Not always virtuous

If you have ever wondered about how to have an effective relationship with anyone, you know you have to get to know the individual a bit before you can truly 'figure out' what it is you each 'bring' into the relationship and what it is you 'offer' to each other. For example, if I think about my BFF, I know she brings an ability to tell it like it is - she doesn't pull her punches and I appreciate this about her. When I need to hear truth - she hits me with it. When I need her to hold me accountable - she reminds me of my commitment. When I find myself getting a little too 'bent' in one direction - she helps me laugh and put that stuff aside for a while so I can get refocused. These are just a few of the myriad of ways she 'brings' and 'offers' something into the relationship. When it comes to our relationship with God, what do you suppose we 'bring' and 'offer' within it? You might just be surprised to find that we 'bring' very little in comparison to what God 'brings' and we 'offer' some things that are pretty flawed compared to what he 'offers'!

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature. To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed.... (2 Peter 1:3-8)

God has 'given' us EVERYTHING we need. Not just some of the things he wants to 'part with' or 'offer up' to us, but everything. We RECEIVE not only the things that restore us to right relationship with him, but everything we need to remain within that right relationship. I may not always get this in my life, thinking there must be something I am missing whenever I repeatedly fail at something, but the matter is settled - I have everything I need to overcome that failure. I don't know about you, but I don't always exhibit the virtue in my life that bespeaks what I have been given in Christ. Virtue is just the ability and consistency to act or do what is right and good. Do I always do 'good'? No, certainly not. In fact, I blunder through this life probably about as well as you do! Yet, to today's right choices, I will add tomorrow's right ones, and then the next day's. In time, the 'match' between the virtue God brings within the relationship and the virtue I begin to exhibit will become more consistent.

Making right choices leads us to an understanding of our why it is we made those wrong choices in the first place. That is where knowledge comes into play. We find we recognize we are about to choose a wrong action or response quicker because we have learned to listen to God's voice a little quicker or with a greater intensity. In turn, we find we live more 'disciplined' lives - control, order, right conduct (that which is becoming of a child of the Most High God). We learn very quickly that frequently exhibited right choices, made for the right reasons, in a manner that is out of heartfelt love and appreciation for the one we are IN relationship with begin to introduce an 'endurance' into that relationship that 'rides out' and 'overcomes' the occasional wrong choices. It doesn't take much to develop an 'endurance' in relationship when we are both committed to it as much as God is committed to us! His 'endurance' becomes ours and his endurance is encompassed in repeated infusions of his grace. In turn, we move more consistently into places of unmeasured and limitless enjoyment of each other.

We don't always 'relate' well in our earthly relationships - I am a living example of not always being very 'virtuous' in my interactions. If we lean into Jesus and get this heavenly relationship with him right first and foremost, we have a much better chance of developing strong and vital earthly relationships that are consistently virtuous! Just sayin!

Be careful with those weeds

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I look at my garden at times and wonder where all the weeds come from. It isn't as though I plant those seeds. I don't even encourage them to find their way into my yard, much less take root in my soil. Have you ever stopped to consider the 'value' of a weed? I found out many are edible and you may have actually find you have even eaten some this very week! We probably all know dandelion leaves are edible, but how many of us have gnoshed on them? Watercress grows at the creek bed and was often a delicacy my dad would delight in on a hot summer's day of fishing. Lamb's quarter is a common weed in many gardens and we probably pluck it up, casting it aside in the rubbish bin. Yet, it is purported to have a taste similar to spinach and is even healthier for you! Not all weeds are bad - just as not all people are bad because of their labels!

“God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

From the tiniest of seeds come some of the greatest virtues. Moral excellence doesn't spring up because it is the most aggressive seed in the garden of our souls. It springs forth because the conditions are right for it to grow! Weeds might seem like they have no 'excellence', but we can disprove that theory! What seems like the most unlikely character trait for God to use might just actually prove as a worthy thing in his hands. Don't discount the potential he sees in that tiny seed within you - he hasn't! Plantain is a weed, yet the nutritional value of the leaves of this common weed are astronomical. Not every weed is worthless - sometimes we just have to look deeper to see the value contained within. Yet, too many weeds in our garden can actually become a hazard to the garden growth. Why? The weeds give safe haven to destructive insects! Weeds may be fine in some cases, but if we allow an overgrowth, we may not be able to preserve the 'virtue' of the rest of the garden!

Did you ever stop to consider that weed seeds exist in every square inch of your garden, but it is those that are in the top one to two inches of the garden that spring up? Turning the soil of your garden doesn't ensure there will be no other weeds that spring forth! It might actually serve to give the buried seeds enough of what they need to grow! Maybe this is why God asks us to allow him to tend the gardens of our souls - turning over time and time again the soil of our souls so that every weed seed has an opportunity to be exposed. Those that won't harm us, he might allow to grow so they add something of excellence to our gardens. Those that will soon harbor unwelcome inhabitants he will encourage us to actively 'weed out' because he is fully aware of how damaging their presence can be. We don't always know what a seed will produce. Stop for a moment to consider the mustard seed. It is actually a weed! I would find it hard to enjoy a hot dog fresh off the grill on a summer's eve without the rich yellow condiment, though! It lends flavor to the dog, doesn't it? It adorns it with contrasting color and it awakens the taste buds as you take it in.

The seed may not always produce good things, but in the hands of Jesus each seed has the potential of being either cultivated or weeded out appropriately. Sometimes I think we are too quick to discount the value of the 'growth' that springs forth just because we didn't see the seed planted! Just sayin!

Remembering....

There is so very much for which we should be grateful - most of us have no idea of the many things God actually does "behind the scenes" to keep us safe, bring us into places of blessing, and to intervene in our lives.  We just know God is there and that he is in control.  We don't "know" all the details of what that control looks like, but we trust it!  There are always moments in time when God "re-centers" my life a little so I take time to slow down and realize the many ways he protects and cares for my family.  If you have children, you "worry over" their lives even after they are gone from your home.  If you raise animals as pets or as your livelihood, you "worry over" every change in their behavior which suggests they are just not "feeling their oats".  If you care for elderly parents, you "worry over" every changing faculty and ability because you know each and every "decline" is moving them closer to the time they are less independent and on their way to the time they shall depart this earth.  We don't know the "stuff" in play behind the scenes in all of these circumstances, but we do whatever our part is to "manage" them as well as we can.  There is something to be said for just stopping once in a while to recount the many ways we "are" aware of the ways God has intervened in our lives, though.  It builds gratitude and brings us into closeness with him for a while.  This is indeed a good place to find ourselves.

My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind he is! (Psalm 103:1-2 ERV)

Never forget how kind he is.  This is something we have to tell ourselves from time to time simply because we have a tendency to get caught up in the hub-bub of everyday life and forget to simply "notice" the things God has been and is continuing to do all around us.  If we examine the entirety of this psalm of David, we might just find a few things we sometimes forget to thank God for in our lives, or perhaps have just taken for granted for a while.  Although this is not an exhaustive list, it does give us a few moments to just pause and think about who he is, how  much he loves us, and what a tremendous "protector" he is over us.

He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses - most of us remember the times we were sick or just not feeling our oats, but we kind of take for granted that the cold passed, the cut healed and the scab fell off.  We remember that moment when we asked God to forgive all our sins and even the last time we asked, but we don't remember them all.  He has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. Add to this that we sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved and we will be humbled anew by the greatness of his grace and the depth of his love. 

He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion - there is no greater gift he gave to us than his life for ours.  The Lord is kind and merciful. He is patient and full of love.  Two more reasons for us to honor him with our praise and delight in his presence.  Kindness extended where no one else would dare extend it.  Mercy given when the infraction demanded otherwise.  These "grace moments" should give us cause to not only pause, but shout with joy at the depth of his sacrifice and continued protection/care over our lives.

He gives us plenty of good things.  He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.  This is indeed a vivid picture of how God intervenes in our lives, for an eagle is nothing without the feathers which carry it majestically into the air and allow it to drift high above the earth.  We are nothing without his restorative power giving us new ability to fly high above the circumstances of life which would rob us of our "cover" and threaten to be our undoing.

The Lord does what is fair.  He brings justice to all who have been hurt by others.  We carry many a scar from the wounds of others, but God is there as the one who binds those wounds and lessens the unsightliness of those scars over time.  He is the one who will bring justice - for his kids are his delight and he will not let those who bring harm or hurt to them be left alone.  We may want revenge, but God brings justice - something we have a hard time understanding, but as long as we understand God has the issue in hand, we will be fine.

He does not always criticize.  He does not stay angry with us forever.  Thank goodness for this one for I can think of a million things for which God could criticize me!  The many times I have said I'd do something, then forgotten as quickly as I "committed" stand out in my mind!  God isn't moved to anger by our failures and our mindless drifting - he is moved to compassion and to doing what it takes to bring us back to him.  The Lord is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children. The Lord has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever!

He will be good to all their descendants, to those who are faithful to his agreement and who remember to obey his commands.  The Lord set his throne up in heaven, and he rules over everything.  We may not be as faithful as we'd like, but God sees every inch of faithfulness as a mile in his eyes!  We cannot be discouraged by the things which seem to be insurmountable in our lives - we must remember that God measures things in a different way than we measure them!  Just sayin!

Throw me another bone, please!

I haven't had a dog in years now, but I remember the extreme joy and passion my pooch would exhibit whenever I brought home a bone for her.  She'd waggle every part of her hind quarters and tail, almost trembling in delight over the promised ecstasy of the treat.  For hours, she'd gnaw away at that treat, savoring each and every morsel.  In short order, the bone would be picked clean of any sign of grizzle, remaining meat, and even sometimes much of the bone itself would be chewed down.  I'd hear her working on that thing for hours - sometimes having to take it away from her at night just so we'd be able to get to sleep!  She'd always see where I'd put it up out of her reach, knowing full-well where to find it the next day.  There she'd be sitting as soon as I woke up - ready to take on the task of chewing on it again.  Such persistence and perseverance.  I wonder if we have this same kind of reaction to God's Word?

Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone, rolls virtue around on his tongue.  His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins; his feet are as sure as a cat’s.  (Psalm 37:30-31 MSG)

Our psalmist points out this type of "tenacity" as being evident in a believer's consideration of the wisdom God provides and the integrity which is revealed in our speech.  We are to "chew on" wisdom like a dog takes on the bone.  What are some of the things I pointed out about my dog's encounter with the bone?  First - there was excitement which could barely be contained.  I wonder if we exhibit much excitement over the wisdom God brings into our lives?  Second - there was the "show" of interest in what was provided.  As she'd waggle her entire rear end, I knew she was going to take great delight in this treat.  I wonder if God sees any "show" of interest in what he provides on a daily basis in our lives.  The "treat" for my dog was occasional - God's "treats" are continual.  Third - her constant effort to "pick apart" the morsels of meat and grizzle left on that bone were evident in watching her turn it over and over, holding it close to her, sometimes changing positions so she'd get the right "grip" on it.  I wonder if we ever do that with God's truth in our lives - "repositioning" ourselves so we get a "better grip" on it.

We are also to "roll" virtue around on our tongue.  In other words, our speech is to reflect the integrity (uprightness) of the wisdom we have been taking in. I notices something after my dog had spent a few hours with her bone - her breath usually smelled better.  Why?  The turning over of the bone time and time again, and the constant chewing of the bone provided a cleansing effect for her teeth.  I think God's Word "rolled over our tongues" time and time again has a way of "cleaning up" what comes out of our mouths!  

Being a nurse, I really get the idea of blood coursing through the veins - steadily moving because of the "pumping power" of the heart itself.  Without the heart moving it, the blood becomes stagnant - it cannot come back to the place where it is "restored" and "revitalized".  You see, blood enters the heart and lungs to become re-oxygenated.  If it remained away from the heart and lungs, it would not carry much life.  As it passes through the liver and kidneys, it is "cleaned up" so it can go back to finding impurities, bringing them again to the "filtering stations" in the body, all the while assisting the body in keeping impurities from adversely building up.  Veins are like highways - they sometimes get "blockages".  If the veins are not well-maintained, these blockages can actually stop the flow of blood.  So, if we want to have a health "flow" of blood, we take care of the "highways".  I think we must pay as much attention to what "pumps" through our minds - the "spiritual and emotional" heart, so to speak.  If we don't allow God's word to permeate our minds, the "filters" we need to remove the impurities in our thoughts, words, and actions will not be there.  If we don't have a regular intake of his Word, the "highways" of our mind and spirit will soon become clogged with stuff just giving us "blockages" we cannot ignore forever.

I have also had cats.  Those amazing critters seem to be able to climb the walls and walk across some of the thinnest objects with the greatest of ease. Their tiny paws curving to grip the surface upon which they traverse.  Two things strike me about the cat - their ability to "bound" and their "balance".  They can be seen "bounding" straight up into the air, overcoming the space between them and their desired object.  The purpose of their "bound" is both to pursue and to attain.  They are eagerly "after" an object of their interest, or they are seeking a new vantage point.  Both are lessons we'd do well to learn.  Their ability to balance is also almost beyond our understanding - but if you know anything about cats, you know they have this amazing ability to "right" themselves even when they are falling.  There is a "tuning in" to where their head is in respect to their feet.  If their head is facing up, their feet will always be securely facing down!  

So, just some little trinkets to ponder today.  Let them muddle in your mind a while today and see if God can use any of them to speak to you.  In essence, as we study together, we are chewing on the Word like a dog chews on a bone!  Just sayin!

Steel in your convictions

Steel in your convictions - what does this mean?  Winston Churchill once said, "Without courage, all other virtues lose their meaning."  C.S. Lewis echoed his words when he penned, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."


It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.  (I Thessalonians 1:3-5 The Message)


God's hand is on us for something special.  We serve a God who is not only supernatural, he actually influences us to move beyond the natural into the abundance of all he is!  It is this very encouragement which gives us transforming power to live with courage in times of uncertainty.


When God begins to pour into our lives, he is "pouring" the right stuff.  This is what Paul was referring to when he said, "When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words."  The Word of God NEVER returns to him void!  When it is spoken, believed, and stood upon, it carries such a degree of transforming power that one cannot resist the transformation occurring.  


C.S. Lewis hit the nail on the head - God gives us courage - not the regular stuff, but the ability to stand even when every one of our other virtues is being put to the test.  Something happens when our virtues are put to the test - we come away stronger!  This is not in our natural ability, but in the supernatural strength and grace of our holy God.  


Since the 1600's, the meaning of "convictions" has come to stand for any belief we stand convinced of in our lives.  It is something we "hang our hat on" when the tough stuff begins to happen.  I don't know about you, but there are times when my convictions don't actually match my behavior.  Congruence (agreement) between my convictions and my behaviors is something which comes when I submit my convictions to God, allowing him to mold them to be conformed to the basis of truth.


Hardly a day passes which does not present us with some opportunity to have our convictions put to the test.  We face uncertainties galore - putting to test our trust in the one who makes all things good.  We come close to losing our hold on reality - almost choosing to believe the taunting lies of our enemy instead of the wholly proven Word of God.  We refuse to "chance" love again - because someone who is hurt finds it almost impossible to reach out again in transparent abandon to another.  


In these moments, God stands at the ready to put "steel in our convictions".  When these convictions are solidly based on the Word of God - the truth - we can stand strong, head held high, and heart open to those who walk this pathway with us.  God's hand is indeed upon us for something special - in his touch comes the "steel" to make it through - not just by the skin of our teeth, but with deep-seated assurance in the one we put our trust in.  The next time you feel your "courage" waning - look up!  It is in choosing to see God in the moment that we feel the infilling of his strength to face the unknown.