Skip to main content

Externals ...

 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:4-5)

There was a popular saying years ago, “Please be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.” I tended to think that some people resorted to it as an excuse for not bothering to try to curb bad behavior. At the other end are the people who flip out if you happen to prove less than perfect – according to their definition of perfect. Then there are the people who don’t notice their own imperfections much, while others fret over them. I think I go back and forth between those last two. There are things about which I’m not as concerned as I should be, and there are things I fret about. And sometimes, I just fret. And the idea that someone might pray with joy for me, or consider me a partner in the gospel – ludicrous. Of course, little of any of this is rational, and that’s part of the problem.

          Last night while visiting a friend, I tried to explain a little about my faith in God’s guidance. While there are times when I’m anxious about specifics and “right now,” God has taught me that He is guiding me. I don’t need to worry about “missing an exit” in terms of His will for me. This morning, God is challenging my security on this. If I am generally confident that He will direct my path, why am I anxious about specifics and right nows? And if I am confident that He will direct my path, why am I anxious about my internal progress as a  Christian?

          Of course, part of it is because these things are attacks used to separate me from God. But equally, it is because this is something God is working into my life. That also brings to mind a line from The Horse And His Boy, in which Aslan tells Shasta that he is telling Shasta Shasta’s story, not Aravis’. One of the struggles I face is well-meaning people who think I should relax, calm down, and (it seems to me) become like them.

          That may be God’s eventual goal, but when I think about kicking back and relaxing – watching TV every evening, or whatever – I stress. That’s the problem I have with Sundays. It’s supposed to be a day of rest, but most of what others dictate as “resting” or “relaxing” isn’t restful or relaxing to me. The purpose of the day of rest is to draw us closer to God, but I think there’s an aspect of it that is also designed to recharge us. I’ve read a couple books on some of this, but I think I need to go back to it – and develop an answer that I can give for a more individualized idea of rest, relaxation, and recharging as I take the lesson I’ve learned about God guiding me in externals to God guiding me in the internals.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more