PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

That’s the window sill in my living room.  Looking from the inside out.  It looks out on our front yard and the road to our house.  It’s the place we all look if we hear something out front.   I know what you’re saying – that looks a little rough.  I know.  It is in disrepair and desperately in need of a sand down and a whitewashing.  How did it get that way you ask?  Shenandoah.

You may have heard about Shenandoah.  Remember, the worst-best dog we’ve ever had?  I could go on and on about the many characteristics (faces) of Shenandoah.  Some misbehaviors – worst – jumping into the window when a car goes by, when a cat goes by, when a deer goes by, when a chicken goes by.  Mostly very admirable qualities – best – she’s a Lab so she’s cute, she’s loyal, she’s high energy, she’s territorial, she’s fiercely protective.  She loves walks, dog food, watermelon, carrots and lettuce.  In her free time she enjoys laying on her bed and chasing chickens and rabbits.  Sounds like a bio for a pageant, doesn’t it?  She’d win – she’s the total package.

Anyway, I was walking through the living room the other day and like most days when I walk through the living room there are two thoughts that come to my mind.  First, I need to clean the dog slobbers off those front windows and two, I need to paint that window sill, it looks terrible.  You see, that durn window is right at eye level for Shenandoah.  Consequently, when a car, cat, deer, chicken, person, ant, lighting bug, fly, anything, goes by that window outside and she happens to be looking, she attacks the window.  Her front paws leap (no kidding) into the window sill, she slobbers on the window, and she barks incessantly and ferociously.   The HVAC maintenance guy told us one time that no one would ever get in our house with her there.  Frankly, her behavior is ridiculous and that’s what we say to her as we “discipline” her and lead her to her crate for the millionth time.  Although I appreciate her protectiveness she’s a reactor.  Her reactions to things going by out front are completely inappropriate and damaging.  Her paw-jerk reaction is just that – something she has not clearly thought through or she would see the consequence of her actions.  The consequence is that she’s punished in some way for the collateral damage she has caused to my window sill.

If I’m honest with myself, I’m not much different than Shenandoah.  It’s a good thing God doesn’t put me in a crate.  I do the same thing.  I paw-jerk – leap, bark, attack, slobber and act ferociously at times too – I sometimes, more than I care to admit, react without thinking.  I’m wrong.  I’m clearly not listening to what the teachers tell us.

James tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry.”  He tells us to act, not react.  We are first to listen – Breathe.  Slow to speak – Pray.  Slow to get angry – think before spouting off.

Paul instructs us too:

…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Be humble and gentle.

Be patient with each other,

making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Ephesians 4:2

We were chosen by God to reflect Jesus – to act like Jesus.  Searching the Word for the characteristics of Christ to be lived out in our lives is the place to start.  We cannot reflect what we don’t know.   If we don’t know the ways of Jesus we can’t act like Jesus.  If we don’t act – breathe, pray, think, we react – pounce, bark, slobber.  The Word tells us how to act so we don’t have to act like reactors.

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves,

you must clothe yourselves with

tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

You must make allowances for each other’s faults

and forgive the person who offends you.

Colossians 3:13

Sure, we’re going to get it wrong sometimes – we’re going to get led to the crate.  However, a life worthy of our calling is not a life of reaction but a life of action.  Breathe.  Pray.  Think.  Act.

Sure I wave the American flag.  Do you know a better flag to wave?

Sure I love my country with all her faults.

I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be.

John Wayne

The American Flag.  Just the mention of it gets us all riled up, doesn’t it?  It stirs us to love, hate, fear, gratitude, commitment, reverence, pride, disappointment, anger, allegiance, something.

It stirs me to love.  Many different loves.  I think of those who loved me enough to die for me, even though they didn’t know me.  To die for me so that I might have freedom.  Freedom, while on this earth to write this blog, to go to work, to live in my home, to worship my God, all unencumbered, for now.  This kind of love is devastatingly costly.  I honor those who have paid the ultimate price so that I and others around the world may have freedom.  We use the American Flag as a symbol of that freedom.  We revere it, wave it boldly and defend it.

The American Flag has 13 white and red stripes representing the original colonies.  The colonies were founded for different reasons.  Some for business reasons, some for religious reasons.  All with independence from the crown in mind.  This is similar to the Cross of Christ isn’t it?  Don’t both have stripes?

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace was upon him;

and with his stripes we are healed…he was whipped and we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

John Wayne spoke so boldly of the American Flag.  Can I, will I, speak so boldly of the Cross of Christ?  You see the Cross of Christ is another symbol of freedom – the ultimate freedom – the eternal freedom.

Shouldn’t we also seek independence?  Freedom from the dependence on sin?  Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sin.  The price was devastatingly costly.  He was wounded, striped for our transgressions, so that we might have peace.  He died so that we would have freedom, freedom to choose life.  Freedom from hurt and brokenness.  His wounds heal our wounds!

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

He counts the stars and calls them all by name.

How great is our Lord!  His power is absolute!

His understanding is beyond comprehension!

Psalm 147:3-5

Isn’t this land, and our kinsmen in it, in desperate need of having its wounds bandaged, it’s brokenness repaired?  You know healing for the wounded and brokenhearted has already been accomplished.

The stars on the flag are named, named for each State that makes up the union.  It’s the same for the Cross  – our names are stitched on hands that were nailed to the cross, the name of each person that makes up His Eternal Kingdom.  Count them.

Freedom and independence are not to be taken lightly.  In order to be freed and independent, you have to leave captivity and dependence.  We have to leave the known, no matter how bad it is, for the unknown, no matter how good it is.  We have to turn from sin – He has freed us from bondage.

The American Flag represents our physical freedom.  The Cross of Christ represents our eternal freedom.  Only by waving the Cross of Christ can we also wave the American Flag and thus experience true freedom and independence.

 Sure I wave the Cross of Christ.  Do you know a better Cross to wave?

Sure I love my Jesus, the perfect Son of God.

I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be.

By his stripes we are healed.  By his wounds we are healed.  By the Cross of Christ we are made whole.  Do you know a better Cross to wave?

Heard that?  Yep.  Me too.  It’s a chorus sung a lot in raising children and training animals.  You teach a lesson, you train.  Over and over you sing the song and somehow the children and the pets still seem to forget the assignment.  We’re not so different from them — are we?  We hear the lesson, we train – over and over –and still we forget.  God knows of our short memories, our lack of diligence in our studies and he gave us song.

The priests of the Old Testament recognized forgetfulness too.  They actually experienced that forgetfulness.  Mistake after mistake after mistake.  Wandering after wandering after wandering.  Repentance after repentance after repentance.  Restoration after restoration after restoration.  I wonder if the priests asked the question too.  How many times do I have to tell you?  I wonder if God ever thinks that about me?  Beth, how many times do I have to tell you?  How many times do I have to tell you to be obedient?  How many times do I have to tell you the path to take?  How many times do I have to tell you I love you?  How many times?

O my people, listen to my teaching.  Open your ears to what I am saying,  For I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our  past—Stories we have heard and know, Stories our ancestors handed down to us.   We will not hide these truths from our children But will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord.  We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did.  Psalm 78:1-4

Psalm 78 was written by a guy named Asaph.  Asaph was appointed by King David to lead one of the Levitical choirs.  Asaph was a choir director in his Church.  This Psalm, like so many others, recants the history of the Jewish nation from the time of their slavery in Egypt to the reign of King David.  Why?  To remind them — us.

The people of Israel made a habit of forgetting about God.  We look at their history, their story, and we say how could you forget?  How could you forget the Passover, the parting, the provision?  You were there.  You saw it.  You lived it.  Isn’t it emblazoned on your mind?  How can you forget?

Again, I’m not so different.  I forget about the One who stilled the water when the waves of life are crashing over me.  I forget about the One who restores when I need restoration.  I forget about the One who loves when I most need loved.  I forget about the One who saves when I most need saved.  I forget about the One who died so that I might live.  I forget the One…  I forget the One… I forget the One…

He knew we would forget.  He knew we would need reminders.  He gave us His reminder.  The active, living, breathing Word of God.  One of his most precious gifts to us filled with reminders of forgiveness, love, mercy, grace, redemption, rehabilitation.  I don’t know about you but I need reminded every second of every day.  Not to live in the past, but to learn from the past.

You’d be surprised what you can learn from a chicken.  Yep, a chicken.  I’ve had laying hens for about a year now and I’m convinced you can learn all you need to know about life from them.  Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Chicken – not really, but sort of.

I have seven laying hens, different colors, different breeds, different sizes, different personalities (yes, chickens have personalities), even different egg colors – white, brown and blue.  I started with eight but Esther ended up being Edward and had to go.  Anyway, I have one named Susan.  She’s a beauty.  A Rhode Island Red with this deep rich red coat.  She’s a handful.

As we were leaving for Church one Sunday, I glanced down at the barnyard.  Susan had hopped out of the chicken pen and was wandering alone in our front field.  We headed out.

After Church a quick check on “the girls” revealed Susan had not yet come back.  I went on the hunt.  It is not safe for a chicken to be out and about alone in our neck of the woods – predators.  I walked through the field calling her – yes, she knows her name, making my chick-chick sounds.  No answer.  I walked through the barn – no answer.  I was concerned.  The search party (Livi and Tony) eventually located Susan inside the barn – she had been hanging out on the hay, alone.  Susan was taking a minute.  She had left the hustle and bustle – yes, of the chicken pen for a moment alone.  The chicken pen is an active place, noisy — squawking, one is always bossing, pushing around, pecking, trying to nudge out another, always butting in line, talking over top of each other, constantly trying to establish the pecking order, stealing each other’s food, making a mess of the hen house, generally messing with each other’s minds.  Sound familiar?   Kind of like our lives, right?

Susan got fed up and made a getaway.  Susan needed a minute.  I completely understand where she was coming from.  Don’t you?  Sometimes we need to pull-a-Susan and take a minute.  Runaway, get rid of all the noise in our lives – all the squawking, pushing and shoving, and get to a quiet place – we need to run to Jesus.   We need a minute —  sometimes two.

You see that’s exactly what Jesus did and we are to follow his example.   Mark 1:35 tells us:

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Jesus was in the thick of things – Jesus was the thick of things.  He was a busy man.  He was gathering His flock – calling His disciples, organizing, giving instruction, teaching the Good News, traveling from town to town healing bodies and souls.  The more he taught and healed, the more people came to be taught and healed.  In the midst of that hustle and bustle, Jesus needed a moment.  He needed to be alone, without companions, away from the squawking, pushing, shoving, etc., to speak to God, His Father.

Jesus started his days by taking a minute in the morning.  We do that too sometimes — take a morning moment.   But do we often run to Jesus throughout our day, or do we just wait until the next morning to take another moment?  Luke tells us in 5:15 that despite Jesus’ instructions, word of His power spread like wildfire and loads of people came to hear his message and to be healed.  Hustle and bustle.  Luke then goes on to tell us in verse 16: “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”  It doesn’t say Jesus withdrew occasionally, just in the morning, or once a day, it says he “often” withdrew.  Often, again and again, regularly, usually, repeatedly, consistently.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4 not to worry about anything but instead pray about everything.  Take a moment – separate yourself from the life-craziness, the overdrive of this world – and lift your cares to Jesus.  We are told if we do this – take a moment — we will experience God’s peace which is more wonderful than our minds can comprehend.

When we found Susan, she hopped off the hay bales and calmly walked back to her pen.  She was refreshed.  Susan’s escape lasted for a few hours.  Our escapes may only last a few minutes but then we too can walk back to our pens, our jobs, our families, our laundry, our kids, our Churches, our communities, our lives – refreshed.

Yes, you can learn lessons from a chicken.  Thanks, Susan.

It had been a particularly difficult week – nothing earth shattering, you know, just one of those weeks when the stresses of life heap up like coals.  A friend with an ill parent.  A child worried about school.  Concern over Church – me the Church, local Church, global Church.  Stress at work – too much work, not enough work, staffing the work, personnel issues.  Hurricane Harvey.  Hurricane Irma.  You know.  Nothing in particular – just everything.  One of those weeks when you start to look for things to be overwhelmed and stressed about – as if you didn’t have enough!  Battered, blown and a flappin in the wind and my attitude certainly reflected that, unfortunately.   The Fruits of the Spirit were evading me.  Frankly, they didn’t even enter my mind.  But then He spoke.

I had a moment on King Street Hill.  You know those moments when you have complete clarity – when God speaks and you get it?  Mine happened on King Street Hill on the way to work.  My Spirit was restless with all my troubles, real and perceived.   The pressure of those troubles was building.  As I say sometimes:  “Stand back, she’s gonna blow.”  On my way to work I started complaining to God.  All the way into town I complained:  I’ve got this to do… I need to check on so and so… I have to take care of this… I have to run here… I have to make sure this gets done… I have to… I have to… I have to…But then He spoke.

On the way down King Street Hill, He said:  “Now you know how I feel.  Handle it the way I handle it.”  Slap.  My initial thought was “What the heck does that mean?  I’m not You.”  I pondered.  Revelation.  I certainly had not been handling my trials, troubles and stresses with a Godly attitude.  I allowed those troubles to dictate my attitude, not God.

But you see God was listening to me that morning with all my stuff.  At the same time, he was listening to everyone else in the world that was calling on His name.  He has many things to handle for many folks.  What is His attitude?  If we are His we are to follow His example.  How does He do it?  Love.  Joy.  How am I supposed to be joyful — I’ve got me some troubles going on?  James tells us:

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations.  Greetings!  Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

James 1:1-4

The Jewish Christians that James wrote about would have been less than sympathetic had they heard my whinings.  You see the Jewish Christians knew what trouble was.  These folks were scattered among the nations.  Living in lands not their own.  Living among people not their own.  Living in cultures not their own.  They had been split up.  They had experienced The Diaspora, the dispersion or exiling of the original twelve tribes for religious, political, and economic reasons.

Yet James tells them to let the trials of their lives be an opportunity for joy.  These folks were not just having a bad day, they were having a bad week, some may say a bad life.  I’m sure it took them a bit to digest the joy-part.  These people had experienced physical pain, fear, hunger, separation from loved ones, persecution, death.  These people knew trouble – they experienced trouble.  Not so different from us.  We too have physical pain, fear, hunger, separation from loved ones, persecution, death.  We too experience trouble.  Yet we are to “count it all joy.”

You see our lives will be tested, troubled.  We live in a fallen world.  How we handle the troubles and activities of our days is what James is talking about here.  We may not have a choice about all the troubles we have coming in a day, in a week, in a life – some we do – but we do have the choice of how we will handle them.   Will we follow His example or will we handle them as if we don’t have faith, we don’t have hope, we don’t have God?  Will we handle them in a way that causes our faith to grow, shines the light of hope, points to God?

In addition to the “little” troubles, we also experience deep, painful, “big” troubles.   But we are to “count it all joy” because we do have faith, because we do have hope, because we do have God and nothing else matters.  Life is difficult, there’s no question.  It is not always happy but it can always be joyful.   How?  When our faith is tested — God is there!  When we are stressed by life – God is there!  When we are ill – God is there!  When our feelings are hurt – God is there!  When the car won’t start – God is there!  When we lose some one we love – God is there!  When we are suffering – God is there!  When we are down and out – God is there!  God is there!  God is there!

Joyful, joyful, we adore You.
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before You,
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness (in our tests, trials, troubles, stress);
Drive the dark of doubt (unGodly attitude) away.
Giver of immortal gladness (Joy)
Fill us with the Light of day!

Only to sit and think of God

Oh what a joy it is!

To think the thought, to breathe the

Name;

Earth has no higher bliss.

Father of Jesus, love’s reward!

What rapture it will be,

Prostrate before They throne to lie,

And gaze and gaze on Thee!

Frederick Faber

Have you ever done that?  Just sat and thought only of God?  Closed your mind’s eyes and your heart’s eyes to everything around you except God – even for a few moments?  What was it like?  Joy?   Bliss?  Reward?  Rapture?

As I read Mr. Faber’s heart-thoughts those questions came to my mind.  I thought about whether I truly see thinking on God as the blessing and privilege that it is.  Did you also know it is an instruction from Jesus?  Yes, it is.

In our daily lives we do little sitting and thinking, we don’t have to.  We don’t have to be smart, we have phones that are smart for us.  We don’t have to keep calendars, we have computers that tell us when and where to be.  We have electronics that think for us.  We have television that tells us what we should think and how we should think.  We are so programmed. Our lives are filled to the brim with work, games, meetings, commitments, Church.  Who has time to sit and think?  We have lost the gift of sitting and thinking — simply coming before the King – kneeling at the Cross.

Jesus tells us in Luke 10:42 “But one thing is needful…”   This is Jesus’s word —  needful.  The word needful means necessary or required.  Read Luke 10:38-42.  You know this story.   It is the story of Jesus’s visit with Martha and Mary.  We’ve read it a thousand times and what do we take away from it?  We take from it that some folks are Marthas, always busy, always preparing, always serving and that some folks are Marys, they know how to sit and think of Jesus.  Somedays we are both Martha and Mary.  Somedays neither.  Jesus tells us that what Mary was doing, sitting at his feet, was “needful.”    Here’s the thing – we need to sit at Jesus’s feet and think on Him too.  If we are honest, we know that.   If we’re honest, we probably don’t do it often enough.

Luke tells the story of the man possessed by demons  in Luke 8:35.  Verse 35 says:  “And they saw the man who had been possessed by demons sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet.”  He needed Jesus.

In Mark 3:34 Jesus again tells how folks sat:  “And he looked round about on them which sat about him.”  They needed Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon puts it this way:

Some things in this world are necessary, after a measure, but this is necessary without measure; infinitely needful is it that you sit at Jesus’ feet, needful now, needful in life; needful in life for peace, in death for rest, and eternity for bliss.  This is always needful.

Over and over again in God’s perfect Word we are given examples of the “needful thing” — “sitting.”  So how does it work?  Practically speaking, how do we sit at Jesus’s feet?  How do we carve out time just to sit and think on Him?  What does that look like in our lives?  How do we push away the busyness and anxiousness in our lives to make room for the only thing we really need in our lives?

We’re talking sitting at his feet, in complete submission and total reliance and meditating only on Him.  Commit to sitting at the feet of Jesus daily.  What would it take for you to make that commitment?  What would need to change?  What do you need to get rid of in order to come prostrate before him and think on Him, to Submit, to Obey, to Glorify, to Learn, to Know Him More, to Love?

We are sky watchers at our house.  We are blessed to have the perfect vantage point for watching the sky.  A wideopen space.  We see sun ups, sun downs, millions of stars, the moon, planets and clouds.  You might say we have our eye trained on the sky.

I was headed to Orr’s Farm Market (a Destination place)  one day last August to pick up some peaches.  The location is ripe for sky watching, it’s a wideopen space.  As I get closer to the Farm Market, I started noticing the sky.  It was one of those dog days of summer – hazy, hot, humid, and just plain stinky.  You know those kinds of days when the sky is light blue and there are lots of beautiful, fluffy, white clouds rolling by.

I started thinking about those clouds.  About how beautiful and big and bright and fluffy they looked.  I started wondering what it would be like to touch a cloud.  Can you touch a cloud?   What is it made of?    Does it have substance?  As I travel on this quest to pursue God in all things, I asked myself that question.  Do I have substance?   So, what am I really made of?

Genesis 1:27 says that we were created in the imagine of God.

It says:  “God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”   Did you see that?  Three times the word “created” is used in this passage.  Created comes from the Hebrew word bara meaning “to create, make.”  It is theologically significant in that when bara is used it only ever has God as its subject.  It means creation out of nothing.  The dictionary definition of create is: “to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes.”  You see, we did not evolve, we were created!

Let’s look at it again.  “God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”   Did you see that?   Two times the word “image” is used.  The word “image” means that we were created to resemble God.   To be like Him.  To mirror Him.  To take after Him.  To copy Him.  To mimic Him.  To imitate Him.  To embody Him.  Do we look like our Father?

Now that I know what I’m made of, I have to ask the question again – Do I have substance or am I all fluff?  I was physically formed by God to hold his Spirit, to embody Him.  Do I have body or am I like a cloud, beautiful and bright but no substance?  Am I all God-talk with no God-action?  Do I say I love but not live love?  Would I be scattered or dissipated when a strong wind blows?  Am I dense but without substance?  Am I substance over fluff?  Does my character have substance?

The only way to develop Spiritual substance is to live daily in the presence of God.  To study Him.  To seek Him.  To communicate with Him.  To be obedient to Him.  To love Him.  To live Him.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Colosse:

So we have continued praying ever since we first heard about you.  We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others.  All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need.  May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light.  For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.  God has purchased our freedom with his blood and forgiven all our sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

We develop Spiritual substance by seeking God, being obedient to God, honoring God and living love.  That’s how we learn to know God “better and better.”  Increasing in the knowledge of God’s character will cause us to mimic, mirror, to look like, to embody Him.

Christ’s blood on the cross made us substantial.  Made us righteous. Made us worthy.  We were created in His image to be substantial, to have His substance.

Motion sickness – ugh!  Anyone else ever experience motion sickness?

In a car?   On a roller coaster?  Spinning in circles?  Scrolling a computer screen?

You peak a hill and the car seems to float down over the other side. Airborne.  Your stomach ends up in your throat.  The roller coaster climbs foot by foot, reaches its peak, then swiftly descends the tracks.  Your stomach ends up in your throat.  Your eyes focus on a computer screen.   Spin, spin, spin to the bottom of the page, lines and words fly by.  Your stomach ends up in your throat.  Do you notice the down?

We are up, then down.  We climb to the top, then down.  We start at the top, then down.  The ill feelings or sickness always seem to start in the down?  While porching today I’ve been thinking about how I allow myself to be pulled away from His Presence.  How I allow myself to be pulled down – down to the valley.  Sometimes it’s a slow descent.  Sometimes I’m flying down the road of life and it’s a sudden, seemingly unstoppable descent.  When I am Living in His Presence, I envision God on His Holy Mountain.  When I am on the down, I fail to stay in His Presence and I walk the lonesome valley.    Sometimes I can brake on the down – sometimes my brakes fail me.  I feel sick.

Here’s the thing – if I didn’t experience the up I wouldn’t know there’s a down and if I didn’t experience the down, I wouldn’t yearn for the up.  We are allowed the down so we can see the up.  We are allowed to experience life distant from God to fully appreciate how desperately we need Him for this life.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

                                                                                                Psalm 121:1-3

The Word tells us exactly how to deal with the down.  The valleys.  The  discontent.  The time.  The money.  The relationships.  The job.  The illnesses.  The rush and hurry.  The worry.  The world.  It seems so simple.  Not so much.  The Psalmist tells us to lift our eyes unto the hills where our help comes from.  Where our up comes from.

Eyes are made to see.  To reveal.  To experience the Presence.  Lifting our scaleless eyes to Him.  To Him, who is able to do more than we can think or imagine.  To Him, the One who is able to heal us of all our illnesses, our downs, if we simply touch His robe.   Turn your eyes upon the One who does not sleep but draws us back to the ascent – back to the mountain of the Lord – back to His Presence.

We don’t always finish what we start. We are beginners, not enders. We are openers, not closers. We are halfwayers – we get halfway, then we halt. We commence, but we don’t complete. We embark, we don’t arrive. We initiate, but do not consummate. All of us will see evidence of this if we but look around our homes – projects started, but not finished. I hope I’m not alone.

Call me crazy. Getting ready for work one day, I flipped open the cabinet and pulled out the hair gel. That’s the last thing I do before heading downstairs and out for the day. I slap on some hair gel – my finishing touch. While slapping it on one particular day I had a revelation. I’m a starter, not a finisher. You see I had two containers of hair gel – one that was almost empty and one that was brand new. I grabbed the brand new one – I wanted to start something new. The first thought that came to my mind when I did that was: “Thank goodness Jesus finishes what he starts.” I promptly returned the new to finish out the old. In my quest to see all things Jesus, I saw Jesus in the Hair Gel – I know what you’re thinking and you might be right!

I started thinking about my faith-race. Will I finish? What will my finish look like? Will I limp over the line or will I lunge across for the crown of glory? Philippians 1:6 says: “And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it! Jesus has done His part in my faith-race – will I do my part? Will I run and not grow weary? Will I endure? Will I be faithful?

Endurance in the faith requires testing. No one in their right mind would voluntarily sign on for testing, but that’s how we are made to grow. We grow strong physically by testing. We grow strong spiritually by testing. James 1:12 says: “God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” We must endure. Endurance means bearing hardship, holding on, running on, never giving up, never stopping, persevering, spunking-up! Enduring means running the race, completing the test, finishing.

James told the Jewish-Christians how to finish. Grow your faith — when faith is tested endurance has a chance to grow. Endurance, courage, strength, the will to continue, to keep going in spite of hardship, burdens, grief, injury, oppression, trials, disasters – in spite of it all. Endure and you will grow.

Testing comes in many forms – interruptions, work, family, busyness, idols, laziness, complacency, death, destruction, fear, confusion, friends, excuses, attitudes, food, money, etc.  My list goes on and on. I bet you have a list of your own. There are so many things that I allow to separate me from my Savior. He never separates from me – He will be faithful to complete. He’s a finisher. I separate from Him – I don’t train and I get tired. I get weak. I grow weary.

But, this is one race I must finish – it’s about life or death. It’s about the crown! Who doesn’t want that? First Timothy 4:7-8 says to “spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.” Paul said to spend time and energy in training for spiritual fitness because he knew Timothy, and those to follow – us — would need it.

First Timothy 4:1: “that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons.” Paul told Timothy that in the last days some would turn away from what they believed and follow others – they would not endure. They would not finish.

We must finish what we have started and finish strong. Finish with confidence. Run and not grow weary. Finish for the crown.

Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world! Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
Revelations 3:10-11

Life is full of tests. We face them every day. This is the fallen world. Some trials are small – irritants. Some trials are enormous – mind blowing, gut wrenching, devastating. We must train, we must be ready. We must hold on. We must overcome. Jesus told us he is with us “always.” Not sometimes or only in the big stuff, but “always.” He told us we would have trouble. He told us to take heart. He told us he has overcome the world. He’s the Finisher.

Try to study the Word and feel all over the place. Try to settle your mind and can’t figure out where to start. Trying to pray but the words just don’t come. Searching for wisdom and only finding confusion. The Spirit Slayer works overtime. But…you don’t give up. You don’t stop. You don’t relent. You don’t give in. You keep opening your Bible. You keep asking God to intervene. You keep praising!

We live in the country, down a lane, off a main road. We have a couple of outbuildings and the side of one faces the main road. About a year ago we built a cross out of scraps in our yard, strung some tiny lights on it and hung it on the side of that building. My husband strung this ever so long extension cord, yep, bright orange, from the garage, across a side building and then around to the cross. And there was light!

I love that cross. It’s a comfort cross for me – home, peace, hope. The way to and through the cross for Jesus was anything but comfort. In three seasons you can see this cross on the building from the main road. I hope passersby find it comforting, thought provoking, or at least notice it. Yesterday morning, while out walking one of the many four legged loves of my life, I noticed that the cross was nearly hidden by blooming trees and branches. The cross was barely visible. In fact, if you didn’t know it was there, you might miss it. It made me think…

Do I miss the Cross? Is the Cross hidden? Do I hide from the Cross? Has it been hidden for so long that I have forgotten it? Forgotten that my sin was on that cross? Forgotten that I’m the reason for the Cross? Forgotten that my sin was nailed to that cross? I do miss the Cross. At times, I do hide from the Cross.

While studying 1 Peter the other day, I stumbled onto Isaiah 49:16.

…yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands;

thy walls are continually before me.

——-

…I would not forget you! See I have written your name on my hand.

Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruin.

Amen! That’s about all you can really say to that. What else can you say when the God of the universe has carved my name on the palm of His hand? He said “I will remember you.” My name engraved on His hand.   Firmly fixed – never to be forgotten. Even when I forget Him. Even when I hide from Him in my sin, He remembers me. Even me. He remembers me, sees my brokenness, sees me in disobedience, in ruin; yet still, my name is chiseled into His hand.

Seven hundred years later, we are told the same thing, at the Cross. Jesus remembered us at the Cross. With outstretched hands our names were etched with a nail onto His hands. Jesus will never forget us. He has the scars to remind Him. Remember, Thomas saw them. They are there. Those scars permanently affix my name on Christ’s hands. My name written with nails. I am pardoned by that writing.

Wow. Intense. The message is that sometimes the Cross is hidden from us. We either choose to hide from it, we choose to allow other things to get in the way, or we simply forget the Cross. God does not forget us. Jesus does not forget us. Lest we forget.