Following Jesus Son of God …

God doesn’t promise to fulfill our plans, doesn’t promise to work our plan, but his.

• Romans 8:28 (GW) We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.

I try not to over-do my criticism of the “life-lessons” that are sometimes taught on TV, not on a crusade, don’t watch that much TV.  We accept it’s mostly stupid, right?

But last night something really bothered me.

Not that this was new or worse than what is always on, but it seemed to say so blatantly – no God, live your life as you see fit, make the rules as you go.

The one guy who was a cop had to steal to get money for his wife’s black-market kidney.  As it was justified by the nephew, another cop, Auntie would have died if Uncle hadn’t done this.

No God watching over.  No honoring him with obedience in the events of our lives.

God wasn’t there.  That is what really bothers me.

They weren’t railing against God.

He just wasn’t there.

No God working his good plan for those who love him.

• For those of you who saw my spelling blunder in the title before I corrected it – Yes, I do know how to spell “apologies.”

I am really sorry that I have spent so little time with the blog lately.  I have gotten myself very busy it seems, and I haven’t had time during the day as I did in the winter months.

Please don’t give up on me yet.

Thanks.

GeoTagged, [N39.38366, E87.44808]

GeoTagged, [N39.39417, E87.47394]

How does she reach the pedals?

Let’s see if it works

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

• My humility is one of the greatest things I have going for me.  🙂
• Some people are so “humble” that they won’t go where humility would lead them because this would make them look proud.  🙂
• I should be very humble; I’ve had enough lessons.  🙂

How can a person admit to being humble?  Or own up to pursuing humility?  Or even answer these questions without fear of being viewed as prideful?

Paul calls us to be completely humble, so I’m thinking that maybe we are misunderstanding the concept of biblical humility when we can’t admit to this work of God being kneaded into our lives.

• Ephesians 4:1–2 (NIV84)
  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Humility is something I treasure.  And, yes, I am now completely serious.  I trust God every day to improve my “good judgment” as I see myself before him.

• Romans 12:3 (GW)
  Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers.

See ourselves through this dual lens:

• What God has done in our lives.
• And what God will do in our lives.

Two thoughts:

• Don’t let the bad stuff ruin the good stuff.
• Don’t let the good stuff ruin the good stuff.

You see, we are not to view ourselves more highly than we should, but we are to view ourselves accurately.  Don’t let pride blind you.  But don’t let false humility blind you either.  I have truly known people who I believe were crippled in their walk with Christ because they shirked the path of true humility because sometimes on that trail of following Jesus we may easily be perceived as proud.  And very frankly, they were too proud to allow themselves to be perceived as anything but humble.

In our bought and paid for by the shed blood of Jesus Christ relationship with God Almighty, we have complete freedom to confront everything about our lives, inside, outside, good, bad, wonderful, disgusting … everything.

Don’t denigrate God’s goodness by not admitting to the beauty and grace he has worked into your life.  As his child you are currently being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.  There had better be some grace going on!

And confess your sins.  Maybe even the sin of pride.  Quit depending on propping yourself up to feel any worth.  Follow close to Jesus.  Learn the truth of his word.  Obey him.  Serve and worship him.

Draw near to God, love him, and you will know your worth as one of his.

One indicator that you are walking in humility:  When you do find yourself caring more about what God thinks of you than what people do.

• Tango – “Listen to the music. At any moment it can change on you. You have to be ready to pivot and move in an entirely new direction.”

Yes, I did pick the thought up from a TV show, but it’s pretty good.  Made me think of the following Scripture.

God led the Israelites through the wilderness with a cloud.  Cloud moved, they moved, cloud stopped, they stopped.  So arbitrary it seemed, and, yet, so God.

• Numbers 9:17
  When the cloud moved … the Israelites moved, and wherever the cloud stopped, the Israelites camped.

As with Tango … any moment it can change.  The music leads.

Now under the new testament it is somewhat different, although I believe God still wants the same trust and obedience. And it can still seem so arbitrary on the part of God.  Whatever he wants.  Your will be done, Father.  They followed God by looking outward; we follow God by listening inward, to his Spirit.

Isn’t that what we should be doing?  Listening to the music of God in our lives.

• We say that God lives in us if we have a saving relationship with him through faith in Jesus Christ.
• We say that we are God’s temple with his Spirit dwelling in us.
• I pray every day that I will follow Jesus and be led by and walk by the Holy Spirit of God.
• I read God’s word and pray throughout my day.
• I trust God and speak to him throughout my day.

So I should be “hearing the music” of God, now shouldn’t I?

• Numbers 9:15–23 (NCV)
  ¹⁵ On the day the Holy Tent, the Tent of the Agreement, was set up, a cloud covered it. From dusk until dawn the cloud above the Tent looked like fire. ¹⁶ The cloud stayed above the Tent, and at night it looked like fire. ¹⁷ When the cloud moved from its place over the Tent, the Israelites moved, and wherever the cloud stopped, the Israelites camped. ¹⁸ So the Israelites moved at the Lord’s command, and they camped at his command. While the cloud stayed over the Tent, they remained camped. ¹⁹ Sometimes the cloud stayed over the Tent for a long time, but the Israelites obeyed the Lord and did not move. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was over it only a few days. At the Lord’s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud stayed only from dusk until dawn; when the cloud lifted the next morning, the people moved. When the cloud lifted, day or night, the people moved. ²² The cloud might stay over the Tent for two days, a month, or a year. As long as it stayed, the people camped, but when it lifted, they moved. ²³ At the Lord’s command the people camped, and at his command they moved. They obeyed the Lord’s order that he commanded through Moses.

All the spiritual disciplines heighten my ability to “hear the music” –  Scripture, service, worship, loving God …

I allow God to train me to listen and follow.  The “music” leads …

Tango … 🙂

My wife and I read Psalm 37 last night.  And God was there.

We haven’t been sitting down with each other in the evening as we should, and we both decided that this week we need to make it a point of emphasis, no matter how busy we seem to be.

And as always it was great.  Not “great” because “great” rolls out of my mouth before I realize what I am saying.  Or “great” because I am trying to convince myself.  Or frankly, not “great” because I am trying to impress you.

It was just great.  We felt the gentle breeze of God arriving; I think we sometimes get a glimpse, a hint, a taste of God coming to the garden in Eden to walk among the trees and visit with his family.

My wife – can’t really remember her exact words – expressed this feeling of God’s words washing over her; some other things I can’t remember, but I knew exactly what she meant because I felt the same way.

God was speaking the words to us as I read.  It is like so often happens when we sit down for supper.  It’s like God serves the meal.  The provision is so personal, from his hand.

And last night … from his mouth.  Water.  Words of life.  Gentle rain on our needy, open hearts.  Refreshment from heaven.

As I said “God was there.”

Anyway, I thought.  “This is like a water effect” except so much better.  Not just a temporary respite, but all the words God spoke to us as we sat in our living room breathed eternity.

And we have a place with God there.  Though stuck in the middle of stuff here and now, we have a place with him in forever.

And I have to wonder …

If God just didn’t decide to “sit a spell” with us … take a little time and speak his presence and hope and promise to two of his children.

• Isaiah 55:10–11 (The Message)
  Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed.  They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

Thanks Father for speaking to us last night.  Thanks for the rain.  Thanks for the time and care.  Thanks for “sitting a spell.”

(Parenthetical Thought: I have often thought of how Adam and Eve must have missed this time after the fall.  How wonderful it must have been to have God visit every evening.  Just now however, I thought.  How sad.  I think God probably really missed that time also. Think about it.  A friend or relative you used to see regularly, you used to drop in for a coffee at the kitchen table.  Now gone or the relationship has fallen apart.  And we miss that.  We forget that God enjoys us, loves us and unbelievably to me wants my love and my company.  Wow.)

God’s creation is beautiful even upside down.

At work early this morning I saw the reflections of the clouds on the very still, mirrored surface of the lake.  I was actually too busy to get the pictures I first wanted but decided to whip out the iPhone and take some snapshots anyway.

And am I ever glad that I did.

It is like the sky is the water and the water is the sky.

I showed my wife and she says, “Flip it.”  As in, flip the picture I was showing her on PSE 180 degrees.  Wow, did she have a great idea, and the result you see below.

No “photoshopping” done except the 180 degree flip and I did crop two of the pictures.  Everything else is completely natural.