God's World And Our Assignments - His Will

These days I often hear "It's not about me; it's about him." It's still a popular, over-used, even if well-meaning, Christian slogan. It has become cliche. But recently, this cliche has burrowed into my soul. As I considered my desires about where I want to end up, I had this thought, "If I am to be a servant, then I must do the master's bidding, not my own." God's will, his cosmic plan, isn't all about me. It's about him and his kingdom. It's about us and all of creation. We can verbally assent to the idea, we do all the time, but do we know what it means?

God has many things in mind as he brings forth his kingdom. He is redeeming all things. I am included in his kingdom coming, in his redemption. I am a beloved daughter. As I obey him, his life-giving waters flow through me into the life of others. But his kingdom coming and my definition of personal, even kingdom success, are not always the same. Nor are they always at odds.

God isn't careless towards me or about me and my desires. He often blesses me by granting my requests. However, sometimes he and I might interpret blessing differently; sometimes he'll bless me differently than I'd bless myself if I were he because I am not. And who is wiser? Me or him? I am a small, yet intrical and infinitely loved part, of his family, of his kindgom, of his living story.

Of course, I have my own ideas of the part I want to play in God's story. But he's the author. My job is to serve him--to obey the assignments or part he gives me, even if it is a bit part. I am to be a his faithful servant and the servant of all. I can't wander off and do my own thing. I can't rewrite or edit the story. If I try, not only is it is to my own detriment and destruction--it is destructive to my brothers and sisters, to the his kingdom.

And the thing is, I can barely conceive of the grand scheme of things--the story. I just can't imagine it. Oh yes, scripture tells us how it will end. It gives us some of the cosmic highlights. However, scripture doesn't give us a detailed description of how God's will, his story, will unfold in our lives.

Are we content at playing the minor roles? Will we be faithful to what we are called to do when life doesn't pan out the way we think it should? Or will we throw in the servant's towel, exchanging it for mastery of our own lives?

Servants are often overlooked, invisible, underappreciated, and mistreated. They are to work hard for the master's will, not their own. They are to respect the master and not talk back. They're obscure.

Servants aren't celebrities.

God's great reversal is this: whoever is greatest in the kingdom of heaven will be the servant of all--not a servant of herself or himself.

And

the last shall be first.

Three "Nevers" Having To Do With Humility

It is true. Lately, I've posted much about humility. I know not why exactly except that it has been on my mind. It just seems I am reading about it and also hoping that God will knead it deeper into my soul and that I will do (or be) my part, too.

That said, here is a morsel I gleaned from our Renovare discussion thread. It is from my friend in Huntsville, Texas, Helen.





1. Never pretend
2. Never presume – that you deserve things.
3. Never push – standing for what is right is different than sticking up for your rights. Standing up for what is right is not a personal issue. Get out of the business of making things happen. You don’t push…you let God do it. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God means let him carry the load. Don’t trust your best.

This is from a discussion about Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart.

God Works in the Now --Where We Are

Some of us are tempted to despise the present because we are unhappy with our circumstances...anywhere else is better than here. (I am not directing these remarks to victims of abuse. May God and we help those who are in such situations! And if you find yourself in such a situation, may you flee to safety at the closest opportunity ... seek help. And I do pray that Christ is with you and protects you and gives you strength and that he uses others to help you).

For those of us who are discontented because we are not where we want to be and thus despising where we are, let us remember that God works in the now. Here are the words of Dallas Willard:

"We must accept the circumstances we constantly find ourselves in as the place of God's kingdom and blessing. God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being 'right' we will simply have no place to receive this kingdom into our life. For those situations and moments are our life." The Divine Conspiracy pp. 348-349.

God's Timing

"There is a time for everything  under the sun." Ecclesiastes 3

I can mentally assent to the truth that God does everything in his proper time but I don't always appreciate that truth experientially. Many times, I'd like God to expedite my prayer request and desires. I want them now! Why can't he understand that? When I don't get my way, I sometimes behave like my just-turned-three-year-old Iliana. I throw a tantrum. I moan and groan to God. I mope around--at least internally. But when I step back, I think about how distasteful unripe fruits and vegetables are. Or really anything that we eat uncooked or half-baked. There is a natural rhythm on the earth, seasons. There are seasons of life. There are natural rhythms and seasons in the spiritual life, too.

God is not a "shove-it-through-half-baked-sloppily-done" God. He does all things well and everything happens in its time. While we're in the process of bearing fruit, really we shouldn't be self-concious of it, that is unhealthy, but if we think of it for this particular metaphor, we must think about the fact that God wishes us to bear healthy, ripe fruit. He does not wish it to be plucked or offered until it is ripe.

All throughout the book of John we hear Jesus say, "My time has not yet come" or hear the disciples report "his time had not yet come." Jesus did not do anything out of turn. He didn't try to make a puzzle piece fit where it didn't go. We often do that. And then we wonder why we are having trouble or why there is chaos in our lives.

If we would just submit to God's timing, to the natural rhythm of his universe and kingdom, then we'd be filled with peace and see that he does make everything beautiful in his time.

On Going To Church & God's Will

"Henry Drummond warned of a 'worship which ends with the worshiper, a religion expressed only in ceremony, and a faith unrelated to life.' He goes on later to make this observation:

The great use of the church is to help men to do without it . . . . Church services are 'diets' of worship. They are meals. All who are hungry will take them, and, if they are wise, regularly. But no workman is paid for his meals. No Christian is paid for going to church. He goes there for a meal, for strength from God and form his fellow-worshipers to do the work of life--which is the work of Christ.

If all you do is sing to  God but never offer your service to him, then you're living on your lunch hour. And what kind of faithfulness is that?

No man can do more with his life than the will of God--that though we may never be famous or powerful, or called to heroic suffering or acts of self-denial which will vibrate through history: that though we are neither intended to be apostles nor missinonaries nor martyrs, but to be common people living in common houses, spending the day in common offices or common kitchens, yet doing the will of God there, we shall do as much as apostle or missionary or martyr--seeing that they can do no more than do God's will than where they are--even as we can do as much where we are--and answer the end of our life as truly, faithfully, and triumphantly as they. "

As quoted in Gary Thomas' book the Beautiful Fight p. 136.

One of  my favorite contemporary books!

God Works All Things Together For Our Good...

Recently, I asked a wise man about the problem of evil and why many professing Christians do not look more like Christ. I've written about this before and have been pondering it for sometime. I realize as I ponder this that I must watch my own walk, ask for God's grace, and work out my salvation with fear and trembling lest I stumble. Here is the answer that Lazarus of Hyacinth gave. He is of the Orthodox persuasion. His Oasis blog is one of my favorites http://lazarus-oasis.blogspot.com/.

"In † Romans 8:28, St. Paul talks about how all things work for the good of them that love God and who are called according to His purpose.


But this again is speaking of the Wisdom and Providence of God, which we cannot always fathom, and so we do not see the true cause and end of things. In our limited view, we make wrong choices, draw wrong conclusions, and we FAIL TO TRUST GOD AT HIS WORD, thinking that we can manage it all on our own. This is an incredible pride and arrogance, is it not, thinking that we know better than God!

In the storms of life, we often cannot explain why things happen as they do, and to make matter worse, we cut ourselves off from heavenly aid by our failure to trust in God.

We either say that God is God, and believe in His goodness and wisdom, or we do not. Scripture tells us that God desires that none perish, and that all be saved and enter the eternal Kingdom. If we REALLY believe that, then we must "hang on," no matter what life throws at us, to the Divine purpose for which we are called, and for which we were created. We must run the race to the end.

Our other option is despair and darkness.

We do not always understand the lessons we are being taught by our sorrows and sufferings, but all the Saints testify to the necessity of dying to self and the world. Christ must be our first and chief love above all else. It is the only Wisdom and Love that can save us and prepare us for the Kingdom. In our delusion, we think that this world is all there is, and we convince ourselves, against all the evidence, that we can become its masters. Death tells us otherwise. It is a sword in the heart of our pride and arrogance. This is why all the Saints speak about the constant remembrance of death.

While I do use a traditional prayer rope, most of the time I pray using some prayer beads made of bones. This is one way I keep the constant remembrance of death before my mind, lest I become arrogant before God and start to think I know something!

When we stay in the Father's will, He helps us, and sends us heavenly aid in our struggles. When I leave His will because of my sins, then I have real trouble hearing His voice, and my aid deserts me. I suffer, and this is another way of God's teaching me.

If we think God is unfair, and could have done a better job in creating the world, then we are pretending to a knowledge INFINITELY far above us, and it can only be called arrogance and rebellion . . . "

Perception of Time/Waiting - Kathleen Norris

Our perception of time is subject to technological revision, and increased speed has generally translated into subtle diminishment of our capacity to appreciate our immediate surroundings. In his 1849 essay, "The English Mail Coach," Thomas DeQuincey noted that while the new, high-speed coaches of his day offered much faster travel than had been thought possible a few years before, they also distanced passengers from the countryside. The simple pleasures available to the stroller or wanderer on horseback--the scent of wild roses, a glimpse of a fox with her kits, an exchange of greetings with other travelers or laborers resting from their labors in a field of sweet smelling, newly-mown hay, -- had been traded for increased efficiency . . . .

Waiting seems at odds with progress, and we seldom ask whether it might have a purpose in and of itself. Etymology helps us here, for when we look up the word wait  we are instructed to see vigor. Waiting, then, is not passive but a vigilant and watchful activity designed to keep us aware of what is really going on. Isaiah evokes this radical waiting as a source of vitality: "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,/they shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:31). Such waiting is meant to engender a lively hope rooted in the physical as well as the psyche. It is in an action "hop" contained within the word. To hope is to make a leap, to jump from where you are to someplace better. If you can imagine it, and dare to take that leap, you can go there--no matter how hopeless your situation may appear.

From Acedia and Me: A Marriage, Monks, and A Writer's Life pp. 220-221.

Running Ahead of God

“Give me my inheritance . . . .” (Luke 15:12)

Are you contemplating taking your inheritance and running off? Like the prodigal (Luke 15:12), you think, “My Father is just taking too long to give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4). He is robbing me of enjoyment now.” You've prayed, searched the depths of your soul and have concluded that your desires are not sinful. So why is your Heavenly Father delaying? Thoughts like, “If I do not do this now it is not going to happen,” and “Maybe I just need to get the ball rolling” enter your mind. You have grown impatient. Don't do it! Don't snatch your inheritance and run off to the far country(Luke 15:13)! Perhaps you don't believe that taking action now would take you to the far country. But be warned! If the Father has not given you permission to go ahead, or if you are in the midst of doubt, by running ahead you would be acting out of unbelief and will not receive his blessing. Living in unbelief without his blessing is the far country away from your Father.

Do not be like the Israelites who tried to prematurely take their inheritance. After Moses warned them, “Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies . . . ” they disobeyed (Numbers 14:42). “Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah” (Numbers 14:43-45).

Again, if you're contemplating making a decision and know that you don't have the Lord’s blessing, stop! Do not presume upon the Lord. He wants you to wait on him and trust him to give you the inheritance he has for you at the proper time, lest you be beaten down. If he has not answered yet, he wants you to learn about him in the wilderness. Thereafter, you will be able to enjoy the land that flows with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27).