Blessing

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15


So Susie has started some painting in our new house. She pulls out the shelves in a small pantry and starts painting the walls inside it. As she looks up to a part of the wall completely hidden from the outside, she finds painted on it a blessing from...maybe many owners ago.

Suffice to say, that piece of wall is not getting painted.

Hide

Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.  - Jeremiah 23:24

For years I used to hear…and believe…that one’s faith is a personal and private affair.  As  I distinctly remember being told, “My faith is private, what I believe I have no right to shove at other people, nor do I need to be open about any of it.” And I know, at least for a while, I bought into that.

Fortunately, I was able to get a refund from that purchase..

If we really believe such a philosophy, then are we not then just trying to, in a way, hide from God.  “It’s private, Lord.  It’s for me only.  And maybe not even for you!”   

Folly.

As the passage from the prophet says above, any attempt to hide from God is folly. Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?

God’s word also talks about us (believers and trusters in Jesus” as being the light of the world. In fact Jesus said something like, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Visit Matthew 5:14,15)

You cannot hide.  It is not private.  The Lord of the universe has gifted you with his light.  And we live in a world that disparately needs that light.

So…who are you shining on today?  Who do you know that needs to come out of hiding and into the light of Christ?  And what will your role be in doing so.

Don’t hide. Shine.

Plot

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” - 1 Chronicles 29:11

I’ve been driving a lot lately. Having started a new position at the Presbyterian Church of Marion (Marion Center, PA) and not yet able to move into the area (the home we are purchasing should close on June 12), there has been a lot of time spent on the road traveling the 90 miles to and from.  I’ve rediscovered that it is a good time to pray; and have been doing so diligently as I travel up and down U.S. 119.

It’s also given me a lot of time to, not pray, but think. And consider. And plot.  Kinda fun.

And then I read a passage like that above. It is part of a prayer by King David, given at the temple with deep thanks as offerings were being given to God. 

And I think, hmmmm.  Maybe I should spend more of my road time simply acknowledging God’s  “power and the glory and the victory and the majesty….”  And spend the time looking at all the things in the heavens and on the earth that belongs to God, our Creator.

And stop spending so much time thinking, considering, and plotting.  For in doing so a passage like this convicts me that what I am doing are things of my own power.  David makes it clear that everything is about God.  And my experience tells me that my thinking, considering, and plotting exposes the fact that I am too often self-centered.

Of course, David certainly spent his share of time thinking, considering, and plotting. And it really work out well with scenes like that with Bathsheba, didn’t it?

Thankfully, David…and people like me, are allowed to turn around and turn all things over to God.  Let go of the thinking, considering, and plotting and join in the enjoying and washing in God’s creation and grace. 

So I write this as I’m getting ready to drive home for the evening, grateful for a very good day, may my drive be focus on being more grateful for God’s glory, victory and majesty.  And leave the plotting behind….

P.S. As I drove into Uniontown yesterday evening, one of the clouds hanging over the 'mountains' was spectacularly lit up in various shades of red, orange and green. Power, glory, victory and the majesty; indeed!

Flowers

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. 

Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." 

Luke 12:27 (NIV)

A couple of pics I took in April, 1998. Near Quartz Hill, CA. They say more than my words possibly can.

Amen

Above

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. - James 3:17-18

It would be so easy to read the list of great attributes found in this passage (pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere).  And indeed they are all aspects of living we should strive for I guess.

But it might be easy to overlook the most important part of the passage.  James writes, “But the wisdom from above….”

You see, I’d like to strive for purity, peaceableness, gentleness, reasonableness, mercy and good fruits, impartiality and sincerity.  And I do.  And far too often, I fail at one, two, or all of these. At one time or another anyway. 

Here’s the point. James makes it clear at the beginning of his list that these things are “wisdom from above.”  In short, James saying these things are what are gifted, offered, from God above.  And his essay states that there are plenty of these gifts to be had. But, there is a caution, for not all gifts are good.  Just before the passage listed above, James had written, in stark contrast, this:  “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (James 3:14,15)

We can strive for wisdom, but perhaps it is more important to seek the source of the gifting. And discern where our wisdom is coming from…and from whom.  Is it from above?  Or is it earthly, unspiritual, demonic?  Failings to live by the wisdom from above is likely caused by the yearning we all have for earthly wisdoms. Wisdoms that sound so good. Wisdoms that will fail us when push comes to shove.

What wisdoms have you been seeking, what wisdoms have I?  The answer needs to be directional.  From above please. Ask for the gift.

Oso

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. - Ecclesiastes 3:1

 I've shown this photo before. This is our much loved cat, Oso. She's 11 years old; we originally brought her with us from California. Yesterday we received the news that most likely (90%) she has cancer with 2 or 3 weeks to live. In this season of change for us, this is not one we were expecting obviously. Some change is good, even very good, some, not so much. But...we know there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Still...sigh.

Gift

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus….”  - Romans 3:23-24

This is a most familiar passage. Many of us can recite “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” fairly much by heart. As bad as I am at memorizing Scripture, this is one that I can always easily recall.  Probably has something to do with how much I can very personally relate to the fact that all (especially and particularly me) have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.   Yep, ahem, that is me.

But the passage that came in my email the other morning does not stop where most of us do when reciting it.  It included, after that rough admission of how fallen we really are, a wonderful grace note.

Yes, we all (and there are no exceptions) are sinners that fall short of the glory of God.  And if you are like me, who I suspect most of you are, we fall short of that glory rather repeatedly and at times, spectacularly. And yes, there is no excuse for what we do.

Yet.  The verse’s grace note states we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

The word here that jumps out at me…is ‘gift.’  Gift.  The word gets defined in English (it’s an old Norse word) as “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance….” The Greek word here (δωρεάν) (dorean) simply means “at no cost”

Yes, we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…yet He has gifted us with a grace given at no cost to us, through the redemption (which indicates a great cost) in Jesus Christ.

Do we deserve it? Honestly, I should not even have to ask the question. But the cost has been paid and the results are given freely.

Live freely, live deeply, rejoice in Jesus.  We have been gifted. There is nothing more we could ask for. There is nothing more we need.