I assure you that it was the most glorious day you had seen! With nothing in particular that needed to be done this day, I decided to take my four year old spaniel out for a walk. It wasn't the most pleasurable of chores that I had, but on this day it felt like less of a burden.
So I hitched the collar around my dog's neck, latched up the leash and out we headed. We strolled from our home to the main street where cars whizzed by left and right as people passed us lost in their thoughts of the day. I watched as my spaniel scampered here and there, sniffing each tree and post with reckless abandon. I became concerned as he attacked each station with flared nostrils, sucking in the odors that lay in wait and exhaling the same pleasing fragrances, his brain twitching and twirling with instinctual instructions. Though nobody seemed to care, I put my head down and shook it, sure that everyone was aghast at the ferocity at which my dog greeted each vertical object.
"You are embarrassing me," I murmured as I covered my eyes and the dog pulled me forward. Before I had a chance to look up, I felt myself slam into what seemed like a brick wall. I stumbled backwards and fell to the sidewalk, letting go of the leash and instantly fearing that my dog would become crushed amid the racing cars of the street. I opened my eyes only to find his snout pushed in my face, tongue at the ready to lick off my shame.
"Are you ok?" I heard a burly voice ask kindly. A behemoth of a man stared down at me and offered me his hand. "You must watch where you are going. God knows I've learned that lesson many times."
I fumbled for my dog's leash then reached out and grabbed the man's hand. "I am so sorry," I said as he helped me to my feet. "And thank you." I paused for a moment to make sure I was in one piece. I brought my dog in close to me to ensure he was not a nuisance to this stranger. "Of course God knows I have to learn that same lesson, and hopefully He does not have to teach me too many times. He has shown me the error of my ways before!"
The man looked quizzically at me. "Oh," he said, looking me up and down. "When I said 'God knows', it was really just a figure of speech. I didn't mean God literally knows. That would be foolish."
"Foolish?" I questioned. "I hardly think that. God knows everything, so why is it foolish to think he wouldn't know that you need to watch where you are going?"
The man waited a few moments before answering. "I see," he stated condemningly. "You are one of those."
"One of what?" I asked.
"One of those that believe that there is actually a God and he sees everything you do and actually cares about any of it."
"And you don't?" I asked
"Seriously?" he said as he stared back. "Of course not. It's not that I mind if you believe those things, it's just that I have gotten beyond that kind of thinking. I simply don't believe that God sees and knows everything. In fact, I don't believe in God at all."
I felt my jaw drop and the tight reign I had on the leash loosen. My dog leapt towards the man and jumped on him, his paws reaching just above the man's thigh. My dog was trying to lick him, and it took me a few seconds to recognize what had happened. I reeled my dog back in and calmed him down. I then looked back at the man.
"You can do that?" I asked. "I mean, simply not believe in God?" People were passing us left and right, but I was fixated on the man's face.
"Sure," he said, smiling at me.
"And it works?"
"It has so far," he said chuckling. "And I have no reason to doubt that it won't continue to be true for me."
I stood gazing at the man, dumbstruck by the definitive way he lived his faith. He continued to smile at me, then patted me on the shoulder and walked away. I turned around and watched him grow distant, seemingly as content as any man I had ever encountered.
I finished walking my dog and headed home. All the while, I was transfixed on the fact that the man seemed to be so at ease dismissing God. He went so far as to make God non-existent, something I had never even dreamed. I arrived home and walked inside, letting my dog run free as I fell into the couch.
I started to rationalize. If that man so easily dismissed God and was able to live happily, then would it be just as easy for me? In fact, was God something I had simply decided to make up in order to bring everything into easier understanding and focus? And if that was the case, could I just as easily stop believing in Him, and He would no longer exist? It had seemed to work for that man. Maybe he was on to something.
My mind raced with the possibilities. Perhaps all my life I had lived with this power and had never exercised it! If that was the case, it was about time that I started harnessing that which I possessed. But I could not start with something so grand as God. As I rationalized, I figured that this man must have worked his way up to God. He must have started small, and that is where I had to start. I had to find something that I wished to be rid of, and simply stop believing in it. If that worked, then the possibilities were endless. My heart raced at the thought of the power I held.
I looked around my house for something to stop believing in. I looked at my computer, but I really liked it and decided it should stay. I glanced at my cactus plant and thought about the care it needed, but realized that I did hardly anything and it thrived, so it was hardly a nuisance. I looked at my new flat screen television that hung silently on the wall, and decided that not only did I like it, but it took up practically no space. Then my dog bolted into the room and started pawing at my feet.
"Please stop," I said sternly. That's when it hit me. The dog was nice to have, as he did keep me company at times. And on cold nights it was pleasant to have something so warm in the bed. But recently he had become more trouble than he was worth. He demanded a lot of attention, and was costing me more money in food and vet bills than I had originally thought. He was a good dog by all accounts, but I reasoned that indeed my life would be better off without him. My dog was going to be my test!
I quickly called for him and he jumped into my lap. I gathered him up and excitedly jumped to my feet. "Oh, you are going to make me so happy!" I exclaimed. "Now, it is nothing personal, but I'm just going to have to stop believing that you exist. We've had a good run, but it's time to be over."
I walked around the house contemplating how this needed to be done. I saw the back door which lead to my fenced yard, and decided that would be the place. I sat him outside the back door, looked him in the eyes and shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, this is goodbye," I said as I closed the door. I ran back to the couch and held my eyes shut as hard as I could, reciting to myself that I no longer believed in that particular spaniel. This went on for about a minute until I opened my eyes and shut my mouth. I listened intently for any noise that might have come from that dog, and heard nothing. I became tentatively excited as I stood up . But I had to make certain. I walked slowly across the house to the back door where I listened once again. I heard nothing, and with my heart in my throat I gripped the handle and swung the door open.
"Oh my," I exclaimed as I stared down at an empty slab of concrete. There was no dog, and no sign that he had ever been there. "It worked!"
I was overwhelmed with shock. I peered around the yard and found no trace of the dog. I slammed the door shut and practically floated over the carpet back to the couch. I had done it! It was possible to wish something away, and the power that seemed so foreign mere hours earlier was now mine. My mind began to race with the possibilities as I looked for more things of which to dispose. As I looked around, I saw the remnants of the spaniel's life in my house. Dog bowls, beds and toys littered the area. These were the next things that had to go. God would come soon after.
I started to gather up all of my dog's belongings. I found leashes, toys, the bed and bowls, and little clothing I had bought for him. All of it I wanted gone, and all of it I would soon stop believing in. My arms were overflowing with stuff, stretching all the way to my chin. I struggled towards the back door, and with the smallest portion of exposed digits I fiddled with the doorknob and popped the door open. I thrust the pile onto the ground below, and watched as it splattered into a heap. I smiled and slammed the door closed, running back to my couch. I sat down dutifully and closed my eyes.
This was significantly more than just a simple dog, so I reasoned that I was going to need to concentrate harder and for longer in order that it might no longer exist. I sat there, grabbed my knees with my hands and started to concentrate. I concentrated keenly on the fact that no longer did I believe in the dog's things, and in turn they would no longer exist. I sat there for much longer than I had with the dog, but for how long I couldn't tell. Finally, my eyes burst open, and I felt assured that all of those smelly, hairy things were no longer of my reality. I crept towards the back door and opened it slowly, only to find once again a blank slab of concrete staring me in the face.
I was giddy, and ran back into my house. I had discovered the truth, and no longer would I have to be tied down by inconvenient realities or difficult situations. The stranger I had run into on the street was my ticket to an entirely new world. I was going to be the master of my reality, and it was going to be exactly as I demanded!
Like a child with a bagful of candy, I was grinning from ear to ear. I began to imagine all the possibilities. My mind went wild with what my new reality would exist of. But the longer I thought, the more I became uneasy. I was becoming invaded with fear from what my newfound power actually meant. If indeed I could control that which existed or didn't exist, then I had to be careful with that power. I had become stronger than anything I had ever known before. I had become God.
I stood dumbfounded by my revelation. But before I could ponder any further what had happened, I heard a loud banging on my front door. The noise awoke me from my stupor and I cautiously made my way to the front of the house. The banging continued, and I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I quickly opened the door. I was overcome with terror and confusion as in front of me stood my neighbor with a leash attached to my dog in one hand and a clear plastic bag of my dog's belongings in the other.
I stumbled backwards. I had to catch myself on the wall to avoid falling to the ground. Concern crossed my neighbor's face as he entered the house, placing the bag at my doorway and releasing my dog. It bounded towards me, jumping on my legs and sniffing furiously about.
"Are you ok?" my neighbor asked. "You look like you've see a ghost."
"How is this possible?" I responded. "These things no longer exist!"
My neighbor looked confused and stared blankly at me. The dog continued to bounce around the house as I regained my composure. My neighbor ignored my confusing words. "Your side gate was open, and your dog ran into my yard. I brought him back around, but saw all his stuff on your porch. I thought I might as well pick it all up and bring it back in one trip." He paused while looking at the concern on my face. "Are you alright?"
I wasn't sure what to say. It seemed impossible to me that the dog and all his things would be here now, as they no longer existed. But my neighbor seemed definitive, so I decided to tell him what happened.
"A man I met today said all he had to do was not believe in God, and it was so. I figured all I had to do was not believe in whatever I didn't want, and it too would be gone. And I thought it had worked!"
My neighbor gave me a look of pity, then smiled. "If something exists, my friend," he started, "if it is real, then nothing you or I do can make that thing cease to exist. What's real is real, and if you choose to think otherwise, you are only lying to yourself. It will continue to exist no matter what your mind decides."
At that moment I knew he was right. For all my wishing, all my intent, there was nothing that I could do to make that which was true and real go away. I had been a fool to believe that simply by wishing I could make my dog go away. And I was a bigger fool to think that saying God does not exist would make Him any less sovereign over the whole of creation.
I fell to my knees and began to cry. My spaniel ran over to me and thrust his snout to my face. I held him tightly as tears poured forth. But I knew my tears would soon be dried, for the God I thought I could erase would be there to comfort me. And that was real power.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bubbles
I knew that I could help God out. I just needed to take some control.
Or at least that is what I tried to do. I know God is awesome, and of His power there can be no doubt. So when I asked God to let me help Him with His job (you know, running the universe and all), I figured he might put me in the Kingdom equivalent of the mail room. I thought he would have me sort out the Dear Jesus letters from the Dear Resident letters. I guess I would have been fine with that, but there was something in me that wanted to do more. That’s how I came up with my brilliant idea to help God.
I asked God for a moment of His time, and when He came I laid out my plan.
“Lord,” I started, “I know your job as God must be very difficult. You have so much to care for, so much Grace to hand out over and over, and so very many people that are constantly coming to you for this and that.” Then I stood up a little straighter and proudly pronounced my intention. “I would like to be your personal secretary!”
God just stood there, looking at me quizzically. As the seconds passed with no response, I began to get nervous. “I mean, it would be at your pleasure of course,” I murmured reluctantly. “I would do whatever you needed done.”God continued to look at me, and just as I thought I was going to pass out from the tension rising in the back of my skull, He spoke.
“You wish to help me out, do you?” God said. “That sounds like an outstanding idea!”
I was very surprised that He was so given to the idea, but I went with it. “Thank you so much, I will….” But before I could finish with my lavish thanks, He interrupted me.
“You will start immediately. I have just the place for you.”
God took me to His side and in the blink of an eye we were standing in a large, beige room with no doors or windows. It was very bright inside, yet there was no obvious reason for the light. I saw no lamps or other lighting, prompting me wonder aloud how is was so bright.
God did not answer, but instead began to instruct me on my job. “This is where you will be working.” I looked around, and as there was absolutely nothing in the room, I queried again, this time asking what exactly it was I was going to do in this place. Before God answered, the room suddenly and without warning started filling with bubbles floating through the air. These were very similar to the kind one might blow from a child’s bubble bottle. How they got there was unclear, yet there must have been hundreds of them. I reached out my finger to touch one, expecting it to explode into nothingness. To my surprise, instead of popping upon contact with my finger it fell to the floor with a thud, seemingly taking on weight. God bent down to pick it up, and handed it to me.
It was much heavier than I would have imagined when it was floating, much like the ball of a snow globe.
“This is your job,” He said, picking up the bubble and handing it to me. “Inside each of these are the prayers of my people. Look inside.” I held up the ball and could see words scrolled across the inside. I read them aloud, surprised to find that this one contained the prayer of a man for his wife. I looked back up at God, and before I could speak He continued.
“It is your job to sort these prayers. I want you to decide which prayers are most important, second most important and so on, so that I may get to them in the appropriate time. Stack them accordingly, and when I return I will collect the piles.”
I was stunned at the request. I felt that God had given me a job of much greater importance than I could have even dreamed. I had about a hundred more questions, but God left before I had the chance to utter a one.
I was thrilled to be given such an assignment. I was going to make sure that prayers got to God in the order of their importance. I thought excitedly about how great it was going to be for those that had the greatest prayers to get theirs answered in such a quick manner, and to know that I had a part to play in that timeliness! It was going to be smooth and precise if I had anything to say about it, and thanks to God I finally did.
But I had to get to work quickly. It seemed that even in the minute that I was congratulating myself the number of bubbles had doubled. So I started with the one in my hand. I decided that a man praying for his wife had to be important, so I put it on one side of the room. I then reached up to grab another bubble. I brought it to my eyes and read about a mother praying for her sick son in a remote region that had little medical aid. I instantly knew that this was important, and placed it in that first pile.
Grabbing another, I read about a little boy who lost his dog, and was praying for its safe return. It brought a tear to my eye to think of that boy and the sadness he felt. Yet I knew that it did not measure up to the previous prayers, so I created a second pile.
I read another from a single lady that felt she was very blessed in life, but was praying for a husband. She seemed otherwise happy and content with life, so I figured she wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer. God would surely want to read this, but it needed to go in the second pile with the lost puppy.
A bubble floated past my nose and I picked it out of the air right before it hit me. It was the prayer of a high school student asking God for help on his big test. I remembered praying such a prayer when I was in a similar situation. I also remembered that if I had studied more the night prior to the test, then perhaps I wouldn’t have had to pray as hard as I did! I figured that this kid would just have to deal with it on his own, and learn the importance of studying. I started a third pile with his prayer.
By this time the room was teeming with so many bubbles floating through the air that it was getting hard for me to avoid hitting them with my head. I started to accidentally brush up against some, causing them to fall to the ground with a thud. I started scrambling to get those read and sorted before I went back to the ones in the air. I raced around from end to end, and the piles were growing.
As I raced, the air grew thick with bubbles. I was not clearing any space, and if anything I was falling behind. I was reminded of the I Love Lucy episode involving the chocolate candy conveyor belt, with me in the role of Lucy. But God had given me a job, and I was going to make Him proud.
Time kept going, and I worked myself ragged. The piles were growing exponentially with each passing hour. However, I soon realized, to my amazement, that I was actually making progress. The room was starting to clear of bubbles, but the floor was getting crammed.
Throughout, I was making difficult determinations on where prayers should go. What I thought was going to be only three major piles for prayers turned into twelve piles. Admittedly, I wasn’t giving each prayer a thorough read. I had to start glancing and looking for certain words to make my determination. I started to regret that I might have accidentally put something with a sickness or a death in a lower importance pile. But I put that out of my mind, knowing that I was doing my hardest and that God was counting on me.
I don’t know exactly how much time passed as I did the job. If you asked my feet, it felt like years, and if you asked my mind there was such a blur of requests that it felt like only minutes. But I did eventually wind down, and looked around at the piles I had created. On the one side of the room stood a stack that towered over me, and I remembered having to throw some of the requests to the top when it got too high. That was the pile that I had started with that kid’s test prayer. On the other side of the room was a pile half the size, which I had started with that very first prayer of the husband for his wife. In between were piles of varying degrees, and I finally felt a sense of pride and accomplishment in what I had done. I dropped down, sitting in the middle of the room with my victories all around me.
That’s when God appeared. “Almost done, I see,” He stated, looking at me.
“I am done, Lord,” I said. “Look around, all sorted and ready for you!” I knew He was going to be pleased with the work I had done.
God looked up towards the ceiling of the room, and pointed. “Just one left,” he said, plucking it from the air.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see that one,” I exclaimed. “I’ll take it!” God looked inside the bubble and took it to himself. “That’s ok,” He said. “I will keep this. It looks like you have been very busy today.”
“Yes, Lord!” I was so excited, that through my weariness I jumped up and started explaining all that I had done. I pointed to the first pile. “This pile is the most important, you’ll want to get to this first, then over here there is….” And that is when it happened. Just as I was going to run through the list of piles, God raised His right hand and in an instant all the bubbles in all the piles raised into the air. They floated there, not in the perfect piles I had made, but jumbled, mixed as much as when I had first seen them. They hovered over us for a moment, and then shot into the body of the Lord. The room was instantly empty, and silence abounded.
That was a silence that I wasn’t going to let live. “What just happened?!?!” I screamed, indignant that my days worked had been wiped out in an instance. “I worked all day to put them in order, and you just wasted it!”
The Lord ignored my fury, and spoke. “Is the prayer of one of my people any less or more important than that of another? Have I not already heard the prayers, even before you began today?”
I was dumbfounded. Why would He then make me go through this process? Why would He waste my time? Why did He want me to choose which prayers are more important?
But it wasn’t Him. I was the one who wanted to decide. I was the one who wanted to help God, and to make decisions of what was more important and what was less. I was the one who insisted that God needed help. I was the one who would do better than God.
I fell down and started to clench my fists, angry that God didn’t stop me and furious at myself for being such a fool. But God didn’t let me languish.
“Son,” He said, pointing into the far corner of the room. “There is something you need to see.” I looked up and saw a pile of thousands of bubbles that had not gone with God. I thought I had remembered all the piles I had made, but this one was so large and stacked so neatly and perfectly in the corner. I didn’t ever remember making it nor did I remember it being there when I first showed up, and I surely would not have missed it.
I ran over to it, and took the highest bubble I could reach. Bringing it to my face, I read the prayer. Immediately, I dropped the bubble to the ground. I started reaching at others in the pile, and one after one, consumed the prayers inside. Suddenly, I was filled with fear at what I had seen.
“How is this possible?” I cried to God. “What is the meaning of this?”
“These are yours,” He said. “These are the prayers that you have offered up to me over the years that you never really thought were worthy of my attention. You started this pile as a young boy, when you believed the lie that there were just some requests that even though you pray them, really don’t meet my standards. They wait here because you haven’t given them to me yet. I would love to have them.”
I knew exactly what He was saying. All those prayers over the years that I might have thought or even spoken, but never really gave over to God. I was holding on so tight to those things that I thought God wouldn’t care about that I never realized just how much I was holding back from Him. He wanted all of my prayers, and He valued them alongside the prayers of the most desperate and brokenhearted. For by holding back from God, I was denying who He is.
“Take them,” I begged. “I want you to have them. I need you to have them.”
I knew that I could help God out. I just needed to let go.
Or at least that is what I tried to do. I know God is awesome, and of His power there can be no doubt. So when I asked God to let me help Him with His job (you know, running the universe and all), I figured he might put me in the Kingdom equivalent of the mail room. I thought he would have me sort out the Dear Jesus letters from the Dear Resident letters. I guess I would have been fine with that, but there was something in me that wanted to do more. That’s how I came up with my brilliant idea to help God.
I asked God for a moment of His time, and when He came I laid out my plan.
“Lord,” I started, “I know your job as God must be very difficult. You have so much to care for, so much Grace to hand out over and over, and so very many people that are constantly coming to you for this and that.” Then I stood up a little straighter and proudly pronounced my intention. “I would like to be your personal secretary!”
God just stood there, looking at me quizzically. As the seconds passed with no response, I began to get nervous. “I mean, it would be at your pleasure of course,” I murmured reluctantly. “I would do whatever you needed done.”God continued to look at me, and just as I thought I was going to pass out from the tension rising in the back of my skull, He spoke.
“You wish to help me out, do you?” God said. “That sounds like an outstanding idea!”
I was very surprised that He was so given to the idea, but I went with it. “Thank you so much, I will….” But before I could finish with my lavish thanks, He interrupted me.
“You will start immediately. I have just the place for you.”
God took me to His side and in the blink of an eye we were standing in a large, beige room with no doors or windows. It was very bright inside, yet there was no obvious reason for the light. I saw no lamps or other lighting, prompting me wonder aloud how is was so bright.
God did not answer, but instead began to instruct me on my job. “This is where you will be working.” I looked around, and as there was absolutely nothing in the room, I queried again, this time asking what exactly it was I was going to do in this place. Before God answered, the room suddenly and without warning started filling with bubbles floating through the air. These were very similar to the kind one might blow from a child’s bubble bottle. How they got there was unclear, yet there must have been hundreds of them. I reached out my finger to touch one, expecting it to explode into nothingness. To my surprise, instead of popping upon contact with my finger it fell to the floor with a thud, seemingly taking on weight. God bent down to pick it up, and handed it to me.
It was much heavier than I would have imagined when it was floating, much like the ball of a snow globe.
“This is your job,” He said, picking up the bubble and handing it to me. “Inside each of these are the prayers of my people. Look inside.” I held up the ball and could see words scrolled across the inside. I read them aloud, surprised to find that this one contained the prayer of a man for his wife. I looked back up at God, and before I could speak He continued.
“It is your job to sort these prayers. I want you to decide which prayers are most important, second most important and so on, so that I may get to them in the appropriate time. Stack them accordingly, and when I return I will collect the piles.”
I was stunned at the request. I felt that God had given me a job of much greater importance than I could have even dreamed. I had about a hundred more questions, but God left before I had the chance to utter a one.
I was thrilled to be given such an assignment. I was going to make sure that prayers got to God in the order of their importance. I thought excitedly about how great it was going to be for those that had the greatest prayers to get theirs answered in such a quick manner, and to know that I had a part to play in that timeliness! It was going to be smooth and precise if I had anything to say about it, and thanks to God I finally did.
But I had to get to work quickly. It seemed that even in the minute that I was congratulating myself the number of bubbles had doubled. So I started with the one in my hand. I decided that a man praying for his wife had to be important, so I put it on one side of the room. I then reached up to grab another bubble. I brought it to my eyes and read about a mother praying for her sick son in a remote region that had little medical aid. I instantly knew that this was important, and placed it in that first pile.
Grabbing another, I read about a little boy who lost his dog, and was praying for its safe return. It brought a tear to my eye to think of that boy and the sadness he felt. Yet I knew that it did not measure up to the previous prayers, so I created a second pile.
I read another from a single lady that felt she was very blessed in life, but was praying for a husband. She seemed otherwise happy and content with life, so I figured she wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer. God would surely want to read this, but it needed to go in the second pile with the lost puppy.
A bubble floated past my nose and I picked it out of the air right before it hit me. It was the prayer of a high school student asking God for help on his big test. I remembered praying such a prayer when I was in a similar situation. I also remembered that if I had studied more the night prior to the test, then perhaps I wouldn’t have had to pray as hard as I did! I figured that this kid would just have to deal with it on his own, and learn the importance of studying. I started a third pile with his prayer.
By this time the room was teeming with so many bubbles floating through the air that it was getting hard for me to avoid hitting them with my head. I started to accidentally brush up against some, causing them to fall to the ground with a thud. I started scrambling to get those read and sorted before I went back to the ones in the air. I raced around from end to end, and the piles were growing.
As I raced, the air grew thick with bubbles. I was not clearing any space, and if anything I was falling behind. I was reminded of the I Love Lucy episode involving the chocolate candy conveyor belt, with me in the role of Lucy. But God had given me a job, and I was going to make Him proud.
Time kept going, and I worked myself ragged. The piles were growing exponentially with each passing hour. However, I soon realized, to my amazement, that I was actually making progress. The room was starting to clear of bubbles, but the floor was getting crammed.
Throughout, I was making difficult determinations on where prayers should go. What I thought was going to be only three major piles for prayers turned into twelve piles. Admittedly, I wasn’t giving each prayer a thorough read. I had to start glancing and looking for certain words to make my determination. I started to regret that I might have accidentally put something with a sickness or a death in a lower importance pile. But I put that out of my mind, knowing that I was doing my hardest and that God was counting on me.
I don’t know exactly how much time passed as I did the job. If you asked my feet, it felt like years, and if you asked my mind there was such a blur of requests that it felt like only minutes. But I did eventually wind down, and looked around at the piles I had created. On the one side of the room stood a stack that towered over me, and I remembered having to throw some of the requests to the top when it got too high. That was the pile that I had started with that kid’s test prayer. On the other side of the room was a pile half the size, which I had started with that very first prayer of the husband for his wife. In between were piles of varying degrees, and I finally felt a sense of pride and accomplishment in what I had done. I dropped down, sitting in the middle of the room with my victories all around me.
That’s when God appeared. “Almost done, I see,” He stated, looking at me.
“I am done, Lord,” I said. “Look around, all sorted and ready for you!” I knew He was going to be pleased with the work I had done.
God looked up towards the ceiling of the room, and pointed. “Just one left,” he said, plucking it from the air.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see that one,” I exclaimed. “I’ll take it!” God looked inside the bubble and took it to himself. “That’s ok,” He said. “I will keep this. It looks like you have been very busy today.”
“Yes, Lord!” I was so excited, that through my weariness I jumped up and started explaining all that I had done. I pointed to the first pile. “This pile is the most important, you’ll want to get to this first, then over here there is….” And that is when it happened. Just as I was going to run through the list of piles, God raised His right hand and in an instant all the bubbles in all the piles raised into the air. They floated there, not in the perfect piles I had made, but jumbled, mixed as much as when I had first seen them. They hovered over us for a moment, and then shot into the body of the Lord. The room was instantly empty, and silence abounded.
That was a silence that I wasn’t going to let live. “What just happened?!?!” I screamed, indignant that my days worked had been wiped out in an instance. “I worked all day to put them in order, and you just wasted it!”
The Lord ignored my fury, and spoke. “Is the prayer of one of my people any less or more important than that of another? Have I not already heard the prayers, even before you began today?”
I was dumbfounded. Why would He then make me go through this process? Why would He waste my time? Why did He want me to choose which prayers are more important?
But it wasn’t Him. I was the one who wanted to decide. I was the one who wanted to help God, and to make decisions of what was more important and what was less. I was the one who insisted that God needed help. I was the one who would do better than God.
I fell down and started to clench my fists, angry that God didn’t stop me and furious at myself for being such a fool. But God didn’t let me languish.
“Son,” He said, pointing into the far corner of the room. “There is something you need to see.” I looked up and saw a pile of thousands of bubbles that had not gone with God. I thought I had remembered all the piles I had made, but this one was so large and stacked so neatly and perfectly in the corner. I didn’t ever remember making it nor did I remember it being there when I first showed up, and I surely would not have missed it.
I ran over to it, and took the highest bubble I could reach. Bringing it to my face, I read the prayer. Immediately, I dropped the bubble to the ground. I started reaching at others in the pile, and one after one, consumed the prayers inside. Suddenly, I was filled with fear at what I had seen.
“How is this possible?” I cried to God. “What is the meaning of this?”
“These are yours,” He said. “These are the prayers that you have offered up to me over the years that you never really thought were worthy of my attention. You started this pile as a young boy, when you believed the lie that there were just some requests that even though you pray them, really don’t meet my standards. They wait here because you haven’t given them to me yet. I would love to have them.”
I knew exactly what He was saying. All those prayers over the years that I might have thought or even spoken, but never really gave over to God. I was holding on so tight to those things that I thought God wouldn’t care about that I never realized just how much I was holding back from Him. He wanted all of my prayers, and He valued them alongside the prayers of the most desperate and brokenhearted. For by holding back from God, I was denying who He is.
“Take them,” I begged. “I want you to have them. I need you to have them.”
I knew that I could help God out. I just needed to let go.
Monday, September 27, 2010
What You Need To Know About Me
What if you were going to be remembered for all time because of one thing you did in your life? What if that one thing could be something good or bad by which historians for centuries to come would define you? For many biblical characters, that is exactly what happened. Their lives were recorded for all eternity in the pages of scripture on the basis of one event or one truth about their lives. No matter how long they lived, for good or for ill, all the world knows is one event in their lives.
Take the Samaritan woman at the well mentioned in John 4. In an encounter, Jesus simply asks for a drink from this Samaritan woman. In the ensuing conversation, we learn that this woman is less than pure, having had many husbands and a current relationship with a man that is not her husband. In Acts 8, we learn about the Ethiopian man in that Phillip meets during his travels. This Ethiopian is unable to understand Isaiah’s prophecy and – gasp – he is a eunuch. In Acts 5 we discover that Ananias and Sapphira in made poor real estate deals decisions. Even the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23 are eternally remembered. No matter what else they did in life, they were remembered for all of history as thieves.
My favorite one-hit wonder in the bible is none other than Methuselah. Here is a man that lived longer than any other in recorded history, and that is what he is known for. In Genesis 5, we learn all that we will ever know about Methuselah. He was the son of Mehujael, great-grandson of Enoch, the father of Lamech at the young age of 187, and had a bunch of other sons and daughters until his death at the age of 969
Now one could reasonable assume that if you lived 969 years, you are going to have a few children, so that revelation in Genesis 5 is less than eye-opening. The knowledge that Methuselah is the father of Lamech tells us that Noah was a direct descendant of Methuselah, but not much more. What we are left with is that Methuselah lived long enough to have a cliché coined for him – “being old as Methuselah.”
But delving deeper into Methuselah’s claim to fame shows us more than a man that required the world’s largest supply of hearing aid batteries and tiger balm. Here was a man that could sit at the foot of Adam and hear stories about Eden while later giving carpentry and sailing tips to Noah. He spanned the history of mankind at the time. Imagine what that must have been like for this one man.
Have you ever heard an older gentleman or lady lavish you with tales of the good ol’ days, when almost everything was perfect and nothing was terrible, unlike now when everything is terrible and nothing is right. Perhaps they relished parts of their youth where they could engage in activities that are no longer accessible to them. And you have been blessed to hear these stories on more than one glorious occasion. Now consider Methuselah. As a young man, Methuselah probably heard Adam rattle on about the good ol’ days, which were in fact a lot better than the times in which they were living. Adam could have retold the story of the Garden of Eden, and the wonders and beauties that abounded therein. He could have told of the pleasures of walking each day with the Lord, and the peace that was in Him. By the 100th telling, young Methuselah might have been fed up and blurted out “then you probably shouldn’t have thrown it all away over a snake and a piece of fruit!”
Or consider that Methuselah had to go around with the knowledge that his great, great grandfather committed the first murder, and everyone knew it. For most of us this would probably be considered a black mark in the family and something of which to be ashamed. But considering that at the time most people were somehow related to Cain, it wasn’t exactly something someone could make fun of without inherently making fun of themselves.
A lot of people feel that over time, birthday celebrations, holidays and yearly rituals begin to run together. This was especially true for Methuselah. How many birthday parties can be held for you before they are all the same? Maybe Methuselah suggested skipping a couple of decades of birthdays because by the time they got all the candles lit on the birthday cake for one birthday, an entire year would pass! Perhaps Methuselah even got tired of New Years celebrations and decided to only celebrate each New Century.
There is also the matter of pets. Most people in their lives might have 5 or 6 dogs, tops. Methuselah must have felt like he was running through dogs like Pez. After a while, he probably just used the same name for each subsequent dog, as there weren’t enough names in the world to have a unique one for each new dog. It definitely saved on nametags.
But one of his joys must have been the opportunity to teach and spend time with Noah, his grandson. It is possible that everything that Noah learned about carpentry and shipbuilding he learned from Methuselah. Playing with Noah as a boy and young man might even be what Methuselah credited for “keeping him young”. Some might even go so far as to say that Noah’s ark didn’t have an Aloha, Lido or Fiesta Deck, but instead had a Methuselah, Lamech and Enoch deck. Rumor has it that the Methuselah deck went on forever.
In any case, we know that Methuselah died at the age of 969. Many scholars believe that he died in the same year as the Flood, and that the Lord brought Methuselah to Him before unleashing the Flood. This would mean that not only did Methuselah get to witness the construction of the ark, but that he also witnessed the devolution of man’s morality, and the wickedness that lied therein.
But Methuselah’s story does not end in his death. For what we know as a fact is that this very old man’s life was not confined to a simple matter of numbers. For Methuselah was in the direct lineage of the centrality of Scripture, the person of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in very important lineages, both in the 1 Chronicles retelling of the lineage of Adam to Abraham, and then in Luke 3, the lineage of Jesus Christ. Yes, he was the oldest man to ever walk the earth, but he was also a vital member of the family of the Savior of the world.
This brings me back to the one-hit wonders from earlier. Those one hit simply known but eternally famous Samaritan woman at the well, Ethiopian Eunuch, Ananias and Sapphira and the two thieves on the cross. Yes, they were known by history for one event or fact. But this one event does not tell their whole story. For their story is not only of fleshly events. Their stories are of encounters. Their stories are of encounters with Jesus Christ.
Yes, the Samaritan woman at the well was loose and immoral. But she also saw Jesus, heard his voice and knew the truth. We do not know what happened to her the rest of her life, but we do know that she was changed. We know that her encounter with Jesus saved her, and that her testimony spread to others.
Yes, the Ethiopian eunuch could not make heads or tales of Isaiah’s prophecy. But his encounter with Jesus came through Phillips explanation. With understanding, the eunuch was compelled to be baptized and went on his way rejoicing for the truth he had learned. We do not know how his life ended, but we are assured that he went to Jesus.
Yes, Ananias and Sapphira made poor choices in real estate. But their encounter with Jesus came in their decision to be disobedient to the truth that they knew, and lie and cheat the Holy Spirit over money. We know what happened to them, as their lives ended that day. We know that they set the example for us to see when we are tempted to ignore God’s truth and try to sidestep His authority.
And yes, the two thieves on the cross are known as just that, and they too died that day on Calvary. But their encounter with Jesus was as personal as any had been during Jesus’ time on earth. As one thief hung there, he mocked Christ, imploring Him to save Himself if He was really God. The other looked upon Jesus and knew in his heart that this was truly the innocent Christ, being crucified unjustly. With this, he begged Jesus to remember him in Paradise. Their deaths, and their futures, are displayed in no uncertain terms.
And so it is for us. Most of us will never have even one story remain for the balance of human existence. But if it should be so, to be known forever as the oldest person, a righteous man, a simple man, a philanthropist, a liar or a thief, it matters little. What matters is what we do with our encounter with Christ. Our encounter with Christ may not keep our human story for the bookshelves of history; but our encounter with Christ will keep our eternal story for the bookshelves of the Kingdom.
Take the Samaritan woman at the well mentioned in John 4. In an encounter, Jesus simply asks for a drink from this Samaritan woman. In the ensuing conversation, we learn that this woman is less than pure, having had many husbands and a current relationship with a man that is not her husband. In Acts 8, we learn about the Ethiopian man in that Phillip meets during his travels. This Ethiopian is unable to understand Isaiah’s prophecy and – gasp – he is a eunuch. In Acts 5 we discover that Ananias and Sapphira in made poor real estate deals decisions. Even the two thieves that hung on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23 are eternally remembered. No matter what else they did in life, they were remembered for all of history as thieves.
My favorite one-hit wonder in the bible is none other than Methuselah. Here is a man that lived longer than any other in recorded history, and that is what he is known for. In Genesis 5, we learn all that we will ever know about Methuselah. He was the son of Mehujael, great-grandson of Enoch, the father of Lamech at the young age of 187, and had a bunch of other sons and daughters until his death at the age of 969
Now one could reasonable assume that if you lived 969 years, you are going to have a few children, so that revelation in Genesis 5 is less than eye-opening. The knowledge that Methuselah is the father of Lamech tells us that Noah was a direct descendant of Methuselah, but not much more. What we are left with is that Methuselah lived long enough to have a cliché coined for him – “being old as Methuselah.”
But delving deeper into Methuselah’s claim to fame shows us more than a man that required the world’s largest supply of hearing aid batteries and tiger balm. Here was a man that could sit at the foot of Adam and hear stories about Eden while later giving carpentry and sailing tips to Noah. He spanned the history of mankind at the time. Imagine what that must have been like for this one man.
Have you ever heard an older gentleman or lady lavish you with tales of the good ol’ days, when almost everything was perfect and nothing was terrible, unlike now when everything is terrible and nothing is right. Perhaps they relished parts of their youth where they could engage in activities that are no longer accessible to them. And you have been blessed to hear these stories on more than one glorious occasion. Now consider Methuselah. As a young man, Methuselah probably heard Adam rattle on about the good ol’ days, which were in fact a lot better than the times in which they were living. Adam could have retold the story of the Garden of Eden, and the wonders and beauties that abounded therein. He could have told of the pleasures of walking each day with the Lord, and the peace that was in Him. By the 100th telling, young Methuselah might have been fed up and blurted out “then you probably shouldn’t have thrown it all away over a snake and a piece of fruit!”
Or consider that Methuselah had to go around with the knowledge that his great, great grandfather committed the first murder, and everyone knew it. For most of us this would probably be considered a black mark in the family and something of which to be ashamed. But considering that at the time most people were somehow related to Cain, it wasn’t exactly something someone could make fun of without inherently making fun of themselves.
A lot of people feel that over time, birthday celebrations, holidays and yearly rituals begin to run together. This was especially true for Methuselah. How many birthday parties can be held for you before they are all the same? Maybe Methuselah suggested skipping a couple of decades of birthdays because by the time they got all the candles lit on the birthday cake for one birthday, an entire year would pass! Perhaps Methuselah even got tired of New Years celebrations and decided to only celebrate each New Century.
There is also the matter of pets. Most people in their lives might have 5 or 6 dogs, tops. Methuselah must have felt like he was running through dogs like Pez. After a while, he probably just used the same name for each subsequent dog, as there weren’t enough names in the world to have a unique one for each new dog. It definitely saved on nametags.
But one of his joys must have been the opportunity to teach and spend time with Noah, his grandson. It is possible that everything that Noah learned about carpentry and shipbuilding he learned from Methuselah. Playing with Noah as a boy and young man might even be what Methuselah credited for “keeping him young”. Some might even go so far as to say that Noah’s ark didn’t have an Aloha, Lido or Fiesta Deck, but instead had a Methuselah, Lamech and Enoch deck. Rumor has it that the Methuselah deck went on forever.
In any case, we know that Methuselah died at the age of 969. Many scholars believe that he died in the same year as the Flood, and that the Lord brought Methuselah to Him before unleashing the Flood. This would mean that not only did Methuselah get to witness the construction of the ark, but that he also witnessed the devolution of man’s morality, and the wickedness that lied therein.
But Methuselah’s story does not end in his death. For what we know as a fact is that this very old man’s life was not confined to a simple matter of numbers. For Methuselah was in the direct lineage of the centrality of Scripture, the person of Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in very important lineages, both in the 1 Chronicles retelling of the lineage of Adam to Abraham, and then in Luke 3, the lineage of Jesus Christ. Yes, he was the oldest man to ever walk the earth, but he was also a vital member of the family of the Savior of the world.
This brings me back to the one-hit wonders from earlier. Those one hit simply known but eternally famous Samaritan woman at the well, Ethiopian Eunuch, Ananias and Sapphira and the two thieves on the cross. Yes, they were known by history for one event or fact. But this one event does not tell their whole story. For their story is not only of fleshly events. Their stories are of encounters. Their stories are of encounters with Jesus Christ.
Yes, the Samaritan woman at the well was loose and immoral. But she also saw Jesus, heard his voice and knew the truth. We do not know what happened to her the rest of her life, but we do know that she was changed. We know that her encounter with Jesus saved her, and that her testimony spread to others.
Yes, the Ethiopian eunuch could not make heads or tales of Isaiah’s prophecy. But his encounter with Jesus came through Phillips explanation. With understanding, the eunuch was compelled to be baptized and went on his way rejoicing for the truth he had learned. We do not know how his life ended, but we are assured that he went to Jesus.
Yes, Ananias and Sapphira made poor choices in real estate. But their encounter with Jesus came in their decision to be disobedient to the truth that they knew, and lie and cheat the Holy Spirit over money. We know what happened to them, as their lives ended that day. We know that they set the example for us to see when we are tempted to ignore God’s truth and try to sidestep His authority.
And yes, the two thieves on the cross are known as just that, and they too died that day on Calvary. But their encounter with Jesus was as personal as any had been during Jesus’ time on earth. As one thief hung there, he mocked Christ, imploring Him to save Himself if He was really God. The other looked upon Jesus and knew in his heart that this was truly the innocent Christ, being crucified unjustly. With this, he begged Jesus to remember him in Paradise. Their deaths, and their futures, are displayed in no uncertain terms.
And so it is for us. Most of us will never have even one story remain for the balance of human existence. But if it should be so, to be known forever as the oldest person, a righteous man, a simple man, a philanthropist, a liar or a thief, it matters little. What matters is what we do with our encounter with Christ. Our encounter with Christ may not keep our human story for the bookshelves of history; but our encounter with Christ will keep our eternal story for the bookshelves of the Kingdom.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Finding the Right Box for God
Did you know that God wanted you to find a very nice box for Him and put Him in it? I was surprised to learn this too, but upon studying what the Israelites did with the Ark of the Covenant I was convinced that in fact God wanted us to find an appropriate box and place Him inside. It seemed only logical that in order for me to get a good grasp on God and what He is all about, I needed to put Him in a box.
It would appear that getting God into a box is a near impossible task, as He really doesn’t have to do what we ask. But I know that God is a reasonable being, and that if I reasoned with Him, He would understand my point of view and acquiesce to my request.
I approached God on the matter of the box in a most respectful manner, and laid out why I had come to this decision. “Lord,” I started “I know that you are an awesome God, but I need to make a small request. It occurs to me that my life would be better off if I could be allowed to put you in a box. I want the box to be appropriate, of course, and I will choose carefully. I know this is a strange request, but it really would be the best thing for both of us.”
I was a little concerned at the Lord’s reaction to my request, but to my surprise he was very amicable to my decision. The Lord looked at me and with calmness in His voice simply said “Let us try it your way.”
I was very excited that he had seen it from my point of view, and with very little persuasion on my part. The problem was I hadn’t really considered exactly what kind of box in which I was going to put God. I was so concerned with whether He would agree or not that I didn’t prepare myself for an answer of yes.
I asked God if he could give me a few minutes to look for some box options, and he was fine with that. I raced around the house and started to scrounge through all of my possessions, looking for just the right box in which to put God. I came across some acceptable vessels and ran back to God. I excitedly raced to Him with my arms full.
“Lord,” I said, panting “I have a few I would like to try, just to see what is best.” I tossed down my boxes and sifted through them to find the smallest one I had. It was a beautiful purple jewelry box, the jewelry long gone from its cushioned home. I lifted the box up to the Lord.
“If you don’t mind, try getting into this box. It would be great to be able to keep you in here and when I need you, I can find you amongst all my precious things.” The Lord got into the box as best he could, but no matter how we tried to reposition him and squeeze the lid on He just wouldn’t fit. I felt it unfortunate that I couldn’t get the Lord into the beautiful box I had chosen. But I knew that it would be ok, for I had many other boxes to choose from.
The Lord stood there in front of me while I picked up another one of my boxes. It was a brown boot box that once housed one of the finest pairs of snow boots I had ever seen. It was sturdy and larger than the earring box, and I just knew the Lord would go perfectly in it.
“This box is a bit bigger, Lord. I just know it is the right box for you. Then I can place you next to the protective clothing I wear, and will certainly have access to you when I need it.” The Lord obliged and stepped into the shoebox. I closed the lid and smiled as I walked the Lord into my closet and sat Him up on the highest shelf. As I turned to close the closet door, I heard and loud crash, and spun around to see that the Lord’s shoebox had fallen to the floor, popping the lid off. I hurriedly picked up the box, apologizing to the Lord for the fall. But as I looked in the box, He was nowhere to be found. I looked around the entire closet and could not find a hint of the Lord anywhere. I was a little concerned as to where he had gone, and as I reached for the lid I jumped as I saw Him standing next to me.
“Oh, Lord, you scared me!” I exclaimed. “I am sorry for the fall, maybe a shoebox isn’t the best place to keep you.” I decided that I wanted to have a box that was a little bit sturdier, so I led the Lord back out to the living room and to the pile of boxes. Digging through the pile I found a nice, large box that was sturdy and reinforced. It had once held a delicate painting that was sent to me, and I just knew that it would be perfect for the Lord. I could sit it against the wall so that it wouldn’t fall over, and anytime I wanted to look at the Lord I would know just where to find Him. I beckoned for the Lord to get in the reinforced box, and he was very kind to do so. When He was safely inside, I sealed up the top and placed it against the far wall.
I was very satisfied with where the Lord was now, and headed into the kitchen to prepare myself a sandwich. But as I got into the kitchen, I realized that I wanted to look at the Lord one more time, because he was just so beautiful to me. I went back over to the painting box, opened the top and peaked down at the Lord. But to my surprise, he was no longer there. I moved the box to allow more light in, thinking I hadn’t missed Him in the darkness of the box. But I could see all the way to the bottom without a sign of the Lord. I stood upright, puzzled. As I looked in front of me, I was shocked to once again see Him standing there.
“Lord, you got out of the box again!” I was beginning to get frustrated. “I understand that maybe this box wasn’t right for you. Perhaps something a little roomier would do.” I thought about the new dryer I had purchased, and the box that was still in my garage that it had come in. “Lord,” I motioned to Him, “follow me. I have just the thing.”
We made it to the garage and I pointed at the dryer box. “That would be much better for you Lord, and I can keep you in here where you can be in my house but not in the way.” I smiled at my genius to find a much roomier box that would be more comfortable for the Lord and less intrusive for me. “If you would be so kind, you can have this box.”
The Lord stepped into the dryer box, and I closed the top and was very content with myself. But after a moment, I got concerned that the garage might get too dark for the Lord. I decided to check with Him to make sure it was ok to be in such a dark room. “Lord, are you going to be ok out here in the dark?” I asked. I heard no response, and bent down closer to the side of the box. “Lord,” I said again, louder. “Are you going to be ok in this dark garage?” I still heard nothing.
I yanked open the lid and said “Lord, are you going…” but stopped in mid sentence as I realized once again He was not inside. By this time I was downright angry, realizing that the Lord had again left the beautiful box I had for Him. I spun around the room, expecting to see Him somewhere. When I didn’t, I scurried back through the house, yelling “Lord, why won’t you just stay where I put you. You can’t be unhappy with all of these boxes! One of them has to be ok!”
I could find the Lord nowhere in my house, and as I raced to the front door, He walked in. “Lord,” I exclaimed. “What’s the problem? I have given you plenty of good boxes, and you seem to want to get out of each one.” That was precisely the moment that I had a revelation. The Lord didn’t want a common box that you could find anywhere. He needed a box that was special. He needed a box that was just for Him. Perhaps, like me, he wanted something that was His own, and not made for whatever would fit in it. It had to be something the size of a house, or maybe even…
“That’s it!” I cried. “I know where you need to be Lord!” I took him by the hand and we jumped in the car. I raced several miles down the road to the church that I had attended ever since I was a young man. “This is where you need to be. I am sorry I forgot about this. It is the perfect box for you! You can stay in this box, and I can visit you here every Sunday! This works out perfectly!” I lead the Lord into the church, and told him that I would be back to see him in a few days.
I drove home more content with myself than ever before. I knew that I had found the perfect box for the Lord, and that this was going to make our relationship better than ever. I pulled into my driveway, and realized that there was somebody standing there. I jumped out of my car and to my dismay saw that it was the Lord, staring at me.
“What are YOU doing here?!?” I bellowed. “I left you at the church, and I told you I would be back in a few days. You were NOT supposed to come back here. That is YOUR box, and you are supposed to stay in YOUR box.” As I stopped talking, he stretched his hand out towards me. In His hand was the Bible, opened to Exodus.
“Oh, I get it!” I screamed. “None of those other boxes were good enough for you. You want the box that you had in this book, don’t you?!?” I then knew what I had to do. He wanted his Ark back, the box the Israelites kept Him in. “FINE. If that’s what you want, I will make you your Ark for you. If that’s the box you need, then I will build it with my own two hands!”
Over the next week I did nothing but focus my entire life and energies on building a replica Ark for the Lord. I poured every waking hour into that Ark, crafting and perfecting it to be as close to the original as I could. Every second of every day I spent on that Ark, eating and sleeping as little as I could. Into that ark I poured everything. Into it I poured my hopes, my fears; my anger and my joys; my dreams and my horrors; I poured my soul, good and ill, all that was in me into building that one final box with which the Lord would be happy. I poured everything into the one and final box that the Lord would remain in, content not to keep escaping from.
On Sunday morning I presented my work before the Lord. I brought to Him a replica of the Ark, and with it the expectation that it would be the last box he would need. “Lord, here it is,” I said. I was exhausted beyond words, and I collapsed on my knees to the ground. With my head slumped down, I waved to the Lord. “Now would you please just get in the box?”
I sat there for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the Lord to get in the Ark. The Lord walked slowly towards me and put His hand on my shoulder. “You have built a beautiful box,” He said. “But you know it’s never been about the box. It’s been about why you wanted to have me in the box.”
The Lord continued. “You presented to me a jewelry box and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me like a fine piece of jewelry, but only bring me out to wear me when it suited you and on the right occasions. You presented to me a boot box, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me ready in emergencies, such as bad weather, but ready to put me away when the emergency was over. You presented to me a box for artwork, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me around in your home to look beautiful like a fine piece of art, but never to take me outside of your home. You presented to me the box of a new appliance and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me around to do only the things you wanted me to do, and not to be involved in any other part of your life. You presented to me a building, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you could come to me only when it was convenient, and leave me there safely out of your life at all other times.”
The Lord paused, and placed his other hand on the Ark. “You presented to me an Ark, like the one my people carried. With that, you hoped to copy a ritual and safely keep me under control.”
I looked at the Lord, and with exasperation, cried out. “If there is no box to keep you in, what am I to do with you?!? I have no place else to put you.”
The Lord calmly looked at me. “Though the Israelites carried the Ark, and in that were obedient, they were still showing you what it is I want. As with them, I want to know you, and be in relationship with you. And the place to keep me is in your heart.”
I began to cry. The Lord was right. I had been so focused on keeping God contained that I never thought to acknowledge the fact that God will not be contained. He wants to be everywhere in my life, and for that I should be grateful. In fact, I needed to be more than grateful. I needed to be humbled. That’s when the Lord truly humbled me.
“You see,” the Lord said, “there will come a time that will be your end of days. At your end of days, they will all gather, and they will put you in a box. It will be at that time, at a time you are most helpless, that I will come. I will come, and I will stand up for you. I will bring you out of that box. And I will bring you to me.”
It would appear that getting God into a box is a near impossible task, as He really doesn’t have to do what we ask. But I know that God is a reasonable being, and that if I reasoned with Him, He would understand my point of view and acquiesce to my request.
I approached God on the matter of the box in a most respectful manner, and laid out why I had come to this decision. “Lord,” I started “I know that you are an awesome God, but I need to make a small request. It occurs to me that my life would be better off if I could be allowed to put you in a box. I want the box to be appropriate, of course, and I will choose carefully. I know this is a strange request, but it really would be the best thing for both of us.”
I was a little concerned at the Lord’s reaction to my request, but to my surprise he was very amicable to my decision. The Lord looked at me and with calmness in His voice simply said “Let us try it your way.”
I was very excited that he had seen it from my point of view, and with very little persuasion on my part. The problem was I hadn’t really considered exactly what kind of box in which I was going to put God. I was so concerned with whether He would agree or not that I didn’t prepare myself for an answer of yes.
I asked God if he could give me a few minutes to look for some box options, and he was fine with that. I raced around the house and started to scrounge through all of my possessions, looking for just the right box in which to put God. I came across some acceptable vessels and ran back to God. I excitedly raced to Him with my arms full.
“Lord,” I said, panting “I have a few I would like to try, just to see what is best.” I tossed down my boxes and sifted through them to find the smallest one I had. It was a beautiful purple jewelry box, the jewelry long gone from its cushioned home. I lifted the box up to the Lord.
“If you don’t mind, try getting into this box. It would be great to be able to keep you in here and when I need you, I can find you amongst all my precious things.” The Lord got into the box as best he could, but no matter how we tried to reposition him and squeeze the lid on He just wouldn’t fit. I felt it unfortunate that I couldn’t get the Lord into the beautiful box I had chosen. But I knew that it would be ok, for I had many other boxes to choose from.
The Lord stood there in front of me while I picked up another one of my boxes. It was a brown boot box that once housed one of the finest pairs of snow boots I had ever seen. It was sturdy and larger than the earring box, and I just knew the Lord would go perfectly in it.
“This box is a bit bigger, Lord. I just know it is the right box for you. Then I can place you next to the protective clothing I wear, and will certainly have access to you when I need it.” The Lord obliged and stepped into the shoebox. I closed the lid and smiled as I walked the Lord into my closet and sat Him up on the highest shelf. As I turned to close the closet door, I heard and loud crash, and spun around to see that the Lord’s shoebox had fallen to the floor, popping the lid off. I hurriedly picked up the box, apologizing to the Lord for the fall. But as I looked in the box, He was nowhere to be found. I looked around the entire closet and could not find a hint of the Lord anywhere. I was a little concerned as to where he had gone, and as I reached for the lid I jumped as I saw Him standing next to me.
“Oh, Lord, you scared me!” I exclaimed. “I am sorry for the fall, maybe a shoebox isn’t the best place to keep you.” I decided that I wanted to have a box that was a little bit sturdier, so I led the Lord back out to the living room and to the pile of boxes. Digging through the pile I found a nice, large box that was sturdy and reinforced. It had once held a delicate painting that was sent to me, and I just knew that it would be perfect for the Lord. I could sit it against the wall so that it wouldn’t fall over, and anytime I wanted to look at the Lord I would know just where to find Him. I beckoned for the Lord to get in the reinforced box, and he was very kind to do so. When He was safely inside, I sealed up the top and placed it against the far wall.
I was very satisfied with where the Lord was now, and headed into the kitchen to prepare myself a sandwich. But as I got into the kitchen, I realized that I wanted to look at the Lord one more time, because he was just so beautiful to me. I went back over to the painting box, opened the top and peaked down at the Lord. But to my surprise, he was no longer there. I moved the box to allow more light in, thinking I hadn’t missed Him in the darkness of the box. But I could see all the way to the bottom without a sign of the Lord. I stood upright, puzzled. As I looked in front of me, I was shocked to once again see Him standing there.
“Lord, you got out of the box again!” I was beginning to get frustrated. “I understand that maybe this box wasn’t right for you. Perhaps something a little roomier would do.” I thought about the new dryer I had purchased, and the box that was still in my garage that it had come in. “Lord,” I motioned to Him, “follow me. I have just the thing.”
We made it to the garage and I pointed at the dryer box. “That would be much better for you Lord, and I can keep you in here where you can be in my house but not in the way.” I smiled at my genius to find a much roomier box that would be more comfortable for the Lord and less intrusive for me. “If you would be so kind, you can have this box.”
The Lord stepped into the dryer box, and I closed the top and was very content with myself. But after a moment, I got concerned that the garage might get too dark for the Lord. I decided to check with Him to make sure it was ok to be in such a dark room. “Lord, are you going to be ok out here in the dark?” I asked. I heard no response, and bent down closer to the side of the box. “Lord,” I said again, louder. “Are you going to be ok in this dark garage?” I still heard nothing.
I yanked open the lid and said “Lord, are you going…” but stopped in mid sentence as I realized once again He was not inside. By this time I was downright angry, realizing that the Lord had again left the beautiful box I had for Him. I spun around the room, expecting to see Him somewhere. When I didn’t, I scurried back through the house, yelling “Lord, why won’t you just stay where I put you. You can’t be unhappy with all of these boxes! One of them has to be ok!”
I could find the Lord nowhere in my house, and as I raced to the front door, He walked in. “Lord,” I exclaimed. “What’s the problem? I have given you plenty of good boxes, and you seem to want to get out of each one.” That was precisely the moment that I had a revelation. The Lord didn’t want a common box that you could find anywhere. He needed a box that was special. He needed a box that was just for Him. Perhaps, like me, he wanted something that was His own, and not made for whatever would fit in it. It had to be something the size of a house, or maybe even…
“That’s it!” I cried. “I know where you need to be Lord!” I took him by the hand and we jumped in the car. I raced several miles down the road to the church that I had attended ever since I was a young man. “This is where you need to be. I am sorry I forgot about this. It is the perfect box for you! You can stay in this box, and I can visit you here every Sunday! This works out perfectly!” I lead the Lord into the church, and told him that I would be back to see him in a few days.
I drove home more content with myself than ever before. I knew that I had found the perfect box for the Lord, and that this was going to make our relationship better than ever. I pulled into my driveway, and realized that there was somebody standing there. I jumped out of my car and to my dismay saw that it was the Lord, staring at me.
“What are YOU doing here?!?” I bellowed. “I left you at the church, and I told you I would be back in a few days. You were NOT supposed to come back here. That is YOUR box, and you are supposed to stay in YOUR box.” As I stopped talking, he stretched his hand out towards me. In His hand was the Bible, opened to Exodus.
“Oh, I get it!” I screamed. “None of those other boxes were good enough for you. You want the box that you had in this book, don’t you?!?” I then knew what I had to do. He wanted his Ark back, the box the Israelites kept Him in. “FINE. If that’s what you want, I will make you your Ark for you. If that’s the box you need, then I will build it with my own two hands!”
Over the next week I did nothing but focus my entire life and energies on building a replica Ark for the Lord. I poured every waking hour into that Ark, crafting and perfecting it to be as close to the original as I could. Every second of every day I spent on that Ark, eating and sleeping as little as I could. Into that ark I poured everything. Into it I poured my hopes, my fears; my anger and my joys; my dreams and my horrors; I poured my soul, good and ill, all that was in me into building that one final box with which the Lord would be happy. I poured everything into the one and final box that the Lord would remain in, content not to keep escaping from.
On Sunday morning I presented my work before the Lord. I brought to Him a replica of the Ark, and with it the expectation that it would be the last box he would need. “Lord, here it is,” I said. I was exhausted beyond words, and I collapsed on my knees to the ground. With my head slumped down, I waved to the Lord. “Now would you please just get in the box?”
I sat there for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the Lord to get in the Ark. The Lord walked slowly towards me and put His hand on my shoulder. “You have built a beautiful box,” He said. “But you know it’s never been about the box. It’s been about why you wanted to have me in the box.”
The Lord continued. “You presented to me a jewelry box and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me like a fine piece of jewelry, but only bring me out to wear me when it suited you and on the right occasions. You presented to me a boot box, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me ready in emergencies, such as bad weather, but ready to put me away when the emergency was over. You presented to me a box for artwork, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me around in your home to look beautiful like a fine piece of art, but never to take me outside of your home. You presented to me the box of a new appliance and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me around to do only the things you wanted me to do, and not to be involved in any other part of your life. You presented to me a building, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you could come to me only when it was convenient, and leave me there safely out of your life at all other times.”
The Lord paused, and placed his other hand on the Ark. “You presented to me an Ark, like the one my people carried. With that, you hoped to copy a ritual and safely keep me under control.”
I looked at the Lord, and with exasperation, cried out. “If there is no box to keep you in, what am I to do with you?!? I have no place else to put you.”
The Lord calmly looked at me. “Though the Israelites carried the Ark, and in that were obedient, they were still showing you what it is I want. As with them, I want to know you, and be in relationship with you. And the place to keep me is in your heart.”
I began to cry. The Lord was right. I had been so focused on keeping God contained that I never thought to acknowledge the fact that God will not be contained. He wants to be everywhere in my life, and for that I should be grateful. In fact, I needed to be more than grateful. I needed to be humbled. That’s when the Lord truly humbled me.
“You see,” the Lord said, “there will come a time that will be your end of days. At your end of days, they will all gather, and they will put you in a box. It will be at that time, at a time you are most helpless, that I will come. I will come, and I will stand up for you. I will bring you out of that box. And I will bring you to me.”
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Fishing with Jesus
Jesus took particular care to call the disciples. He used various different means by which to call them ask them. In Luke 5, Jesus approaches Simon, James and John and over the course of the passage recruits them as disciples.
This story seems to be a simple case of Jesus seeking these men, showing them a powerful miracle and in turn they accept his invitation. As awesome as this story sounds on the surface, I believe there was more to it than what is on the surface.
The focus of this passage is on three fishermen: Simon Peter, James and John. These three men had just returned from a night of fishing. They were epically unsuccessful in their endeavors that evening having caught nothing. They were no doubt a little grouchy and tired after such a bust. Perhaps during the evening Simon Peter even suggested to James that he was making too much noise and chasing all of the fish away. John might have told Simon Peter that he must have done something with the nets to make the fish avoid them. James might have told John and Simon that all the fish were in a different part of the lake, and they would have known that if they had listened to him earlier.
So the three men were done for the day, and decided to pack everything in. They were washing their nets and putting away their fishing tools for the next day, and who should walk up to them but Jesus. Jesus had been preaching to a large group, and noticed the boats by the edge of the water. Feeling crowded in, he decided to march right up to Simon’s boat and enter in an attempt to create some distance between himself and the crowd.
Now Simon Peter knew of Jesus, and was undoubtedly respectful of him. However, When Jesus entered his boat, Simon Peter probably took unfavorable notice. Simon Peter probably thought to himself “Really? I’m tired and trying to pack things up, and dude’s gotta get in my boat? Seriously, what’s the problem, he can’t handle the popularity?” That’s when Jesus breaks out with the request to be pushed a little bit away from the land.
Tired and grumpy, Simon Peter begrudgingly obliges and pushes Jesus out, allowing him space to teach more effectively. Simon Peter was probably happy when Jesus finished, imagining going home and getting some rest after the long day. James and John were still hanging around watching, and were probably just as confused as Simon Peter at Jesus’ next request. Jesus turned to Simon Peter and said “Go out a little ways into the deep water and throw your nets in for the catch.”
At this point I am sure Simon Peter wanted nothing to do with more fishing. First of all, this Jesus guy was a carpenter, and not a fisherman. Maybe if the fish needed something nailed or sawed, then sure, he could help. But really, there was no need to tell experienced fishermen how to do their jobs. Secondly, it was a terrible time of day for them to go fishing. If they hadn’t caught anything during the good time for fishing, they weren’t going to catch anything right now. Thirdly, the nets were clean, things were put away, all the men were tired and they were going to be coming back later to start their next day of work. They could what Jesus asked later.
“Look,” Simon Peter started, “we were fishing all night. We caught nothing, and I know that there are no fish to be had out there.” It was then that Simon looked over at James and John, and even though it felt inconvenient and pointless, they had respect for this Jesus, and acquiesced. ‘But if you say so, we will do it”
So they launched out into the deeper water, threw over their nets and waited. But they didn’t have to wait long before their nets began pulling and tearing at the weight of the multitude of fish that engulfed the nets. There were so many fish that they had to get other fishermen to help them with the haul.
At this point, Simon Peter was probably red with embarrassment. He was so against going back out because he was tired that he almost forgot who this man was that was telling him to cast his nets. That’s when Simon Peter decided that a good rule of thumb was that if Jesus suggests you do something, then it is a good idea to do it.
But it didn’t end there. When they finally got the fish in the boats, the boats began to sink under the weight of the fish. James and John probably looked at each other in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that the entirety of the lake held this many fish!
Oh, the irony that could have been racing through Simon Peter’s mind. Jesus sets them out to catch the largest amount of fish they had ever caught at one time, and there was so much that the boats would sink! All the fish would then be delivered back to their watery home from whence they came! Talk about easy come, easy go. Simon Peter would have gone home not with the typical “big one that got away” fish story, but of the “little ones-that-I-caught-and-got-in-the-boats-but-then-the-boats-sank-and-I-had-to-swim-to-shore-and-they-got-away” fish story.
But that didn’t matter to Simon Peter. All he knew at that moment was that this Jesus had done the impossible, and since that was true than this man must be the Son of God as he claimed. Simon knew that he was too sinful to be in Jesus’ presence, and bowed down out of reverence and fear.
That’s the way we do it today. Often times we will get too caught up in our own desires and timing to recognize what Jesus is saying to us. We are often motivated by ourselves and not motivated by the fact that what Jesus is asking us to do will yield far greater results than we could ever imagine. It is not until we witness the miraculous works of Christ in our own lives that we finally bow down and recognize Him. We bow down and recognize him in awe and fear because we realize just whom it is that we have been brushing aside.
Jesus tells Simon Peter not to fear. But Simon Peter immediately looked back on the sequence of events that had taken place and realized his petulance, grouchiness, disbelief and the all around crummy way he had treated Jesus. In that Simon Peter realized he had even more reason to fear. But Jesus was having none of that, and let Simon Peter, James and John know that there were bigger and better things in their future. Jesus let them know that they were no longer simply going to catch fish. No, they were to become fishers of men.
To which Simon Peter thought “then we are definitely going to need bigger nets.”
This story seems to be a simple case of Jesus seeking these men, showing them a powerful miracle and in turn they accept his invitation. As awesome as this story sounds on the surface, I believe there was more to it than what is on the surface.
The focus of this passage is on three fishermen: Simon Peter, James and John. These three men had just returned from a night of fishing. They were epically unsuccessful in their endeavors that evening having caught nothing. They were no doubt a little grouchy and tired after such a bust. Perhaps during the evening Simon Peter even suggested to James that he was making too much noise and chasing all of the fish away. John might have told Simon Peter that he must have done something with the nets to make the fish avoid them. James might have told John and Simon that all the fish were in a different part of the lake, and they would have known that if they had listened to him earlier.
So the three men were done for the day, and decided to pack everything in. They were washing their nets and putting away their fishing tools for the next day, and who should walk up to them but Jesus. Jesus had been preaching to a large group, and noticed the boats by the edge of the water. Feeling crowded in, he decided to march right up to Simon’s boat and enter in an attempt to create some distance between himself and the crowd.
Now Simon Peter knew of Jesus, and was undoubtedly respectful of him. However, When Jesus entered his boat, Simon Peter probably took unfavorable notice. Simon Peter probably thought to himself “Really? I’m tired and trying to pack things up, and dude’s gotta get in my boat? Seriously, what’s the problem, he can’t handle the popularity?” That’s when Jesus breaks out with the request to be pushed a little bit away from the land.
Tired and grumpy, Simon Peter begrudgingly obliges and pushes Jesus out, allowing him space to teach more effectively. Simon Peter was probably happy when Jesus finished, imagining going home and getting some rest after the long day. James and John were still hanging around watching, and were probably just as confused as Simon Peter at Jesus’ next request. Jesus turned to Simon Peter and said “Go out a little ways into the deep water and throw your nets in for the catch.”
At this point I am sure Simon Peter wanted nothing to do with more fishing. First of all, this Jesus guy was a carpenter, and not a fisherman. Maybe if the fish needed something nailed or sawed, then sure, he could help. But really, there was no need to tell experienced fishermen how to do their jobs. Secondly, it was a terrible time of day for them to go fishing. If they hadn’t caught anything during the good time for fishing, they weren’t going to catch anything right now. Thirdly, the nets were clean, things were put away, all the men were tired and they were going to be coming back later to start their next day of work. They could what Jesus asked later.
“Look,” Simon Peter started, “we were fishing all night. We caught nothing, and I know that there are no fish to be had out there.” It was then that Simon looked over at James and John, and even though it felt inconvenient and pointless, they had respect for this Jesus, and acquiesced. ‘But if you say so, we will do it”
So they launched out into the deeper water, threw over their nets and waited. But they didn’t have to wait long before their nets began pulling and tearing at the weight of the multitude of fish that engulfed the nets. There were so many fish that they had to get other fishermen to help them with the haul.
At this point, Simon Peter was probably red with embarrassment. He was so against going back out because he was tired that he almost forgot who this man was that was telling him to cast his nets. That’s when Simon Peter decided that a good rule of thumb was that if Jesus suggests you do something, then it is a good idea to do it.
But it didn’t end there. When they finally got the fish in the boats, the boats began to sink under the weight of the fish. James and John probably looked at each other in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that the entirety of the lake held this many fish!
Oh, the irony that could have been racing through Simon Peter’s mind. Jesus sets them out to catch the largest amount of fish they had ever caught at one time, and there was so much that the boats would sink! All the fish would then be delivered back to their watery home from whence they came! Talk about easy come, easy go. Simon Peter would have gone home not with the typical “big one that got away” fish story, but of the “little ones-that-I-caught-and-got-in-the-boats-but-then-the-boats-sank-and-I-had-to-swim-to-shore-and-they-got-away” fish story.
But that didn’t matter to Simon Peter. All he knew at that moment was that this Jesus had done the impossible, and since that was true than this man must be the Son of God as he claimed. Simon knew that he was too sinful to be in Jesus’ presence, and bowed down out of reverence and fear.
That’s the way we do it today. Often times we will get too caught up in our own desires and timing to recognize what Jesus is saying to us. We are often motivated by ourselves and not motivated by the fact that what Jesus is asking us to do will yield far greater results than we could ever imagine. It is not until we witness the miraculous works of Christ in our own lives that we finally bow down and recognize Him. We bow down and recognize him in awe and fear because we realize just whom it is that we have been brushing aside.
Jesus tells Simon Peter not to fear. But Simon Peter immediately looked back on the sequence of events that had taken place and realized his petulance, grouchiness, disbelief and the all around crummy way he had treated Jesus. In that Simon Peter realized he had even more reason to fear. But Jesus was having none of that, and let Simon Peter, James and John know that there were bigger and better things in their future. Jesus let them know that they were no longer simply going to catch fish. No, they were to become fishers of men.
To which Simon Peter thought “then we are definitely going to need bigger nets.”
Friday, September 10, 2010
Give Jesus a Car
The Christian knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, and part of the trinity. This is a fact, and within this fact is the knowledge that Jesus, as God, was, is and will forever be omniscient.
Scripture proves this truth. Isaiah prophesizes about the coming of Jesus in 45:22-23, declaring that the coming Jesus will be God and be the one who is turned to for salvation. Mathew 1:22 speaks on how the birth of Jesus was prophesied, and how Jesus would be called Immanuel (which means God with us). 1 Timothy 6:13-15 speaks of Jesus as King of king and Lord of lords. Revelation 2:8 speaks of the words of the one who is First and Last, who died and came to life (Jesus). There are many other passages supporting these truths.
Jesus was fully God while he was fully physically existing on earth. But this is not the forum to attempt to parse and dissect this truth. What will be done is to point out something that a lot of people probably never look at. That is, since Jesus is omniscient, wasn't there a time when he just wanted or wished to have some of the creature comforts that we enjoy today?
I am not suggesting that Jesus would have desired a leather armchair that he could rest in after a long day of driving around in his Mazarati. I am suggesting some things that could have made his ministry easier, time-efficient and more streamlined.
For instance, Jesus did a lot of walking during his ministry, as was the custom of the day. It was a few thousand years too soon to consider investing in a van for the church. Yet couldn't you imagine that Jesus thought about whipping up a car or light truck so he could go to and fro? It certainly would have made the trip from Tyre to Jerusalem more bearable. Not that he would want anything fancy, but perhaps a nice little Toyota Corolla or VW Bug. Something small and simple to spread his message faster. Maybe he even thought about a conversion van or heavy duty truck, as he was usually joined by twelve other guys, and I’m sure they complained about the distances they had to walk once or twice. Maybe he would have even thought about having the A/C blasting while he drove around the arid middle east climate.
Perhaps Jesus was used to walking, and thought that a car would be overkill. Maybe Jesus thought about something simpler, like a bag full of legal size yellow pads and a bunch of Bic pens for those that he was teaching. That would have been something simple and useful so that those he taught could take notes and review them later when they got home. For that matter, a nice little briefcase to carry around those pads and pens would have been wonderful. Now that would have been some technology from the future that would not only be useful but also inconspicuous.
But bright yellow papyrus and a plastic pen might have only gotten in the way for Jesus. As many were used to oral learning, Jesus was more than equipped to teaching in this manner. Maybe he would have thought of something for his family. Maybe he thought about breaking out the Black and Decker power tools so that he could have gotten through his carpentry more effectively. The power nailer and circular saw could have made him not only a more efficient carpenter but also make his work more fine tuned. That way he could have gotten through his work faster and to his preaching sooner. But the power tools laying around the workshop in those days would have no doubt brought suspicion, and as I recall electricity came only through lightning. So not only would he have had to make the tools, but also a power plant to generate the needed electricity. Definitely too much work for the payout.
Jesus definitely liked to teach, and he worked with to all styles of learning when he taught. I am sure he would have loved to have the internet around so that not only could he use his words to teach, but also a bunch of videos that would help the visual learners in the group. He could have found funny, reflective, hopeful and even serious videos all around the internet that could have driven his point home. No doubt the people would have been too busy being fascinated by the keys of the keyboard to be interested in what came out of the screen.
Not wanting to forget about the disciples, Jesus might have wanted a nice, modern fishing boat. He might have thought to himself that even though these guys I am with know a lot about fishing, imagine what they could do with a nice Crowline or Sea Ray. They could have torn up those fish in the Sea of Galilee and set record with their catches. Of course, I guess Jesus took care of that later when after a fruitless day of fishing he had them cast their nets and haul in more fish than they could have imagined.
Of course, Jesus did not need anything from today, though he could have had it at his command. But he came at the perfect time, in the perfect way, and met the culture where they were. To conjure up fanciful delights from the future or from faraway places to prove that he was the Son of God would have done nothing. It would have only served to draw people in not by faith, but by only what they saw.
Yet if you doubt that the Bible has no use of today's technology as has been proposed here, I present to you the book of Revelation. The Lord gave John the book of Revelation to write down in the first century, and John faithfully followed. In Revelation 11, we meet the two witnesses. In the span of four days in the future, these two witnesses will preach the Gospel, be murdered, have their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem and be resurrected by the Lord. All of this will be seen by the entire world. How in the world was a first century person to understand that the entire world could see an event in Jerusalem?
Because the Lord was well aware of CNN, even before Ted Turner.
Scripture proves this truth. Isaiah prophesizes about the coming of Jesus in 45:22-23, declaring that the coming Jesus will be God and be the one who is turned to for salvation. Mathew 1:22 speaks on how the birth of Jesus was prophesied, and how Jesus would be called Immanuel (which means God with us). 1 Timothy 6:13-15 speaks of Jesus as King of king and Lord of lords. Revelation 2:8 speaks of the words of the one who is First and Last, who died and came to life (Jesus). There are many other passages supporting these truths.
Jesus was fully God while he was fully physically existing on earth. But this is not the forum to attempt to parse and dissect this truth. What will be done is to point out something that a lot of people probably never look at. That is, since Jesus is omniscient, wasn't there a time when he just wanted or wished to have some of the creature comforts that we enjoy today?
I am not suggesting that Jesus would have desired a leather armchair that he could rest in after a long day of driving around in his Mazarati. I am suggesting some things that could have made his ministry easier, time-efficient and more streamlined.
For instance, Jesus did a lot of walking during his ministry, as was the custom of the day. It was a few thousand years too soon to consider investing in a van for the church. Yet couldn't you imagine that Jesus thought about whipping up a car or light truck so he could go to and fro? It certainly would have made the trip from Tyre to Jerusalem more bearable. Not that he would want anything fancy, but perhaps a nice little Toyota Corolla or VW Bug. Something small and simple to spread his message faster. Maybe he even thought about a conversion van or heavy duty truck, as he was usually joined by twelve other guys, and I’m sure they complained about the distances they had to walk once or twice. Maybe he would have even thought about having the A/C blasting while he drove around the arid middle east climate.
Perhaps Jesus was used to walking, and thought that a car would be overkill. Maybe Jesus thought about something simpler, like a bag full of legal size yellow pads and a bunch of Bic pens for those that he was teaching. That would have been something simple and useful so that those he taught could take notes and review them later when they got home. For that matter, a nice little briefcase to carry around those pads and pens would have been wonderful. Now that would have been some technology from the future that would not only be useful but also inconspicuous.
But bright yellow papyrus and a plastic pen might have only gotten in the way for Jesus. As many were used to oral learning, Jesus was more than equipped to teaching in this manner. Maybe he would have thought of something for his family. Maybe he thought about breaking out the Black and Decker power tools so that he could have gotten through his carpentry more effectively. The power nailer and circular saw could have made him not only a more efficient carpenter but also make his work more fine tuned. That way he could have gotten through his work faster and to his preaching sooner. But the power tools laying around the workshop in those days would have no doubt brought suspicion, and as I recall electricity came only through lightning. So not only would he have had to make the tools, but also a power plant to generate the needed electricity. Definitely too much work for the payout.
Jesus definitely liked to teach, and he worked with to all styles of learning when he taught. I am sure he would have loved to have the internet around so that not only could he use his words to teach, but also a bunch of videos that would help the visual learners in the group. He could have found funny, reflective, hopeful and even serious videos all around the internet that could have driven his point home. No doubt the people would have been too busy being fascinated by the keys of the keyboard to be interested in what came out of the screen.
Not wanting to forget about the disciples, Jesus might have wanted a nice, modern fishing boat. He might have thought to himself that even though these guys I am with know a lot about fishing, imagine what they could do with a nice Crowline or Sea Ray. They could have torn up those fish in the Sea of Galilee and set record with their catches. Of course, I guess Jesus took care of that later when after a fruitless day of fishing he had them cast their nets and haul in more fish than they could have imagined.
Of course, Jesus did not need anything from today, though he could have had it at his command. But he came at the perfect time, in the perfect way, and met the culture where they were. To conjure up fanciful delights from the future or from faraway places to prove that he was the Son of God would have done nothing. It would have only served to draw people in not by faith, but by only what they saw.
Yet if you doubt that the Bible has no use of today's technology as has been proposed here, I present to you the book of Revelation. The Lord gave John the book of Revelation to write down in the first century, and John faithfully followed. In Revelation 11, we meet the two witnesses. In the span of four days in the future, these two witnesses will preach the Gospel, be murdered, have their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem and be resurrected by the Lord. All of this will be seen by the entire world. How in the world was a first century person to understand that the entire world could see an event in Jerusalem?
Because the Lord was well aware of CNN, even before Ted Turner.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Men, Love Your Football....
In America, men love football. I love football, and as is the case today I am speaking from a decidedly male perspective. When football season roles around, I find it a struggle not to take every moment I can to catch the best college action on Saturdays and any and all NFL action on Sundays. But there is something that Scripture calls men to love more than football.
Ephesians 5 talks about a subject that many mean try to avoid – relationships. But the relationship described in Ephesians 5 is not a common relationship, but the relationship between a husband and a wife. This passage illuminates how men and women are to treat, love and respect each other. This passage is a directive from the Lord as to how men and women are to love those that they have joined for life, and how these principles will result in a lasting marriage.
Ephesians 5:25 gives specific instructions to husbands as to how they are to love their wives. This verse tells husbands, whether they have been married 1, 5, 10 or…gasp…50 years that they are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. On the one hand this is awesome in its quality, and beautiful in its simplicity. On the other hand this is all well and good, and of course beneficial because it is the word of the Lord, but a little too ethereal for some modern men.
Many modern men might not know what that exactly what it means to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Sure, we are all pretty confident that Christ really, really, loved the church. Heck, he died for her, so that’s saying a lot. But is that pretty much the extent of how we are to love our wives? Be settled with the necessity of dying for her if necessary, but other than that be confident in the knowledge that there’s not much else to it.
Undoubtedly, there is much more to it than that. When one takes a deeper look at the passage, it can become quite clear as to the specifics of loving your wife as Christ loved the church. But for those that might not have the time at this moment to exegete this passage, I propose a few modern day thumbnail sketches of what Ephesians 5:25 says.
Ephesians 5:25 in the “Bible for Today’s Man Using Today’s Language and Illustrations Because Sometimes I Just Can’t Grasp Being Swallowed By a Whale and Surviving” (not an actual bible translation, but a really neat title), men should love their wives as they love their favorite football team. This is not the love of spending three hours a week watching it, and only when they are doing well. This is the love of watching an entire season of awful, awful play, where your offense looks like it just met each other that morning and the defense does a great impersonation of a sieve. It is then wearing their colors the next spring and summer all the while believing beyond reason in your heart that next year they will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy, even though they have only draft pick (a seventh!) and an owner who has a phobia of opening his wallet.
Men should love their wives as they love their dream car. This doesn’t mean driving it around and at the first sign of engine trouble throwing a cover over it and leaving it to rot and rust in the garage. This means driving it with pride, washing, waxing and tuning it regularly, and at the first sign of engine trouble diagnosing the problem and proceeding immediately to repair the situation before it becomes a major problem.
Men should love their wives as they love food. This doesn’t mean constantly having their favorite bratwurst and beer for three meals and a snack each day. This means having their favorite food, but also keeping variety in their meals so that they can not only enjoy what they love but have a healthy and vibrant diet. Now variety doesn’t mean changing the type of mustard on the bratwurst each day. It means occasionally having to eat the squash and broccoli that you would otherwise consider decoration, but that you know is going to be beneficial in the long run.
Men should love their wives as they love watching things explode. Make no mistake, somewhere in every man is the desire to watch stuff blow up. Why do you think there are so many awful, awful summer blockbusters made that have no coherent story but two hours worth of explosions? Because regardless of the story, if there’s stuff blowing up, men will watch it. This doesn’t mean that we are to love our wives to the point that they blow up at us. On the contrary, we are to love our wives so that we can put out the fires, calm them and comfort them. Then when we are a safe distance away we can watch them explode!
Men are to love their wives as they love electronics. This doesn’t mean that they insist on the high definition television that has the most bells and whistles and is outrageously priced. This means that men are to understand the high definition television they get. They are to read the manual, know what each button does, and understand when the right time is to push certain buttons and when the wrong time is to push certain buttons. Because the last thing you want to do is be watching your wedding video and accidentally hit the record button and tape over it with the newest episode of Bass Masters. At least that reference would make more sense if we were in 1989 and using a VCR.
Finally, men are to love women as women love the church. You ever notice how a woman loves to get dressed up for a church service, insisting that they are made up from head to toe. Ask any man, and he will probably assure you that Jesus is just fine with his wranglers and sleeveless T-shirt. But men should love women so much so that even though Jesus would be fine with the wranglers and sleeveless T, they insist that they wear their finest suit, because nothing less will suffice for his wonderful bride.
Ephesians 5:25 goes on to enumerate on ways men should love their wives as Christ loved the church. It tells men that they are to be constantly in the Word so as to be able to bring the Word to their wives and with it grow together. Men are to present themselves to their wives in a manner that is upright and holy, and in doing so they may exhibit the characteristics of Christ. Most of all, men are to love their wives as themselves. People tend to love themselves more than any other person, and if men can love their wives as much as they love themselves, then half the battle is already won.
There are an innumerable number of ways that men can show little or no love to their wives. The Ephesians challenge for men is to show their wives love in the way that Christ prescribed. It is to show them that there is a love for them that is greater than for anyone else on earth, and greater than even for the husbands own self. If nothing else, it is to show a love as great as for their favorite football team.
Ephesians 5 talks about a subject that many mean try to avoid – relationships. But the relationship described in Ephesians 5 is not a common relationship, but the relationship between a husband and a wife. This passage illuminates how men and women are to treat, love and respect each other. This passage is a directive from the Lord as to how men and women are to love those that they have joined for life, and how these principles will result in a lasting marriage.
Ephesians 5:25 gives specific instructions to husbands as to how they are to love their wives. This verse tells husbands, whether they have been married 1, 5, 10 or…gasp…50 years that they are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. On the one hand this is awesome in its quality, and beautiful in its simplicity. On the other hand this is all well and good, and of course beneficial because it is the word of the Lord, but a little too ethereal for some modern men.
Many modern men might not know what that exactly what it means to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Sure, we are all pretty confident that Christ really, really, loved the church. Heck, he died for her, so that’s saying a lot. But is that pretty much the extent of how we are to love our wives? Be settled with the necessity of dying for her if necessary, but other than that be confident in the knowledge that there’s not much else to it.
Undoubtedly, there is much more to it than that. When one takes a deeper look at the passage, it can become quite clear as to the specifics of loving your wife as Christ loved the church. But for those that might not have the time at this moment to exegete this passage, I propose a few modern day thumbnail sketches of what Ephesians 5:25 says.
Ephesians 5:25 in the “Bible for Today’s Man Using Today’s Language and Illustrations Because Sometimes I Just Can’t Grasp Being Swallowed By a Whale and Surviving” (not an actual bible translation, but a really neat title), men should love their wives as they love their favorite football team. This is not the love of spending three hours a week watching it, and only when they are doing well. This is the love of watching an entire season of awful, awful play, where your offense looks like it just met each other that morning and the defense does a great impersonation of a sieve. It is then wearing their colors the next spring and summer all the while believing beyond reason in your heart that next year they will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy, even though they have only draft pick (a seventh!) and an owner who has a phobia of opening his wallet.
Men should love their wives as they love their dream car. This doesn’t mean driving it around and at the first sign of engine trouble throwing a cover over it and leaving it to rot and rust in the garage. This means driving it with pride, washing, waxing and tuning it regularly, and at the first sign of engine trouble diagnosing the problem and proceeding immediately to repair the situation before it becomes a major problem.
Men should love their wives as they love food. This doesn’t mean constantly having their favorite bratwurst and beer for three meals and a snack each day. This means having their favorite food, but also keeping variety in their meals so that they can not only enjoy what they love but have a healthy and vibrant diet. Now variety doesn’t mean changing the type of mustard on the bratwurst each day. It means occasionally having to eat the squash and broccoli that you would otherwise consider decoration, but that you know is going to be beneficial in the long run.
Men should love their wives as they love watching things explode. Make no mistake, somewhere in every man is the desire to watch stuff blow up. Why do you think there are so many awful, awful summer blockbusters made that have no coherent story but two hours worth of explosions? Because regardless of the story, if there’s stuff blowing up, men will watch it. This doesn’t mean that we are to love our wives to the point that they blow up at us. On the contrary, we are to love our wives so that we can put out the fires, calm them and comfort them. Then when we are a safe distance away we can watch them explode!
Men are to love their wives as they love electronics. This doesn’t mean that they insist on the high definition television that has the most bells and whistles and is outrageously priced. This means that men are to understand the high definition television they get. They are to read the manual, know what each button does, and understand when the right time is to push certain buttons and when the wrong time is to push certain buttons. Because the last thing you want to do is be watching your wedding video and accidentally hit the record button and tape over it with the newest episode of Bass Masters. At least that reference would make more sense if we were in 1989 and using a VCR.
Finally, men are to love women as women love the church. You ever notice how a woman loves to get dressed up for a church service, insisting that they are made up from head to toe. Ask any man, and he will probably assure you that Jesus is just fine with his wranglers and sleeveless T-shirt. But men should love women so much so that even though Jesus would be fine with the wranglers and sleeveless T, they insist that they wear their finest suit, because nothing less will suffice for his wonderful bride.
Ephesians 5:25 goes on to enumerate on ways men should love their wives as Christ loved the church. It tells men that they are to be constantly in the Word so as to be able to bring the Word to their wives and with it grow together. Men are to present themselves to their wives in a manner that is upright and holy, and in doing so they may exhibit the characteristics of Christ. Most of all, men are to love their wives as themselves. People tend to love themselves more than any other person, and if men can love their wives as much as they love themselves, then half the battle is already won.
There are an innumerable number of ways that men can show little or no love to their wives. The Ephesians challenge for men is to show their wives love in the way that Christ prescribed. It is to show them that there is a love for them that is greater than for anyone else on earth, and greater than even for the husbands own self. If nothing else, it is to show a love as great as for their favorite football team.
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