Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
It was pointed out to us last Wednesday by one individual that our children make too much noise during their regular Wednesday night activities. (This is my nice description of a ridiculously abrasive confrontation.)
My thoughts: Bologna! Noisy games are an avenue for sharing Jesus with children who do not hear about him elsewhere.
Jesus' thoughts: Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mat19.14)
My thoughts: Bologna! Noisy games are an avenue for sharing Jesus with children who do not hear about him elsewhere.
Jesus' thoughts: Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mat19.14)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Israel
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God [...] and have overcome." (Gen32)
What does it mean to struggle with God and overcome? The man with whom Jacob struggled could not physically prevail. Did Jacob's blessing come from "overcoming" God? Am I blessed when I wrestle God down to the point of His giving in? Can I overcome God?
These questions could lead to a stimulating debate of free will and God's permissive will. But, tonight, God took this story in another direction for me:
As a Christ-follower, my goal, rather than to overcome God, should be to know God. God is perfectly good, perfectly perfect, perfectly eternal. He cannot be perfectly known by my imperfect humanity. Therefore, to attain my goal, I must struggle to know Him.
Paul writes of straining toward the goal of knowing God through Christ (Phil3.10-14).
Well, now Christianity just sounds like a whole bunch of struggling and straining. So, what's this talk of "overcoming?"
I may never know the fullness of God, but as I pursue Him, I know Him more. He promised Jeremiah, and He promises me: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer29.13).
When Jacob finally arrives at a place in his life where he is done trying to decide his own future - stealing birthrights, blessings, etc., he finds himself wrestling with God, begging for God's blessing, desiring God's plan for his life. In that moment of surrender, paradoxically, Jacob overcomes. Jacob seeks God, and he sees Him "face to face" (Gen32.30).
The struggle is not easy, and it leaves Jacob with a limp, but it also leaves him with a new name and a new destiny. Forever, Israel's offspring will be known as a nation of God's chosen people. Out of Israel's struggle comes Jesus Christ, through whom all may overcome.
My calling is to struggle, to grapple with scripture, to test and affirm or deny things I once held to be true. I may end up with a Jacobian limp, but when my struggle leads me to surrender, when it leads to a greater knowledge of who God is, then I have overcome. The victor's prize is God Himself.
What does it mean to struggle with God and overcome? The man with whom Jacob struggled could not physically prevail. Did Jacob's blessing come from "overcoming" God? Am I blessed when I wrestle God down to the point of His giving in? Can I overcome God?
These questions could lead to a stimulating debate of free will and God's permissive will. But, tonight, God took this story in another direction for me:
As a Christ-follower, my goal, rather than to overcome God, should be to know God. God is perfectly good, perfectly perfect, perfectly eternal. He cannot be perfectly known by my imperfect humanity. Therefore, to attain my goal, I must struggle to know Him.
Paul writes of straining toward the goal of knowing God through Christ (Phil3.10-14).
Well, now Christianity just sounds like a whole bunch of struggling and straining. So, what's this talk of "overcoming?"
I may never know the fullness of God, but as I pursue Him, I know Him more. He promised Jeremiah, and He promises me: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer29.13).
When Jacob finally arrives at a place in his life where he is done trying to decide his own future - stealing birthrights, blessings, etc., he finds himself wrestling with God, begging for God's blessing, desiring God's plan for his life. In that moment of surrender, paradoxically, Jacob overcomes. Jacob seeks God, and he sees Him "face to face" (Gen32.30).
The struggle is not easy, and it leaves Jacob with a limp, but it also leaves him with a new name and a new destiny. Forever, Israel's offspring will be known as a nation of God's chosen people. Out of Israel's struggle comes Jesus Christ, through whom all may overcome.
My calling is to struggle, to grapple with scripture, to test and affirm or deny things I once held to be true. I may end up with a Jacobian limp, but when my struggle leads me to surrender, when it leads to a greater knowledge of who God is, then I have overcome. The victor's prize is God Himself.
-mo
Friday, April 08, 2011
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Ecclesiastesical
I love being in my room. I am amazed these days that I will leave company, conversation, food, TV, etc., and retreat to the aloneness of my room. This habit would have been unbelievable only a few months ago. I guess I'm in an Ecclesiastesical (like, in Ecclesiastes... no, i did not just misspell Ecclesiastical...) season. I am enjoying this time of independent focus. I am learning to need other people but not to be defined by my relationships with them. Life is a lot less threatening when I am defined by what I know I can depend on. Life is a lot less threatening in my room.
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