Rejecting the invite?

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We all probably have a place of blessing - a place where we set our minds to rest and just breathe a bit. Some of us would describe an actual "place" - like a cabin in the woods, a quiet corner in the house with a comfortable chair, or maybe even our local church building. Others would describe a place of relationship, such as their spouse, kids, or even a dear friend. Maybe even a few will say it is a place of rest - where they can just shut off all the worries of the day and gently glide into some sense of quiet repose that re-energizes their body and mind. For the child of God, HE is our place of blessing - physically, emotionally, relationally, and even in our repose.

His places of blessing are not simply the comfy chair in the corner of the room, but the places of deep peace and tender mercies found only at his feet. Those places of blessing are what we refer to as places of repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. In those places of blessing come the hopes of wrongs made right and renewed vision in place of crumbled lives and shattered dreams. The nearer we draw to his heart, the nearer we draw INTO the place of his blessing. God had us in mind even before he made this planet upon which we live. Before there were habitable regions on this earth, while it was without form and void of life, he had us in mind. He envisioned you, just as you are, completely his. You were the focus of his love - first in his visionary creative mind and heart, then made by his creative hands. The very image of what he saw thrilled his heart and directed the creative power of his hands. You and I are the direct result of his creative love.

He created us to be made whole and holy by his love. All we can bring to him is brokenness - all he envisions for us is wholeness. For our every need, he has a perfect solution. Our sinfulness could not be made right by anything we could do, so he even provided the means by which we could be made spiritually "whole" - Christ Jesus. In restoring what sin took away, he makes us whole; in re-energizing us with his Spirit through Christ Jesus, he makes us holy. Whole and holy - that is how God envisioned us. God knew our need even before we were created, and he planned for it all the same. Each of us probably has a little bit of savings set aside in case an unrecognized need in arises in our lives - by setting aside a little of our earnings, we are planning for our future needs like car repairs, appliance replacement, and the occasional vacation. God knew there would be need and he planned for it before it even existed - knowing the end from the beginning. He "recognized" the need and knew exactly when it would need to be met. He "recognized" the one means by which that need could be met, as well.

He took "pleasure" in planning for our needs. If you are someone who likes to entertain, you might recognize how much pleasure you take in planning out each detail of the event. From specific place-settings, serving pieces, and even decorations, you set things in motion. Then you consider each specific member of the crowd you will be entertaining and cater to their need - some liking soda, others juice, still others bottled water. You craft the dishes you will prepare with those who you will entertain specifically in mind. You take "pleasure" in planning and preparing. In much the same way, God took pleasure in planning for his creation and then preparing for their every need. Wouldn't it be silly to reject the invitation to participate in what has been prepared specifically for us? Just sayin!

Today or Tomorrow?

Are you given to the habit of procrastination? The thing about 'putting off today what you plan to do tomorrow' can actually wreak havoc in one's life. Ben Franklin told us, "You may delay, but time will not." How sad to let time go by when things of importance need to be addressed. I am not just speaking of our 'chores' like vacuuming, dusting, and that oil change. I am also referencing those words that need to be shared, letting go of the grudge that has been held way bast its expiration date, and spending time with a loved one who so desperately craves a bit of your attention. These are the things that cannot be guaranteed to be 'done tomorrow' because none of us are guaranteed that time will not change our circumstances.

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

There is very little we can afford to 'leave till tomorrow' when it comes to our relationships. They are a 'today' kind of thing. As we read on to the end of this chapter in James, we find there is a reminder we all need to heed. "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do, then not do it." (vs. 17) If we know an apology is owed, to hold onto the grudge is sin. If we realize it has been way too long since we spent quality time with someone we hold dear, it is sin to not make the time. If we know we need to share our heart with someone and then hold back, it is sin. Go - do it today - no one is guaranteed the 'right set of circumstances' will exist tomorrow. 

Many ladies who have delivered a baby in the wee hours of the night, labor coming on unexpectedly, will admit to being concerned about 'not shaving their legs' before they went to the hospital. It wasn't that they couldn't have shaved them earlier that day, but they thought they had time. As silly as this may be, it is a real look at how we 'put off' what could have been the easiest thing to do at a much earlier time, only to find it much more difficult or impossible at a later one. We don't hold time in our hands - we are unable to turn back a clock. There are times when we must put aside our pride, take on the task, and just do it. No one wants to find themselves on the opposite side of time, looking back, wishing they had done what needed to be done. Just sayin!