Thursday, December 22, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
"He has surpassed me..."
Reading John 1:15
"John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"
It is no small thing to be able to look at another and honestly say 'he is a better man than I am.' We are naturally egocentric and believe in our own superiority. The person who comes to Jesus is forced to admit this or be doomed to projecting his own image onto Jesus. If I am not absolutely clear about the fact that Jesus 'has surpassed me' then I will use my relationship with Jesus to affirm and reinforce my own sin. Even my repentance will only be a reflection of my own desire to minimize and to let myself off the hook. I will be able to use Jesus to forgive myself and to condemn others. I will have baptized my self-righteousness.
If I can accept that Jesus is the better man, if, with John, I can say 'I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals' (1:27), then I am positioned to hear the whole truth about myself and then real change is possible. This is the definition of Christian humility. The presence of this humility is tested for every time I am criticized. An immediate defensive reaction is a warning sign that something is amiss in my relationship with Jesus. Even if I think the criticism is not justified there should be something in me that says: 'they don't know the half of it, the don't know my secret sins, my thoughts, my neglected duties, they don't know my coldness, my lack of love, my wanderings, my betrayals of Jesus and his priorities...'. The presence of this humility is tested for every time I criticize someone else, every time I think that someone else's sin is worse than my own, someone else's rejection of Jesus is worse than my rejection of him, someone else's neglect is worse than my neglect, someone else's rebellion is worse than my rebellion.
The one thing that stands out about John the Baptist, more than anything else, is his humility with respect to Jesus:
"He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me." (v15, 30)
"I am not the Christ" (v20)
"I am not Elijah" (v21)
"I am not the Prophet" (v21)
"I am the voice of one calling in the desert" (v23)
"I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals" (v27)
"He must increase but I must decrease" (3:30)
You will be a better man when you recognize that Jesus is the better man.
"John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"
It is no small thing to be able to look at another and honestly say 'he is a better man than I am.' We are naturally egocentric and believe in our own superiority. The person who comes to Jesus is forced to admit this or be doomed to projecting his own image onto Jesus. If I am not absolutely clear about the fact that Jesus 'has surpassed me' then I will use my relationship with Jesus to affirm and reinforce my own sin. Even my repentance will only be a reflection of my own desire to minimize and to let myself off the hook. I will be able to use Jesus to forgive myself and to condemn others. I will have baptized my self-righteousness.
If I can accept that Jesus is the better man, if, with John, I can say 'I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals' (1:27), then I am positioned to hear the whole truth about myself and then real change is possible. This is the definition of Christian humility. The presence of this humility is tested for every time I am criticized. An immediate defensive reaction is a warning sign that something is amiss in my relationship with Jesus. Even if I think the criticism is not justified there should be something in me that says: 'they don't know the half of it, the don't know my secret sins, my thoughts, my neglected duties, they don't know my coldness, my lack of love, my wanderings, my betrayals of Jesus and his priorities...'. The presence of this humility is tested for every time I criticize someone else, every time I think that someone else's sin is worse than my own, someone else's rejection of Jesus is worse than my rejection of him, someone else's neglect is worse than my neglect, someone else's rebellion is worse than my rebellion.
The one thing that stands out about John the Baptist, more than anything else, is his humility with respect to Jesus:
"He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me." (v15, 30)
"I am not the Christ" (v20)
"I am not Elijah" (v21)
"I am not the Prophet" (v21)
"I am the voice of one calling in the desert" (v23)
"I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals" (v27)
"He must increase but I must decrease" (3:30)
You will be a better man when you recognize that Jesus is the better man.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
"The word became flesh..."
Reading John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
If a picture is worth a thousand words what do you have when the perfect Word ("the Word was God," John 1:1) becomes the perfect picture ("the exact representation of his being," Heb. 1:3)? Where do we even begin with the interpretation when Word and Picture of the eternal God is perfectly fused with temporal humanity ("became flesh")? John uses images of life and light and glory to try to convey some of the impact of this unprecedented event. Jesus is the closest we can ever come to understanding the One whose "thoughts are not our thoughts" and whose "ways are not our ways" (Isaiah 55). Jesus is the closest we will ever come to seeing the one who lives in "unapproachable glory." Looking at Jesus and seeing God is like looking at the night sky and seeing the heavens. We can see enough to feel completely overwhelmed but realize that we are only seeing the outer fringes of his being. Jesus does not fully remove the mystery of God, does not make God familiar. On any consideration the incarnation of God presents us with something not fully understandable. The incarnation is problematic, like Moses' bush that burned with fire but was not consummed. How can the eternal be dressed up in temporal clothes without losing its essential character as eternal? How can "the glory of the One and only" be transformed into one human being among a population of billions of human beings and not lose his essential character as blindingly glorious?
All attempts at explanation are less than satisfying and have the effect of diminishing the wonder of the event. All that we can say is that he "made his dwelling among us" and "we have seen...". To go further than this would be like trying to explain the science behind the burning bush.
Can we live with wonder or are we doomed to reject what we can't understand, even though he has "lived among us" and "we have seen..."?
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
If a picture is worth a thousand words what do you have when the perfect Word ("the Word was God," John 1:1) becomes the perfect picture ("the exact representation of his being," Heb. 1:3)? Where do we even begin with the interpretation when Word and Picture of the eternal God is perfectly fused with temporal humanity ("became flesh")? John uses images of life and light and glory to try to convey some of the impact of this unprecedented event. Jesus is the closest we can ever come to understanding the One whose "thoughts are not our thoughts" and whose "ways are not our ways" (Isaiah 55). Jesus is the closest we will ever come to seeing the one who lives in "unapproachable glory." Looking at Jesus and seeing God is like looking at the night sky and seeing the heavens. We can see enough to feel completely overwhelmed but realize that we are only seeing the outer fringes of his being. Jesus does not fully remove the mystery of God, does not make God familiar. On any consideration the incarnation of God presents us with something not fully understandable. The incarnation is problematic, like Moses' bush that burned with fire but was not consummed. How can the eternal be dressed up in temporal clothes without losing its essential character as eternal? How can "the glory of the One and only" be transformed into one human being among a population of billions of human beings and not lose his essential character as blindingly glorious?
All attempts at explanation are less than satisfying and have the effect of diminishing the wonder of the event. All that we can say is that he "made his dwelling among us" and "we have seen...". To go further than this would be like trying to explain the science behind the burning bush.
Can we live with wonder or are we doomed to reject what we can't understand, even though he has "lived among us" and "we have seen..."?
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Children of God
Reading John 1:12
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."
In the previous verse we read that "he came to his own but his own did not receive him." What is it to be rejected by your own? What feelings and emotions and hurts pressed in on the humanity of Jesus because those who owed him so much turned him away at the door? He is the Word, the voice of God calling out to us but we have refused to listen or we go on reading the paper while he talks away in the background of our life. He created everything that is, all the things that we live by and enjoy and take great pleasure in but we reject the greatest pleasure of all, the pleasure of knowing him - we take the gifts and reject the giver. He is the life, the spark that turns bare existence into joyful being. We taste the joy but refuse to share it with the one who holds the cup and offers it to us. He is the light but we prefer darkness or shades of gray, thinking that somehow darkness can add a little colour to our world. He is rejected on all counts even though we have nothing without him. The drive to declare our complete independence of God is at the heart of our rebellion against him. Like the prodigal we want our inheritance and we want it all to ourselves, somehow thinking that we will enjoy it more if we can flee our father's world, can get out of his shadow.
Beginning with his birth "he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering...we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). The problem of his rejection is reversed when we "receive him" and "believe in his name" but it is never fully put to rest in this world. What betrayal there is even in the heart of the Christian. How often we "grieve" him, reject him from our days routines, ask him to wait while we attend to other things, show him the door when we don't like what he says, rage against him when he will not yield to our will.
Nevertheless, when we open our life to him, acknowledge who he is, recognize our complete dependence on him and give thanks to him for being the reason we have a life at all then we are welcomed as children. We become his in a way that it is not possible to be without receiving Jesus as God. When we join with Thomas in falling down before him and saying "my Lord and my God," then the incarnation moves from being a matter of history to a matter of personal experience. History is set right for me when I open the door and gladly welcome Jesus in.
Any room at the inn this Christmas or will Jesus have to wait until the busy holiday season is over to get the welcome he deserves?
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."
In the previous verse we read that "he came to his own but his own did not receive him." What is it to be rejected by your own? What feelings and emotions and hurts pressed in on the humanity of Jesus because those who owed him so much turned him away at the door? He is the Word, the voice of God calling out to us but we have refused to listen or we go on reading the paper while he talks away in the background of our life. He created everything that is, all the things that we live by and enjoy and take great pleasure in but we reject the greatest pleasure of all, the pleasure of knowing him - we take the gifts and reject the giver. He is the life, the spark that turns bare existence into joyful being. We taste the joy but refuse to share it with the one who holds the cup and offers it to us. He is the light but we prefer darkness or shades of gray, thinking that somehow darkness can add a little colour to our world. He is rejected on all counts even though we have nothing without him. The drive to declare our complete independence of God is at the heart of our rebellion against him. Like the prodigal we want our inheritance and we want it all to ourselves, somehow thinking that we will enjoy it more if we can flee our father's world, can get out of his shadow.
Beginning with his birth "he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering...we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). The problem of his rejection is reversed when we "receive him" and "believe in his name" but it is never fully put to rest in this world. What betrayal there is even in the heart of the Christian. How often we "grieve" him, reject him from our days routines, ask him to wait while we attend to other things, show him the door when we don't like what he says, rage against him when he will not yield to our will.
Nevertheless, when we open our life to him, acknowledge who he is, recognize our complete dependence on him and give thanks to him for being the reason we have a life at all then we are welcomed as children. We become his in a way that it is not possible to be without receiving Jesus as God. When we join with Thomas in falling down before him and saying "my Lord and my God," then the incarnation moves from being a matter of history to a matter of personal experience. History is set right for me when I open the door and gladly welcome Jesus in.
Any room at the inn this Christmas or will Jesus have to wait until the busy holiday season is over to get the welcome he deserves?
Monday, December 12, 2005
Spiritual amnesia
Reading John 1:10-11
"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him."
Many movies and television programs have dealt with the theme of amnesia and the chaos and confusion that results when a person forgets who he is and no longer recognizes his friends and family members. This is exactly what we are dealing with in these verses. We are looking at a failure to recognize who made us and what we are doing here. The result is a rejection of our most important family members: our loving heavenly Father, our brother Jesus, and our closest comforter, the Holy Spirit. There is a complete network of love and support but we turn our backs on it because of a lack of recognition. This is the condition of the world in its unbelief. This is often referred to as being "lost," a term that is very fitting for the spiritual amnesiac.
These verses show that a lack of recognition leads inevitably to a lack of reception. We give the best reception to those whom we know and love the most. If I am not giving Jesus a very warm reception in my daily life I need to trace the problem back up the line. How well do I really know him? The Gospels are the meeting place and if I'm not spending time in the Gospels I begin to be afflicted with bouts of temporary amnesia. This in turn leads me to a loss of connection with my Father, Brother, and Comforter. I begin to enter into an experience of lostness where the ground seems to go out from under my feet - insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, purposelessness, come to underlie all of the normal experiences of life. At first it is only a sense, something hard to put your finger on, but left to grow it becomes a thief and a robber of the joy of life. All this can be prevented by regularly going to the meeting place and staying connected with the greatest lover the world has ever known; Jesus the lover of my soul.
"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own but his own did not receive him."
Many movies and television programs have dealt with the theme of amnesia and the chaos and confusion that results when a person forgets who he is and no longer recognizes his friends and family members. This is exactly what we are dealing with in these verses. We are looking at a failure to recognize who made us and what we are doing here. The result is a rejection of our most important family members: our loving heavenly Father, our brother Jesus, and our closest comforter, the Holy Spirit. There is a complete network of love and support but we turn our backs on it because of a lack of recognition. This is the condition of the world in its unbelief. This is often referred to as being "lost," a term that is very fitting for the spiritual amnesiac.
These verses show that a lack of recognition leads inevitably to a lack of reception. We give the best reception to those whom we know and love the most. If I am not giving Jesus a very warm reception in my daily life I need to trace the problem back up the line. How well do I really know him? The Gospels are the meeting place and if I'm not spending time in the Gospels I begin to be afflicted with bouts of temporary amnesia. This in turn leads me to a loss of connection with my Father, Brother, and Comforter. I begin to enter into an experience of lostness where the ground seems to go out from under my feet - insecurity, loneliness, anxiety, purposelessness, come to underlie all of the normal experiences of life. At first it is only a sense, something hard to put your finger on, but left to grow it becomes a thief and a robber of the joy of life. All this can be prevented by regularly going to the meeting place and staying connected with the greatest lover the world has ever known; Jesus the lover of my soul.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
"The light of the world..."
Reading John 1:4-9
"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." (v9)
My life is a juxtaposition of darkness and light, each element unexplainable in its own way. How can I account for the presence of either? The presence of goodness is as problematic as the presence of evil. What makes it even more confusing is the presence of both in one person's life. The world I know, the people I know, is a whirl of both strains that makes for warfare, conflict, and confrontation both between people and within the individual. At the end of history, my personal history or the history of the world, which will win out, the darkness or the light?
John answers the question like this: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." This is the reading of the NIV but John made his statement in a deliberately ambiguous way (something John was fond of doing). His statement can mean both (and he probably intended both) that the darkness has not understood the light and that the darkness has not overcome the light. The light of Jesus is not a logic that can be comprehended by evil. In a world of tremendous evil there is no explaining the goodness of God. God's goodness presses in to the evil and gets into close proximity with it, it loves the unlovely, it sacrifices itself for the salvation of the enemy, it could call down lightning but refuses to, it could crush in an instant but waits patiently for repentance. The light can not be understood by the darkness, its presuppositions are totally foreign to evil.
John also says that the light cannot be overcome by the darkness. In Jesus it will be shown that goodness is more powerful than evil. Goodness is connected to life (another of John's favorite themes) but evil is connected to death and destruction. The light of Jesus will overcome the darkness in us. Our strategy in the war against evil is to have more of Jesus, more of the light of the world.
"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." (v9)
My life is a juxtaposition of darkness and light, each element unexplainable in its own way. How can I account for the presence of either? The presence of goodness is as problematic as the presence of evil. What makes it even more confusing is the presence of both in one person's life. The world I know, the people I know, is a whirl of both strains that makes for warfare, conflict, and confrontation both between people and within the individual. At the end of history, my personal history or the history of the world, which will win out, the darkness or the light?
John answers the question like this: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." This is the reading of the NIV but John made his statement in a deliberately ambiguous way (something John was fond of doing). His statement can mean both (and he probably intended both) that the darkness has not understood the light and that the darkness has not overcome the light. The light of Jesus is not a logic that can be comprehended by evil. In a world of tremendous evil there is no explaining the goodness of God. God's goodness presses in to the evil and gets into close proximity with it, it loves the unlovely, it sacrifices itself for the salvation of the enemy, it could call down lightning but refuses to, it could crush in an instant but waits patiently for repentance. The light can not be understood by the darkness, its presuppositions are totally foreign to evil.
John also says that the light cannot be overcome by the darkness. In Jesus it will be shown that goodness is more powerful than evil. Goodness is connected to life (another of John's favorite themes) but evil is connected to death and destruction. The light of Jesus will overcome the darkness in us. Our strategy in the war against evil is to have more of Jesus, more of the light of the world.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
"In him was life..."
Reading John 1:3-4
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
The fact of existence is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. The whole physical universe has its explanation in him. Jesus was the executor of the Father's command: "Let there be...". All of the physical sciences sit on the foundation of the creation. The Psalmist says that "the heavens declare the glory of God...". We have not understood the creation if we only see it as a wonder. The message of the physical is not simply that nature is a marvel but that God is glorious. Nature is never fully understood until it is understood as a creative work.
John tells us that not only the fact of existence is rooted in the person of Jesus but so also is the meaning of existence. The meaning of life can be seen in an encounter with the living Christ. "In him was life and that life was the light of men." The answer to what we are here for, what life is all about, is fully discovered by reflection on the life of Christ. This is John's introduction to his Gospel. He is telling us that as we read about Jesus, about all that he said and did, that we will discover the meaning of life, of our life. The incarnate life of God translates something that is eternal and distant into something that is finite and near. We can grasp the meaning of life when we look at Jesus' life.
Later John records that Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). It was God's intention that we would not only understand the fact and meaning of life but that we would participate in it to the full. When I read the Gospel I am intended to see in Jesus' life something about my life. I am intended to see what God has in mind for me. I have been invited to participate in the life of God as the ultimate fulfillment possible in this world. This is reflected in Jesus' prayer in John 17: "I pray...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me...".
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
The fact of existence is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. The whole physical universe has its explanation in him. Jesus was the executor of the Father's command: "Let there be...". All of the physical sciences sit on the foundation of the creation. The Psalmist says that "the heavens declare the glory of God...". We have not understood the creation if we only see it as a wonder. The message of the physical is not simply that nature is a marvel but that God is glorious. Nature is never fully understood until it is understood as a creative work.
John tells us that not only the fact of existence is rooted in the person of Jesus but so also is the meaning of existence. The meaning of life can be seen in an encounter with the living Christ. "In him was life and that life was the light of men." The answer to what we are here for, what life is all about, is fully discovered by reflection on the life of Christ. This is John's introduction to his Gospel. He is telling us that as we read about Jesus, about all that he said and did, that we will discover the meaning of life, of our life. The incarnate life of God translates something that is eternal and distant into something that is finite and near. We can grasp the meaning of life when we look at Jesus' life.
Later John records that Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). It was God's intention that we would not only understand the fact and meaning of life but that we would participate in it to the full. When I read the Gospel I am intended to see in Jesus' life something about my life. I am intended to see what God has in mind for me. I have been invited to participate in the life of God as the ultimate fulfillment possible in this world. This is reflected in Jesus' prayer in John 17: "I pray...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me...".
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
"In the beginning was the Word..."
Reading John 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."
God has many names. Everyone of his names communicates something essential about his character or about his relationship to his creation. I cannot imagine any era of history that could appreciate more the name we have presented here, "the Word," than the information age in which we live. We are only now beginning to discover how incredibly information rich every piece of biological matter on this planet is. The complexity of communication within a single cell is breath-taking. The Bible is clear that the "words" behind all of this communication is nothing less than the voice of God, speaking his unending "let there be...".
God as "Word" has opened the lines of communication between himself and those whome he has uniquely created in his own image. It is his intention to speak. It is his intention that we would hear and understand. The reason that a finite human being can cognitively interpret speech from an infinite God is a matter of God's intention, expressed in his design. God's communication to us is rich, vivid, "broad-band," if you will.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." Hebrews 1:1-2
We are both a receiver and a broadcaster of information. How well we receive from God has a big impact on how well we broadcast. God is an intentional and persistant communicator. Is there anything that is interfering with my reception?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."
God has many names. Everyone of his names communicates something essential about his character or about his relationship to his creation. I cannot imagine any era of history that could appreciate more the name we have presented here, "the Word," than the information age in which we live. We are only now beginning to discover how incredibly information rich every piece of biological matter on this planet is. The complexity of communication within a single cell is breath-taking. The Bible is clear that the "words" behind all of this communication is nothing less than the voice of God, speaking his unending "let there be...".
God as "Word" has opened the lines of communication between himself and those whome he has uniquely created in his own image. It is his intention to speak. It is his intention that we would hear and understand. The reason that a finite human being can cognitively interpret speech from an infinite God is a matter of God's intention, expressed in his design. God's communication to us is rich, vivid, "broad-band," if you will.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." Hebrews 1:1-2
We are both a receiver and a broadcaster of information. How well we receive from God has a big impact on how well we broadcast. God is an intentional and persistant communicator. Is there anything that is interfering with my reception?
Monday, December 05, 2005
"Come to me ... "
Continuing to Read Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."
Truth is hard to come by. There are lots of good ideas out there but truth is another matter altogether. Even for those who believe in absolute (revealed) truth, as I do, truth is highly personal. What I mean by this is that truth is not a neutral entity for me, it is not something I can indifferently look up in a book and sign my affirmation to. Truth is entangled with the whole of my life. It has deep implications for everything that is important to me. I have foundational reasons both to hate and to love truth. Truth can be tampered with, adjusted, redirected, twisted, crippled. I can even use one truth to destroy another. But what does this have to do with Jesus invitation to "come to me"? It has everything to do with it! If I am going to explore truth as it relates to my weariness, my burdens, and my need for rest I will have the best success if I do it with someone I trust. The more I trust Jesus the more I will allow him to speak whatever I need to hear. The more I trust Jesus the more I will be willing to let down my guard, give up my defensiveness, admit my hidden motivations and even my resistance to "being told." This is why Jesus says "take my yoke upon you and learn from me...". The only way we can face the really important truths is by getting into relationship with Jesus. Any attempt to get to the truth in some abstract, impersonal, way is doomed to failure. Jesus invites us to have an encounter with truth in the safety of his presence..."and you WILL find rest for your soul...".
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."
Truth is hard to come by. There are lots of good ideas out there but truth is another matter altogether. Even for those who believe in absolute (revealed) truth, as I do, truth is highly personal. What I mean by this is that truth is not a neutral entity for me, it is not something I can indifferently look up in a book and sign my affirmation to. Truth is entangled with the whole of my life. It has deep implications for everything that is important to me. I have foundational reasons both to hate and to love truth. Truth can be tampered with, adjusted, redirected, twisted, crippled. I can even use one truth to destroy another. But what does this have to do with Jesus invitation to "come to me"? It has everything to do with it! If I am going to explore truth as it relates to my weariness, my burdens, and my need for rest I will have the best success if I do it with someone I trust. The more I trust Jesus the more I will allow him to speak whatever I need to hear. The more I trust Jesus the more I will be willing to let down my guard, give up my defensiveness, admit my hidden motivations and even my resistance to "being told." This is why Jesus says "take my yoke upon you and learn from me...". The only way we can face the really important truths is by getting into relationship with Jesus. Any attempt to get to the truth in some abstract, impersonal, way is doomed to failure. Jesus invites us to have an encounter with truth in the safety of his presence..."and you WILL find rest for your soul...".
Sunday, December 04, 2005
"...never follow a stranger..."
Continuing to read Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me..."
Our world is full of voices, both literal and metaphorical, that are saying "come to me." Sometimes it's a cacophony of whispers, sometimes it's a shouting match, sometimes one or another voice rises above the others with great insistance. What do I do with all the voices?
In the midst of the voices Jesus says "come to me." Hearing one voice in a crowd is a matter of familiarity. We can enter a room full of people and immediately pick out the voice of the one we know and love. Jesus said that "his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:4). If we don't want to be thrown off or misled by the confusion of voices the onus is on us to become accustomed to Jesus' voice, to the way he speaks, the kind of themes he addresses, the values he has, the way he puts out a warning, the way he expresses his love. If I don't know him very well then any voice might sound like his voice, particularly if I want it too.
After Jesus says that "his sheep know his voice" he goes on to say "they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize the stranger's voice" (John 10:5). Parents are always shocked to find that their children would go off with a stranger. It takes time for children to learn that not every kind voice or every kind offer is genuine, is reflective of that parental love that they have become used to. In the same way it takes time (in some cases a long time and a lot of hard lessons) for the Christian to be able to discern the difference between Jesus and the spiritual stranger.
When times of great anxiety and need, or offers of great opportunity, come to us it is easy to confuse the voices and find ourselves going down a road that can only lead to grief. The remedy for this is to invest in the relationship. Get to know Jesus very well. Be intentional about your daily time with God.
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me..." (John 10:14). We are not safe just because Jesus knows us, because Jesus is willing to let us go a long way from home if that is what we really want.
Get to know Jesus and "never follow a stranger...".
"Come to me..."
Our world is full of voices, both literal and metaphorical, that are saying "come to me." Sometimes it's a cacophony of whispers, sometimes it's a shouting match, sometimes one or another voice rises above the others with great insistance. What do I do with all the voices?
In the midst of the voices Jesus says "come to me." Hearing one voice in a crowd is a matter of familiarity. We can enter a room full of people and immediately pick out the voice of the one we know and love. Jesus said that "his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:4). If we don't want to be thrown off or misled by the confusion of voices the onus is on us to become accustomed to Jesus' voice, to the way he speaks, the kind of themes he addresses, the values he has, the way he puts out a warning, the way he expresses his love. If I don't know him very well then any voice might sound like his voice, particularly if I want it too.
After Jesus says that "his sheep know his voice" he goes on to say "they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize the stranger's voice" (John 10:5). Parents are always shocked to find that their children would go off with a stranger. It takes time for children to learn that not every kind voice or every kind offer is genuine, is reflective of that parental love that they have become used to. In the same way it takes time (in some cases a long time and a lot of hard lessons) for the Christian to be able to discern the difference between Jesus and the spiritual stranger.
When times of great anxiety and need, or offers of great opportunity, come to us it is easy to confuse the voices and find ourselves going down a road that can only lead to grief. The remedy for this is to invest in the relationship. Get to know Jesus very well. Be intentional about your daily time with God.
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me..." (John 10:14). We are not safe just because Jesus knows us, because Jesus is willing to let us go a long way from home if that is what we really want.
Get to know Jesus and "never follow a stranger...".
Friday, December 02, 2005
"Come to me ... and learn from me..."
Continuing to read Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me..."
This meditation prepared with the help of:
1. One very large cup of dark roast Columbian coffee.
2. The Brandenburg Concertos
The things we need to learn to convert weariness and burden into rest can only be learned by coming to Jesus. They cannot be learned at at safe distance. They cannot be reduced to lessons and principles that can be taught in a lecture and detached from the person of Jesus. How much of my spiritual/church life is actually a coming to Jesus? This is why prayer is so central to the spiritual life. That is, prayer as a coming to Jesus and not as a tool to control my life and the lives of others (not to mention God), or as a Christian rain dance (the right ceremony or sacramental act), or Christian magic (looking for just the right words), but as a conversation with the lover of my soul, as a "being with" the person who has already acted (was crucified) to secure my rest, both in this world and the next. This is an acceptance that what I need to ensure rest from my burden has already been accomplished. I just keep coming to the one who has secured this for me so that I can enter into an already accomplished peace.
This coming to Jesus involves certain risks, to name a few:
1. Trusting myself to another - can Jesus be trusted with my life?
2. Facing the most painful aspects of my weariness and burderns.
3. Surrender to someone greater than myself.
4. Moving outside the strict definitions of rationality and trusting in revelation.
-reference faith, "things not seen", the invisible (per Hebrews 11)
5. Engaging with an "absolute" authority.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me..."
This meditation prepared with the help of:
1. One very large cup of dark roast Columbian coffee.
2. The Brandenburg Concertos
The things we need to learn to convert weariness and burden into rest can only be learned by coming to Jesus. They cannot be learned at at safe distance. They cannot be reduced to lessons and principles that can be taught in a lecture and detached from the person of Jesus. How much of my spiritual/church life is actually a coming to Jesus? This is why prayer is so central to the spiritual life. That is, prayer as a coming to Jesus and not as a tool to control my life and the lives of others (not to mention God), or as a Christian rain dance (the right ceremony or sacramental act), or Christian magic (looking for just the right words), but as a conversation with the lover of my soul, as a "being with" the person who has already acted (was crucified) to secure my rest, both in this world and the next. This is an acceptance that what I need to ensure rest from my burden has already been accomplished. I just keep coming to the one who has secured this for me so that I can enter into an already accomplished peace.
This coming to Jesus involves certain risks, to name a few:
1. Trusting myself to another - can Jesus be trusted with my life?
2. Facing the most painful aspects of my weariness and burderns.
3. Surrender to someone greater than myself.
4. Moving outside the strict definitions of rationality and trusting in revelation.
-reference faith, "things not seen", the invisible (per Hebrews 11)
5. Engaging with an "absolute" authority.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Coming to Jesus is not like coming to church
Continuing to read Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened..."
Coming to Jesus is not like coming to church. We don't have to leave our burdens at home and make ourselves presentable. We don't drop our burdens at the door, enter into his presence, and then pick them up again on the way out. There are lots of things that we do to take our minds off of our troubles, coming to Jesus is not one of them. All of our entertainments, spiritual or otherwise may provide some relief, reprieve, and distraction from the things that weary us, and it's important to have this kind of outlet in our lives. But coming to Jesus is not a distraction from the central issues of our life. We don't come to Jesus to feel spiritual, to feel forgiven, or to get rest. Many of the things that we come to Jesus for are only a byproduct of coming to him with our burdens. To come to Jesus to get rest is like trying to catch a butterfly: the more you chase it the further away it flies. Rest is the result, not of pursuing rest in Jesus, but of bringing our concerns to him.
The most important burden to bring to Jesus is the burden of our own sin. We feel its weight, and "weight", is an appropriate biblical word for our sin (Heb. 12:1). This weight is the most fruitful of all the burdens we can bring to Jesus. I would like Jesus to give me rest without making me face my sin. I don't want my time with Jesus to be a confrontation, I want it to be pleasant. But Jesus knows that its getting wearisome for me to keep carrying around the same old garbage day in and day out, year after year. He wants me to bring my burdens into the relationship with him. It is both an act of desperation and an act of courage to come to him with all of my stuff. So many Christians have an unfruitful relationship with God because they aren't willing for God to talk straight with them about their life. Bring your burdens to Jesus and he will give you rest.
I find that we are often reluctant to bring the burden of what others have done to us into our fellowship with Jesus for similar reasons. We don't want to feel the pain again, don't want to be reminded of it. We don't want to have to forgive, don't want to feel like we are being forced into yet another injustice. We don't want to acknowledge that our own sin may have played a role in our being hurt.
Jesus can't heal a burden that is not brought to him. If I keep my suffering, my sin, my anger, my bitterness, outside the door of my spiritual life I will find that I experience a temporary distraction through prayer and worship and bible study but that I receive no significant healing. Many people multiply their spiritual exercises and devotions hoping in this way to crush the burdens that they are carrying around. The actual result is that all the pressure creates a counter force that eventually erupts in ever more pain.
Don't think that when Jesus says: "Come to me, you who are weary and burdened..." that he is inviting you to a world of make believe where your sin and the pain inflicted on you by other's sin no longer matters. As the verse goes on to say, he is inviting you to put on a yoke, to pull with him in one harness, to accomplish the work that leads to rest and peace.
Is the place where I meet with Jesus a truly honest place or do I bring my penchant for keeping secrets into the most holy place of my life?
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened..."
Coming to Jesus is not like coming to church. We don't have to leave our burdens at home and make ourselves presentable. We don't drop our burdens at the door, enter into his presence, and then pick them up again on the way out. There are lots of things that we do to take our minds off of our troubles, coming to Jesus is not one of them. All of our entertainments, spiritual or otherwise may provide some relief, reprieve, and distraction from the things that weary us, and it's important to have this kind of outlet in our lives. But coming to Jesus is not a distraction from the central issues of our life. We don't come to Jesus to feel spiritual, to feel forgiven, or to get rest. Many of the things that we come to Jesus for are only a byproduct of coming to him with our burdens. To come to Jesus to get rest is like trying to catch a butterfly: the more you chase it the further away it flies. Rest is the result, not of pursuing rest in Jesus, but of bringing our concerns to him.
The most important burden to bring to Jesus is the burden of our own sin. We feel its weight, and "weight", is an appropriate biblical word for our sin (Heb. 12:1). This weight is the most fruitful of all the burdens we can bring to Jesus. I would like Jesus to give me rest without making me face my sin. I don't want my time with Jesus to be a confrontation, I want it to be pleasant. But Jesus knows that its getting wearisome for me to keep carrying around the same old garbage day in and day out, year after year. He wants me to bring my burdens into the relationship with him. It is both an act of desperation and an act of courage to come to him with all of my stuff. So many Christians have an unfruitful relationship with God because they aren't willing for God to talk straight with them about their life. Bring your burdens to Jesus and he will give you rest.
I find that we are often reluctant to bring the burden of what others have done to us into our fellowship with Jesus for similar reasons. We don't want to feel the pain again, don't want to be reminded of it. We don't want to have to forgive, don't want to feel like we are being forced into yet another injustice. We don't want to acknowledge that our own sin may have played a role in our being hurt.
Jesus can't heal a burden that is not brought to him. If I keep my suffering, my sin, my anger, my bitterness, outside the door of my spiritual life I will find that I experience a temporary distraction through prayer and worship and bible study but that I receive no significant healing. Many people multiply their spiritual exercises and devotions hoping in this way to crush the burdens that they are carrying around. The actual result is that all the pressure creates a counter force that eventually erupts in ever more pain.
Don't think that when Jesus says: "Come to me, you who are weary and burdened..." that he is inviting you to a world of make believe where your sin and the pain inflicted on you by other's sin no longer matters. As the verse goes on to say, he is inviting you to put on a yoke, to pull with him in one harness, to accomplish the work that leads to rest and peace.
Is the place where I meet with Jesus a truly honest place or do I bring my penchant for keeping secrets into the most holy place of my life?
Sunday, November 27, 2005
The importance of steeped tea
This morning our pastor was talking about the value of "steeped" tea. (Now don't get the wrong impression about our pastor from this. He runs his ministry on pure java but he is still able to identify with those living in the tea counter-culture.) His point was that we should not simply rush on from passage to passage in our Bible study. From time to time we should just sit with one passage and revisit it day after day until all the nutrients and flavour of the words begin to be released into our hearts and minds. As I listened to him I decided that I would take a couple of verses and stick with them for a while to see what would happen. I'll record the results here. So, here's what were going to steep:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
I love the invitations in Scripture, they are so welcoming and accepting. I love to hear Jesus say "come to me." He has such interesting ways of determining who qualifies to come. He doesn't say, "come to me all you Jews" or "come to me all you religious people" or "come to me all you good living people" or "come to me all you intelligent people" but "come to me all you who are weary and burdened." Anyone carrying around a disappointment, a hurt, a wound. Anyone tired of living, worn out from the battle, used up, spent, down to their last crust, running out of rope. "Come to me." We're used to invitations in our culture. The whole advertising industry is one big invititation: "Come to me all you who have money and I will satisfy your needs with clothes, tools, toys, technology..." But God says: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" (Isaiah 55:1-2). (Make appropriate applications here to the Christmas holiday mindset).
"Come to me." Something is being required here. It is not required that we be anything but needy, nonetheless there is something being asked of us. "Come." We are being asked to come. I thought of all the people who intentionally got up, burden and all, and came to Jesus. I thought of Zaccheus who climbed a tree and waited. I thought of the four friends who ripped their neighbours roof off so they could bring their friend to Jesus. I thought of the woman with the "issue of blood" who got in close enough to reach out and touch Jesus. I thought of the Centurion who came to Jesus for his son. I thought of example after example of people who got up and went looking for Jesus. It's not people who are weary and burdened who find rest. Its people who are weary and burdened and who get up under the weight of that burden and come to Jesus. This is what I am doing by steeping this tea. I'm coming to Jesus. I'm responding to his invitation. I'm telling him what's on my heart. I'm getting into proximity with him. I'm reaching out and touching him. I'm ripping the roof off of what ever is standing between me and a relationship with him. I'm getting into touching position. I'm getting into listening position. I'm comparing Jesus' invitation with all of the other invitations that came in the mail this week, as inserts in the newspaper, and as flyers and shout outs from all the people who are ready to meet my needs for a small fee.
Let the steeping begin.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
I love the invitations in Scripture, they are so welcoming and accepting. I love to hear Jesus say "come to me." He has such interesting ways of determining who qualifies to come. He doesn't say, "come to me all you Jews" or "come to me all you religious people" or "come to me all you good living people" or "come to me all you intelligent people" but "come to me all you who are weary and burdened." Anyone carrying around a disappointment, a hurt, a wound. Anyone tired of living, worn out from the battle, used up, spent, down to their last crust, running out of rope. "Come to me." We're used to invitations in our culture. The whole advertising industry is one big invititation: "Come to me all you who have money and I will satisfy your needs with clothes, tools, toys, technology..." But God says: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" (Isaiah 55:1-2). (Make appropriate applications here to the Christmas holiday mindset).
"Come to me." Something is being required here. It is not required that we be anything but needy, nonetheless there is something being asked of us. "Come." We are being asked to come. I thought of all the people who intentionally got up, burden and all, and came to Jesus. I thought of Zaccheus who climbed a tree and waited. I thought of the four friends who ripped their neighbours roof off so they could bring their friend to Jesus. I thought of the woman with the "issue of blood" who got in close enough to reach out and touch Jesus. I thought of the Centurion who came to Jesus for his son. I thought of example after example of people who got up and went looking for Jesus. It's not people who are weary and burdened who find rest. Its people who are weary and burdened and who get up under the weight of that burden and come to Jesus. This is what I am doing by steeping this tea. I'm coming to Jesus. I'm responding to his invitation. I'm telling him what's on my heart. I'm getting into proximity with him. I'm reaching out and touching him. I'm ripping the roof off of what ever is standing between me and a relationship with him. I'm getting into touching position. I'm getting into listening position. I'm comparing Jesus' invitation with all of the other invitations that came in the mail this week, as inserts in the newspaper, and as flyers and shout outs from all the people who are ready to meet my needs for a small fee.
Let the steeping begin.
Friday, November 25, 2005
"We do not want you to become lazy..."
Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
Since at least the sixth century the church has thought of laziness (sloth) as one of the "seven deadly sins." This spiritual problem has been thought about so much over the years that it has been given a technical name: "acedia." Acedia is a Greek word that refers to the malaise, or sluggishness of spirit, that lies unexamined in a person's life. Laziness is the symptom, the light on the dashboard, that warns of the presence of the problem.
This is a laziness that can be present in the context of a very busy life, a life filled with activity and far reaching goals. The specific reference of this laziness is our lack of love for God that results in our neglect of "helping his people and continuing to help them." We don't love God if we don't love what God loves, and God loves people. I can easily make the case that God also loves what I'm most interested in, of course he does, but that is not the issue here. The issue here is that "God so loved the world that he gave...". I am being challenged to get in touch with what God "so loved...". The specific object of his giving was the lost, broken, wounded souls that he created to live in fellowship with him.
This is a deep challenge for me. It is not opposed to my nature (I was created in the image of God, to be like him), but it is opposed to my history (which I'll spare you). The roots of acedia are not biological but historical whether viewed in terms of the individual or the entire sweep of human life on this planet. Courage is required to turn our backs on a history that feeds the malaise. Others have found the way through: "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." We may begin by imitating but we will end by inheriting. Love can be learned and it can dispel the gloomy spirit. Carry on with "faith" and "patience."
"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
Since at least the sixth century the church has thought of laziness (sloth) as one of the "seven deadly sins." This spiritual problem has been thought about so much over the years that it has been given a technical name: "acedia." Acedia is a Greek word that refers to the malaise, or sluggishness of spirit, that lies unexamined in a person's life. Laziness is the symptom, the light on the dashboard, that warns of the presence of the problem.
This is a laziness that can be present in the context of a very busy life, a life filled with activity and far reaching goals. The specific reference of this laziness is our lack of love for God that results in our neglect of "helping his people and continuing to help them." We don't love God if we don't love what God loves, and God loves people. I can easily make the case that God also loves what I'm most interested in, of course he does, but that is not the issue here. The issue here is that "God so loved the world that he gave...". I am being challenged to get in touch with what God "so loved...". The specific object of his giving was the lost, broken, wounded souls that he created to live in fellowship with him.
This is a deep challenge for me. It is not opposed to my nature (I was created in the image of God, to be like him), but it is opposed to my history (which I'll spare you). The roots of acedia are not biological but historical whether viewed in terms of the individual or the entire sweep of human life on this planet. Courage is required to turn our backs on a history that feeds the malaise. Others have found the way through: "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." We may begin by imitating but we will end by inheriting. Love can be learned and it can dispel the gloomy spirit. Carry on with "faith" and "patience."
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
"...show...diligence..."
Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
This is a much deeper challenge than it first appears to be. I was tempted to pass over this verse quickly, perhaps just to rap up this section with one last blog and move on to something else. Diligence has never been a problem for me. I always have a multitude of interests and projects on the go. Mix these in with all of the usual responsibilities of work and family life and you have both a mandate and a recipe for diligence. Fortunately I had one of those sober second thoughts before I moved away from this subject. Hermeneutical lesson number one: pay close attention to context. This verse is not about diligence. This verse is about the previous verse. Diligence is not the goal, it is the means to the goal. What the writer is pressing home here is not that we would be hard working, driven people but that we would be people who are all about loving God and others. Diligence of one sort can be the enemy of diligence of another sort. My focused, passionate life, either in my work or my hobbies, can submerge my attention to the fact that I live in a world where love is given and received, neglected and ignored, cherished and explored. The two great commandments are not about empire building, not about making my mark, not about asset acquisition, they say simply: love God (with everything you've got) and love the people around you (as much as you love yourself). If this seems like a truism, simply a restatement of the obvious, then I suspect that we are attempting to brush aside this challenge. These two basic commandments challenge everything we are as self-centered, material obsessed, worldly beings. We are being asked here to get in touch with the deepest priorities of the living God who "loved us and gave himself for us."
The promise that is attached to this application of diligence to our relationships with God and people is that we will "make our hope sure." The mark of the person who lacks faith is that he is "without hope and without God in the world." When I enter into meaningful relationships of love and nurture I will increase my sense of hope. Hope is a by-product of relationship. Relationship increases security, isolation feeds insecurity and meaninglessness. We are not being asked to do something here that has no payoff. Our duty to love is a deeply self rewarding activity. What greater gift could I give to myself than the gift of hope?
"We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
This is a much deeper challenge than it first appears to be. I was tempted to pass over this verse quickly, perhaps just to rap up this section with one last blog and move on to something else. Diligence has never been a problem for me. I always have a multitude of interests and projects on the go. Mix these in with all of the usual responsibilities of work and family life and you have both a mandate and a recipe for diligence. Fortunately I had one of those sober second thoughts before I moved away from this subject. Hermeneutical lesson number one: pay close attention to context. This verse is not about diligence. This verse is about the previous verse. Diligence is not the goal, it is the means to the goal. What the writer is pressing home here is not that we would be hard working, driven people but that we would be people who are all about loving God and others. Diligence of one sort can be the enemy of diligence of another sort. My focused, passionate life, either in my work or my hobbies, can submerge my attention to the fact that I live in a world where love is given and received, neglected and ignored, cherished and explored. The two great commandments are not about empire building, not about making my mark, not about asset acquisition, they say simply: love God (with everything you've got) and love the people around you (as much as you love yourself). If this seems like a truism, simply a restatement of the obvious, then I suspect that we are attempting to brush aside this challenge. These two basic commandments challenge everything we are as self-centered, material obsessed, worldly beings. We are being asked here to get in touch with the deepest priorities of the living God who "loved us and gave himself for us."
The promise that is attached to this application of diligence to our relationships with God and people is that we will "make our hope sure." The mark of the person who lacks faith is that he is "without hope and without God in the world." When I enter into meaningful relationships of love and nurture I will increase my sense of hope. Hope is a by-product of relationship. Relationship increases security, isolation feeds insecurity and meaninglessness. We are not being asked to do something here that has no payoff. Our duty to love is a deeply self rewarding activity. What greater gift could I give to myself than the gift of hope?
Thursday, November 17, 2005
We interupt this program...
I'll take a break from Hebrews today to comment on a post by Sunshine over at A Dream of Being Orange. Sunshine is discussing the role that grace plays in destroying "the root of bitterness." At the end of her post she quotes this verse from II Samuel 14:14
"Like water spilled on the ground which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him."
We think we know God. We think we know how he will react to various scenarios in our lives. Just when I'm ready to pronounce on what God's actions will be in a certain situation he comes up with an "instead." When its time to call down fire from heaven, Jesus says... "instead...". When its time to destroy Nineveh, God says... "instead...". When it looks like a good day for a stoning, Jesus says... "instead...". When the prodigal son is prepared to live the rest of his life in shame, the Father says... "instead...". When I've stubbornly gone my own way, again, and expect I've tried His patience one too many times, God says... "instead...". When someone I love disappoints me and I decide to walk away or give them the silent treatment, I think I'll say... "instead...". Wouldn't that be just like God. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5:1).
"Like water spilled on the ground which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him."
We think we know God. We think we know how he will react to various scenarios in our lives. Just when I'm ready to pronounce on what God's actions will be in a certain situation he comes up with an "instead." When its time to call down fire from heaven, Jesus says... "instead...". When its time to destroy Nineveh, God says... "instead...". When it looks like a good day for a stoning, Jesus says... "instead...". When the prodigal son is prepared to live the rest of his life in shame, the Father says... "instead...". When I've stubbornly gone my own way, again, and expect I've tried His patience one too many times, God says... "instead...". When someone I love disappoints me and I decide to walk away or give them the silent treatment, I think I'll say... "instead...". Wouldn't that be just like God. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5:1).
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
"God is not unjust..."
Continuing to Read Hebrews 6:7-12
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."
The encouragement continues, against the background of a solemn warning, and procedes to address a potential point of discouragement. There are some brief phrases that pop into our minds from time to time as we travel along this path of producing a useful harvest. Phrases such as "its not fair," "its not worth it," "I'm just wasting my time," "I'm not appreciated," "it doesn't make any difference anyway," sneak up on us and club us over the head. These are the points in our Christian life when we find ourselves standing there feeling rather stunned. Its a short leap from these rather general statements to the more specific: "God isn't fair." If it helps me to acknowledge the presence of these thoughts at points in my life, I can remember Jeremiah (accusing God of being a deceptive stream, sometimes there's water and sometimes its just dry), or Jonah (accusing God of loving the wrong people and of giving him a bummer of an assignment), etc.
Just so that there isn't any confusion about this the writer of this letter takes the time to say: "God is not unjust." God takes note of all the things you have done for Him as you have served your family, friends, and enemies. Others may take you for granted, fail to thank you, remember only the bad and forget all the good. But "God will not forget your work and ... love ...". Everything we do for one another in this world is taken as "love shown to God." The same God who forgets our sins is the God who never forgets our love. Keep on working at the harvest. God is watching with loving attention.
"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."
The encouragement continues, against the background of a solemn warning, and procedes to address a potential point of discouragement. There are some brief phrases that pop into our minds from time to time as we travel along this path of producing a useful harvest. Phrases such as "its not fair," "its not worth it," "I'm just wasting my time," "I'm not appreciated," "it doesn't make any difference anyway," sneak up on us and club us over the head. These are the points in our Christian life when we find ourselves standing there feeling rather stunned. Its a short leap from these rather general statements to the more specific: "God isn't fair." If it helps me to acknowledge the presence of these thoughts at points in my life, I can remember Jeremiah (accusing God of being a deceptive stream, sometimes there's water and sometimes its just dry), or Jonah (accusing God of loving the wrong people and of giving him a bummer of an assignment), etc.
Just so that there isn't any confusion about this the writer of this letter takes the time to say: "God is not unjust." God takes note of all the things you have done for Him as you have served your family, friends, and enemies. Others may take you for granted, fail to thank you, remember only the bad and forget all the good. But "God will not forget your work and ... love ...". Everything we do for one another in this world is taken as "love shown to God." The same God who forgets our sins is the God who never forgets our love. Keep on working at the harvest. God is watching with loving attention.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
"...we are confident of better things in your case..."
Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case - things that accompany salvation."
The warnings are serious, the acceptance of responsibility for my spiritual life is serious, the consequences for neglect are serious BUT "even though we speak like this" we need to realize that there is a very powerful positive force at work in our life. "We are confident of better things." There is reason to be confident concerning our own lives and the lives of those we love who are in Jesus that "better things" than thorns and thistles will come up out of the good soil on which the seed of God's word has fallen. This is the point of balance that God wants us to live our lives on. Living in tension with the warnings and the promises. Listening equally to the curses and the blessings. Do not be discouraged by the presence of thorns and thistles, take responsibility for them, own up to them, repent of them and be confident that better things are in store for those who have given their lives to Jesus. There are things "that accompany salvation" that are working themselves out in my life. I can be confident of this as I let God speak to me about my actions, attitudes, thoughts and desires.
Not everyone, of course is in the same "case" in this world, but "we are confident of better things in YOUR CASE."
"Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case - things that accompany salvation."
The warnings are serious, the acceptance of responsibility for my spiritual life is serious, the consequences for neglect are serious BUT "even though we speak like this" we need to realize that there is a very powerful positive force at work in our life. "We are confident of better things." There is reason to be confident concerning our own lives and the lives of those we love who are in Jesus that "better things" than thorns and thistles will come up out of the good soil on which the seed of God's word has fallen. This is the point of balance that God wants us to live our lives on. Living in tension with the warnings and the promises. Listening equally to the curses and the blessings. Do not be discouraged by the presence of thorns and thistles, take responsibility for them, own up to them, repent of them and be confident that better things are in store for those who have given their lives to Jesus. There are things "that accompany salvation" that are working themselves out in my life. I can be confident of this as I let God speak to me about my actions, attitudes, thoughts and desires.
Not everyone, of course is in the same "case" in this world, but "we are confident of better things in YOUR CASE."
Saturday, November 12, 2005
"Land that produces thorns and thistles..."
Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"Land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be destroyed."
It is abundantly easy to grow thorns and thistles, even on land (perhaps particularly on land) that previously has been cultivated for better crops. The recipe for growing weeds is neglect and inattention. No watering, fertilizing, or pruning is required. The takeover of the weeds makes the field "worthless," which is in stark contrast to the cultivated field, which is "useful."
We are here talking about the spiritual field that is our life. A spiritual field like this is not in a neutral position. It is "in danger." It runs a risk "of being cursed." Even a very good field has some content of weeds but danger to the harvest increases as weeds are allowed to multiply out of control. It is up to me to take responsibility for the weed content of my field. I value my field and keep a close eye on the invasion of weeds in my thoughts, my private life, my choices, and my relationships. I know that a field that gets out of control will not go on that way forever, there is an endpoint to every abandoned field: "it will be destroyed."
God has made us all landowners. How is the harvest coming along?
"Land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be destroyed."
It is abundantly easy to grow thorns and thistles, even on land (perhaps particularly on land) that previously has been cultivated for better crops. The recipe for growing weeds is neglect and inattention. No watering, fertilizing, or pruning is required. The takeover of the weeds makes the field "worthless," which is in stark contrast to the cultivated field, which is "useful."
We are here talking about the spiritual field that is our life. A spiritual field like this is not in a neutral position. It is "in danger." It runs a risk "of being cursed." Even a very good field has some content of weeds but danger to the harvest increases as weeds are allowed to multiply out of control. It is up to me to take responsibility for the weed content of my field. I value my field and keep a close eye on the invasion of weeds in my thoughts, my private life, my choices, and my relationships. I know that a field that gets out of control will not go on that way forever, there is an endpoint to every abandoned field: "it will be destroyed."
God has made us all landowners. How is the harvest coming along?
Monday, November 07, 2005
"Land ... that produces a crop ..."
Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
As one who has received so much from God, who "drinks in the rain," shouldn't something more come from this than just the quenching of my thirst? Some immediate questions arise:
1. What useful crop might I reasonably expect to produce?
First and foremost is character, a.k.a. "the fruit of the Holy Spirit," Christian humanism, the renewing of the image of God in us. This is what Jean Vanier calls the project of "Becoming Human." This is about giving attention to the quality of soil that all of our actions are eventually planted in and harvested from. Because right action is never enough. Our "righteous must excede that of the Scribes and Pharisees." Out of this good soil will arise all kinds of loving, joyful, peaceful...actions that will bless those around us.
2. Who are "those for whom it is farmed"?
This refers to both God and people. God is the immediate recipient of every crop we produce, whether good or evil. We bless God or curse God by all of our responses to his abundant rain upon the geography of our life. The people around us, in our circle of relationships, may glean in our fields all that is left there for them because we have been faithful in caring for the precious seed that God has scattered on our life and watered with his love.
3. What is "the blessing of God" that I should expect?
This is God's "favor." As in: "the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering..." (Gen. 4:4), "Whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 8:25), "A good man obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 12:2), and many others. It is God's smile, God's companionship, God's investment in my life.
I have certainly produced my share of thorns and thistles that didn't bless anyone but oh, that I would produce a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed.
I am land that drinks in the rain often falling on it...
I am land...that produces a useful crop...
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
As one who has received so much from God, who "drinks in the rain," shouldn't something more come from this than just the quenching of my thirst? Some immediate questions arise:
1. What useful crop might I reasonably expect to produce?
First and foremost is character, a.k.a. "the fruit of the Holy Spirit," Christian humanism, the renewing of the image of God in us. This is what Jean Vanier calls the project of "Becoming Human." This is about giving attention to the quality of soil that all of our actions are eventually planted in and harvested from. Because right action is never enough. Our "righteous must excede that of the Scribes and Pharisees." Out of this good soil will arise all kinds of loving, joyful, peaceful...actions that will bless those around us.
2. Who are "those for whom it is farmed"?
This refers to both God and people. God is the immediate recipient of every crop we produce, whether good or evil. We bless God or curse God by all of our responses to his abundant rain upon the geography of our life. The people around us, in our circle of relationships, may glean in our fields all that is left there for them because we have been faithful in caring for the precious seed that God has scattered on our life and watered with his love.
3. What is "the blessing of God" that I should expect?
This is God's "favor." As in: "the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering..." (Gen. 4:4), "Whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 8:25), "A good man obtains favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 12:2), and many others. It is God's smile, God's companionship, God's investment in my life.
I have certainly produced my share of thorns and thistles that didn't bless anyone but oh, that I would produce a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed.
I am land that drinks in the rain often falling on it...
I am land...that produces a useful crop...
Saturday, November 05, 2005
"Land that drinks in the rain..."
Reading Hebrews 6:7-12
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it..."
In a world of complaining and discontent, where nothing is ever good enough, fast enough, or accomodating enough it is a wonderfully contrary perspective to see myself as "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it." Many of us go through life feeling empty or at least feeling like some essential piece of the puzzle to our happiness is missing. We don't often think to challenge these vague feelings. We give them an authority and a prophetic voice in our life that is unwarranted.
The truth about me is that I am "land that drinks in the rain often falling on it." The truth about us is that God "has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (II Peter 1:3). If I don't challenge the feelings of deprivation I am subject to be mastered by them.
Often it never occurs to us that without any change in our circumstances we could think about our life in a radically different way. Give it a try.
"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it..."
In a world of complaining and discontent, where nothing is ever good enough, fast enough, or accomodating enough it is a wonderfully contrary perspective to see myself as "Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it." Many of us go through life feeling empty or at least feeling like some essential piece of the puzzle to our happiness is missing. We don't often think to challenge these vague feelings. We give them an authority and a prophetic voice in our life that is unwarranted.
The truth about me is that I am "land that drinks in the rain often falling on it." The truth about us is that God "has given us everything we need for life and godliness" (II Peter 1:3). If I don't challenge the feelings of deprivation I am subject to be mastered by them.
Often it never occurs to us that without any change in our circumstances we could think about our life in a radically different way. Give it a try.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
"...always be zealous for the fear of the Lord."
Reading Proverbs 23:17
"Do not let your heart envy sinners but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord."
The human heart is alive with desire and longing. When the heart is sick its desires turn towards those things that will eventually destroy it. What is my heart's desire today? Do I have a longing, a zeal for God and His ways? This is unnatural to the flesh and seems odd. The flesh desires sinful ways: "the mind of the flesh is death" but "the mind of the Spirit brings life and peace." I need God to instruct my heart in what the proper objects of desire are. The compass is off and I don't even know it. "There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is death." I have to be told to set my desire towards God. I have to be told not to envy sinners. Until I learn that I cannot trust my own heart I will always be going astray. How many times has my own heart led me over the brink? Unaided by the Spirit the human heart will always go astray. This is a law of Spiritual entropy.
"Do not let your heart envy sinners but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord."
The human heart is alive with desire and longing. When the heart is sick its desires turn towards those things that will eventually destroy it. What is my heart's desire today? Do I have a longing, a zeal for God and His ways? This is unnatural to the flesh and seems odd. The flesh desires sinful ways: "the mind of the flesh is death" but "the mind of the Spirit brings life and peace." I need God to instruct my heart in what the proper objects of desire are. The compass is off and I don't even know it. "There is a way that seems right to a man but the end of it is death." I have to be told to set my desire towards God. I have to be told not to envy sinners. Until I learn that I cannot trust my own heart I will always be going astray. How many times has my own heart led me over the brink? Unaided by the Spirit the human heart will always go astray. This is a law of Spiritual entropy.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
"See to it..."
Reading Hebrews 3:12-15
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."
The Biblical writers are unequivocal about where the responsibility lies for our spiritual condition. We are addressed directly: "See to it...". There are no exceptions: "that none of you...". We play games with ourselves where we imagine that in our case we are not responsible. Some other person or group of people, some other circumstance, some disability or limitation provides me with an exemption from responsibility for the spiritual condition I find myself in. I need to keep looking until I can find someone or something else that can "see to it" that I don't turn away from God. And of course I don't have far to look. There are all kinds of candidates for this role. The church is one of the biggest enablers in this regard. We have professional worship leaders who take responsibility for providing me with a meaningful worship experience, there are professional men and women of God who make sure I hear what God is saying to me on Sunday, someone else takes responsibility for my children's spiritual growth, etc. I pull in to church on Sunday like I pull in to the gas station. "Fill me up." The contemporary church environment breeds dependence. The problem with dependence is that when I am alone I have no resources of my own, someone else is the keeper of my resources. And I am alone most of the time, without my Sunday resources, away from the people "whoose job it is" to see that I don't turn away from God. Can I be blamed for straying under these circumstances?
"See to it..." Take responsibility for your own spiritual life. Worship God, listen to His Word, practice the truth, speak up for God in your world. Only then will other believers be of any use to you. "But encourage one another daily..." (v. 13). Encouragement does not take my responsibility away from me, it supports me in my choice to live for God. My family, my friends, my church, do not "see to it" that I live out the abundant life of Christ. They simply add more joy to a journey that I have chosen for myself because of my own convictions.
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."
The Biblical writers are unequivocal about where the responsibility lies for our spiritual condition. We are addressed directly: "See to it...". There are no exceptions: "that none of you...". We play games with ourselves where we imagine that in our case we are not responsible. Some other person or group of people, some other circumstance, some disability or limitation provides me with an exemption from responsibility for the spiritual condition I find myself in. I need to keep looking until I can find someone or something else that can "see to it" that I don't turn away from God. And of course I don't have far to look. There are all kinds of candidates for this role. The church is one of the biggest enablers in this regard. We have professional worship leaders who take responsibility for providing me with a meaningful worship experience, there are professional men and women of God who make sure I hear what God is saying to me on Sunday, someone else takes responsibility for my children's spiritual growth, etc. I pull in to church on Sunday like I pull in to the gas station. "Fill me up." The contemporary church environment breeds dependence. The problem with dependence is that when I am alone I have no resources of my own, someone else is the keeper of my resources. And I am alone most of the time, without my Sunday resources, away from the people "whoose job it is" to see that I don't turn away from God. Can I be blamed for straying under these circumstances?
"See to it..." Take responsibility for your own spiritual life. Worship God, listen to His Word, practice the truth, speak up for God in your world. Only then will other believers be of any use to you. "But encourage one another daily..." (v. 13). Encouragement does not take my responsibility away from me, it supports me in my choice to live for God. My family, my friends, my church, do not "see to it" that I live out the abundant life of Christ. They simply add more joy to a journey that I have chosen for myself because of my own convictions.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
"...if you hear His voice..."
Reading Hebrews 3:7-11
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..."
In chapter two we were encouraged to "pay more careful attention to what we have heard." Attention is the first step towards transformation but this passage shows that transformation does not follow automatically from attention. We can give God our full attention so that we hear and understand his heart but fail to be changed by it. The rich young ruler asked Jesus a very insightful question and received an answer that led him to ask an even deeper and more personal question. Jesus gave him an answer that would have been transforming and the rich young man understood the answer in its depth, which is why he went away sad. Having grasped something of who Jesus was, having understood his own heart and the heart of Jesus, and having fully grasped Jesus words to him he chose to walk away. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...". It is at the point where action and obedience is required that we may surrender and release all or we may hold to what has become our God and walk away with sadness. This drama is playing itself out over and over again in the lives of people who have heard Gods voice. This is not about those who do not hear from God. This is about people who know the voice of God and say 'no.' 'This is a hard saying, who can hear it?'
Having heard and said "no" it is impossible to avoid going away sad. Attention to the word accompanied by affirmation of the word is transforming, liberating, and life-giving.
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..."
In chapter two we were encouraged to "pay more careful attention to what we have heard." Attention is the first step towards transformation but this passage shows that transformation does not follow automatically from attention. We can give God our full attention so that we hear and understand his heart but fail to be changed by it. The rich young ruler asked Jesus a very insightful question and received an answer that led him to ask an even deeper and more personal question. Jesus gave him an answer that would have been transforming and the rich young man understood the answer in its depth, which is why he went away sad. Having grasped something of who Jesus was, having understood his own heart and the heart of Jesus, and having fully grasped Jesus words to him he chose to walk away. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts...". It is at the point where action and obedience is required that we may surrender and release all or we may hold to what has become our God and walk away with sadness. This drama is playing itself out over and over again in the lives of people who have heard Gods voice. This is not about those who do not hear from God. This is about people who know the voice of God and say 'no.' 'This is a hard saying, who can hear it?'
Having heard and said "no" it is impossible to avoid going away sad. Attention to the word accompanied by affirmation of the word is transforming, liberating, and life-giving.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Drift
Reading Hebrews 2:1
"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
Drift is a problem for anyone who has somewhere to go. (Of course there is the proverbial 'drifter' of the classic Western movie but this is actually a totally unrelated phenomenon - more akin to the Biblical 'lost'). The drifter, or potential drifter, of Hebrews 2 is someone who has found a path in life that is full of hope and promise. Drift in this case threatens to lead us away from great gain and into great loss. The emphasis here, however, is on drifting away because the writer wants to remind us of all that we have found in Jesus. Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Drifting away from my rest in Jesus and back to weariness and burden is not something I really want to have happen. Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink...streams of living water will flow from within." Drifting away from living water and back to unquenchable thirst is not something I want to have happen in my life. We could go on and on with this but you can see how much we would want to avoid drift.
The writer tells us that there is only one solution for the problem of 'drift' and that is 'attention.' Attention is a cultivated state of elevated awareness. The word "attention" has deep roots in the history of Christian spirituality. Many traditional spiritual exercises begin with a call to attention before God. Attention is a relationship enhancer. All of our relationships are enriched through attention. Attention to the words of God is the way to keep from drifting away from every good thing that I have come to enjoy in and through Jesus. The writer says that we must "pay more careful attention. The problem is not one of hearing or even of being able to repeat back what we have heard. The problem is that most of the time we are only half listening to God. We give assent: "yes, yes, I heard you." The challenge is to listen in such a way that when God speaks we "get it." We get what his heart is, we get his logic, we get his deep desires for us and for our life.
The project for this next week: try to listen more intently to the voice of God as you read his Word. Your relationship will deepen and you will inhibit the drift away from God. Try to expand this to include all of your other relationships. Become as conscious as possible of how well you listen and of how prepared you are to respond warmly and lovingly to what you have heard.
"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
Drift is a problem for anyone who has somewhere to go. (Of course there is the proverbial 'drifter' of the classic Western movie but this is actually a totally unrelated phenomenon - more akin to the Biblical 'lost'). The drifter, or potential drifter, of Hebrews 2 is someone who has found a path in life that is full of hope and promise. Drift in this case threatens to lead us away from great gain and into great loss. The emphasis here, however, is on drifting away because the writer wants to remind us of all that we have found in Jesus. Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Drifting away from my rest in Jesus and back to weariness and burden is not something I really want to have happen. Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink...streams of living water will flow from within." Drifting away from living water and back to unquenchable thirst is not something I want to have happen in my life. We could go on and on with this but you can see how much we would want to avoid drift.
The writer tells us that there is only one solution for the problem of 'drift' and that is 'attention.' Attention is a cultivated state of elevated awareness. The word "attention" has deep roots in the history of Christian spirituality. Many traditional spiritual exercises begin with a call to attention before God. Attention is a relationship enhancer. All of our relationships are enriched through attention. Attention to the words of God is the way to keep from drifting away from every good thing that I have come to enjoy in and through Jesus. The writer says that we must "pay more careful attention. The problem is not one of hearing or even of being able to repeat back what we have heard. The problem is that most of the time we are only half listening to God. We give assent: "yes, yes, I heard you." The challenge is to listen in such a way that when God speaks we "get it." We get what his heart is, we get his logic, we get his deep desires for us and for our life.
The project for this next week: try to listen more intently to the voice of God as you read his Word. Your relationship will deepen and you will inhibit the drift away from God. Try to expand this to include all of your other relationships. Become as conscious as possible of how well you listen and of how prepared you are to respond warmly and lovingly to what you have heard.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Thanks for Nothing, God!
Thank you for nothing, God! Thank you for doing nothing about the things I am suffering because you know that the place I have to get to is through these sufferings. Thank you for not answering me when I pray to you because you want me to learn to trust you even when you are silent. Thank you for denying me those things I think I need so that I can see that I need you most of all. Thank you for occasionally sticking your foot out and tripping me so that I don't spend my whole life on the run. Thank you for the vacuum at the center of my being that refuses to be filled with any of the things of this world for this is what Solomon speaks of as "eternity in the heart." Thank you for nothing. Thank you for everything.
Double Homicide in Church: God Wanted for Questioning
Acts 5:1-11
Reflection: on things kept secret from myself, others, and God.
Reflection: on things kept secret from myself, others, and God.
Monday, October 24, 2005
"...but whoever listens to me will live..."
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"...BUT whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
God has nothing but the best in mind for us. He does not want us to have the short circuited life that we keep on choosing for ourselves. He has opened the door to the whole universe, to the entire created order, to wonder, and to abundance of everything. If we listen to him we can have it with peace, and freedom from fear and anxiety. Of course something as big as a universe is filled with risk and high stakes options. For the one who listens to God the Universe is an Everest to be climbed, exhilarating despite the frightening heights, unpredictable weather, and short supply of oxygen at the higher elevations. We are drawn upward in God to enter into everything his creation has to offer. I haven't ventured too far yet but I hear God calling and I know that he is out there waiting for me on every towering peak, in every shadowy valley, in all of life's desert places, in every conversation where I encounter his image and reflection. What he wants for me is beyond anything I am even capable of dreaming of. Too bad I can so rarely let go of the little world of my own dreams and jump into the ocean of his will for me.
The "but" at the beginning of these last couple of phrases is a big hurdle to get over. If it were only as simple as that... Oh, I would live a much bigger life if only I would "listen" to my God. I can hear all too well but it is so hard to "listen." Hearing is physical and I'm in reasonably good physical shape but "listening" is spiritual and I'm a little out of shape in that department. I am so terribly inclined to listen to me that I can only listen to God through a series of filters that I have constructed for what I think are my own best purposes. The only way I will throw out those filters and let God speak unhindered is if I really trust Him. Imagine someone not trusting God. I mean, if you can't trust God who can you trust? But isn't this the real obstacle to my moving from being an arm chair spiritual adventurer to actually getting up and leaving this safe little world by the front door? If I want to apply what I am learning from this little paragraph that I have found at the beginning of a book of wisdom I will have to confront my lack of trust in God. I am not "listening" because in the end I believe that I always know better than God what is best for me. This is a nice little insight but insight is not transforming. Doing is transforming. My next opportunity comes when God says "get out of the boat" and I jump in the water.
"...BUT whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
God has nothing but the best in mind for us. He does not want us to have the short circuited life that we keep on choosing for ourselves. He has opened the door to the whole universe, to the entire created order, to wonder, and to abundance of everything. If we listen to him we can have it with peace, and freedom from fear and anxiety. Of course something as big as a universe is filled with risk and high stakes options. For the one who listens to God the Universe is an Everest to be climbed, exhilarating despite the frightening heights, unpredictable weather, and short supply of oxygen at the higher elevations. We are drawn upward in God to enter into everything his creation has to offer. I haven't ventured too far yet but I hear God calling and I know that he is out there waiting for me on every towering peak, in every shadowy valley, in all of life's desert places, in every conversation where I encounter his image and reflection. What he wants for me is beyond anything I am even capable of dreaming of. Too bad I can so rarely let go of the little world of my own dreams and jump into the ocean of his will for me.
The "but" at the beginning of these last couple of phrases is a big hurdle to get over. If it were only as simple as that... Oh, I would live a much bigger life if only I would "listen" to my God. I can hear all too well but it is so hard to "listen." Hearing is physical and I'm in reasonably good physical shape but "listening" is spiritual and I'm a little out of shape in that department. I am so terribly inclined to listen to me that I can only listen to God through a series of filters that I have constructed for what I think are my own best purposes. The only way I will throw out those filters and let God speak unhindered is if I really trust Him. Imagine someone not trusting God. I mean, if you can't trust God who can you trust? But isn't this the real obstacle to my moving from being an arm chair spiritual adventurer to actually getting up and leaving this safe little world by the front door? If I want to apply what I am learning from this little paragraph that I have found at the beginning of a book of wisdom I will have to confront my lack of trust in God. I am not "listening" because in the end I believe that I always know better than God what is best for me. This is a nice little insight but insight is not transforming. Doing is transforming. My next opportunity comes when God says "get out of the boat" and I jump in the water.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
"...the complacency of fools will destroy them..."
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"...the complacency of fools will destroy them..."
Complacency: the Black Hole of the spirit. How many hopes, dreams, and ambitions have been swallowed up and crushed into invisibility by its powerful gravity. The most dangerous aspect of it is that complacency is not an unpleasant experience, quite the contrary. I have read that if you are caught out in freezing conditions without adequate protection you will pass through a period of pain and extreme cold to a place where you begin to feel warm and sleepy and all you want to do is sit down and rest for a while. Complacency at this point is certain death. It is at this point that you have to make every effort to rouse yourself.
In my complacency I may no longer get the connection between the match (which is fun to play with) and the fire (which burns down the house). The "fool" in the Bible is not a low functioning or mentally challenged person. The fool is the one who fails to acknowledge God, who fails to connect act with consequence, who looks to his own self for the moral compass in life. The fool is the person who builds a city but has no walls or boundaries to protect it.
No matter where you are at in your spiritual journey or how hard it has been: Don't sit down now. Rouse yourself. "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14). This verse is followed by "be very careful, then, how you live." I may feel comfortable in a very lost condition but it doesn't mean that I am safe.
What will I do today to get on with my journey?
"...the complacency of fools will destroy them..."
Complacency: the Black Hole of the spirit. How many hopes, dreams, and ambitions have been swallowed up and crushed into invisibility by its powerful gravity. The most dangerous aspect of it is that complacency is not an unpleasant experience, quite the contrary. I have read that if you are caught out in freezing conditions without adequate protection you will pass through a period of pain and extreme cold to a place where you begin to feel warm and sleepy and all you want to do is sit down and rest for a while. Complacency at this point is certain death. It is at this point that you have to make every effort to rouse yourself.
In my complacency I may no longer get the connection between the match (which is fun to play with) and the fire (which burns down the house). The "fool" in the Bible is not a low functioning or mentally challenged person. The fool is the one who fails to acknowledge God, who fails to connect act with consequence, who looks to his own self for the moral compass in life. The fool is the person who builds a city but has no walls or boundaries to protect it.
No matter where you are at in your spiritual journey or how hard it has been: Don't sit down now. Rouse yourself. "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14). This verse is followed by "be very careful, then, how you live." I may feel comfortable in a very lost condition but it doesn't mean that I am safe.
What will I do today to get on with my journey?
Saturday, October 22, 2005
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them..."
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them..."
Waywardness is the tendency to wander off without really giving your destination any thought. If life is meaningless there is no such thing as waywardness. No path means anything and no destination is any better than another. Waywardness is only a problem for those who believe that life has meaning and value and who believe that some choices are better than others. It is a particular problem for those who believe in the existence of a God who has revealed something of his character and of his plan for his creation.
A tendency to waywardness means constant delays in my journey to love, joy, peace and freedom. Enough waywardness will "kill" this journey altogether. Waywardness has nothing to do with spontaneity or serendipity. It has to do with undercutting my own future and my own best desires for myself.
There are a few things I need to know about this in order to protect myself. The first thing is, what are those areas in which I am most likely to go astray? If I know myself at all I can list them all very quickly. The second thing I need to know is why I choose to take a path that is destructive for me. This is more complex and requires a deeper level of honesty. Here I will have to admit to myself what my real values are (as opposed to my stated values), what my beliefs about the likelyhood of consequences are, and what I think the wayward behavior is going to do for me (i.e. my reward system).
In the end what we have is a clash of values. I think my waywardness will enrich my life, God thinks it will kill me. One of us is wrong.
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them..."
Waywardness is the tendency to wander off without really giving your destination any thought. If life is meaningless there is no such thing as waywardness. No path means anything and no destination is any better than another. Waywardness is only a problem for those who believe that life has meaning and value and who believe that some choices are better than others. It is a particular problem for those who believe in the existence of a God who has revealed something of his character and of his plan for his creation.
A tendency to waywardness means constant delays in my journey to love, joy, peace and freedom. Enough waywardness will "kill" this journey altogether. Waywardness has nothing to do with spontaneity or serendipity. It has to do with undercutting my own future and my own best desires for myself.
There are a few things I need to know about this in order to protect myself. The first thing is, what are those areas in which I am most likely to go astray? If I know myself at all I can list them all very quickly. The second thing I need to know is why I choose to take a path that is destructive for me. This is more complex and requires a deeper level of honesty. Here I will have to admit to myself what my real values are (as opposed to my stated values), what my beliefs about the likelyhood of consequences are, and what I think the wayward behavior is going to do for me (i.e. my reward system).
In the end what we have is a clash of values. I think my waywardness will enrich my life, God thinks it will kill me. One of us is wrong.
Friday, October 21, 2005
"...they will eat the fruit of their ways..."
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"...they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes."
You don't plant a fruit tree one day and come out looking for something to eat the next. The fruit is a long time coming, you can grow your trees and see no harvest, you can even enjoy the beautiful blossoms in the spring. One day, though, there it is in all of its abundance. It is this way with the lifestyle we live. If we hated knowledge, chose not to fear God, rejected his advice, and spurned his rebuke, one day the harvest will be there in full fruit. It is too late when you have spent years growing apple trees to decide that you want to eat oranges. So...
"...they will eat the fruit of their ways..." I won't eat the fruit of someone else's way or the fruit of my parents ways or the fruit I have dreamed of eating. I will eat the fruit, and only the fruit, that I have planted and cultivated and waited for. To eat it is to make a meal of it, it is what is on the table, it is what was prepared and it is the only thing that is available now.
Note that "...they will eat the fruit of their ways..." This is about the choices that I've made. It is not about my circumstances, not about how my parents treated me, not about "getting the right breaks." These "ways" are whole patterns of thought and behavior that have become so habitual to me that I no longer reflect on them or even notice them. These are patterns of self-destructive choices. These become the norm for me and doing anything else comes to feel uncomfortable and unreal. Any "way" can become completely normalized, can become a natural part of the system of my life. Only letting God speak continually to my life can illuminate these terrible paths. Only being willing to let God call black, white (because this is how it will seem to me) will start me on the path to change, only careful vigilance will keep me on the right path.
"...and be filled with the fruit of their schemes." "Filled..." It comes to take over everything. The consequences reach into every area of living. This comes to be so even though at first these destructive ways may be kept secret, may be confined to just one area of my life, may not have even begun to touch on my reputation. Seeds are designed to grow. The acorn is not an acorn forever.
Often I will not stop practicing my destructive ways because I am convinced that these ways are really harmless, won't hurt me, or are only hurting me and no one else. The most destructive choices can seem perfectly harmless after they have been practiced for a while.
If I'm going to be the watcher on the wall of my life then I had better be willing to acknowledge where the wall has been breeched, or some day I may find myself completely overwhelmed by the enemy. God is extending himself to spare me from all of this. Do I want His help?
"...they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes."
You don't plant a fruit tree one day and come out looking for something to eat the next. The fruit is a long time coming, you can grow your trees and see no harvest, you can even enjoy the beautiful blossoms in the spring. One day, though, there it is in all of its abundance. It is this way with the lifestyle we live. If we hated knowledge, chose not to fear God, rejected his advice, and spurned his rebuke, one day the harvest will be there in full fruit. It is too late when you have spent years growing apple trees to decide that you want to eat oranges. So...
"...they will eat the fruit of their ways..." I won't eat the fruit of someone else's way or the fruit of my parents ways or the fruit I have dreamed of eating. I will eat the fruit, and only the fruit, that I have planted and cultivated and waited for. To eat it is to make a meal of it, it is what is on the table, it is what was prepared and it is the only thing that is available now.
Note that "...they will eat the fruit of their ways..." This is about the choices that I've made. It is not about my circumstances, not about how my parents treated me, not about "getting the right breaks." These "ways" are whole patterns of thought and behavior that have become so habitual to me that I no longer reflect on them or even notice them. These are patterns of self-destructive choices. These become the norm for me and doing anything else comes to feel uncomfortable and unreal. Any "way" can become completely normalized, can become a natural part of the system of my life. Only letting God speak continually to my life can illuminate these terrible paths. Only being willing to let God call black, white (because this is how it will seem to me) will start me on the path to change, only careful vigilance will keep me on the right path.
"...and be filled with the fruit of their schemes." "Filled..." It comes to take over everything. The consequences reach into every area of living. This comes to be so even though at first these destructive ways may be kept secret, may be confined to just one area of my life, may not have even begun to touch on my reputation. Seeds are designed to grow. The acorn is not an acorn forever.
Often I will not stop practicing my destructive ways because I am convinced that these ways are really harmless, won't hurt me, or are only hurting me and no one else. The most destructive choices can seem perfectly harmless after they have been practiced for a while.
If I'm going to be the watcher on the wall of my life then I had better be willing to acknowledge where the wall has been breeched, or some day I may find myself completely overwhelmed by the enemy. God is extending himself to spare me from all of this. Do I want His help?
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
"Since...they spurned my rebuke"
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"Since...they spurned my rebuke..."
Knowledge...advice...rebuke. There is a progression here, from the general to the personal, from teaching to direction to correction. Rebuke is the last stop before the consequences of our actions must finally take effect. For this reason rebuke is a gracious action, a generous intervention. I have been stung by God's rebuke but I am so thankful that it arrested me before the full fruit of my foolish choices were realized. If we push aside the rebuke we are going over the edge, no doubt about it. In Romans chapter one Paul shows that pushing God away in our choices takes us through a series of downward steps: "Therefore God gave them over... (v24) ... Because of this, God gave them over to ... (v26) since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to ... (v28)."
The person of "self-control" learns how to avoid rejecting God's rebuke.
No one likes to be told. We become offended at being corrected. We aren't going to take it. Rebuke is another serious blow to our pride. Usually, by the time we are rebuked, it means that we have seriously stepped out of line. To accept the rebuke, then, forces a radical change upon us. But I don't want to change, I'm still enjoying my rebellious ways and I have all kinds of reasons to justify them. The rebuke hangs in the air while I go on and on until... Until the "since...then" process has come to its end point. Can I repent at this point and stop the process? This is a very good 'theoretical question.' But here is a better 'non-theoretical' question: When I let myself go to the point where I am fully engaged in my behaviors will I want to repent and give them up? The first question assumes that the further along I go the more free I will be to give up the behaviors. Just the opposite is true, I become more and more trapped by my own choices.
"Do not be deceived...whatever a man sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
"Since...they spurned my rebuke..."
Knowledge...advice...rebuke. There is a progression here, from the general to the personal, from teaching to direction to correction. Rebuke is the last stop before the consequences of our actions must finally take effect. For this reason rebuke is a gracious action, a generous intervention. I have been stung by God's rebuke but I am so thankful that it arrested me before the full fruit of my foolish choices were realized. If we push aside the rebuke we are going over the edge, no doubt about it. In Romans chapter one Paul shows that pushing God away in our choices takes us through a series of downward steps: "Therefore God gave them over... (v24) ... Because of this, God gave them over to ... (v26) since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to ... (v28)."
The person of "self-control" learns how to avoid rejecting God's rebuke.
No one likes to be told. We become offended at being corrected. We aren't going to take it. Rebuke is another serious blow to our pride. Usually, by the time we are rebuked, it means that we have seriously stepped out of line. To accept the rebuke, then, forces a radical change upon us. But I don't want to change, I'm still enjoying my rebellious ways and I have all kinds of reasons to justify them. The rebuke hangs in the air while I go on and on until... Until the "since...then" process has come to its end point. Can I repent at this point and stop the process? This is a very good 'theoretical question.' But here is a better 'non-theoretical' question: When I let myself go to the point where I am fully engaged in my behaviors will I want to repent and give them up? The first question assumes that the further along I go the more free I will be to give up the behaviors. Just the opposite is true, I become more and more trapped by my own choices.
"Do not be deceived...whatever a man sows, that will he also reap." Galatians 6:7
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
"Since they would not accept my advice..."
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"Since they would not accept my advice..."
The "since" awaits a "then." God's advice is the only thing that can enable us to avoid the "since...then" process. It is the only thing that can prevent the inevitable flow of consequences that arise from our poorly informed choices.
It is a remarkable fact that God offers advice to anyone willing to listen. We have a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. Obviously there is a big market for advice. Yet God complains that his advice has not been accepted. Unless I view myself as a very rare exception I have to ask myself why I am so reluctant to accept God's advice about how to live in this world. There is something in me that is all too ready to reject God. Yes, in me. It would help to identify some of those things that make me so resistant to the advice of God through his word. A few things come to mind immeditately:
1. I want to be in control of my life.
2. I believe that I know myself and my circumstances better than God does.
3. I think that following God's advice will deprive me of all kinds of enjoyable experiences.
4. I think that God's ways are just too hard.
These reflect a set of myths that I live by:
1. I am in control of my life.
Result of living out this myth: My life is always out of control.
2. I know what is best for me.
Result of living out this myth: I keep making the same stupid mistakes.
3. Sin adds a little colour to my otherwise black and white life.
Result of living out this myth: I'm always asking, 'where is the abundant life Jesus promised?'
4. Doing what I want is the easiest path in life.
Result of living out this myth: I'm always walking a hard path.
I could go on and on.
The Christian life can be complicated or simple:
1. Complicated.
I analyze God's will with respect to every issue in my life and try to decide whether I can live with it or not, whether it will cost me or not, what other people will think of this, what I will lose and what I will gain, etc.
2. Simple.
I decide God's will is always the best thing for me. I take his advice.
"Since they would not accept my advice..."
The "since" awaits a "then." God's advice is the only thing that can enable us to avoid the "since...then" process. It is the only thing that can prevent the inevitable flow of consequences that arise from our poorly informed choices.
It is a remarkable fact that God offers advice to anyone willing to listen. We have a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. Obviously there is a big market for advice. Yet God complains that his advice has not been accepted. Unless I view myself as a very rare exception I have to ask myself why I am so reluctant to accept God's advice about how to live in this world. There is something in me that is all too ready to reject God. Yes, in me. It would help to identify some of those things that make me so resistant to the advice of God through his word. A few things come to mind immeditately:
1. I want to be in control of my life.
2. I believe that I know myself and my circumstances better than God does.
3. I think that following God's advice will deprive me of all kinds of enjoyable experiences.
4. I think that God's ways are just too hard.
These reflect a set of myths that I live by:
1. I am in control of my life.
Result of living out this myth: My life is always out of control.
2. I know what is best for me.
Result of living out this myth: I keep making the same stupid mistakes.
3. Sin adds a little colour to my otherwise black and white life.
Result of living out this myth: I'm always asking, 'where is the abundant life Jesus promised?'
4. Doing what I want is the easiest path in life.
Result of living out this myth: I'm always walking a hard path.
I could go on and on.
The Christian life can be complicated or simple:
1. Complicated.
I analyze God's will with respect to every issue in my life and try to decide whether I can live with it or not, whether it will cost me or not, what other people will think of this, what I will lose and what I will gain, etc.
2. Simple.
I decide God's will is always the best thing for me. I take his advice.
Monday, October 17, 2005
"Since...they did not choose to fear the Lord"
Continuing to read Proverbs 1:29-33
"Since...they did not choose to fear the Lord"
"Choose is a powerful word. It is a building block for the city wall of the believer. It speaks of freedom and purpose. It speaks of a life that is directed, that has clear boundaries and that has established a basis by which things can be accepted or rejected. In this case the choice "to fear the Lord" indicates that I have made a decision to play life by God's rules. Its not important that I have never made such a decision before. I can make it today. I can choose a new path. Its not important that I have made this decision many times before. I must make it afresh today. I must intend it today as straight-forwardly as if it was the first time I set myself in this direction.
As I begin this day and continue in it do I "choose to fear the Lord?" If I don't empower myself by making this choice I will be subject to the phenomena of random choices. These random choices will be based on negative events in my life, emotions, desires, unfulfilled needs, the influence and control of others, the negative pull of the sinful nature. I may be motivated by the best of intentions but the only way to avoid being subject to the risks of random choices is to choose God and his truth afresh each day.
"Since they did not choose..." points towards the consequences that are revealed later in the passage.
"Like a city whoose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control" (Prov. 25:28)
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
"Since...they did not choose to fear the Lord"
"Choose is a powerful word. It is a building block for the city wall of the believer. It speaks of freedom and purpose. It speaks of a life that is directed, that has clear boundaries and that has established a basis by which things can be accepted or rejected. In this case the choice "to fear the Lord" indicates that I have made a decision to play life by God's rules. Its not important that I have never made such a decision before. I can make it today. I can choose a new path. Its not important that I have made this decision many times before. I must make it afresh today. I must intend it today as straight-forwardly as if it was the first time I set myself in this direction.
As I begin this day and continue in it do I "choose to fear the Lord?" If I don't empower myself by making this choice I will be subject to the phenomena of random choices. These random choices will be based on negative events in my life, emotions, desires, unfulfilled needs, the influence and control of others, the negative pull of the sinful nature. I may be motivated by the best of intentions but the only way to avoid being subject to the risks of random choices is to choose God and his truth afresh each day.
"Since they did not choose..." points towards the consequences that are revealed later in the passage.
"Like a city whoose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control" (Prov. 25:28)
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
Sunday, October 16, 2005
"Since they hated knowledge..."
Reading Proverbs 1:29-33.
"Since they hated knowledge..."
The "Since" is ominous and foreboding. It suggests consequences. Something unpleasant is coming, something undefined, undated, but coming nonetheless. More on that later in the passage but for now listen to this inditement: "they hated knowledge." Nevermind "them", what about "me." Am I "them?" Is this another case of "We have met the enemy and he is us?" Although we live in a "knowledge based society" there are still things we do not want to know. Do I want to know what God has to say about my life, about the world I live in, about where the boundaries belong in my life, about how I speak and act, about my secret thoughts and attitudes, about who I hate and who I love. Knowing these things might seem to restrict my freedom of choice so I may choose not to attend to them. There is a preference for ignorance when knowledge threatens to afflict the conscience or stand in the way of sin. Do I have such a preference for ignorance?
This hatred for knowledge can take many forms. I can avoid the venues of knowledge, the places where the truth is communicated clearly, whether that is sitting quietly before the Word of God or gathering with others who are seeking truth. I can visit these venues but tune out, be somewhere else. I can show up and appear to be a lover of knowledge while all the while being its enemy. This is all about being honest before God. It really isn't about other people at all. Its about what is going on at the most fundamental level of relationship, the relationship between myself and the living God. Are we in honest conversation today?
This meditation appears to be about hatred but it is really about love. What do I love? Do I love the voice of God and welcome his life giving words? Do I love his ways, thoughts and attitudes? Do I love his Kingdom more than the Kingdom of this world?
This could be a day in which I celebrate my love for the voice of God.
"Since they hated knowledge..."
The "Since" is ominous and foreboding. It suggests consequences. Something unpleasant is coming, something undefined, undated, but coming nonetheless. More on that later in the passage but for now listen to this inditement: "they hated knowledge." Nevermind "them", what about "me." Am I "them?" Is this another case of "We have met the enemy and he is us?" Although we live in a "knowledge based society" there are still things we do not want to know. Do I want to know what God has to say about my life, about the world I live in, about where the boundaries belong in my life, about how I speak and act, about my secret thoughts and attitudes, about who I hate and who I love. Knowing these things might seem to restrict my freedom of choice so I may choose not to attend to them. There is a preference for ignorance when knowledge threatens to afflict the conscience or stand in the way of sin. Do I have such a preference for ignorance?
This hatred for knowledge can take many forms. I can avoid the venues of knowledge, the places where the truth is communicated clearly, whether that is sitting quietly before the Word of God or gathering with others who are seeking truth. I can visit these venues but tune out, be somewhere else. I can show up and appear to be a lover of knowledge while all the while being its enemy. This is all about being honest before God. It really isn't about other people at all. Its about what is going on at the most fundamental level of relationship, the relationship between myself and the living God. Are we in honest conversation today?
This meditation appears to be about hatred but it is really about love. What do I love? Do I love the voice of God and welcome his life giving words? Do I love his ways, thoughts and attitudes? Do I love his Kingdom more than the Kingdom of this world?
This could be a day in which I celebrate my love for the voice of God.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Taking Responsibility for Myself
When I adopt self-control as a core value I am taking responsibility for my life. I recognize that I have vulnerabilities that need to be defended and I am prepared to invest something in the process. This is not about the iron will, becoming so strong in myself that I can never be fooled into betraying myself. It is about the strong wall, about all the allusions in the Bible to God as "a strong tower", "a shelter", "a refuge", "a very present help in time of trouble", "a rock", etc. My relationship with God is my source of self-control.
Am I aware that there are forces in the world that are very intentionally seeking to destroy every bit of my self-control? Smart advertisers do not simply attempt to get us to purchase one product, they attempt to bring us into a mindset where we will not say no to anything. Billions of dollars are invested annually in assaulting our defenses and in ensuring that we will rarely say no to our wants and desires. AKMA recently drew my attention to a particularly illustrative example of this. You can find the whole post here. This illustration is taken from an advertising mailing for Forth & Towne, a Gap owned chain of women's clothing stores. Here are some excerpts from the mail out:
Am I aware that there are forces in the world that are very intentionally seeking to destroy every bit of my self-control? Smart advertisers do not simply attempt to get us to purchase one product, they attempt to bring us into a mindset where we will not say no to anything. Billions of dollars are invested annually in assaulting our defenses and in ensuring that we will rarely say no to our wants and desires. AKMA recently drew my attention to a particularly illustrative example of this. You can find the whole post here. This illustration is taken from an advertising mailing for Forth & Towne, a Gap owned chain of women's clothing stores. Here are some excerpts from the mail out:
“It’s not just about the clothes. It’s about being inspired. It’s about being indulgent.”
“Develop a fetish for leisure time. . . .” “Show up with an entourage. . . .” “Commit random acts of indulgence. . . . It’s about treating yourself to an experience in shopping where you are the center of attention. Isn’t it about time?”
If we adopt this philosophy of life we will have no walls, we will run out of vocabulary for saying "no" to ourselves, we will be at the mercy of the will of others. Philosophy of life cannot be compartmentalized, this will not stop at shopping. This is not simply advertising, it is social engineering. Listening to God gives us a complete vocabulary that includes both affirmation and negation and that instructs us in the proper use of both. God is about peace, freedom, joy, love, and LIFE. The downside of failing to exercise self-control is that I will be subject to the control of others. How many of my daily choices are really my own and how many have been engineered by other powers seeking to exploit my vulnerabilities, my lack of walls?
Friday, October 14, 2005
Only a Matter of Time
The wise saying that themes this blog may be 3000 years old but it offers to spare the attentive listener a world of grief. The Berlin Wall may have come down and the Great Wall of China may be no more than a historical artifact but the need for walls has only increased in the 21st century. We have gated communities, the Israeli "wall of separation", fire walls for our computers, and walls around most of our valuable and vulnerable assets. The "fact of the wall" in the physical world is a handy metaphor for the need for walls in the world of the human soul.
For the most part walls are a nuisance. Walls are expensive, cause separation, restrict access, spoil the view, and serve no useful purpose 99 per cent of the time. A strong case can be made for the abandonment and neglect of walls.
A city with no walls in ancient times was vulnerable to attack from any enemy on any side. Most of the time the city is safe without a wall, but it is only a matter of time...and then the abscence of a wall is a scenario for disaster. This is the metaphor that Solomon is calling up for us. Even though I may not have put any effort into my spiritual defenses my life can go along quite smoothly, day after day, week after week, but it is only a matter of time...
The spiritual wall is our cultivated relationship with God. This relationship provides protection all the way around the human spirit. Without this wall I am at risk. The fact that I may be doing well without walls is simply the way life works. It only takes one attack to destroy an undefended city. The things that mean the most to me can be lost in a moment because I never anticipated an enemy, never prepared for the surprise attack.
In this wise saying "self-control" is the wall that Solomon has in mind. Self-control is an aspect of our relationship with God, it is listed as a "Fruit of the Spirit" in the New Testament. This is a gift of the Spirit of God that comes from listening to God and being present with God. We are so used to saying "yes" to ourselves and to our desires, desires informed constantly through verbal and visual input that comes to us indiscriminately from ever possible direction. If I believe that freedom is saying "yes" to me without attention to God then my walls are already broken down and I am vulnerable.
The wall is not intended to be restrictive but to enable us to go on enjoying life indefinitely in the space we have chosen, with the people we love, and with peace of heart. Do I think I can say "yes" to any voice that suits my interests at the moment:
"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow be lead astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (II Cor. 11:3) I've been deceived before - never forget that without the wall I will be deceived again.
For the most part walls are a nuisance. Walls are expensive, cause separation, restrict access, spoil the view, and serve no useful purpose 99 per cent of the time. A strong case can be made for the abandonment and neglect of walls.
A city with no walls in ancient times was vulnerable to attack from any enemy on any side. Most of the time the city is safe without a wall, but it is only a matter of time...and then the abscence of a wall is a scenario for disaster. This is the metaphor that Solomon is calling up for us. Even though I may not have put any effort into my spiritual defenses my life can go along quite smoothly, day after day, week after week, but it is only a matter of time...
The spiritual wall is our cultivated relationship with God. This relationship provides protection all the way around the human spirit. Without this wall I am at risk. The fact that I may be doing well without walls is simply the way life works. It only takes one attack to destroy an undefended city. The things that mean the most to me can be lost in a moment because I never anticipated an enemy, never prepared for the surprise attack.
In this wise saying "self-control" is the wall that Solomon has in mind. Self-control is an aspect of our relationship with God, it is listed as a "Fruit of the Spirit" in the New Testament. This is a gift of the Spirit of God that comes from listening to God and being present with God. We are so used to saying "yes" to ourselves and to our desires, desires informed constantly through verbal and visual input that comes to us indiscriminately from ever possible direction. If I believe that freedom is saying "yes" to me without attention to God then my walls are already broken down and I am vulnerable.
The wall is not intended to be restrictive but to enable us to go on enjoying life indefinitely in the space we have chosen, with the people we love, and with peace of heart. Do I think I can say "yes" to any voice that suits my interests at the moment:
"I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow be lead astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (II Cor. 11:3) I've been deceived before - never forget that without the wall I will be deceived again.
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