Pressing On

6/13/2017

 

Philippians 3.14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. – St. Paul 

The goal is the prize found in the upward (god-ward, heaven-ward) call of God in Christ Jesus. The goal is the prize – the prize is Jesus. We are called to the prize; our goal is the prize; and our calling is Jesus Himself. And so, despite all that happens to us in life along the way: our calling is to the goal, which is the prize, which is Jesus Himself. 

Whew! What a mouthful! 

But it’s true. We do have a goal in life. We do have meaning and purpose. There is a point to all the madness swirling around us. Every day we’re alive the goal, is the Goal. And the prize for the goal isn’t six points on a scoreboard, and the potential of a point after touchdown; the goal is the Prize: God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Why is that so important? It’s important because the amount of time and energy we put into life amounts to very little compared to the goal for the Prize of the upward call of the Lord. Yes, we can have careers. Yes, we can amass wealth and to do. But all of that is meaningless in the face of life’s true pursuit. The vastness of Jesus is far greater than all the wealth of earth, and more meaningful than the beating of each person’s heart on the planet. The Prize is Him!

So, Paul, pressed on. He kept the goal in mind because he understood the vastness of the prize. Think of the complexity of our world. Think of the intricacies and the sophistication of life. Think of the vastness of earth and the universe beyond. And God is above and beyond all, and God calls us to Himself. God is more than creation and God wants to exchange all He has for all we are. We mean that much to Him. 

That’s worth pressing on for. 

Paul said: (With all life is, I only want to be): …found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Php. 3.9-11) 

God is vastly more than all we can ask or imagine. Earth is pretty good, but all of earth, and all it is, holds no candle to all He is in us, for us, and through us. Psalm 8.3-4 muses: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? God views mankind as worth dying for that they may know Him forever… and so, God presses on in His relentless pursuit of all mankind… 

Alright Paul, bring it on home! I can’t, I’m too busy pressing on… 

Father in Heaven, thank You for the goal, for the prize of Your upward call in Christ Jesus; You reached down so that we could come up in Him. Help me in pressing on today and for keeping the goal for the Prize first place in all I do and am – it’s the only time ‘participation trophies’ mean anything! - amen

Work Out

6/12/2017 

Philippians 2.12-13 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. – St. Paul 

We are not so much to do as to be. We are the children of God in Christ, and that is not a matter of doing, but of being. That said, we are to learn what it means to be God’s children living in His family and participating in His Kingdom.  

Paul said, “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” That’s pretty simple: do what it takes to know God better, remembering not so much what we are saved from, but what we are saved to. Because, “…it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Salvation has infinitely more to do with God’s good pleasure than it ever does with abstinence of sin. Sin is dramatically defeated and lessened by doing God's will and good pleasure.

I know we labor heavily in the battle against sin, but the reality is doing what God calls us to do; and we can only do that as we believe what God has called us to be: His children. Our focus as believers is to concentrate on God’s good pleasure, not the incessant wrestling with self and sin.  

That’s not to say that self and sin aren’t issues, it’s just that they aren’t the main issues: God’s good pleasure is the main issue, and our salvation becomes focusing on His good pleasure. I think the more we do that, the more sin fades into the paleness of death. Far too many focus on abstinence of sin; far too few focus on God’s work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure. Working out our salvation has to do with keeping the main thing, the main thing.  

In case we forget/forgot: God is the main thing. His will and good pleasure are the main thing. 

Working out our salvation is keeping God the Main thing. And that may seem harder done than said, but it is what we are called to. Therefore, we are to work out our salvation by thinking about Him. We are to work out our salvation by working alongside Him as He works within us. We are to work out our salvation by seeking to know what He desires next in our lives and then doing exactly that! Nothing more, nothing less. We cannot do what we aren’t; and we are God’s children. 

Jesus said, “…he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” So, working out our salvation amounts to abiding in Him. And accepting His abiding in us. Most of the hard work of salvation is found simply in accepting the reality of the presence of Christ in us by His Holy Spirit. After that, it is just walking with Him and doing what He says to do. 

It takes faith. It takes acceptance. It takes intentionality. It requires work. That which costs me nothing is usually worth nothing.  

Father in Heaven, help me this day, as I work out my salvation with fear and trembling to remember who I am in You, and who You are in me. Amen

Right Reasons for Chains

6/11/2017 

Philippians 1.13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 

Soldiers aren’t always at war, sometimes they are just at their duty-station. Such was the case for the Praetorian Guard in Rome where Paul penned his missive to the Church at Philippi.  And soldiers talk, and stand around some when there are no officers present. Sometimes they smoke, always they talk ‘shop’, and always, they cuss. (I’ve heard that referred to as “Military Creole”) 

Soldiers, surely, would rather be fighting, that’s what they’re trained for. But when there is no war, or no battle, they pass the time like the rest of us do. And the Roman guard charged with taking care of St. Paul were soldiers who talked, smoked, and cussed. The shop-talk they shared was somewhat about this Jewish guy who seemed to share a lot about his experiences with another Guy, a named Jesus. Their prisoner kept calling Him the Son of God. Weird, huh? 

And when the talk came around as to why Paul was in chains, they all knew he was chained for believing in Jesus. Everyone in the detachment knew because rotating guard shifts exposed them to St. Paul and his gospel. 

The last place – I think – Paul wanted to be was in chains under Roman guard; he’d rather’ve been preaching the Gospel in some new place, or teaching in the churches about the glory of God in the face Christ. But there he was, chained, under guard, held as a criminal and dissident; and all the guards came to know Paul’s story: Paul was in chains for Christ. 

I imagine Paul shared the gospel a time or two – or twenty-two. I imagine there was more than one guard that came to Christ because of Paul’s chains for Christ. The Romans knew how to treat political prisoners but this guy Paul was different. He had confidence. He had assurance. And he spoke of heavenly things like they grew on trees. He didn’t talk about becoming a god – but he spoke of knowing God, and living as a true child of the True King. That just may have garnered some attention of these creole-speaking military men. 

Which leads me to this question: is it obvious to others that you and I are in chains for Christ? In whatever it is happening in our lives, are we able to: “…press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”? (Philippians 3.14) Do our circumstances confine us, or do they define us to speak the truth about Jesus to those who know us? Or, about us? 

Paul thought of his circumstances thus: As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Paul, in prison, displayed Jesus, and as a result a whole bunch of people became aware of Jesus. Are we willing and courageous to allow God even to pen us up in confinement in order to get us to sing like songbirds to others about His Glory, and His Son? 

Father, as I embark on my next leg of the journey my hope and prayer is this: As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am where I am for Christ. Give me grace, light, and the freedom to share who You are, how good You are – and the glorious gift of Jesus – amen

The Song of Sex

6/10/2017 

Song of Songs 1.1 Solomon’s Song of Songs. – Solomon 

In the book, verse 1 really is what it says: Solomon’s Song of Songs. Now, I know there is a Lord of lords, and I know there is a King of kings; and only today, did it occur to me that there is also a Song of songs. Only in Scripture are there qualifiers like this; Scripture, after all being the Book of books.  

As a 21st century man, I must admit that Song of songs leaves me a bit red-faced – in my pea-brain, the sexual overtones in the Song are like an elephant sitting next to me at my desk…say what!? And so, I have tried to sort out the Song as to what it means, and what it means to me. As I said, a bit red-faced. But its presence in Holy Writ also emphasizes my appreciation of the honesty of Scripture and the transparency of life with all its culture, customs, habits, hurts, and hang-ups.  

Sex is the real deal… when done right (and rightly). Sex is not just the sensation – although there are many who would shout me down on that point. Sex, as well, is mostly not what we in 21^st century western culture make it out to be either: who says we know what is right and proper (can we even use the words, “right and proper” in a conversation about sex?) When did we moderns become such experts of human relationships and sexuality? 

Sadly, like most everything else in our culture today, sex is all about self. If one gets what one wants out of it then so be it. But is seems the more we try to justify and conquer our view of sex, the more mystifying and maddening it becomes. Anything devoted to self and self-gratification is doomed before it even starts. 

Song of songs mystifies me and causes me to wonder: why is it even in Scripture!? And then I look at my society and go: Oh! That’s why! Somewhere in the mysteriousness of life we were created to procreate – but procreation is not the only reason for sex. Sex, is indeed a gift, but man does it come with a price-tag! And a gift unappreciated, or abused, or misused is not much of a gift. At least from the recipient’s point of view. Dad can give me a brand new bicycle for my birthday, but if I use it for playing tennis it doesn’t do me much good. (Riding to tennis on a bike is one thing, using the bike to serve the ball is another…) 

So, I think the point (theologically) may just be this  in my pea-brained-ness: The Bible in fact, may be a sometime guide to the mystery, mystique, and majesty of human sexuality. And God created sex – and it was goooood. But it’s only good for us if it is used in the right way; not technique, or style but purpose – sexual intercourse is always for the benefit of the other. Making love is just that: love; and love is always about the other... first. 

Can sex be fun? Sure. Can sex be ecstatic? I hope so. But sex loses its value when it becomes the end, not a means to an end. The end is the health and vitality of the relationship of which sex is only a part. Want more sex? Serve your partner well in every other area of life first. Want sex to be more exciting? Try meeting as many of the other emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of your partner apart from sex.  

Note: Sex is work, but the payoff is perfect for the one who is willing to do the work… (Put that in your pipe and smoke it…) 

Thank You God, for sex. Help me to do rightly and to concentrate on all of the other parts of her life first …the payoff will be magical. 😊 Amen

Must’s

6/9/2017 

Ephesians 5. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. – St. Paul 

Sometimes, I have it in my mind, I’m going to write about this or write about that; you get that way after fifteen years of following the same Bible Reading plan knowing, instinctively, what is coming next.  

Consider: today’s reading is Ecclesiastes 10-12, Psalm 94, and Ephesians 5. I know what is in Ecclesiastes 10, especially verse 19: A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. For some reason, it doesn’t sound all that Biblical, but it’s true – oddly, it’s as true today as it was 2500 years ago when it was written. It speaks volumes about our relationship with money. 

So, I wanted to expound on that, but then, as is usually the case, I completed my assigned portion of Holy Writ and saw something else that unseated what I thought I wanted, or was going to, expound upon – enter Ephesians 5.33. 

As a word-nerd, I like to think about things and words that seem to fit my wandering mind… take the word: unequivocal. I thought about unequivocal as I thought about St. Paul’s words to us concerning the married-life: each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Unequivocal. Unambiguous. Explicit. Indisputable. Obvious. 

Marriage is all about the husband caring for his bride, and the bride admiring her care-giver. Love and respect are the water-boys for care and admiration. And it’s unequivocal. Sure, we try to nuance what Paul is saying, but the bottom line is this: marriage requires courageous things to make it work the way it should: love and respect go a long way in courage. 

St. Solomon wrote that money is the answer to everything. Well..., in some cases that might be true, but without love or respect you can throw as much money as you want at a bad marriage and it will still be a bad marriage. The husband must (St. Paul’s word) love his wife as he loves himself (and that is big); and the wife must respect her husband. If this thing is going to work, there are some, must’s. Unequivocal. 

There are unequivocal must’s in life: I must eat, I must breathe. These aren’t suggestions, they are have-to’s. Love and respect are have-to’s; I must do these in order to make the thing work. They are unequivocal but volitional. It is far better to pull a chain than to push it… 

And Paul was saying: For Christ’s sake (and yours) you must do these things (like you must breathe) or your marriage will be faulty at best. And the must’s apply to just plain old relationships as well: love, respect, and communication go a long way in keeping life smooth, clear, and worry-free. You must eat. You must breathe. You must go out of your way to choose to love and respect – unequivocal. 

Father, there are truths in life that bear up under pressure: love and respect are two of those truths. I can throw money at things and think I'm doing good, but nothing beats good old-fashioned love, and respect. Help me in my choices, help me in my must’s. Help me in my marriage and relationships. I reap what I sow – amen

Meaningless Not Purposeless

6/8/2017 

Ecclesiastes 9.7-9 7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. – The Preacher 

Unless we’re careful we might be fooled by the Preacher’s tone: meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless! (Cf. Ecc. 1.2) It would seem, at face value, the Preacher is frustrated and disappointed – and perhaps he was; but he saw what many people didn’t: this life is not all there is. 

I used to ride mountain-bikes with my friend Mike. We’d be out on the trail and he’d always say: it dudn’t (southern talk for ‘doesn’t’) get any better than this! And he was partly right: beautiful mornings, clear skies, fresh air, quiet; what more could we want? He called it his: stress release. Soon we’d be back in family, job, traffic, hustle, bustle and the rest of life – but out on the trail: perfect! 

The Preacher’s admonition is for us to make the best of this limited, meaningless life we have. It’s going to end. It has all of the disappointments that are assigned to this life, but there is a reason to stay upbeat and positive about it – otherwise, it’ll let us down. This life may have limited meaning, but it has abundant purpose. But if we place too much value on this life, (it dudn’t get any better than this!) we’ll be dissatisfied. 

The cure? Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Relax, there’s enough other stuff to get all worked up about… 

There is purpose to this life. But this life is not all there is, and the wise understand this. There is pain and toil and drudgery to this life, but there is delight and happiness and accomplishment. The trick is to keep things in proper perspective and I think perspective was the Preacher’s main point. Too much of this life will let you down. Too little of it will bore you to tears. Keep it simple and love your spouse. 

This life is preparation for the next – unless, of course, you think this one is all there is. If there is no God, then there is no next life. But the Preacher reminds us that there is a God, and we would be wise to remember we are not Him. So, keep an eye on the important stuff in this life, make the best of things, and try to live life happily, knowing that the next on is coming. 

Life is 10% of what happens to us, and 90% of how we deal with it… 

Father in Heaven, it’s not an endless cycle of lives that I’m to live, I just get one chance to deal with the one I have. My prayer is help me to enjoy my life to the best of my ability, and to live to help others enjoy theirs. Life is a journey and it is better lived with others; may my journey be that of upbeat, and positive. Thank You for the experience and I eagerly await the next - amen

Guarded Steps

6/7/2017 

Ecclesiastes 5.1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. – The Preacher 

A friend of mine calls it, Ecclesiast(ics)… it makes me smile. As I read the Preacher’s words today, I thought of life in its bigness, and man in his smallness. We men try to wrangle life – it’s fitting that we do given the One who calls us to call Him Father. But He never calls us to wrangle life – all He ever calls us to is friendship.  

I suppose, for some, that is over-simplistic: surely there must be more to Gawd than friendship! If not, why all the bother? God bothers because this isn’t about us; it’s about Him. He just happens to like us. And why not, it seems He went to a lot of bother to breathe life into us. And God intends for us, His creatures, to live lives other than we’ve come to accept.  

And so, the expectation of men and mankind is, somehow to come to know this God who wishes to befriend them. So, we build houses of the holy and there meet, to get to know God. And the Preacher says: if that is your motivation, then guard your steps when you go to the house of God – go near to listen, rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who don’t know what or why they do… 

Faith, that ‘believing’ friendship with God, is intended to be mindful, not mindless. Our faith is to be reasonable, thoughtful, meaningful, and purposeful. Or else, why do it? The sacrifice of the fool is at best: rote. The fool goes through the motions not thinking or knowing why. He only does. 

I’ve heard the description of insanity as: doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. 

Going to the house of God with unguarded steps (mindlessly, thoughtlessly) is a dangerous business. To do so is to believe that merely action is all that is required with no thought of purpose or meaning. What kind of friendship is that? The sacrifice of fools has no meaning. 

So, if what the Preacher says is true, then what shall we do? We should, if we care about God’s friendship, invite Him into our daily lives. We should strive to find meaning and purpose on even the dullest days because every day – eventful, or no – is a gift from this Great One who seeks our friendship. 

Wow, how about that!? 

My wife asked me, what are you going to do today? I rattled of a few things but paused inwardly and said to myself: and not forget about God. I am going to the House of God (His presence) today with guarded steps because I don’t want to waste today, and I don’t want to miss out on His communiques with His friend: me. 

Father, Your word says: Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. And You know me: nothing much more than a wordy dreamer, schemer. May I shut up today, or at least perk up, listening for Your voice. May I use the time I have in these moments to guard my steps in Your presence, and to listen for You. Amen