motivation

the truth will set you free

John 8:32

I always thought this was a Truth with a capital "T". About the big things, and after yesterday, I am wondering if it is less about universal truth's and more about the truth about Darrel.

You see, I have been struggling with Job 1 for the last 2 or so months. In that first chapter God tells satan that Job respects him, and Satan counters with the thought that Job only does so because of God's deep care for him. God lets Satan test that hypothesis.

I knew this was something I needed to know, that there was some heart work for me to do. And yesterday after being ignored at work, this verse came to my mind.

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them

Matthew 6:1

God opened my mind to the fact that I was seeking the praise of others: my bosses, my coworkers, my friends. He laid bare my motivations, and they were not pure.

Of course I doubt anyone could have seen this. I don't think my hypocrisy (what Jesus calls those who do the above) was obvious to any of them. But that isn't the point, it was obvious to God, and He made it obvious to me. Like a doctor finding the right diagnosis I could say very confidently: "The symptoms fit the disease!" And I felt the burden of months fall away.

And this should not have surprised me, God isn't so worried about our outward actions, what is important to Him is not so much What we do but Why. Here the word of the Lord:

if I don’t have love, I am nothing ~ 1 Corinthians 13

People are made wrong by what comes from inside them ~ Mark 7:15

The Truth has set me free, and that truth is about me, as horrible as it is.

Amen.

Beneath the Surface

This means that our knowledge of men can no longer be based on their outward lives

2 Corinthians 5:16

There are no ordinary people. ~ CS Lewis

These statements seem quite inclusive, yet in chapter 6 of second Corinthians, Paul tells us to avoid unbelievers, to separate from them, and I have wondered about that statement. 

And the only thing I can really reconcile in my mind is that I have a very limited understanding of what or who is an unbeliever. 

Case in point: I am certain that I read a quote from noted atheist Bill Maher in which he said "I believe in love". Paul says God is Love. Does that make Maher a believer.

I don't know. But what I do know is this: my knowledge of others can no longer be based on their outward lives, I must be willing to see beneath the veneer of the present, and see those around me as God sees them: His children: prodigal and all. 

Amen.

Assuming

Job 3-9

As I am reading this selection of chapters, it seems to me that Job (and his friends) are assuming a lot of things about God, and the way the world works. One friend (Bildad, I think) seems to think that Job is being punished - and his children - because they are wicked.

But the beginning of the book denies that line of thought. God did not punish Job. It wasn't about his sin, or any sin.

How often do we assume things, and how easy is it, especially when in pain, and how much trouble we would avoid, if we just admitted we didn't know, and leave it at that.

Amen.

One

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one

Deuteronomy 6:4

Every day seems to test my love for God. Do I really love him with all my heart and soul and mind? Nope. The setbacks, the loss of friendships, being ignored by others, it all tests whether or not God really is enough. It is hard to realize that he isn't. That most of my life revolves around the things I own, the people I know, and the activities I engage in.

And it is a burning process.

Amen.

Thy Will

nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done

Luke 22:42

It is dawning on me that Christianity isn't so much about doctrines, as it is surrendering what I want, hope for, expect, desire, and letting God show me what He needs done. It seems to me more and more that God isn't kidding when he says "I am the Lord your God." He is a King.

And as an American I hate kings, and yet, I think that if I am ever to see His face, to be honored among people: I must learn to put my will away; to simple be willing to learn, ever to learn.

Amen.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 20:3

I had not thought of this before, but last week at bible study someone brought up the story of Abraham and Isaac. How God wanted Abraham to kill his only son. The person brought this up because they could not believe God would ask anyone to even consider doing this. And I agree with him, that is a horrible thing to ask anyone to do.

But it made me think about God. And it made me think about the 10 commandments. Then I thought about John 3:16.

I when God is demanding that we have no other gods before him. That we get rid of our idolatry  he isn't asking us to do anything he hasn't already done. God made us the priority in his life, and he was willing to put his son away for us. He made us the ultimate thing in his life. Nothing was more important than us to Him.

It just seems weird to think that in some ways the 10 commandments are for God too.

Amen.

Wanted: Alive

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son

John 3:16

Here is a Person who wants to hang out with me, that He gave up everything to do it. He gave up his most prized possession. He had no other person before me. He wants me. He found an appropriate way to hang out with me (called reconciliation).

I can't tell you what it does to me when I find out that I am wanted. Now I want to want those around me. I find myself want to express respect for them, to show them how much I value them. I just pray that it is not in a sniveling selfish wanting way that so often characterizes want.

Want is not need for it breeds greed.

All this is God’s doing, for he has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ; and he has made us agents of the reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:20

Curse Your Face

But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.

Job 1:11

I think this is one of my greatest struggles. Take away all the good things and will I still bless the Lord. More importantly, perhaps, will I do that with the people around me? Will I continue to respect them, honor them, and love them, even when, especially when, they do not return that respect, honor, or love.

It seems to me this is what God is calling me to do every day, in every way. It seems the weakest thing to do, to love and respect those who don't do the same. But it is the way of cross, and the crown.

Amen.

I Give No Respect

 For there is no respect of persons with God.

Romans 2:11

God respects nobody by respecting everybody. I think as a human it is my job to find more and more ways to respect those around me. Respect is value. God so valued the World, that He sent his only son. That is the heart of Christianity. Respect, ever deepening, ever widening for those around me is the aim. Respect makes me, and all of those around me, more and more deeply human, as I demonstrate in real concrete ways that I value those around me.

Amen.

Just Me

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk 2:4

I heard a sermon today about justification. This is a weighty topic that a simple write up cannot tackle. What I liked about the sermon was the discussion of justification being more than forgiveness. For me it seems not only forgiveness but addition.

Addition because in addition to forgiveness it seems that justification is a status as well. That status is one of justified, or declared to be in the right. Not only do I avoid punishment, but the store houses are opened to me as well. My rights have been restored.

The other thing that I thought was interesting was related to Job 1. Wherein Job is tested to see if he loves God just for God, and not for the goodies he gets. Turns out in Job 1 anyway, he does. The speaker in the sermon pointed out that if we love good just because we fear punishment, we don't really love good.

Amen.

Respecting Fear

 “Why shouldn’t he respect you?” Satan remarked.

Job 1:9

Job was tested to see if he respected God for who God was, and not because God treated him well. I am struck with the horrifying thought that I must likewise respect God (and everyone else) simply for being God (or everyone else).

This is tough to swallow. In my younger days I wanted to be an iconoclast, a destroyer of tradition (and hence disrespectful), and here I find that what God wants to destroy is disrespect.

Amen.

The Divine Improv

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom Silvanus, Timothy and I have preached to you, is himself no doubtful quantity, he is the divine “yes”.

2 Corinthians 1:19

You want to know the will of God for your life? Don't worry it shows up every day at 60 seconds a minute. Life tells you what God wills. You want that friendship to continue, but they move away, you want that relationship with that girl (or boy) to continue, but they say no. You want that new job, new car, new house, more groceries, and you can't get them.

I am not saying you shouldn't try, but you'll know, you will, when something just isn't going to go your way. That is when you can know God's will.

And the answer to it all is to say "yes, and" typical improv to it.

Not easy, but easier than being miserable.

Amen

Be a Farmer

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

 

Without a doubt the Spirit brings the harvest, and makes it come into season. Without the Spirit, like the rain, the sun, or the soil, there would be and could be no fruit.

But what about the farmer?

In these more civilized times, farmers can feed the world, and yet it is not they that make the fruit grow. And yet their work is not in vain. In fact it is essential to feed the world. Without the organized effort of farmers, we would certainly have fruit, but it would not be in abundance. 

Farmers prepare, plant, pick, and wait.

And so must we if we would enjoy a harvest of fruit that will feed the world. 

Amen

A "Biblical" Friendship

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

                                                                                John 15:13
Right up front I'll say it. I am no greek scholar, I just read the entry for this subject and had a thought, that is what I am a thinker. So here is my thought.

First of all, I have never, and most likely never will have the chance, to physically die for a friend (or anyone else for that matter). And I have always hated this verse for that reason. It seemed to call me to an action I never would get to take.

But then I was introduced to word translated as "life" in English. The greek word is "psyche" (the transliterated word, whatever that is). If you look it up on Strong's concordance. It can mean a couple of different things:

Breath or Soul

Not that odd. Under the entry for Soul it reads:

the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions

This definition got me the most. Because it answered for me how I could fulfill this verse in my own life. It pointed out that life is more than just the physical body I have, but also my wants, my ways, my will. And so I put this verse into practice.

With a friend I cherish very much, I put away what I wanted out of the relationship, and let him lead. It was not easy (I hate football) but I was just glad to spend time with him. Of course this didn't guarantee our friendship, but my choosing to lay down my desires surly helped us to become the fast friends we are today.

And I think it is all about learning to do this with God. He wants me to follow him, and that involves giving up my own will and way. It isn't easy, but just like with my friend(s) I want to get to the point that I am willing to do it for the simple fact that I get to spend time with this Person.

Amen.

Salvation of Suffering

There was a guy who loved God, Satan thought he only loved God because God gave him stuff, so God agreed to let Satan take all of the goodies God had given him. His name was Job, all his goodies were gone, and he sinned not by blaming God.

                          Job 1 summary

I heard a podcast about this by Timothy Kellor, I had not noticed before that the conflict between Satan and God was about Idolatry. 

Idolatry in the Ten Commandments is defined thus: You shall have no other gods before me. Suffering is about destroying those gods.

In many ways Satan is right, I do love God for the goodies he gives me. I love others because of the goodies they give me (things like a job, smiles, hugs, jokes, companionship)

But what if I loved them just for them? Just because they are? Not because of what they give me? 

I don't, that was sent home very recently. My job has gone through some recent turmoil. We have had to make some very quick and drastic changes. I found myself moody and upset, and then I read Job 1, and realized what it was all about. 

I found myself in a similar situation. Did I love my job because of the building we were in? Because of the lovely people I work with? Did I really think they were lovely? Or was it just because they laughed at my jokes, complimented me, and gave me a job? 

My suffering revealed my heart, and brought me closer to God.

In it all I think suffering asks us the question:

Am I - alone - enough for thee?

To which I respond

No, oh Lord, make it so.

Suffering Salvation

Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
    Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?
                                                                            Isa 53:1
I wanted superman, I got a savior.

Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
                                                                           Isa 53:10
                                                                                                                
And not a city destroying, enemy mashing Savior either. A beaten and tortured and suffering Savior. Then I learned that in Judaism, this chapter (as well as others no doubt) isn't applied to some savior in the future, but to the people of Israel themselves. The person being crushed is them.

It made me ponder: as a christian I often think of it as my duty to be loving, kind, and helpful. But what if my ministry has to include suffering as well.

I don't like that at all, and I don't think I want to be a Christian any more.