Please The Father

Something that the younger-me loved to do was to be on a float on the lake and just ... float. Bill would be on the dock fishing, watching his line and me, making sure neither drifted away! Jesus was focused in His purpose; He said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42). I suggest many Believers have spent much of their Christian life spiritually wondering and wandering, unsure of their God-given purpose. God has made clear, however, His will (purpose) for each of His children: "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3a ESV). Those who belong to Jesus are to sanctified - that is, to be made holy, growing and maturing day by day into the same holiness as is His nature. Jesus said to His disciples in John 6:38, "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me." Jesus' heart was set on one thing: please The Father, which He did all the way to an agonizingly cruel Roman cross. The age-old question of "why am I here" does not go unanswered! Like Jesus, we are here to please The Father in all our ways. "Now may the God of peace Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV). How wonderful we do not have to flounder and float - every child of God has been called and equipped for this purpose: please The Father.

His Way - His Time

It is believed that the idiom "bull in a china shop" most likely originated from events in 17th century London when cattle roamed freely and into local shops. It appeared first, however, in an 1834 novel contrasting a bull's brutish strength and the delicate fragility of fine china. This phrase came to mind recently as I read Proverbs 21:5 (AMP), "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance and advantage, but everyone who acts in haste comes surely to poverty." The first part of this verse is encouraging and promising; one's stead and constant efforts bring reward! The latter part of the verse, however, cannot be ignored as it clearly says "everyone" - even those who are diligent. The warning is that even in our diligence we must never act hastily or carelessness. I fear in our Godly pursuits we get ahead of God; instead of seeking His face and being invited into God's plans, we ... invite Him into our plans. I'm a planner, a firm believer in "fail to plan - plan to fail." All the more, however, to not be that bull in the china shop - brutishly plowing ahead in the delicate matters of God's plans. God promises, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." (Psalm 32:8 ESV). Let us be wise - not in our own eyes, but rather in moving forward in ... His Way - His time.

Don't Delay - Obey

Do you have a "want-to" problem? Well, I certainly do! The first project of my morning was to wash a sink-load of dishes. Mister Bill even commented we might need to hire some help; I noted his sarcasm but did not hear an offer from him to wash them. God says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us." (Hebrews 12:1a NET). How foolish of God's children to forget the weight of sinfulness! It is weighty and cumbersome, greatly influencing our good intention of obedience to Christ. You want to know why my sink was full of dirty dishes? The answer is ... when the dishes should have been washed, I simply didn't want to wash them. Isn't that the problem with spiritual endurance? We "say" we love Jesus and want to be obedient to Him and walk in a pleasing way before Him yet we do not because we become fixated on something else. The rest of Verse 1 counsels us how to persevere in Godly obedience: "keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." Dishes are washed and the sink is empty and clean - I love it. It is good for the child of God to keep his eyes on Christ and live in obedience to Him ... do not allow sin to gather in your heart nor put-off obedience. Don't delay .. obey.

Restore Me

There's more than a few things here that have been restored: hardwood floors, a fireplace, walls, bathrooms ... such is this old house in which we live. The psalmist prayed, "Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your indignation toward us to cease." (Psalm 85:4 NASB). We don't use that word "indignation" too much these days but I suggest we all act in indignation more than we think ... in extreme anger mixed with disgust. Just watch the news these days and you'll feel ... indignation! Oh, how I forget it is my sinfulness that cause God's "indignation" towards me. The psalmist continues, "Will You be angry with us forever? ... Will you not Yourself revive us again that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your loving kindness, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation." (V5-7). When I look at the beauty of these old hardwood floors, I'm reminded of their poor and neglected condition before they were refinished ... restored. Oh, the beauty of the soul that has acknowledged its sin and presented it to The Father for forgiveness and cleansing - such beauty is beyond compare. That is the soul that has experienced the steadfast love of God's salvation. The heart of man is in need of such soul-cleansing daily. Oh yes, such beauty and rejoicing is the longing of my soul. Dear Lord ... restore me.

Heart Matters

Both of us now retired, one thing that helps us stay on-track and and what's happening from day-to-day is my online calendar. I suppose we all know what it's like to begin the day with thoughts of what we anticipate our goings and doings, even to consider the priorities of the day.  Here's a first-thing given to us by God in His Word: "Keep the heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23). I suspect and fear heart-diligence doesn't top many lists! Since the heart cannot be disengaged from what we speak and how we behave, Believers should take care and caution. "Behold, [Lord], You delight in Truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart." (Psalm 51:6). There's lots of continuous noise that comes our way from the world, and we're easily distracted and led away from this priority of carefully guarding our hearts according to Godly Truth. So it goes for Mister Bill and I - we tend to take care of the most important matters of each day, and so it should be with every child of God. At the top of the list - every day and in every way - make heart matters a priority because the ... heart matters.