Too Much of a Good Thing

The LORD’s dazzling glory then filled the temple, and the priests could not go in.
2 Chronicles 7:1b-2 CEV

For this post, I want to write on the goodness of GOD.  A simple topic but one I believe we all struggle with beneath the surface.  Or at least I struggle.  I hold that GOD is good.  That statement, GOD is good, is the definition of my being.  Because if I did not believe in the goodness of GOD, then everything else is a waste of time.  But this year I struggled.  Christmas cards.  I had to remove family and friends from my list because of their untimely deaths.  Or I had to send separate cards because of divorce or separation.  I look around and see pain and suffering.  The scattering of sheep.  And the enemy gaining ground.

And so I sit, thumbing through my Bible.  But I could only recall parts of verses and not where they were found.  I don’t even have a focus, just a vague idea of what I want to say.  GOD is good.  So I pull out my nifty Bible reference but where it has helped me so many times in the past, I could not find what I was searching for.  In desperation, I type phrases into several search engines.  Bingo.

For the LORD is good; HIS lovingkindness [mercy] is everlasting.  And HIS faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5 (NASB)

I have a start.  As with all my Bible studies, I look up the references listed in the center column of my Bible.  I find several more Psalm passages with basically the same sentence.  And then I come to Solomon.  Solomon quoted these Psalms during the dedication of the temple.  The building of the temple is done; that glorious first one.  Solomon prays a prayer (all of 2 Chronicles 6) and GOD’s glory, HIS Shekinah Glory fills the temple.

Glory.  Maybe I should write on the glory of GOD?  I still don’t have a focus on the goodness of GOD so I do a little research on glory.  Pulling out my Systematic Theology texts, I read about GOD’s glory.  In two volumes that could hurt my toe if dropped, there is one paragraph.  The root of the word glory is related to “weight” and “heaviness.”

Okay, on a personal note, that makes sense.  When I feel closest to GOD, most in HIS will, there is a heaviness in my being.  A weight or a burden that is desirable and yet uncomfortable.  I want to flee but also draw near.

Glory.  I want to do more research and then I realize that I’m rereading C.S. Lewis’s book “The Weight of Glory.”  The title says it all.

I decide to write on the glory of GOD.  So I go back to 2 Chronicles and read:

Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.  The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.  2 Chronicles 7:1-2 NASB

Wait one minute.  The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house.  What?  The priests could not enter?  How is that even possible?  What does that mean?

Chronicles has many of the same stories as Kings so I flip to the corresponding history in Kings.

Suddenly a cloud filled the temple as the priests were leaving the most holy place.  The LORD’s glory was in the cloud, and the light from it was so bright that the priests could not stay inside to do their work.  I Kings 8:10-11 CEV

The light was so bright, the priests could not stay inside--GOD's glory.  As I type that, I think of Moses.  Wasn’t there a story where Moses was up on the mountain and when he came down, his face shined so brightly, the children of Israel had him wear a veil?  Hmm, yes… Exodus 34:29-35.  Wow, Moses had just come down with the second set of stone tablets (the first ones he broke in anger).  Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with GOD.  Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him (Exodus 34:29-30 ESV).

They had him wear a veil.  But when Moses went to talk with GOD or tell the people GOD’s word, he removed the veil.  Wow.  And that was only the reflected glory of GOD.  The children of Israel, who saw first hand GOD leading them out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, could not face the reflected glory of GOD?

So what does that mean for us today?  GOD’s glory is so great that we cannot hope to approach?  HE did tell Moses that Moses could only see HIS back because Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me, and live (Exodus 33:20 KJV).  We cannot stand in HIS presence?  Is there no hope?  Ah, it is coming together.  Bring in the New Testament.  JESUS said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the FATHER, but through ME.” (John 14:6 NASB)

GOD’s glory is dazzling.  None of us fallen humans can stand in HIS presence.  Goodness, the children of Israel couldn’t even stand the reflected presence of GOD in Moses.  There is no hope for us, EXCEPT through HIS SON.  The ONE HE sent to bring us to HIM.  JESUS.

And now back to the goodness of GOD.  What does a good GOD do when HIS children are out of fellowship with HIM?  Does HE bring about reconciliation?  Does HE send a WAY for HIS children to come to HIM?  Does HE give all that HE has in the hope that a few will come to HIM?

Yes.  Yes.  And yes.  JESUS said Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly FATHER feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 ESV)

We are fallen yet we have value with the FATHER.  We had no hope but JESUS provided a WAY.  We flee from HIS glory but yet GOD still seeks us out, as a loving FATHER does.  As a GOD who is good does.

Instead of writing on the goodness of GOD, I need to write on our response to a good GOD.  What is my response to a GOD who is good?  Do we want to hide HIM under a veil?  Or do we let HIS reflected glory shine through us?  My hope and my desire is to shine…

Sometimes All It Takes is Obedience

Mary said, “I am the servant of the LORD.  Let this happen to me as you say!”  Then the angel went away.  Luke 1:38 NCV

If all our responses could be this one, the world would be a much different place.  [Sigh] But it’s not, so I’ll continue my blog.

Mary was young and female—used to obeying.  That made it easier for her, right?  I mean, it’s harder for us with today’s problems.  Do I think that?  No, I disagree.  Yes, she was female and obedience was expected.  Outward obedience that is.  But what about the heart?  Just because a girl is outwardly obedient, does that mean her inner being says “yes”?  GOD spoke many times about outward obedience but inward rebellion.  HE desires obedience flowing from inward faith.  Not compliance due to coercion.

For I desire steadfast love [mercy] and not sacrifice, the knowledge of GOD rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 ESV

Marrying age for Mary’s contemporaries was about thirteen to sixteen years old.  Young indeed.  Because Mary was young, would that make her immediately compliant?

Mark Twain once said… “When a child turns 12 you should put him in a barrel, nail the lid down and feed him through a knot hole. When he turns 16, plug the hole!"

I’m sure Mark Twain was alone in his thoughts on adolescence, right?  But I suppose the author to this quote agreed with him:  “Mothers of teenagers know why animals eat their young.”  And I guess the author of this one also agrees: “raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-o to a tree.”  In all honesty, any person who has spent a microsecond with a tween or teen immediately understands these sayings.

Adolescence is a survival game, for the parents as much as the child.  It was back then and it is today.  There are different challenges from then to now.  But one thing has remained constant--struggle.  It goes by different names but it is all the same: challenges, difficulties, turbulence.  Spent time with an adolescent?  Remember being one?

Cue Mary.  She walks into this turbulent time of life.  She’s engaged.  And an angel visits her with strange words.  Okay, an angel visiting her is strange enough. But he does tell her an odd thing.

And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the LORD is with you; blessed are you among women!”  But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with GOD.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a SON, and shall call HIS name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the SON of the HIGHEST; and the LORD GOD will give HIM the throne of HIS father David.  And HE will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of HIS kingdom, there will be no end.”  Luke 1:28-34 NKJV

Mary has a conversation with Gabriel as to the whys and wherefores before she finally says “I am the servant of the LORD.  Let this happen to me as you say!”  Then the angel went away (Luke 1:38 NCV).

What does simple trust and obedience to GOD mean for us today?  Maybe it was a blessing Mary was young and didn’t fully understand what she would endure.  An engaged woman having a baby?  Not treated well (most were stoned—the heavy rock throwing kind).  But Mary trusted GOD without railing against HIM for the unfairness of what she would endure.  But as I type that, I realize I don’t fully understand what GOD has for me either.  Is that a blessing as well?  I hold firmly to the truth that GOD is good.  But do I trust HIM to bring the good to fruition?  Or do I settle for mediocrity now because I don’t want to endure the struggle for the really good that comes later on?

C.S. Lewis holds that people are too easily satisfied.  Yes, we settle for less because we cannot see the fullness to come.  Or we do not trust HIM to hold our best interests at heart.  Or we just get impatient.  “I want no bumpy ride, let me sit in the mud versus traveling to the beach.  Yes, the beach is great but I might hit a bump along the way…”

Mary trusted GOD.  She did not fully understand what was to come.  But she knew GOD wanted only good for her.  And she answered, simply “I am the servant of the LORD.  Let this happen to me as you say!”

If you believe GOD is good and wants only the best for you, then why not try Mary’s response today?  I am the servant of the LORD.  Let this happen to me as you say!

We interrupt this life to bring you… A KING!

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After HIS mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the HOLY SPIRIT.  Matthew 1:18 NKJV

People complain (myself included) that tragedy strikes at the worst time.  All right, I agree that if we had to pick, there is never a good time for tragedy.  “I’ll pass on tragedy today, but a double serving of mercy with a side of blessings and hint of protection thrown in” describes my consumer tainted Theology quite well.  But doesn’t it seem that when things are at their worst, even more is piled on?

I think that happens with the good as well.  Do we expect to receive GOD’s blessings?  I don’t.  I’m always shocked.  I pray.  I rail.  I cry out.  And when I receive a wonderful blessing from GOD, my response?  I’m not expecting it.  “Oh, hey, this is great, I guess YOU were listening.  Wow, imagine that.”  Oh, me of little faith.

Joseph was a carpenter, soon-to-be husband.  We know that his ancestor was King David—how cool is that!  But it didn’t help much in the money department.  How do I know?

And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest… And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons… Leviticus 12:6-8 KJV

When the baby was born, what did Mary and Joseph bring?  The Law of the LORD also says that parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons.  So that is what Mary and Joseph did (Luke2:24 CEV).  Very poor indeed.

So Joseph was going about his life, wanting to get married, have a family.  BAM!  “Census time—register in your hometown.  It’s time to stand up and be counted.  Do it or die.”  So Joseph and Mary trotted off to Bethlehem.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that before they got married and left for Bethlehem, Joseph’s finance was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit?  The WORD is entirely too understated.  Found?  Like she was lost and then “she’s having the SON of GOD.  Yea!  It’s party time.”  Found, understatement, indeed.  Or this verse; And GOD said, Let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3 KJV).  Really?  When I think on these verses and others, I can only say, really?  It just wasn’t that difficult for GOD to accomplish?  I guess not…

But enough with my digressions.  Joseph, going about his life, finding his finance pregnant with NOT his child, decides to get rid of her without the violence.  He’s trying to get his life back on track, such that it can be put back on track.  Does GOD help him?

While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the LORD cam to him in a dream.  The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the HOLY SPIRIT.  Go ahead and marry her.  Then after her baby is born, name HIM JESUS, because HE will save his people from their sins.  Matthew 1:20-21 CEV

No, GOD derails his life even further.  Does HE let Joseph put away a wife that is bearing a child that is NOT his?  No.  Joseph is called to raise that child.  The SON of GOD.  Will JESUS have a stamp on HIS forehead, proving to everyone that HE is the SON of GOD?  No.  Some believe.  Most do not.  Joseph, while being called to do GOD’s work, endures the pain of others believing he is a liar.  Just as others did not believe or understand JESUS.

And HE [JESUS] began to say to them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  So all bore witness to HIM, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of HIS mouth.  And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”  Luke 4:21-22 NKJV

Did Joseph understand the blessing that interrupted his normal life?  He probably didn’t have a clue.  Or maybe just a glimpse.  Why do I say that?  A twelve year old JESUS…

When his parents found HIM, they were amazed.  HIS mother said, “Son, why have you done this to us?  Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!”  JESUS answered, “Why did you have to look for me?  Didn’t you know that I would be in MY FATHER’s house?”  But they did not understand what he meant.  Luke 2:48-50 CEV

The point to this post?  Joseph had his life interrupted by what appeared to be a tragedy.  A pregnant finance.  NOT his child.  And probably not on Joseph’s timetable.  Instead, it was the greatest blessing ever given.  JESUS.  HIS power will never end; peace will last forever.  HE will rule David’s kingdom and make it grow strong.  HE will always rule with honesty and justice.  The LORD All-Powerful will make certain that all of this is done.  Isaiah 9:7 CEV

No, I do not like tragedies.  But I do like blessings.  I need to keep my eyes open and be ready for when they come.  Will I let them derail my life or put me back on track with HIM?  GOD is good.  HE gave us the single greatest blessing ever known two thousand years ago.  But it did not end there.  HE promises us more blessings to come.

Will you be ready?

HIS Star

“Where is HE who has been born KING of the Jews? For we saw HIS star in the east and have come to worship HIM.”  Matthew 2:2 NASB

They followed a star to worship a baby.  They followed a star to worship the newborn KING.  What was it that caught their attention?  There are a lot of stars in the sky.  Yes, it was a new star.  But what was it?  I am fascinated with this verse.  HIS star.  A sign to herald HIS birth.  “Hey, hello, THE KING is born!  This is what we’ve been waiting for!” 

The star—a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter happened in 3-2 B.C.  Okay, we know they are planets, but would the ancient astrologers have known that?  And Halley’s comet swung by in 11 B.C.  Oh, wait, that’s a comet, not a star.  And why would they see a comet and say “Oh, hey, let’s travel to Israel to worship the new KING.”  Doesn’t explain HIS star too well.  And despite the errors in conversion from the Julian calendar to Gregorian, 11 B.C. is too early.  Johannes Kepler found that Mars, Jupiter and Saturn joined together in the constellation Pisces, around 7-6 B.C.  They say Pisces is normally associated with Israel.  Why Pisces (the two fish) and Israel?  I don’t know.  And another theory discusses Jupiter in conjunction with the star Regulus in 3 B.C.  Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo (the lion). 

“For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel.  It must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what GOD has done!’  Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; it shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” Numbers 23:23-24 NKJV

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that HE can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 ESV

HIS star.  But once again, talking about planets and stars in conjunction?  It says HIS star, not HIS planets or HIS planets and stars.  And it was new.  What would make it HIS star?  A star for the-already-but-not-yet King.  The Messiah.  GOD in the flesh—incarnate.  Henry Morris had an interesting theory, although there is not much evidence for it.  A supernova, an exploding star which can be seen for about a year, occurred in the constellation of the virgin, Virgo. 

The LORD himself will give you a miraculous sign.  The virgin is going to have a baby.  She will give birth to a son.  And he will be called IMMANUEL (Isaiah 7:14 NIrV).

What was HIS star?  I don’t know.  Theorizing is fun but let’s focus on what we know.  What do we know?  They were wise men—astrologers, sages, advisors, educated men.  They were mostly like from Persia.  There was more than one.  And they had their eyes open.  They were looking.

“Therefore I [JESUS] speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing.  And their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’”  Matthew 13:13-15 NKJV

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Matthew 7:7 NKJV

King Herod and the rest of his court were not looking.  They were caught flat footed when the wise men stopped by to pay their respects.  Herod gathered together the priests and scribes of Israel.  Herod asked them where the MESSIAH would be born.  They did not know HE had been born.  Did not know.  They did not see scripture had been fulfilled right in their backyard.

After listening to the king, they went on their way.  And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house they saw the CHILD with Mary HIS mother, and they fell down and worshipped HIM.  Then, opening their treasures, they offered HIM gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh.  And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.  Matthew 2:9-12 ESV

What do we know?  They brought three gifts.  Gold, a gift given to Kings.  Frankincense, a fragrance used by priests.  And Myrrh—a fragrance used in burial.  JESUS.  The KING of Kings.  The high PRIEST.  The ONE who defeated death.

What does it mean, HIS star?  There was a star.  It was HIS star.  It showed the way to a group who wanted to worship HIM.

I shall see HIM, but not now: I shall behold HIM, but not nigh: there shall come a STAR out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.  Numbers 24:17 KJV

GOD promised a messiah.  HE gave signs that told of fulfillment of HIS promise.  Those who were expectant and looking, saw the sign.  They believed the promises so they followed a star to worship a baby.  GOD in the flesh.

But seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NASB

Today, we stand between two of HIS promises. We have the risen MESSIAH who ascended into Heaven after defeating death. But there is a promise of HIS second return. While we have the already (CHRIST has come) and the not-yet (HIS second coming), we are still called to seek HIM. Just like the wise men on that first Christmas, we need to be vigilant. Keep our eyes open. And be ready to move when the call come.

An Attitude or a Chore?

“After all, you could have killed my whole family and me. But instead, you let me eat at your own table. Your Majesty, what more could I ask?”
II Samuel 19:28 CEV, Mephibosheth (Saul’s grandson, Jonathan’s son) speaking with King David

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. Mark Twain

Forgiveness. As I type the word, I think “chore.” I worry I’m missing out on letting the guilty party “have it.” But to GOD, forgiveness is an expression of HIS nature.

Occasionally, and I am ashamed to say it is truly rare, I catch a glimpse of myself in a moment of unforgiveness. I see the self-righteousness and self-justification and grab a look from outside myself. And it is all worthless. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, all is vanity, a striving after the wind. My troubles, my disasters, my self-righteous anger amounts to nothing. I see myself and I have a heart of stone. If only I would lose my heart of stone, my stubbornness for self-justification, and have a more forgiving attitude, my relationship with others, my joy, would know no bounds. I could see others how GOD sees them and I could love them. I could focus on what GOD has called me to do.

But how do I have a more forgiving attitude? I’ve studied forgiveness extensively. I am a counselor and a graduate from seminary. If one were to look for an expert, religion and psychology would be the places to look. But more knowledge has not equated to more forgiveness. If anything, it has made me more hardened. More “right” in my own eyes. If they only “knew the truth,” then we could agree. Then we could get along. Maybe I could think about liking them. We need to wait on this love stuff.

I look to Biblical characters for practical guidance. And King David seems like a possibility. He was a world away from JESUS—temporally and sinner-wise. He murdered, committed adultery, and was a man of war. But he was called a man after GOD’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14, I Samuel 16:7, Acts 13:22). King David is such a dichotomy—someone worse than I am but yet had a relationship with GOD that I envy. Is that even a Christian striving? To envy and covet a relationship that he had with GOD.

I have always found it curious, what was it that GOD recognized in David that is in HIS own heart? He called him a man after HIS own heart. He recognized something. I used to think it was one thing—forgiveness. But now, as I write this blog, I realize it is a spaghetti of qualities—intertwined and interrelated aspects of GOD’s nature that cannot be parsed, separated or divided.

So what to do? Like any complex item, I reduce it to base parts. King David loved people, his neighbor. He lacked an ego. He forgave quickly. He sought GOD. Arrogance was not an issue with him. All these things and more play into David’s nature but I decide to focus on forgiveness. It is my current struggle. I struggle with the rest—but forgiveness is on the forefront.

Why do I say King David was quick to forgive? King Saul was anointed King of Israel. Because of his not obeying GOD’s command, GOD removed the kingdom from Saul and gave it to David. David is anointed King but Saul continues to reign. Repeatedly, and I emphasize, repeatedly Saul attempted to snuff out David’s life (I Samuel 15-31). David had ample opportunity to return the favor. Did he? He would have been justified. Saul tried to kill him. Again. And again. And again. Instead, he chose to stay his hand and not kill Saul. At the end of I Samuel, Saul is dead (by suicide). We begin II Samuel. I expect David to be ecstatic that Saul is dead. I say “finally, now David can reign for GOD.” But what do I find?

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. II Samuel 1:11-12 ESV

What? He mourned? He tore his clothes and wept? Okay, maybe that was just a show but secretly he was glad Saul was dead, right? No, wait, read on. What did David do with the man that took credit for killing Saul? A young man thought he would find favor with David if he had killed Saul. So he took credit for the killing. Did he find favor? Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. (II Samuel 1:15 ESV).

So this is all lovely and good but the rubber needs to hit the road. What does this story have anything to do with forgiveness? I ask myself “how do I know I’ve forgiven someone?” And I find one consistent answer (when I choose to listen to the answer). If I have truly forgiven a person, I experience sorrow at their demise or death. David grieved for Saul. To my unforgiving ears, where forgiveness is a chore, not a way of life, it rings odd. Out of tune with the real world. I say finally, Saul is dead. David said “It was easy to love Saul and Jonathan. Together in life, together in death, they were faster than eagles and stronger than lions.” II Samuel 1:23 CEV

With David, the death of Saul was something to be mourned. Saul had been personally selected by GOD to reign over HIS people. Saul disobeyed GOD. And David felt sorrow at the failure of Saul to obey GOD. Saul was missed when he died. And David mourned him. David had forgiven Saul for all the evil Saul sought to do to David.

Do we need to wait for our enemy to die before we know if we’ve forgiven them? Or for the impatient, let us help them along in their demise? No. But what about the next time I choose to think of the wrong I’ve experienced, I will extend a gift to the guilty party. My gift? I will choose to think a positive thought about them. At this point, that is all I can do. Think a good thought. It’s small but it’s a start. The road to a forgiving heart… not a destination but a process? Not a chore, but an attitude? A process that in the end works more me than the one I’ve forgiven?

 What’s your choice?

A Path

And you shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB

I like this verse.  The main reason is because Jesus quoted it and expanded on it in the New Testament (Mark 12:30).  But another, less significant reason that I like it is because it is not expected.  We think of the Old Testament as fire and wrath.  Of “thou shalt nots.”  We picture the children of Israel walking a narrow path with sheer cliffs of fiery lava off one side and crocodile infested waters filling the other side.  One misstep and they become crème brulee a la flambé.  Or they fall off the other side and they are crocodile chow.  But there is more to the Old Testament than rules, laws, fiery consequences and judgment.  There is a loving FATHER who wants us to love HIM.  So HE tells us how…

            And you shall love the LORD your GOD

            The assumption—your GOD.  GOD is speaking to HIS people.  At the time of this verse, HE is speaking through Moses to the Israelites.  GOD is their GOD.  And the LORD tells Moses to tell Israel Everyone must come—men, women, children, and even the foreigners who live in your towns.  And each new generation will listen and learn to worship the LORD their GOD with fear and trembling and to do exactly what is said in GOD’s law (Deuteronomy 31:12-13 CEV).  GOD is not solely Israel’s but for all.  In Mark, Jesus tells us the same beginning Love the LORD your GOD.  Jews and non-Jews are to worship HIM.  Love HIM.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus  (Galatians 3:28 ESV).  How exciting to know that I am included!  So now, how do I walk this path to loving GOD, my LORD?

            With all your heart

            The heart.  Many think of it as the seat of our emotions.  But emotions are unstable.  They are not logical, they are emotional!  The heart is a greater symbol than just emotions.  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, and not reluctantly or under compulsion, for GOD loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV).  This verse is talking about being a cheerful giver but what is the reference to the heart?  I bolded it.  It is about a decision being made.  A willful act.  The NCV also says you have decided in your heart.  The CEV uses make up your own mind.  While the NKJV and NASB both say as he purposes in his heart.  And to finish formally ASV says as he hath purposed in his heart while KJV speaketh it as he purposeth in his heart. 

            I am not attempting to explain an exhaustive symbolic meaning of the heart.  But for a glimpse?  I focus on a part.  A glimpse showing the heart as a place where decisions are made.  Purposed.  A place where our will is decided.  Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart?  Make a willful decision.  A purposeful act to love the LORD.  As purposeful as taking one step forward on my path to loving GOD, I decided in my heart to love HIM.

            With all your soul

            To do an exhaustive study of the soul, would be exhausting for me.  Watchman Nee spends hundreds of pages in his book The Spiritual Man differentiating the soul from the human spirit.  I’ll give the abridged version—maybe that means I understand something of what Nee says!  The soul is the self, the living being of the person.  The human spirit is GOD’s created agency.  The soul is the result of the created agency (human spirit) meeting flesh.  And the LORD GOD formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7 NKJV).   The dust of the ground—the flesh.  Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life—human spirit.  And when the two mixed, a third uniquely created thing occurred man became a living being—the soul (self). 

            Love the LORD with all my soul?  I am to love the LORD with all my being.  All that is myself is to be given in love to HIM.  As I walk the path of the Christian life, I am to give myself in love to HIM.  

            With all your might

            Might.  Strength.  Power.  My nifty Bible Reference says might is “effective power.”  I like that, although I’m not sure what ineffective power would be.  Maybe the old asteroids game where the spaceship is flying out of control blasting everything in its path?  Pretty powerful but useless.  I’m speaking on the exact opposite: effective power.  To take all the strength I possess and under my willful control use it to Love the LORD.

            And you shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB

            To summarize?  I am to love the LORD.  With all my will.  With all of myself.  With all of the power I control.  And that's not all because Jesus expanded it.  He added mind and strength  in place of might.  The bottom line?  A process.  I am to love the LORD with my being and to be reminded to love HIM continually.  It is not a goal to achieve but a path to walk.

Go!  And love the LORD your GOD!

Writing HIS WORD upon my heart or stapling a reminder to my forehead

Anyone who serves GOD will discover sooner or later that the great hindrance he has in the LORD's work is not others but himself.  First line The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee

                GOD calls us to hide HIS WORD in our heart.  YOUR WORD I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against YOU (Psalm 119:11 NKJV).  Or to write HIS characteristics upon our brain Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in our mind (Proverbs 3:3 CEV).

                But sometimes I think just writing them on my heart or fixing them in my mind isn't enough.  There are times when I think I should staple this line from Nee to my forehead.  Not that it is inspired like the WORD of GOD.  Of course, it doesn't come close to the WORD of GOD.  But it is a practical reminder.  A kind of "loving others for dummies" abridged version.  Staple it, not for the world to see, but for me to see every time I look in the mirror.
                Among other things, GOD calls us to serve HIM.  And in our service to HIM, we are expected to work with others.  Working with the lost, I can show them love.  They are lost, right?  They don't know the Good News.  They have not experienced HIS love.  HIS mercy.  HIS forgiveness.  They are not Christians, why should I expect them to act like one?
                But what about working with other Christians?  That is where I remove my necklace of love and loyalty.  I put on my battle armor and I'm ready to fight.  After all, if they would only act right, believe the way I do, do it as I want it to be done, I could finish my job of witnessing to the lost.  I, I, I.  I see the problem...
                Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good (Romans 12:9 ESV).  Let love be genuine.  What a commandment.  I can fake it but to be real?  That means taking a risk.  I might get hurt.  Abhor what is evil.  Oh, that's easy.  Genocide.  Oppression.  Injustice.  Those are the easy abstract answers but then I start thinking on the meaning of evil.  Is it evil to withhold forgiveness?  To keep a grudge?  To enjoy a little revenge, not a lot, just a little.  Are those evil?  Maybe minor ones, I mean, none of us are perfect.  Minor flaws are okay, right?  But the lesser of two evils is still evil.  Hold fast to what is good?  I hold fast to what is pleasurable.  I hold fast to what is desirable.  But to hold fast to what is good?  What is good?  Maybe it has something to do with the earlier verse let love and loyalty always show like a necklace.  Or maybe to let love be genuine.
                Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10 ESV).  Ick.  Love with brotherly affection?  Can't I just not be mean to them?  Do I have to show affection?  Honor?  Some are not desirable.  Some stink.  Some are obnoxious.  Show honor?
                Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the LORD.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality (Romans 12:11-13 ESV). 
                The calling of GOD is a big one.  When HE calls us, nothing is small.  Working with children, or the elderly or the forgotten may not seem like big, important work.  But it is HIS work.  Therefore it is important.  The Pilgrim’s Prayer quoted in the beginning of Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of GOD: With Spiritual Maxims sums it up nicely:  “LORD of all pots and pans and things… Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates!”   We serve not only to help others but to grow ourselves.  We learn to be more CHRIST-like when serving.  My path on the Christian road, is continually straightened with HIS course corrections, HIS hand being in everything.  Working with others that I consider a hindrance to HIS work?  As the Nee statement goes, it is me that is a hindrance.  I need to wear love and loyalty as a necklace, showing it to others. 
                I am the one needing to be changed.  Not to just “show” love but for it to be genuine.  Not to just hate evil but to hold on to the good.  Show brotherly affection—it's easy to say I love but to show affection?  That means I care.  Be zealous about HIS work.  Excited.  Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, constant in prayer, helping the saints and showing hospitality.  These are HIS how-to guidelines.  How to not only survive in a fallen world but to love others.  I learn to love those who are fallen and those who are saints.
                The Watchman Nee statement?  I'm the hindrance to GOD's work, not others?  How do I summarize?  Let me turn it around.  GOD doesn’t want us to focus on ourselves but others.  Jesus says, “The second [greatest commandment] is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31 ESV).
                How will you love your neighbor today?

Singing in the Rain

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor.’  But I say to you, love your enemies.  Pray for those who hurt you.  If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven.  HE causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and sends rain on those who do right and to those who do wrong.  Matthew 5:43-45 NCV

Verse selection is a meticulous process.  I’m planning themes and overviews of entire books of the Bible.  For now, I’m drawn to certain verses.  Theologically speaking I fall off the wall towards conditional election.  But in this case, certain verses call me.  Or select me to write about them.  And this is one of them.  

Love your enemies.  Nothing is more Christ-like; more difficult, more confusing.  How do I pray for those who hurt me?  Enemies.  And those who cause pain.  I really rather just forget them.  I try not to hate.  I am a Christian after all.  Don’t let bitterness take root!  Well, maybe I’m not that angry.  Just let them take a long walk off the side of the planet.  Be gone!  Away from my memory.  Out of my head.  Out of my life.  I don’t wish them evil, but no good either.  I wish them non-existent.  Loving my enemies?  Can’t check that off yet.

Prayer.  Praying when times are good is easy… but do I really pray?  Like an excited child, I list the things I like and ram a “thank you” in there and call it prayer.  Maybe if I’m singing, I’ll call it worship.  Praying when times are difficult?  No where do I feel closer to GOD when times are bad.  But I’m angry too.  I don’t like the bad times.  I don’t like to grow and I don’t like it difficult.  And I won’t even contemplate the times when I can’t pray… I just cling to the promise In the same way, the SPIRIT helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the SPIRIT himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26 NIV).  Right now my prayers focus on me.  Prayer for those who hurt?  Can’t check that one off either.

The last portion of the verses is a great comfort to me in times of not understanding.  For HE causes HIS sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  The sun—blessings and curses.  Jesus says—He makes HIS sun rise on the evil and the good.  The sun shines on both; the evil and the good.  There are no dark spots following the evil ones around.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if it were true… “oops, hey sorry I can’t associate with you.  There is no sunshine around you.  You must be evil.”  But no, HE shines his sun upon all.

The sun is necessary for life.  Growth.  Warmth.  Plants thrive in the sunshine.  The sun is welcome to any outdoor gathering.  Enjoyed.  But what about too much sunshine?  A scorched land.  Damaged.  Hardened.

Later on in Matthew, Jesus speaks of the Sower sowing seeds.  Seeds that fall on the rocks are scorched by the sun.  No soil.  No root.  Jesus explains the parable.  These are people who hear the word of GOD and are on fire for him.  Nothing can stop them, that is until hardships come.  And then they fall.  Hard.  Because there is no root, no depth, they fade away when called to endure trials for HIM (Matthew 13:1-23). 

The sun—GOD uses it to send blessings and curses.  For HE causes HIS sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 

Rain?  In a time of drought, water falling from the sky is a time to rejoice.  But sometimes the ground is too dry and the rain doesn’t soak in.  It runs off, as if on concrete.  Sadly, the thing that the dirt needs most has built a runway to send it off.  It reminds me of my heart.

Love your enemies.  Pray for those who hurt you.  My heart can have a wall around it.  A fortress to send away anything I don’t like.  Or want to contemplate.  The thing I need most is a melting of my heart of stone.  I need to let Love to soak in.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26 NIV).

The parable mentioned earlier is often called the parable of the Sower.  But really the parable is speaking of soils.  It speaks to the condition of our heart.  And how our hearts receive the WORD.  What kind of soil will your heart have?  What does GOD have to work with?

I can think of two ways for rain to soak into a hardened ground.  One is a long, slow soaking over a long time.  The second is to drive holes into the ground to get water below the top hardened layer.  This is our hearts.  Love, grace, mercy, forgiveness.  The WORD of GOD.  How do we soften the soil to our hearts to let these soak in?  Will it take enduring trials over many years, decades?  Or a major disaster that changes our lives forever that will cause us to cry out to HIM?  How much work is needed on our hearts? 

Love your enemies.  Pray for those who hurt you.  My heart is easily hardened.  It can be embittered with “righteous anger.”  But if I want to be a true child of GOD, I need to pray for those who hurt me.  The sun shines on the good and the evil.  What separates the good from the evil?  One way is our response when the sun shines.  And when the rain comes down.

It is easy to hate my enemy.  It is easy to love those who love me.  My calling, the calling of GOD is for me to Love my enemies.  And pray for those who hurt me.  Nothing else can move forward until I respond, correctly.  All of my life with Christ will keep coming back to that; Love my enemies.  Once I get a handle on it, or maybe a glimpse of what it means to truly love my enemies then I can be open to more of what GOD has to teach me.

What response do you have to HIM?