He called me there. I heard him in my head and heart, calling, “Come. At dark of night, come to me.” And so I went, for he cannot be denied, when he calls.
A lightless place. No stars or moon. No lamps or candles. And yet, I can see the shape of entrance. A graveyard. Quiet place, with sound matching light.
I see no stones in this gloom. Only a shovel, its blade half buried. Standing erect.
“Dig,” I’m commanded.
“Rather not,” I replied.
Don’t let his gentleness fool you. He means his commands, “Dig.”
Half-hearted spade full of dirt. Gloomy dirt moved, but surface laughing at my feeble effort.
“How’s that!?”
“Dig.”
“How deep?”
“You’ll know.”
Hole’s knee deep now. I’m sweating. Skinny off my shirt.
This dirt is starting to…smell?
“Dig.”
“Can I dig somewhere else? I think something’s buried here. It smells.”
“This is the spot.”
Yuck! Head below ground, the putrid stuff is sticking to me! Will this smell ever come off?
“I’m quitting!”
“Dig.”
Slimy walls! Can’t climb out!
“Help!”
“Dig.”
“I’m gonna die!”
“I’ll help you out when you’re done.”
Where’s that shovel?
Can’t see the top of the hole any more. Nose is numb. Mercifully…numb. Panic’s gone, replaced by purpose. I’m getting close.
Shovel hits metal. A metal box. Prying out of the muck.
“Open it.”
“Don’t want to. It’s vile.” Strange lock. Melts at my touch. Lid opens.
Emptiness. Swallowing emptiness. Evil is in there, with no boundaries.
“What is that?” I ask in recoil.
“Your malice.”
“I can’t let go! I can’t let go! It’s stuck to my hands!”
“Do you want help? Or do you want to keep it?”
Strange question. Of course I want….Wait. Letting go means never getting angry again.
“What if someone wrongs me!?”
“There’s always mercy, instead.”
“It vile! I want it gone!”
“I’ll send my son.”
Sudden light! Bottom of the hole! Blinds me!
I can see the hole. The walls are glazed by the son’s presence. The stench is gone.
The light comes from inside him.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“Your heart,” he smiles. Takes the box. Closes the lid. Opens wide and swallows it whole.
Touches my cheek. We’re on the surface, again. Hole is filled in. A fresh stone is set there. ‘Mercy’, it says.
“But if you could do that….why’d I have to dig the hole myself?”
“You had to know it was your hole.”
“That box was inside me? I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t want to know. You never asked. But that box was between you and the father.”
“I’ve got to tell my friends!”
“They won’t believe you. They have to dig their own holes.” And his arm swept ‘round. As far as my eyes could see, other graveyards. Friends and family standing bewildered. All have shovels. Only a few are digging at all.
“I’ve got to tell them! I’ll help them dig!”
“Your shovel only works in this graveyard. It will suffice that they see you digging.”
“See me digging!?” I ask, dismayed. Pretty sure I didn’t want anyone to see that I even HAD a box! And…I thought I was done, “But I just….”
Another sweep of his arm, reveals my own graveyard. And the stones set there….
‘Pride’, says one. ‘Lust’, says another. Greed is there. Ambition. Fear. Dozens of them.
“If others are going to see you dig, you might want to do Pride next,” the son smiles at my despair. Then he wraps me in a hug. Whispers, “I will never leave you alone in this place. You dig. I’ll clean up.”
PS 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Jer 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Ps 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
God already knows every secret of our heart. But do WE know our own hearts?
May God give me a shovel....daily. May He reveal my heart to me.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Graphing a Christian Line
Imagine a bar graph that moves left and right. Imagine then, two forces coming together on that graph. From the left comes Godly integrity. From the right comes self interest.
Where they meet on that bar graph, is a line. Where that line meets in any person’s life…is the definition of their character.
For every natural human being has a point where self interest will overrule integrity. There are things that we will or won’t do, depending on how much it hurts or helps us, or how much it fulfills or falls short of what each of us perceives is ‘right and wrong’.
We find a wallet on the ground in a parking lot. We can pocket the cash and discard the rest. No one will ever know. Or we can return it untouched to its rightful owner.
We can lie our way out of a tight spot, if we are capable of lying. And if we ARE capable of lying, that is also a determining factor in where our own line is.
The line of self interest.
Whether we acknowledge the existence of our line, it’s always there and we’re always living by it. Some of us would never kill another human, some of us wouldn’t mind if we had to and some of us DO kill other humans. And some of us…just admire them from a distance.
Some of us even seek to commit overt acts of goodness and kindness. Those are folks whose self interest is pushed ‘way back and whose line is admirable by most. The ‘Mother Teresa’s of the world. (This is not meant as any kind of comment on her in particular)
We can’t choose our family but we DO choose which family members’ companionship we seek (if any). We usually choose our friends based on mutual interests…and MUTUAL LINE. If we hang around someone whose line doesn’t match ours…they can be TOO self interested…or they can be too ‘goody-two-shoes’…that line will ultimately alter the frequency and depth of friendship.
That line affects our love life, too. Some of us want casual intimacy. Some of us want intimacy and commitment without anything casual. Some of us are attracted to each other solely on appearance and don’t think about the line…until later. Those are folks who have miserable marriages, as a rule.
It’s a shame that wisdom about the line comes only later in life, when it’s too late to undo life-making decisions. Because the line is…everything…in a human. Almost every person in history lives by their line, one way or another. Almost.
Please notice that I first said ‘Godly’ integrity. Each person has their own sense of right and wrong, ingrained into them by birth. Their family lives by a code. Their society lives by a code. The world lives by a code…and all of that will shape what each of us thinks is right and wrong.
But we often fail to ask God. Even Christians fail to do this. A vast majority of Christians are content to let a ‘pastor’ (or whatever) teach them what God thinks, instead of looking it up for themselves. And some Christians conscientiously….MOVE THEIR LINE…to diminish self interest in an attempt to accomplish MORE right and less wrong. They are doing that out of decent motive, but it’s still wrong. Moving the line away from self interest may sound like a Heavenly act, but…it’s not.
For if we study the Word of God ourselves…and if we apply it…then we discover two shocking truths.
1. God doesn’t define right or wrong the way we do. Not at all. And He doesn’t accept OUR definitions as valid. It’s His way or the highway.
2. There is no line.
From God’s perspective, ‘right’ is…serving Him. And ‘wrong’ is…not serving Him. Really, it’s that simple. But don’t be deceived.
Satan would have us think that ‘evil’ is an overt act. And indeed, there are people who do commit overt acts of self interest, regardless of what pain it might cause others. Those are folks who’ve let self interest push integrity off their graph. No conscience at all. Pure evil. No line.
But God says that humans were made to serve Him and do His bidding. In a God-filled life, there is no room for self interest. None. And so…again…no line.
Please notice there is no middle ground. Middle ground is a fabrication resulting from millenia of man’s reshaping God’s words to suit man. Middle ground is a lie. Any church that teaches, preaches, hints, suggests or even subtly lives a ‘middle ground’ …even by quiet example…is living a lie.
There is nothing in scripture that allows for a middle ground. No line.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Where they meet on that bar graph, is a line. Where that line meets in any person’s life…is the definition of their character.
For every natural human being has a point where self interest will overrule integrity. There are things that we will or won’t do, depending on how much it hurts or helps us, or how much it fulfills or falls short of what each of us perceives is ‘right and wrong’.
We find a wallet on the ground in a parking lot. We can pocket the cash and discard the rest. No one will ever know. Or we can return it untouched to its rightful owner.
We can lie our way out of a tight spot, if we are capable of lying. And if we ARE capable of lying, that is also a determining factor in where our own line is.
The line of self interest.
Whether we acknowledge the existence of our line, it’s always there and we’re always living by it. Some of us would never kill another human, some of us wouldn’t mind if we had to and some of us DO kill other humans. And some of us…just admire them from a distance.
Some of us even seek to commit overt acts of goodness and kindness. Those are folks whose self interest is pushed ‘way back and whose line is admirable by most. The ‘Mother Teresa’s of the world. (This is not meant as any kind of comment on her in particular)
We can’t choose our family but we DO choose which family members’ companionship we seek (if any). We usually choose our friends based on mutual interests…and MUTUAL LINE. If we hang around someone whose line doesn’t match ours…they can be TOO self interested…or they can be too ‘goody-two-shoes’…that line will ultimately alter the frequency and depth of friendship.
That line affects our love life, too. Some of us want casual intimacy. Some of us want intimacy and commitment without anything casual. Some of us are attracted to each other solely on appearance and don’t think about the line…until later. Those are folks who have miserable marriages, as a rule.
It’s a shame that wisdom about the line comes only later in life, when it’s too late to undo life-making decisions. Because the line is…everything…in a human. Almost every person in history lives by their line, one way or another. Almost.
Please notice that I first said ‘Godly’ integrity. Each person has their own sense of right and wrong, ingrained into them by birth. Their family lives by a code. Their society lives by a code. The world lives by a code…and all of that will shape what each of us thinks is right and wrong.
But we often fail to ask God. Even Christians fail to do this. A vast majority of Christians are content to let a ‘pastor’ (or whatever) teach them what God thinks, instead of looking it up for themselves. And some Christians conscientiously….MOVE THEIR LINE…to diminish self interest in an attempt to accomplish MORE right and less wrong. They are doing that out of decent motive, but it’s still wrong. Moving the line away from self interest may sound like a Heavenly act, but…it’s not.
For if we study the Word of God ourselves…and if we apply it…then we discover two shocking truths.
1. God doesn’t define right or wrong the way we do. Not at all. And He doesn’t accept OUR definitions as valid. It’s His way or the highway.
2. There is no line.
From God’s perspective, ‘right’ is…serving Him. And ‘wrong’ is…not serving Him. Really, it’s that simple. But don’t be deceived.
Satan would have us think that ‘evil’ is an overt act. And indeed, there are people who do commit overt acts of self interest, regardless of what pain it might cause others. Those are folks who’ve let self interest push integrity off their graph. No conscience at all. Pure evil. No line.
But God says that humans were made to serve Him and do His bidding. In a God-filled life, there is no room for self interest. None. And so…again…no line.
Please notice there is no middle ground. Middle ground is a fabrication resulting from millenia of man’s reshaping God’s words to suit man. Middle ground is a lie. Any church that teaches, preaches, hints, suggests or even subtly lives a ‘middle ground’ …even by quiet example…is living a lie.
There is nothing in scripture that allows for a middle ground. No line.
And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Substance
I have been thinking a lot lately about substance. The image I keep coming up with is ‘knock on wood’. I know it’s a catch-phrase for a superstition, but that’s not what my image includes. I’m not looking for luck. I’m looking for substance.
If I rap my knuckles on a piece of wood, I’m going to hurt my knuckles, because wood is harder than flesh and bone. Wood is denser. Wood is tougher. Wood lasts longer than flesh and bone. If you leave a stick of wood on the ground out in the weather, it will eventually rot, but not for a long time. It’s durable. Wood… has substance.
Flesh and bone, not so much. Leave flesh out on the ground and in just a few days, it’s… well, it’s not durable. Flesh has very little substance.
And steel? Pffft! Gold? Diamonds? Some of THAT stuff that for millennia. Or even eons. REAL substance, especially if we ‘measure’ according to how long something might last.
Mk 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Mk 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mk 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
So let me get this straight. Everything that I can perceive with my five senses… will someday ‘pass away’?
Yup.
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And what’s left?
"but my words shall not pass away."
Now when I consider that Jesus … IS … the Word…
Jn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
That pretty much means that Jesus is ‘the substance’ of the Universe. The Kingdom of God.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
So. When I rap my knuckles on a piece of wood, I’m really just hitting… nothing of substance. When I wrap my thoughts around the substance of Jesus… I’m touching… eternity.
So what is the substance of Jesus? What’s He made of that I can touch?
Mercy, first of all. A merciful act or even a charitable thought, has more substance in eternity than an anvil. Each act of forgiveness a Christian commits is recorded for all time.
Generosity. The opposite of self interest. Waking up each morning wondering how I can give my life to others that day in Jesus’ name.
Joy. Paul wrote to us that we should be filled with joy… while he was confined to the dungeons of Rome. His joy rested in the substance of Jesus’ faithfulness. Paul knew Jesus was coming back for him and those dungeons… had no substance.
The Holy Ghost. Cannot be physically touched. Has no odor or taste. And can be counted on every second of every day. I believe in His substance more than this keyboard.
I believe.
Because the substances I value are spiritual and eternal. And my faith is just one small substance in that Kingdom.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If I rap my knuckles on a piece of wood, I’m going to hurt my knuckles, because wood is harder than flesh and bone. Wood is denser. Wood is tougher. Wood lasts longer than flesh and bone. If you leave a stick of wood on the ground out in the weather, it will eventually rot, but not for a long time. It’s durable. Wood… has substance.
Flesh and bone, not so much. Leave flesh out on the ground and in just a few days, it’s… well, it’s not durable. Flesh has very little substance.
And steel? Pffft! Gold? Diamonds? Some of THAT stuff that for millennia. Or even eons. REAL substance, especially if we ‘measure’ according to how long something might last.
Mk 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Mk 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mk 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
So let me get this straight. Everything that I can perceive with my five senses… will someday ‘pass away’?
Yup.
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And what’s left?
"but my words shall not pass away."
Now when I consider that Jesus … IS … the Word…
Jn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
That pretty much means that Jesus is ‘the substance’ of the Universe. The Kingdom of God.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
So. When I rap my knuckles on a piece of wood, I’m really just hitting… nothing of substance. When I wrap my thoughts around the substance of Jesus… I’m touching… eternity.
So what is the substance of Jesus? What’s He made of that I can touch?
Mercy, first of all. A merciful act or even a charitable thought, has more substance in eternity than an anvil. Each act of forgiveness a Christian commits is recorded for all time.
Generosity. The opposite of self interest. Waking up each morning wondering how I can give my life to others that day in Jesus’ name.
Joy. Paul wrote to us that we should be filled with joy… while he was confined to the dungeons of Rome. His joy rested in the substance of Jesus’ faithfulness. Paul knew Jesus was coming back for him and those dungeons… had no substance.
The Holy Ghost. Cannot be physically touched. Has no odor or taste. And can be counted on every second of every day. I believe in His substance more than this keyboard.
I believe.
Because the substances I value are spiritual and eternal. And my faith is just one small substance in that Kingdom.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Singing In Public
I like to sing. What’s more, I CAN sing. And… I don’t have a terrible voice. I can carry a tune, which means that I don’t always embarrass myself with my singing. I’m not a particularly bashful fellow, so I don’t even mind singing solo. I don’t get asked (to sing solo) a lot, which tells me I’m not great at it, but still… I don’t mind.
I mention those things because I want to be completely honest. Singing for me is not a hardship, so it’s easy for me to say… we ALL should be singing. All the time.
Ps 96:2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
I have this really great electronic concordance. I recommend to everyone that they get a concordance for their computer. It lets you look up phrases. Printed concordances limit us to just looking up single words.
I searched “sing unto the Lord” and “I will sing” and “sing praise(s)”… etc. Combined, there are a few dozen verses that include those phrases. Strangely, the bulk of them are in the Old Testament. Not so strangely, the bulk of THOSE are in Psalms.
We ‘go to church’, mostly on Sunday mornings and the pastor already has events laid out for us. He has choreographed the hour-long service to include prayer, collections, preaching… and singing. Each of us who goes to Sunday service is expecting to have to sing. As a group, no one minds that they are being asked to do something… in public… that they wouldn’t normally do.
Because singing in public is NOT easy for most folks. Because most folks… can’t sing. And most folks know that. And most folks who can’t sing… will get embarrassed if they think someone else can HEAR them singing.
Oh, they might LIKE to sing. In the shower. In their bedroom. In their car… along with the radio. They LIKE singing… to themselves. When they’re alone.
But not in public. In front of a crowd.
But singing WITH a crowd is tolerable because the crowd will drown out any individual voice. It’s an unspoken truth that everyone knows and (seemingly) no one acknowledges. I probably don’t have to prove it. It’s understood. But you can see it for yourself in any Sunday service, if a song/hymn is attempted that the congregation is unfamiliar with, there will be at least one moment where people falter, voices dim and become unsure. And even those few who DO know the song, will lower their voices so as not to be heard in the ensuing silence.
Until mercifully, the pastor and/or music director will BOOM OUT and get everyone back on track. That’s their job and everyone is relieved.
Those awkward silences prove… that people don’t like for other people to hear them singing. They would probably admit… that singing in front of someone would embarrass them.
Embarrassment. When your pride is wounded because someone sees you doing something that doesn’t measure up to your standards of excellence.
Pride keeps us from singing solos in public.
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
And yet, I’m commanded to sing…in public…
Ps 57:9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
Ps 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Please note, those verses don’t say ‘WE’ …will sing. They say ‘I’ will sing. In public. To ‘the congregation’ and to ‘the nations’.
Loudly. Boldly. To be heard. TO BE HEARD!!
Not because we can sing well, but because God and His Son have bought for us so much joy, that it cannot be contained. Because our one and only ‘job’ in this world is to praise God and sometimes it just gets our hearts so full that only SONG will do.
To do that, we have to set aside our pride and embarrassment. We have to care more the joy than our own self image. Reaching a place of spirit and Spirit that no longer includes ego or self or pride, because Jesus is just too important.
One little song, to start. One time, even though the Psalm (96) quoted above tells us this should be a daily occurrence.
There’s a catchy little hymn that I love. It goes…
I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever !
I will sing. I will sing.
I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever!
I will sing..of the mercy..of the Lord.
And I picture the pastor of the church singing that phrase and then pointing… to anyone seated in the congregation and that person has to jump up and sing the same phrase…acapella and solo… and then the pastor points to another person…and so on until the whole congregation had a turn.
No preaching that day. Just singing of joy. Now THAT…would be a worship service!
I mention those things because I want to be completely honest. Singing for me is not a hardship, so it’s easy for me to say… we ALL should be singing. All the time.
Ps 96:2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
I have this really great electronic concordance. I recommend to everyone that they get a concordance for their computer. It lets you look up phrases. Printed concordances limit us to just looking up single words.
I searched “sing unto the Lord” and “I will sing” and “sing praise(s)”… etc. Combined, there are a few dozen verses that include those phrases. Strangely, the bulk of them are in the Old Testament. Not so strangely, the bulk of THOSE are in Psalms.
We ‘go to church’, mostly on Sunday mornings and the pastor already has events laid out for us. He has choreographed the hour-long service to include prayer, collections, preaching… and singing. Each of us who goes to Sunday service is expecting to have to sing. As a group, no one minds that they are being asked to do something… in public… that they wouldn’t normally do.
Because singing in public is NOT easy for most folks. Because most folks… can’t sing. And most folks know that. And most folks who can’t sing… will get embarrassed if they think someone else can HEAR them singing.
Oh, they might LIKE to sing. In the shower. In their bedroom. In their car… along with the radio. They LIKE singing… to themselves. When they’re alone.
But not in public. In front of a crowd.
But singing WITH a crowd is tolerable because the crowd will drown out any individual voice. It’s an unspoken truth that everyone knows and (seemingly) no one acknowledges. I probably don’t have to prove it. It’s understood. But you can see it for yourself in any Sunday service, if a song/hymn is attempted that the congregation is unfamiliar with, there will be at least one moment where people falter, voices dim and become unsure. And even those few who DO know the song, will lower their voices so as not to be heard in the ensuing silence.
Until mercifully, the pastor and/or music director will BOOM OUT and get everyone back on track. That’s their job and everyone is relieved.
Those awkward silences prove… that people don’t like for other people to hear them singing. They would probably admit… that singing in front of someone would embarrass them.
Embarrassment. When your pride is wounded because someone sees you doing something that doesn’t measure up to your standards of excellence.
Pride keeps us from singing solos in public.
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
And yet, I’m commanded to sing…in public…
Ps 57:9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
Ps 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
Please note, those verses don’t say ‘WE’ …will sing. They say ‘I’ will sing. In public. To ‘the congregation’ and to ‘the nations’.
Loudly. Boldly. To be heard. TO BE HEARD!!
Not because we can sing well, but because God and His Son have bought for us so much joy, that it cannot be contained. Because our one and only ‘job’ in this world is to praise God and sometimes it just gets our hearts so full that only SONG will do.
To do that, we have to set aside our pride and embarrassment. We have to care more the joy than our own self image. Reaching a place of spirit and Spirit that no longer includes ego or self or pride, because Jesus is just too important.
One little song, to start. One time, even though the Psalm (96) quoted above tells us this should be a daily occurrence.
There’s a catchy little hymn that I love. It goes…
I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever !
I will sing. I will sing.
I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever!
I will sing..of the mercy..of the Lord.
And I picture the pastor of the church singing that phrase and then pointing… to anyone seated in the congregation and that person has to jump up and sing the same phrase…acapella and solo… and then the pastor points to another person…and so on until the whole congregation had a turn.
No preaching that day. Just singing of joy. Now THAT…would be a worship service!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
For God So Loved The World...That He Put Up With THESE Guys!
So, I know I’m a failure at this Christianity thing. In fact, I know just enough about our Lord’s instructions to expect my own failure at every turn. I meet people on a daily basis whose lives appear far more obedient to HIS word than I can hope for myself.
I sometimes have to remind myself that God really does love me, despite my constant shortcomings. I’m hoping that YOU don’t have reservations like that, but many folks do. After all, the basic doctrine of Christianity is ‘mercy instead of justice’. God doesn’t have to LIKE us in order to forgive us. A common theme.
I was thinking on that (for the thousandth time) today and a thought came to me. God… liked THESE guys! A LOT! Moses. Elijah. David. John (Baptist). Peter. Paul.
MOSES
Rejected wealth and position for the (relative) poverty and hardships of his own (God’s) people. Became THE all-time spokesman for Israel. Faced down the Pharoah of Egypt.
Was loathe to accept the responsibility of his task. Asked for and partially got some of the responsibility shifted to Aaron. After witnessing HUGE intervention by God’s hand in his life… still had the audacity to willfully disobey God, receiving a punishment in this life possibly unequaled of any of God’s children except Adam.
In short, Moses was flawed. Kinda like me. (The flawed part.)
God liked Moses. When the Son of God was transfigured, Moses was one of the two humans to be invited from beyond the grave.
The second one was ELIJAH.
Prophet extraordinaire. Faced legions of false prophets and a gal named Jezebel (well, okay… he ran from her, too). Called for a drought that God delivered.
However, he spent a lot of time alone next to that strange brook. Experienced depression severe enough to wish for his own death. Questioned his worthiness and life.
God liked Elijah. Before the Transfiguration, Elijah was also gifted to be borne to heaven by angels, rather than experience death.
DAVID. Selected by God to the Kingship of Israel. Anointed for blessing. So companied by the Holy Ghost, he was compelled to write many of what we know as Psalms.
Committed adultery with Bathsheba. Had the girl’s husband killed, in fact. The first child between them was taken from them by God.
Still, God liked David enough to descend the Son of God through David’s line. Oh, and canonize David’s writings.
JOHN THE BAPTIST was ordained from the womb. A man so blessed, it was necessary to have angelic proclamation and affirmation.
After his duties had been discharged, like Elijah, John suffered from great doubt and depression.
After that, Jesus said of John the he was the greatest of all living men. God liked John the Baptist.
PETER. Oh, Peter. Need we say more?
PAUL got a lot of his failings out of the way BEFORE he became a friend to God. But God liked him anyway. Enough for Jesus to make a rare appearance AFTER He had been enthroned.
The obvious point is that failings don’t prevent God from liking us.
This isn’t the same thing as saving us. We KNOW God is saving us despite our failings. It really is the Gospel message. But… liking us… wanting our company… a pure God and His nasty ol’ buds… that’s a different message.
Some of the names listed here are giants of biblical history and faith. Spiritual giants whom God likes. And while I’m never gonna be a giant, I still count..
All of THEM were screw-ups, just like me. All of ‘em. We share that. We share something else. The commonality between them and me. It’s not just that God likes us… it’s why…
The First Commandment.
Ex 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Ex 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
When Jesus was asked about the importance of the Commandments (and really, the entirety of Mosaic Law)… He said…
Mt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mt 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mt 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mt 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Let’s dwell on this for a moment. The entire New Testament is called… the… NEW… Testament! It’s new. The old is replaced, augmented, enhanced, explained, fulfilled.
But not the First Commandment.
Dt 4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
Dt 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
The Godhood of God. Those of us whom God likes… are remembering His Godhood. Our failings come and go and He understands that. We aren’t gods. But He looks into my heart and knows that I know… He’s God.
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
I sometimes have to remind myself that God really does love me, despite my constant shortcomings. I’m hoping that YOU don’t have reservations like that, but many folks do. After all, the basic doctrine of Christianity is ‘mercy instead of justice’. God doesn’t have to LIKE us in order to forgive us. A common theme.
I was thinking on that (for the thousandth time) today and a thought came to me. God… liked THESE guys! A LOT! Moses. Elijah. David. John (Baptist). Peter. Paul.
MOSES
Rejected wealth and position for the (relative) poverty and hardships of his own (God’s) people. Became THE all-time spokesman for Israel. Faced down the Pharoah of Egypt.
Was loathe to accept the responsibility of his task. Asked for and partially got some of the responsibility shifted to Aaron. After witnessing HUGE intervention by God’s hand in his life… still had the audacity to willfully disobey God, receiving a punishment in this life possibly unequaled of any of God’s children except Adam.
In short, Moses was flawed. Kinda like me. (The flawed part.)
God liked Moses. When the Son of God was transfigured, Moses was one of the two humans to be invited from beyond the grave.
The second one was ELIJAH.
Prophet extraordinaire. Faced legions of false prophets and a gal named Jezebel (well, okay… he ran from her, too). Called for a drought that God delivered.
However, he spent a lot of time alone next to that strange brook. Experienced depression severe enough to wish for his own death. Questioned his worthiness and life.
God liked Elijah. Before the Transfiguration, Elijah was also gifted to be borne to heaven by angels, rather than experience death.
DAVID. Selected by God to the Kingship of Israel. Anointed for blessing. So companied by the Holy Ghost, he was compelled to write many of what we know as Psalms.
Committed adultery with Bathsheba. Had the girl’s husband killed, in fact. The first child between them was taken from them by God.
Still, God liked David enough to descend the Son of God through David’s line. Oh, and canonize David’s writings.
JOHN THE BAPTIST was ordained from the womb. A man so blessed, it was necessary to have angelic proclamation and affirmation.
After his duties had been discharged, like Elijah, John suffered from great doubt and depression.
After that, Jesus said of John the he was the greatest of all living men. God liked John the Baptist.
PETER. Oh, Peter. Need we say more?
PAUL got a lot of his failings out of the way BEFORE he became a friend to God. But God liked him anyway. Enough for Jesus to make a rare appearance AFTER He had been enthroned.
The obvious point is that failings don’t prevent God from liking us.
This isn’t the same thing as saving us. We KNOW God is saving us despite our failings. It really is the Gospel message. But… liking us… wanting our company… a pure God and His nasty ol’ buds… that’s a different message.
Some of the names listed here are giants of biblical history and faith. Spiritual giants whom God likes. And while I’m never gonna be a giant, I still count..
All of THEM were screw-ups, just like me. All of ‘em. We share that. We share something else. The commonality between them and me. It’s not just that God likes us… it’s why…
The First Commandment.
Ex 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Ex 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
When Jesus was asked about the importance of the Commandments (and really, the entirety of Mosaic Law)… He said…
Mt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mt 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mt 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mt 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Let’s dwell on this for a moment. The entire New Testament is called… the… NEW… Testament! It’s new. The old is replaced, augmented, enhanced, explained, fulfilled.
But not the First Commandment.
Dt 4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
Dt 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
The Godhood of God. Those of us whom God likes… are remembering His Godhood. Our failings come and go and He understands that. We aren’t gods. But He looks into my heart and knows that I know… He’s God.
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
Friday, April 24, 2009
More than one judge...The Two Stephens
Chapters 6 and 7 of Acts are basically about Stephen, the first deacon. We won’t quote all of those chapter here, but I encourage everyone to read them. For this study, I’ll point out just a couple of things.
1. Stephen was the first of a group of seven men who were basically the first deacons in the Christian faith.
2. When speaking of Stephen, chapter 6 starts by saying he’s ‘full of faith and power’ (v. 8) and chapter 7 concludes that Stephen is ‘full of the Holy Ghost’ (vv. 55-60) and gives him a literal vision of Heaven’s splendor.
3. From this, we may conclude that Stephen was found favorable in the sight of God, as were his actions BETWEEN those two verses (I think of them as Stephen’s bookends).
4. Every annotated Bible that I own, titles chapter 7 as ‘Stephen’s Defense’… but the truth is, Stephen never once defends himself.
5. During the passages between ‘the bookends’… Stephen displays two entirely different demeanors.
Item number 5 is the point of this study. We’ll come back to it.
Stephen’s troubles did not begin because anyone had a problem with him personally. His turmoil started because his preaching was pricking some hearts.
Acts 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
And while Stephen was forced to a ‘trial’ of sorts, there are no verses to suggest (at first) that he’s in any personal danger himself.
The Word of God is what is being challenged.
Stephen understood that.
His ‘defense’ (or lengthy speech…given in chapter 7) is about the history of Israel and the Word of God. This is no idle chatter, though it might appear so. He’s exercising ‘judgment’. Stephen has ‘judged’ (correctly) that the people who oppose him are really opposing God the Father and His Christ.
And suddenly, he tells them that…
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Acts 7:53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
WHOA!… NOT SUBTLE!!
Please note that Stephen had been rocking along for 50 verses of what could be described as a college history lecture, telling the Sanhedrin things they already knew very well. They were probably wondering what he was doing.
He was setting them up. Tying them and their apostasy to the long history of Jewish failings in following God. Then, in verse 51, Stephen ‘lowers the boom’ and FLATLY ACCUSES THESE MEN OF MURDER!! Not just any murder, either. Murder of the Most High Lamb.
I’ve got to say, that does NOT sound like MEEK behavior to me. Stephen is guilty of ‘judging’ the actions of the men he’s facing. He tells them to their faces that they are guilty. No apologies. All of it approved by God.
And yet, just seven verses later… WHILE THEY ARE STONING HIM TO DEATH… he asks God to forgive his killers. Forgive them of stoning him (though he never asks that God forgive them of killing Jesus).
That… IS… meek. And non-judgmental. To use a cliché… that’s an abrupt ‘about face’.
Two faces. Two demeanors. One bold and ‘in your face’. The other meek, humble and forgiving.
Both of them… approved by God.
What’s the difference?
Stephen the first deacon, was bold with the Sanhedrin… WHEN THEY WERE ATTACKING THE TRUTH OF GOD. He was not only ALLOWED by God to ‘call a spade a spade’… he was rewarded (by God) for doing so.
Then Stephen the first recorded martyr for Jesus… became a humble servant, ‘turning the other cheek’ (Matt. 5:38) of life… when the Sanhedrin… were attacking… HIM.
This is a really huge point, for more than one reason.
1. It illustrates in one passage, that God expects his children to practice more than one kind of ‘judgment’.
2. It explains (and blows away) the (seriously erroneous) idea that Christians should always just be meek. Boldness has its place.
3. It explains why there is an apparent contradiction between boldness and meekness in the bible. There isn’t a contradiction, but the child of God must understand the difference.
4. It illustrates quite clearly that we disciples CAN DISCERN each circumstance of our lives, to know when boldness is called for and when meekness is appropriate.
We may boldly defend the Word of God (Eph. 6:9), the reputation of Jesus and any aspect of God the Father or Spirit (Gal. 1:8-9). When those things are attacked by the enemies of God, we are allowed to call the enemies of God… enemies of God.
We are expected to be meek (and even be happy about it)… if and when those attacks are turned against us personally (Matt. 5:10). Our willingness to submit humbly, is itself a testimony to the world of our faith. It is also akin to the sacrifice that Jesus made, whether our lives are required or not. We are then truly ‘knowing the fellowship of His suffering’ (Phil. 3:10).
What we are NOT given license to do… is turn the spotlight of Jesus’ righteousness upon the specific personal sins of any one person (or group of persons), for the purposes of belittling that person (them). To do so, is to tacitly imply that we disciples are better than they, because we suddenly do ‘know better’ about God’s commandments (Matt. 7:2-6).
And again, another thing we are NOT given license to do… is spend our time striving with the enemies of God. Once we’ve recognized them and witnessed to them… we are supposed to move on (Luke 10:10-11). Why? Because delivering the Gospel to the lost is part of our mission, but repetitive browbeating of apostastes… is not (2 Tim. 2:14).
Three different kinds of people. We have a mission to two of ‘em. We have to learn to deal with the third. (It should be noted right here, that people can change. Stephen’s mission wasn’t to convert the guilty, but one of them did get converted… later. Saul becomes Paul and proves that you just never can know what God has planned.)
We can see then, that there is more than one kind of ‘judge’. AND… more than one kind of ‘God approved’ behavior. We can also see that discerning between them is actually fairly ‘cut and dried’.
In our final installment of ‘More than one judge’… we’ll conclude how this applies to the three different kinds of people in the world.
1. Stephen was the first of a group of seven men who were basically the first deacons in the Christian faith.
2. When speaking of Stephen, chapter 6 starts by saying he’s ‘full of faith and power’ (v. 8) and chapter 7 concludes that Stephen is ‘full of the Holy Ghost’ (vv. 55-60) and gives him a literal vision of Heaven’s splendor.
3. From this, we may conclude that Stephen was found favorable in the sight of God, as were his actions BETWEEN those two verses (I think of them as Stephen’s bookends).
4. Every annotated Bible that I own, titles chapter 7 as ‘Stephen’s Defense’… but the truth is, Stephen never once defends himself.
5. During the passages between ‘the bookends’… Stephen displays two entirely different demeanors.
Item number 5 is the point of this study. We’ll come back to it.
Stephen’s troubles did not begin because anyone had a problem with him personally. His turmoil started because his preaching was pricking some hearts.
Acts 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
And while Stephen was forced to a ‘trial’ of sorts, there are no verses to suggest (at first) that he’s in any personal danger himself.
The Word of God is what is being challenged.
Stephen understood that.
His ‘defense’ (or lengthy speech…given in chapter 7) is about the history of Israel and the Word of God. This is no idle chatter, though it might appear so. He’s exercising ‘judgment’. Stephen has ‘judged’ (correctly) that the people who oppose him are really opposing God the Father and His Christ.
And suddenly, he tells them that…
Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Acts 7:53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
WHOA!… NOT SUBTLE!!
Please note that Stephen had been rocking along for 50 verses of what could be described as a college history lecture, telling the Sanhedrin things they already knew very well. They were probably wondering what he was doing.
He was setting them up. Tying them and their apostasy to the long history of Jewish failings in following God. Then, in verse 51, Stephen ‘lowers the boom’ and FLATLY ACCUSES THESE MEN OF MURDER!! Not just any murder, either. Murder of the Most High Lamb.
I’ve got to say, that does NOT sound like MEEK behavior to me. Stephen is guilty of ‘judging’ the actions of the men he’s facing. He tells them to their faces that they are guilty. No apologies. All of it approved by God.
And yet, just seven verses later… WHILE THEY ARE STONING HIM TO DEATH… he asks God to forgive his killers. Forgive them of stoning him (though he never asks that God forgive them of killing Jesus).
That… IS… meek. And non-judgmental. To use a cliché… that’s an abrupt ‘about face’.
Two faces. Two demeanors. One bold and ‘in your face’. The other meek, humble and forgiving.
Both of them… approved by God.
What’s the difference?
Stephen the first deacon, was bold with the Sanhedrin… WHEN THEY WERE ATTACKING THE TRUTH OF GOD. He was not only ALLOWED by God to ‘call a spade a spade’… he was rewarded (by God) for doing so.
Then Stephen the first recorded martyr for Jesus… became a humble servant, ‘turning the other cheek’ (Matt. 5:38) of life… when the Sanhedrin… were attacking… HIM.
This is a really huge point, for more than one reason.
1. It illustrates in one passage, that God expects his children to practice more than one kind of ‘judgment’.
2. It explains (and blows away) the (seriously erroneous) idea that Christians should always just be meek. Boldness has its place.
3. It explains why there is an apparent contradiction between boldness and meekness in the bible. There isn’t a contradiction, but the child of God must understand the difference.
4. It illustrates quite clearly that we disciples CAN DISCERN each circumstance of our lives, to know when boldness is called for and when meekness is appropriate.
We may boldly defend the Word of God (Eph. 6:9), the reputation of Jesus and any aspect of God the Father or Spirit (Gal. 1:8-9). When those things are attacked by the enemies of God, we are allowed to call the enemies of God… enemies of God.
We are expected to be meek (and even be happy about it)… if and when those attacks are turned against us personally (Matt. 5:10). Our willingness to submit humbly, is itself a testimony to the world of our faith. It is also akin to the sacrifice that Jesus made, whether our lives are required or not. We are then truly ‘knowing the fellowship of His suffering’ (Phil. 3:10).
What we are NOT given license to do… is turn the spotlight of Jesus’ righteousness upon the specific personal sins of any one person (or group of persons), for the purposes of belittling that person (them). To do so, is to tacitly imply that we disciples are better than they, because we suddenly do ‘know better’ about God’s commandments (Matt. 7:2-6).
And again, another thing we are NOT given license to do… is spend our time striving with the enemies of God. Once we’ve recognized them and witnessed to them… we are supposed to move on (Luke 10:10-11). Why? Because delivering the Gospel to the lost is part of our mission, but repetitive browbeating of apostastes… is not (2 Tim. 2:14).
Three different kinds of people. We have a mission to two of ‘em. We have to learn to deal with the third. (It should be noted right here, that people can change. Stephen’s mission wasn’t to convert the guilty, but one of them did get converted… later. Saul becomes Paul and proves that you just never can know what God has planned.)
We can see then, that there is more than one kind of ‘judge’. AND… more than one kind of ‘God approved’ behavior. We can also see that discerning between them is actually fairly ‘cut and dried’.
In our final installment of ‘More than one judge’… we’ll conclude how this applies to the three different kinds of people in the world.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Why Bother To Pray - Part Four - What To Pray For
What CAN we ask for? What is okay to bring before God and what isn’t? Why isn’t God answering my prayers? Is it because I'm asking for the wrong things?
Now before we go another step, we’ve got to get past what I think of as the ‘prayer roadblock'. This particular quote from our Lord is so often misquoted, misused, misapplied and just plain… warped, that it can easily distort an unsuspecting Christian’s view of prayer for their entire lives.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be our Lord’s intent for His words.
Here we go…
Jn 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Jn 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
By any measure, that passage sounds like… I’m gonna give you anything you want, anytime. No conditions. No rules. Blank check.
Anything. Any thing. ANY thing. It really does say… just exactly that. So we can pray for anything we want, right?
Is there anyone reading this message who believes that? The Lamb of God died… so that I can have a Ferrari? Or a (forgive me) promiscuous life? Or a great wealth? Or good looks to go with my vanity? Fame? Can we pray for and expect fame? Or maybe even just pray for our football team to win?
All of those things would violate one (or many) of the values and ‘commandments’ that Jesus espoused while He was here. Can we pray for something that violates what Jesus… embodies? I don’t believe that. When working to understand God’s Word, we must always keep in mind God’s overall value system and be careful that our interpretations fit within the framework of that value system.
Right about now would be a good time to exercise some spiritual discernment.
A literal ‘any’ thing for prayer would clearly not fit.
Maybe our Lord didn’t mean… ‘You can ask for anything your heart desires, as long as you use my name.’ Perhaps He meant… ‘You’ll get an answer to any prayer you give, when you ask for anything that I would put my name to.’
In short, God is listening when we ask Him questions about what His name stands for. The Will of God. This is borne out by the ‘model prayer’ that Jesus gave us…
Mt 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mt 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mt 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mt 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
What did He just tell us?
1. Looking for your kingdom, Lord.
2. I want your Will to be done in my life while I’m here. Not my will. Yours.
3. Keep your promise to feed me today. Today. I'll pray about tomorrow... tomorrow.
4. Pour mercy upon me. I used up the mercy from yesterday.
5. Keep me on my toes about our enemy. That crafty serpent is always following me around. It's creepy.
6. You’re the Man, Lord.
God’s Will. God’s Will. God’s Will. The perfect prayer is God's Will.
Just last week, I was listening to Dr. David Jeremiah, who happened to mention that prayer shouldn’t be about bending God’s Will to our desire. Our prayer, he said, should be about learning how our desires should be bent to His Will.
Does that mean that we can NEVER pray for something WE want? No. Jesus went to Gethsemane and asked His Father if it would be possible to ‘lift this cup’ from Him. The Apostle Paul asked God to remove his ‘thorn in the flesh’.
Two notable details about both of those prayers. Both men qualified their requests with (paraphrasing)… ‘whatever you tell me, that’s what I’ll do’.
And… both of them were told… ‘no’.
Because God’s Will isn’t always ‘yes’. (Sometimes it's 'yes'. Elijah was constantly writing checks that God had to cash. And God did.)
But 'no' is an answer, too. Sometimes, even to His Son.
And that really should be good enough for us. Have you ever told your child, ‘Because I say so, that’s why.’…? Sometimes, we think our children should just trust us, for no other reason than we’re the grownup. Well, God is our Father and sometimes He just wants us to trust His judgment. No explanation. Just… ‘no’.
And sometimes, when He doesn’t answer at all? THAT… is our answer TOO!
For rest assured, if you are a Christian and are praying in the name of the Lamb, then GOD IS LISTENING!! THAT…is a scriptural promise. Let me show you how quick He’s listening… (this is really cool)
Da 9:20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Da 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Da 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Da 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
Daniel got answered before he could finish praying! In v. 23, Gabriel says, ‘The minute you started talking, God told me to come answer you.’
So, if you’re praying in God’s Will, in Jesus’ name, then God isn’t putting you on hold. He’s listening.
Now before we go another step, we’ve got to get past what I think of as the ‘prayer roadblock'. This particular quote from our Lord is so often misquoted, misused, misapplied and just plain… warped, that it can easily distort an unsuspecting Christian’s view of prayer for their entire lives.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be our Lord’s intent for His words.
Here we go…
Jn 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Jn 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
By any measure, that passage sounds like… I’m gonna give you anything you want, anytime. No conditions. No rules. Blank check.
Anything. Any thing. ANY thing. It really does say… just exactly that. So we can pray for anything we want, right?
Is there anyone reading this message who believes that? The Lamb of God died… so that I can have a Ferrari? Or a (forgive me) promiscuous life? Or a great wealth? Or good looks to go with my vanity? Fame? Can we pray for and expect fame? Or maybe even just pray for our football team to win?
All of those things would violate one (or many) of the values and ‘commandments’ that Jesus espoused while He was here. Can we pray for something that violates what Jesus… embodies? I don’t believe that. When working to understand God’s Word, we must always keep in mind God’s overall value system and be careful that our interpretations fit within the framework of that value system.
Right about now would be a good time to exercise some spiritual discernment.
A literal ‘any’ thing for prayer would clearly not fit.
Maybe our Lord didn’t mean… ‘You can ask for anything your heart desires, as long as you use my name.’ Perhaps He meant… ‘You’ll get an answer to any prayer you give, when you ask for anything that I would put my name to.’
In short, God is listening when we ask Him questions about what His name stands for. The Will of God. This is borne out by the ‘model prayer’ that Jesus gave us…
Mt 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mt 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mt 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mt 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
What did He just tell us?
1. Looking for your kingdom, Lord.
2. I want your Will to be done in my life while I’m here. Not my will. Yours.
3. Keep your promise to feed me today. Today. I'll pray about tomorrow... tomorrow.
4. Pour mercy upon me. I used up the mercy from yesterday.
5. Keep me on my toes about our enemy. That crafty serpent is always following me around. It's creepy.
6. You’re the Man, Lord.
God’s Will. God’s Will. God’s Will. The perfect prayer is God's Will.
Just last week, I was listening to Dr. David Jeremiah, who happened to mention that prayer shouldn’t be about bending God’s Will to our desire. Our prayer, he said, should be about learning how our desires should be bent to His Will.
Does that mean that we can NEVER pray for something WE want? No. Jesus went to Gethsemane and asked His Father if it would be possible to ‘lift this cup’ from Him. The Apostle Paul asked God to remove his ‘thorn in the flesh’.
Two notable details about both of those prayers. Both men qualified their requests with (paraphrasing)… ‘whatever you tell me, that’s what I’ll do’.
And… both of them were told… ‘no’.
Because God’s Will isn’t always ‘yes’. (Sometimes it's 'yes'. Elijah was constantly writing checks that God had to cash. And God did.)
But 'no' is an answer, too. Sometimes, even to His Son.
And that really should be good enough for us. Have you ever told your child, ‘Because I say so, that’s why.’…? Sometimes, we think our children should just trust us, for no other reason than we’re the grownup. Well, God is our Father and sometimes He just wants us to trust His judgment. No explanation. Just… ‘no’.
And sometimes, when He doesn’t answer at all? THAT… is our answer TOO!
For rest assured, if you are a Christian and are praying in the name of the Lamb, then GOD IS LISTENING!! THAT…is a scriptural promise. Let me show you how quick He’s listening… (this is really cool)
Da 9:20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Da 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Da 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Da 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
Daniel got answered before he could finish praying! In v. 23, Gabriel says, ‘The minute you started talking, God told me to come answer you.’
So, if you’re praying in God’s Will, in Jesus’ name, then God isn’t putting you on hold. He’s listening.
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