Need to make room for God?
He’s got a plan.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (MSG)
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
Pick up your God-tools. Tear down the blockades. Make room.
What fills your thoughts?
What’s not in your thoughts?
Psalm 10:4 (NIV)
In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Don’t be like the wicked man. Make room for God.
Monday is the day we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. I’ve often listened to his “I Have a Dream” speech. Until now, I’d never read the text of his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963). I was deeply moved.
His words speak to our current state of affairs.
“In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.”
Alas, feelings now seem to matter more than facts. We’ve lost the art of negotiation. And self-purification? There’s little analysis of our own motives, many assumptions about the other side’s. I hear loud calls to action, silence on serious reflection.
“One may want to ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust . . . A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law . . . One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty . . . Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, on the ground that a higher moral law was at stake.”
Are we willing to stake our stand on the higher ground of God’s moral law?
“In that dramatic scene on Calvary’s hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime—the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
Dr. King’s legacy: self-purification, devotion to God’s moral law and willing sacrifice. All worth protecting.
It’s all about You, God. Not me, not my party, not even my country. Your love, Your justice, Your truth–in Jesus’ name.
What’s the plot? Where’s the script? Who’s playing what part?
The nation’s gone off-script. Random lines explode all over the stage. And the costumes . . . Viking horns, really? Color me sad and confused.
And yet, as I go about my daily business, all is well. People are polite. Cars stop for red lights. Folks pay for their groceries.
What’s my part, Lord? To pray, yes, I know. But what else can I do to stand out as Your disciple? To speak true words into a crazy world? To share Your story?
I’m a believer in keeping it simple. But I wonder if we’re doing a disservice to our children by keeping it too simple.
It would be better to teach our children to
The Bible tells us
2 Timothy 2:15 (TLB)
Work hard so God can say to you,
“Well done.”
*per Merriam-Webster, a twit is “a silly, annoying person”
Many of the images from the breach of the Capitol felt like a video game: up a wall, through the glass, up the stairs, down a corridor.
Have we crossed the line between fantasy and reality?
Romans 1:25 (MSG)
They traded the true God for a fake god,
and worshiped the god they made
instead of the God who made them.
Are people living in a fantasy world of their own making?
Let’s keep it real.
Psalm 7:14-15 (CEB)
But look how the wicked hatch evil,
conceive trouble, give birth to lies!
They make a pit, dig it all out,
and then fall right into the hole
that they’ve made!
Who is headed for a hole? Time and truth will tell.
Like the rest of you, I watched disturbing images last week. We saw folks break through barricades and breach our Capitol. I think I’ve seen enough.
Enough to wonder, what were they thinking?
To me, it looked too random to have been carefully planned. Many players, many motives. No one person in charge. No real strategy.
Sheep without a shepherd. Without the Shepherd.
There’s chatter all around me. Telling me what to think and do.
So many different voices. Some call me nasty names if I don’t agree. Varied views, each claiming to be the voice of reason.
All of them distract me from the most important voice.
John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
Listen carefully.
Lord, keep my ears tuned to Your voice. Shelter me from the noise of my culture. May I mistake no other voice for Yours.
I worry about kids. With COVID cases going up, more and more schools are going virtual.
Some students don’t learn well virtually. They need to be in the space, to touch the material, to move their bodies. They’re falling behind.
They need options. Are there younger teachers (at less risk for COVID) willing to teach them? Can their lessons come from a box or a tote bag instead of a computer screen?
What would Jesus do?
[I picture Jesus, squatting down to the child’s level, ready with a good story and a few props picked up off the ground.]
