The Omni-God

God is good. I am so very grateful that such a simple and yet also profound statement is true, and that it never changes. In the past year or so, there have been many times things haven’t gone as I would like them to. I must admit, I often tend to complain in those times. But God has been ever so consistently (and patiently) pointing me back to the fact that He is good, no matter what.

God is also the same, wherever I am and whatever I am doing. Because He is so much BIGGER than anything in my microscopic blip of a life on the radar of eternity. And yet, at the same time, He cares. He sees our hearts, and He feels our times of joy and our times of pain. Wonder of wonders, He offers us a relationship with Him, and makes His power available to us. We can worship Him in every choice and action, anywhere in the world.

I thought about that last bit this past weekend. The Institute here in Uganda had the 14th and 17th off classes, so several people went on mini vacations for the four-day break. I joined a young couple in traveling to an island out in Lake Victoria, which was a huge blessing! As I sat on the shore of the lake or under a tree higher up on the island, I was able to once again come back to “base camp,” so to speak – to reorient myself again to what matters most.

God blessed me with a beautiful time of meditating on His Word and being able to worship Him, away from some of the routine of daily life that can so often distract me from focusing as fully on Him. And as I did, I was reminded of similar blessed times in Arkansas, N. Ireland, North Carolina, and even Dallas (it’s harder in the big city though…). It struck me more fully that no matter where I am, God is the same and He is just as present with and in me. That is simply amazing for my human mind to comprehend!

Because God is a good God, He is committed to bringing glory to Himself. In the past weeks, I have been reminded that one way He does this is by working in the lives of His children to conform them to His image (Romans 8:29). Because He is all-powerful, He can do just that. What’s more, He works in every situation so that—on an eternal scale—all things work together for the good of each one who loves God (Romans 8:28). Even in situations which do not seem ideal, He brings redemption and benefit.

I am so thankful for these truths, even though I so often lose focus and need to be reminded of them once again. God continues to point me back to Himself; and even if that is the only thing which I gain from what I am experiencing, it is worth it because He receives the glory and praise He deserves.

The Greatest Thing in the World

What is the greatest thing in the world {other than God Himself}? Some may say it is wealth, or beauty, or power. Christians might list off things such as joy, hope, faith, trust, etc. But what is truly the greatest thing in the world?

According to 1 Corinthians 13:13, it is LOVE which comes out on top: “Now abide faith, hope, love, theses three; but the greatest of these is love.” Love is greater, Paul says, than even the cornerstone of faith and the capstone of hope.

Today is Valentine’s Day – a day used to celebrate love throughout at least the western world. But is that feelings-oriented, romantic love the type of love which Paul was referring to? I think NOT. The preceding verses before his proclamation quoted above explain his definition of love. Go read it for yourself—it’s a short chapter!—and see if you think it matches up with what the world tries to sell as “love.”

Welcome back! If you read those verses very carefully, I think you would be quick to agree with me that living out everything Paul says love is seems like an impossible task. To mention just two, he says that love “is not self-seeking” and “always perseveres” (vs. 5b, 7d). I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty common for me to realize that I am focused on my own wishes, or that I’m wanting to give up on doing things that are difficult. But true love, by Paul’s definition, does not give in to either. So he seems, in this chapter, to set an unattainably high standard, yet states (in vs. 1-3) that without love we miss out big time.

Additionally, loving one another is a command. In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus gave His disciples a new marching order: “that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus says in the next verse that this love will be a signifier of His followers to the rest of the world! On His last night with His disciples, Jesus took the time to urge—no, to command!—them to love one another.

The apostle John came back to this idea of love again in his first epistle. In 1 John 4:7-19, he reiterates the importance of loving one another. Just a few comments from this passage:

• God IS love (vs. 8, 16). His character is the definition of love, and love is an integral part of who He is.
• God loves us first (vs. 9-10). Even when we were running far away from God, He loved and wooed us.
• Our love is to picture the invisible God (vs. 12-16). When unbelievers see Christians loving one another, especially in unconditional and sacrificial ways, it is a testimony of God’s character.
• No fear in love (vs. 18). We believers can have confidence that when we face the potential of judgment we are covered by the blood of Christ because of His love for us.
• We love because He first loved us! (vs. 19).

The kind of love which Paul and John have described for us is a pretty tall order – it’s pretty intimidating. What’s more, Jesus told us to love as He has loved us (see Philippians 2:1-11 for a more in-depth picture of that!). Again, we are confronted with the impossibility of this task. BUT this is what God calls us to, and as He has loved us so His love is to overflow from us to others.

It can be easy to think of reasons for why we should not love this completely. What if I show people this love and they reject me? Or I’m too busy doing ____good thing to make that kind of sacrifice. Remember, though: Paul said the love he described in 1 Cor. 13 is greater and more important than anything else! What’s more, God has called us to do this. Therefore, we should follow His lead and leave the results up to Him.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19).

**Last night the folks here at the Institute had our second weekly worship meeting. My roommate and I were asked to lead it this week by picking songs and sharing a little bit of a devotional. Since this is what has been frequently on my mind and heart the past couple of years, this is what I shared. It was only after I started considering talking about it that I thought of the Valentine’s Day tie-in. Which is why it is also getting posted on here!

I must mention here a book to which I am partly indebted for the inspiration of this post. I “just happened” to find a copy at a used book store in N. Ireland this summer, and as I read it while in North Carolina I couldn’t help but be impacted by it. It’s called Love: The Greatest Thing in the World, and it is not-too-long—but deep—investigation of 1 Cor. 13 and its application. I’ve been meaning to blog about it ever since and never have…so this is at least a hint of what it has brought to mind.

Whence Cometh Strength?

"The JOY of the LORD is your STRENGTH" - just saw that verse in a friend's FB photo, and it fits....so very well. Because it's true.

It's so easy to focus on the things that can drag us down. I've had a scratchy throat all afternoon. I hurt my ankle some again. But if that's where I choose to fix my eyes, I'll miss out big time.

The Joy of the Lord. What is the joy of the Lord? It's an easy answer in some ways. God created a world which, though it is now marred by sin, is still amazingly beautiful. The joy of the Lord can be seen in the butterfly feasting on the flowers outside of our dining hall. His joy shines in the happy voices of children and the glowing smile of the youngest Institute kid.

Of course, it's more than that too. The joy of the Lord is evident in every one of our lives when we remember to see it. He takes joy in Himself, and He takes joy in the work He does in our lives. He is overjoyed every time we look to Him. And He is always there for us, no matter how many times we've tried to live life on our own.

That verse, often quoted without reference to its context, comes from Nehemiah 8. The people of God had just been led into a time of repentance by God's servants Ezra and Nehemiah, and they were burdened by their sin. They had just heard God's law read to them, and they saw how far short they had fallen.

"Then he said to them, 'Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'"

God had restored His people from exile into Jerusalem. They had just rebuilt the walls, and they had hearts and ears ready to hear anew God's commands and expectations. He worked in their lives, and He gave them His joy as their strength to move forward in repentance and revival. Notice that this joy came when they humbled themselves, placing their lives under the authority of their holy King.

Isn't our God marvelously gracious? :) All praise & glory to Him.

Reminded of Blessing, Reoriented to Grace

It’s so easy to forget. It’s so easy to slip back into old habits, into old ruts. Over and over and over, God told the Israelites to REMEMBER. To remember the wonders He had done in setting them free. To remember His provision for them again and again.

It is the same today—it is the same in my life. God has proven His faithfulness so many times, in so many ways, and yet so often I find myself sliding back into the mentality that I have to take care of myself. Fretting about the future. Worried that God won’t come through.

But the amazing thing is that God has ALREADY filled my MOST ULTIMATE need. OUR deepest need! Because, obviously, this isn’t just about me. From eternity past, God worked each piece of His plan, leading up to the pinnacle moment of earthly history: the coming of God’s Son in flesh, His sacrificial death, His victorious resurrection. It is all for His glory—and yet amazingly it is simultaneously for our blessing, that we may be redeemed.

SO THAT we may then live our lives to the glory of our King, serving for His sake, and that one day we may enjoy Him fully FOREVER. Because HE IS AWESOME.

It is so amazing, so beautiful, SO PERFECT!

I know many of you who are likely to read this share this great knowledge with me. And yet, as I said earlier, we so easily forget. We rush from here to there, lost in the hustle and the bustle—gazing so hard at the flurry of the snow globe that we miss the bigger picture. The better, the more beautiful picture.

It happened to me yesterday morning. As I got up and started getting ready for church, I was consumed with worry, fretting over the financial needs and deadlines looming. I needed $2,000 by Dec. 1 to pay for my plane ticket, and my NHU account had less than $500. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what I could do to make it work. And yes, I tried to pray and remind myself to trust God for this too—after all, He’s the one who has called me to Uganda, so He will provide—but my mind still went around and around trying to logically figure it out.

I get to church, and within 30 minutes the amount of donations I had received tripled. I was overwhelmed. But I’m sad to admit to you that it was only after that happened that I woke up to how I had been acting. Our worship service focused even more than usual on Christ’s redeeming work, and I found myself ashamed of my morning behavior. I had been so focused on how things didn’t seem to be working out on my timeline. And I had failed to remember how undeservingly blessed I am simply to be a member of God’s family.

I’m thankful that God’s call through the worship service reoriented me back to what matters most. I’m also grateful for His faithful and generous servants who are coming forward to partner with me. But most of all, I am hopeful that I will remember the lesson of that Sunday morning. I pray that I’ll be focused on the truth of God’s provision, rather than on what I don’t have. And I am so blessed by my Savior’s love. Amen.

True Success

{This is a follow up to what I posted yesterday}

So what does true success look like? As a Christian, what is the goal at which I should be aiming? Most importantly, how does GOD define success?

The past two weeks, the teaching elder at my church has been especially “meddlesome” with his sermons. In a really really good way—it’s just convicting rather than comfortable! (As it should be J) He is doing a topical series in Proverbs, and the past two weeks have been about humility. Last week he looked at how God defines pride and humility, while this week focused on the application of humility in the Christian’s life—both towards God and towards our fellow men. Good, but hard, stuff!

One of the things he emphasized this Sunday was that Christ’s humility is to be our model—that is what God calls us to (see Philippians 2 if you need a refresher on what that looks like). To paraphrase a small section of his straight shooting sermon: The path Jesus paved for us means that the cross comes before the crown. In our culture, people are always racing to the top—trying to control things in their lives and trying to avoid pain. In Christianity, it should be a race to the bottom. God leaves us on earth, after He saves us, to suffer for the sake of Christ. He was despised by men and suffered grievous injustice – it is only sinful pride which makes us think we deserve better than that. We are called to have an audience of ONE – protecting my own reputation is not to be my goal or concern.

His last sentence there ties into something I had already been thinking about in the past week or two. As this topic of success—in culture’s eyes vs. what God calls us to—had been ruminating in my brain, I couldn’t help but think of Os Guinness’ book “Rising to the Call.” I first read it four years ago in Honors Orientation, one of my favorite college classes, and reviewed it twice more mentoring for the class. Having an audience of One (God) is one of the things which Guinness discusses.

Another of his points which is especially relevant in this discussion comes when he makes a distinction between the primary and secondary calling of a Christian. “Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him,” Guinness said (pg. 24). In other words, calling becomes a question of WHO I am called TO, not WHAT I am called to DO.

Even Guinness’ description of secondary calling does not exactly paint a picture of success which lines up with what I talked about in my previous post. Instead, Guinness wrote that “Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for Him” (pg. 25). Guinness’ definition of calling, and thus of what to aim for in our quest for success, is entirely God-centered rather than self-focused.

Guinness ends his book with this quote from his last paragraph: “Answering the call of Jesus is the greatest adventure, the deepest romance, and the most fascinating journey of our lives….In giving up everything for this one way, you will find yourself fulfilled in every way—until one day when the ‘last call’ will sound and you will see the Caller face to face…” (pg. 99).

But stepping out on that journey feels a whole lot scarier than the “safety” of pursuing a more typical American dream. Because it requires sacrificing a lot more that I would so much rather cling to. I should include the fact that Guinness is quick to point out this does not close off any field of work. It does not mean that every Christian must drop what they are doing and go translate the Bible. That is not what Guinness is saying at all.

If God’s calling leads me to a job where I am writing, I am to write in such a way that will bring glory to God rather than glorifying self. Over the past several weeks, though, I have been sensing His leading in a completely different direction. A direction asking me to lay down more of my wants and myself—a direction requiring absolute faith in God to continue guiding and providing. I don’t know yet exactly what that looks like. It remains to be seen how God will work. And in some ways, that is scary to me.

I’m not in control. I don’t know what my life will look like from one year to the next. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing (although I must confess that my flesh certainly wishes it were otherwise) because lacking that certainty forces me to be more in tune with God’s calling in my life.

Success is not really about what I do in an earthly sense. Success is knowing God (John 17:3). Success is being conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). Success is pressing on toward the upward call of Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil. 3:12-14). Success is being available for His service (Is. 6:8, Luke 1:38). Success is joining the long line of His humble servants (Luke 17:10) who serve for His glory and not their own.

The Lure of Success

This post is one of those that has been rolling around in my head for a while. I think it will have two parts, but we’ll see how it actually ends up.

SUCCESS. What is it really? How does one achieve it? What is one’s purpose in life?

I guess it’s not too surprising that I’ve been thinking about this recently. I graduated from college five months ago, and as a result I’m greeted by my perception of all these expectations which the people I care about and the culture have of me. To get a great job in my career field. To make good on everything that got poured into me the past four years. To make my degree, with its $100,000+ sticker price, “worth it.” To hopefully get married and have a wonderful family life. Etc, etc.

And a good part of me would like nothing better than to land that job and to know where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing for a good long while. To feed my hunger to be able to identify myself by what I do—to be able to support myself and to be “in control” of my present. It would be so seemingly easy if God would just get on board and go along with my plan. Or, I would be well on the way to being married by now, and would have reached my view of “success” that way.

But it seems as though just as soon as I create a vision of what I think I want and what would work out well, something doesn’t go my way and I wind up back at square one all over again. Because ever since I graduated, nothing has truly gone the way I expected it too. That hunger I have to “succeed,” to somehow meet people’s (including my own) high expectations of me—it feels like I have failed at it.

As I have spent the past two months waiting to hear back from SP, then trying to figure my life out after that door closed……..I’ve been thinking about what I see as “success” for my life. And I begin to see the trap I’ve fallen into. I yearn for the apparent stability of either my own “real” job that I can identify myself by, or of a family of my own that I can pour myself into. But thus far, neither has worked out. Instead, I’m still “bumming” off my parents, five months after graduation. I definitely didn’t think it would come to this. I didn’t want it to.

At any rate, I had this picture of success in which my identity was bound up in WHAT I did. Thinking about what success is, I’ve been reminded it goes much deeper than that. My next post will look at what I’m relearning about that. But it is so much harder than the “easy” way that our American culture seems to tantalize me with, settling down into a good career and staying there for forever (though I know that’s becoming less common anyway).

Ever since high school, though, I’ve said I don’t really want to have a career like that. I had my reasons for that, but I’m beginning to see something different. Last month—even before I heard back from SP—I had a sense that God was asking me to lay down my desire for certainty about where I’m going to be and what I’m going to be doing five years from now – or two, or one. For a long time—as I’ve written about before—He’s been calling me to trust Him and to give up my hunger for control. But it is hard—because for me, at least, the lure of success is strong.

Beyond This Moment

Tonight, going through some old files, I came across one of my Word document rambles, written on March 3, 2012. I had never posted it, for some reason, though it had run in the campus newspaper as a column. Reading it, it was as though the Esther from 18 months ago--how much farther back that seems--was preaching to the Esther in the present. And it was a message I needed to hear.

For a bit of context, this older post came just a couple weeks before. Some things don't really change.... {sigh}

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I’m glad our college campus is located near a graveyard.  I don’t typically think about that fact, but this morning (March 2) I wanted to get out for a walk…a desire which ended up with me wandering through the cemetery on the roads.  It got me thinking (which really is a dangerous thing).

God has been working in my life a lot over the past 12-14 months – teaching/reminding me of many things about Him and about myself.  As I was meandering through the headstones spotted throughout the plot of land to our south, I couldn’t help but consider the question “What does my life really count for?”

Surrounded by stone monuments bearing the names of people who have lived and died—some more than a hundred years ago—it’s a relevant question.  There are probably few people who could tell you anything about some of the folks the older markers commemorate.  But they, like me, had hopes, plans, ambitions.  They, like me, probably had lives which they hoped to use to benefit the world somehow.

But for many of them, their only memorial is a slab of rock with some words chiseled into it.  So many people – so many stories – where does mine fit in the grand scheme of things?  My head knows the answer easily, and my heart echoes it with conviction: my life, as with each person’s, has some role to play in God’s grand plan.

I may not see it right now.  I may never understand it fully here on earth.  I will most likely end up someday like one of the people buried down the street – an unremembered name carved into stone which cannot even endure 200 years of weathering.  Nevertheless, my life does have a purpose.

But what is that purpose, I wondered as I walked, the cold wind blowing my face.  Life can seem so fleeting.  It comes and goes so fast – what am I doing that matters?  Throughout my walk, I noticed patches of small wildflowers which have sprung up with the wondrous coming of spring.  They too made me consider my life.

Those little flowers spend their whole existence trying to poke through the dead grass, searching for some sunlight.  Or they slowly develop from budded branches of trees.  They open up their small flower faces, for what purpose?  They may fall off of the tree and land on the ground, as the flowers I wore in my ponytail did.  Often, they get stepped on and trampled by beings much larger than themselves.  They may be eaten or simply shrivel up and die when their time is done.

And yet they bloom.  Their beauty is on display for those who take the time to see it.  And even if no person ever recognizes it, these small treasures serve a purpose: they carry on a gift to the next generation.  The Bible compares our lives to the lifecycle of flowers.  Isaiah 40:6-8 contrasts the transient nature of the plants with the everlasting Word of God.  In 1 Peter 1:22-25, Peter references the Isaiah passage and urges his readers to be incorruptible.

How?  What is it that I am called to do that will last beyond the short days of my life?

The answer is love.  And, surprisingly, this can be expressed using the lyrics of two pop songs, one old and one new.  Frequently when I listen to secular music, I find myself discovering a potential deeper, spiritual meaning.  Such is the case with these two.  Both were written to refer to sexual love (I would assume), but today they offered a broader lesson.

The first was “Who Wants to Live Forever?”, a 1986 song by the rock band Queen.  The lyrics remind the listener that people don’t live forever.  “Who dares to live forever?” the song asks, as it informs that “love must die.”  In the writer’s world view, that may be true.  But I believe that there is more to my existence than this brief life.  The love I have been given, I am to share with all people I come in contact with.  It then becomes like the little flowers – a gift that keeps on giving even when my short spring is over.

The second song that came to mind as I walked back to my last class of the week was Justin Bieber’s “I Just Need Somebody to Love.”  And there is some extent to which that is true.  I have been entrusted with a treasure, a gift.  To keep it to myself would be selfish and wasteful.  A self-preserving life is the epitome of a useless life.  I am called to follow in my Savior’s footsteps – to share the love which I have been given.

I don’t have to go out and change the world to make my life have meaning.  I do need simply to show individuals their importance and worth.  I am called to share God’s gift with others.  The rest is up to Him.