Ends and Means

Have we caught the vision God has for us?  Are we prepared to be wholly His?  When Israel by neglect and indifference failed to capture all the land God had for her, she tragically left herself open to all the curses that come to those who sin.  The nation, rather than doing away with the idolatry and immorality of the region, embraced it and welcomed it.  Bethlehem felt the wrath of Israel's new heritage as a religious half-breed when Herod, rather than welcoming the Christ child tried to stamp him out by killing all the other babies of the village.  The Pharisees and Sadducees thought their religious ways had blotted out the corruption of their hearts but instead the religion they coddled betrayed the God they claimed as theirs when with one voice they cried, "Crucify him!"  Was it just David who suffered when he slept with Bathsheba or did all the generations that followed him fall under the shadow that sin cast?  It is a narrow way, this pursuit of God's grace in normal activities, letting the life of Christ work through our lusts, jealousies and frustrations.  You have a conscience, not so you will be hang-dog guilty but so you will act in the crucified life of Christ at the dinner table and the office.  A redeemed Christian has at his or her disposal all the power of the resurrection to get right the little things that make a life big and eternally good for every generation that encounters it.  Holiness is the heritage you leave behind you and later the heritage you take with you when you "share in your Master's happiness".

 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'   Matthew 25:23 NIV

Do You Know Who You Are?

There is no one quite so disoriented and frustrated as the man or woman who has gone part-way with Christ...the Savior is neither Lord nor rival but somewhere in-between.  The commands in Exodus are acknowledged but the ones of Matthew 6 are for another day and time.  Faith is some sort of murky variable rather than a clear and certain way to face each decision of the day today.   Charity is an institution rather than a lifestyle and contentment is more like shrapnel from an exploded hope.  The whining of the Israelites when they stood at the edge of the Promised Land the first time is such a distant thunder for us but are we certain the lightening does not strike at our feet too?  Are we ready to abandon ourselves to the wild God who told the rich young ruler to get rid of His fortune and follow along the path of disciples?  Will we hold tightly to what we have or pursue the vision our Lord has set before us of holy abandonment to God wherever that may take us?  Is there within us a leaning forward as Christ calls to us to come or do we lurch back at the tug upon the bit.  Many are called but few are chosen!  Are you chosen or do you do most of the choosing?  Something deep within us calls to go into the raging waters of the Galilean Sea but do we hesitate within the boat?   Have you decided to put your plans into God's hand and let Him reshuffle the deck and then show you how you are to make your next move?  Are you confused by your uncertainty to follow Christ or do you have a clear determination to let Him be fully Lord and thereby bring your rebellious disposition into alignment with His plumb line?  Are you a "true Israelite in whom there is nothing false ?"

 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

John 1:48 NIV

Vision

Last Sunday our worship service attendance was forty. But...this past week as I was praying I was unprepared for the vision that came to me. I suddenly saw our church sanctuary full and overflowing. At first I thought I had fallen asleep and was dreaming but I immediately got up and walked into our sanctuary. The vision stayed with me as I looked out across the empty seats. The sanctuary was full and people were everywhere. Then just as suddenly it all was gone and I was left with the shocking and even a bit spooky sense that God had spoken to me in a completely new way. I am not given to visions or for that matter prophetic dreams so this was overwhelming and disconcerting. I wasn't sure what to do with what I experienced; whether I should believe it was from God or not. I went back to pray and was given a great peace about it all.

Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. Isaiah 26: 12