Monthly Archives: March 2012

The Jokeless Joke

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Diamond Ring

Diamond Ring (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I laugh a silent laugh

At a joke, no joke at all.

The promise of eternity,

Now present in my heart,

Is such a firmer ground to stand.

The trinkets of this present place,

All shiny, sparkly, inviting,

Ask me to come and play;

“Why vent your strength on Him?”

This is the joke, the beginning of words.

And the laugh is the end result.

How do you think, with all truth laid bare,

That you offer me something more?

Worthless ashes, yet to be,

Speak from there if you will.

Tempt me when the slightest breeze

Blows all that you have away.

If you can do this then will I listen.

And I make that promise to you.

For I know your fate; your pomp non-glistening.

And I know where I’ll be when you’re not.

Do Not Let Me Resort to Fear

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In life here there are lies.  There is death, hunger, despair, hatred, false religion, false gods, hopelessness, twisted men who present themselves as if they are “good”.  And the list I could make of what is here would go on for many pages.  Who would read what they can touch with their own fingers?

Yet in this life there is a place of understanding that strips off all that filthy list.  There is a place where a man can know truth and live it.  I know that place!  I know that many will see me type those words and balk, “No man knows truth.”  I tell you I know Him!  And, more importantly, He knows me.

You want freedom from all that detestable list?  Do you want FREEDOM to LIVE?  Pry it from my heart.  Help me testify to what He is.  Ask me.  Press me.  Help me put into words what only the soul can understand with any clarity.

We have lips, graphics, gestures, and body language to communicate.  That’s the limit of our ability.  So how can I hope to tell you what is spoken in a place where these things are NOT the limit?  Take it from me.  Ask until you understand.

God has given the Gospel to men so that men can speak to one another.  It is a humble heart who will lower themselves enough to ask another man.  It is the proud who will restrain their questions before men.  The proud will think that no man can know the truth.  The humble will avail themselves to any possible source of life.  They will seek with all their might.  And if the testimony I give you falters, the meek will understand that I am like them.

We struggle to share what cannot be perceived.  But that inability to perceive it through our senses does not mean it is a lie.  Salvation in Jesus is absolutely real and transforming.  Consider this:  We are in the place of testing.  We are the ones who, for now, can’t see what eternity has seen all along.  We are the ones blind to His presence.  He is not blind to us.

Ask and I will tell you what He has told me.  And I am not the only one.  There are thousands of me.  Ask them.  Press them.  You know who they are.  Make them tell you.  And do not let them resort to fear.

“There is a Line.”

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Susan Ashton sung the song, “There is a Line.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGbgZbzvGw  Such exquisite lyrics.  They have played in my mind all night.  The first few lines go like this:

It’s hard to tell just when the night becomes the day

That golden moment when the darkness rolls away

But there is a moment none the less.
In the regions of the heart there is a place

A sacred charter that should not be erased
It is the marrow; the moral core that I can not ignore.

I can’t define that moment in my life with absolute clarity.  But I do know, without the slightest doubt that it happened.  It is a micro moment in which one does not care about the things holy, then one cares.  I don’t think it was a choice I made.  I think the choice to obey His calling came afterward.

Now here’s the point:  Why isn’t this slender silver moment apparent in everyone’s life?  Why do we struggle so to describe it to those who have not had it?  If we all had it we could point to a common understanding.  But it isn’t there.  Why?

A Summation

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Germany and the allies fought to the death.  And anyone who capitulated with the enemy, on either side, was shot dead where he stood.  I mention this because there are places where compromise is not an option to either side of a war.  There are those who are given as ambassadors to present an offer of peace between the forces.  But for the most part, compromise is never a welcome ally in war.  And a soldier on the ground, in battle, should never compromise.

It is said to us that we do not war against flesh and blood in the propagation of the Gospel of the Lord.  But we war against things unseen.  However when we are presented with those moments of non-compromise it is astounding to witness how hard a rock the human heart can become.

Now, I don’t understand all the dynamics of that spiritual warfare.  What I do know is that when I encounter a hardened heart it is to a man that I address my words.

There are some who absolutely refuse to surrender any morsel of ground in their rebellion.  And I find these sort in the camp of atheists.  I have made up my mind to be quite brisk with them.  It does not do either of us any good to patronize the other.  We are of vastly different fathers.  Though Jesus teaches me to try to inject reason, I find their responses quite vile and insulting.  They are on the attack because they think they have something to gain by waging war against God’s people.  It as if they are pure animal now.  And having smelled blood they will stop at nothing to kill what is true and pure.

You think this is too harsh a statement against them?  I don’t.  I have had enough encounters to solidify my understanding.  The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”  And who can bring reason to a fool?

What is odd about their stance is that they will certainly give account of themselves.  They refuse to listen to reason yet they accuse God’s people of that very crime.  It’s a done deal with me.  No more kumbaya with atheists.  From now on I will point them to the Lord.  They argue with me to no effect.  So why argue at all?  Not one encounter with them has proven profitable.  Not one.   No more compromising language.  No copitulation with the godless.

I will gladly speak to you who hold God so in such a vulgar contempt so as to say He does not exist.  But do not expect a warm welcome here.  By your choice, I will say it again, by your choice we are at war.

The Game of LIFE

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Board for the game Quantum

Board for the game Quantum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was said, “The game is afoot.”  And we knew the action was about to pick up.  Just what did that mean though?  It meant that someone was to pursue.  Someone was to avoid.  And, usually, someone had been victimized.  Quite possibly someone was either going to die or someone had died.  Regardless the story line, a crime had been committed and justice was employed to rectify the situation as well as it can be rectified.

I find this same concept in the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  We all know what it means to play a game.  And in some games we are the direct players, hide and seek is one which comes to mind.  There are also board games and video games, in which we are simply the ones who manipulate the outcome according to our choices.

This “place of testing” is just that sort (in my understanding).  We are the pieces which are moved from one place to another according to the skill of the Most High God.  He will win.  And He will reward the players according to their submission.  He is not unjust at all.  But in this concept I find myself more willing than ever to submit.

What is pleasing to God is pleasing to all, in the end.  And it is a privilege to encounter this game with a light heart; a heart willing to die for the sake of the pleasure of my God.  I know this is a slightly childish look at suffering for the sake of Jesus’ name.  But it is also a powerful word of inspiration to those who can stomach the reality of their position, plight, and hope.

Filthy Rags to Glorious Riches

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U.S. Marine sits in a foxhole and points a mac...

U.S. Marine sits in a foxhole and points a machine gun towards Beirut, Lebanon, in the distance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jeffrey Frankel is attributed to the following saying:  “They say there are no atheists in foxholes.”  Now I don’t care one whit what atheists think of me posting that saying.  It has been determined that “A fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'”  And who would consult a fool for wisdom?  Only another fool would do that.  I have been a fool.  But in respect to the reality of there being a God, I am no longer such.  And this preamble brings me to the meat of the post.

If God is called on in times when troubles escape our ability to cope, then why isn’t that same power effective in the smallest detail of our lives?  Why do people leave God when things go well enough?  He has told us that every good work we do on our own is as filthy rags.  Then why don’t we believe Him in that statement?

Seek God for absolutely every directive.  Look to Him for every thought, duty, emotion, sickness, and healthy moment.  This is the will of God for man.  It is this very point where millions have missed the blessing of the transforming power of God.