The Sound of Applause

I couldn't get into the worship service this past Sunday -- it just felt a bit different than other weeks... the worship team itself was new, so there was a new style up on the stage and the congregation seemed a bit more muted than usual.  I am not sure what it was but I just couldn't get into it this Sunday -- sad, isn't it, with so much bounty to praise God for I couldn't bring myself to lift my hands to heaven because I just wasn't "feeling it" that morning.

As I was singing half-heartedly, trying to get myself in to a rather slow song, I heard something that just filled me with irritation: the sound of one person clapping.  During a slow song.  I cast a glance at my wife as if to say, what on earth is that guy doing? Clapping during a slow song... the sheer nerve of the man.  Afterall, I reasoned to my crusty self, slow songs are NOT when you're supposed to clap.

As I wallowed in self-righteousness and tried to sing the song on the screen "properly" (read: without clapping), I was struck with a thought:

"When was the last time I applauded God?"

Instantly, I felt ashamed as I looked at the man ahead of me, happily clapping his hands to worship our God, as I stood there going through the motions because I wasn't quite in the mood.  As I reflect on it now, I am struck by my willingness to judge the man ahead of me for his style of worship - and his JOY in doing so - when my own worship that Sunday was anything but heartfelt.

Scripture reminds us that it is right - and necessary - to praise and extol our God:

Psalm 117:1-2 (The Message version): "Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people! His love has taken over our lives; God's faithful ways are eternal. Hallelujah!"

Yet how often do we truly praise God? Or to be a bit more broad: do we realize that applauding God is both an act of thanks in worship AND a way of life?

In Luke 10:27 Jesus tells his followers - us - that we are to: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind". I love that verse -- alot.  However, let's for a moment take that word love and replace it with applaud... because applauding the Lord is based in love.... see what you get... "Applaud the Lord your God...".  Changes the dynamic a bit, doesn't it? Applauding and loving unto God are one and the same thing.

But oh we claim -- or at least in my case, I claim - I don't KNOW how to clap the way God wants me to clap! I don't know how to applaud God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind!

Aren't we all guilty of this? Claiming that we don't know how to clap? Or if we do know how to clap doing so pretty half-heartedly?  I like to claim that I don't know how to properly love/applaud God... but you know, it really is pretty basic how it shakes down:

• In our work, are we working for God? Or are we shuffling papers on our desk to pass the hours before we can go home and do something better? (Colossians 3:23-24)
  
• When there is the altar call on a Sunday morning... do you head up for prayer or do you bee-line for the door because you need to get to Swiss Chalet? (James 5:14)
• In our relationships are we always aiming higher? Or are we content with the status quo? (Ephesians 6:1-4 and Ephesians 5:22-33)
  
• Is your offer to help that person who kind of bothers you sincere? Or are you hoping that they will say no thanks so you can go back to your own life and avoid having to ask them if they need anything for the next few weeks? (Luke 10:30-37)
• Are you truly happy and thankful for what you have or do you constantly wish you had more, were more and looked more like someone else? (Philippians 4:19 and Exodus 20:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
  
• Are you repairing broken relationships -- or are you content to allow the past to define your future? (1 John 4:20)
• Are you of the world or in the world? (John 17:14 and James 4:4)
• When a friend, a family member, an acquaintance makes a rude comment about God or about Christians, do you not say anything because you don't "feel like getting into it" or do you chuckle along because it is just easier that way? (Romans 1:16-17)
• When you give your offering to God through tithes do you do so willingly, or do you think of a million better ways you could be spending that money you just put in the plate? (2 Corinthians 9:7)
• On Sunday morning, do you scowl when your neighbour praises God in his/her way, when in actuality you should be casting your glance inward at yourself and the way you are worshiping God? (Okay, clearly that last one is for me! :-)
  

No matter how you answered those questions above, the reality is that God -- and our loving applause of HIM - is found in all those areas... in our work, in our dedication to Him, in our relationships, in how we live our lives, in our willingness to be servants... all of these are ways to demonstrate how we love and serve Him.  You don't need to simply applaud God to worship Him... applauding God can take many forms, obedience to Him and His Word being first among them.  

If we define applauding God by this standard, then the simple act of applauding becomes a lot deeper in meaning, doesn't it? Imagine the sound of rejoicing among the saints when we - with a heart filled with the joy of the Lord - rejoice at the act of repairing a relationship!!  Imagine the smile on God's face, and how He claps His Hands, when we declare His gospel with a voice as loud and strong as Christ's own voice!! Imagine the applause of heaven when we stand strong in the Lord when we are faced with incredible adversity!!

God wants our applause on a Sunday morning -- but what He values above that is applause of a different sort.

The applause of obedience.

Maybe it's time we all started clapping a little harder.

Riding the wave of provision

God has blessed me abundantly this week -- first with the beautiful dream about my Grandma and then in an unexpected way today.  In many ways, I feel like I am just surfing down a wave from heaven's floodgate!

Last week we purchased a central vacuum cleaner for the price of $903.99 -- an expensive, but necessary, item in a new house where drywall dust is still abundant.  It makes the end of the month reconciling of finances a bit difficult -- but such is the case when you move: there are alot of unexpected costs.

Today, I received an email from the venue where my wife and I had our wedding reception and they informed us that they had a credit on our account and that they will be issuing us a cheque on Monday.  The amount of the cheque? $903.46.

Anybody that tries to tell me that this was just a convenient coincidence is simply wrong.  The reality is that God has - once again - demonstrated how much He enjoys providing to His children as a reward for our faith and to demonstrate His love to us.  I believe He sees that we are being faithful to Him not only in prayer, in spending time in His Word and in praising His name, but also through the act of giving back to God through our financial offerings.

Each Sunday my wife and I tithe -- we give a flat amount every week and then the difference on the last Sunday of every month to ensure we give back a total of 10% of our income faithfully to God each month.  We look forward to the day when we can give more to God than 10% but for now, we are blessed enough to be able to give Him what He asks for.

However, today the verses from Malachi 3:10 came to my mind as I realized God had re-filled our bank account by giving us, essentially, our vacuum cleaner for free: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it".

Today He demonstrated just how much He loves to throw open the floodgates.  For a doubting world, here is yet another story of a profoundly loving God who ALWAYS keeps His Word.

What has God provided you this week? How has He opened the floodgates of heaven on you? Are you riding a wave of His provision or are you standing on the beach, hoping for a wave, not realizing that you have to sometimes put your surfboard (i.e. your faith) in the water in order to catch that wave?

Take it from me - be faithful to God, in every way, and stand back and watch the blessings flow... sometimes when you least expect it... and then enjoy the feeling of riding that wave all the way to the beach!

Little Gifts from a Big God

Fourteen years ago this December my Grandmother passed away -- to say that this was the worst moment in my life would be an understatement.  In fact, to this day, I continue to struggle with grief -- a grief so raw that sometimes it feels like she died only yesterday. She was 57 when God called her home and I was 17.  It was the saddest moment in my short life.

I take comfort though from knowing that she is in heaven because she called out to God in the last years of her life and He saved her.  Even though cancer wracked her earthly body, God raised her up into a new body -- one free of pain and suffering, one sanctified with His love:

John 5:24: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

1 Corinthians 15:40, 48-49: "There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.... As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[b] bear the likeness of the man from heaven".

It is an amazing feeling to know that you will get to one day walk the streets of heaven with those who have gone before you -- heaven is a place we can all look forward to going if we have accepted the free gift of salvation that comes from Jesus Christ, but there is something that makes it that much more exciting when you pause to consider the receiving line that will greet you upon your arrival (Hebrews 12:1).

So while I rejoice in the fact that she is saved, I mourn on those days when I am acutely aware that she is no longer walking on this earth.

But since she passed away in 1995, I have been blessed by God to have vivid dreams of my Grandma and I had such a dream last night.

My dream last night was about me preparing to go on a trip with my grandparents - I was the same age I am now, my grandparents were the same as ever, and I was busily packing to go away.  Funny thing, right as we were about to leave for the trip, I had to dart back up to my room and re-pack my bag -- evidently I wanted to bring the clothes I wore on my honeymoon to Costa Rica.  My grandparents sat waiting patiently in the kitchen of their house -- which looked very similar to my parents old place - but there they waited, nonetheless, for me to be ready... even though the plane was leaving shortly.  (I knew it must have been a dream given how patient my Grandfather was being... God has blessed me with Grandpa, but patience is definitely something both he and I struggle with).

A simple dream but today as I was driving home I thought to myself how faithfully God has allowed me to receive dreams of time spent with my Grandma.  As I have grown up without this very special lady, I have consistently had amazing dreams -- going to a party with her once shortly after she had passed away, walking along a lake at a family reunion in another dream, family Christmas's spent with her, talking with her... just spending time with Grandma. Sometimes those dreams end with me waking up crying, other times I wake up laughing. Always I wake up grateful to have had some time spent with my grandmother.  To hear her laugh.  To hear her voice.  To just get a hug from her.  It's a profound comfort to me and one that I can reflect on afterwards and smile about for days and weeks to come.

That's the thing about the greatness and gentleness of God -- He delights not only in bringing us comfort and joy, but in granting us the cries of our heart... even when we don't know that our hearts are crying:

Romans 8:26-27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will".

I am blessed that God knows that I miss my Grandma - alot - and that, from time to time, He gives me a little dream to tide me over until I get to see her again in heaven.  We're reminded in Philippians 4:19: "... my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus".  Isn't He doing just that -- meeting my need to see Grandma? Isn't it interesting how sometimes we equate "needs" with our earthly wants? The new car? That promotion we're craving? That fancy vacation? That new sweater? To God, our needs are different -- they are the faith we hold in Him.  They are the fellowship with the Body of Christ. They are the truths of His Word.  They are the direction of His Holy Spirit.  And, yes, sometimes it's a dream or two about a Grandma that I miss very dearly.

Take a moment today to consider the little gifts that God has blessed you with -- they surround you, they touch you, they are HIS provision over and above that which you already have.

Thank you God for that little gift last night.  It helps more than I could ever describe... but which You surely know!

Great and mighty are you Lord that you minister to the things in our lives that are both great and small.

Thank you for knowing my needs even when I do not.

Amen.

The Plateau

The last 10 days have been a whirlwind of moving, getting organized and stepping over flattened boxes and discarded packing paper. To say our new house is organized would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. But we are getting there, slowly but surely.

So too am I making progress in this struggle that I am in and have been in since the beginning of January. While things are not perfect yet, I am getting there -- just not as quickly as I would like.

Today in an email to my friend Hope, I was telling her how I felt that I had hit a plateau of sorts and that I didn't seem to be moving beyond this new normal of 80% to 90% days. We all know what plateaus are like, don't we? We feel like we reach a point where we are not going up or going down, just staying in one place - stuck so to speak - on a flat plain where the status quo becomes a new normal of sorts.

I am on a plateau right now -- but that has me thinking... what exactly are plateaus for? And what is that God wants me to LEARN while I am on that plateau?

In my mind, a plateau can be many things:

1) A place of rest and relaxation
2) A place of contemplation
3) A place that gives us a good vantage point to see other spots where we can look to for our next journey.

Let's have a look at how we can apply those three to our lives.

Rest and relaxation:

Scripture reminds us that God IS our rest and relaxation in every storm. What Father - what master - does not allow His children or servants to rest during a battle? What general, in a war, does not allow his troops some downtime so that they can regain their strength?

So too does God allow US the rest and relaxation we need to re-charge so that we are ready to be used for HIS purposes. We are not much good when we are battered, weak and weary -- yes, it's true that through HIS strength we are made stronger -- but I don't believe that God wants us to be in such a state of readiness to battle that we don't take the time He gives us to re-coup... to embrace Him... to find shelter in Him... to pray... to consider... to find rest in His arms.

Matthew 11:28-29: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls".

We rest on a plateau called Jesus Christ -- a plateau given to us by God the Father. But how often do we truly rest? I sure don't... I don't know how to. I have a mind that is always going, always worrying, always wondering. I have a body that defines rest by sitting on a couch, scarfing down chips, watching TV. Is that rest? Probably to some extent -- but our rest has to be found in Christ. That doesn't meant that when we are on the plateau we shouldn't watch TV or enjoy the things around us... however, we are not on that plateau alone. Christ is with us. So too is our Heavenly Father -- don't they deserve our attention while we are there?

I think - I know - that if we take our rest in Christ on that plateau we will find that our burdens and weariness will dissipate and we will find "rest for our souls" as Christ promises. But first we have to allow God to shut down our minds to the outside so that we can focus on Him.

Even Jesus needed rest (Matthew 8:24). Why would we think we are any different when it comes to spiritual rest in Him?

Comtemplate:

Have you ever seen those pictures of someone sitting on a peak, silhouetted from the back, gazing up into the sky or out at the vastness of the land below? Thinking, wondering, taking it all in.

Do you do that? Do I do that? How often over the course of your day - whether you are setting up camp on a plateau or walking through a valley - do you stop and look around you and take in the breathtaking majesty of everything that God has given you, surrounded you with or made you privileged to see or feel?

Psalm 46:8: ""Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 37:7: ^"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..."

I'll be honest -- I'm not good at contemplation. I am even less adept at "being still" as Scripture reminds us to do. I'm not sure I even know how to be still. I can't seem to shut my mouth or my mind long enough to hear what God has to say or even to take in the breathtaking beauty of His creation.

But take it in we must and allow ourselves not only to contemplate what He has done - and is doing in our lives - but on the plan He has for us to glorify His Kingdom and to sow His children so that He can reap!

The problem I find with me is that I don't know how to contemplate - oh sure, I know how to think about the things (read: worry) that are going on in my day-to-day life... do I need to get the car fixed, how much money do I have in my bank account... will I be able to finish my work on time... the list is endless, but fruitless. These things don't hold the same degree of importance as the things of the Kingdom, and yet we get caught up in them don't we? We get tripped up by the rocks on the plateau - rocks that we are not obligated to trip over but which we seem bound to find, despite the fact that God has given us a great vantage point by which we can take stock of where we are at and move forward from there. It's our choice to wander, worrying, along that plateau, stubbing our toe, fearful about tripping over another rock. God asks us to sit and wait and too often we take that as an invitation to stumble and worry.

Scripture gives us a pretty clear idea as to how we can contemplate the greatness of God from whatever plateau we are on. Obviously, the first instance listed above is to "be still". Be silent before God. Let Him speak to you. You've sat in a room with someone where you were both just comfortable to be silent. It's okay to be the same with God. At some point He'll say what's on His mind. As well though, you can contemplate His greatness by appreciating the provision He has given you, the beauty of His creation and everything and everyone you are surrounded with.

It says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "... give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". That doesn't just mean in pleasant circumstances but in ALL circumstances.

Remember that the next time you get stung by a wasp up there on that plateau. Give thanks for that too. You'll be blessed.

The other way is to dig deep in to the Word of God -- it seems so obvious but do we do it?:

Joshua 1:8: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

Psalm 77:12: "I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds"

Psalm 143:4-5: "So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done".

Meditate = contemplate. Dig into God's Word from the vantage point of your plateau. You'll find it not only will give you rest but, like a road map, will point you on the best course to manoeuvre those distant valleys and high mountains.

Aren't paths made easier when we follow direction? Take the time up on your plateau to chart out that direction with the best guide: God and His Word.

Take a good look from your vantage point:

Depending on the plateau you are on, you'll able to see valleys, canyons and mountains... all of which we will walk through in our own lives. Perhaps than a plateau is God's way of letting us see the broader picture and to let us get our bearings before He gets us to climb up another mountain or journey through a deep valley.

Take a breath then, and look around.

So what if you are having a 1% day or a 100% day - take in your plateau and the surroundings. Get acquainted with the spot that God has allowed you to get to. If you reach a plateau, have you not climbed and journeyed a long way? Don't you have the right to set up camp and rest? Of course you do -- God wants you to rest and renew, to contemplate and to prepare for the journey ahead.

Sometimes God needs for us to get a spot where it seems like it is flat and the earth holds no adventure, before He directs us to a path to begin the next stage of the journey. Put it in to perspective from a wilderness point of view: do you think that the best guide in the world started out on the most advanced paths? Of course not. They started scaling a hill, than a foothill, then a cliff face and then a mountain. Step by step. Little by little. In the beginning, they took frequent rests and learned how to pace themselves. We need to do the same. Use the plateau. Pace yourself. The journey is long, the valleys are deep and the mountains can be treacherous. You'll need the energy that God gives you on those plateaus -- and you can be sure that He will tell you when it is time to move forward:

Deuteronomy 1:6-8: "The LORD our God said to us at Horeb, "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them."

He knows the best path off those plateaus -- but we need to trust that He will direct us in HIS time, not in our own.

Friends, thank you for continuing to pray for me during this time. It means more than you know. I must say that as much as I have written above about plateaus, I find it tough some days and frankly I just wish I didn't have 80% days. I know how hard you all are praying for me and how, with every prayer, God pours out more of His strength and direction on me and my wife. Thank you. We praise God for each of you whenever we think of you.

Today is a day for me when the plateau sucks and when I can feel the rocks -- but I know that God wants me to rest for a time in this spot until my weariness is gone and I am ready to move forward.

Keep praying. Because I can see the sun rising from my vantage point on the plateau... and I am longing to move forward into its light.

Childlike innocence

Mark 10:15: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Yesterday I received the above picture in an email from my wife and it triggered a thought in me: how often do we, like the little girl in the picture, go to God with the innocence of a child? How often do we allow ourselves to truly let our guard down and approach Him as He truly is - our Father.

In my case I know, even during this season I am going through, I sometimes struggle to come before God with a truly open, innocent, heart. I hold back, I say verbally what I think He wants me to say and I find myself repeating things because I don't know what else to say. But I have yet to master that one thing a child has that I seem to lack: the ability to sit quietly in my Father's lap and listen to His voice.

I remember when my sister was a baby and we would be visiting my grandparents. When she was tired of playing or running around or just needed some downtime, she would grab her blanket (her "bap") and crawl into my Grandpa's lap for - what he called - her recharge. That's an image that sticks in my head - my Grandpa on a chair cuddling my little sister, her sucking her thumb while holding tight to her little blanket. Sometimes sleeping, sometimes awake, but always reveling in the warmth, the comfort and the protection of being held by Grandpa.

Isn't it time we did just that? How often do we truly clamor onto our Father's lap and enjoy the comfort, the protection and the wisdom that comes from being still like a child? 

Psalm 46:10 reminds us to "Be still and know that I am God". But do we really do it? I know I sure don't -- I know that I seldom go to God with a listening ear. I'm more the chatty type and while I know He loves when I speak to Him, I'm pretty sure that sometimes He wants to get in a word or two himself. I've found during this season that some of the times God has spoken the loudest to me have been when I have been sleeping or on my way to bed -- how similar is that to our earthly Father and Mother? We, as children, tucked safe into our bed, quiet after a heavy day, and with an open heart, quiet mouth and listening ears sit as our parents tell us a story or pray with us before we go to sleep. I think, sometimes, God does just the same thing. Sits with us on the edge of the bed and gives us His thoughts, His guidance and His love as we are lulled to sleep.  It's our time to rest but His time to talk.

God wants us to be as innocent as children when we come to Him -- because innocence is at the heart of faith. When we go to our Father with hearts that are truly open to Him, we will truly receive Him. Children may question their mom or dad, but they ultimately will obey because they know that Mom and Dad always know what's best. How often do we do that? Do we accept the direction, the plan and the guidance God gives to us? Or do we opt to pout for a time and then decide to go our own way? I think we do both to some degree. It's probably something that we never completely grow out of -- afterall, we are always children in the eyes of an ageless God.  And children are alot of things - loving, full of joy and innocence... but they can also be willful.  Oh, how they can be willful.  I'm sure that God knows that better than any of us do -- even the parents.

I think that picture reminds me of a need to come back to God as a child would -- inquiring, obedient, innocent and believing in a God that can do ANYTHING! Isn't that what we think when we're little? That our Mom or Dad can move mountains? Well, our Heavenly Father REALLY can! How's that for amazing!  As adults we allow ourselves to become jaded and to forget that as much as we delight in the wide eyes of a child on Christmas morning or the amazement of a child when they see something that truly makes them smile, so too does God delight in every sigh, every smile, every giggle and every moment of joy in our life.  And when we fall down and hurt ourselves, He cries with us and then lifts us up, dusts us off and urges us to go on... just like we would do for our own kids.  There is something necessary about having the faith of a child in our faith with God - it allows us to go deeper because we aren't burdening ourselves with the cynicism of an imperfect world.

I am reminded of that old song from Sunday School:

Jesus loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world

Isn't it time we embraced that pure love completely and totally by going to our Father with the trust and faith of children?  We may find that alot of things will be revealed to us when we approach him like that little girl and her dolls kneeling by the side of her bed:

Luke 10:21: At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

Finding the Real Treasure

Exodus 20:17: "You shall not covet... anything that belongs to your neighbour".

Matthew 6:20: "... but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven".

As I was leafing through a newspaper today I saw a picture of someone I used to go to school with, someone I knew through his work on campus and his reputation.  This person was being featured as a strategist for a political party which I used to work for -- and just seeing his name didn't conjure about an attitude of grace and goodwill.  I didn't see him and think: "Why, isn't that great, he is working as a strategist for this political party! Good for him!! I hope he does well!"  Instead, the thought I had was: "Pft, this guy is a strategist?! What's he ever done in life beyond schmooze? What about me?"

"What about me?" - the fact that I thought that made me cringe... but think it, I did.  It's not the first time I have thought something like that, and it is probably not the last.  Looking at my own life through the measurement of world achievement is not good -- and it is certainly contrary to God.

You see I struggle with always wanting more -- the sin of coveting.  I also struggle with thinking that the world owes me more than it does.  The world owes me nothing.  God owes me even less.  Yet, despite that He continues to provide for me -- in spite of my less than stellar attitude some of the time.  He sacrificed His Son for me.  On a Cross.  And he continues to provide for me today:

Philippians 4:19: "My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need".

As I look around me tonight I see the following - a loving, gorgeous and God-centered wife, a beautiful house, two cars, a good job, a family that loves me, friends that surround me, nice furniture, food and good health.  What more do I need? Well today, I wanted fame -- and God must have shook His head in disappointment while I scoffed at someone else's success.

But how often do we all do that to some extent -- measure our own worth by what somebody else is driving, doing or wearing? And how often do we realize -- like the title of the book reminds me -- that regardless of how much we obtain in this world, at the end of our life "It All Goes Back In The Box".  Indeed, it sure does.  And what's ultimately left? Relationships with people.  Our work on behalf of God and His Kingdom.  That's it.  That is what we need to remind ourselves to measure ourselves against -- not some smiling face in a newspaper offering their opinion on politics.  Yet, it's a struggle, isn't it?

I am reminded of the story of the Rich Young Ruler who, when he approached Christ to ask how best he could serve Him, was told by Jesus that if this man wanted to truly serve the Kingdom of God, he had to give up his worldly possessions and follow Christ.  One might think that being asked by the Son of God to follow Him would cause this young man to drop everything for the promise of something more... but, sadly, we see a far different truth unfold... the rejection of Christ and the embracing of the world:

Mark 10:22: "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth".

The man left sad because he could not bear to part with his money, his fame, his worldly worth. He measured himself by the laws he kept, not by the relationship he needed or required. Obedience was not in his heart -- it couldn't be... because the love of money, of power, of status overpowered everything else.

How sad for him -- and how sad for me if I were to opt instead not to look around at the blessings I enjoy because of HIS hand, and rejoice and be glad!  Here I sit writing this and yet not four days ago I wrote a post thanking God for blessings and I meant it.  Yet, at the first sign of seeing something that was pretty cool on a surface level, I forgot everything else and - for a moment - felt completely dejected.

Sad, isn't it -- but how much better is the lasting promise of treasures in heaven...:

Matthew 6:19-21: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

Old habits - as I mentioned yesterday - are hard to break on our own.  Simply put, we can't do it.  But God can.  God can - and will - take this covetous heart from me and turn it into one that is not only grateful for what it has, but which is able to bless others each and every day.  Gold, silver, money and fame are all nice to think of -- we say in passing at the thought of a lottery win that "if I were rich, things would be alright".  Friends, if you have Christ, you've already won the only lottery in this world that really counts... and if you EMBRACE that truth, if you LIVE that promise, if you SHARE that joy, you will reap treasures that will far and away beat anything this world has to offer... and the cherry on top is eternal life with God and His Son Jesus.

For me, this week, I am really going to start praying into Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

If you are like me, desiring more, wanting more from life -- don't try and find your answers in the world, in the successes of others, or the false promise of a Lotto 649 win.  Open the Word of the Lord and pray.  Pray without ceasing.  Ask God to reveal to you the plans HE has for your life.  He'll answer and you'll find that what HE has in store for you is ten million times better and more lasting than easy money or fleeting fame.

Let me just add one final thought before I go to bed.

A couple years ago a family friend passed away. I remember thinking to myself that this man had a great life. He had a wonderful family that loved him, a good job, friends and was happy - from the little bit I knew of him - to just be surrounded by those that loved him, and he was a generous, kind man to others. I remember thinking that his life was a measure of having succeeded. If we can go through life enjoying what God has given us by HIS provision and HIS timing, we can truly say that we have succeeded.  That's what I want.  I don't want the constant pull of measuring myself against temporal things - I want heaven to be my yardstick and Christ to be my coach.  I'll jump higher, I'll achieve more and the prize at the end will be infinitely more valuable, lasting and loving than anything here on earth.

So put down that newspaper.  Throw out your lottery tickets.  Stop looking at your neighbour driving by in a Mercedes while you stumble onto the bus.  Embrace what God has given you -- and USE IT TO BLESS HIS KINGDOM.  You'll find yourselves blessed.  Eternally.

Matthew 6:33: "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well".

Sheep and Goats

Over the course of this struggle I have been thinking off and on about three verses from Matthew 25:31-33:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left".

I understand that those on God's right hand will be those who are saved, while those on God's left will be the ones who are banished from His presence. But I wonder why one side is categorized by the shepherd as sheep, while those on the left are the goats? What makes them so different that they need to be separated? The obvious answer is the salvation that comes from Christ -- that is completely true. If you are not saved, scripture tells us that heaven can not be attained through good works (Ephesians 2:8-9, Luke 18:18-30). But there has to be more to being a sheep versus a goat that God wants me to take away from those verses.

I did a Wikipedia search on what a goat was -- and came away surprised by the way a goat's behavior is described... surprised because I think it is a pretty good definition of what we as humans resemble without the saving grace of Christ:

"Goats are extremely curious and intelligent. They are easily housebroken and trained to pull carts and walk on leads. They are also known for escaping their pens. Goats will test fences, either intentionally or simply because they are handy to climb on. If any of the fencing can be spread, pushed over or down, or otherwise be overcome, the goats will escape. Being very intelligent, once a weakness in the fence has been exploited, it will be repeatedly exploited until they determine it can no longer be overcome. Goats are very coordinated and can climb and hold their balance in the most precarious places".

Let's leave aside the comment about being easily housebroken (I assume I was easily toilet trained) and focus on what we know about goats:

Extremely curious and intelligent: Isn't that what Adam and Eve demonstrated in the garden? But don't kid (!) yourselves, intelligence and curiosity are two things the enemy loves to exploit among non-Christians... or even among us as Christians... "Oh come on... you've ALWAYS wanted to do it... what's the harm in trying?" or "They don't know what they are talking about... you're smarter than that, just GO for it". Eve was curious -- so was Adam -- they were made that way by God. And the enemy used those very same qualities to get them to betray God (Genesis 3). The enemy lured them into a trap by suggesting that God didn't take their curiosity and intelligence seriously... that He who had created the world had a hidden agenda to deny them knowledge. Funny thing, they listened. And we all bear the scars of that moment of frailty. There is nothing wrong with being intellectually curious and intelligent, but it is when that curiosity and intelligence are lead astray that we have a problem. On our own, those two qualities are a potent combination -- they can lead us to explore things that God never intended for His children to explore... new religions, alcohol, drugs, new groups of people, quick fixes to make money... the list is truly endless.

Goats will test fences: How many barriers in your own life do you test? Do you push the limits of what you know God would not permit versus what the world might permit? I'm certainly guilty of that -- like a little goat I like to push my head against a few loose boards to see how far I can get... and a few times, I have managed to push myself out of the pen and run wild. This has lead to misery and hurt. But thankfully, God has always lead me back to the pen. It doesn't mean I don't keep at those loose boards though -- sometimes I do... but I am certainly trying with God's help to keep myself focused on what I know to be right: staying within the pen and enjoying being cared for and protected under His watchful eye.

Goats repeatedly exploit weak fences: I've done it. We've all done it. Everyone has different fence boards that are weak -- for some it could be pornography, for others maybe it is drugs or alcohol, for others it is sex, for others it is seedy movies, poor company, cursing, lying, gambling, etc. The reality is sometimes those weak fence posts are awfully appealing... and how often do we tell ourselves, figuratively at least, that it doesn't matter if we push the board of the fence right out, we can always put it back? Or to drop the metaphor, how often are we known to say to ourselves that we can stop a bad habit or activity by our own power? Just as though a goat isn't able to put back a fence post once it's been pushed off, so too are we unable to stop those habits -- and to truly be free of them -- that are destructive to us personally, professionally, emotionally and spiritually without God's hand. 

Hebrews 9:13 speaks to the cleansing power of God in our lives - the power, if you will, to repair every weak fence post: "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[a] so that we may serve the living God!" Take it from someone who has pushed against a few of his own weak fence posts... you can not - NOT - break these things on your own. Go to the One who can.

Goats can hold their balance in the most precarious of places... sometimes, but only for a time...: I added that last bit myself - because no matter how good of a balance a goat thinks he/she may have, eventually they will lose that balance. Likewise, we can balance ourselves on a pin of living absent of our God for a time -- I've done it and claimed to be happy. But there comes a tipping point where a strong wind blows and everything you have built comes crashing down... because, as it says in Matthew 7:26-27, a man who builds his house on sand (that is, absent from God) will find it all very temporal and destructible at the first blush of a heavy rain.

So we know that in the context of scripture, just looking at a basic definition of what makes up a goat, we see that it is somewhat like we are when we are living for ourselves: willful, selfish, disobedient, curious, disrespectful of boundaries. Godless. Not, you would agree, something that we should strive to model.

But, you may be saying to yourself, why would God use an example of sheep to His right as something we would want to emulate? For that answer, I went back to Wikipedia for a quick idea about the typical behavior of sheep:

"Sheep are... animals with a strong gregarious instinct... natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures .... All sheep have a tendency to congregate close to other members of a flock...."

Sheep have a natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures: God is the ultimate leader - Scripture refers to Him as a shepherd numerous times. And, as the definition states -- and as we appreciate with God -- when we are truly FOLLOWING HIM, we WILL be lead to new pastures... pastures that are more abundant, safer and nourishing then where we currently reside:

Isaiah 40:11: "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young".

Numbers 27:17: "... so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd".

Psalm 23:1 (through to 6): "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want".

The point being is this: Shepherds protect their sheep. God protects HIS sheep. He scares away the bandit and the enemies, He always is watching out for them, leading them and caring for them. While goats are pushing against weak fence posts, sheep find themselves comforted and cared for in a pasture that is green with quiet waters (Psalm 23:2). As Christians, when we entrust our care and worries to the Great Shepherd, we will find all our needs met. There is something profoundly gratifying about that -- but most of us still have that billy goat instinct to try it our own way first.

Sheep are animals who are gregarious and tend to congregate together: This idea brings to mind the necessity of the Body of Christ. God's Body of Christ is an extension of Himself and something that we as Christians need to draw close to not only for comfort but for support, for fellowship and for direction. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

Think about the example of the Disciples AFTER Jesus died - they didn't stop what they were doing because they lacked a leader (a Shepherd). Rather, they rallied together - in prayer - to carry on His work... just as their Shepherd would have wanted. (Acts 1:12-14). Or think about the example of Thomas who didn't believe that Christ had rose again because he had not seen it with his own eyes.  Instead of leaving the fold altogether, Thomas continued his fellowship with the disciples... fellowship that may have saved him from becoming a goat (John 20:24-28).

The key point I am making here is this: while God is our shepherd and the one who leads us and guides us, we have an obligation to stay in community to ensure we are appropriately supported and guided in our faith and walk with God. There are too many worldly pressures and dangers for a sheep (read: Christian) to walk alone... the lion prowls afterall... best to stay in the fold under the eye of the shepherd, together with your community of believers.

While this last one is not mentioned specifically in the definition, I want to put it out there: sheep - when in community - care for one another. We see it by the way ewes feed lambs, by the way rams defend their families, by the way a mother sheep will charge anybody coming near their babies. The reality is that sheep care about each other. Taken to our context as Christians, Christ calls us to "feed his lambs" (John 21:15). In fact, in John when He is talking to Peter, Christ stresses on three separate occasions the need for Peter -- and indeed, all of us -- to stop living for ourselves and start living for ALL those sheep who require help getting to the pasture.

Hurt and lost sheep are everywhere, aren't they? They are standing on street corners, they are lying in the gutter of despair and heartache... it's the broken family, the pregnant teenager, the spaced-out addict, the angry lady next door, the homeless guy you ignore on your walk home from work... they are all there, and we see these lambs every day... we see them wandering around aimlessly but we choose - CHOOSE - to not see them. Isn't it time that we started to make sure these very sheep are fed, clothed and given something to drink?

We have a choice that we can make in our lifetime -- we can either choose to be a goat, to go about things the way the world wants us to go about it... to be curious and selfish, stubborn and proud, and we can live a life consistently pushing against fence posts. Or, we can choose the comfort of being a sheep, with a Shepherd whose rod and staff are comforting (Psalm 23), who calls us to unite in community and bring other lost lambs into His pasture.

But the choice is ours.

Choose to be a sheep, not a goat. You'll not only enjoy a pasture of abundant love and comfort, but you may find a lot of goats you know being transformed into lambs because of your example, and because of the endless love and sacrifice of the One True Shepherd who will never abandon His flock.