Lust is often called every man's battle, and for good reasons. Wired with strong responses to the presence of the opposite sex, most men struggle with their thought life and behaviors in this area. No wonder this is the squeakiest wheel in our parade.
However, there is another battle that wages against us. It threatens to divide our churches, our friendships, our families and our marriages. We can even be at odds with ourselves, waging war against our own failures, refusing to forgive ourselves, withholding the grace we would gladly offer to others. This battle is to manage the force of anger that surges within us.
This post is not intended to slight the female readers. They may relate to it very well. They may also glean some insight into the inner workings of the men in their lives. Why am I considering this as an issue men may struggle with more than women might? I believe men reflect that part of God’s nature carrying his propensity for wrath, jealousy, power, might and anger. Men carry an inner warrior who is ready to rise up and destroy. It is a kind of default mode that most men go to when feeling threatened or vulnerable. It may come across in normal circumstances as grumpiness, abruptness, or coldness. Under enough stress, uncharacteristic anger and even rage may emerge. Some have suggested that there may be some kind of a decision (conscious or unconscious) that takes place in his mind. He begins to feel weak or vulnerable, so the inner warrior rises up to greater or lesser degrees. He looks angry. He feels powerful. The weakness is hidden behind the curtain. The mighty Oz thunders and postures, and the little man behind the curtain hopes desperately that nobody will notice.
Ephesians 4 echoes Psalm 4, “In your anger, do not sin.” The anger itself is not the sin, but what we do with it might be. Psalm 4 elaborates, “ …on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” I think that anger is like the temperature gauge on my dashboard. When I am feeling it, I need to pull over and look under the hood. I need to “search my heart and be silent.” A heart check is in order. A heart check might include such questions as: Why am I really angry? Is it anger or something else (fear, sadness, sorrow, fatigue, jealousy)? Is it selfish or Godly (about me or the Kingdom)? Can I make a reasonable request that would remedy the situation? Can I make changes on my part that would help or remedy the problem? Can I let it go? Would Jesus want me to? Is my anger driven by my own unreasonable expectations? Can I alter these? Asking the Spirit to shine a light into the dark corners of our hearts is not a painless process, but the rewards are worth the discomfort. While I am sorting it out, silence is a great policy. Slow to speak and slow to anger…sounds familiar.
In the next chapter (Ephesians 5), Paul transitions from this discussion to the treatise on marriage (love and respect) with this covering statement: “ Honor one another out of reverence for Christ” (5:21). I often use this verse, with a visual of Jesus looking over the shoulder of a challenging person, watching to see if my response to them will honor (or dishonor) Him.
The ones who love Him are the ones who keep his commands. What is his command? Love one another.
“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search you hearts and be silent.” Psalm 4:4
“My dear brothers, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20
“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27
"A new command I give you: Love one another." John 13:34
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Dry Seasons
When seasons of drought come upon us, our bodies and souls cry out for relief. We long to know that God has not abandoned us. We seek reasons for the dry seasons that come upon us without explanation.
Seasons of plenty, from our point of view, do not require much explanation. We seem to see them as our due. At the very least, we see them as what God does. God is good and benevolent and delights in blessing people, so it is natural that seasons of lush greenery and plentiful fruit should come upon us. Who would question such a thing? Well, maybe we should. Such seasons are actually NOT our due. If Isaiah of Old and more recent Paul are correct, no one seeks after God, and all fall short of his glory. What we deserve is not blessing, but its radical opposite. Seasons of blessing are actually what we should question, but do not. At times, I fear we are like tourists who have grown accustomed to first class treatment on our cruise, and now have found reason to complain about the melting ice in our water pitchers. We feel entitled to heaven on earth when we do not even deserve earth.
So, by contrast, dry seasons leave us challenged beyond our resources. Facing the raw realities that life is sometimes cruel, and bad things happen, even to good people, we look toward God and ask, “How could you?”
America is going through a dry season of late, and yet a strange denial prevails. Our economy has taken a major hit. The automotive, real estate and construction industries have seemingly grinded to a halt in recent years. Yet, turn on your television, and the three-ring circus, replete with smoke and mirrors, continues. However, tell the construction worker, the real estate agent, the automobile salesman that life is normal these days, and see what they say. The money these industries would normally generate has created a vacuum in the economy. It affects us all. Economically, we are in a dry season.
Dry seasons come in many shapes and sizes. Usually, they involve loss of some kind: loss of a person we have loved; loss of career; loss of position; loss of a home; loss of income; loss of health whether physical or emotional. The world we once knew has suffered a drought. It has gone dry. The lush greenery we took for granted has died and blown away, and taken our hope with it. If we sink into despair, our fear becomes-- this is more than a season. This is our new reality.
For the child of God, the challenge is often to look beyond the desire for immediate relief. Larry Crabb, in Shattered Dreams, tells of an incident when, as a boy, he became stuck in the upstairs bathroom of an old country house with no ventilation. His desire was relief, to be set free to frolic in the green shade of the lawn below. His challenge to us is to leave such childish desires behind us, to grow up. He encourages us to learn to quiet ourselves, to seek God and his lessons, even while still enclosed in the hot confines of our discomfort.
In these dry seasons, God reveals some of his richest lessons, his greatest treasures, to those who persistently seek Him. Find them amidst the rubble, diamonds in the dirt. There, buried in the shards of junk we once held dear, we discover how little those things really mattered. We unearth a greater truth-- the one thing that matters more than anything in the world is the thing that no one can take from us.
"Spiritual seasons of dryness and the desert teach the soul to listen to and embrace God's will in its impenetrable mystery. They are signs of progress...and in the process, we surrender control, and by personal abandonment to God we find Him afresh not for his gifts but for Himself."
Kenneth Boa (Conformed to His Image)
“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
"...We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:3-5
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” Philippians 4:12
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 9:35
Seasons of plenty, from our point of view, do not require much explanation. We seem to see them as our due. At the very least, we see them as what God does. God is good and benevolent and delights in blessing people, so it is natural that seasons of lush greenery and plentiful fruit should come upon us. Who would question such a thing? Well, maybe we should. Such seasons are actually NOT our due. If Isaiah of Old and more recent Paul are correct, no one seeks after God, and all fall short of his glory. What we deserve is not blessing, but its radical opposite. Seasons of blessing are actually what we should question, but do not. At times, I fear we are like tourists who have grown accustomed to first class treatment on our cruise, and now have found reason to complain about the melting ice in our water pitchers. We feel entitled to heaven on earth when we do not even deserve earth.
So, by contrast, dry seasons leave us challenged beyond our resources. Facing the raw realities that life is sometimes cruel, and bad things happen, even to good people, we look toward God and ask, “How could you?”
America is going through a dry season of late, and yet a strange denial prevails. Our economy has taken a major hit. The automotive, real estate and construction industries have seemingly grinded to a halt in recent years. Yet, turn on your television, and the three-ring circus, replete with smoke and mirrors, continues. However, tell the construction worker, the real estate agent, the automobile salesman that life is normal these days, and see what they say. The money these industries would normally generate has created a vacuum in the economy. It affects us all. Economically, we are in a dry season.
Dry seasons come in many shapes and sizes. Usually, they involve loss of some kind: loss of a person we have loved; loss of career; loss of position; loss of a home; loss of income; loss of health whether physical or emotional. The world we once knew has suffered a drought. It has gone dry. The lush greenery we took for granted has died and blown away, and taken our hope with it. If we sink into despair, our fear becomes-- this is more than a season. This is our new reality.
For the child of God, the challenge is often to look beyond the desire for immediate relief. Larry Crabb, in Shattered Dreams, tells of an incident when, as a boy, he became stuck in the upstairs bathroom of an old country house with no ventilation. His desire was relief, to be set free to frolic in the green shade of the lawn below. His challenge to us is to leave such childish desires behind us, to grow up. He encourages us to learn to quiet ourselves, to seek God and his lessons, even while still enclosed in the hot confines of our discomfort.
In these dry seasons, God reveals some of his richest lessons, his greatest treasures, to those who persistently seek Him. Find them amidst the rubble, diamonds in the dirt. There, buried in the shards of junk we once held dear, we discover how little those things really mattered. We unearth a greater truth-- the one thing that matters more than anything in the world is the thing that no one can take from us.
"Spiritual seasons of dryness and the desert teach the soul to listen to and embrace God's will in its impenetrable mystery. They are signs of progress...and in the process, we surrender control, and by personal abandonment to God we find Him afresh not for his gifts but for Himself."
Kenneth Boa (Conformed to His Image)
“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
"...We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:3-5
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…” Philippians 4:12
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 9:35
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
God in History ~ Book of Judges
A major theological theme the Book of Joshua is the inheritance of the Land in fulfillment of God’s promises. In the Book of Judges, concern for the Land remains a priority, but with a difference. Now the issue is why Israel had not been able to possess the Land completely. The answer is clearly seen in Israel’s disobedience---in not completely annihilating the Canaanites, and especially in turning to their gods (2:1-3, 20-22). Therefore, the theme of the Land is tied to another concern in Joshua as well, the purity of Israel’s worship. The gift of the Land, a major theme in Joshua, is seen in Judges as compromised by Israel’s apostasy.
Israel’s apostasy is the cause of threats to the Land, as is explicitly stated in the text (2:1-3, 20-22). Repeatedly, we see the Israelites breaking the Covenant, turning to Canaanite gods, and generally doing evil. Repeatedly, we see them suffering the consequences. The oppressions, chaos, and general negative themes of the book are a result of repeated sin.
God’s faithfulness forms the counterpoint to Israel’s apostasy in the Book of Judges. He repeatedly provided deliverance, in spite of Israel’s repeated falling away. He did not do this mechanically in response to Israel’s cries for help, and He did not spare Israel the consequences of her actions. In fact, He angrily delivered Israel into foreign hands. His deliverance of Israel was motivated by his promises about the Land. He remained faithful to his promises. The immediate cause of God’s deliverance of Israel was not due to any merit on Israel’s part, but was due to his compassion and pity (2:16, 18). God alone emerges as the hero of the Book. He acted on Israel’s part in spite of her faithless character. Even the judges themselves did not contribute greatly to the improvement of spiritual conditions in the Land. Though Gideon and Samson are highly regarded in the Book of Hebrews, they were anything but paragons of virtue.
The case for kingship is presented in Judges in three major ways. First, through its outline and structure, Judges shows repetitive cycles as a part of a downward spiral, leading to a virtual bankruptcy of any positive virtues in the Land. (However, there are signs of hope as in the tribes confronting Benjamin in a unified manner).
In the final chapter, 4 times we find the phrase “In those days, there was no king in Israel” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). In two of these references (17:6; 21:25), there is the additional phrase “every man did what was right in his own eyes.” These comments do more than just state the conditions in Israel at the time (the reader is painfully aware of that). Rather, they make clear the point that things would be better under a king. The biblical norm was that people would do what was right in the Lord’s eyes, not their own.
A second way in which the Book of Judges speaks to the issue of kingship is in the episode where the men of Israel asked Gideon to rule over them (8:22-23). Gideon refuses them, stating that it is the Lord himself who is to rule over them, and no other. This is usually seen as one of the clearest statements in the Old Testament against kingship. However, the message here is not so much that kingship itself is the problem, rather that the problem is the motivation for the request; it is because “you have saved us out of the hand of Midian” (v. 22). This is in direct contradiction to Deuteronomy 17:16 about the Israelites not building up the number of horses they owned, and is in direct contradiction to the entire point of the story in Judges 7:1-8 about the paring down of the numbers of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 men. Israel was not to boast “that her own strength has saved her” (7:2). Gideon’s refusal is not a statement about the illegitimacy of the institution of kingship, but, rather, a more limited comment about the circumstances under which Gideon was asked to rule.
A third way the Book of Judges speaks to the issue of kingship is its perspectives on Abimelech’s abortive kingship in chapter 9. Gideon’s son, Abimelech made himself king by means of a slaughter. He is condemned, not for being king, but for the means by which he did so. He was not called or raised up by God, but was motivated by his own selfishness, greed and murderous lust for power. The inevitable outcome of such a kingship is destruction. Howard asserts that nothing in the Book of Judges suggests that the final author was antikingship; rather he was arguing that things would have gone better under a king. He feels the Book functions, therefore, as an introduction to--and a justification of--the monarchy.
The end of the Book sets the stage for the larger story related in 1 Samuel, the introduction to the monarchy. We are more than ready for the saga of King David, and his ultimate successor, King Jesus. God is a God of covenants. He has always been, and always will be, true to his words.
He draws near to those who seek him, He disciplines those who worship idols (whether literal or figurative). He exhalts the humble and brings low the proud. He does all these things because he is a God of covenant and because He is a God of relationships. He loves us too much not to keep us in the fold, even if it means making us uncomfortable for a time. We are far too dear to Him. He is the constant factor in our relationship. He stands always ready to welcome and forgive. We are the variable factors, the slow learners, each generation seemigly needing to start from scratch.
Oh, the depth and height and breadth of his lovingkindness and compassion toward us! All of history is an object lesson of people seeking their own way and God patiently extending Himself to them. Ultimately, King Jesus will have his reign. Let it be!
Like this post? Please "Follow" or "Vote" on the gadgets to the right, or share using one of the icons below. Thanks for stopping by!
Israel’s apostasy is the cause of threats to the Land, as is explicitly stated in the text (2:1-3, 20-22). Repeatedly, we see the Israelites breaking the Covenant, turning to Canaanite gods, and generally doing evil. Repeatedly, we see them suffering the consequences. The oppressions, chaos, and general negative themes of the book are a result of repeated sin.
God’s faithfulness forms the counterpoint to Israel’s apostasy in the Book of Judges. He repeatedly provided deliverance, in spite of Israel’s repeated falling away. He did not do this mechanically in response to Israel’s cries for help, and He did not spare Israel the consequences of her actions. In fact, He angrily delivered Israel into foreign hands. His deliverance of Israel was motivated by his promises about the Land. He remained faithful to his promises. The immediate cause of God’s deliverance of Israel was not due to any merit on Israel’s part, but was due to his compassion and pity (2:16, 18). God alone emerges as the hero of the Book. He acted on Israel’s part in spite of her faithless character. Even the judges themselves did not contribute greatly to the improvement of spiritual conditions in the Land. Though Gideon and Samson are highly regarded in the Book of Hebrews, they were anything but paragons of virtue.
The case for kingship is presented in Judges in three major ways. First, through its outline and structure, Judges shows repetitive cycles as a part of a downward spiral, leading to a virtual bankruptcy of any positive virtues in the Land. (However, there are signs of hope as in the tribes confronting Benjamin in a unified manner).
In the final chapter, 4 times we find the phrase “In those days, there was no king in Israel” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). In two of these references (17:6; 21:25), there is the additional phrase “every man did what was right in his own eyes.” These comments do more than just state the conditions in Israel at the time (the reader is painfully aware of that). Rather, they make clear the point that things would be better under a king. The biblical norm was that people would do what was right in the Lord’s eyes, not their own.
A second way in which the Book of Judges speaks to the issue of kingship is in the episode where the men of Israel asked Gideon to rule over them (8:22-23). Gideon refuses them, stating that it is the Lord himself who is to rule over them, and no other. This is usually seen as one of the clearest statements in the Old Testament against kingship. However, the message here is not so much that kingship itself is the problem, rather that the problem is the motivation for the request; it is because “you have saved us out of the hand of Midian” (v. 22). This is in direct contradiction to Deuteronomy 17:16 about the Israelites not building up the number of horses they owned, and is in direct contradiction to the entire point of the story in Judges 7:1-8 about the paring down of the numbers of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 men. Israel was not to boast “that her own strength has saved her” (7:2). Gideon’s refusal is not a statement about the illegitimacy of the institution of kingship, but, rather, a more limited comment about the circumstances under which Gideon was asked to rule.
A third way the Book of Judges speaks to the issue of kingship is its perspectives on Abimelech’s abortive kingship in chapter 9. Gideon’s son, Abimelech made himself king by means of a slaughter. He is condemned, not for being king, but for the means by which he did so. He was not called or raised up by God, but was motivated by his own selfishness, greed and murderous lust for power. The inevitable outcome of such a kingship is destruction. Howard asserts that nothing in the Book of Judges suggests that the final author was antikingship; rather he was arguing that things would have gone better under a king. He feels the Book functions, therefore, as an introduction to--and a justification of--the monarchy.
The end of the Book sets the stage for the larger story related in 1 Samuel, the introduction to the monarchy. We are more than ready for the saga of King David, and his ultimate successor, King Jesus. God is a God of covenants. He has always been, and always will be, true to his words.
He draws near to those who seek him, He disciplines those who worship idols (whether literal or figurative). He exhalts the humble and brings low the proud. He does all these things because he is a God of covenant and because He is a God of relationships. He loves us too much not to keep us in the fold, even if it means making us uncomfortable for a time. We are far too dear to Him. He is the constant factor in our relationship. He stands always ready to welcome and forgive. We are the variable factors, the slow learners, each generation seemigly needing to start from scratch.
Oh, the depth and height and breadth of his lovingkindness and compassion toward us! All of history is an object lesson of people seeking their own way and God patiently extending Himself to them. Ultimately, King Jesus will have his reign. Let it be!
Like this post? Please "Follow" or "Vote" on the gadgets to the right, or share using one of the icons below. Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Remembering God
We struggle emotionally for a number of reasons. The reasons tend to fall under a larger category of lack of peace. Other people are not behaving as we hoped them to. God is not protecting as we understood Him to promise. We are unable to control our own emotions, as we understand the scriptures to mandate. The world is not living up to our expectations, and we need to find a way of bringing it into line. Our own behaviors may be at odds with our proclaimed beliefs and values. As gods of our little universe, we are failing. We want help in getting back on our thrones.
Christians are not immune to this type of thinking. In fact, some of us are masters at it. Having read the scriptures, we have a general grasp of how things should work, or so we think. Our expectations enhanced, we set off, only to encounter a world that is still broken and dysfunctional at every turn. And we are active participants in that world, right down to the core. The very fact that we want to sit in judgment of it proves the point. We so easily slide onto our thrones, gods of our own little worlds.
Even knowing this, I find my peace in peril on a regular basis. The realities of our culture at this time bring many into my office whose lives have no easy answers. Some people have lost everything: jobs, homes, relationships, now they are struggling to maintain their faith in a God who seems silent in their time of need. Unconsciously, I want to find the solution for them. I want to rescue them from their position of peril. I want to save them. Honestly, I want to be their savior. However, they already have One, far better than me. Moreover, even though it is not always clear either to the client or to me, He has them covered. He loves them far more than I do. He has their eternal best interest at heart, and He is weaving something of eternal value into their spirits through the insolvable problems that lie before us. At times, my role is not to solve the problems or to become the savior, but to keep pointing them back to Him.
How much peace do we forfeit because we forget who is God, and who is not? When we are encouraged to pray, it is not so that we can counsel or advise Him, it is so that we can pour out our hearts and find peace in the fact that He is God and we are not. When scripture exhorts us to be there for one another, it is not to become gods to one another.
We can encourage, comfort, even convict, but ultimately we cannot be the Holy Spirit to another. We cannot be God. I for one am glad for this.
Frequently, I write this note on a post-it and ask my client to place it where he will see it several times a day:
REMEMBER WHO GOD IS, AND STOP APPLYING FOR HIS JOB.
God put it another way:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
"Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome..." Nehemiah 4:14
Like this post? Please "Follow" or "Vote" on the gadgets to the right, or share using one of the icons below. Thanks for stopping by!
Christians are not immune to this type of thinking. In fact, some of us are masters at it. Having read the scriptures, we have a general grasp of how things should work, or so we think. Our expectations enhanced, we set off, only to encounter a world that is still broken and dysfunctional at every turn. And we are active participants in that world, right down to the core. The very fact that we want to sit in judgment of it proves the point. We so easily slide onto our thrones, gods of our own little worlds.
Even knowing this, I find my peace in peril on a regular basis. The realities of our culture at this time bring many into my office whose lives have no easy answers. Some people have lost everything: jobs, homes, relationships, now they are struggling to maintain their faith in a God who seems silent in their time of need. Unconsciously, I want to find the solution for them. I want to rescue them from their position of peril. I want to save them. Honestly, I want to be their savior. However, they already have One, far better than me. Moreover, even though it is not always clear either to the client or to me, He has them covered. He loves them far more than I do. He has their eternal best interest at heart, and He is weaving something of eternal value into their spirits through the insolvable problems that lie before us. At times, my role is not to solve the problems or to become the savior, but to keep pointing them back to Him.
How much peace do we forfeit because we forget who is God, and who is not? When we are encouraged to pray, it is not so that we can counsel or advise Him, it is so that we can pour out our hearts and find peace in the fact that He is God and we are not. When scripture exhorts us to be there for one another, it is not to become gods to one another.
We can encourage, comfort, even convict, but ultimately we cannot be the Holy Spirit to another. We cannot be God. I for one am glad for this.
Frequently, I write this note on a post-it and ask my client to place it where he will see it several times a day:
REMEMBER WHO GOD IS, AND STOP APPLYING FOR HIS JOB.
God put it another way:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
"Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome..." Nehemiah 4:14
Like this post? Please "Follow" or "Vote" on the gadgets to the right, or share using one of the icons below. Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
A Short Parable
A little heresy mixed in with truth is like serving your children rat poison, and telling yourself --"As long as it's not the main ingredient, it will not hurt them." Quite a different issue from not getting the proportions of the original recipe exactly right.
He who has an ear, let him hear.
"If any one comes to you, whether an apostle or even an angel from heaven, with a different gospel than the one we have brought you, let him be accursed. I say it again, let him be accursed." Apostle Paul
He who has an ear, let him hear.
"If any one comes to you, whether an apostle or even an angel from heaven, with a different gospel than the one we have brought you, let him be accursed. I say it again, let him be accursed." Apostle Paul
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Outside the Box
This feels like a risky post to share. In showing my weakness, and in letting you see that I can be a bit “out there,” I hope to share some hope with you. So here goes.
Those of you who know me, know that I am called as a counselor first, and exercise other roles as the needs arise, but not always comfortably. Recently, I was standing in the wings, waiting to go on platform to deliver a difficult message, to a large crowd, at a difficult time. It was in the wake of international and local tragedies, and I had been struggling with it spiritually and emotionally. I also had a nasty bronchial issue, always there, always nagging, always threatening to spring from my chest and take my throat and mouth by storm, rendering me useless as a speaker. I stood there, surrounded by black walls, black curtains, black ceiling. The black door closed behind me, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Boxed in, literally and figuratively.
The usual prayers, “God help me,” head bowed, spirit broken. Then, through the crack, I saw the lyrics to the praise music. I could not sing, but I lifted my heart to Him, the One who brought me there to do His will, to speak his Words. My hands soon followed my lifted-up heart.
At some point, I am not sure when or how, I began to dance. I just forgot myself. I became a little boy dancing before his Father-- then, Abraham beneath the stars. The black box that once contained me was gone. There I was, before the God of the universe, dancing, worshipping, free to serve without reservation. At some point, my attention had shifted from myself, and my own inadequacies, to God and his complete adequacy.
There was something different in my gait as I crossed the stage that day. I still had to stop to sip water a time or two (the flesh is weak) but there was newfound liberty in the delivery of this message. I was free from the box that once contained me.
How often in the days that preceded the delivery of this message, I questioned, “Why do things always have to be so impossible?” Here is what I have decided: If things were possible (to me), I would not rely on God in the same way that I do when they are quite beyond my personal grasp. There would be little room for God. I would be content within the box. And what a shame that would be!
“Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 10
Like this post? Please share it using one of the icons below, or become a follower using the gadget on the right. Thanks for coming by!
Those of you who know me, know that I am called as a counselor first, and exercise other roles as the needs arise, but not always comfortably. Recently, I was standing in the wings, waiting to go on platform to deliver a difficult message, to a large crowd, at a difficult time. It was in the wake of international and local tragedies, and I had been struggling with it spiritually and emotionally. I also had a nasty bronchial issue, always there, always nagging, always threatening to spring from my chest and take my throat and mouth by storm, rendering me useless as a speaker. I stood there, surrounded by black walls, black curtains, black ceiling. The black door closed behind me, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Boxed in, literally and figuratively.
The usual prayers, “God help me,” head bowed, spirit broken. Then, through the crack, I saw the lyrics to the praise music. I could not sing, but I lifted my heart to Him, the One who brought me there to do His will, to speak his Words. My hands soon followed my lifted-up heart.
At some point, I am not sure when or how, I began to dance. I just forgot myself. I became a little boy dancing before his Father-- then, Abraham beneath the stars. The black box that once contained me was gone. There I was, before the God of the universe, dancing, worshipping, free to serve without reservation. At some point, my attention had shifted from myself, and my own inadequacies, to God and his complete adequacy.
There was something different in my gait as I crossed the stage that day. I still had to stop to sip water a time or two (the flesh is weak) but there was newfound liberty in the delivery of this message. I was free from the box that once contained me.
How often in the days that preceded the delivery of this message, I questioned, “Why do things always have to be so impossible?” Here is what I have decided: If things were possible (to me), I would not rely on God in the same way that I do when they are quite beyond my personal grasp. There would be little room for God. I would be content within the box. And what a shame that would be!
“Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 10
Like this post? Please share it using one of the icons below, or become a follower using the gadget on the right. Thanks for coming by!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Legend of Two Wolves
Not original to me, I pass this along to you because it has inspired many. It challenges me to listen to my inner monologue. . .
An old man and his grandson were walking along a path. The grandson had reached an age to realize that some people become bitter, hate filled people, while others do not.
So he asked, "How can this be?"
Grandfather responded- "Within every man, there are two wolves. One, a black wolf, represents, despair, envy, self-centeredness, vindictiveness, unresolved anger, and unforgiveness. The other wolf, a white one, represents such qualities as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, forgiveness."
Insight passed quickly over Grandson's face. Then another question- "But Grandfather, if these two wolves live within me, which one will win?"
Grandfather's response, "The one you feed the most."
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8,9
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Romans 7:21-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things, there is no law. Galatians 5:22,23
Like this post? Please share it with your friends by clicking one of the icons below, or vote or follow using one of the gadgets in the side column. Thanks for stopping by.
An old man and his grandson were walking along a path. The grandson had reached an age to realize that some people become bitter, hate filled people, while others do not.
So he asked, "How can this be?"
Grandfather responded- "Within every man, there are two wolves. One, a black wolf, represents, despair, envy, self-centeredness, vindictiveness, unresolved anger, and unforgiveness. The other wolf, a white one, represents such qualities as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, forgiveness."
Insight passed quickly over Grandson's face. Then another question- "But Grandfather, if these two wolves live within me, which one will win?"
Grandfather's response, "The one you feed the most."
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8,9
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. Romans 7:21-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things, there is no law. Galatians 5:22,23
Like this post? Please share it with your friends by clicking one of the icons below, or vote or follow using one of the gadgets in the side column. Thanks for stopping by.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)