New Thoughts (11/19/04-11/23/04)
Obedience & Authority (11/20/04)
“You know there’s only one reason I would ever disobey you, and that is to pursue My Father’s work. I would never have done such a thing for any lesser cause.” The experience that this first message from the Christ, thus understood, have much to teach. Here is expressed the proper boundary between authority and obedience. There can only be this one reason for us to disobey those authorities God has placed over us: that He has called us to other business. There may be times in our lives when obedience to God will require disobedience to lesser authorities, but it will most likely be the exception for us rather than the rule.
We are not given permission to simply shake off all earthly authorities and pursue the course we choose. We are not given permission to cast aside a government simply because it is oppressive. The Jews would never experience liberation from Rome. The Christians of the early years would feel that same oppression, indeed, would become the chosen object of Roman brutality. Yet, they were not given divine permission to ignore the authority of Rome. Rather, they were called to submit, to recognize in that authority the delegation of God’s own authority, albeit held in corrupt hands.
We are, in the general case, called to pray for those in authority over us at every level, rather than to either choose whom we would have or to seek a way out from under those we would not have. One hears, today, of those who half-jokingly speak of moving to Canada because their guy didn’t win the White House. On what ground? What possible moral basis is there for seeking to throw off an authority simply because we didn’t choose that authority? God requires us to stand strong under such authorities as we may find disagreeable, or even reprehensible. Even in the face of official torture, there has never been given the right to throw off the authorities that authorized such horrors, only the right to stand firm in the faith of Christ and bear constant witness even unto death.
Now, such tests as these are the extreme. I wish I could say they are an extreme unknown in our day, but that holds true only in a limited geography. The same truths hold, though, for lesser authorities in our lives. There is no man alive who is completely free of higher authorities, and there are some authorities that every man living has known to one degree or another. Each of us has, for a time, lived under the authority of our parents. Whether their use of that authority was right or wrong, negligent or abusive, the authority was theirs, and in that time, our Christian duty was to obey to the best of our ability.
Anybody who has been employed has known the authority of the boss, and in some cases, the authority of the customer. In our school years, there was the authority of the teacher. In our churches, there is the authority of the elders and the pastors. In all these cases, however well we deem that authority to be handled, we are called to persevere in obedience. In the last case, that of church authority, many will bristle. We live in an age when church hopping is more common than church devotion. At the slightest offense, off they go to seek a different pasture. At the least disagreement, in some churches, pastors are cast off and replaced. This simply is not right!
There is a time, in each and every one of these cases, when authority may legitimately be cast off, but that time is only when the immediate authorities who have charge of us require of us what is in direct opposition to the authority of God. When His call requires disobedience to lesser laws and requirements, it is Him we must obey. We must remain clear, though, that persecution is not requiring us to do what is counter to God’s call. Excessive taxation is not requiring us to turn from God. Indeed, as reprehensible as it may be that the courts of our land seek to condone homosexuality in the face of public opposition, it is not requiring us to turn from God. When those laws require a pastor to perform the wedding for such a couple, now there is conflict. Now, there is direct contradiction between the delegated and the fundamental authorities, and the fundamental must be the One we heed.
This is not to say that in cases such as these we cannot and ought not to seek a change for the better. There is nothing inherently wrong with Christians working for change, working to maintain and uphold a government that will bless the land. There is nothing wrong with a Christian advocating against the sinful practices of sinful man. There is nothing wrong with declaring God’s truth into darkened situations However, our zeal for God is not sufficient cause to disregard authority. If we allow our advocacy to cross the line of civil law, then we are rightfully prosecuted by civil authorities. However reprehensible may be the law we have cast aside, however wrong-headed the legal position is, we were not given leave to act unrighteously in the name of upholding righteousness!
There may come a time when righteousness, obedience to God’s heart, will require us to set aside temporal authority, but it will be only for a time. This, too, we find in Jesus’ example here. For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, God had required from Jesus an act that He could fulfill only by stepping out from under the authority of His parents. He was given the one cause for which He could do such a thing: to be on His Father’s business. Now, it is very clear that this was not a carte blanche. It was not permission for Jesus’ to ignore His parents from that time forward. No, it was for the duration of that particular business, and when the job was finished, the normal rules of normal authority returned.
There was no other reason which could ever persuade Jesus to reject His parents’ right of authority over Him. The end of this story of His childhood makes that clear. “He continued in subjection to them.” He did not push the matter any further. He did not bring up His true lineage, and declare their authority at an end. No, right through to the opening of His ministry, we see Him accepting the authority of His parents. Even at the wedding feast in Cana, we find Him listening to His mother. It was only when parental direction stood in opposition to the Father’s direction that He would set aside Mary’s right over Him. Even that was a temporary thing. From the cross, we find Him still recognizing her right, and honoring her.
Along the lines of authority, there is also the thought of the relationship between teachers and disciples. This, too, is really an aspect of delegated authority. So long as the disciple is under the teacher, the teacher holds authority over the disciple. However, it is a wise teacher who recognizes when he is himself in the role of disciple. Jesus was and is the Teacher par excellence. He speaks with all the wisdom and understanding of heaven behind Him. Yet, on this occasion, He sat amidst the teachers of Jerusalem as a student, as a disciple, and as such, He set aside His authority as teacher, and took on the submission of the disciple. He listened to these teachers, and learned from them. He impressed them with His own understanding, but not by way of vaunting Himself as above their authority to teach. He impressed them because He accepted their authority, and showed that He was actively listening to what they had to offer.
I admit, it is a mystery to me how the Son of God, Himself God, being perfect in wisdom and understanding, could yet learn a thing, could grow in wisdom, being Himself the very embodiment of Wisdom. Yet, the testimony is there. Grow in wisdom He did. If ever there was a witness to how much He had willingly set aside to come into His own creation as a man, I think this must express it. One perfect in Wisdom willingly set aside perfect knowledge and understanding to come live among men, and display to mankind what man could and should be. He experienced the ignorance of youth, but without the false sense of knowledge common to youth. He being the Son of God, did not experience that foolish belief that He knew better than His elders. He did not experience that sophomoric feeling that His teachers could teach Him nothing He didn’t already know, as true as that may have been in His case. No, the perfect Teacher, He knew when He was the disciple, and excelled in His discipleship as He did in His teaching.
One more thing I want to consider on this matter of obedience to authority is geared more towards those in the position of authority. When we are in such a position, we must bear in mind the example of our Lord. We must avoid holding strictly to the laws we hand down without any consideration. Even God has shown that He honors and accepts those of sincere spirit, even when circumstance has made it impossible for them to observe the letter of the Law. Passover was established as a permanent observation for the Jews. It was to be observed on the proper day of the proper month annually forevermore. But, circumstances would come that made it impossible for them to do so. God did not simply destroy them for their disobedience, but rather, He set an alternate day in the calendar, on which those who could not obey the letter of the Law could satisfy the Law of the Spirit.
After all, God is not looking for outward compliance that leaves the inner man screaming in rebellion. No, the obedience He seeks is the obedience of the heart. The obedience He accepts, thanks be to Jesus, is not perfect service, but perfect desire. Where we have authority, we must recognize that those over whom we have authority are as much fallen creatures as we. We have not been found capable of rendering perfect service. We dare not expect perfect service of those we have charge of. We dare not exercise authority in an unforgiving and rigid manner, lest we find ourselves under an equally unbending Authority! We must, like our Father in heaven, consider the circumstances, and consider the heart. And, in our considerations, we must consider that our considerations are not perfect, either. Thus, in all things, prayers, thanksgiving, and supplication, that He might give us understanding to fulfill the authority He has given us.
Hearing & Listening (11/21/04)
Jesus was listening to the teachers with whom He sat. He was not simply hearing their words, He was considering what was said and comprehending it fully. More than the words, He was hearing the points they were making, and where these were good, He would doubtless accompany hearing with obedience. That He comprehended their meaning is clear in what is said of this encounter. So full was His understanding that they found it quite surprising in one so young, especially one whose accent marked Him as a country boy. His questions were not those of one seeking to understand what he had heard, but of one who was pursuing the implications of what he had heard, who was applying the lesson to deeper things in his mind. This was not what they were expecting.
That being the case, I have to wonder what they made of His encounter with His parents. He had their attention. It seems unlikely that they would not have been listening as He and Mary spoke. “Your father and I have been looking for You,” Mary declared, and Joseph was doubtless right there beside her as she did so. I must note that she didn’t say anything about the length of time they had looked. It had been days, but that was left unsaid, so there was nothing terribly alarming in her words, so far as the teachers would be concerned. But, then comes Jesus’ response. “I had to be in My Father’s house, on My Father’s business.”
Wow! The meaning of this is clear. The one who had willingly accepted the role of being Jesus’ legal father was standing there before them, wondering where He had been. How could it be that the boy was on His father’s business, and His father was right here wondering what had become of Him? As to being in His Father’s house? Well, He was here in the Temple. Surely, this was not Joseph’s house in any sense that they would understand. No, this was the house of God, and no other.
Now, I must say that these teachers were aware that before them sat a child with a keen understanding. He had clearly demonstrated to them that He understood God, understood God’s Word and His Law. He clearly, then, understood where He was, and Whose house He was in. What He declared in this simple statement, then, is just as clear as the understanding He displayed. He is declaring in no uncertain terms Who He is, the Son of God, seated in His Father’s house. No teacher among all those sitting with Him would have dared to claim the Temple as their Father’s house. It was blasphemy to them to even consider making such a claim. Yet here was One making the claim plainly in their hearing. They heard. They could not help but have been listening to this exchange between parent and Child. But, what did they carry away from this? Did they hear what He was saying, or did they hear whispers of scandal? Perhaps all they heard in this was that Joseph was not His father, that there was some secret past lying just under the surface of this family.
Again, I have to wonder, given the things Jesus faced from this quarter in the course of His ministry, whether they hadn’t done some digging based on their misunderstanding of His words. The time would come when His claim was no longer capable of being misunderstood. This first declaration they might have missed, but they wouldn’t miss later statements, could not, as time continued, ignore what the crowds discerned quite readily. When they heard those claims, I wonder if somebody didn’t recall this early encounter, and with it the hint of gossip. Did the feelers go out to Nazareth to learn what could be learned? Did they hear the rumors about Mary? Did they find in those rumors the means by which they might trap this Teacher who had sat among them?
What is clear is that these teachers whom Jesus listened to, and whose lessons He heeded did not listen to Him in turn. They taught from their understanding of Truth, and Jesus soaked in those things they had right, discerned the Truth in their words from the error, and took the good to heart. Their own hearing, however, was not capable of the same. When Truth spoke to them, they were too preoccupied with their own understanding of things to recognize the correction. They were so fully convinced of their own understanding that they could not let go of their errors, even when God was pointing them out.
This is an ever-present danger. However much I may study, however much I may familiarize myself with God’s Word and God’s person, I remain a fallen man prone to error, and quite probably incapable of avoiding error. Yet, I am quite able to become convinced of my own understanding, my own perception of what is right and true. This is dangerous even outside the realm of theology! It is dangerous not only to myself, but to those who are with me. If I cannot hear correction, then I can be assured that I will wind up hotly pursuing error in the name of Truth. I can be assured that my ears will have become so incapable of hearing my Father’s voice that He can no longer get my attention. That is a hardening of the heart.
Lord save me from this! If my ears have ceased hearing You clearly, if I have allowed my opinions to block my ears to Yours, then change this heart of mine. I have, I think, tried to remain free of that, but I know my own imperfections, know my own attitudes too well to think I have been wholly successful in that. Come, Holy Spirit, and reopen these ears, let me walk in the humility of knowing I am in Your presence. Let me remain ever aware that Your ways are far above my own, and Your reasoning beyond me, however much You may stoop down to make Yourself understood.
God, I ask for that same sense of humility in things apart from Church and theology. In the workplace, Lord, protect me from my arrogance. I know it’s there, yet it seems so impossible to do anything about it. I must remember always, my Father, that impossible does not apply to You. Neither does it apply to me if I will but remain where You are. Teach me, Lord, to remain where You are, even in the workplace, even in the shopping malls, even on the highways. These are the testing places, Lord, not Your house. And, truth be told, I know I have blown it so often in Your very house that I am embarrassed for myself. When will I learn, Lord? What will it take? Whatever it takes, Holy One, I ask that You would bring the change in me. Make me like You. Soften the hard spots, Father.
Seven & Three (11/22/04)
The symbolism contained in this passage is truly astounding, especially as it presents us with the first glimpse of Jesus. The occasion for this introduction is the Passover feast, the celebration of God’s sparing of the Jews as He worked His wrath upon Egypt. Of course, that wrathful outpouring was not just God venting. It was retribution in kind. Egypt had sought to cut off the heritage of Israel, had become a tool of Satan, by which the line of promise might be severed once for all. That attempt to destroy the people of promise was turned on its head, and before all was complete, Egypt the powerful would be crushed under the afflictions their lord brought upon them in his arrogance. He put himself forward as the supreme god of his people, but the True God would make display of the folly of Pharaoh’s efforts. Pharaoh would surely make a name for himself, but not one recalled for splendor.
God had long ago chosen the sons of Israel as His own, had entered into covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here, in the rescue out of Egypt, God was completing that covenant. Repeatedly, as Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan, they would be presented with the terms of covenant, and would be called to choose whether or not they would ratify the covenant. Repeatedly, the people opted to accept the terms God offered, promising to uphold their end of the thing. Abraham understood better. He knew the impossibility of that into which he entered and trembled. God was aware of Abraham’s inability to stand up to the terms when He sealed that covenant, and made plain to Abraham that He Himself would uphold not only His own side of the bargain, but Abraham’s as well.
The covenant entered into at Mount Sinai was no different. All depended upon a faithful God for completion. The Passover feast stood as symbol of that covenant moment. The feast had not been established when first Israel came out of Egypt, but only after they had received the covenant terms at the mountain. With the terms of covenant came the command to observe this feast. It was to last for seven days, the time it had taken to reach Mount Sinai from Egypt, the time it had taken for God to rescue His children and bring them here. It was a symbolic period of time – seven days to declare the perfection of the covenant that was sealed there on the mountain.
That covenant was perfect. It was perfect in its completeness. It was perfect in its provisions, by which it ought to have been clear that as it had been with Abraham beforehand, so it was now: God would cover, when man failed. God would remain faithful when men proved faithless. That is the perfection of the old covenant. Yet, in its perfection it remained but a shadow of the full and perfect plan of God. The sacrificial system that was set up remained a shadow of the perfect sacrifice. The feasts of remembrance could only point to Him who would fulfill every feast.
So, here is Jesus, the fulfillment of all that Passover symbolized, come to the feast. For seven days, the perfect Son celebrated what His Father had established as a reminder of the Son. The Lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the world was here, in His twelfth year. This was the last year before He would become responsible for the commandments in the eyes of society, the year prior to His bar mitzvah. I am given to understand that this status was conferred upon the sons of Israel in rather an automatic fashion upon their thirteenth birthday. However, Jesus, on this occasion, showed His preparedness to be a Son of the Covenant.
There would come those occasions throughout His ministry when He would instruct people to go and show themselves to the priests. Is that what this was about? Is that what God was doing here, showing His Son, the One prepared, to the priests? Truly, He made plain to them that this Child was the Son of the Covenant. He came to them after the Passover feast, the seven day celebration of God’s perfect covenant. He remained among them for three days, both listening and probing, showing His understanding of the covenant they celebrated. Three days to declare completion, three days to declare that the Completion of the perfect covenant was come.
There are some interesting connections to these two numbers, that we would do well to observe. First, there is this matter that is brought up by Moses as he propounds the Law in all its many applications. What is to be done if one has been in contact with a corpse? It may prove unavoidable at times, what is our recourse? Well, we must be purified by water, both on the third day, and on the seventh. That double cleansing was a necessity, and if either were skipped, then one remained unclean (Nu 19:11-12). Consider this: Jesus, the fulfillment of the paschal lamb, offered Himself, the perfect sacrifice, and God declared Him acceptable by His resurrection on the third day. The work of Christ was complete. On this third day, He had completed the task of showing Himself to the priest. On that third day, He had completed the task of showing Himself to be the Priest.
On that day, He provided once for all for our cleansing, we who live in contact with the corpse of our sinful nature. The third day cleansing has come, but what of the seventh? There remains the second purification, the purifying waters of perfection. For these we must await our Savior’s return. He was able, at His death, to declare, “It is finished!” It is finished. The work of Christ is complete. Yet, there remains a perfecting of our faith, and, as He is the Author of our faith, so, too, He is the Perfector thereof. It is still in His hands, as ever it was! It is this second cleansing that John looks forward to as he writes, “when He appears, we shall be like Him, we shall see Him exactly as He is” (1Jn 3:2). It is for this reason that we seek to live our lives in purity, not because we think we are able to remain pure, but because we long for the day that we shall see Him return, when we shall receive the purifying waters of perfection on the seventh day.
Even as God came to visit His children there in the desert, though He came in all reality, He came in type. He came in a fashion that foreshadowed His plans every bit as much as the Law of Moses did. Moses, we read, told the nation in the desert to be prepared for the third day, when God would come down before their eyes, and indeed, on the third day, God came as promised (Ex 19:11-16). This was a foreshadowing of the mission of the Son. That mission was further declared by the prophets when Israel seemed to have lost her way. “He will revive us!”, Hosea declared to a nation in despair. “After two days, He will revive us. On the third day, He will raise us up, so that we might live before Him” (Hos 6:2).
Now, the sacrificial death of Jesus surely fulfilled the word of this prophecy, He was dead and in the grave, but on the third day, God declared Him His Son in power, in resurrection power. He had been dead past the point of all hope of recovery. The Jews knew there was an outside possibility that life remained for those first few days, but three days in the grave sufficed to convince them that a man was truly dead. No art of man could bring him back thereafter. But, with God, all things are possible!
Jesus had prepared His disciples for this. He had spoken of the destruction of the temple of His body, and its rebuilding in three days, and He had in many other ways sought to prepare the nascent church for what must come (Mt 16:21). Always, He held out that third day, the day of completion. On the third day, He rose again, the firstborn of a new creation. In that resurrection, He not only held life for Himself, but He also brought the possibility of life to all those who had been walking in death. We each one of us walk through this journey with the corpse of our sinful flesh dragging along beside us. We each one of us have a desperate need for the cleansing flow of the sweet waters of Life. What the Law declares remains in force for us: We must be twice cleansed. Jesus has brought us the cleansing of the third day. It is finished in those whom the Father has drawn to His well. It remains to us to persevere until the seventh day cleansing comes, when all is made perfect, when shalom is come, and creation is recreated in full accord with God’s perfection. It is for this that we are called to persevere. It is for this reason that we are not yet fully free, though we long for it with every fiber of our being. The seventh day remains to come. But, the seventh day will come. He who began the work in us on the third day is Faithful and True. He will prove faithful to complete it. My hope is built on nothing less!
Thank You, Lord, for the hope of perfection! Thank You for the certainty of that hope. For You who fulfilled the Father’s purpose, Your Own purpose, so perfectly have shown Your perfection, have proven Your claim, have declared irrevocably that You will come once more to bring to perfection that which You completed. Indeed, Lord, give me the strength to persevere, bless me with the grace to hold fast. I know beyond all doubt that without You, I can do nothing, even as You have told me. Apart from You, there is no hope, and this living death is all there is, but I am not apart from You, no never! You, Lord, are my constant Companion, my Faithful Friend, my Comfort and my Strength. I shall not fear the trials that may come, for You are ever with me. My Provider, provide me always with a heart that hungers only for You, with a burning desire to be as You are, pure and holy. Give me the will to work that which You are working in me, that I might be found ready, dressed in white, on the day of Your returning!
Faith & Trust (11/23/04)
When I listen to Jesus’ response to His parents, I hear something very familiar in it. That answer He gave was not the arrogant response of a willful child. It was not the whining attempt at cover that a guilty child might offer when caught. It was, perhaps, tinged with a bit of hurt that His parents so little understood, but more than anything, it was an expression of His heart of compassion. It was, in a way, the first of many times that He would look at those closest to Him and say, “oh ye of little faith.” Always, when I hear that from Him, I hear the frustration in His voice, but that is only the slightest overtone. The message He is sending in those moments is one of heartfelt compassion and pity.
Why is it I hear that same thing from His mouth: “You should have known I would be here”? It is because, like Mary and Joseph, I have been seeking to deal with things in my own power. I have been exhausting all my possibilities before I turn myself to the One without Whom I can do nothing. I know this truth. I know that with Him, ‘impossible’ doesn’t even apply. Yet, I will insist on trying anyway. I will beat myself against the walls, knowing full well that all that energy I am expending is just wasted effort. What is it about us, that we must have it so?
Mary and Joseph had spent a long day returning from the first stop the caravan made, a long journey, wondering where their boy might have got off to. As they approached the city, the scale of it must surely have impressed upon them the impossibility of finding Him. Yet, for two days, they insisted on seeking Him out in such places as their thoughts could contrive to look for Him. Had they forgotten Who He was? That seems to be whispered in Jesus’ reply when they finally found Him. Had they forgotten Whom they served? Why had they not asked the Father? He would surely have led them right to the Child! In truth, I’m not convinced that last is accurate. I think it certain that both Mary and Joseph were beseeching the Lord often during those few days. I am sure their nights were filled with prayers after a day of fruitless searching.
That we seek God out, after all, does not oblige Him to answer us on our timetable. Yes, and He did answer. When the time was right, He brought them to the Temple, and there was their son, His Son. The issue with them, the issue with me, is not that it took them so long to find Him, it’s that the search for Him had left behind faith and trust. This is the great danger of thinking we can make it on our own. This is the problem with our spirits, whenever we persist in leaving God out of what we are doing. Each time we set Him aside – and it needn’t be a pushing Him away, may be simply ignoring or forgetting His presence – we declare a lack of trust. Each time we strike out on our own, having at best taken Him for granted rather than seeking Him out for direction, we shout out our lack of faith.
Oh! But, thank God we serve a merciful Lord! He does not berate us as fools. He does not throw us out of the house for our rebellious ways. He does not disown us for our lack of appreciation. He simply draws us close when finally we come to Him once more, and says, “you really should have known I’d be here. I’m always here.” Those are words of healing! Those are words that wash away the pain of our solo efforts, and draw us closer to our Beloved. Far from being embarrassed and ashamed at hearing His words, I can only say, “Yeah, You’re right.”
Yet, there will be other times. I know myself too well to think otherwise. There will be other times when I will have forgotten that simple truth. There will be other times, likely even today, when I feel the need to test my own ability. Hah! My own ability! There is no ‘my own ability!’ There is only God in me, working in and through me to accomplish what He will. I go about my daily routine, my daily chores and labors, thinking little to nothing about what it is He is doing through those things. Because He is far from my thoughts is no indication that He is far from me, though. No, He is with me, even to the end of the age. I have just become negligent, forgetful, overly comfortable.
It is so easy, in this human flesh, to begin taking for granted those who are closest to us. Husbands and wives fall into it all the time. Parents and children are no different. Even in looser associations, close friendships for instance, we slip into that place where we simply assume things will always be the same between us. We no longer work at expressing our love for one another, we simply assume that the other knows, and we assume the right of knowing they love us as they always did. In that negligence, the human heart shrivels for lack of watering. Love is starved and dies on the vine, and because we have been operating in our misconception, love will die utterly before we even realize anything is wrong.
Our relationship with God can suffer from the same issue. We can become so used to Him that we neglect Him, forget to tell Him how much we love Him. We may forget He is there. We no longer thank Him for what He has done, what He is doing, what He has long promised to do. We go about our daily lives, thinking little of Him and caring less. If things get done, we pat ourselves on the back and move on. If not, we curse and complain, and put more effort into making things go the way we wish them to go. We have completely forgotten Who gives us the ability, Who sends us the tests, and Who empowers us to pass the tests.
He sorrows for our lack of attention to Him, but not because it wounds His pride in some way. No, He sorrows for the needless pain and aggravation we inflict on ourselves when we do this. But, He does not stop at sorrow. His is the real love. He sees our need, and in His perfect wisdom He devises the means that will most perfectly bring us back to our senses. His ways may hurt for a time. All discipline is painful at the time, else it would be no discipline at all. But, He plans perfectly for our frailties, for He knows us perfectly, and all He does is aimed at one thing: to turn us back to the authority of faith.
Some trust in chariots, some in horses, the Scriptures tell us (Isa 31:1). They think their strength will carry them through, and no longer seek the LORD for direction. Yes, these are His people Isaiah is speaking of, to our shame. The shout of faith declares, “We will trust in the name of the LORD!” Here is the Homeland Authority who will defend us against the terrors of life! Here is the only and certain security! Here is strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow!
Oh, Lord! The song asks, “when will I ever learn to live in God?” How I hear that song in my life! How can I so easily forget You in the activities of the day? How can I neglect to thank You when You bring the breakthrough at work? How can I neglect to show You when there are debates? What will it take, Father, for me to be always mindful of Your presence with me? Whatever it may be, I pray that You would bring it about! God! It pains me to listen to myself as I wrestle with things at work, or in other areas. It pains me, and how it must pain You. You surely must wonder in Your own way when I will ever learn to live Christ. Oh, Holy Spirit, how I must wound Your sensibilities, yet You are faithful when I show myself so faithless. Where is that great trust in You that I like to think I have? Holy One, strengthen the flame of faith in me! Bring me to the place of trust. Whatever it takes, Father, this must be my testimony – You must be my testimony.
Can I Say the Same? (11/23/04)
With that cry, I think I have answered a question I had days ago, when I started collecting my thoughts for this study. What an example Jesus has set for us! “Doing the Father’s will, accomplishing My assignment, that is all My sustenance” (Jn 4:34). “That I do accomplish My assignment is My testimony, proof of the Father in Me” (Jn 5:36). This ought to be my testimony, as well. This ought to be my sustenance. “In Him we live, and move, and have being,” Paul declared to the Greeks (Ac 17:28). Indeed, “to live is Christ” (Php 1:21). These are the declarations of faith, words that concur with the testimony of Jesus. These are the heart-cry of the of belief, real belief, unshakable belief.
If I am to be truly honest with myself, I cannot yet say that these are my own heart-cry. I can declare the truth of Paul’s words, that it is undeniably the case that my being, my breath, my every ability are by His hand, and yet, as often as not I do not live out that Truth. “To live is Christ?” I’m not yet even close to that, although much of my time is spent doing things for Him. For, I do as many things that are simply for me. I can still spend too many hours in pursuit of things that in the end will profit me nothing. I can still get so worked up over financial issues, over matters of pride and accomplishment, and even in the midst of supposed service to God, find I have completely left Him out of it. Yet, the truth of Paul’s words remains, and I am blessed to serve a God who is more than Just. He is Mercy and Kindness, as well, and He is Faithful and True.
Father, the Psalm says, “When I consider the works of Your hands, I am amazed.” Yes, and when I consider my own works, when I have the audacity to consider them my own, I am equally amazed with myself because I have forgotten. Thank You for reminding me as gently as You can, how far off my perspective is in those moments. I need that reminding, Lord, as You well know. I need to remember that whatever good I may be accomplishing, it is by Your working in me. I need to remember that the things that can make me so proud of myself are but things, and the bulk of them are no more than vanity and wind. Forgive me, Father, for those times I have made my service to You self-serving. Forgive me for the times I have taken credit for Your work. Keep me mindful, my God, that it’s all You, it’s all about You, and it’s all for You. I know my love for You is real, however poor a thing it may be, and even that is all You! Thank You. Thank You for awakening this love in me, for keeping steadfast through the years. Thank You, Father, for never taking me for granted. May I swiftly come to the place where You can say the same about me!
