Slow Dance with a Dead Body


It’s a really weird title, isn’t it. It draws a mental picture that probably shouldn’t be in our head. But think about the following.

Don’t we get kind of miffed if when we talk to someone they absolutely ignore us? And what if someone came to you like this: looking at the ground they mutter your name numerous times, appeal to you to listen to them, then repeat those two actions 20 times. At some point you just give up listening, turn away, and leave them as they are. It’s not that you despise them, you despise what they’re doing.

Do you think the Lord Jesus is different then we are about this? Effective prayer is real conversation. Ritualistic words are pretty much useless. Either he is our friend or he is just God.

Sharing?


Sometimes when the mind sees the truth, it comes with such blazing clarity that words can’t possibly define it. And the truth comes so quickly, as if In a vision. (A mental snapshot of the unseen).   

I just had one of those encounters with truth. But I don’t know if I can summon the words to portray it correctly. Nevertheless, I’m compelled to try.  


I was thinking of how impossible it is for a man to influence another’s relationship with God. In my own mind I saw a wall between myself and any other man.  


Then the thought expanded, quickly and greatly.  


It’s not a wall between men. It’s a cylinder around every man that reaches to the very throne of God.  


Sometimes it’s darkened to blackness at the top, and no light can come from God. Other times it varies in degrees of brightness, depending on the man’s willingness to love the one who made him.  


We cannot influence another man’s relationship with God. The man must do it himself.  


How useless then, to think that all these writings have any positive affect at all. It is still the will of every man and woman to either believe or not.  


Still, how can I keep such things to myself?

Making Christians


This place is filled with words.  There are virtually no movies.  Pictures are sparse.  Music is virtually non-existent.  All I have is words.

They sit here like gold in the ground.  It’s not that my words are beautiful and holy and Majestic.  But they can certainly lead anyone to that place.

I asked the Lord repeatedly to open the hearts and minds of a certain few.  Today I received a response.  “Let them desire it”.

I can’t make anyone into a Christian.  I can’t give them eternal life.  All I can do, and it is enough, is point the way to the One who is all Good things.  All I can say is, and quite repeatedly, humble yourself before God that you may live.  Life is in His hands.  The choice is in yours.

Errant Blind Souls


If I could train my foolish brain to recognize people as errant blind souls wandering in a suit of flesh, I believe forgiveness would flow like a river.  Though there is forgiveness as I live in Christ, it is often by compulsion.  It’s rarely the first thought.

I think about the reason for this inability to perceive correctly and consistently.  I think it has something to do with the deluge of trinkets and baubles which mask the true Man. 

Perhaps it was slightly easier in early Christianity, where there were less objects of affection to be had.  I can’t possibly know, and I don’t think anyone will ever be able to say for sure.  Only God truly knows.

Pride certainly holds a relevant kingship when it comes to masking the true soul of a man.  And doesn’t pride come in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and intensity?  But Pride’s robe is made up of all the things a man may amass to declare his kingship over his own soul.  To get to the heart of a man you have to slice through the garbage.  Undoubtedly, recognizing people as blind errant souls gets far more difficult as the abundance of wealth gathers to hide them.

And I think it’s appropriate here to mention that the abundance of things that hide a soul need not necessarily be costly items.  There is the wealth of social alienation.  This alienation relies chiefly on violence as its display.  From ignoring to  physical violence, such a man says, without speaking, “Get past this if you can”.

Regardless all these things, it is to the Christian’s benefit to perceive his fellow Man as an errant blind soul (just like himself).  Certainly something worth thinking on.

From my own perspective, here is a small list of shills people use.

Politics
Religion
Social position
Tradition
Jokes
Rude behavior
Foul language
A pleasant countenance
Apathy
Social intelligence
Clothing
Makeup
Race
Creed
Exclusive clubs
Deviant behavior
Drugs and alcohol
All manner of things that can be bought

All these things mask the true Man.  Who is capable of perceiving past these things on a consistent basis?

15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.” (John 8)

My memory is renewed to consider that God in Christ alone is able to reach any soul.

Just Worthless Noise


Words that you will likely never hear from the HR staff of a company:

“Let God come in here.  Talk about him all you want.  Because wherever God is, good things happen.”

You will not see a sign like that posted in a bar. 

There will be no places made along the highway, where people can pull over and pray.  A secluded and beautiful little place, where quiet is the only regulation.  And Christianity is the commanded focus.

The government will never find funding for a public memorial, depicting the beautiful things that Christ has done for humanity.   Certainly nothing similar to the memorial of the Vietnam War, Mount Rushmore, and the like.

You will never hear the president give orders to the citizens of America to fast and pray to the living God in Christ Jesus, for the sake of some trouble.  Never.

But you will hear the glorification of man.

From very early in the morning to deep into the night, Man babbles about with words for everything but God.  All his celebrations have one purpose: “Make Man happy”.

The statistics are vague but they are consistent in variation.  It is said that women speak about 20,000 words a day.  While men use about 7000.  How many of those words, do you think, relate to the glory of Christ?  Let the reader do the math, but multiply those numbers times the population of the world.  What is the volume of words used by Man everyday?  How little is dedicated to the Holy One?

Heaven is!  And there, Christ is King and glorified.  For the time being, the world is.  But take note of how Christ is not glorified.

Judge for yourself,  should we really ask God to bless America?  Does any nation really have the right to ask for the blessing of God?

PS: How many words of yours glorify God’s Holy Son all day long?

By His Grace