kingdom travelin'

Here’s a question for our consideration as we sit on a beach by the vastness of the ocean… or where ever we may be sitting…

Take a good look at the photograph. You’ll notice the waves. Can you hear them? Regular. Never ending.

“Every breaking wave, on the shore, tells the next on there’ll  be one more…”*

Take another look. See the oil tankers? See how small they are relative to the ocean?

If we have no doubt of our acceptance, forgiveness and place of adoption by God through the finished work of Jesus,

Yet we are overly concerned about the opinions of humans,

Then in some way aren’t we putting their opinions at a higher authority than His?

If this is the case, haven’t we made idols out of those opinions by giving them undue influence in our minds and hearts?

See, the oil tankers, when compared to the vastness of the ocean, are quite small.

As should be the opinions of humans.

Let’s strive instead to make God’s opinion paramount, peasing Him through giving HIM glory.

After the ships are long gone, rusting in some dry dock, or forgotten at the bottom, the waves will continue to proclaim the glory of God.

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭115:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ http://bible.com/59/psa.115.1.esv

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* “Every Breaking Wave” U2, Songs of Innocence

I heard a thoughtful sermon at The Falls Church Anglican this morning. Among the texts read was this:

“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” ‭‭John‬ ‭10:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ http://bible.com/59/jhn.10.3-4.esv

From this text and its preaching I thought of an application. We recognize the voice of Jesus, as with anyone, because we are familiar with it. The same is true with His Word.

Too frequently folks say this: “I try to read the Bible but I don’t feel/get anything from it.” 

I don’t think it’s about their inability to comprehend, it’s certainly not about the coherence of the Bible.

Maybe the challenge is that a chapter here and a chapter there a couple of times a week isn’t enough to really get to know the voice of the Lord speaking through the Scriptures that He inspired. Perhaps listening longer and more regularly will get us more used to the voice and then, when we hear that voice in the Word of God it will bring a feeling of familiarity. Then perhaps that familiarity will help us follow our Shepherd as He speaks to us from His Word.

Do I as a minister have the faith to undertake the work of disciple-making? Is my first aim to make disciples? Or do I just run an operation? (Willard, p. 11)

Spiritual formation in Christ is accomplished, and the Great Commission fulfilled, as the regenerate soul makes its highest intent to live in the commandments of Christ and accordingly make realistic plans to realize this intent by an adequate course of spiritual disciplines. Of course, no one can achieve this goal by themselves, but no one has to. God gives us others to share the pilgrimage, and we will be met by Christ in every step of the way. “Look, I am with you every instant,” is what Jesus said, and it is also what he is doing. p. 76

The next few posts will be words by Dallas Willard from the The Great Ommision

We have counted on preaching, teaching, and knowledge or information to foum faith in the hearer and have counted on faith to form the inner life and outward behavior of the Christian. But, for whatever reason, this strategy has not turned out well. The result is that we have multitudes of professing Christians who well may be ready to die but obviously are not ready to live, and can hardly get along with themselves, much less others.
Dallas Willard, New York, HarperCollins, 2006, p. 69.

About a year ago I posted this picture. This is part of the fortress in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I had breakfast just outside the fortress in the town. I did not go IN the fortress. 

The scripture I embedded in the picture (thank you YouVersion) from Psalms is a praise to God. Here is more of it:

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭61:1-5‬ 

I didn’t go into the castle. I observed it. I ate breakfast in the shadow of it. I admired it. I took pictures of it because it was amazing and would look good on my blog.

But I didn’t go in. I never explored its rooms, never was protected by its wall. 

But I told people about it! I can describe it! I have pictures of is and know facts about it. 

But I never went in. 

When the life of a Christian gets tough, and it will, we must find our protection IN God. IN Christ.

Consider this lament of Paul: 

“Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

Now hear the hope, watch the last three words.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:20-8:1 ESV

Very often, the reason we struggle and get tossed around by circumstances is because we have grown distant from Him through our own negligence. We’re fighting outside the tower in our own strength.

We train our body but neglect our soul. 

We’re careful about our diet but don’t make time to feed on Scripture. 

We’re like a dry sponge that needs to soak, to marinate, but only splash water on the edges, leaving the inside dry. This is our soul when we try to get by on a chapter a day… and then skip that.

The cafe outside the tower was pleasant, the food was good, the view was wonderful. But just being at or near the tower isn’t getting IN. 

Sit with God believer. Become his learner. Don’t just sit content to be a convert, a young seedling plant. Sit in the tower with your God, soaking up His word, listening to Him in prayer. 

Then the circumstances of life will be more bearable and understandable because you’ll have more of His perspective than yours.