Servant of the Word

Today I'm sick, but not so much that I can't read or write.  I spent part of this morning trying to prepare for a time of scripture study.  I read Sacred Reading by Michael Casey over the holiday.  He mentioned reverence as a precursor to scriptural meditation.  I thought I would find some ways to develop reverence for the Bible.

I began by looking for a Bible to read out of.  Many of my copies have writing in them, which I was worried might be distracting.  Also the study Bibles have notes and numbers and letters all over the place which can be distracting as well.  I was not able to find anything just right, but I found that removing the Bible from its protective cover with all the pockets and pens helped.  I could hold it more easily.

As I looked in our little storage room outside (brrrr), I discovered that many of the books I have collected over the years have been study helps and commentaries on the Bible.  Somehow when I saw them, they did not seem as inviting as I looked for help with reverence.  So many words.  And so many of them only partially read.  Somehow I felt they were not what I was looking for.

So I took my Bible out of its jacket and held it up and offered a prayer.

The law of the Lord is perfect

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy

making wise the simple

The precepts of the Lord are right

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant

giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure

and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,

sweeter than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned,

and in keeping them there is great reward.

(From Psalm 19)

A quiet rested on me.  I began to read slowly and reflectively from Colossians.  And so I found 1:23: "This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."  I was moved by the text.  I saw something of the heart that Paul had as he served the church, even people he had never seen.  He was a servant of the word of truth, the gospel.

I saw now why so much of my learning seemed to miss the mark as I studied the Bible.  I came to master the Bible.  Reverence asked me to become a servant of the Bible.  I have so many things I want to tell people from the Bible, but how often have I really handled it well?  I wanted so much to speak as one who knows, one who has mastered the Bible.  I found that some people were impressed, but rarely changed.

I had wonder and awe, but they were quickly submerged in my desire to argue a point or address a problem.  I felt the dis junction, but I could never quite put my finger on how to deal with it.  Paul was joyful in these Colossians and how they received this gospel word he served for Jesus' sake.  Like a waiter serving a grand meal, he served the gospel to this church.  He removed whatever obstacles he could so they could really dine upon it.

I feel that this journey may free me to study, learn, and even teach in an entirely different way.  Reverence before the Bible is just another expression of submission to the Lord.

Lord, please make me like your servant, Paul, who served you, your gospel, your word, and your people.  Let reverence put reins on my pride and enable me to be a better student of your Word and of Jesus.  Save me from mock reverence and arrogance as I approach your Holy Scripture.  Amen.

Can Children Hear from God?

The question really becomes how do children hear from God.  In one way, God is always speaking for those who can hear: "The heavens declare the glory of God. . . day after day they pour forth speech."  (Ps. 19)  Certainly the scriptures are God's word for us.  God's word is always there.  He is speaking.

With my children, I have had to teach them how to distinguish God's voice.  For a long time God's voice came through Dawn and me.  Their consciousness was not fully developed, so they were not aware of their own thoughts, exactly.  Of course, God spoke to them, but they were not fully aware of it in a specific sense.  They seemed to merely live in it by instinct, so to say.

What I mean is that the Creation is constantly interacting with and trusting God, but it does it by instinct.  God made human beings special in that they can choose to interact with and trust God and also be aware of it.  Those are things that other earthly created beings cannot do.  Children seem to start with a somewhat automatic sense of God, but then they come to a place where they must choose such interaction and become conscious of it.

Our fallen nature comes in as a "missing sense."  I read somewhere that being fallen is the fall of our hunger and awareness of God from the highest and most prominent part of ourselves to a place of death and insignificance.  Children, then, have to be taught to nurture that hunger and awareness although it is fallen and weakened by our present condition.  (Kind of like a lifetime of rehab.)

My daughter, Bethany, asked me recently if her dog, Hudson, obeyed God.  I answered, "Always."

She then said, "I wish I was like Hudson."

I said, "That's good, but Hudson is not aware of God; he just obeys out of instinct.  God has given us the gift and responsibility of having to choose to obey and being aware of that choice.  That's an important part of love."

She said, "Oh, then, I am glad I am not like Hudson."

"Me too," I said, "you'd be too fuzzy."

Kids are great.

The Reward of Fear

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. (Ps. 19:10)

Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Mt. 6:19-20)

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore, stand in awe of God. (Ecc. 5:7)

In the first part of Matthew 6, Jesus takes pains to explain that I must "be careful not to do [my] acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them." The motivation is for keeping them secret is missing out on the "reward from [my] Father in heaven." What is this reward?

Jesus gives a clue that the reward is in heaven by immediately following the three "acts of righteousness" with instruction on where to put my savings account: heaven. "Build up a savings in heaven and you'll never face a recession or loss or robbery." My ears are accustomed to hearing that savings as mere after-life promises.

Not that such promises are empty. They just do not cover the whole plan. The savings is not only a 401k, available only after my final "retirement" from this age. It is an active reservoir from which I draw each day, which is why Jesus confidently explains that I need not worry about my life or my body in the face of such abundance. (Mt. 6:25)

The reward that God promises is incorruptible. It does not fade or fail. It is permanent. In this sense, it is much more than a savings, which is kept for special occasions or rainy days. This reward is meant to be used like a spending account and enjoyed, not hoarded, because it cannot be lost.

So what sort of reward does secret and sincere giving, praying, and fasting yield? What sort of reward dissipates with seeking of people's approval or the fear of their criticism? The reward is the fear of God. It is pure and endures forever. It is meant to last and meant to be enjoyed.

Fear is the seeking of someone's approval, and, by implication, avoiding their disapproval. With impersonal objects, like lightning and gravity, I place myself favorably with the force so that I do not incur its "wrath." Similarly, with people, fear is a positioning of myself in their favor so as to avoid their displeasure. When people's approval becomes important, desire for God's approval disappears. Similarly, when God's approval is most important, the need for people's approval disappears.

If the fear of God is pure, it is free from any foreign object. The fear of God shares no other fear. When someone fears God, they do not need to fear anyone or anything else. I need only position myself favorable with God and nothing else need worry me. It alone beings a singleness of mind, a true focus. All other fears bring distraction and a fragmented life. This favorable position with God, that is, having his approval, is based solely on my relationship with his Son. He says, "This is my Son. Listen to him!"

The fear of God endures forever. It cannot rust, rot, or be stolen. This seeking of God's approval remains strong beyond all other forces because he freely grants his favor to those who seek him. The reason the "fear" endures is that God's favor and love are everlasting. I seek his approval and he grants it and shows how I might live in it more and more. God grants immediate favor for anyone who seeks it. Yet he has so much more to give. His pleasure and delight in me are endless. So as I seek his approval in my life, I find God shows me more of his goodness and also shows me more of my goodness in him.

This continuing fear places me in right relationship with God. I seek him. I listen to him. I avoid his displeasure. I do what pleases him. My greatest satisfaction is in pleasing him. Such fear is the heart of the humility that opens God's kingdom to me (Mt. 18:3). Through the knowledge of his Son, I know that God is on my side, walking with me and helping me always, even as Jesus did in his earthly life. Such fear leads me to die to my own desires when they conflict with God's even as Jesus died. My old life dies and a new one is born where I do not live for myself, but for God. The resurrection shows that the way is clear for this life even past the death of this body.

Such a reward outweighs all others. The treasure of bringing a smile to God will never pass away. Giving, praying, and fasting please him not because they are religious, but because when practiced well, they open my heart to fearing God. Through them I learn to see and desire his approval above everything else and avoid his disapproval with all that I am. They teach me of his love and his ways, so that his smile is my smile.

Lord, I long to fear you more. Let this seeking of approval not be one of seeking to make you like me, but one of pleasing you as you already like me. You are my friend and my companion as well as my Father, who I long to please. I am so glad you already approve of me thanks to Jesus, my companion. Let me come with him to you and hear you say that you are well-pleased. Amen.