Getting Out of Being "in Want"

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. (C.S. Lewis)

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want."  What would it be like to not be "in want"?  That is where I find myself too often - stuck "in want."  Desire is a cruel master.  It never has enough.  Desire can only be fulfilled when it submits to something greater.  Desire leaves us before half the journey is done to fulfillment..  Half-hearted desire wanders and gets lost, taking us one way and then another, but never further.  Only with the Lord as my shepherd will desire become part of deep satisfaction, the place where I can say, "I shall not be in want."

"Now I lay me down to sleep."  I used to say that prayer as a child.  I felt such comfort in the softness of my bed and the darkness of the room and one of my parents close by.  Recovery comes from such rest.  As I laid myself down, I also laid aside the days troubles and concerns.  Something in a child can forget such things.  God brings me to that place where I can lie down and lay down, so that I can enjoy what he has given to me.

The place of my rest is the green pasture of my life.  Many people pray "Give us today our daily bread" on many Sundays.  Yesterday's pastures are brown.  Tomorrow's pastures are not yet grown.  The green pastures reside in today's life.  Only in these pastures can I find rest instead of regret or worry.  The comings and goings of this day are where the hand of my Shepherd can nourish me.  Even remembering and hoping live in the present if they have any life at all.  God satisfies my soul as we walk together into this day, this hour, this moment, with him as my guide.

The great danger is that I will walk by that place of rest and green pastures.  Instead of lying down in trust and hope, I take up my life in a restless rush after empty dreams.  Instead of laying down my troubles and concerns into his hands, I clench onto them with determination to fix what I can on my own.  Instead of seeing the pastures green around me, I think they must be greener on the "other side."  The other side being a past I cannot recover or a future I only think I know.  I do not say, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalm 16:6) or "Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." (Genesis 28:16)  I say, "I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. . . and I'll say to myself,'. . .Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.'"  (Luke 12:18-19)  Such is the nature of desire as a master: it is greed, which is idolatry.

Resting.  Receiving this day's events as nourishment.  Abandoning greed.  My soul will be satisfied and restored on this path.  It is not the denial of my desires, but placing it under the rule of God.  Under his influence, desire can lead to what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful.  In these I find satisfaction for my soul.  Desire is fulfilled after it is laid aside for greater things.  It has done its job.  Lord, let my desires lead me to you, your ways, and your guidance.  Show me how to make them servants instead of masters of my life so that my soul may be restored in paths of righteousness for your name's sake.  Amen.

The Greater Part of Being Human

What is man that you are mindful of him?  (Psalm 8:4)

What is man?  Chemicals and molecules gathered together?  A body?  A brain?  These are the lesser parts.  These are  the tip of the iceberg.  These are the bare minimum of a human being.

What lies under the sea of body and brain. sweat and bone?  What is the greater part of man?  His spirit.  In this way, the psalmist answers his question, "You have made him a little lower than God."  God is spirit.  We are embodied spirits.  Like him in an amazing way.

But it seems today the lesser part of human beings is all that concerns us.  The desires and whims of our bodies rule us and our spirits lie fallow.  That is my concern.  I look for ways to cultivate and renew this spirit, making my body a servant rather than master.  The way has been made.  The way is in Jesus.

By a companionship that moves into oneness, Jesus becomes my guide, my brother, my food and water, my very life.  It is not just praising him, but living with him.  It is not just thinking him good, but thinking he's the smartest.  It is not just following him to see what he'll do, but becoming his apprentice for life.  Jesus teaches me what is man.  The greater part.  Heart, spirit, will, under God.

Lord, today I ask for a glimpse of the greater part of human beings so I might gain perspective on my life. Amen.

Fall at His Feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
When evil overcomes your life,
fall at his feet!

 Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
When your daughter lies dying,
fall at his feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
When under illness and strife,
fall at his feet!

They may say to him,
"Please leave us alone."
They may crowd him
yet leave him untouched, unknown.
They may wail and cry,
and sneer at his hope.
But you, fall at his feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
Tell them how much he has done for you
and fall at his feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
Go in peace, from suffering freed,
and fall at his feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
Don't be afraid, just believe,
and fall at his feet!

Fall at his feet; fall at his feet!
He'll take your hand, raise you up.
Just fall at his feet!

(Meditation on Mark 5, The Healing of the Demon Possessed Man, and A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman)

The Other Side

Across the lake lay the darkness of unbelief.
On the lake was the darkness of the storm above, the deep below.
On the shore the tombs put out the darkness of possession.
"Let us go over to the other side," he said.
We followed, even into the darkness.

The wind and the waves obeyed him.
The demons feared and lay before him.
Even unbelief was challenged by him.
"Let us go to the other side," he said.
We followed, and he overcame.


Only doubt would ask if you cared.
Only evil would fear torture from you.
Only unbelief would ask you to leave.
"Let us go over to the other side," he said.
We followed, and were rejected as well.

At the end of the day, the storm was calmed,

The tortured man sat quietly at your feet in his right mind,
The people gained a witness of God's mercy and power.
"Let us go over to the other side," he said.
We followed and found hope.

(Meditation on Mark 4:35-5:20)

Lord, going over with you to the other side brings fear and even resentment in my mind.  What can I say?  I will follow you.  Let me find hope in you.  Amen.

Unburdening the Heart

Kindness comes from a heart unburdened
  and joy from a soul set free.
When can I go and meet with God,
  the One who goes unseen?
  Before the One unseen.

In a secret room with bolted door
  alone with the God I know,
I pray unforced with quiet hands
  that let every burden go.
  Let every burden go.

Just a corner in the courts of God
  is all I really need.
Surrounded by much greater prayers,
  I only plant a seed.
  Just a little seed.

My hands get tied, my mind obsessed
  by sins I know too well.
I need the freedom of holiness
  to pull these weeds of hell.
  Pull out these weeds of hell.

I must let go of my brother's neck -
  of our debts we take our leave.
We gather in our Savior's arms.
  We're safe with him between.
  Only safe with him between.

No duty, no law, no preacher's word
  is safe without this tie.
Unyoked from duty, in freedom free,
  Released from laws that lie.
  Released from laws that lie.

True holiness is freedom's path -
  it's sin that brings the fear.
More people do not make more love.
  if Jesus is not near.
  Jesus must be near.

The One Who Could

The one who could gather large crowds
  with his teaching and healing
  also leaves them behind.
The one who could explain everything to his disciples
  when they were alone
  also lets them alone as he slept in the middle of their storm.
The one who could speak only in parables to the crowds
  so they might not hear, but only understand,
  also quiets howling winds with his words.
The one who could speak only in parables to the crowds
  so they might not see, but only perceive,
  also stills the furious waves with his words.
The one who could say "He who has ears, let him hear!"
  also makes the winds and waves obey him.
The one who could command our trust and love
  also allows us to ask, "Who is this?"
The one who could hear us say, "Don't you care if we drown?"
  also says, "Do you still lack my faith?"

(Meditation on Mark 4:35-41, Jesus Calms the Storm)

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Reflections on a Pharisee and Tax Collector

Show me my pride;
    save me from it.
Awaken me to humility,
  its glory and grace.

Instead of questioning God's goodness and affirming your righteousness, question your righteousness and affirm God's goodness.  It is a safer path.

If you're busy looking down on others, it's hard to look up to God.

What would've happened if God had looked down on people and merely said, "I am so glad I am not like you!`"

Religious pride delights to talk about how it is doing more for God than other people are doing.

Sometimes the people who are closest to God feel the furthest away from him.

Looking up to heaven is the normal stance in prayer.  Humility waits for God to lift up its face to heaven in mercy.  Pride scorns being lifted up this way.

Humility beats the body down not to get God's notice, but so it can pay better attention to God and his ways.

The seed of humility first appears through our sins because of guilt and fear.  God's mercy frees us from guilt and fear.  Then humility can grow.

Sin is the misuse of the body.  Lust, greed, and anger squeeze the body for pleasure it cannot fully give, so such pursuits ultimately lead to emptiness.  Joy is found in the body humbled to its place of waiting on God.  Only in this can the body rest content.  The body is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body just like the stomach is meant for food and food for the stomach.  Nothing else satisfies.

When the humble go to worship, they meet mercy.  When the humble return home, they discover grace.  Wherever the proud go, they bring condemnation.  When the proud return home, they find emptiness.

The humble often escape the notice of other people.  God sees them and blesses them.  The proud are often seen and praised by other people.  God escapes their notice.


(Luke 18:9-14)

Small Enough, Large Enough

The kingdom of God is small enough to be overlooked,
but large enough to fill my whole life.

The voice is quiet,
the seed is small,
but when planted,
it rules over all,
giving a place to stand
and a place to rest,
a place of comfort,
a place of trust.

The kingdom is small enough
to get lost in a crack,
easily looked over,
off the beaten track.

The kingdom is for planting,
going ever deep,
rooted in the will to good
of those who truly seek.

The kingdom grows larger still,
filling life in every crease,
overshadowing each moment
with love, joy, and peace.

captainkimo.com

The kingdom lifts its branches,
giving me a place to land,
a shadow of constant kindness
giving rest in its hands.

The kingdom calls
in parable and word
to be planted in the ear
and be ever heard.

Let this kingdom grow into my heart.
Let this Jesus come beside and explain
as alone I await his teaching words
about  a place to stand, a place to remain.

Your kingdom come.
Your kingdom stay.
Your kingdom grow
each and every day.

(On Mark 4:30-34, The Parable of the Mustard Seed)

The Naked Guest

"Two men went up to the temple to pray: one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector."  (Luke 18:10)

htrccsherman.org

The house of God is open.
The meal is spread out.
The conversation is slow.
The table is low.

When I enter this house
          I never hear,
          "What are you doing here?"
          They call my name,
          but will I answer?
          Do I know it?

The greatest weapon of pride
       that keeps me from tabling
                             with the Lord
                             are the words,
                             "I just don't have time for that."

The doorway to the house
       is the cross.
To enter, in confession,
       all clothes are stripped,
       all possessions dropped.
       Naked I come,
       but I arrive at the table
       dressed in glory.

At any other home,
     where people gather alone,
     this naked visitor,
     this empty traveler
     is unwelcome and unexpected.
At the house of God,
     though he worries about his welcome,
     he is seen a long way off.
And though his brother will not welcome him,
     he is clothed and celebrated.
His brother receives warm welcomes everywhere
     and he thinks he deserves them.
But this naked guest
      is only welcomed by God
                 and his company.

The naked guest finds his home
       in a church that is
          a place of worship and
          a house of prayer.
       Here is a doorway to fellowship with God.
His brother will find his home
      in a church that is
         a human gathering,
         a place of religion.
      Here is a warm welcome for all pride and false confidence.

Without confession, I will not be recognized by God.
             He knows my true self, my right name.
             Do I know?  Will I answer?
             Jesus says "I never knew you" to this pretend self.
             Jesus says "Come to me" to a contrite heart, a broken spirit.
             As a naked guest, let me come
                                         and cling to the cross!
                                         Pretend selves die
                                         and false confidence falters
                                         and all is left behind
                                                for a chair
                                                        at the table of the Trinity.

Ripening to God's Word

The listening ear and the satisfied heart
       grow in the same soil.
       That soil is the kingdom of God.
       The place where the ear and heart are married.

spmcrector.blogspot.com

I see seeds in my hand
         waiting to be sown,
         waiting to be grown,
         life waiting to happen.
In my hand, in my possession,
          they will come to nothing,
          remain only seeds,
          only fit for lesser creatures,
          barely able to feed a bird -
          only seeds,
                           ears without heart.
They touch the earth.
        Then their life is kindled.
        To what they have more is given:
              a stalk,
                 a head,
                    a full kernel in the head,
                       ripeness.

How can those seeds of listening produce such a crop?
                        They grow by loving desire, unseen, underground.
                        They grow in sleep or in waking,
                                             during night or in the day.
                        And so listening brings fruit
                                    by this kingdom of God,
                        All by itself seemingly -
                             this true listening,
                             listening with all my heart.
                        My Jesus, your words are life;
                                        let me hear!


These seeds do not grow all at once:
          First the stalk,
                  then the head,
                         then the kernel in the head,
                                then ripeness.
In growth is the waiting,
    one thing upon another,
    experience with experience,
    life within life.

Listening is waiting
                  waiting for ripeness.
So much is green in my heart
                  unable the sustain what I hear.
                  I long for ripeness.

fineartamerica.com

Lord,
        send a sickle to my heart,
                an apostle to reap the fruit of listening.
                Only then will my heart be satisfied.
        If only my heart would ripen to your word!
        If only the seeds of listening would bear fruit!
                        Something so small becomes the biggest of all,
                        the rejected stone, the capstone,
                        the Suffering Servant, the Savior,
                        the unknown man, the Teacher of all.
                        My Jesus and my little life in him.

(Meditation on Mark 4:26-29)

Seen and Heard

Do not be like the hypocrites.

They are missing out.

               They pray to be seen by people

               rather than by their unseen Father.

               Filled with the recognition they seek,

               they miss the eyes of the Beloved One.

teatime-kiddies

He goes unseen,

              hidden from the view of pride,

              invisible to the self-absorbed.

              He sees and is seen by

              those who close and lock the door

              to be alone with him.

Father, may I be seen by you,

              may your eyes light up my soul,

              may your gaze fill me.

“I see you,” he says.  “I see you.”

Do not be like those who don’t know God,

                         trying to move him with words

                         when he is already moved on their behalf,

                         covering all their bases

                         when only one thing is necessary,

                                           sitting at his feet.

bible-truth.org

He waits in silence

               in silence he is heard.

               When I am drowned by many words,

               silence is the ark that stays afloat

               and makes room for his re-creating word,

                                                   his call for deliverance.

Father, close my mouth and ears

              as you did the door of the ark.

              May the flood of noise

              always be outside our place.

“I hear you,” he says.  “I hear you.”

I am seen.

I am heard.

         What else would a father do?

             The heavens are open to me.

        I need not make a name for myself,

             only call out yours.

        I do not have to make things happen;

             I need only be remade.

        Each day you care for me

             as one who knows what I need before I ask.

        As long as people owe me recognition,

             I am collecting.

        Allow me to let it all go

             so I am free to seek your recognition.

        There are many things that shine,

                         many things that call,

             but only you are worth seeing and hearing

                         in everything.

I am seen.

I am heard.

I am free.

( A meditation on Matthew 6:5-17 for my fellow Embers)

For Dallas

His last words were “Thank you.”

Let these also be my parting words to you.

Thank you for opening my eyes to God’s great kingdom,

    the pearl of great price,

    the seed that grows all of itself.

Thank you for sharing your vision of Dr. Jesus,

                      Master of all reality,

        Teacher of all time.

Thank you for showing that eternal, abundant life begins now,

       being poured out as a gift of God

       as a blessing on other’s lives.

Thank you for the hymns you sang in the hallways,

           the scriptures you quoted without thinking,

           the kindness you showed in your silence.

Thank you, God, for the gift of this life,

        quiet laughter, intense thought,

        stinging wit, gentle hands,

        unhurried feet, eyes wide open,

        devoted heart, deep soul.

Thank you.

Seek the Kingdom with Your Ears

 Only the good soil grows in the light of God.

               Some soil stays in the darkness of ignorance.

               Some soil takes no root in troubled storms.

               Some soil gets choked by weeds of greed and worry.

Only the good soil of listening grows in the light of God.

wikipedia

The kingdom of God is a lamp shining out,

                                         never hidden

                                         never covered,

                                         placed on the lamp stand of the Christ,

                                         who shines most in the darkest places.

Light of God, shine on me!

Jesus Christ, lift up my eyes to the light!

The kingdom is everywhere shining

                              but seldom seen,

                           so blinding in Christ,

                              yet easily dismissed.

The humble God has hidden his light, his kingdom,

                                     in the Suffering Servant, Jesus,

                                     in the humble Teacher, Jesus,

                                     even in the wandering pilgrims

                                               who follow Jesus;

                                     hidden from those who think they know,

                                        but shown to those who want to know;

                                     hidden from those who are satisfied,

                                        but shown to those who are hungry;

                                     hidden from those who want to hide,

                                        but shown to those who want to walk in the light;

                                     hidden from the eyes,

                                        but shown to the ears.

visualphotos.com

If you have ears in order to hear, listen!

                  Listen to a kingdom unseen.

                  Listen to its Teacher,

                                    who holds up the kingdom in his words.

                  Listen so that you may see!

                  Open your ears and look!

Lord, may your kingdom call out to me!

The value of the kingdom in found in its weight.

        Does it weigh in your heart?

        What is its measure?

        Your ear is the balance of the heart

                weighing one thing against another.

        What weighs upon you?

surrenderedmarriage

The kingdom is heavier than it looks.

        far denser in its love, joy, and peace

             than it seems,

        seeming small compared to the world

             and yet heavier than this kingdom of the air,

        impossible to carry

             until Jesus picks up the other end.

Seek the kingdom of God with your ears.

Seek its light in the dark noise.

Seek its hiddenness from those who hide from God,

Seek its weight of love and glory

  and everything else will be yours.

Half-hearted half-listening will not bring half of the kingdom,

  but nothing.

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

Let your word grow this kingdom in my heart.

(A Meditation on Mark 4:21-25)

Faith in Jesus

Jesus's mealtime conversation during his last supper included some bitter news for his disciples.  "Where I am going, you cannot come."  (John 13:33)  The one they thought would set up shop on earth as a new Davidic king in Israel was breaking up camp and leaving.  He told them, "You know the way to the place where I am going." (14:4)

Thomas, the famous doubter, blurted out, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (v. 5)

In answer Jesus gave his famous proclamation: "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know the Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him."  (vv. 6-7)

Philip said in his confusion what many cynical skeptics would say now, "Show us the Father and that will be enough for us."  (v. 8)

Now Jesus expands.  Philip does not take Jesus explanation in verse 7 at face value.  He wants more.  Fortunately Jesus doesn't just slap him and say, "Believe more!"  He explained to Philip and us how we can come to see the Father.

His questions to Philip were biting, however.  "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? . . .  How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?"  (vv. 9, 10)  He explained that Philip doesn't really know him.  Unfortunately, I think we don't do a lot better than Philip.

stmatthewsjc

Jesus uses three expressions to explain his relationship with the Father.  "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."  (v. 9)  Jesus is the face of God.  "I am in the Father and the Father is in me."  (v. 10)  Jesus shares a life, an existence with God.  "The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing the work."  (v. 10)  Jesus has the teaching of God.

This is the foundation of our faith.  "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me."  On this everything rests.  This is not merely part of an understanding about Trinitarian belief, it is about the very nature of God.  Jesus was God-in-the-flesh (God incarnate) or he wasn't.  What Jesus said, what he did, and how he was were all as God would (and did) do as a person.

So what's the big deal?  It's the difference between Jesus healing and helping as a nice guy or Jesus healing and helping as the expression of what God did, does, and always will do.  It's the difference between Jesus having some nice or helpful words and Jesus speaking words that are life, truth, and the very bread of human existence.  It's the difference between Jesus being a pitiful martyr or Jesus drawing the whole world to himself as a deliverer from death and evil, a savior from the corruption of sin, and the ultimate example of where each person must go to find God.

Disbelief and skepticism about this kind of trust and belief in Jesus are the water we swim in.  But, what if the face of Jesus is the face of God?  How might we feel toward him?  How might we relate to him?

What if Jesus shared a life with God when he was on earth?  Could we imagine working side-by-side with God, so that we might say, "It is [Jesus], living in me, doing the work"?  How might we walk through our days?  How might we understand our purpose?

What if Jesus had the teaching of God?  Perhaps he might have know just what we needed to hear to live the life God would love and that we would love as well?  Perhaps each of his words as present in the created order and in the Bible would bring life, love, peace, and joy?  Might he be the Master Teacher of all time?

Although lack of faith may be most noticeable through a lack of confidence, its source comes more from lack of knowledge.  Understanding and accepting God's nature will bring about confidence.  Jesus expanded his teaching to Philip because Philip lacked understanding.  Where Philip's (and our) understanding fail, he gives grace and power to grasp what we need to know.  Faith stretches out beyond knowledge, but also pulls knowledge along.  Greater faith yields greater knowledge and, to some degree, greater knowledge yields greater faith.

As I live in faith and trust of God, I learn more about him.  As I learn more about God and from God, I find faith easier to exercise.  Jesus explains to Philip on this principle, I believe.  In the end, it challenges me to think a bit harder about what I believe and what I don't believe and what Jesus taught me to believe most of all.  I find that from faith informed by knowledge, confidence comes.

Lord, let me see your face.  Let me see the life you want me to live.  Let me come to know your teaching more deeply.  Let me do this in your name, by faith in you informed by knowing you, and byu loving you.  Amen.

Jesus Withdrew

"Jesus withdrew."  (Mark 2:7-12)  Perhaps it's not right to leave that quote hanging like that.  Perhaps I'm going too far.  I find great hope in this: Jesus withdrew.

The Pharisees hammered him with, "Why does this fellow talk like that?  He's blaspheming! . . .  Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners? . . .  How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but yours are not? . . .  Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"  (vv. 7, 16, 18, 24)  Their questions were meant to accuse and eventually Jesus "looked at them in anger, . . . deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts."  (3:5)  The kingdom of God had made it great appearance through him and all they could worry about were their rules and positions!  Even in the midst of such a great showing of power, he showed his love.  Jesus withdrew.

Was he scared?  Not likely.  Maybe he was scared for those who plotted against his life.  Maybe he was giving them a break.  Maybe he'd challenged them enough for one day.  Maybe he hid from them so they could hide from him.  Jesus withdrew.

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My heart leaps at another thought, though.  "Jesus withdrew with his disciples."  The thought of a Savior who saved himself by going to his God and his Father gives me ease.  The thought of a Teacher who would seek to teach all people by teaching a few gives me hope.  The thought of a Lord who was not driven by his greatness, but showed his greatness by leading his disciples into rest gives me peace.  The thought of a Friend who wanted to be near those he knew and loved to show what friendship he could have with everyone disperses my loneliness.  Jesus withdrew.

Such a man is for me.  Funny that he never had to gather a crowd, but drew all people to himself.  His healings and exorcisms were hidden gifts rather than publicity stunts.  It was almost like he never wanted to draw a crowd, but he had compassion on them all.  I can see it in these words: Jesus withdrew.

Lord, take me with you.  Let me withdraw as well as walk among the crowds, but let me be your disciple.  Call me to you.  Where you go, let me come.  I need only be with you.  Amen.

Trinity Monotheism: the Soul of God

The alleged problem is that if only the Trinity exemplifies the complete divine nature, then the way in which the persons are divine is less than fully divine. . . .  The persons of the Trinity are not divine in virtue of instantiating the divine nature. For presumably being triune is a property of the divine nature (God does not just happen to be triune); yet the persons of the Trinity do not have that property.  (Moreland, James Porter; William Lane Craig (2009-11-08). Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (p. 590). Intervarsity Press. Kindle Edition.)

Somehow this moves me.  I have never thought of the Trinity being the only way God could be.  I thought that God just happened to be triune.  With this understanding, I see that the Trinity is a ground-breaking truth.  Being triune is a property of being deity, so in Christian thought, a non-triune God, as in unitarian monotheism, cannot be God at all.

Trinity monotheism is the understanding that only the Trinity is fully divine and fully deity.  The persons of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are parts of a whole.  None of them is fully deity on their own any more than my body or my mind is all of myself.  My mind and body are who I am, but not fully.  Each person of the Trinity is a full person, with spirit and mind, but not the fullness of God in themselves.

What moves me is to understand that the image of God includes his triune nature.  The nature of God is love and love does not exist in an isolated individual.  As Moreland writes:

We may ask if there are any positive arguments which might be offered on behalf of the plausibility of that doctrine. We close with an argument that a number of Christian philosophers have defended for God’s being a plurality of persons. God is by definition the greatest conceivable being. As the greatest conceivable being, God must be perfect. Now a perfect being must be a loving being. For love is a moral perfection; it is better for a person to be loving rather than unloving. God therefore must be a perfectly loving being. Now it is of the very nature of love to give oneself away. Love reaches out to another person rather than centering wholly in oneself. So if God is perfectly loving by his very nature, he must be giving himself in love to another. But who is that other? . . .  God is eternally loving. So again created persons alone are insufficient to account for God’s being perfectly loving. It therefore follows that the other to whom God’s love is necessarily directed must be internal to God himself.  (ibid, 594-595)

The Trinity becomes more than a doctrine to fight over.  It is a reality to live in.  God created us to love him and other people as he loves in himself.  A God who is merely one cannot have such love as his nature, but only as his demand.  In Christian thought, prior to people loving God because he first loved them is the explanation of God's nature: God is love. (1 John 4)  He did not need us to love, but created us for love and out of love.

The love that a non-triune deity would express falls short of what the Trinity expresses.  It inevitably turns into mere self-interest or needy dependence.  God's command to love is not arbitrary, nor does God need the creation in order to love.  God is a rich, vibrant, loving community in himself.

Another way to understand this is

The question of what makes several parts constitute a single object rather than distinct objects is a difficult one. But in this case perhaps we can get some insight by reflecting on the nature of the soul. We have argued that souls are immaterial substances and have seen that it is plausible that animals have souls. . . . Souls come in a spectrum of varying capacities and faculties. Higher animals such as chimpanzees and dolphins possess souls more richly endowed with powers than those of iguanas and turtles. What makes the human soul a person is that the human soul is equipped with rational faculties of intellect and volition that enable it to be a self-reflective agent capable of self-determination. Now God is very much like an unembodied soul; indeed, as a mental substance God just seems to be a soul. We naturally equate a rational soul with a person, since the human souls with which we are acquainted are persons. But the reason human souls are individual persons is because each soul is equipped with one set of rational faculties sufficient for being a person. Suppose, then, that God is a soul which is endowed with three complete sets of rational cognitive faculties, each sufficient for personhood. Then God, though one soul, would not be one person but three, for God would have three centers of self-consciousness, intentionality and volition, as social trinitarians maintain. God would clearly not be three discrete souls because the cognitive faculties in question are all faculties belonging to just one soul, one immaterial substance. God would therefore be one being that supports three persons, just as our own individual beings each support one person. Such a model of Trinity monotheism seems to give a clear sense to the classical formula “three persons in one substance.”  (ibid, pp. 593-594)

I had thought about this before, but only found it in writing in Moreland's book.  Why should it matter?  Because the Creator makes things that is in his nature to make.  Further, each person shares in the image of the Creator.  The nature of the Creator becomes the place where people can understand their own natures.  Soul, body, mind, spirit, and community become more than concepts, but realities.  In these days, the soul has lost its place.  People are seen as pieces thrown together rather than as a created soul, "something that contains and unifies all the various sensory experiences, thoughts, behaviors, and relationships of the person into a unitary continuous whole."

This inspires me to seek my soul and take care of it.  "Recently, at the Knowing Christ conference in Santa Barbara, Dallas [Willard] said, 'If you get very quiet, you might notice the soul.' Parker Palmer once compared the soul to a wild deer; it flies from noise and action and movement. You have to wait, and wait, and perhaps it will make an appearance."  (Barczi, Ben, gospelmind.org/2013/03/08/parts-soul/)  Perhaps I will being to wait.

Lord, let my life be as yours.  Let me soul be still, so I might find it and allow you to renew it.  Amen.

The New for the New

WHAT'S NEW?

No, he pour new wine into new wine skins.  (Mark 2:22)

 "New" makes its appearance on labels of products as "new and improved" or "new look."  It also shows up as "brand new" and "as good as new" in the area of resale.  Unfortunately, this sort of marketing is not isolated to the sale of candy or used bicycles.  This concept of "new" has crept into our spiritual lives as individuals and communities.

Such newness follows our worship of human progress and technology.  Last year's computer is not as good as this years model.  The latest fashions are always better than the ones of last year or the last decade.  Even the nostalgic appeal to "classic" or "original" is based on having greater choices and variety - something new all the time.

It's not all bad, but it has little to do with the new wine that Jesus wants to give to us.  Jesus wants to fulfill rather than replace.  What is old cannot hold the new, but what is old points to what is new and lays the ground for it.  The new wine is Jesus's new teaching, which is not confined to a book, but lives and moves in and through and with us.

This new wine is new because it is constantly growing.  It is vital.  It is living.  Jesus's teaching continues and finds life through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who will remind us of everything Jesus said and lead us into truth.  Such a new living wine cannot be contained by the same containers; they give out and burst eventually.  No, he pours new wine into new wine skins.

Jesus's disciples are the new wine skins.  They are the ones made new through a living, conversational relationship with Jesus and his Father through the Holy Spirit.  Their lives make more and more room for God rather than shrinking and hardening by trusting in the correct professed beliefs or in the right good actions or in the best informed community.  Beliefs and actions and community are important, but  they cannot hold the new wine.  Only a discipleship of interactive love with Jesus can hold this new wine.

THE OTHER WINE SKINS

Jesus warns against two alternatives to his teaching and Spirit later in Mark (8:15).  He tells his disciples to watch out for the "yeast" or the teaching of the Pharisee and of Herod.  Pharisees taught about a life of service to God, full of deeds good in themselves and under the protection of the Jewish religious institution.  Self-righteousness was their trademark.  Hypocrisy was the outcome.  A life devoted to their teaching was one where they found themselves doing everything so that others would see.  To them Jesus said, "Clean the inside of the dish and the outside will come clean as well."

The teaching of Herod was one that accommodated to the world they lived in.  He was careful to stay on good terms with those around him, especially important people, like rulers.  His life stood in opposition to what was moral and right, but he tried to buy support through building temples for the religious people.  Unrighteousness was his trademark.  Friendship with the world was the outcome.  Such teaching resulted being darkened in the mind and cut off from the life of God.

Self-righteousness and unrighteousness seem to promise "new wine."  One with the spiritual fads, good deeds, or orthodox practice, the other with new pleasures and personal "freedom."  Neither delivers.  Communities that thrive on such teaching and practices reap the same benefits: falsehood and emptiness.

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I am too easily swayed by these paths, especially self-righteousness.  Becoming a new wine skin seems so much harder until I see or experience the fruits of the other ways.  If I take the other paths, I inevitably find myself backtracking and unlearning what I've been learned.  Whether I find myself drawn to professing the right beliefs to be right with God or to doing good deeds for God without coming to know God himself or to taking care of the church so it will take care of me, I find they leave me empty, since God will not fill such wine skins with his new wine.  Jesus's teaching and His Spirit can only reside in his apprentices, otherwise I find myself broken and worn out, unable to sustain the life he longs to fill me with.

Lord, re-new me today.  Yesterday's thoughts and feelings and desires will not carry me through today. Give me this day your daily bread of renewal and transformation so that my life might be a holding place for your Spirit of love, joy, and peace.  Amen.

Made by God and Loving It

It is not an abstraction called Humanity that is to be saved.  It is you, . . . your soul, and in some sense yet to be understood, even your body, that was made for the high and holy place.  All that you are. . . every fold and crease of your individuality was devised to fit God as a glove fits a hand.  All that intimate particularity which you are can hardly grasp yourself, much less communicate to your fellow creatures, is no mystery to Him.  He made those ins and outs that He might fill them.  Then He gave your soul so curious a life because it is the key designed to unlock that door, of all the myriad doors in Him.  (C. S. Lewis, penciled in the flyleaf of his copy of von Hugel's Eternal Life)

What if Lewis was writing not to some imaginary hearer, but to himself?  What if he was reminding himself of his particular worth to God?

I could see myself doing this.  I spent a long time in college saying to myself, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made and Your works are wonderful."  (Psalm 139:14)  I guess that shows one of my struggles: low self-esteem.

Yet even that low self-esteem has been a place where God can grow something.  My self-loathing exposed to the light of my loving wife and kids brings me pain.  I realize that I "enjoy" it in some strange way, but in the eyes of my family it becomes something terrible and hurtful.

Self-examination and honesty are good.  I guess there is a limit, though.  The limit is where I want to determine my own identity on my own, rather than in the loving arms of God.  I have been long in avoiding him.  It's time to fall.

Lord, why do I try so hard to figure it out on my own?  Why do I purposely plug my ears to your help and encouragement?  Forgive me.  I am tired of being a self-made martyr.  Make me lie down in your green pastures, lead me beside your still waters, restore my soul.  Amen.

Restore the Joy

THE JOY OF SALVATION

Let's say that joy can be understood as a deep sense of well-being.  Such a feeling cannot be merely a feeling, but is also an persistent thought as well as a recurrent choice.  It is not merely cosmetic, like the seed in shallow soil that showed joy at the message of God's kingdom, but quickly withered when trouble and persecution came in Jesus's parable of the seed and the sower.  Like a house built on rock instead of sand, the storms blow over it and by it, but do not blow it down.

Let's say that salvation can be understood as deliverance.  Being delivered implies slavery or captivity or prison.  I am caught with no way of escape.  I am locked away with no hope of freedom.  Then my freedom is purchased, my debt is paid, or my sentence removed.  I am moved from the realm of darkness and hopelessness into a bright, new place of hope.  My prospects are open.  My life stands before me.  I am saved.  I am delivered.

The joy of deliverance then is the sense of well-being that comes from or belongs to life that is free, open, and safe.  This is where forgiveness leads.  This is the resting place of each person who is redeemed or bought back by God.  The prayer for restoration is a prayer for continued fellowship with God when I have left him.  The return of the prodigal son is a picture of such restoration.  It is not merely a recognition of some transaction that takes place on my account to "pay for my sin."  It is coming home to the Father.

THE ROAD HOME

The road home has some landmarks that are familiar to those who travel in this way.  "Hide your face from my sin" (Psalm 51:9) is the request for relief from guilt.  The NET Bible notes that this means, "Do not hold me accountable for my sin."  Take no notice of it.  Do not bring it up before me.  Can God really do that?  Yes, he can.  Yes, he must.  Forgiveness must be freely given to be forgiveness at all.  God is fully willing to forgive.

The barriers belong to me.  Guilt and shame make it impossible to receive forgiveness.  I'm too busy beating myself up to lift my face up for mercy.  Guilt and shame lead to a warped picture of God as one who is tight-fisted and "reaps where he does not sow."  The first hill on the road to forgiveness is releasing my sin to God for him to hide and blot out.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)  A clean heart and a right spirit come from forgiveness.  God must not only forgive, but enable me to receive such forgiveness.  A clean heart is one that has one pure motive.  A right spirit is pointed in the right direction.  Such intention comes from God.  I cannot merely make it happen; I must humbly receive it.  The gate is small, but God can bring me through it.

"Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:11)  The creation of a new heart comes from God's grace present in his Spirit.  He grants that I can remain with him and be drawn to him through his Spirit.  The means by which God renews my spirit is by his Spirit.  A right spirit is aligned with his Spirit.  Apart from him I can do nothing.  Again, I ask, I wait, I receive.   The road is narrow, but his leading is sure.

SIN LEFT BEHIND

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12)  I am never merely saved from guilt and shame even though they are the front door of my salvation.  Salvation is about a new creation, a clean heart and a right spirit.  Salvation is about living in the presence of God, indwelt and guided by his Holy Spirit.  Such a salvation makes war on more that guilt.  I am saved from my sin.  The joy of salvation is sin left behind.  The joy of salvation is a heart that does not want sin.  The joy of salvation is a spirit that chooses the right way.  The joy of salvation creates a willing spirit that sustains me through trial and temptation.

What does this all look like?  It is hard work, but not the kind I expect.  I am not asked to make up for my sin.  I am not asked to forgive so I will be forgiven.  I am asked to let go of guilt and shame through trust.  I am asked to seek out the God who forgives, strengthens, and leads through prayer and discipline.  I am asked to exchange my heart for a new one that beats with God's, the heart of Jesus.  I lay aside the work of trying to make up for my sins and accept the work of being with God every moment or every day.

Lord, I deviate easily.  I find myself trying to manage my sin instead of giving it up and following you.  Give me the will to let go.  Give me the love to run after you.  Amen.