essays 86-95

1. #95 The cupboards laid bare
2. #94 stretched out of shape and falling apart!
3. #93 Seeking Great Things
4. #92 Lovin' Those Rags!
5. #91 A dimly lit room
6. #90 "I do it myself!"
7. #89 Facial Expressions
8. #88 An Aerial View
9. #87 The Morning Breaks Eternal
10. # 86 Hard to Turn Down

#95 The cupboards laid bare

Lately my sons have been planning "surprises" for when "daddy gets home from work"--like draping strings from the ceiling fans ("webs", complete with toy spiders and flies); or moving the kitchen table. One day, they decided to open every drawer and cupboard in the house just before he got home. Not recommended for the faint of heart or claustrophobic; being hazardous to both physical (all those sharp corners jutting out) and mental well being.

It was quite shocking to see the contents of every kitchen cupboard displayed in plain sight; laid bare for all to see. I was appalled at how messy and less-than-pristine everything looked. It was doubly unpleasant to realize: That is just how God sees me! (Hebrews 4:13) Others may see me looking halfway respectable with all the doors neatly closed and the messy contents hidden away inside. But God can see into the very darkest corners and crevices of my soul!

Yes, you can fool some of the people all of the time (and vice versa) but you can never fool God--why bother trying? Do you think that Sunday best exterior will deceive Him? Think again! He can see through that millimeter thin veneer of "everything's fine" or that sprinkling of Christian vocabulary. Does that frighten you? Don't let it! It can be a sweet relief! Here is a God with Whom you can be completely honest because He knows you so well. He isn't going to just come barging in and start housecleaning without your permission. But He'll be glad to do so if you but ask Him! Are you tired of all the clutter and mess inside? Do you want your interior and exterior to match? Open up the doors--all of them--and let Him clean! And then--you know how quickly clutter accumulates--ask Him to set you up on a daily maintenance program.

is it housecleaning time for you as well?

plus the entire Psalms 139 and 51
lori fiechter, fall of '97

#94 stretched out of shape and falling apart!

I use a sewing product called "Stay Tape" to reinforce areas of stress on knit garments. It stabilizes areas such as shoulder seams so that they don't stretch out or tear. But there are lots of other kinds of stabilizers:

1. a substance added to certain foods so that the quality won't deteriorate as rapidly;
2. a compound added to explosives so they won't decompose simultaneously;
3. in ships, a stabilizer counteracts the roll of the vessel to keep it steady in heavy seas.
4. in airplanes, the horizontal part of the tail--which stabilizes it against the winds

What about a spiritual stabilizer? I could sure use something that would :

a. keep me from falling apart under stress;
b.keep the quality of my spiritual life from deteriorating;
c.keep my tongue from detonating and doing considerable damage; and
d.keep me from crashing or sinking when the winds are gusty and the waves engulfing.

Such a spiritual stabilizer would be a Godsend. Could it be I already have access to such a Resource but I simply don't use it (Him)? I'm thinking of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. And there are other things as well which can help--you know the list: sincere prayer, time spent in the Word, and the fellowship of other believers who can sometimes see our situation more clearly than we can ourselves.

keep me stable, Lord!

Lori Fiechter, Fall of '97

#93 Seeking Great Things

Jeremiah 45:5 These are God's words to Baruch,

In context, God is reassuring Baruch that although he has given up much to serve God (he was of good birth and promise), his life would be preserved while other lives were lost. It reminded me of Jesus's words in Luke 18:29,30 about those who had given up much in this life for the sake of the kingdom of God.

But I wonder about the things that we seek....How many of us do seek great things for ourselves as opposed to seeking great things for God? We can even deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing something for God when it is not actually something He asked us to do. We may just be asking Him to "rubber stamp" an idea of our own rather than trying to discern and carry out His will.

Are we seeking great things for ourselves? Do we want our names to be magnified or, as Paul testified, to magnify Christ--by our lives, or by our death? (Phil 1:20) This is tough for me!

The Bible has a lot to say both about the things we should seek and those we shouldn't:

We are, first of all, to seek God while He may be found. (Is. 55:6)
We are to seek His kingdom first, and all the rest will be added (Matt. 6:33)
We are to diligently seek God with all our heart if we want to find Him.
(Jer. 28:13 & Hebrews 11:6)
We are to seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34:14, quoted in I Peter 3:11)
We are to seek His face, His will, His truth.
We are seeking a better country, one to come. (Heb. 13:14)

BUT:
We are not to seek for glory from men (I Thess. 2:6)
We are not to seek after signs--but to believe without seeing.
We are not to seek our own glory--Jesus did not (John 8:50)

Satan is seeking those whom he may devour, but Christ is seeking the lost--to save them!
lori fiechter, fall of '97

#92 Lovin' Those Rags!

I had to sigh when I saw one of my sons wearing his favorite ratty old T-shirt to town. This dingy white, faded shirt has runs in the back and is coming apart at the neck. Thankfully, his brother was wearing two shirts, layered, so I had him give one of those shirts to his ill-clad brother. I have surreptitiously tossed such shirts in the trash before; this one must have gotten away! But why would anyone choose to wear such rags? I suspect that this tendency is more prevalent in males than females (no offense meant). I guess those old rags are soft and familiar and comfortable--you just don't want to part with them.

You can tell where I'm headed with this. Can you picture Jesus Christ holding out a shining white garment and we say, "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just keep on wearing these old rags of mine." But people do that everyday! Look at the example given in Matthew 22:11,12. "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless."

We need to be clothed in His righteousness. Especially since our own "righteousnesses are as filthy rags" ( Isaiah 64:6) Did you catch that? Not just our sins as filthy rags--we could understand that--but our own righteousnesses! The good things we try to do by our own power, not sanctified by His grace, are as filthy rags. Kind of humbling.

clothed in His garment, we are accepted by Him --
"The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:6)

Someday, this old earth itself is going to get a new garment! See Hebrews 1:10-12

#91 A dimly lit room

I sometimes buy fabric at a local Amish dry goods store. It is best to go there on a sunny day; the store is but dimly lit by two kerosene lanterns. Even after my eyes have adjusted to the dusk-like atmosphere, it is still hard to tell exactly what the cloth will look like when I get it out into the light. It may look better or worse, depending on its intrinsic quality. What does light do? It "makes manifest". It doesn't necessarily make things look better but it does let you see them as they really are. Something beautiful will shine more brightly in the light; but that same light brings flaws and stains to the forefront!

At my Dad's sale, there was an old piece of furniture awkwardly perched on the grass in the bright sunshine. I didn't even recognize it at first--this ugly cabinet had always been hidden away in the dark recesses of the basement. How different--how much worse--it appeared in the light. It can be a frightening thought to think that is how our works will be revealed one day at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (I Corinth. 3 and II Corinth. 5; this is a judgment only for believers--of rewards, not of salvation) . Who can stand before the light of His penetrating gaze? How many ugly hidden things will He bring to the light? How ashamed will we be on that day? Allow Him to purify you up right now--to mend those flaws and clean up those stains. Better now than later!

if you want to remove a splinter, you can't do it in the dark!

lori fiechter, fall of '97

#90 "I do it myself!"

How many of us have a toddler-like streak of stubborn independence? Have you ever seen a young child (perhaps minutes before you should be leaving for church) insist on doing something himself--something beyond his present capabilities--and growing more and more frustrated in the process? Do you ever wonder if we appear that same way to God? He wants to help us and we stubbornly reply, "I do it myself!"

God wants to establish you and strengthen you; to work through you by His power. Is our problem the fact that we don't like to admit our own dependence on Him? Sure, He saved us--we couldn't do that ourselves--but now that we are saved, we feel the rest is up to us? Would we really rather blunder about striving by our own ability than to rest in Him? I read this quote: "faith is the putting ourselves quietly into God's hands for Him to do His work." That seems too simple, doesn't it? Think about it this way: what kind of vessel could a potter make if the clay kept insisting it could mold itself? (& maybe even jumped off the potter's wheel occasionally?)

If we rely on ourselves, we will be continually riding up and down in our spiritual walk, depending on our momentary feelings and outward circumstances. Even those who have considerable willpower can eventually fail (and great will be their fall when they do!) How many times do we try to do God's work by using our own power and methods of the flesh? We need to admit that we are so weak, we can't even remember to surrender ourselves each day to God--no, we can't even be counted on to do that! That is where the Holy Spirit comes in--He can be our memory. (see John 14:26) Count on God to do His work--expect Him to do what He has promised--and then, allow Him to do it!

lori fiechter, fall of '97

#89 Facial Expressions

I was playing a few hymns on the piano the other day at the beginning of our school day. At the end of one hymn, we were singing about seeing the Savior's face some day when I noticed one of my sons watching my face as I sang. I was disconcerted but didn't say anything; I just kept on singing. Later, I wondered--what did my face convey at that moment?--joy and praise or merely mechanical intonations? It is a scary feeling to have one's facial expressions so closely examined! Words may lie but facial expressions usually do not.

Children can tell if we really love the Word or if we just read our allotted Bible chapters out of a sense of duty. They can tell if we really mean the words we sing or if we are mouthing phrases that ring hollow. Did God give us children to keep us honest?

Wouldn't you rather hear, "You really love the Bible, don't you?" than "You sure know a lot about the Bible!" We just heard in church again how Christianity is to be a faith OF Christ, not merely a religion about Him. Do you delight in the Lord (Ps. 37:4) or do you serve Him only out of a sense of duty?

a living faith--or just a good photocopy?

Lori Fiechter, fall of '97

#88 An Aerial View

I was walking on trails in our local State Park when I came upon a familiar crossing and I recalled the very first time I'd seen it. When I first started walking on these trails, they seemed disjointed--I knew the separate trails but not how they all fit together. The map helped somewhat but you know how real life never looks exactly as you picture it from a map. However, now that I've walked these trails many times, following one trail after another, I know how they all fit together. It is as though I can see in my mind an aerial view. (This is a very small State Park with short, easy trails--just so you know; there's nothing arduous about it!)

How I pray that I could begin to see the Bible like that: not as 66 individual books but as an integrated whole. How wonderful when verses can jump out at me and trigger other verses! But I can't expect that to happen if I walk through only sporadically; if I don't follow the trail to the end.

Do you have to worry about the Bible becoming too familiar? Are you afraid that it will seem boring if you read it too often--like getting tired of steak (or lobster, or Thanksgiving turkey) if you eat it every day? The Bible is not like that--no, not at all! Remember, the Bible is alive--God's own living Word! The more you search, the more you can find. Even the woods looks different at different times and seasons: from morning to noon or late afternoon; from spring to summer to fall to winter. Now the trails are covered with multi-colored leaves; soon it may be with snow; later with spring mud. From spring flowers to summer foliage to autumn leaves. It is still the same woods and yet not.

If we ask the Holy Spirit to sweep out the cobwebs in our dusty minds, we can discover fresh new insights every time we read a certain passage. (But you need to ask!)

Have you taken a walk through His Word today?

Lori Fiechter, fall of '97

#87 The Morning Breaks Eternal

I am prone to nightmares. How thankful I am afterwards to wake up and find "it was only a dream". But what of those whose very lives are a nightmare--especially those Christians in Communist and Muslim countries who are even now being persecuted because of their faith ? I read a newspaper article on religion that criticized Christians who look forward to the Rapture as being apathetic towards Christians who are now under persecution. The columnist made some valid points; we need to pray and do what we can. These brothers and sisters need to know that they are not alone and that we care about them. But I think blaming the emphasis on the Rapture was almost ironic...

I just read again how the one Christian doctrine that is not allowed to be preached in China's churches is that of the Second Coming of Christ. And I remember hearing from the very lips of a Romanian believer who was once persecuted for her faith how she was interrogated on that same point. "Do you believe that Jesus is coming again?" She replied, "Of course; that is the Hope of the Church." Even more than we comfortable Christians in the West, these believers look forward to His return. Look at how often Paul encouraged the suffering early church with the hope of Jesus' return.

Why do people not like to read the book of Revelation? Why are Christians who eagerly await the Lord's coming accused of "escapism"? Could it be that Satan himself doesn't want it to be broadly known that his future is in the lake of fire? that he will be soundly defeated? that the "prince of this world" will have to give up his stolen right to the true Prince of Peace--forever? Is that why he likes Christians to ignore a doctrine that is mentioned in 1 out of every 25 verses in the New Testament (not counting the Old Testament prophecies about the glorious reign of Messiah)?

Jesus is coming again! What does that phrase do to your heart? An early greeting of the chuch was "Maranatha" which some think was even a prayer: "Lord, come!" I wonder how attached those in the persecuted church are to this earth? That is why a persecuted church is a pure church--look at Smyrna in Rev.2:8-10.

no apathy; no ignorance-- but the realization: "To live is Christ, and to die is gain"

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ." --Titus 2:13

Lori Fiechter, fall of '97

# 86 Hard to Turn Down

I generally have no problem saying "No" to people. That is why my husband directs all soliciting calls to me...he is more soft-hearted. The word "No" just seems to roll off my tongue. I'm not proud of myself for this attribute; I'm just being honest. But there are a few people whom even I cannot refuse when they ask "Would you do this?" or "Would you be able to come?" This is not because they are pushy--I have no problem with those types--but because they are just the opposite.

I wonder, though, why I seem to have such an easy time saying "No" to the Lord....He asks so kindly, so gently. I'm sure that if I saw Him face to face, I could not possibly refuse the hardest task that He would give me. But I do turn Him down. Maybe, like Naaman the Syrian, I expect the Lord will "bid [me] do some great thing". When He asks me to do a humbler task, I refuse. Bless those sensible and prudent servants of Naaman who teach us a valuable lesson in this (II Kings 5:13)

Jesus has made an offer that any soul should find hard to turn down: Give up your life and I will give you Myself. Trade in those broken cisterns for fountains of living water. I'll give you peace in your heart and the hope of eternal life with Me.

Many of us accepted that offer. Will we now turn Him down when He says "You still haven't surrendered all"? Will we refuse to be His instruments to bring about His purposes in this life? Will we?

maybe I'll try practicing my "Yes's" today...

"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh..." --Hebrews 12:25 Lori Fiechter, Fall of '97