Let Us Meet the Conditions

Proverbs 2:1-2 (ESV)

My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;

Holy Father,

How do we make our ears attentive to listen? 

By receiving Your words - taking them in graciously, with the mindset of being genuine and humble before You.  By stockpiling Your commandments, recognizing they are our life tools…Your doctrines are sweet, offering us grace and salvation in Christ, our Hope Eternal.

By focusing on not just the words communicated – but on the One communicating them. Recalling that the majority of communication is non-verbal, let us read Your body language. That unspoken language reveals the heart behind the words.

By inclining our hearts to understand – leaning in, tucking our hearts close to Yours that we may hear and feel Your heartbeat…as in leaning in for an intimate hug in effort to connect on the deepest level.

What a beautiful picture you paint!

Proverbs 2:5 (ESV)

then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Then - such a wonderful conclusion!

We shall glimpse Your awesome nature,

Your amazing holiness,

Your absolute truth,

Your unfailing love….

Precious Father, keep us quick to

To receive Your words

            To treasure Your commands,

                        To keep our ears inclined

                                    And our heartbeats in tune with Yours.  Amen

Eternal Aliens

I have a favorite praying place. While there, I often pray with my eyes open scanning the trees visible through the window. I treasure looking to the Lord to display His different attributes just from that limited view through those panes.

While pondering the eternal and the fact that as believers we are aliens (1 Peter 1 -2 ESV) this week I was struck by the woods in our lives….the busyness and details that allow us to function in this world and yet can consume our time and attention. Negotiating the trunks, roots and stumps my gaze can remain downward. I often  stumble or even fall.

Thomas à Kempis said, 

“Let temporal things be in the use, eternal things in the desire.”

Those trees, roots and stumps do serve our use – they allow us to see our frail humanity and they give opportunity for us to walk beside others while we love and model Christ. We just need to remember not to lose sight of the eternal as the object of our desire. We need to look ahead to eternity.

Back in my praying place….looking through the trees, barely glimpsed in the distance is a streak of color. Zeroing in on that strip of brightness I realize there is a flag, a symbol of freedom and hope standing tall. I find that so refreshing a reminder.  This is not my home. One day in the future I will know true freedom. I will see my Hope! And I will experience true hospitality….

”Welcome home!” Jesus will say!

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2 ESV)

Surprised by God's presence?

A recently posed question still floods my mind….

Was there a time when you were surprised by God’s presence?

                                                                                                            

As I began to think this over and compile a list, I was drawn to the thought I should never be surprised by His presence. He tells us in His Word that, “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Joshua 1:5 ESV) so why would His presence by surprising?

One memory I drew upon gave me glimpse of that why….

After having spent 15 years at home raising our family, God gave me an opportunity to be involved with chemistry again, that until it was returned to me I hadn't even realized I was missing! My Lord, the Lover of My Soul,  gave a gift I didn't even know I desired – but I truly did – and I was surprised with joy at His presence in my life!

For God to not have the surprise element would be a

                   God I could predict….

                                   One I could take for granted...

                                               A God my ordinary mind could grasp….

But,

His ways are higher than my ways, and for that I am so thankful!

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 ESV)

So look for ways God surprises you with His presence and take joy in it!

Not getting the gift but receiving the gift.

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. WE Corinthians (4: 1-2 ESV)

To walk with God is to reflect on our own unworthiness and His absolute perfection.  We may not understand Christ’s willingness to sacrifice His perfection for our lives. However considering the passage in I Corinthians, we must seek to understand His love and the mystery that it is. 

Jesus is the lover of our souls!

We can feel His love walking us through this life but if we forget to reflect… if we forget to kneel before the cross and die daily to ourselves… to submit our desires and discipline to Him, then we have lost sight of the mystery.  We may not understand this kind of selfless love but we can marvel at this amazing gift!

We must have humility and recognize that without opening our hands and receiving the package, we can't enjoy what is within. It’s a package wrapped by a fine jeweler and craftsman who understands the value of what's inside and wants to treasure it. On first inspection, we find the packing tape wrapped so tightly that the scissors can barely get to the brown paper underneath. Once through the tape, we can undo the brown paper to find exquisite wrapping paper held together with ribbon. Next, we get to a heavy impenetrable box filled with packing peanuts placed carefully to surround the smaller box nestled within. Prying open this smaller vessel, excelsior has been laid strand by strand to cradle a fine linen ball. Finally, within the linen we find….our soul!

How can we be anything other than grateful! That is the mystery!