essays 136-145

1. #145 Make yourself Useful!
2. #144 Take out the Trash!
3. #143 The Pendulum Swings....
4. #142 Somebody's Servant
5. #141 The Nine-headed Monster
6. #140 Downwind of the Spirit
7. #139 Not a Rolling Stone!
8. # 138 Ashamed of being Ashamed
9. #137 War on Termites!
10. #136 Burning Bushes or Firecrackers?
11. The Cat's Meow

I'm nearly 38 years old, but I still occasionally entertain the same delusions of greatness that I did as a teenager. I'd still like to do something great; something notable; something enduring. But I don't believe that God's word calls us to be great. He calls us to be vessels; empty vessels that He can fill and use. He even chooses things that are foolish, weak, base, and despised to bring about His plan. He doesn't call us to be great, but to be useful to Him.

"Useful" doesn't exactly have a glamorous ring to it, does it? It is a servile sort of word; the kind of word that gets its hands dirty. "Useful" sounds like someone else is giving the orders and "Useful" receives and obeys them. That is appropriate for us because we are God's servants; His stewards. That fact is too easy to forget.

May we strive to be to God what John Mark was to Paul at the end of Paul's ministry. He was "profitable to me" or "very helpful to me". Yes, even more than useful, we should be profitable to God. In Jesus' parable of the talents, he expected his servants to turn a profit with what they were given. The good servants did just that. They weren't "great"--they were still servants at that time, after all (although they were promised much more in the kingdom to come). They weren't great, but they were profitable--and useful to the master.

Useful people often bustle about unnoticed but they are the glue that holds the structure together. Occasionally, one of these useful people will also end up being great but being great is just a by-product and never the goal. If greatness is your goal, it is time to line up those priorities again. And if you haven't exactly been useful to God up to this point, take heart in the story of Onesimus. As Paul wrote to Philemon,

Go ahead--go out and make yourself useful!

#144 Take out the Trash!

We live in a rural area where folks still burn their trash. I haven't burned our trash all week. It has been either too windy or rainy or both. And so, our chest freezer (right in our kitchen, we don't have a garage) is topped with about 6 garbage bags full of trash. Good thing we don't often have visitors dropping by! It is an unsightly mess....but it doesn't smell too bad--yet. When I take care of the trash every day or so, I don't realize how much junk we actually throw away. It's under control. But when I let it pile up, the mess is disturbing.

We all have trash or junk in our lives--bad habits, bad attitudes, faults, and sins. (Some of us probably have more trash than others.) That trash can tend to accumulate if we don't seek the Lord's daily cleansing. We need to daily confess our faults and ask forgiveness. Keep that heart of yours uncluttered, unlittered by the world's offal. Yes, our sins have been forgiven; we've been justified by Jesus' blood, but we still need to be sanctified daily by that same cleansing power. What can help to keep us clean? Look at the verse above and also at Ephesians 5:26,27 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the word....that it should be holy and without blemish" It sounds like the word is our daily soap and water as well as our bread. Wash and be clean.

Have you taken out your trash today?

#143 The Pendulum Swings....

The swinging pendulum of extremes is not from God. God would have our lives to be in balance. He is a God of order; His creation shows design and perfect balance. On the other hand, Satan would have us continually bouncing from one extreme to the other. In relation to salvation, Satan either convinces us that we are already "good enough" (who needs repentance?) or else we are far too sinful (I have to clean up my act before God could accept me). Satan doesn't want us to discern the truth in between: no, we are not good enough, but we can put on Christ's righteousness. After we have been saved, he would obscure the truth that we can be weak in self, but strong in God's power. Paradoxes. The Christian walk is full of them--look at Paul's statements in II Corinthians 6:8-10.

I can think of at least two extremes to be avoided in our Christian walk. The first extreme is that of emotionalism, where we have to "feel" a certain way before we can act. Our faith is "feeling" based and overly subjective. If we don't "feel" close to God, we will try gimmicks and tricks to conjure up that emotional "high" again. We get addicted to that "feeling". We may even distrust our intellect as being evil; we don't want to study the Word, we just want to "feel" it--everything is filtered through our emotions. We put little emphasis on doctrine, much on a generic "love". Yes, "God is love" but He is also light and truth. If we aren't well grounded in doctrine, we can easily be misled by false teachers who "sound" good. (Like New Age proponents using Christian terminology to promote their pagan, occult religion) If we can't discern truth from error, we will be easy prey for Satan's deceptive "angels of light". (Look at the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-25)

But let's not be too hard on those who are ruled by their emotions. Those who are ruled solely by their intellect are just as bad, if not worse. They are like those in the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2 who have seemingly lost all the joy in worship. Their doctrine is sound but the first love is gone. Read the chapter; it is apparent that this "first love" is rather important to Christ! This type of Christian distrusts his feelings to the point where everything must be analyzed and understood completely. There is liturgical worship but none of the spontaneity and joy found in David's Psalms of praise. There is no melody of praise in the Ephesian heart; there is only duty--no delight. If that sounds like you, be careful! You could be sliding into the error of the hypocritical Pharisees of Jesus' time. Having the form of worship is not enough; knowing all the right answers is not enough. God is seeking those to really worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants us to delight in Him and in His word. He wants us to be joyful Christians.

The crux of the matter is that we are to be ruled neither by our own emotions, nor by our own intellect. Instead, we are to be ruled by God's indwelling Spirit. Then, we will have balance. As far as I can see, that is the only way.

#142 Somebody's Servant

"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" Romans 6:18

We tend to think that we are freemen: independent, accountable to no one but ourselves. What we are really trying to do is to be our own little gods. We aren't. We aren't absolutely free to do whatever we want. The only way we can be truly free is--to be a servant. That seems like a contradiction in terms. But what did the Psalmist write: "O Lord, truly I am thy servant...thou hast loosed my bonds." Freed from the bonds of sin and Satan to be the servant of Christ (I Cor. 7:22) We were bought with a price; we are not our own. (I Cor. 6:19,20)

What some mistakenly call freedom is really just license. We are freed from sin, not freed to sin! Grace is the power to keep us from sinning, not the liberty to continue sinning. We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are servants of God. And we are not only servants to God. As Jesus Christ himself came to serve and not to be served, we are also to serve one another by love (Galatians 5:13) We are not to lord it over each other. Neither are we to let our liberty become a stumbling block for a weak brother.

We were not created to be our own little gods. We were designed to have fellowship with God; we were created for His glory (Ps. 43:7). If we keep on trying to be "gods" in our own little spheres, we'll never be truly happy. Rebelling against our Creator is a futile, doomed enterprise. Of course, that won't stop many people from spending their entire lives in such an endeavor. If we think we are our own masters, we are just fooling ourselves. We are all somebody's servant. The question is--whose servant are you? Remember, "No man can serve two masters"

Revelation 22:3. "His servants shall serve him."

#141 The Nine-headed Monster

"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself." Galatians 6:3

Are you familiar with the mythical Hydra? This nine-headed monster was the bane of all who tried to destroy it. Each time a head was cut off, two new heads would grow in its place. I'm afraid that Pride can be a sort of Hydra monster in my life. Every time Pride rears its ugly head, God graciously allows circumstances that lop it off. But Pride isn't dead; sometimes it returns stronger and hardier than ever. Just like the pesky dandelion once mowed down, Pride waits until the lawnmower is back in the garage and then it pops back up again--bold as it can be.

Pride is full of itself. Its favorite pronouns are "me, myself, and I". It is constantly comparing itself to others: it must be the best, it must always come out on top. It is always lifting itself up, even if it has to put others down to do so. As C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity,

"The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began....the more pride one [has], the more one dislikes pride in others...If you want to find out how proud you are...ask yourself, 'how much do I dislike it when other people snub me or ignore me or patronize me...or show off? The point is that each person's pride is in competition with everyone else's pride. Pride is competitive by its very nature while the other vices only by accident. It is the comparison that makes you proud....power is what pride really enjoys. The other less bad vices come ..through our animal nature but ..pride is purely spiritual."

This Hydra of Pride is serious business because it seems that Pride is the sin which God hates above all others. He "resisteth the proud." If I am proud, God is actively against me--a frightening thought. The poison of pride needs to be buried like the central head of the Hydra; it needs to be completely uprooted, not just mowed down occasionally.

Do you want God's grace? --be humble. The surest way to eradicate pride is to take your eyes off of yourself and your own situation. Instead, lift those eyes upward toward God--and outward toward others.

One monster down; now to tackle that green-eyed beast of envy.....

#140 Downwind of the Spirit

"...uphold me with thy free spirit" Psalms 51:12

Living here in rural Northeast Indiana, there are times when our home is downwind of certain unpleasant aromas-- like that of someone hauling hog manure. If I've been hanging out laundry and the wind shifts in our direction at such a time, my laundry can end up smelling worse than it did before I washed it! I suppose that it could be worse; I wouldn't want to live downwind of a garbage dump or a factory belching fumes or a beach full of dead fish. But downwind isn't always bad. What would it be like to live downwind of apple orchard in late April; or a rose garden in July?-- (or a bakery at any time!)

What I'd like best, though, would be to always live downwind of the Holy Spirit. I'd like to plant myself directly in the path of His energizing breeze. His breeze has the fragrance of comfort, of power, and yes, sometimes of conviction. If I am not downwind of the Spirit, I have little strength or energy. Like a ship in the doldrums, I am listless and my sails hang limply. I won't make any progress until I am downwind of the Spirit once again. It is the Spirit that quickens, that makes alive. If you want to be alive in Christ, if you want to be a vibrant Christian--not a dull, lifeless shell--lick your finger and stick it up in the air. Once you know the direction, position yourself downwind--downwind of His Spirit.

#139 Not a Rolling Stone!

"For who is God save the LORD? Or who is a rock save our God?"
Psalms 18:31

I was changing a light bulb on a ceiling fixture in our bedroom the other day. I know that you are not supposed to use a chair as a step ladder but I went one step worse than that: I stood on an office chair with rollers. (At least the room is carpeted!) I didn't fall--that time. My husband did take a spill outside on the stepladder, though. He was helping me prune trees. The ground was soft, uneven, and he was on the second highest step. He landed on top of the ladder, not too much the worse for it (the ladder, however, was another story....).

God is not like that--He is not a rolling stone or a wobbly ladder. God is our Rock! He is our firm foundation--whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed! (Romans 9:33 quoted from Isaiah 28:16) His word is always "yea"; His promises are always kept (He is not being slack, it just appears that way to us sometimes). He never changes, He cannot lie. He is always the same--yesterday, today, and forever.

What a comfort! Life changes way too fast for me sometimes. I feel like I'm on a chair with rollers, struggling hard just to keep my balance. I am no rock. (More like Silly Putty at times...or Jello....or an spongey marshmellow...) It is good to recognize that fact early, right up front. I am no Rock--but my God is! He is my anchor, my refuge, my stronghold. I can stand securely on His promises without fearing that they will give way like a rickety ladder. God is my Rock!

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto the,
when my heart is overwhelmed:
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me..."
Psalms 61:2,3

# 138 Ashamed of being Ashamed

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation..." Romans 1:16

Often, we have a good reason for feeling ashamed: our conscience is pricked because we've acted shamefully. Maybe we've done something wrong. Perhaps we are ashamed of ourselves because we haven't done our best--or looked our best. But have you ever felt ashamed of being ashamed? I have. I am ashamed that, as a teenager, I was sometimes ashamed to be seen with my parents. And I am ashamed that I sometimes act ashamed of my Savior. I have been ashamed to even speak His name; ashamed to tell what He has done for me. I'm not ashamed in writing, but face to face, yes. Ashamed of my very best friend! Yes, I'm ashamed of being ashamed.

This is a sobering verse: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Mark 8:38

Maybe this is even more sobering; Jesus has very good reasons to be ashamed of us, but "he is not ashamed to call them [us] brethren" (Hebrews 2:11). And God is not ashamed to be called our God. (Hebrews 11:16)

Are you suffering as a Christian? That is nothing to be ashamed of ! (I Peter 4:16) Do you want to be sure that you will not be ashamed at Jesus' coming? Abide in Him so that you may be confident.

(I John 2:28)

Can we say, with Paul, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope,
that in nothing I shall be ashamed,
but that with all boldness, as always,
so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body,
whether it be by life or by death." ?
Philippians 1:20

Let's not be ashamed of Christ; and let's not do anything to make Him ashamed of us.

#137 War on Termites!

In the office where I used to work (b.c.--before children), there was a strategically placed picture on one wall. Take down the picture and you'd see an ugly scar underneath where the wall had been damaged by termites--and by the exterminators' efforts to get rid of them.

I've heard it said that doubts are to faith what termites are to a house. Both gnaw away silently, slowly, unseen. The damage is not immediately apparent from the outside, but if doubts and termites are left to continue their insidious work unchecked, sooner or later the wall will crumble.

How can you control doubts? Better yet, how can you dispel with them altogether? First, recognize the source of all doubts (hint--it isn't God!) Satan planted the first seeds of doubt way back in the garden of Eden, asking Eve "Yeah, hath God said....?" my paraphrase: "Eve, did God really say that? Come on, now!" Sad, isn't it, but that is sometimes all it still takes to derail our faith--just a small, cleverly planted seed of doubt.

Satan appeals to our intellect, our vanity, our pride; anything of self to make us question God and His motives. Satan wants us to trust in ourselves--or some brilliant scientists or intellectuals. He wants us to trust in the words of fallible man rather than an infallible Creator. So Satan plants doubts: Can God be trusted completely? Can we really take Him at His Word? Could God be holding out on us in some way? Does God really know what's best for us?

Recognize these subtle termites of doubt and blast them out of your heart before they grow and multiply! Confess your weakness to God and ask Him to strengthen your faith ("Lord, increase our faith") Have faith--nothing wavering--remembering always that He is faithful that promised. Hasn't God proved Himself faithful a thousand times in the past? Trust Him now; Trust Him to the very end! Don't let a little termite get the best of you!

#136 Burning Bushes or Firecrackers?

"...behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." Exodus 3:2,3

Are you a "burning bush Christian"? I mean, are you always on fire for Christ without being burned up--or burned out? I think that most of us start out that way; like the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-5. We were on fire once, but now our love has waxed a bit cold. Maybe we were too much like firecrackers--a really impressive show, but then nothing. Another flash in the pan.

But maybe you didn't go out with a bang; maybe you are burned out, just plain burned out. Why? I suppose there could be lots of reasons; perhaps you are striving hard to do the Lord's work by your own power instead of His. The candle has been burned at both ends and you are plum out of wax; nothing left but a little stubby pitiful charred string in the middle. Is that the way God wants us?

Our goal should be to be a "burning bush Christian". The only way that can possibly be achieved is through the power of God's Spirit. We can't be burning bush Christians by trying hard to feel a certain way or by positive thinking or by any other human means of reaching goals. We need His Spirit working freely in us. That means we should be careful not to quench the Spirit (I Thess 5:19)--throwing water on that flame we so need. Neither should we grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) by sinning against Him: by being bitter or clamorous, or malicious, or wrathful.

Walk in the Spirit. Be a burning bush Christian: ever glowing with a steady flame so the dark unsaved world can plainly see you--and recognize that here is something different....a bush that burns but isn't consumed.

The Cat's Meow

"casting down imaginations and every high thought that exalted itself against the knowledge of God..."  II Corinthians 10:5

Pride walked in the other day as a furry, little kitten.  He looked so cute and helpless that I let him inside and fed him a thick saucer of cream.  I petted him and protected him from all danger. 

That little kitten grew and grew until one day I noticed that he was no longer a tiny little kitten but a towering, fierce lion with fire in his eyes.  I could no longer control him or handle him at all.  He was no longer cute, but fearsome.  This pet of mine was threatening to swallow me alive! 

I didn't have the strength or heart to slay him myself (he had been my especial pet) but I asked the Lord to take care of it for me.  He didn't exactly slay the beast but He did shrink it back down to size--kitten size.  He's back to the way he was when I first let him in.  But I think I've learned my lesson--No more cream for that kitty! 

Maybe someday, it will just run off and find another owner....perhaps you'd like a free kitten? (or maybe you have one of your own already...)