Monthly Archives: March 2019
“Carried by God”
Sunday, March 31, 2019
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.” (Isaiah 46:3-4, English Standard Version)
My 12-step affirmation for today is as follows: “Today, by God’s grace, I am allowing myself to be carried in God’s arms. This enables me to walk when and where and how I need to walk.”
I remember when I was little falling asleep in my dad’s car on the way back home from a late night trip. (“Late night” was anytime after sunset for me when I was little. Still is.) It would be hard for me to wake up. Sometimes, I didn’t. I would simply go to sleep in the car, and wake up in my bed the next morning.
At other times, I would half wake up, but my dad would still carry me in the house. Mom would tuck me into bed. And sometimes, I would pretend to be asleep, so that Dad could carry me in.
Sorry, Dad. I hope that wasn’t too much of a bother. Who knows? Perhaps you enjoyed it. I was (and am) a lot less of a dill pickle when I’m asleep.
Today, I have a nasty cold. I’m not going to church today, and I’m having to rest more. I’ve got a lot of important-to-me work to do. It isn’t getting done. And I am not a very good patient.
So, today God is challenging me to let myself be carried in his arms. Hence today’s 12-step affirmation, which I pasted above.
Certainly the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, speak of the importance of walking. Sometimes biblical language speaks of literal walking. At other times, it talks about how we “walk” through life, how we conduct ourselves (Deuteronomy 8:6; Micah 6:8; Colossians 1:10-11; and 1 John 2:6, plus many others. Often, modern translations obscure this very mundane, physical metaphor.) Putting one foot in front of the other for God, people and creation is very important.
But the Bible also speaks of God carrying us, even when were old and gray. And that is important too. Sometimes the best way to walk with God is to let ourselves be carried. God will put us down and let us walk whenever the time is right.
“Gnawing Hungers”
One of my recent online readings challenged me in the following manner: “List your gnawing hungers. How can they best be satisfied?” https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/are-you-hungry-start-retreat, accessed 03-17-2019.
So I did list them—or at least the ones I could identify! I will not embarrass you or myself by printing my entire list. Some of my “gnawing hungers” neither can nor should be satisfied. Addictive, sinful hungers will never be fulfilled until the addict/sinner is completely consumed. I think that is another name for “Hell.”
Jesus, according to the Sermon on the Mount, said that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. Indeed, they will be blessed (Matthew 5:6). So, it would appear that not all hungers gnaw on us. There are blessed, fulfilling hungers too.
But what is the meaning of this “righteousness” for which we are to hunger?
Righteousness means many things in the Bible. Here is a partial list:
- Right behavior, which includes treating other people with fairness and generosity.
- Right relationships with God and other people.
- God declaring us righteous, because of Christ.
- God making us righteous, once we have been declared righteous.
All of that seems to be a worthy form of hunger.
It is interesting that, in the Greek, the word “hungering” is in the present tense, which may suggest that this hunger is a continual or ongoing hunger. This is hunger that satisfies, just by being there. It does not cease, but it is filled, even as it continues. A strange hunger, this!
I like sweets and other junk food. I like them a lot, and I like a lot of them. Perhaps my gnawing “hungers” (or, more accurately, “appetites”) would gnaw less if I were to have a continual hunger for righteousness.
Let the Hunger Game begin in earnest!
DTEB, “Refined by Praise”
Often, Christians think that they are not allowed to be praised or to praise anyone but God. This is true in some measure. However, the
“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.”
Derik Kidner, in his commentary on Proverbs, writes concerning 7:21(which he labels “The crucible”)“[t]he second line in 17:3 runs ‘But the Lord trieth the hearts’. The present proverb shows one of his processes (and a man is (tried) by his praise, RV), possibly the most searching of all. The proportions of praise meted out to Saul and David in 1 Samuel 18:7 threw both men into the crucible. Cf. John 12:42, 43.
Alternative interpretations are: (a) that we stand revealed by what we praise (RV mg.); (b) that reputation is a fair guide to worth. But the crucible is for refining and preparing the metal, not for mere analysis.” (pp. 160-161)
So which way is it? Does this proverb mean that, when we are praised, that praise tests who we really are? Or is this verse saying that what we praise tests and refines who we are?
Both perhaps? I can certainly see some validity to both approaches. And I have trouble with both of them.
I can’t speak for others, but for myself, when someone praises me, I have a difficult time with it. I know my own heart and my past, and sometimes that can get in the way of me graciously accepting praise or encouragement. My wife and friends frequently point this out. They’re right.
Sometimes, it is helpful if I think in terms of living up to the praise others give me. I may or may not think that I deserve praise. I may or may not actually deserve such praise. But I can say, “Thank you!” and then try to live up to the praise I have already been given.
It is also helpful for recognizing that, whenever people are praising me or something I’ve done, they are really praising everyone who has ever helped me. I am far from a self-made man. In fact, I subscribe to the saying, “A self-made man is a poorly made man.”
Above all, I owe any goodness in me to God. James says that “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights, in whom there is no shifting shadow.” (James 1:17, my translation) I don’t necessarily have to say it every time someone thanks me, but I do need to remember that any goodness in me ultimately has a divine source.
But then, there is the second approach. What (or whom) do I praise? This also both reveals and helps to purify the person that I am. What I praise is what I value. And what I value both reveals and forms who I am.
So, what or whom do I praise? Let me make a partial listing.
- I praise my wife.
- I praise my wife’s cooking, loveliness, creativity, sense of humor, etc., etc.
- I praise my friends.
- I praise my church.
- I praise my 12-step friends, as well as the program itself.
- I praise music that I like.
- I praise God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
- But, unfortunately, I often praise things that absolutely do not deserve praise.
So, today, I am going to go through the day asking myself two questions:
- How can I handle properly any praise or encouragement I receive?
- What am I praising in thought, word, and deed today?
“Transformed by the Goodness of the Lord”
Today’s “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Publishing was wonderful. (You can access it for yourself at https://www.loyolapress.com/retreats/enjoy-gods-goodness-start-retreat, accessed 03-04-2019). It was a meditation on Psalm 27:13.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!” (English Standard Version)
The retreat master writes,
“What a wonderful mantra the psalmist offers! Try repeating this belief statement as you go through a typical day. We most often see what we expect to see. Do you expect to see the Lord’s goodness as you go through the day? It takes many forms: a surprise phone call, a random act of kindness, some unexpected good news, or the daisy growing through the concrete. We are invited to go one step further, however. After we see the Lord’s goodness, we are challenged to enjoy it. That means slowing down to take notice. In this way, we are changed by what we see. Give yourself the gift of being transformed by the goodness of the Lord.”
Indeed, Psalm 27 has many beautiful things in it, but it also acknowledges that the world is a dangerous, scary place. In fact, in the verse that immediately precedes the one about seeing the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, the psalmist pleads, “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.” (Psalm 27:12 English Standard Version) Affirming the LORD’s goodness does not mean that we are blind to the obvious badness in the world.
The sun is coming up just now, lighting up the snow-covered pines in my neighbor’s yard. There is incredible goodness and beauty in the world, even when a polar vortex invades the month of March. I’m not sure polar vortexes are actually evil, but they may seem so when we are all looking for spring and new life.
Nevertheless, we can see the goodness of God, if we choose to do so. And we are all capable “. . . of being transformed by the goodness of the Lord.” But such transformation is a gift you give yourself, a gift that I give myself. And if I give myself the gift, I can also be transformed to the point where I can give the gift of God’s transforming goodness to others that I meet along the way today.
“On Being Properly Dressed”
“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3, English Standard Version)
I attend a very informal church. Old faded jeans and tee shirts are much more common than suits and ties. I like that. So you don’t have any nice, Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes? No problem! Really! Come as you are!
But sometimes, I like to be a rebel. So, I wear a nice shirt and a tie. It’s a cheap form of rebellion, but hey, I’m cheap!
Today, in particular, I decided to wear a nice shirt and tie. It didn’t hit me as to why I had done that until this evening. You see, I read Proverbs 3 this morning, and spent a bit of time meditating on 3:3. It talks about dressing up with love and faithfulness. We are to bind these qualities around the neck. I suppose that the modern metaphor would involve a necklace or a tie. Since I hated to borrow one of my wife’s necklaces, I opted for the tie.
Of course, Proverbs 3:3 is not speaking of mere outward adornment. It is talking about wearing “steadfast love and faithfulness.” But what do those terms mean?
Christine Roy Yoder points out that the expression “steadfast love and faithfulness” can refer either to God’s love and faithfulness or human love and faithfulness.[1] While Yoder regards as “more compelling” the idea that the phrase refers to God’s love and faithfulness,[2] I wonder if we have to choose. If God is loving and faithful, and if we are made in God’s image, why couldn’t there be an intentional double entendre here?
Wearing God’s love and faithfulness and our own, like a lovely necklace or a silk tie—now there is a wonderful way for all of us to be walking fashion plates.
But it isn’t enough to wear love and faithfulness externally. We are also encouraged to “inscribe them on our hearts.”
Whoa! Things are getting serious now!
Often those of us who are Christians tend to think of the Old Testament as only concerned with externals. Hardly! Like the New Testament, the Old Testament knows that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
I have usually thought of the God’s grace and love working from the inside outward. In a sense, that is a good way of thinking about it.
However, I wonder if sometimes it doesn’t work the other way around. Sometimes, if we begin with external reminders of God’s love and faithfulness—and of the need for us to cultivate and demonstrate those same qualities—our heart can begin to change.
But
we can never be content with the merely external. It may be a good place to begin, but if we
stop there, we haven’t even made a beginning of the spiritual life.
[1] Christine Roy Yoder, Proverbs, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon, 2009),37-38.
[2] Ibid., 37.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
Recent Comments