As we walk through life often we will find ourselves getting pummeled by all manner of sharp objects and I’ve realized that the problem is not in the sharp objects, rather it’s in our reaction. I’ve known that for awhile but today I had a cool thought that helped put things into better light. When something bad happens what are the general questions or thoughts that we have? When a friend dies? When a family splits up? When parents don’t know how to parent? When siblings don’t know how to love? When boys take advantage of girls? When girls are overly irrational and ruin a good friendship? When a beautiful deer has its life snuffed out by oncoming traffic? When these and other situations happen what are the questions that we struggle with?
How is this fair?
How is this helpful?
How can God ask me to put up with this when it not my fault?
What does God expect me to do?
Now let us place ourselves in the position of Jesus Christ on the cross and think those same thoughts and ask those same questions.
How is this fair. It is not fair yet it will enable millions to be saved
How is this helpful? It is not now but it will be when I rise again
How can God ask me to put up with this when it not my fault? Because I love other people and so will pay for their faults.
What does God expect me to do? To love Him as He loved me.
I think that we far to often get caught up in the emotions of a situation and are unwilling or unable to step outside of our emotions and say “Father God, regardless of how I feel, or what I want, my hearts desire is that not my will but your will be done” We forget that the more ashes their are the more glorious a Phoenix will rise from them. Can you imagine a more horrible, unfair, dark, evil, horrendous deed then the death of the son of God? Can you imagine the party that the demons had when Jesus breathed his last? Can you imagine the shock and despair of the angels who watched their “all powerful” Lord fall victim to the whims of His own creation?
Jesus however put things into perspective and knew where his loyalties lay. He endured the ultimate unfair situation and the ultimate evil NOT because he had some special supernatural gift which helped Him but because he had spent his entire thirty year lifetime preparing for that moment. Every moment of every day he was getting ready for that test. He was not lazy in pursuing God because He knew that one day God would call Him to be the example of Christianity for all the world. The challenge stands for us as well because God calls us daily to represent Christianity to the world, so will we shame God and Christianity or will we stand strong and bring glory? Will we pursue God when life is easy so that in the hard times we will be examples of holiness as Jesus was or will be like the hypocrites who God spits out of his mouth because we are foul to Him?
I praise God that He set the example for us, He commands us to do hard things but He never asks us to feel something which He did not feel Himself.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A Wee Story
Once upon a time there were two young farmers. Both men were strong and able and had a desire to serve their country. Because a war was raging at the time both men went off to the war. They each found a company to join, and this morning they went forth to battle with high expectations of victory and plunder. Because of their origins and ignorance neither man had armor nor weapons but they hoped they would pick them up during the battle; their companies had never lost a battle. So with expectations high they fell into rank and went off worshiping. Sooner than either man would have liked, they were engaged with the shadowy enemies. Each man found himself cut off from his unit and fighting alone. The shadowy forms rather than killing them circled around the poor men, menacing and intimidating them until they gave up any attempt to fight and lay quivering on the ground at the feet of their enemies. Not until the end of the day when the rest of the company had put to flight the enemies did the poor farmers arise from their deplorable state and slowly make their way back to camp. With guilt and shame ringing in their hearts both men entered the camp. They avoided the eyes of their victorious companions and went straight to their commanding officers to offer their resignations.
Until now both men’s stories have been exactly the same. Here is where similarity stops. The first man arrived at the tent of his colonel and with tears in his eyes told the tall, handsome, perfectly dressed officer all his faults. He poured out to the officer all his failures, his utter inability to battle the enemies and upon bended knee this farmer humbly handed in his resignation and offered to give his service to the nurses and cooks back at camp. With kindly eyes the officer raised up the man and said “your desire to be in this company is more important to me than your failures.” With Shakespearian tongue and Caesarian inspiration the officer raised the man from the ashes and handed the now smiling farmer back his resignation papers. The officer sent the man back to his barracks worshiping afresh, confident of victory and willing again to go forth to the battle. The next day, this man vigorously joined the front ranks of his company. Because of the previous nights encouragement he now felt like he could conquer anything. After he had left his commanders tent he had spent the night in worship of God and dwelling on inspiring thoughts of victory. As the enemy approached, he ran ahead and threw himself into the depths of their ranks feeling as though victory could be gained by bravado alone. The shadowy forms were not impressed and again cut him off from his company, but this time his company had not the time to free him. As soon as he was surrounded, the farmer’s courage faltered, and he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. The previous nights joys and hopes seemed eternities away. His feelings had failed him. The enemy granted no mercy. They slew him. He died a coward, fearing the demons who surrounded him. He died unloved and unprotected by the officer who has promised him so much, who has inspired the feelings that killed him.
Now what of the other man? Well, he went to his officer, a rough looking miniature mountain with a sword like Attila’s in his belt and a shield on his back which Ajax would have envied. Before this imposing figure the second farmer knelt and with fear in his voice he told the commander of his fear and his failure to fight the enemy. He confessed his lack of courage and his ignorance in going to war. As he gave over his resignation to the hand held out to receive it he felt his heart break, for he knew he was handing in his soul. The officer looked over the papers with a slight frown and upon reaching the bottom He scowled a bit and showed the man the last line on the page, which read,
“This day I sell myself eternally to God almighty in return for the promise of His love"
Farmer II
The officer looked at the man kneeling before Him and said, “you are not permitted to leave.” Then turning, He beckoned him to follow. He led the sad farmer to a strange place deep in the woods and said, “learn from me and I will teach you deep and hidden things.” So saying he unslung the shield and sword and began to teach the young man the art of war. He beat him hard, He taught him pain, He wore him to the point of complete abandon. As the training grew more intense the farmer began to love these sessions. He knew that it was the pain of training that would save him from the far greater pain of dishonor, defeat, and death. From the ashes of the farmer’s first defeat there was awoken a passion for learning. From the fire which was dead sprang a life dependent on the training of its Master. Renewed was his blade that was broken. The enemy had been dethroned. Not by a desire, not by a worship session, not by a retreat, not by one good spirit filled experience, but by the presence of God’s refining fire had the farmer been the fire which he had learned to love. Many months later, when the officer sent the farmer out to war again, he went forth equipped with the tools and the knowledge needed to wield the tools and defeat the demons before him. There is no shadow that can defeat a man who has been armed with the weapons of angels and the knowledge of the cherubim.
Moral of the story: I am not sure, decide and tell me what it ought to be.
Until now both men’s stories have been exactly the same. Here is where similarity stops. The first man arrived at the tent of his colonel and with tears in his eyes told the tall, handsome, perfectly dressed officer all his faults. He poured out to the officer all his failures, his utter inability to battle the enemies and upon bended knee this farmer humbly handed in his resignation and offered to give his service to the nurses and cooks back at camp. With kindly eyes the officer raised up the man and said “your desire to be in this company is more important to me than your failures.” With Shakespearian tongue and Caesarian inspiration the officer raised the man from the ashes and handed the now smiling farmer back his resignation papers. The officer sent the man back to his barracks worshiping afresh, confident of victory and willing again to go forth to the battle. The next day, this man vigorously joined the front ranks of his company. Because of the previous nights encouragement he now felt like he could conquer anything. After he had left his commanders tent he had spent the night in worship of God and dwelling on inspiring thoughts of victory. As the enemy approached, he ran ahead and threw himself into the depths of their ranks feeling as though victory could be gained by bravado alone. The shadowy forms were not impressed and again cut him off from his company, but this time his company had not the time to free him. As soon as he was surrounded, the farmer’s courage faltered, and he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. The previous nights joys and hopes seemed eternities away. His feelings had failed him. The enemy granted no mercy. They slew him. He died a coward, fearing the demons who surrounded him. He died unloved and unprotected by the officer who has promised him so much, who has inspired the feelings that killed him.
Now what of the other man? Well, he went to his officer, a rough looking miniature mountain with a sword like Attila’s in his belt and a shield on his back which Ajax would have envied. Before this imposing figure the second farmer knelt and with fear in his voice he told the commander of his fear and his failure to fight the enemy. He confessed his lack of courage and his ignorance in going to war. As he gave over his resignation to the hand held out to receive it he felt his heart break, for he knew he was handing in his soul. The officer looked over the papers with a slight frown and upon reaching the bottom He scowled a bit and showed the man the last line on the page, which read,
“This day I sell myself eternally to God almighty in return for the promise of His love"
Farmer II
The officer looked at the man kneeling before Him and said, “you are not permitted to leave.” Then turning, He beckoned him to follow. He led the sad farmer to a strange place deep in the woods and said, “learn from me and I will teach you deep and hidden things.” So saying he unslung the shield and sword and began to teach the young man the art of war. He beat him hard, He taught him pain, He wore him to the point of complete abandon. As the training grew more intense the farmer began to love these sessions. He knew that it was the pain of training that would save him from the far greater pain of dishonor, defeat, and death. From the ashes of the farmer’s first defeat there was awoken a passion for learning. From the fire which was dead sprang a life dependent on the training of its Master. Renewed was his blade that was broken. The enemy had been dethroned. Not by a desire, not by a worship session, not by a retreat, not by one good spirit filled experience, but by the presence of God’s refining fire had the farmer been the fire which he had learned to love. Many months later, when the officer sent the farmer out to war again, he went forth equipped with the tools and the knowledge needed to wield the tools and defeat the demons before him. There is no shadow that can defeat a man who has been armed with the weapons of angels and the knowledge of the cherubim.
Moral of the story: I am not sure, decide and tell me what it ought to be.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St Patricks Breast-Plate
To honor the memory of a departed brother who fought the good fight with gusto and to encourage us in our struggles today I'm posting a prayer of St Patrick.
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
To Search For God.
Often our imagination leads us astray and the god we think exists and the god we try to serve is not God Himself. To many Christians with good intentions and honest piety become frustrated and burn themselves out trying to serve a god they think exists but doesn't. Much of the pain that we suffer does not come because we don't want God but because we aren't willing to do what it takes to find him. The study of God, the God who is there is one which is a MUST for any Christian. If a Christian is a Christ follower then we had better know who Christ is so we don't go following what we think is Christ or what we wish Christ was like and by Christ I mean God all of Him, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In an attempt to understand who God actually is, the real God and not what we would like god to be , some associates and I compiled a list of some of God's attributes. We divided the bible amongst ourselves and took note of what God was like in each of our sections. Following is a short short summary of some of the things that God does/is and what those truths mean for us.
God
is holiness itself. Isaiah 6:3
Judges the wicked. Numerous examples throughout history and Pslams 1:4-5
Hates hypocrisy, sin, falsehood, bloodshed, deceit. Psalms 5:4-6
Loves, righteousness, the world, his followers. Numerous examples throughout history. John 3:16 Psalms 11:7
Owns, the earth and everything in it. Psalms 24:1
Knows and will reveal all. I Corinthians 2:7
Seeks to reconcile us to Himself. II Corinthians 5:19
Cares How we live. Matthew 5:10-48
Works in us. Phillipians 2:13
Promises Salvation to those who live well. Psalms 50:23
Is jealous for us. 1 Corinthians 10:22 Psalm 78:58
Christians are supposed to be reflections of Christ on earth. We should hate what He hates, love what He loves, seek what He seeks, do what He does; in short be of one mind with God almighty.
The list above does not do justice to the character of God. I do not think any list or book or manuscript can. What is important to know though is that God is not unknowable he is just indescribable. God wants us to know Him but he doesn't want us to put Him in a box and come up with a checklist of how to get to know God. We must simply seek Him with humility and the assumption that we are nothing, that we deserve nothing. If we come to Christ's table as beggars He will seat us like kings. If we come expecting to be kings we will be rejected and cast out, which is worse then never going.
So as much as I wish I could have "three short steps to God" or a concise list of God's characteristics the fact remains that no such list exists. Those who have tried to compile one have made God look worse then He is by omitting things. I honestly think that the best way to find God is to go on a search with the assumption that "I am nothing coming before God almighty" then experiment. Use the bible and pray but beyond that their aren't many rules. For some people this will mean sitting in the woods all night for others it will mean fasting three times a week. Some will read the bible in a week. Their is no set method to finding God the only thing that you can be sure of is that it will be painful and worthwhile. More worthwhile then painful but difficult all the same. The rewards of pursuing God with no strings attached are eternal and affect all areas of our lives. The only thing we need to pursue God is reverence. We will understand His love, His peace, His passion faster if we approach it with reverence.
I should stop I'll end with Psalms 103. Verses 11,13,17
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
Notice the fear that is necessary in all three verses. If we do not fear we will not know that God loves us or that he has compassion on is.
God
is holiness itself. Isaiah 6:3
Judges the wicked. Numerous examples throughout history and Pslams 1:4-5
Hates hypocrisy, sin, falsehood, bloodshed, deceit. Psalms 5:4-6
Loves, righteousness, the world, his followers. Numerous examples throughout history. John 3:16 Psalms 11:7
Owns, the earth and everything in it. Psalms 24:1
Knows and will reveal all. I Corinthians 2:7
Seeks to reconcile us to Himself. II Corinthians 5:19
Cares How we live. Matthew 5:10-48
Works in us. Phillipians 2:13
Promises Salvation to those who live well. Psalms 50:23
Is jealous for us. 1 Corinthians 10:22 Psalm 78:58
Christians are supposed to be reflections of Christ on earth. We should hate what He hates, love what He loves, seek what He seeks, do what He does; in short be of one mind with God almighty.
The list above does not do justice to the character of God. I do not think any list or book or manuscript can. What is important to know though is that God is not unknowable he is just indescribable. God wants us to know Him but he doesn't want us to put Him in a box and come up with a checklist of how to get to know God. We must simply seek Him with humility and the assumption that we are nothing, that we deserve nothing. If we come to Christ's table as beggars He will seat us like kings. If we come expecting to be kings we will be rejected and cast out, which is worse then never going.
I should stop I'll end with Psalms 103. Verses 11,13,17
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
Notice the fear that is necessary in all three verses. If we do not fear we will not know that God loves us or that he has compassion on is.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Knowing God With Our Spirit
The spirit is in need of nourishment. I look around and I see many Christians who's live are unfulfilled and they remain unsatisfied because they do not attend properly to the needs of their spirit. God knows how to give good gifts to those who ask Him and what better gift could any of you think of then a spirit unruffled by the storms of life. The peace of God is not a untroubled life. The love of God is not a passionate feeling aroused by beauty in another person. The joy of God is not an emotional high which comes from ideal circumstances. Peace love and joy all come from having one's spirit in communion with God, reveling in the passion of divine understanding. Their is no feeling so sweet, no experience so moving, no motivation so powerful as that which comes from seeing God through the eyes of our spirit and conversing with Him in the tongue's of angels through prayer. Bliss is the perfect word and it is to this state which God is directing His followers. If we would only attend to the needs of our spirit and come to know God with our spirit not just with our minds.
To often we neglect our spirit and try to satisfy its incessant longing for God with things such as tv, music, video games, hobbies, books and even people. I know I'm not saying this as clearly as I could, I wish I was a better writer. Basically I think that once we are saved our spirit longs for God. The only way to satisfy that spiritual longing is to go to God is through prayer, meditation, contemplation, study and thought. We are still human and so can not totally abandon the body for the sake of the spirit but as our spirits gradually ascend into the heavenly realms of joy and peace our bodies, which remain here on earth will mirror what our spirit is experiencing making it possible to no longer need the things which have been our source of satisfaction for so long. To often we settle for things that are not sinful but are still unproductive, they are broken cisterns who's waters run dry long before our thirst is quenched. If we allow our spirits to drink of the well everlasting we will never be thirsty again.
Just to clarify, I still know there is a place for things as movies and such but all these things must come after our spirit is at rest with God. So in essence we should not be sad if those things were to suddenly vanish forever because our spirits will be at rest and when our spirits are at rest in God not much else that happens here on earth matters.
I know in my last post I promised to talk about how girls and boys are supposed to be friends without being girlfriends or boyfriends. While this post doesn’t give a step by step method of having those friendships (because I’m not smart enough to do that) I think it addresses the key issue. Most of the problems that come out of such relationships are because people do not have their spirits at rest in God and so they become distracted by the other person. There is an interesting principle that is peculiar to Christianity which is that the more you pursue what you want the further away it gets and vice versa the more you pursue God the more real become the things you want. This is true partly because as you draw near to God your desires change and also because God is the only one who can give us what we actually want. So by pursuing relationships with the opposite sex for the sake of marriage might appear helpful in reality I think its more helpful to pursue God and let him take care of the marriage part because He knows what we want and He knows what’s best for us.
So those are my thoughts and as I read through it, it they seem very impractical but based on my own experience and on my own pondering it still seems correct. So let me know what you think. If I am correct then we must address the question, is impractically a deciding factor when it comes to doing what’s best? With that question I will leave you to your puzzling and pondering.
*makes some tea and waits around for people to comment*
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