Praise the Lord in the Highest Heavens

Having been negligent lately in "praising the Lord at all times," I think this is a good month to let praise speak for itself.

Praise the Lord in the highest heavens;
Praise Him, stars of the midnight sky;
Praise Him, moon and each circling planet;
Praise Him, angels who serve on high.

Praise the Lord from the deepest ocean;
Praise Him, beasts of the field and wood;
Every creature, now bow before Him;
Praise the Lord, Who made all things good.

Praise the Lord from your inmost being,
Every soul of the human race;
Give your thanks and your adoration
To the God of all power and grace.

Praise the Lord and rejoice before Him;
Praise the One Whom our souls adore;
Praise Him, praise Him; yes, praise Him always,
For all time and forevermore.

Letting Go

Recently, my online cable provider announced that it has "upgraded" its system and every customer will need a new modem to stay compatible. I think I've already been through four modems in eight years. No technical service considers itself effective unless it regularly subjects its users to the inconvenience of buying new equipment, learning new systems, or spending eight hours a month downloading new software.  

I don't like change or interruptions. Be it the unplanned need to visit a customer service line, the heart-wrenching shakeup of a death in the family, or anything in between, whatever spoils my well-laid and taken-for-granted expectations also tends to spoil my day. Not to mention my joy ("Why does it always happen to ME?!!"), my hopeful attitude ("I KNOW it'll ALWAYS happen to me"), my love for neighbor ("I could kill that manufacturer for not making a permanently foolproof product"), and my love for God ("Can't He see I'm 'tested out' already???!!!").

A distaste for change also tends to spoil our effectiveness in responding to God's leading. As if to emphasize the pervasiveness of this issue, the story of the "rich young ruler" appears in all three Synoptic Gospels. Here was a man with a problem many of us share: He wanted the full joy of the deepest relationship with God, but not at the price of giving up the predictable, comfortable lifestyle he was used to. And his decision to hold on to what he had was made not with a "that's an easy choice" shrug, but with an aching heart. He wanted both; he was desperate to find a way to have both; but if that option were impossible, the "tried and true" seemed the more comfortable misery.   

Contrast the attitude in Jim Elliot's famous quote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Or as St. Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 4:18: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (NIV 2011). Whether we are willing to face the fact or not, ultimately everything material will be taken from us (or we from it). The only real question is: are we going to keep all we can of the temporary and settle for the smallest spiritual rewards here and in Heaven; or are we willing to say wholeheartedly to God, "Everything I have is really on loan from You; I will use it or give it as You choose, not as I choose"?

Are we willing to leave the "safety" of the boat and experience the joy of walking on the water?

Letting go is never easy:
All our lives we grasp and cling
With our hearts to shining trinkets,
Clutching every dazzling thing.
How we long to know contentment!
How we fear the pain of loss!
We forget, we dread admitting,
"Keeping" comes at painful cost.

From the weight of all our hoardings,
Letting go can bring release;
From the pain of ceaseless fretting,
Letting go will give us peace.
From our cravings' heavy burden,
Letting go will set us free:
God has better things awaiting--
Drop your trinkets now and see!

God will let us go our own ways,
Let us break His heart with pain,
While His arms are open, waiting,
Till we turn to Him again.
All your "holding" is mere clinging
To a cliff of sliding sands:
Friend, release your fear of falling:
Drop into your Father's hands!

Eve of Anticipation

Following on the last post's First Coming/Second Coming theme--and in honor of my local Christian assistance ministry's Holiday in May food drive--I give you another "Christmas beyond the season" poem today. Let us learn to watch for Christ's return as eagerly as small children anticipate opening gifts on Christmas morning.

Tomorrow will be Christmas; every child's eyes are shining,
Shining bright with dreams of a day of gifts and joy,
Waiting for the dawning of a love-filled celebration,
Happiest time of year for any wide-eyed girl or boy.

Let us, likewise, look ahead with vision ever shining,
Shining bright with dreams of eternal peace and joy,
Waiting for the dawning of an endless Celebration,
Happiness and peace that nothing ever can destroy.

Come, Lord Jesus

Someone has said in regard to Christ's Second Coming: "Pray as if it will be tomorrow, work as if it will not be for a thousand years." The properly balanced attitude can be a struggle to achieve; most of us know Christians who live primarily for the best of this world, and others so obsessed with "the end being near" that they are incapable of seeing any hope in the current situation.

Human nature hates to wait, particularly when that waiting comes with no set timetable. The instinctive reaction is to impose our own schedule, to force things prematurely, to convince ourselves that what we want is what must be. When efforts in that direction prove futile, we may fall into despair and decide that giving up altogether hurts less than a constant diet of "maybe today ... maybe not." There are people who have lost faith completely, even become atheists, after Christ failed one too many times to show up when expected. The less drastically inclined simply figure, "Well, He'll come when He's ready," and stop thinking about it at all.

Natural as that reaction is, it's not biblical. The New Testament has much to say about eagerly awaiting Christ's return, even speeding it with our good deeds and prayers. Let us work to build our anticipation of that better time to come, but let us not become impatient. We all know from our lesser "waitings"--to reach the front of the line, to receive test results, to get a job offer or marriage proposal or royalty payment--that a "will you hurry up" attitude kills the joy of receiving when the longed-for thing finally arrives.

But a "well worth waiting for" attitude will make our eventual joy all the sweeter.

Come, Lord Jesus, to our world,
Under Bethlehem skies unfurled,
As the angels come to sing,
"Glory to the infant King,"
Christ and Savior of us all.
Let God's peace upon us fall,
For the Lord of Hope is born
On this blessed, holy morn.

Come, Lord Jesus, to our world:
We await the skies unfurled
On the day God's choir will sing
Victory of the glorious King,
Christ and Savior of us all.
Let God's peace upon us fall,
Every day fresh hope reborn,
Waiting for that coming Morn.

Christian, Look to Your Duty

It's been said before: Work is not a punishment for the Fall, only the drudgery part is. And no job is completely immune to drudgery. The average person is bewildered when professional entertainers show annoyance at requests for impromptu performances on social occasions--how could anyone want a break from a job that's obviously such pure pleasure?

Conversely, most of us have met the occasional person who seems to find tremendous joy in a "rote" job: the tollbooth operator who beams as he waves to each passing driver during a gray rush hour, the data entry clerk who hums happily at her computer while everyone else displays the grim faces of put-upon drones. Where do such attitudes come from? One clue is found in a statement from a cleaning lady at a church, who cheerfully told an interviewer, "I do all my work for the Lord." St. Paul said as much centuries earlier: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23). Ecclesiastes (9:10a) expresses the same concept as "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might"--a useful reminder that good workers look for what needs doing, instead of waiting to be told what to do.

If you read the Colossians verse in context, you'll also find that Paul originally addressed it to slaves--which gives the lie to the idea that one can only be happy in a job of his own choosing. (You might reread the Genesis story of Joseph as an example of someone who epitomized the best of working well without wasting time in bitterness over unwanted circumstances.) This is not, of course, to say that "taking whatever's available" is always the best choice--just that we have no right to demand God, our real Boss, let us write our own "job descriptions." (I speak as someone who tried far too long to adapt the work market to her own leanings instead of the other way around, and is now in the position of starting the whole vocation-planning process over from square one.) What's important is that we follow His leadings in finding work and do it to serve Him--not our own desires for income, enjoyment, or status.

If we serve Him diligently in little things, He will soon enough give us bigger things to do.

Christian,
Look to your duty:
God's holy beauty
Shines through your toil:
Christian,
God gives us gifting,
Talents for lifting
Souls from earth's soil.

Christian,
Look to your duty:
There can be beauty
In lowest task:
Christian,
Work for God's glory:
Show His great story
To all who ask.

Christian,
Look to your duty:
Look to God's beauty,
Labor with prayer:
Christian,
Give Him your praises:
Joyful work raises
The Name we bear.

Christian,
Look to your duty:
Eternal beauty
Waits for its day:
Christian,
Look for your Savior:
His coming favor
Will not delay.

The Beatitudes

If you have a Sunday school background, you probably remember reciting the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit... those who mourn... the meek... those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... the merciful... the pure in heart... the peacemakers... those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." 

What does it all mean, really? Is it simply a beautiful poem, or a genuine recipe for everyday life? How can one relate the seemingly nebulous blessings it offers--to be called children of God, to be comforted, to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven--to our daily needs?

Small wonder that the Beatitudes begin the Sermon on the Mount, which as a whole has been described as human logic stood on its head. Those who display the seemingly natural desire to have their good works appreciated are called hypocrites; those who save up for the future are scolded for lack of faith and for ignoring Heavenly treasures. And Jesus repeatedly announces, "You have heard it said [based on God's own commandments, no less]... But I say to you." 

How can any human being ever live up to standards like that?

None can--under our own power. The whole point of the Sermon on the Mount is not to impress us with some unattainable ideal, but to impress us with our need for the Holy Spirit's strength within. Only in His strength can we work our way toward God's ideals; He Himself is the "rock" referenced in Mt. 7:24-27, the Foundation on which a God-centered life is built.

Consider that as you read this poetic paraphrase of the Beatitudes.

When you know that you have nothing,
When your souls are free of pride,
Then you are God's Kingdom children,
And for you He will provide.

When your hearts are truly breaking
From the world's and your own sin,
Then God's comfort rests upon you
As His Spirit works within.

When you're free of proud ambition
And complaints about your lot,
God will keep the whole world for you,
More than you had ever sought.

When you crave God's righteous blessing
Over any thing of earth,
He will shower His grace upon you,
Gift of matchless, priceless worth.

When your heart is kind and caring
For the world of human needs,
God extends His hand in mercy,
And your life He richly feeds.

When your heart is pure and righteous,
And you live to do God's will,
He will show His own Self to you,
And your longings He'll fulfill.

When you seek God's peace and justice
For the world as for a friend,
You will be His blessed children,
And your joy will never end.

When you take a stand for Jesus
In the face of taunts and pain,
God will keep great riches for you,
And your earthly loss be gain.

What You've Got

If you had eight million dollars, how much of it would you give to God?

Ten percent? Twenty-five percent? As much as fifty percent?

Good for you.

Do you have eight million dollars?

I didn't think so.

But... how much are you giving of whatever you do have? That same fifty percent?

Well, how about twenty-five percent? 

Are you at least giving the traditional ten percent?

If you are, you may be shocked at what the average American is giving to good causes of any sort: barely more than two percent of his income. And as usual, the average American Christian tends to be hard to distinguish from his secular counterpart here.  

We can rationalize to the end of the world that ten percent of our income is hardly anything anyway, that we can barely make ends meet as it is, that if God wants more from us He should give us more.

But remember that in the parable of the talents, the servant who failed to invest his money got no leniency on the grounds that he had started with less than the others.

And remember Paul's words from 2 Corinthians 8:1-5: "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."

Those Macedonian Christians, who had every human justification for pleading they "couldn't afford" to give, were not only willing to do so; they considered it a privilege not to be missed. The key to that attitude is near the end of the passage: "They gave themselves first to the Lord." Yes, they started by willingly offering the one thing everyone has and no one can fully lose without his consent: their very selves. Once that was done, the willingness to give up lesser things came easily.

How much of yourself are you giving to God? Two percent? Ten percent?

Even ninety-nine percent isn't enough. He can't do everything He wants to do in your life until He has the full one hundred percent.

It's not what you could give in service,
If you had a million or two,
So much as the things you're now doing
With all that's been given to you.

It's not what you could say for Jesus,
If you had the platform of fame,
So much as the things you're now saying
And doing each day in His name.

When called to account for your lifetime,
Will you answer, full of excuse,
"Well, I had the greatest intentions,
But God gave me little to use"?

He's given you all that is needed,
Right now this immediate day,
For whatever work He's assigned you--
Are you walking now in His way?

For if you neglect what He's given,
What sense lies in wishing for more?
The Lord is a generous Giver,
Who holds endless riches in store,

But keeps them reserved for the wisest,
Who realize that small things will grow,
When used in His ways and His service,
To things far more grand than you know!