Testing… 1..2..3…testing…check!

1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (5) who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6) In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, (7) so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (8) Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, (9) obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

So if the Christian life is so great, why is it so hard? 

1. We seek to stand in a fallen world. "now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials". Our allegiance is not with the rulers of this world and their ways, so we are against the grain. The natural way to live in the world, managing ones image in order to get the most for one's own interests, is to be rejected. That is hard, especially when it seems to work for others. The idea of 'dying to self' and being alive to God is not normally reinforced in daily life. It makes us question ourselves and God.
   
2. We can't see the leader. "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him". Those who are not loyal to Christ don't seem him either, and they don't mind pointing that out. "Have not and do not see him, huh? Well, that's… different."
   
3. Our joy is 'inexpressible'. "you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory". We tend to prefer expressible joy. It is easier to refer back to when we are between surges of joy and glory.
   

Is it worth it?

1. An inheritance that can't rot, be soiled, fade or be taken away = security
   
2. A salvation of the soul = the self fully fixed and alive
   

What is 'it'?

Even though I can't use the world's coping mechanisms like they do, and even though I can't see Jesus with my eyes, and even though my joys are not easily expressed (for refreshment as needed)…I am grateful for being brought to life through God as a son with a future. Growing in wisdom, day by day, loving the one who bought me…yeah… living in hope is worth 'it'.

From failure to faithfulness

1 John 1:2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--

Us with God// us without God // God with us // us toward God …

The invisible God was made manifest. And now, the character of God is our vocation. Forgiveness saves us from failure and leads us to faithfulness

1 John 2:1-6 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (3) And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

 

The world didn’t know him…

Luke 12:16-21  And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully,  (17)  and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'  (18)  And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  (19)  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  (20)  But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  (21)  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

Scripture teaches that we desire to be in relationship to God because that is how we were made and how we once were.  It is also written that being separated from God, many laugh at the idea of him and live as kings of their own world.  But we are also told that the seeming absence of God was clearly changed in the coming of Jesus.  Again we do not see him, but the message is sent to us.  Now we have a decsion.  Do we mock?  Do we repent?  Something is true, and it is not made so by bravado nor sheepishness.  Let us choose... wisely...

  

John 1:9-18 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. (11) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (12) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ... (18) No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

God? Whatever…

Job 21:7-15 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? (8) Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. (9) Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. (10) Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. (11) They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. (12) They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. (13) They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. (14) They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. (15) What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?'

I recently heard the story of a woman who was raised to follow God. She married a man and they began to raise their family around God, his word, his ways. Then her husband called her mother to say, "She's gone". Leaving her husband, her children, her whole life… she just left. Something more enticing came along and she could not answer the question: "What profit do we get if we pray to him?"

I also observed a very recent answer to prayer, but would that be enough to turn someone toward God? The problem is not that we can't marshal evidence for God, or against God, and back and forth. The problem is that life without God is conceivable and illustrated daily. Yes, there are those who are obviously tragic for their distance from God, but what of those who prosper? They are cheerful, living life with family, parties, success, and yet they emphatically refuse God. This world seems to work for them, and they do not blink when challenged to believe in the unseen God.

Job reminds us that God sees the phenomena, but does not accept the conclusion that it somehow undermines the wisdom of prayerfully serving God. In this world which is in rebellion to God, those furthest from God are at times the ones who are most at home.

* photo: http://carbtastic.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-spy-baller-edition.html

Back in the beginning; with God

Have you ever been to a skeptics support group? They have them. The purpose is to help people who are trying to live without reference to God. But why do they need help? They need help because there is this nagging pull toward wanting to believe in the divine and worship.

The basic answer from skeptics to the reluctant disbelief problem is socialization. Parents, friends, community in general have all implanted an expectation for God that shapes people. Skeptics need to counter-socialize so that people can live free of a need to worship and answer to the divine. But is it just socialization? Or does socialization mainly affect the form of perception of the divine? Do the various forms of spiritual socialization arise from the universal human longing for an actual divinity, because there actually is One?

The Christian story begins with God creating man and woman and relating directly to humanity. In this relationship God provides goodness; including purpose. The role of people was to worship and obey God, serving as priests over creation. The transcendent God (greater than his creation) is made accessible to his creation through those created in his image living in creation.

As humans, our souls carry the inherent longing for God the way our bodies crave food and water. It is how we are designed, and it is how we live.

"The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you" - Augustine

• Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights first Triptych

Rebels turned triumphant royalists

Revelation 21:1-7 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (5) And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (6) And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (7) The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Created to rule under God. Foolishly drawn into trying to rule apart from God. Graciously redeemed by God and given amnesty and adoption. Faithfully guided toward maturity, overcoming the rebellious spirit in the world and in one's heart. The result? A conqueror with a heritage.

Foolishness and struggle; that is what is familiar territory. Unblighted purity, conqueror of rebellion (inside and out)?? Wow. Sounds great; but so foreign. Shakespeare spoke an apparent truism by saying: "To err is human, to forgive is divine". At least from our perspective. But why are we more at ease with our errors and more content not to bother forgiving? Why do we care? The pure is what we were made for, and though we have grown accustomed to confusion, we are not truly at home with it. We were made for something better; we were made to actually be better. The gospel includes the promise that in Christ it is our future. Though it may stretch the imagination, it also tests the bonds of despair. Hope.

Retraining former rebels

Monday: work is good

Tuesday: work is hard

Wednesday: we need to work for the King, not against him

Thursday: we have to retrain under the King to learn his ways, not our old ways.

The cool thing about being a rebel is that you don't actually have to build things, you mainly just mess things up. To be a rebel you reject authority, get an attitude, and start destroying. You have the image of being bold, decisive, wild, exciting… But in reality, being a rebel is not that satisfying. There is a sense of displacement, a lack of healthiness. At times it is cool to hang out with other rebels, because they also seem bold, decisive, wild, exciting… until there rebel ways mean they mess things up with you, too.

Coming over to the servant King can be a relief. To finally have peace with the one who is so unusually sacrificial and positive. He too is bold, decisive, at times a bit wild and exciting… but he is different. He is not about tearing down and chaos. This Lord is about building up. He only tears down to make way for creating what is good. When one makes that shift, to reject selfish rebellion and to become a servant of the servant king, there can be a feeling of inadequacy that follows. "I don't know how to be other than destructive!"

The retraining of the human soul that was rebellious is a demanding thing. Our allegiance shift is ceremoniously wonderful and relatively immediate. Our learning to think and move and be in accordance with the Kingdom we now serve, well, that takes time, effort and help.

Titus 3:3-8 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (4) But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, (5) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (6) whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (8) The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

The King and I: “we good?”

Psalms 2:1-12 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, (3) "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us."... 

(10) Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. (11) Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (12) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Leadership: love it / hate it. When we have to be accountable to someone we are sorely tempted to 'burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us'. We people, well, we do get our feathers ruffled. That is part of the whole 'created in the image of God'. We have a sense of dominion, we just lose perspective that it is a subordinate dominion. We may in various ways be lords, but he is Lord of lords. That's where redemption comes in.

Kiss the Son, you rebels. Change your ways and acknowledge: there is only one God, and you're not him! He is manifest in Jesus, the King amongst us. By declaring loyalty to Jesus as Lord our rebellion and arrogance is replaced, not to make us mumbly and useless. Rather, our redemption is to give us our legitimate role of strength. The rebel is not wrong to value strength, the rebel is wrong in assessing what is real and right strength. In Christ we are given the right and responsibility to be strong and useful; like him.

The very desire of the rebellious is thwarted by short sightedness. A truly satisfied rebel is the one who rebels against the rebellion and finds wise loyalty under the justice and mercy of Christ.

Work is hard

Genesis 3:17-19 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; (18) thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. (19) By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

 

To say "Work=Good" on Monday morning seems out of touch. Today, perhaps a bit late, references why people don't like Mondays. Work is not easy; it is hard.

It is hard to have a vision for a project knowing full well it will be tangled and frustrated with inefficiency, error, meaninglessness and disappointments. What is the hope? Delusion is one option. Just ignore reality and only see the good. Of course that just weirds-out people around you who are aware of the troubledness of the world. Is there a better response? Despair is an option. Give up and mock. As long as most people keep trying there will always be opportunities to mooch off of their productivity and keep mocking the diligent. But is there a third way? Realistic optimism: The fact is that we were designed to be loving, productive, creative and the rest, and that we have fouled our world by straying from our Creator. We can still live out our purposes, it's just that the fallen world is much harder than it was meant to be. So what to do? Groan a bit, but have hope. All the virtuous things have a future. Invest in them.

Work = Good

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Made in the image of God… so get to work. God is King, ruler, sovereign. He creates, loves, and chooses. To be made in God's image is to likewise have an ability and desire to wisely and lovingly be in charge of things. The difference is that our authority and glory is derived from our creator. Our creator's authority and glory are inherent. When we are in relation to him and serve out of love and gratitude to him, work is deeply satisfying. The challenge, of course, is in the way that we live in a world that is not naturally in submission to God's authority and glory. Then, work is different. (but that is for Tuesday).

Today, "not in spite of" but "because it is Monday" I am choosing to be grateful for work and to look for the good in it. I want to sense God's pleasure in me, using who he made me to be, diligently serving. I do not need to justify what field I am in if I have some confidence that God has provided it. All I need is gratitude and hopefulness that I can be faithful in this day to serve him and enjoy the 'ought-ness' of being productive.

The World We All Want

This is a nicely concise telling of the Christian message of hope for the world at large. 

http://www.thecrowdedhouse.org/newtochristianity

The World We All Want: Course overview

We all dream of a better world - a world of security, plenty and friendship. Christians believe that God promises just such a new world. The Bible is the story of God making that promise and keeping it. The World We All Want is for people who are interested in the message of the Bible. Developed by the Crowded House, The World We All Want is an evangelistic Bible overview.

Buy it now from WesleyOwen.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Outline

One: God promises the world we all want

God promises the world we all want. We know this promise is real because there was a point in history when we glimpsed the world we all want.

Two: Jesus shows us God's new world

Jesus had the power to make God's new world. But Jesus said it was necessary for him to die so we could enjoy it.

Three: We have spoiled God's good world

	We have spoiled the good world that God made, but God promises someone who will put it right.

Four: God promises a new world

God promises a people who know God and a land of plenty and security.

Five: We cannot create the God's new world

God set his people free and gave them a land of plenty and security, but they could not create God's new world. God promises that he himself will put it right.

Six: We can enjoy God's new world because of Jesus

The death of Jesus deals with the problem of rebellion and judgment. The resurrection of Jesus is the promise and beginning of God's new world.

Seven: Christians are God's people waiting for God's new world

Christians are God's new people waiting for God's new world. We become God's people through faith and repentance.

 

An effort at faith

 

Life has problems. Many of these problems are just clumsy, frustrations, but some seem aggressive; like someone is out to get you. Mark records a story of self-destruction that doesn't ultimately come from self:

Mark 9:19-24 And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."
(20) And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. (21) And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. (22) And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (23) And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."
(24) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"

 

A spirit. Another will fighting with the will of the boy. A spirit who wills the destruction of the boy. But, to the observer, it just seems like the boy is crazy and self-destructive. What help is available?

Initially Jesus' disciples are trying to help, but they aren't making much progress. Jesus' rebuke is that they are a 'faithless generation'. They just cannot manage to trust, believe, have faith, that God is able and willing to intervene decisively. After hearing the boy's story Jesus does two things: declares that when trust in God is active, there is no limit to what can be done, and then demonstrates it by delivering the boy from torment. What is the trigger between the two? An effort at faith.

Redemption and the chain of trust

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; (15) and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (16) From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (18) All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (21) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

We have concluded: Jesus' death redefines all of life. Therefore I must view myself and the world through that perspective. Not only am I to perceive reality exclusively from the perspective of Jesus, I am dependent to some degree on other people who are imploring me, and others are in some degree dependent on me to implore them. Its how it works. It seems too personal, if it weren't for the first bit: the love of Christ is what drives it all. Love driven imploring...

Health is good; illness isn't

Rainy and chilled London can give one more than just sniffles. I have had a hard time sleeping for the last week. I'm not well. But I can't resist going out with the lads for Monday night football training, even if it is in a wind driven nearly freezing rain. Then I get home and rethink, was that wise? I just want to be healthy.

Healthy... as in "the way things should be". I want my body to function as intended, including energy and creativity and productivity. I want the same in my relationships. Ultimately, it is what I want for the core of me, of my spirit, my will.

As I tried to pursue the goodness that I knew was better than illness, I learned that cough syrups are really not such a good idea (except maybe to be less annoying to those around you). They do not move toward health, they just suspend some of the consequences.

Cough syrups. In winter, nonprescription cough syrups practically fly off the drugstore shelves. But the American College of Chest Physicians strongly discourages the use of these medications because they're not effective at treating the underlying cause of cough due to colds. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/common-cold/DS00056/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

I then thought of other shortfalls in regard to real health; physical, relational, spiritual health. I have to admit I am much more dependent on 'cough syrup' type coping than I should be. Health is not about managing the symptoms of a floundering life, it is about pursuing a fulfilling and integrated life, even if it means having to cope with the lingering symptoms while pursuing that health.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

God makes a world that defines health. Alienation from God introduces a fall from health. Temporary tactics make life ok, but only full and complete reconciliation to God will ultimately deal with the hope of wellness and the abolition of illness, for the body, and the soul.

Atheists Must Deal With the 'Problem of Good'

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/nicholas_t_wright/2006/12/reading_the_comments_on_this.html

by N. T. Wright
Reading the comments on this website, it’s clear there are some atheists out there who have even more of a mission to unconvert believers than most believers have to convert them!
I have often noticed – this isn’t an argument, merely an observation – that the people who are most vehemently angry against belief (whether Christian or otherwise) are people who are really anxious, sometimes even frightened, about the possibility that there might be a God, that Christianity might be true, or whatever.
Sometimes this is because they have been badly hurt in their upbringing by foolish or wicked people using religion as a mask for their own manipulative or abusive behaviour. Sometimes it’s because they moved from their traditional Catholic or Protestant (or Jewish, or whatever) home base at the same time as they discovered ‘the wider world’ (which usually means drink, sex and so forth), and are anxious that if they ‘admitted it was all true after all’ they’d have to go back to the beginning, admit that Mum and Dad were right after all, and become, in effect, a good little Sunday School child once more – a prospect too frightful to contemplate for any self-respecting adult. . .
Of course there are many, perhaps millions, of people who have simply drifted into unbelief, articulate or otherwise, without any such background. But mostly they don’t make a fuss about it, certainly not in my country.
Richard Dawkins’ shrill denunciation of religion in his new book tends to provoke sardonic smiles, rather than people saying ‘Oh, phew, that’s all right then, I was wondering whether I could go on being an atheist with intellectual credibility.’
Of course, in the USA (but hardly at all in the UK), fervent Christian belief has often been associated in recent years with a particular kind of politics, and atheism has looked increasingly an attractive option if belief looks as if it’s driving you towards neo-conservative political beliefs. This is a gross oversimplification, of course – there are Christians in all shades of politics, and Jim Wallis’ contributions great and small show that you can be a robust and intelligent Christian and reject the neo-con agenda root and branch. B ut I suspect there have been quite a few who have been only too happy to make the equation between belief and neo-conservatism and to be happy about rejecting both, and at the same time.
In fact, atheism has been the default mode for most Westerners for over a century now. When A. N. Wilson wrote a book called ‘God’s Funeral,’ he was describing the nineteenth century, not the twentieth. Not everyone has noticed, of course.
Productive conversation? Yes indeed, and I hope this website will be part of that – though not if people simply rant and shout. We might start with the age-old question: The Christian has to deal with ‘the problem of evil,’ but the atheist has to deal with ‘the problem of good’ – that is, if the world is completely random, a chance collocation of accidental atoms, why is there such a thing as beauty, as value? (A hint: Dawkins’ valiant attempt to say it’s all about selfish genes and memes and things really doesn’t answer the question.)
And the atheist needs to be invited to contemplate the negative results, as well as the apparently positive ones, of the great push towards atheism in the last two centuries: the French Revolution, as soon as it got rid of God, did quite a lot of killing, including of its own people – a funny thing, that, considering the Enlightenment was supposed to be a way of getting rid of religion and so getting rid of violence. See too, the massive negative results of the greatest experiments in atheism the world has ever seen – the USSR with its Gulag, and Mao’s China . . .
In addition, the atheist can be invited to join the debate about the nature of religious experience. The evidence assembled by Sir Alister Hardy (see www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/ahrerca.html) is truly remarkable, and can’t easily be wished away by the rhetoric of Dawkins and others. It is never ‘enough’, in rationalist terms, to ‘prove’ that there is a God – but then few Christians would want to say that it is.
In fact, the dialogue between believers and atheists (and please note that the nature of ‘belief’ itself changes according to which God it is you believe in – this is very important) needs to be as courteous, listening and careful as all other dialogues. I look forward to it and hope that this website will be a step on the way!

1.2.3.4.5. - bless the baker!

The weekly cycle for devotion….

1. Monday


2. Tuesday


3. Wednesday


4. Thursday


5. Friday

Biblical Story

1. creation


2. fall


3. redemption


4. transformation


5. completion

personal awareness

1. notice good


2. notice bad


3. remember good overcame bad in Christ


4. focus on how good can overcome bad in me through Christ


5. trust the final result of good over bad is a completed creation.
   

A completed creation….

1. Dough is good


2. Yeast is added (don't eat it alive, it's bad for you)


3. Mix causes change


4. Change rises over time


5. Fiery completion kills the danger of the yeast but leaves the effects such that the final, completed loaf is even better than the lump of dough.

Bless the Baker, he didn't ruin the dough after all!

No thanks, I just had a fresh apple

The love of the world cannot be expunged by a mere demonstration of the world's worthlessness. But may it not be supplanted by the love of that which is more worthy than itself? The heart cannot be prevailed upon to part with the world, by a simple act of resignation. But may not the heart be prevailed upon to admit into its preference another, who shall subordinate the world, and bring it down from its wonted ascendancy?*

We were meant to have an appetite. It's good. The problem comes when we have given control over our appetite to foolishness. Ever want something salty? Something sweet? Ever try to randomly hit the spot by eating as much and as diverse an assortment as you could find? Ever think you just poisoned yourself with snacks? Ever break the vow to never do that again?

'The world' is where we live. Yet, oddly, the Bible says not to love it. Why? It's tasty! …like junk food. We can develop a taste for what doesn't satisfy and refuse to acknowledge that no matter how much more of _______ we consume, we will never feel right. It isn't what our body really craves.

I am physical, but I am also spiritual. What does my spirit crave? Getting this right or wrong can make all the difference in life.

Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

* THE EXPULSIVE POWER OF A NEW AFFECTION

By Thomas Chalmers

The Might of Mercy

When my dad lived in England he recommended going to the theatre. His favorite was Les Miserables. I told him that I was only vaguely familiar with Victor Hugo and asked for a quick synopsis. This is what he told me:

It is a story about a man so obsessed with justice that he becomes unjust and a man though guilty of injustice, finds mercy and becomes just.

Here is a 1935 film clip of the scene of a man who is defined as 'bad' who is given 'good'.

The response of the bad is to serve himself, even though it hurts the good. The response of the good is to deny himself and do good to the bad. The result? In this case the bad becomes good. 

1 Peter 3:17-18 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. (18) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God

God is not found in evil, but he is found amongst the evil. He is there to remove evil, by merciful redemption if at all possible. Like Jean in the story, the invitation is to come in through the door, the way is open.

AND evil…

God created and blessed man. Man left God and his goodness (so he could know good AND evil).

Well, here we are. We know both good and evil. Great.

Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

One of my favorite songs on the matter was blogged a while back: "people just ain't no good" . It's a lovely ballad about lost love and lost hope. I thought about the reaction some might have to Monday's Julie Andrews song. Sickening. Why? Too sweet. Doesn't seem real. We live with disappointment and consider ourselves savvy when we notice the bad. Movies like SAW (never saw it, the poster was more than enough) is more enticing to many. Why? We sense something is wrong and it helps us, in a twisted way, to have that wrong played out for us where we can watch others struggle with it (instead of us).

Monday: God is good and creates good (praise and celebrate)

Tuesday: Man is deceived and foolish and leaves goodness to explore evil. (grieve and decide: is this really what we want?)

A Few of My Favorite Things

On Mondays I take a moment to reflect on the beginning: God is good and has created goodness. Whether it is the Sound of Music sentimental version, or Coltrane's dynamic jazz version, the idea of delighting in good is, well, good!

What are a few of your favorite things?

Thank you God for being good and sharing good in creation. As we enjoy goodness i pray we will remember to enjoy you as the ultimate source behind all that is good.

Ephesians 5:8-10 Walk as children of light (9) (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), (10) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

New Year New Creation

New is exciting; assuming there is hope. The hope of a new creation is that the goodness uncorrupted may just stay uncorrupted. That seems idealistic, really. New peanut butter is enticing, but it doesn't seem to last. It get's gunked up. This year is new, but I can foresee chunks and bits of stuff getting swirled in, and sooner than later. In fact, it's already started.

So what hope is there? The hope of the resurrection of Jesus was that life is overcome with death and that death (and the gunk that precedes it) will be no more. Well, that's something. 

Is it true? Has God sent a message that the momentary hopes we see rise and fall are sign posts to an actual hope that will rise and not fall? That is what the message bearers say. God sent the message in person:

 

1 John 1:1-4 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- (2) the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- (3) that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (4) And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

 

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

 

God is the future. But when does the future get here? We don't know. So, we take moments of newness and hope and we attach them in our minds to the future hope which was displayed in Christ. There is a day coming…

Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (5) And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

 

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Growth

This year… I will promise to remember. I will remember that all that is good comes from the God who is good. I will remember that all that is wrong comes from separating from God and his goodness. I will remember that God kept his promise to restore life in a world ravaged by death. I will remember God.

Why? Why remember God? Why is it even necessary? Am I concussed? Dazed and confused… yes.

I can find hope when I pull away from the river of consumption and chaos flowing without meaning, only compulsion. But the hope is not of this world. It comes from without, returning home and subverting the world I know too well. I tilt my head, I squint, I disfigure my countenance tuning into what resonates deep within me from dimensions of which I have only heard what seem to be rumours. But their stories form a river that is different. I will remember the stories of old and the hope which has happened and is to come and I will be like a tree stretching downward, deeper.  As i descend in grace... only then will I grow up.

Psalms 1:1-3  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  (2)  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  (3)  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

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