Crown him

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil; he protects the lives of his people and rescues them from the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the godly and joy for the good. 12 May all who are godly be happy in the Lord and crown him, our holy God. (Psalm 97:10-12 TLB)

How do we actually "crown him" Lord of our lives? I think it is in the small ways, like when we choose to be kind when a hurtful word would be easier or quicker to say. It might be in the moments when we give of ourselves unselfishly to help another who is struggling to figure something out. It could be in those moments you offer yourself for 'whatever needs to be done', knowing someone is having a hard time keeping up with the tasks at hand. It is definitely in those moments when we actively choose to worship him, but it is also in those small things that might not seem to matter all that much, but that make all the difference in the lives of another.

Someone once said you can get happy in the same pants you chose to get mad in, or feel good about life in the same pants in which you chose a sour disposition instead. We choose to crown him in our actions - not in just our words. We make conscious, and some not very conscious decisions to honor him within the context of our everyday comings and goings. We don't need to 'have church' to bring him honor - because giving him honor is elevating him to the place of the highest control and the most frequent focus in our lives.

We looked at the word 'honor' just briefly yesterday and found the meaning to be that of having or living with integrity between one's actions and beliefs. It is fine to 'believe' - Jesus told us that even the devil believes. It is fine to make gestures of good deeds, but they don't stand alone. The link between beliefs and actions is what produces honor. Some equate honor to that kind of fame someone gets for winning the gold medal, or coming in with the highest marks. While this is true, it isn't the root of honor - honor began with the belief one could win the medal, underwent years and years of rigorously focused training in order to win it, and then performed at the top of one's ability to obtain that honor. Beliefs were linked to specific actions.

Honor begins with making the right choices. We choose to give Christ his rightful place in our lives - at the center - in control of it all. Then we choose to actively learn how it is we live each day continuing to make the active choices to leave him in that center of control! Yep, it isn't a one time deal - it is a continual choosing. It takes actively choosing to turn away from evil and toward what is right and true. In time, our actions become more consistent and we begin to see our beliefs and actions align. As this alignment occurs, we are bringing honor to Christ, for it is in the evidence of his presence within us that he is seen. Crown him today, in both your beliefs and actions. If they aren't in perfect alignment yet, don't fret - you are on the way! That is one way we honor him with our lives - by taking the first steps in the right direction (even if we have to take them a few times over and over again until we get consistent in taking them each time!).  Just sayin!

Not just a cracked pot

As I photograph things, I don't look for the "perfect", but am willing to accept the "imperfect", for there is something of great beauty in the tree set askew by the wind, the broken branch protruding from the gentle waters, or the windblown dunes of the ever-changing landscape.  Some of us think of "being perfect" as what we are attempting to attain - as though it is a destination at which we arrive at some point in time because of some effort we take in life.  The truth is - we will live in imperfect bodies, in an imperfect world, with other imperfect people all our lives!  The pursuit of perfection is kind of over-rated!  What we fail to see is how God sees each of us - as made perfect through the blood of his Son! God looked at the "imperfect" in each of us and saw something of beauty he just didn't want to discount, or turn away from.  Just as I capture those photos of the broken, ever-changing, and kind of askew in nature, God reaches out to capture the lives of those who are "cracked pots" - imperfect, broken people!

But this beautiful treasure is contained in us—cracked pots made of earth and clay—so that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us.  We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair.  We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed. We always carry around in our bodies the reality of the brutal death and suffering of Jesus. As a result, His resurrection life rises and reveals its wondrous power in our bodies as well.  (2 Corinthians 4:7-10 VOICE)

God doesn't look for "perfect pots" to house the beautiful treasure of his presence and peace.  He looks for "cracked pots" - imperfect people with needs often as apparent at the cracks in the pot!  I am so grateful he doesn't just pass over the "cracked pots" in this world - because if he did, I'd be at the top of the heap of discarded "pots"!  The treasure of his presence is placed into "cracked pots" so all will see the beauty of the pot as he fills it with all he is - not the imperfect places and deep fissures in the character of the pot.  

What leaves all those cracks and chips?  Clearly it is all the many things in life which come to afflict, bewilder, beat us down, and bring suffering to us.  Some of the cracks and chips are just because we didn't care for the "pot" as we should, kind of oblivious to how our mistreatment of the pot created the perfect environment for it to become marred and chipped by life.  Other cracks and dings are there because someone else didn't exactly treat the "pot" as well as they should, bringing painful fissures difficult to repair.

At best, we can "glue" the pieces of our lives together in some way which makes the "pot" we call "us" a little more appealing, or closer to "normal" than it was before we applied whatever that "glue" may be.  The truth is, we cannot hold water!  The "glue" isn't going to show the cracks anymore, but it won't hold up to the test of hot water!  Why?  The cracks aren't gone - they are just "masked" by the glue.

My neighbors had a large cracked urn in their yard for the longest time.  As I'd make my way to the mailbox, I was continuously reminded that even cracked pots have a purpose - it may not be what was originally planned for the pot, but never discard the cracked pot, for you never know what thing of beauty may emerge from those cracks!  You see, I saw this cracked pot, not as cracked and unworthy of use, but as that which could bring forth the most beautiful of budding plants, tiny blossoms all intertwined and displayed in the brightest of color. 

Their pot sat in the midst of gravel and dried leaves.  In my mind, I saw the possibilities in the pot, not the lack of them! I think God may just see each of us this same way - not for the lack of possibilities we have, but the vastness of beauty he can produce in and through those "cracks" in our character!  If you have a few cracks in your pot, don't mask over them - and certainly don't view the pot as worth nothing more than to be discarded!  God doesn't see us as needing the mask, nor does he want us to be left barren and useless buried under some dead leaves somewhere.

God wants to bring glory and beauty into the cracks and fissures of our broken lives.  Those cracks and fissures are just a means by which he may bring forth the most beautiful display of his glory!  Don't curse your cracks, but allow God to begin to bring forth beauty from deep within those broken places!  Just sayin!

Let his light shine

There are definitely times when the struggle to just continue on mount and mount.  The pressures seem to be unnecessarily complicated and kind of like weights around our necks.  When it comes to standing up for Christ, we often just don't have the stamina to face it because all the other stuff just gets us so overloaded, we think one more thing will be our undoing.  Paul was an apostle in the New Testament church, founding new churches in the first century just after Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.  His mission was to be "on-duty" for Christ 24/7.  He was a tent maker, but he didn't fall back on this trade unless a church he was working in could not help to support him while he was there getting them established.  I can only imagine he faced many a day himself when the mounting pressures of balancing work life, church planting, making disciples of new converts, and the like were just about to overwhelm him.  He has an interesting attitude though - he calls himself a "servant of the church" because God "gave him a special work to do".  I wonder if we might have our faith bolstered, energies renewed, and attitudes adjusted if we developed a similar perspective wherever it is we are planted today.

I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do. This work helps you. My work is to tell the complete message of God. This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory. So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:25-28 ERV)

I am grateful for Paul's work in the New Testament church, because I think he may just be reason many of us are believers today!  In fact, had he not been faithful to reach out to the far reaches of the earth with this message of hope, we might just be living in spiritual darkness right now.  He was a pioneer of the faith - a founding father of the church - and a faithful disciple of Christ.  He wasn't in the "inner circle" of Christ's twelve, nor was he a consistent follower of Christ while he was alive on this earth, but from the moment he made his decision to put his faith in the finished work of the cross, Paul's life changed. It took on new meaning and he pursued his calling with passion and determination.

There is something in Paul's message we all need to appreciate - he opens the door for us to understand the truth that Christ lives in us - this gives us hope for glory.  To some, this may seem like a trivial thing, but for just a moment step into this picture of what it might just be to experience Christ's glory fully within us.  I might begin by explaining the significance of light - for without light, darkness prevails.  Where darkness prevails, growth is stifled or limited to something which dies when light reaches the recesses of these dark places. When I spent some time underground in caverns deep beneath the surface of the earth, I am amazed to find "life" within the darkness.  Cave crickets and bats can survive deep within the confines of the cool caverns.  They are made for the darkness - bring light into their midst and they don't really know what to do with it.

Christ's glory within us is kind of like that at first.  We find our lives are kind of like the cricket born into the darkness of the cavern.  We live our lives well-adjusted and well-suited for the darkness which invades every area of our lives. When light begins to come into our lives, we can be almost "blinded" to what is happening around us at first.  Why?  It takes away what we are accustomed to "seeing" around us.  We are accustomed to the darkness - something which becomes a comfort zone for us.  When light comes, we skitter and hide.  Why? It isn't because the light is bad - it is because it is something we are not accustomed to.  At first, the limited light of the flashlight in the cavern seems blinding to the tiny cricket.  As more and more light is introduced, he develops a sense of 'acceptance' of the light and doesn't flee from it quite as much.  He might need to adjust to it, but he isn't as frightened by it as he once was.

God's glory within each of us is made known little-by-little because we need to adjust to the "brightness" of that glory.  We need to develop the capacity to stand in the presence of the fullness of the "light" he brings - instead of skittering away to hide from his revealing light.  Glory isn't just something God "radiates" because he is a supreme deity.  It is something he brings into the lives of those he meets with on a regular basis until they become more and more saturated with that light.  I liken it to the reflective dial on my watch.  It only glows at night because it has soaked up the light around it in the daylight. We only radiate God's glory because we spent time in his presence.  Glory is reflective - it is life-altering - and it is life-giving.  We should not run from his glory, nor imagine life without it, but rather bask in the light his presence brings and the liberty which comes from darkness being driven far from the recesses of our lives.  Just sayin!