Not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Matthew 26:39
Thy will, not mine, 0 Lord,
However dark it be!
Lead me by Thine own hand,
Choose out the path for me.
I dare not choose my lot;
I would not, if I might;
Choose Thou for me, my God;
So shall I walk aright. Horatius Bonar
Choose but the will of God, and thou willest with His wisdom, thou choosest with His all-perfect choice; thou enterest into His counsels; thou lovest with His love. Be this our watch-word, brethren, for the Church, for those we love, for our own souls. Be this our rule in action, "not what I will, but what Thou"; this, in suffering; "not what I, but what Thou." This shall hallow our hopes; this shall hush our fears; this shall ward off disquiet; this shall preserve our peace; this shall calm anxieties; this (if so it must be) shall soothe our heart-aches; this shall give repose to our weariness; this, the deeper our trouble, shall be the deeper foretaste of everlasting peace and rest. "Lord, not what I will, but what Thou"; not what I, in my misery, and ignorance, and blindness, and sin, but what Thou, in Thy mercy, and holiness, and wisdom, and love. -- E. B. Pusey
My friend John Piper says, "God has a right to command of us things we cannot perform." This is true. I don't know many people who can look through the commands of God and think "Cake!"
"Be holy as I am holy."
"Thou shalt not covet."
"Honor the Lord's day and keep it holy."
"Thou shalt have no other god's before me."
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
I don't know about you, but I look at the first one and I'm done. I can't do it. It is against my nature and often times even against my will. But God.
God does command of us things that we cannot perform, things that even go outside of biblical commands. Commands that are personal, that are intended to make us holy as He is holy in a very specific and individual way. Commands that require us to change an attitude, a habit, our relationships, push us into an area of service, call us to walk in a manner contrary to our feelings or thoughts or wants.
[But] God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Whatever the command, whatever estimation we have of our ability God is able to make all grace about to us, in all things at all times. The particulars and our ability or weakness are of no account. God is able. Period. The real question is not, whether we think we are able or God is able, but who's way are we going to choose: Ours or His.
If I am honest, I have to say that mostly, I want my way. I want what I can see, what I can manage, what doesn't require waiting or suffering. That way, consequently, often does not require God. If I am honest, I would also have to say that hindsight has shown me that 100% of the time my way was not the best way. My way was also paved with fear, unbelief, anxiety and a lot of needless and pointless suffering. But His way...His way, while it may involve suffering, thorns, even darkness and stillness along the way is paved with God's goodness, truth, promises and faithfulness. And, it has proven time and time again to be the best way.
"Not my will but Yours". "not what I, in my misery, and ignorance, and blindness, and sin, but what Thou, in Thy mercy, and holiness, and wisdom, and love." (E. B. Pusey)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Let Us Sing!
In every trial or season of suffering there comes a point where we are called upon to make a choice. I think that choice is laid before us right from the get go; and right from the get go we make our choice. It is evident in our countenance, in our words, and our heart (which spills over into words and actions and attitudes). The choice we are called to make is a simple one, really...and it is the same one we are always called to make: Whom will we serve?
If we choose to serve ourself, we will see our trial or suffering as something that is
happening TO us, as a problem to be solved, something to be borne only as much as absolutely necessary, something to wage war against, to change or rid ourselves of as quickly as possible. Because of this choice, we are justified in fussing and fuming and moaning and bewailing our plight. The hardness or ugliness or loss is all we can see and feel. No one can look at someone who is horribly injured or has suffered the loss of a loved one or been abandoned by a spouse or mourning the choices of a wayward child and blame them for feeling or thinking any of the above. In and of themselves, it is right and reasonable to respond negatively to trials and sufferings.
But trials and sufferings do not happen in the vacuum of our self-contained and isolated lives. They happen within the framework of Providence, and through the hands of a Sovereign, Purposeful, Loving God. Which brings us to what is often, for us, Option B: We choose to serve God and trust that His way is Perfect.
In her devotional book "Edges of His Ways", Amy Carmichael writes: ..."the love of God is searching...He is partiently teaching us truly to mean [this]. ...he does not hurry us, but He does wait for us...till we can look in His face and say - not with a sigh, but with a song 'As for God, His way is perfect!' (Psalm 18:30) This is victory; nothing less can be called by that shining name!"
"As for God, His way is perfect" was written for times when what we see is far less than perfect. Look at Psalm 18:
1I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help.From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
This is the epitome of suffering and yet, after even more verses just like those above, the Psalmist says "As for God, His way is perfect." How could he say that when his flesh, his heart, even his world seems to have been failing him, crumbling around him, being destroyed before his very eyes? How? Because of this:
25With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
29For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
That line bears repeating...the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Herein lies the key: We see his word, his promises, his power when we act on them by faith. When we choose to serve the Lord and believe His word and, by faith stand on them - take refuge in Him - His word is proved true in us. We won't see or show this if we train our eyes on the shaking and crumbling and destruction and choose to serve ourselves or protect ourselves from harm. All we will see then is what is coming at us, or going away from us, and in those moments our God seems very distant and very small. But, if we choose to serve His purposes and train our eyes on Him, God's grace meets us in that moment and "the things of earth grow strangely dim" and He seems very near and very big.
He also seems very kind.
There is nothing so comforting as the comfort of our Rock and Redeemer. No human can offer us the same sweet consolation our Lord can. He comes in and we are changed.
Carolyn McCulley touches on this in a recent blog post, where she quotes David Powlison, who writes:
"How does God's grace engage your sufferings? We may know the right answer. And yet we don't know it. It is a hard answer. But we make it sound like a pat answer. God sets about a long slow answering. But we try to make it a quick fix. His answer insists on being lived out over time and into the particulars. We act as if just saying the right words makes it so. God's answer insists on changing you into a different kind of person. But we act as if some truth, principle, strategy, or perspective might simply be incorporated into who we already are. God personalizes his answer on hearts with uncanny flexibility. But we turn it into a formula: "If you just believe _____. If you just do _____. If you just remember ____." No important truth ever contains the word "just" in the punch line.
How does God's grace meet you in your sufferings? We can make the right answer sound old hat, but I can guarantee this: God will surprise you. He will make you stop. You will struggle. He will bring you up short. You will hurt. He will take his time. You will grow in faith and in love. He will deeply delight you. You will find the process harder than you ever imagined--and better. Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life (Ps. 23:6). No matter how many times you've heard it, no matter how long you've known it, no matter how well you can say it, God's answer will come to mean something better than you could ever imagine. "
This is His heart for us: that we be changed and conformed more into the image of His Son AND that we receive something far better than we imagined possible. He loves to love us and lavish His affection and kindness on us. At times, it seems His is a painful kindness. But that is only a surface impression of the truth. There is pain, there is suffering, there is loss and sickness and death...but God! But God comes in and proves His word in us through suffering, teaching us to believe and then say and then sing: "As for God, His way is perfect!"
Oh, how I want to sing! I want to look at my singleness and sing "My maker is my husband!" I want to look at my size and sing "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" I want to look at my family and sing "He is mighty to save!" I want to look at the totality of my life and sing "His banner over me is love!"
In my struggles and sufferings, the battle is not my circumstances or even my emotions, the battle is for my heart, for my hope and faith in God. My singleness, my size, my family, my friendships, work situtions are the battlefield, but the real fight is for the one I will choose to serve and in whom I put my hope and trust. Oh Lord help me, help us, to choose rightly, to choose YOU when self-preservation or self-pity tells us to do otherwise. You alone are our rock, our fortress, our deliver; we never need these so much as when all around us is shaken and falling. Teach us this truth and teach us to sing, through tears, through pain, through sickness and death, to sing though our hearts are breaking and trust in who you are!
"He will provide for Himself, in every work that He has planned, all that is needed. All things, without a single exception, are in the hands of our Jehoval-Jireh. Nothing can hinder His purpose. Sooner or later we shall see what we now by fath believe. We shall see the end intended by the Lord, who is very pitiful and of tender mercy (James 5:11). We shall see and we shall sing. Let us sing now! "(Amy Carmichael in Whispers of His Power)
Yes, Lord...Let us sing now!!
If we choose to serve ourself, we will see our trial or suffering as something that is
happening TO us, as a problem to be solved, something to be borne only as much as absolutely necessary, something to wage war against, to change or rid ourselves of as quickly as possible. Because of this choice, we are justified in fussing and fuming and moaning and bewailing our plight. The hardness or ugliness or loss is all we can see and feel. No one can look at someone who is horribly injured or has suffered the loss of a loved one or been abandoned by a spouse or mourning the choices of a wayward child and blame them for feeling or thinking any of the above. In and of themselves, it is right and reasonable to respond negatively to trials and sufferings.
But trials and sufferings do not happen in the vacuum of our self-contained and isolated lives. They happen within the framework of Providence, and through the hands of a Sovereign, Purposeful, Loving God. Which brings us to what is often, for us, Option B: We choose to serve God and trust that His way is Perfect.
In her devotional book "Edges of His Ways", Amy Carmichael writes: ..."the love of God is searching...He is partiently teaching us truly to mean [this]. ...he does not hurry us, but He does wait for us...till we can look in His face and say - not with a sigh, but with a song 'As for God, His way is perfect!' (Psalm 18:30) This is victory; nothing less can be called by that shining name!"
"As for God, His way is perfect" was written for times when what we see is far less than perfect. Look at Psalm 18:
1I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help.From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
This is the epitome of suffering and yet, after even more verses just like those above, the Psalmist says "As for God, His way is perfect." How could he say that when his flesh, his heart, even his world seems to have been failing him, crumbling around him, being destroyed before his very eyes? How? Because of this:
25With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
29For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
That line bears repeating...the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Herein lies the key: We see his word, his promises, his power when we act on them by faith. When we choose to serve the Lord and believe His word and, by faith stand on them - take refuge in Him - His word is proved true in us. We won't see or show this if we train our eyes on the shaking and crumbling and destruction and choose to serve ourselves or protect ourselves from harm. All we will see then is what is coming at us, or going away from us, and in those moments our God seems very distant and very small. But, if we choose to serve His purposes and train our eyes on Him, God's grace meets us in that moment and "the things of earth grow strangely dim" and He seems very near and very big.
He also seems very kind.
There is nothing so comforting as the comfort of our Rock and Redeemer. No human can offer us the same sweet consolation our Lord can. He comes in and we are changed.
Carolyn McCulley touches on this in a recent blog post, where she quotes David Powlison, who writes:
"How does God's grace engage your sufferings? We may know the right answer. And yet we don't know it. It is a hard answer. But we make it sound like a pat answer. God sets about a long slow answering. But we try to make it a quick fix. His answer insists on being lived out over time and into the particulars. We act as if just saying the right words makes it so. God's answer insists on changing you into a different kind of person. But we act as if some truth, principle, strategy, or perspective might simply be incorporated into who we already are. God personalizes his answer on hearts with uncanny flexibility. But we turn it into a formula: "If you just believe _____. If you just do _____. If you just remember ____." No important truth ever contains the word "just" in the punch line.
How does God's grace meet you in your sufferings? We can make the right answer sound old hat, but I can guarantee this: God will surprise you. He will make you stop. You will struggle. He will bring you up short. You will hurt. He will take his time. You will grow in faith and in love. He will deeply delight you. You will find the process harder than you ever imagined--and better. Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life (Ps. 23:6). No matter how many times you've heard it, no matter how long you've known it, no matter how well you can say it, God's answer will come to mean something better than you could ever imagine. "
This is His heart for us: that we be changed and conformed more into the image of His Son AND that we receive something far better than we imagined possible. He loves to love us and lavish His affection and kindness on us. At times, it seems His is a painful kindness. But that is only a surface impression of the truth. There is pain, there is suffering, there is loss and sickness and death...but God! But God comes in and proves His word in us through suffering, teaching us to believe and then say and then sing: "As for God, His way is perfect!"
Oh, how I want to sing! I want to look at my singleness and sing "My maker is my husband!" I want to look at my size and sing "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" I want to look at my family and sing "He is mighty to save!" I want to look at the totality of my life and sing "His banner over me is love!"
In my struggles and sufferings, the battle is not my circumstances or even my emotions, the battle is for my heart, for my hope and faith in God. My singleness, my size, my family, my friendships, work situtions are the battlefield, but the real fight is for the one I will choose to serve and in whom I put my hope and trust. Oh Lord help me, help us, to choose rightly, to choose YOU when self-preservation or self-pity tells us to do otherwise. You alone are our rock, our fortress, our deliver; we never need these so much as when all around us is shaken and falling. Teach us this truth and teach us to sing, through tears, through pain, through sickness and death, to sing though our hearts are breaking and trust in who you are!
"He will provide for Himself, in every work that He has planned, all that is needed. All things, without a single exception, are in the hands of our Jehoval-Jireh. Nothing can hinder His purpose. Sooner or later we shall see what we now by fath believe. We shall see the end intended by the Lord, who is very pitiful and of tender mercy (James 5:11). We shall see and we shall sing. Let us sing now! "(Amy Carmichael in Whispers of His Power)
Yes, Lord...Let us sing now!!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
God is Love...and it is done.
For God so loved the world that He gave...All this is from God...In this the love of God was made manifest among us, ...In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His son for us. (from today's Daily Light)
God didn't wait for us to love Him or see our need for Him; He didn't wait for some loving spark to ignite our heart and turn it towards Him; He didn't wait for some flicker of interest in us toward Him to draw us to His love; He didn't even wait for us to demonstrate any ability to abide any of His law; He first loved us and gave. He first loved us in our sin and disinterest and self-seeking and disobedience and He sent His Son. He sent His Spirit. He set forth a plan to rescue us and pursued us and won us, when there was "no spark of loving interest in our hearts." He simply loves us because He loves us...because He is love. He is for us because He loves us, not because we've somehow earned His favor. If this was true in the past, it is true today. He loves us and is for us today...whatever the need. like the great salvation in which we stand, the provision for whatever our need is now has already been made. his love has already looked down and planned a way. He has gone before, prepared the course, fought the fight, won it, and now leads us along the way by His righteous right hand. It is done, taken care of, secure. This was true before, is true today, and will be true tomorrow. Before we think to ask or think we know what we need God's love sees, has planned, and has lovingly done whatever it is that will be best and bring Him glory.
My Life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who chose to walk with Him. -- Grant Colfax Tullar
God didn't wait for us to love Him or see our need for Him; He didn't wait for some loving spark to ignite our heart and turn it towards Him; He didn't wait for some flicker of interest in us toward Him to draw us to His love; He didn't even wait for us to demonstrate any ability to abide any of His law; He first loved us and gave. He first loved us in our sin and disinterest and self-seeking and disobedience and He sent His Son. He sent His Spirit. He set forth a plan to rescue us and pursued us and won us, when there was "no spark of loving interest in our hearts." He simply loves us because He loves us...because He is love. He is for us because He loves us, not because we've somehow earned His favor. If this was true in the past, it is true today. He loves us and is for us today...whatever the need. like the great salvation in which we stand, the provision for whatever our need is now has already been made. his love has already looked down and planned a way. He has gone before, prepared the course, fought the fight, won it, and now leads us along the way by His righteous right hand. It is done, taken care of, secure. This was true before, is true today, and will be true tomorrow. Before we think to ask or think we know what we need God's love sees, has planned, and has lovingly done whatever it is that will be best and bring Him glory.
My Life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.
Not til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
Who chose to walk with Him. -- Grant Colfax Tullar
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Mary and Martha
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)
This passage of scripture has always puzzled me. "Martha was distracted with much serving." Aren't we supposed to serve? Did the Lord expect her to welcome him and his followers into their home and not be hospitable? Shouldn't she have expected her sister to help her prepare for their guests? Wasn't it reasonable for Martha to see Mary's choice as selfish and lazy? Isn't doing our duty important to God and equally as honoring to Him as time in prayer and devotion?
Certainly, there is evidence of this in scripture. In the Old Testament we are given an ouline of our duty to God, to each other and there are even provisions made for family members to fulfill the duty left undone or unfinished by others who have died. There are more scriptures about what we do by way of duty than what we do alone in quiet devotion, prayer and bible study. The gist is, we are to live out in our homes, with family members and friends, in service to the church and the needy what we get from God when we are alone with Him.
So why chastise Martha?
I've heard many teachings on this subject and often the lesson we are told to gleen is that we are prone to do too much doing and not enough sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. This admonition is good and right and true...I just don't think it tells the whole story. We cannot always be (physically) sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. There is work to be done, others to serve, duties to be performed. I do not see this passage as an admonition to shirk these in favor of the more "spiritual" acts of worship and devotion. I believe the rest of scripture bears out the idea that the faithful carrying out of our duties and responsibilities is important to the Lord. Truly, in God, there is no separation between Spiritual and Natural. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, which is our spiritual worship. Our bodies were made to work. We are daily surrounded by people who are in need, and live and work in places that need our bodies to be about the business of the day. It is our spiritual worship to present our bodies to the Lord in doing these tasks. It is also our spiritual worship to present our bodies to God in setting aside time daily to be alone with Him. Both are required. Both are Spiritual.
Take the Proverbs 31 woman, The Woman Who Fears the Lord, for example:
An excellent wife who can find?She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
This is one busy woman! Far busier than most of us, I would imagine. We don't have to tend to fields, or weave cloth and make clothing, or manage a staff of servants or take our wares to market...on top of cooking and cleaning; caring for and teaching children. And this very busy, very duty-FULL woman is called "excellent", "a woman who fears the Lord", "greatly praised", and "blessed" while Martha is scolded publically and for all time. So again I ask...why?
I think Jesus' response to her holds the key to the real point of contention. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Notice He said "You are anxious and troubled about many things." In that moment, their time together was supposed to be about the what the Lord was teaching, yet Martha was anxious and troubled about other things...about the readiness of the house, the meal, perhaps available seating for their guests (poor Mary was sitting on the floor, if you remember). In His rebuke, the Lord spoke of her heart's attitude, indicating to me that her busyness was not about serving and honoring Him, but something else. What also seems glaringly obvious to me is this: had she been prepared before her guests arrived, she could have done the one thing necessary once the Lord was there.
How many times has this happened to you: You've been busy with other things, you've perhaps been tired or downright lazy and you get to the end of the week and things have piled up and you miss church to catch up? Or you have an event on the weekend and procrastinate all week and wind up spending most of the fellowship time finishing the cooking or tracking down plates or apologizing for certain things being in disarray? Could this be what led up to Martha being "anxious and troubled"? Could she have forsaken her duty and tried to make up for it (perhaps overcompensating in her preparation) at the expense of fellowship with the Lord...dishonoring Him on two counts?
The Proverbs 31 woman was a busy woman, but it seems to me that her faithfulness to God both in her quiet time and her duty is what allowed her to be so busy and still be held up as an example. Her private devotion to the Lord was the foundation upon which her home was built and it was also lived out in faithfully and dutifully serving her husband and family. There was no shirking of one to accomplish the other. She was "Mary" both in the quiet times which are not outlined in this passage AND in the activities that are. She was Mary in her stillness and in her busyness, because her heart was set on worshipping and honoring the Lord.
This passage of scripture has always puzzled me. "Martha was distracted with much serving." Aren't we supposed to serve? Did the Lord expect her to welcome him and his followers into their home and not be hospitable? Shouldn't she have expected her sister to help her prepare for their guests? Wasn't it reasonable for Martha to see Mary's choice as selfish and lazy? Isn't doing our duty important to God and equally as honoring to Him as time in prayer and devotion?
Certainly, there is evidence of this in scripture. In the Old Testament we are given an ouline of our duty to God, to each other and there are even provisions made for family members to fulfill the duty left undone or unfinished by others who have died. There are more scriptures about what we do by way of duty than what we do alone in quiet devotion, prayer and bible study. The gist is, we are to live out in our homes, with family members and friends, in service to the church and the needy what we get from God when we are alone with Him.
So why chastise Martha?
I've heard many teachings on this subject and often the lesson we are told to gleen is that we are prone to do too much doing and not enough sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. This admonition is good and right and true...I just don't think it tells the whole story. We cannot always be (physically) sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. There is work to be done, others to serve, duties to be performed. I do not see this passage as an admonition to shirk these in favor of the more "spiritual" acts of worship and devotion. I believe the rest of scripture bears out the idea that the faithful carrying out of our duties and responsibilities is important to the Lord. Truly, in God, there is no separation between Spiritual and Natural. Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, which is our spiritual worship. Our bodies were made to work. We are daily surrounded by people who are in need, and live and work in places that need our bodies to be about the business of the day. It is our spiritual worship to present our bodies to the Lord in doing these tasks. It is also our spiritual worship to present our bodies to God in setting aside time daily to be alone with Him. Both are required. Both are Spiritual.
Take the Proverbs 31 woman, The Woman Who Fears the Lord, for example:
An excellent wife who can find?She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
This is one busy woman! Far busier than most of us, I would imagine. We don't have to tend to fields, or weave cloth and make clothing, or manage a staff of servants or take our wares to market...on top of cooking and cleaning; caring for and teaching children. And this very busy, very duty-FULL woman is called "excellent", "a woman who fears the Lord", "greatly praised", and "blessed" while Martha is scolded publically and for all time. So again I ask...why?
I think Jesus' response to her holds the key to the real point of contention. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Notice He said "You are anxious and troubled about many things." In that moment, their time together was supposed to be about the what the Lord was teaching, yet Martha was anxious and troubled about other things...about the readiness of the house, the meal, perhaps available seating for their guests (poor Mary was sitting on the floor, if you remember). In His rebuke, the Lord spoke of her heart's attitude, indicating to me that her busyness was not about serving and honoring Him, but something else. What also seems glaringly obvious to me is this: had she been prepared before her guests arrived, she could have done the one thing necessary once the Lord was there.
How many times has this happened to you: You've been busy with other things, you've perhaps been tired or downright lazy and you get to the end of the week and things have piled up and you miss church to catch up? Or you have an event on the weekend and procrastinate all week and wind up spending most of the fellowship time finishing the cooking or tracking down plates or apologizing for certain things being in disarray? Could this be what led up to Martha being "anxious and troubled"? Could she have forsaken her duty and tried to make up for it (perhaps overcompensating in her preparation) at the expense of fellowship with the Lord...dishonoring Him on two counts?
The Proverbs 31 woman was a busy woman, but it seems to me that her faithfulness to God both in her quiet time and her duty is what allowed her to be so busy and still be held up as an example. Her private devotion to the Lord was the foundation upon which her home was built and it was also lived out in faithfully and dutifully serving her husband and family. There was no shirking of one to accomplish the other. She was "Mary" both in the quiet times which are not outlined in this passage AND in the activities that are. She was Mary in her stillness and in her busyness, because her heart was set on worshipping and honoring the Lord.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)
You turned water into wine - how extraordinary
Gave sight to the blind - and still I carry
My own load when you told me
To take your yoke ‘cause yours is easy. (From "Big Enough" by Ayeisha Woods)
I've been listening to "Big Enough" almost non-stop since discovering it yesterday. On the way home from work this one section of the first verse jumped out and smacked me upside the head (which was much needed) and I've just been chewing on it since. The verse she references is familiar. Most people who know anything about scripture at least know of this verse. It is oft quoted. I've quoted it myself, but I never thought about it the way I thought about it yesterday and am thinking about it now.
Take my yoke upon you...and still I carry my own load.
The Lord tells us to take HIS yoke upon us, for it is easy. The big "revelation" that came to me yesterday was this: His yoke is easy. Our yoke is not. When things are hard and burdensome and make us weary, it is very likely because we are carrying our yoke, not His because He says His is easy and light.
You may be thinking "DUH!", and probably rightfully so...but this was fresh perspective to me yesterday. I think I've just always thought that most of the Christian walk is just hard (if you're doing it "right" ha!), and should be, and we just have to bear that. What I didn't think was that the reason it is that way for a great many people, including myself, is because we spend far too much time putting our own yokes on, and hefting them around instead of the Lord's yoke.
There is evidence of this truth in my life. I look at some of the biggest changes the Lord has made in my life and, honestly, they were easy. He spoke, I stepped out in obedience, and step by step (with His yoke upon my shoulders) I cultivated spiritual disciplines, conquered sin, and saw my character change. It wasn't one fell swoop. I didn't leap from no time with the Lord to 2 hours in one day. I didn't change how I handled food overnight. The Lord prepared, laid the foundation, and gave direction; I, in turn, submitted and obeyed and walked in His direction. All of God. All of me...at the same time...one step at a time.
Isn't it kind of God that He doesn't expect us to go from Saul to Paul all at once? Isn't it equally kind that He bears with us when we put that expectation (or yoke) upon ourselves? In those moments He remains steadfast and lovingly says the words He said so long ago...Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
You turned water into wine - how extraordinary
Gave sight to the blind - and still I carry
My own load when you told me
To take your yoke ‘cause yours is easy. (From "Big Enough" by Ayeisha Woods)
I've been listening to "Big Enough" almost non-stop since discovering it yesterday. On the way home from work this one section of the first verse jumped out and smacked me upside the head (which was much needed) and I've just been chewing on it since. The verse she references is familiar. Most people who know anything about scripture at least know of this verse. It is oft quoted. I've quoted it myself, but I never thought about it the way I thought about it yesterday and am thinking about it now.
Take my yoke upon you...and still I carry my own load.
The Lord tells us to take HIS yoke upon us, for it is easy. The big "revelation" that came to me yesterday was this: His yoke is easy. Our yoke is not. When things are hard and burdensome and make us weary, it is very likely because we are carrying our yoke, not His because He says His is easy and light.
You may be thinking "DUH!", and probably rightfully so...but this was fresh perspective to me yesterday. I think I've just always thought that most of the Christian walk is just hard (if you're doing it "right" ha!), and should be, and we just have to bear that. What I didn't think was that the reason it is that way for a great many people, including myself, is because we spend far too much time putting our own yokes on, and hefting them around instead of the Lord's yoke.
There is evidence of this truth in my life. I look at some of the biggest changes the Lord has made in my life and, honestly, they were easy. He spoke, I stepped out in obedience, and step by step (with His yoke upon my shoulders) I cultivated spiritual disciplines, conquered sin, and saw my character change. It wasn't one fell swoop. I didn't leap from no time with the Lord to 2 hours in one day. I didn't change how I handled food overnight. The Lord prepared, laid the foundation, and gave direction; I, in turn, submitted and obeyed and walked in His direction. All of God. All of me...at the same time...one step at a time.
Isn't it kind of God that He doesn't expect us to go from Saul to Paul all at once? Isn't it equally kind that He bears with us when we put that expectation (or yoke) upon ourselves? In those moments He remains steadfast and lovingly says the words He said so long ago...Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Big Enough
I don't wanna box you in
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't understand that you're big enough
But you're big enough, Jesus
Big things.
They scare me.
I look at them and I look at me and I think, "No way. Not gonna happen. What is now will be tomorrow. Don't even think about things changing. Don't want it. Don't hope for it, you'll only be disappointed."
Nice, huh?
I think "my things" always look big to me, if for no other reason than they are mine. Other's things (which may, in fact be bigger) don't seem as big. For them, I can be full of hope and encouragement and faith. But for my stuff? It's a struggle. Why? I am small and weak. That is truth. I am powerless. But (yay) that realization is not the end of things. It only tells me what I'm thinking about me and that doesn't tell me the whole story, or much of nothin', actually.
So what gives?
Yesterday, I read the story of a young, engaged couple. One currently lies in a hospital bed in a coma. The other, who came to Christ through the friendship of the other, sits at the bedside, praying and hoping for some really big things...things over which she is equally powerless...which are way bigger than mine. When things get hard, this faithful soul asks herself a question her beloved often asked her: "What are you believing about God right now?"
That is a great question!
Things do tend to seem biggest when I am looking at my circumstances through the lens of self. This tends to have a microscopic effect, making small issues seem very large. One upward glance at God, knowing what I know of Him from scripture, has a telescopic effect, making He who is VERY LARGE near enough to see. And my small problems shrink rapidly.
No matter what we look like or think or feel or understand, He IS who He is, who He was, who He's always been. That is more true than anything that goes on in us or around us or happens to us. Living in that is just a matter of what we choose to look on: us/our circumstances through a microscope or God through the telescope of His Word? And, whether we choose to think about what we believe about us or what we know about God.
I don't wanna box you in
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't understand that you're big enough
But you're big enough, Jesus (From "Big Enough" - Ayiesha Woods)
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't understand that you're big enough
But you're big enough, Jesus
Big things.
They scare me.
I look at them and I look at me and I think, "No way. Not gonna happen. What is now will be tomorrow. Don't even think about things changing. Don't want it. Don't hope for it, you'll only be disappointed."
Nice, huh?
I think "my things" always look big to me, if for no other reason than they are mine. Other's things (which may, in fact be bigger) don't seem as big. For them, I can be full of hope and encouragement and faith. But for my stuff? It's a struggle. Why? I am small and weak. That is truth. I am powerless. But (yay) that realization is not the end of things. It only tells me what I'm thinking about me and that doesn't tell me the whole story, or much of nothin', actually.
So what gives?
Yesterday, I read the story of a young, engaged couple. One currently lies in a hospital bed in a coma. The other, who came to Christ through the friendship of the other, sits at the bedside, praying and hoping for some really big things...things over which she is equally powerless...which are way bigger than mine. When things get hard, this faithful soul asks herself a question her beloved often asked her: "What are you believing about God right now?"
That is a great question!
Things do tend to seem biggest when I am looking at my circumstances through the lens of self. This tends to have a microscopic effect, making small issues seem very large. One upward glance at God, knowing what I know of Him from scripture, has a telescopic effect, making He who is VERY LARGE near enough to see. And my small problems shrink rapidly.
No matter what we look like or think or feel or understand, He IS who He is, who He was, who He's always been. That is more true than anything that goes on in us or around us or happens to us. Living in that is just a matter of what we choose to look on: us/our circumstances through a microscope or God through the telescope of His Word? And, whether we choose to think about what we believe about us or what we know about God.
I don't wanna box you in
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't understand that you're big enough
But you're big enough, Jesus (From "Big Enough" - Ayiesha Woods)
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Salt
You are the salt of the earth... (Matthew 5:13)
I eat sausage for breakfast every morning. It's what I do. I'm just that much of a creature of habit. But I'm not above "spicing" things up a bit sometimes. :) Occassionally, I'll add cheese, or half the sausage and scramble an egg. Nothing big, just a little change now and then. Today, I decided to sprinkle some Tony Chachere's on my sausage. So, I sprinkled away and...whoa...Tony's is some salty! The second sprinkle was considerably less than the first and it was perfect. Just enough to make it different. The moral of the story? A little salt goes a long way!!
I eat sausage for breakfast every morning. It's what I do. I'm just that much of a creature of habit. But I'm not above "spicing" things up a bit sometimes. :) Occassionally, I'll add cheese, or half the sausage and scramble an egg. Nothing big, just a little change now and then. Today, I decided to sprinkle some Tony Chachere's on my sausage. So, I sprinkled away and...whoa...Tony's is some salty! The second sprinkle was considerably less than the first and it was perfect. Just enough to make it different. The moral of the story? A little salt goes a long way!! Which made me think of the verse above... I think so often, when we think of doing something for people, doing something for God or as unto God, we think BIG. We think it has to be a well-thought out sit down or a grand gesture or huge sacrifice. But we are called salt and I think there is a reason for that.
Salt is in everything. We eat it all day long. It's cooked in our food, we sprinkle it on our food...sparingly, but consistently...a little bit at a time. It seems to me that this applies to our walks and our relationships. We learn the word bit by bit, precept upon precept. We walk in obedience one step at a time. We cultivate friendships through, sometimes short but consistent times together. It is often all we can give...a few minutes here, a few minutes there. But, like salt, it has its effect just the same. And, I believe God honors our little bits here and there and uses them to do the big and great things only He can.
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