Wretched Minds

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.

 - From Romans 7

For decades I have fond myself, occasionally, entertaining the thought that, if could just continue as a lost person, without any hope or promise of eternal life, without any aspiration of ever become holy, that perhaps than I could rest.

The bad thoughts that pop into my head - that only happens because I have set myself up to be targeted in the spiritual realm. God's adversaries do not need to go to war with the lost.

The Apostle Paul turns it all around into proof that there is a God, and a Christ, that there is sin, and that there is hope that we will become good people. He says that - - - if we want to do good, but keep fighting off the desire, and will, to do wrong, that it is evidence that the law, and sin, and redemption, are everything God says it is, in His word.

The readings this week are concentrated on the Return of Christ, the purification of the world, the redemption of Creation, and our hope that things will get better, and that we will live forever.

Here Paul grieves that we are such awful people in need of salvation. He boils it down to the simple idea: Just doing good is not good enough. The more good you do, the more wicked seem to be one's hidden thoughts. I think that this is true. And I also think that few people would admit it.

Paul concludes, "Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

The answer is everywhere else in this week's readings: The Groom. The King. The Son of God. 

If you ever wonder why you need a savior, just try to contemplate all the bad things you ever think about, and see how easy it is to remove them from your mind. 

He Waits

 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great kindness.

 - From Psalm 145

We have a pretty good answer here, to the question, "Why would a loving God . . . ?"

First of all, He did not want to create robots. We have a will. And when you think about it, a will is not worth much, unless it's capable of being willful. And a willful person is, basically, a self-centered person. 

So many layers of complexity to the human spirit:

 - Selfish
 - Self-aware
 - Capable of compassion
 - Can handle complex problems
 - Self-interest can be good for the community
 - Capable of violent response, when called for
 - Driven by a desire for peace
 - In the natural state, not capable of taming all of his or her demons.

There's a pruning process. We have to go through the forge of life. We must be given the chance to make mistakes, to learn empathy, to grow. But growth gains value by being accompanied by pain. 

Some of this is easy to access. Some of it must be accepted on its face.

So far, it has taken us somewhere around ten thousand years of history, just to get this far. And in our generation we have something - the Internet - that seems capable of delivering to us the kind of knowledge that ruined Adam and Eve: too much knowledge, too many images, too many thoughts entering our minds - too many of which are desperately evil thoughts - without the wisdom and social maturity. 

It's like we have to fail, utterly, to realize our need for God. 

But He waits. He hates our evil. But He is patient. He's like a doting parent. "Maybe if I just wait a little longer . . . they'll get it."

Believe it or not, He's slow to anger. We deserve judgment now. But God puts it off, another day, another year, another century. 

"Give them a little more time."

Double

... today I declare that I will restore to you double.

 - From Zechariah 9

Faith can change the world. 

Life is short. We hear it all the time. And, since it is short, people assume license to do basically whatever they want:

• "Be myself," so they make decisions that alienate those that love them most;
• "Be happy," so they get divorced, which makes multiples of other people unhappy;
• "Check one off my bucket list," so they splurge on themselves while others go hungry

Yes it is short.

Shouldn't we then, rather than do whatever we want and put ourselves ahead of others, realize that we only have a little time to serve others and thus ensure our place in eternity?

Is it worth it? God promises that He will restore double, whatever we lost, or missed out on, in this life. 

In the 21st Century, at a time when we are warned about diminishing resources, we seem to have a geometric increase in people wasting money on vain activities that cannot follow them to the grave. But with just a little faith, perhaps we could put those foolish expenditures off . . . to the next life? Even without the Gospel, and the saving sacrifice on the Cross, we don't know enough about eternity to assume it's not there. Isn't the possibility that there's a lot more about the universe and life, that we don't know, compared to what we do know (truth), to motivate us just to wait and see?

Do we really believe you get back more than you give, when serving others?

Life is short. Wouldn't it be worth it to wait . . . when the payoff is going to be (at least) double?

Arise

Arise, my love . . . 

 - From Song of Solomon 2

The entire passage, in fact, the entire book of Song of Solomon, is an allegory of Christ's love for the Church. The command "Arise, my love," are the words of Christ at His return. The dead are called forth; the Church is adorned as One, and Christ removes humanity, forever, from out of the grasp of trouble and sadness.

A friend of mine, years ago, believed in "waiting" until getting married. He also was a staunch believer in the Return of Christ and all that it entailed. He told me, jokingly, that he hoped Christ waited until after he got married, to return. He did not want to miss out on his wedding night. 

I think he was partially serious, though.

There are so many things about eternity, holiness, Real Love, purity, etc., that we simple do not realize. Even people with great faith struggle really to understand what it is all about. We can only touch on the very edges of it.

But Christ's Return is compared to a wedding. But, a real wedding. One where the Bride and Groom are a Real Bride and Groom that waited, and deserved to wear white. The expectation is almost unbearable. The waiting goes on, and on, and on. 

If only we thought about the return of Christ like that. If only we wanted to keep ourselves, so that we could experience the full, inexpressible prize, of staying pure both before, and after marriage.

There is a purifying of the Church that's going on right now. Yes, humanity has sinned and widened the gap between itself and God. We are filthy, even though we don't know it. In the spiritual realm, it's easy to see what we have become . . . something like a warm cesspool running over at the edges. 

But the Groom returns, and purifies His bride through a supernatural action of fire. The Church awaits, in white, and will be ready when He returns. 

Generational Remembrance

I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another ...

 - From Psalm 45

There's a lot of comment in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, about family, generations, having lots and lots of descendants . . . being remembered generations after you have died.

There's an awful lot of comment on it. A whole lot of comment.

It must be important. 

At the very beginning, it was very important to God, that humanity populate the Earth, and that they do so quickly. In the New Testament, the emphasis is on growing the Church, rapidly. But even then, the Church is spoken of as family, and the New Testament is full of references to people and their biological families. The New Testament begins with a genealogy.

It's almost like it was the breakdown of families, and the fracturing of families over time, that made Christ necessary.

No, in fact, that's exactly what it is.

A pastor, mentor, and Christian brother of mine, Al Hutchings, once told me that he would no longer have to be a pastor, when families all did their jobs according to God's plan. Harsh, but true.

The family is a place to practice unconditional love. You are stuck with family. Your parents, kids, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins . . . they are who they are. They are distinct and unchangeable. You either practice loving them, whether or not you want to, or not. But if you choose to love them, you will be experiencing the love of Christ firsthand.

Imagine being remembered and revered, five generations from now. The next generation should remember you well. They knew you. They will cry at your funeral. The generation following - - - your grandchildren and grand-nieces and nephews - - - will probably know you. Those that knew you best will love you desperately. But when you die, they will be sad but they were probably not totally surprised by it. 

The third generation after you: the great-grands; may, if you live long enough, have some memories of you. But the generation after that will not know you at all. By the time you get to your fifth generation - your great-great-great grandchildren, there's no way they remember you. And they probably are no longer handing down stories about you.

It is really something, when you are actually remembered a hundred years from now, all because someone passed down stories, someone that knew you well. 

It's a really big deal. And since it is so highly treasured in Scripture, why is the Church so weak at practicing it?

Connect with family. Connect with generations. You will be fulfilling one important commandment of God, and it's so easy. It's worth it. Show up. Be there. Be present.

Be remembered generations from now. 

Who Is That Over There?

“Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.”

 - From Genesis 24

This is a basic theme that is replayed, over and over again, in Scripture:

1. The Master approaches
2. His bride covers herself up (in modesty)
3. Big things are about to happen

Even in the Garden of Eden . . . God showed up and began walking toward Adam and Eve. They were embarrassed, and covered themselves up. A big thing happens. Judgment comes to Adam and Eve and they are sent out of the Garden. 

God approaches Cain, after he murdered Abel, his brother . . . and Cain feels guilty. He tries to cover up his crime. A big thing happens. God banishes Cain to a far-off land.

The three visitors approach Abraham in his tent. They talk about Sarah bearing him a son. Sarah laughs, but then tries to cover it up, saying "but I didn't laugh." Something big happens - - - she has a son, which becomes a foreshadowing of BOTH comings of Christ.

Rebekah approaches the land of Abraham, and sees someone approaching. It is Isaac, her future husband. She covers herself up in modesty. They get married, and Esau and Jacob join the narrative, with their own allegory of the natural man versus the spiritual man. 

When God approaches, we do not always recognize Him. But once He is identified, we want to cover ourselves up. I wonder if modesty is still in vogue, even when it is the Lord Himself coming?

When Christ returns, for judgment and for good, will there be even a modicum of decency left on earth, for people to feel the slightest twinge of misgiving? Will sinners try to walk back everything they ever did? Will they cover up their pasts and their immodest appearance? Or will they mock Him to His face, as they have done most of their lives?

We should cultivate our sense of expectancy. Never let go of the hope that, when anyone approaches from a distance, it may be The Lord Himself. 

Ask boldly: "Who is that over there, walking in our direction?"

Eat Justice

...but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

 - From Ezekiel 34

I didn't want to make this verse my focus. I think that maybe I make too
much comment of  the judgment stuff, the harsh references to justice,
judgment, and consequences for sin. It's like I must enjoy thinking about
all the bad things that are going to happen to bad people.

I don't.

But I realize that a lot of people today really do love that stuff.
You know, the people that trash public property, the ones that
beat up people that disagree with them, the ones that hate rich people
and want to make them suffer for having things.

The ones that believe they speak for 98% of the population.
Those people.

And so it might get their attention if I can show them a statement
by The LORD that they might enjoy.

Ezekiel 34 is a beautiful passage. It is full of tender promises from
God, that He will gather up His sheep. He will search tirelessly for them.
He will find the lost, the hungry, the homeless. And He will
give them a place to live, in Israel, next to fresh water. And He
Himself will feed them.

The passage goes on and on, and it warms your heart.

But, like an exclamation point, He drives the promise home with
something for the people that had been mistreating God's children for
ages: He will destroy them. And they will be fed, too.

But He is going to feed them justice.

"Justice." What a perfect word to form connections across
political boundaries in our times.

Everybody wants justice. We just define it differently. And it is quite
possible that, in God's eyes, both definitions of justice are sound.
We find them incompatible. God pronounces both extremes to be valid.

And God is going to fill the plates of the comfortable with justice,
and make them eat it.

The promises of God are good. They are wonderful. And they are worth
following the commandments and waiting for. But just in case we get
bored, lose hope, or find ourselves still feeling envy towards just about
everybody else, God reminds us, "Oh don't worry - they'll get theirs."

Maybe not for me, but for a lot of people, that's Good News.