Tag Archives: obedience

The True War

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It is not against The Righteousness of God that a man finds himself at war.  The war finds itself in the battlefield of willingness.

 

The Righteousness of God is established forever.  It wars against no one.

 

But let a man perceive the truth of life’s singular and constant war.  It is waged without weapons or blood.

 

God stands firm in His Glorious Righteous ways.  It is the man who finds his own limit.

 

What then?  Where will a man stand on that Great and Horrible day?

 

His willingness alone dictates his position among the great throng.

 

Was he willing to lay down selfish desire?  To what extent that appeared, the man will find his place before Him.

 

The Righteousness of God is as the battlefield itself.  But the vicious war is attended to by the man and his willingness.

Consumed

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I look at myself, and I see the Lord Jesus.  But I don’t see myself in the same light as He.

For He consumed Himself with the Joy of obedience toward His Holy Father’s will.

I, on the other hand, am consumed with the effects of forgiveness, partial obedience, and the consequences of sins (both past and present).

What an odd comparison to find living in my soul.

 

Without question: Jesus Christ, the Holy Lamb of God, is King of all!  Indeed, salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb.  As it will be sung on that Holy Day, so it is memorized by compulsion today.

Happy

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“What makes you happy what do you want to do?”  I have no idea how many hundreds of times that’s been asked of me.

I’ve tried a few times to answer with what’s true.  But that’s not the expected reply.  I assume the questioner thinks I am either arrogant, evasive, a complete social misfit, or just playing stupid.

I. want.  one.   thing!

I want to stop being in trouble!

I say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Or I don’t speak up when I should.

I’m too overbearing, they say.  I’m too much of a pushover, leaving far too much on the table.

I leave my pen in my pocket when I do her laundry.  So I get in trouble when I try to do something right.

I am completely satisfied to eat a cold can of beans.  So why do people keep asking me what I want for dinner?

No, I don’t want to go out dancing.  Dancing requires a certain measure of joy.  I don’t have it!

On and on the list goes.  Apparently, a never-ending separation from humanity.  And other than the moments of lucid desire for friendship, I’m perfectly happy to remain this way.

What makes me happy?  Let me give the answer that is never understood.  I want to go home.

I want to have the peace of God on me 24 /7.  I want to understand his will so well that I do it without the slightest hesitation, and correctly.  Something I have yet to come close to attaining.

I want to overcome sin in every respect.  That would make me exceedingly happy.  I want to know just what to say to everyone I meet, so that all my speech is seasoned with salt.  That would make me happy.

Am I really such an anomaly?  Is there anyone else out there who feels the same?

I understand why they don’t understand.  I got it.  Let them live as they do.  They will receive no condemnation from me.  May the holy Lord Jesus happily embrace them on that great and horrible day.

All the while I will be, in some measure, unhappy.  I am not who I want to be.  I am not where I want to be.  And this world offers nothing to change my mind.

By His Grace

The Invisible Bridge

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I have found something interesting, something I have known, but not fully understood.  The elders talk about it.  The Deacons point toward it.  The world denies it with frothing lips.  It remains, however, before every child of God to encounter.

The majority of our walk before Christ Jesus is spent in discovery.  We cannot use excuse, before the Holy One, for our disobedience.  Yet there are reasons why we falter as we do.  Discovering these reasons comes hand in hand with growth toward maturity.

We learn not to blame anyone for our fault.  Yet we recognize that the whole of humanity has caused every sin.  And in this way, the Lord Jesus teaches us to sacrifice blame for personal responsibility.

But what shall a man do when he understands this as fully as his mind is able?  What shall we do when a man finds himself repeating offenses yet finds no one but himself to blame?

Here a man comes face to face with the fullness of the gospel.  No longer perceiving as a child.  Now he perceives as a man.  The fullness of blame rests on the one who has sinned, rests heavily.

From here one can receive the forgiveness of Christ with renewed interest.  From here the glory of God takes a prominence in all his thoughts.  The man no longer tosses about the subject of blame or innocence.  Condemnation becomes exceedingly personal.  Here the glory of God rages even brighter to consume his enemies.  Here the glory of God’s mercy blazes even brighter within the flame.

I have come to discover: the Glory of Christ Jesus is stronger than our sins.  Not only in his teaching, but more so in our learning.

If you continue in the way you will discover this also.  It is the crossing of an invisible bridge.  And I speak of it so that when you yourself encounter this, there will be memory within you.

It is a difficult place to encounter.  For here a man is starkly naked before the Holy One.  But having reached the other side of the bridge I can testify, “Even in this he is able to save”.

It may well be you do not understand what I’m saying.  But the time for every man will appear.  I will try it with one example to express this in understandable terms.

As a man goes to a school of learning, he learns enough to do his trade.  But he has yet to enter the workforce and apply it.  Often the world will scoff at the little bookworm who seems to know all. 

But one day he goes to work and understands why they laughed.  He presupposed his importance.  And difficulties have proved his knowledge insufficient.

Now he grapples with humility.  Now he is faced to join them in their derision of the novice.  Yet even while he makes fun of pretense, he is forced to remember that he once also walked in that way.

What comes from this place I do not know.  It is not as though these things happen among men.  But this has come to me before the Holy One in all its brilliance.  Stark and true, it shines a light within my soul to illuminate every possible miscarriage of righteousness.

May understanding come in due time.  I enter into this place in full view of those who have gone before me.  And I speak of this with the humility that knows others have understood this long before I arrived.  And I have to confess the question, “Do I yet understand as I should?

By His Grace

Perhaps

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“We interrupt this presentation of the NFL for a special message from Billy Graham.”  And for the next hour and 12 minutes, Mr Graham gives us the Gospel.  How might such a thing be received?

A godless man will hate the living God.  A godless man is a tyrant over obedience.  He will not allow his heart and mind and soul to do anything for the Living God.  He is like a violent and jealous husband.  If he suspects that his heart desires what is good, he beats it cruelly, and treats it to all manner of vile behavior.  “Back to pleasure with you!  You will not do what is right!”

So the godless treat themselves.  Pleasure is their king, and they will not obey what is holy. 

They are like the young man whose eyes are full of insolence as he works at his job.  Though his boss says nothing, it is easily seen the boy does not love his work.  Trouble will surely come, for the child hates his place.

But there are some who will die watching football this season.  For them the interruption is not a mere hour and 12 minutes.  Eternity will break on them in less than a heartbeat.  And they will find their pleasure rudely interrupted.  They will finally obey God; their soul will remain in hell.

Not only will this happen to some who watch football.  It will happen in the sleep of some.  It will happen while they do their work.  It will happen to a few women as they go out to shop.  Death will appear without notice, claiming their soul for God.  The shock of death belongs to those who have not prepared their soul.

God is sovereign, he answers to no one.  But look how men treat him; as if they are sovereign and have a right to do as they please.  But God has already determined the end of a man’s life.  Go ahead and make three guesses, who wins, God or man?

You insolent masses to hate the Holy God who gave you life.  Pleasure is your god.  Rebelion is your worship.  As you despise going to work on Monday, for it interrupts your pleasure, so you despise obedience to the Holy Living God.  But you are the ones who will suffer.

During times of trouble you call on God.  Why should he listen to your words, you have not listened to his.  You act like you pray for a touchdown.  Expecting God to bless your desires.  How utterly void of understanding.  How fully insolent and arrogant!

“I am not a religious man.”‘  You say.  I am not a Jew, nor a priest, nor a Christian.  God does not expect of me the things he expects of you.” 

Your heart thinks in foolishness.  God has made every man.  And will surely call every man to account for the same Holy standards.  And you know this!  Look how you blame a label instead of taking responsibility for your own life!

You have already rehearsed your excuses.  But not a single one will do, when you lose your perceived sovereignty.  It will happen faster than you can think.  And eternity will be more sure than what you have now.

But do go and fill yourself with pleasure.  By every means, fill up the judgment against you.  To rebuke a foolish man is to incur wrath.  You do not listen to the Sovereign God, why should you listen to me?

When’s the last time you even looked at a Bible?  Have you ever spent time on your knees in prayer?  Have you used the name of God’s Holy Son in anything other than profanity?  Have you even considered the end of your days?

“Prop me up beside the jukebox when I die.”  This is the stupidity of the folly of man.  You will not be here for your corpse to enjoy.  Yet you think there is something to be gained by the life you lead now.

Since before you were born men have been warning of what is to come.  And even while you slept this morning, preparing for your hated Monday, the Holy Lord allowed me to write this message to you.

What use is it to say more?  I do not expect a single one of you to even find this message, let alone read it and understand.  Perhaps the Sovereign God will have mercy on you and show you this place.  Perhaps he will have mercy on you and strike you with a holy fear.

               Perhaps.

By His Grace

The Limits of Can

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The list of limits, which restrain the life of man, is long.  He is bound up and constrained by the Holy dictates of God’s great Wisdom.  The list of “can” is shorter, yet no less sure.  The first constrains rebellion.  The second unleashes holy righteousness with the unlimited power of God himself.

Man presses against the limits of restraint.  They invent machines to push into those limits, and succeeds.  There will be no glory from God for such pernicious strivings.  How can rebellious desire be rewarded?

But who, among men, reaches to the limit of “can”?   It is written for all to read, “With God all things are possible”.   In the way of obedience, this was said.  In the way of salvation to obedience, this was said.  Who, among men, reaches to the fullness of God’s Holy words?

There are the limits of this world.  The final limit, among men, is reached at the point of death; the release of the soul from the constraints of flesh.  All men will surely reach this limit and pass through.

Many will reach the next impenetrable limit of condemnation; they will go no farther.  No rebellious striving will produce success.  But who will reach beyond that finality to the unspeakable limits of eternity?

God is a God of order.  He has placed limits for all creatures.  In this age, he has constrained.  So it will be in the next age.  In this age he constrains rebellion.  In the next he will constrain Holy order.  Yet who, among men, reaches to the limit of “can”?

Jesus offers righteousness to man now.  Jesus is the righteousness of man forever.  Yet what shall be said of the fullness of possibility in this place of testing?  Who has reached the fullness of God’s willingness to give?  Who, among men, reaches deep to become what God is willing to give?