Lord, Fix My Want To

12.31.12

Revelation 22.11 11 "Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

Today, with the exception of two events, one spontaneous and the other planned, wraps up another annual excursion through the Bible. And tomorrow, starts the next. I have done this now since February 2002 and believe it is one of the most important things I can do each year.

As I look back on 2012 and think about my life I’ve seen the death of some things in my life. I’ve decided some hills are just too small to die on. I’ve seen some things more clearly and remarkably I’ve seen some of my small battles become larger. Age does that to you. I see areas in my life that need improvement. I see some opportunities to do things differently, and with more diligence and discipline. I see some relationships that need work.

So the first thought in my mind this morning was this: Lord, fix my want to. Life is full of want to: I want to do this; I don’t want to do that. I want my life to have some meaning and purpose and I want to achieve a greater measure of that this year. I want to give some attention to at least two activities in this next year that have been on my unfulfilled want to shelf this past year.

And life is more than just want to. Want to can simply remain want to because the road to ineffectiveness is paved with unfulfilled want to. There must be a plan and there must be execution and there must be an “I want to” that overcomes the “I don’t want to.” And if we’re not careful I want to can be overpowered by time, repeated setbacks, and the ever-present I don’t want to.

The verse above spoke to me this morning in concert with the thought, Lord, fix my want to. The verse communicated something along the line of “you choose!” "Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy… you choose!” And so at least this day, I choose: want to. I want to do right rather than wrong and I want to choose holiness rather than unholiness. But I admit, looking at the wake of 2012 that I’ll need help in 2013 – Lord, fix my want to.

Father,

Yours is the power and the glory for ever and ever. I don’t believe You placed me on this earth to spin my wheels and live just bumping along the bottom of the creek. I believe You have ordained purpose and meaning for each of us and it is to that ordination that I give myself again at the end of this year when we (here) seem to think it is time for reflection, election, and correction. Then comes: protection and direction. Lord, fix my want to that at this time next year we can sit down together and see what has happened… amen.

Blessed Rest

12.29.12

Revelation 14.13 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (NIV)

Like my friend Jim Stephens, I too read through Revelation 10 to 14 today in fascination and looked for some devotional thought. I was struck yet again with the fact that war broke out in Heaven (Rev. 12.7) I asked myself, how does that happen!? I saw that great trials are coming upon this world and only those who remain faithful to God are going to make it through those trials and escape a thing called wrath.

I must admit I am (again) fascinated with God’s wrath and what it really is. I know wrath is somewhat anger but it isn’t anger like men’s anger. It seems to me to be more of a place where God says “enough!” It seems to me that wrath is the righteous indignation of God, and all He is, displayed against men and all they’ve forfeited in their steadfast denial of God’s offer of friendship. Wrath is coming – and according to John in another place it already rests on those who snub God.

But today my devotional thoughts center on what John was told to write in Revelation 14, and what the Spirit responded to his writing: Yes, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them. As wrath is coming, so rest is coming. As wrath is here, so rest is here and our deeds in the Lord will follow us.

When we get to Heaven, what will come with us as we stand at the gate and ask admission? What will we be known for in Heaven’s company as we stand among them? Will we hear the strong words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”? Or will we hear, “At least he tried!”? You see, now is the time (on earth) to labor for the Lord while resting in Him. The battle is His and we are expected to stand by His side and labor in His power, presence, and peace. Here we are blessed as we rest in Him.

One day though, in heaven, the fruit of that earthly blessing and resting will be the evidence of how well we rested blessed in this life. Yes, our world is full of incompleteness, inconsistency, and disappointment because it is what it is. One day it is to be restored to its original glory and majesty but for now it is the labor of trying to convince men who don’t know of what they should know: that God loves them and wants to be their Friend. And labor it is, and increasingly becomes, as men continue to deny all of Who God is and has for them.

But the Believers accept Him for Who He is, and what He provides: present blessing that the unbelieving cannot comprehend; and strength for today in bright hope for tomorrow…blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. (Thank you, Great is Thy Faithfulness!) So labor-less rest then depends on laboring rest now. I can attempt to drag men kicking and screaming into the Kingdom of Heaven, or I can labor today resting in His power and presence and allowing His Spirit to convict men of what they should know: God wants to be their Friend.

And what follows me into heaven will be the evidence of how well I rested blessed in this life. It’s the same in this life, I will be known for what I do and how I do it… God help me, please.

Doing What We’re Told

Today's Reading: Psalms 117,119:81-176; 2 John; 3 John

12.26.12

2 John 5, 6 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. NIV

The greatest calling of one person to another is to walk in love; and the greatest definition of love is obedience to what God commands. Love is indeed partially affection, but love is also correction. Love is sacrifice because loves pays a price. Love is a destination toward which two (or more) may walk side by side and grow closer as they near that destination.

It has occurred to me this morning as I have shoved my face into the glow of Holy Writ that true love is perfected by my obeying everything that God commands me to do. And not just love toward God who is honored and loved by my obedience, but also my fellow man who benefits tremendously by my love to God, demonstrated in my obedience to His commands.

To walk in love is to walk in sync with the Father and all He has in store for us. Psalm 119.96 says: “To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.” (NIV) With God what He commands and His perspective is eternal and infinite. The one who gives himself to this is perfected in love by staying in step and walking in sync with the Father: his fellow man benefits from all he does.

Some of us humans like Christmas because of what we get out of it – Christmas, as good as we think it may be, is nothing compared to what we get out of walking in love. And the greatest gift we can give to our fellow man is obedience to God. It shows our deep respect for their individual being when we stay right next to God and do everything He says.

Father in Heaven,

Like the psalmist in Psalm 119 may I walk in the paths of Your commands and be of benefit to my fellow man. May I quit trying to impress others with what I have and simply love them as You have commanded me to love them. In this regard it doesn’t matter what they do it only matters that I love You. And by loving You, I will fulfill the greatest purpose of my life. I love Your commands. May I walk in them and keep them and bring relief in whatever form it may be to others by my love for them in obeying You. Amen!

Advent – Day 24 Peace on Earth

Well, it was a peaceful night of snackage, watching A Christmas Carol (the Patrick Stewart version), and then opening our traditional one-gift-on-Christmas Eve: me, Cathy, the boys, and the dog and the cat.

I cried during the movie; having been the father of a handicapped child, I identify with Bob Cratchet and little Tim (I’m way less agreeable and way more cynical than Bob). The older I get, I cry over big stuff like windy days and important stuff like that. My gift from my daughter was a Snoopy coffee cup with the words Peace on Earth painted on the back. (It’s the back because I am right-handed and the cup handle is on the right side (for me) and the picture of Snoopy and Woodstock is on the ‘front’ and the words, “Peace on Earth” are written on the back – unless you’re left-handed and then it would be the front to you. Maybe I stayed up too late and didn’t sleep in enough this morning.)

But Peace on Earth is the sentiment, and my continual prayer for this globe of ours. With mass-murders in places like Newtown, Connecticut, and Syria, and other places, some near and some not so near; we need peace. Conflict no matter how great or small is usually built upon something totally petty and initially, completely solvable. But like most conflict, the force-field of pride and arrogance make the early-on solvable more and more difficult the longer it is ignored and put off.

Our country (America, or whoever you are) is desperately in need of peace. Oh yes, on the surface we mostly get along but there is an undercurrent of discontent that is almost palpable. There are two sides to most issues and the ability to come together and work together to solve these issues is getting more and more difficult. Red, blue, conservative, liberal, black, white, Latino: we are such foolish people arguing over petty stuff rather than having rational discussions on how to agree to disagree and being able to use our collective gifts to solve what seems so unsolvable. We need peace.

The Dickensian character: Bob Cratchet, is the personification of humblity, nobility, and selflessness. Our nation and neighborhoods could use some Bob. Our national leaders could use some Bob. And our pursuit of happiness will mean a whole lot more if it means me working to help you achieve yours and you doing likewise. We need peace and we need otherness (Philippians 2.3,4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.) But we cannot do that without peace. And we cannot have peace without Someone strong enough to overcome our sin.

The angels in Luke 2 proclaimed: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” The angels got it: we humans need peace and we need peace throughout our entire earth. But it starts with me and it must start as I relate rightly to God through His Son whom He sent to beget peace in the human heart with God Himself, and thereby empowering me to have peace with you – whoever and wherever you are.

Merry Christmas! Tim said it right: God bless us, every one. That’s peace, and that is what God offers, through His Son, us on earth upon whom His favor rests. It’s my prayer for you and me.

Advent – Day 23: Unto Us

Advent – Day 23: Unto Us

Isaiah 9.6 6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. NASB

Like many, I have been shocked, dismayed, and deeply saddened by the events of what has transpired in Newtown, Connecticut. Aside from the recent (historically speaking) shootings that have maddened and saddened our social landscape, this one is particularly troubling in that 20 school children – ages 5 and 6 – were mowed down in a brutal killing that has captured our attention. There are those in our nation who are very sick and need help.

But there have been ‘sickies’ for centuries and as long as man continues to walk upon this earth, the sickies will be alongside us. Sickies are people who have problems and cannot help themselves. They need the rest of us to stop long enough to care about them. If there is one thing a sick person needs, it’s someone to help them in their sickness.

Sickness (in its various forms and functions) is as old as mankind. Sickness is what infected our first parents who chose to ignore God’s command and ate of the fruit of which He forbade to eat. Why? Why God would you create a fruit that was so deadly and so abundant and tell Your first children: don’t eat it? Didn’t You know they’d be tempted? Didn’t You know they’d see it and desire it and do the big nasty? C’mon God! What were You thinking!?

One thing that God has always done is respect man’s free will. We are creatures, despite all of our fallings and failings, who have free will. Why God!? Why did You endow us with choice, preference, and the ability to freely choose what we want? C’mon God! What could You have been thinking!? Didn’t You know we’d abuse it? Didn’t You know we’d try to take advantage of You?

Despite what was originally done (and lost) God – for whatever reason – decided to create a race of beings who would freely love Him. Before mankind there has (to our knowledge) never been another race of beings created in the likeness and image of God and called to love Him freely. Maybe there has been in some universe somewhere but we aren’t aware of it. God created and called us to be His friends: freely.

And so because of that freedom, God has given Himself to us that we may experience the marvel and majesty of all of Who He is and has. Maybe He’ll let us see the outcome of that experience in some other universe somewhere; but in order to do that, we must freely give ourselves to Him. Such is the height of God’s majesty: His grace – and such is the depth of man’s depravity: our sin.

It is for freedom that God has made the effort to set us free. Free to enjoy Him and we’ve not even scratched the surface of all that will be – we won’t even scratch it throughout all eternity. And what holds us in bondage: our freewill because it is marred with sin. Our freewill was smeared with the foulest putrescence the day our parents freely disobeyed God and chose to snub His command. Sinful freewill is what holds us back. And what sets us free is love.

But love must be empowered; love must be genuine; love must be free. Our sin holds our freewill in bondage and in turn our love is held in check by that tainted freewill. So God said, I will empower them to accept My love and to understand my love – then perhaps they will freely chose My love. All God asks of us is to choose Him – freely. Our love cannot be freed without the power to free it; and that power only comes from God and the only way to receive that love is to believe in it – freely. It’s called faith. And faith is found by the one who freely believes that what God has said and done is true.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9.6) The Son came to pay the price for our sin that we might be set free. The Son came to secure our faith in His Father by giving on our behalf, what we could not give: our lives. The Son met the terms of the Father by living a sinless life and dying a perfect atoning sinless death. Only sinlessness secures a spotless freewill.

Whether he was sick or in sin, the murderer of those innocent children last week’s brutal killing acted freely. His actions only betray what is alive in every human heart – at least in potential. And the only way to stop such potential is with holy freedom to love freely and that only comes from the Son born unto us.

The Son is God: to us, in us and through us. The only way to be free is to freely love Him. Christmas this year is saddened by a mass-murder that might’ve been avoided. But the deep and mournful thought this Christmas is: but for the grace of God, there go I. I need a Son Whose name will be called,Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Advent – Day 20: The Coming of the Light

Isaiah 9.1-2 1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.

Matthew 4.13-16 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned.” (NASB)

Jesus didn’t splash upon the scene in Jerusalem the center of Jewish culture and thought. Jesus’ birth wasn’t heralded by great lineage and heritage (although that is from where He came). Jesus was born in obscurity and poverty to lowly parents from a lowly village in – of all places – a barnyard. But fanfare aside, Jesus came to shine God’s light in darkness; and where He lived and ministered was a place of great darkness, for His people had all but forgotten God and had assimilated much of the customs and culture of Greece and Rome.

Isaiah’s prophecy was that the people who lived in a dark land – a place of misery, a place of superstition and uncertainty, a place of aberrant theology – would have a great Light shine upon them. That Light lived in the region of Galilee: the land of the Gentiles. That Light shown upon them and ministered to them, was hated by them, and crucified before them. That Light died in front of them and rose again to show them that the Light cannot be quenched by the dark.

The people in that dark land were no different than the people who live in our dark land and who search for answers to problems that seem to them, insurmountable. The Light is shining. The deeds that men do are done in the dark, behind closed doors, and with care so that no one knows. The Light shines on them. What is done in the dark will be shouted from the rooftops. John the Apostle said, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1.5 NASB)

And John also said, “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1 9-13 NASB)

This is the Light that shines upon every man in every dark place and brings freedom and admittance to the Kingdom of Light and entrance into the power, presence, peace, and provision of God. This Christmas season, the True Light is already shining: will you respond? Advent is the Coming of the Light – will we see, will we receive, will we believe?