Philippians 4

One of my all-time favorite songs.

Teach Me

I often "hear" myself saying in my mind, Lord, teach me to write, to speak, to listen, to lead. But it is only a slight show of humility. I ask to be taught then either go and do the thing in the same manner or I let my frustrated mind become distracted with other things.

Those prayers are good and proper requests but futile when uttered by one who has never honestly cried, Lord, teach me to pray and  then entered into the habit and practice of effectual and fervent prayer.

I Love You More

I watched Fireproof with my lovely wife again the other night. I believe that it is the greatest movie widely available today. It is also one of a very few movies that can bring me close to tears (you know, movies like Hoosiers!).

There is one specific scene that continues to stay at the top of the food chain of thoughts in my ever racing mind. **This may be a slight spoiler for the rare person who hasn't seen the movie.** As Caleb comes to the realization of how destructive his internet addictions really are, he promptly removes the computer and then beautifully replaces it with roses and a simple little card that says, "I love you more". How many things in my life need to be replaced with that little note card?

Paul often teaches this principle of replacement, of put off/put on; lies for truth, stealing for giving. Sadly we often stop the application short with just clearly sinful practices but the writer of Hebrews teaches us to lay aside every weight and the sins that so easily trip us. There are even good things that can get in the way of fully loving my wife. It is true that we love what we spend our time and money on. I need to regularly ask her what it is that she perceives I love and value more than her.

Obedience to the Will of God

"If two angels were to receive at the same moment a commission from
God, one to go down and rule earth's grandest empire, the other to go
and sweep the streets of its meanest village, it would be a matter of
entire indifference to each which service fell to his lot, the post of
ruler or the post of scavenger; for the joy of the angels lies only in
obedience to God's will, and with equal joy they would lift a Lazarus
in his rags to Abraham's bosom, or be a chariot of fire to carry an
Elijah home."
John Newton

Don't Lose Your Sense of Humor

"If you lose your sense of humor on the way to Mars, you're finished."

Robert Zubrin

Living successfully requires a great deal of teamwork. Although we believers should be highly qualified to labor together as a unit, we too oftensuccumb to the natural tendencies of self-reliance.

Isn't it easier just to do things myself? If I trust someone else, they may drop the ball, do it wrong, differently, or possibly better than me. It is also much easier than dealing with conflict. I mean, what if we butt heads or just don't like each other?

Life doesn't work that way (and we know it). We are symbiotic creations. God designed us to be interdependent and social beings and we must learn to not only survive together but succeed together for the good of the kingdom.

Popular Science magazine quoted Robert Zubrin, author and president of "The Mars Society", as saying that extended mission astronauts had to be "tough, cheerful, and team spirited". We too are on an extended mission; and a much more valuable one at that. How much more important is it that we maintain our "sense of humor".

Toughness doesn't mean just enduring criticism and bottling up our emotions but is a willingness to work through difficulties in our relationships by forgiving, mending broken fellowship, and learning from and building on failures. Cheerfully content with what we can't change, not grumbling or sinking into depression but displaying the joy of our salvation. In our current culture "plays well with others" is on too few Christians' report card; how disappointing. May each of us, for the cause of Christ, take the initiative to learn the lessons of humility and unity.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal intrests, but also for the intrests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5

Encroachment

The more we do for ourselves the less we will expect others (i.e. government) to do for us. The the more we do for ourselves the more free we really are. The liberty we as Americans used to enjoy has been, over time, voluntarily rejected by individuals and has been replaced by a tyranny that is almost imperceptible because it has an extremely thin yet far reaching and very polished veneer . . .

Quotes

My sister brought this quote to my attention. What powerful truth it is!

'The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God., The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don't have to play defensive games anymore. We don't have to rationalize and excuse our sins. We can say we told a lie instead of exaggerated a bit. We can admit an unforgiving spirit instead of continuing to blame our parents for our emotional distress. We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore.'
-Jerry Bridges The Discipline of Grace

Little Book, Big Message

Haggai 1:5-7,9a-11

Now therefore, thus says the LORD of Hosts: "Consider your ways! You have sown much, but harvest little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. The heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. [There is] a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors."

Now this is a depressing life! Nothing seems to get accomplished; nothing seems to go the way it is supposed to. It stinks to live like this. Why does this happen? Why do we live this way?

Haggai 1:9b

Why? declares the LORD of Hosts. Because of My house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Life is depressing when I am too busy focusing on it to appreciate and glorify my Creator. When I race to do and accomplish the the things of life without regard for Him or His glory nothing is successful or gratifying. Work is laborious and vain (Ecc 2:11); food and drink just don't taste as good; the paychecks don't stretch as far; and it just seems that the harder I work the less I get done. Life stinks because nothing I try satisfies at all!

Haggai 1:13
I am with you declares the Lord!

Haggai 2:4-5
Be strong . . . work for I am with you" declares the LORD of Hosts! My Spirit remains with you. Fear not.

Matthew 6:31-34
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil

Re: Whereyat?

I am where I have been. I have not left. I am still here but I don't think you want to see or hear me.

I did hope and pray that you would do the "right" thing. And continue to do so because you still haven't. Your body may be in the "right" place but your heart is not. I am not the guy who said your "daughters would be promiscuous if [you] divorced their mom" but there is some truth to what he said (Ex20:5-6; 34:6-8). I have not "prayed misery on" you but know that believers cannot find satisfaction apart from a right relationship with the Father through the Son (James 4). When we look everywhere for something, except the place where it is, and cannot find it, it's miserably frustrating. I never told you I was "too disappointed in [you] to talk to" you. I confess; that thought did cross my mind a few times, but I banished it. I wanted to be there when you were willing.

I hope that nothing I did seemed like a patronizing pat on the back. And you're right, you don't deserve those pats. You do deserve the mean things that were said, the dirty looks that were given, the whisperings behind your back. In all honesty, those are incomparable to the punishment you deserve; the punishments I deserve for the sins that I have committed. I am just as guilty of falling "short of the glory of God" as you are. The wages for my sin is the same. But, the same gift of grace is available to both of us as well (Romans 3:23-24, 6:23).

You were right in expecting support but you didn't accept it where it was offered. You question those who were negative and then seemed to abandon you. You are confused by their absence but you will not stop to look and appreciate the support you do have. You are not willing to accept the lifetime of love and support and devotion that agonize in waiting and praying for you to truly come home.

You, by your actions and attitude, seem willing to cast off a wife who has shown great loyalty to you, daughters who adore you, parents who gave all they could for you, brothers who have consistently made themselves available to you, and friends who trusted you. What are you willing to give all that up for, an emotional or physical attraction that temporarily alleviates your God-given desires? It's not love that would lead you there! Love is not so destructive (1Corinthians 13). No matter what you convince yourself of (Jeremiah 17:5-10) you can never justify what you have done or what you are contemplating doing. You can only find grace and peace at the cross and empty tomb.

You may not want to hear from me because, to you, I'm just one of "those guys". But not really.

I am the guy who looked to you as a friend. I wanted your advice because I thought I could trust you. I wanted your friendship because I thought you cared about me.

I will continue to be where we have been. I will not leave. I will be here when you are ready.