by His design

Finally, Whatever is…

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true…honorable…right…pure…lovely…of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).

One time as a high school mass media teacher, I had to reign in the seniors in my classes because, in the course of doing their projects for each medium, they were trying to shock (and delight) their classmates with inappropriate examples of popular media. I had to approve anything questionable, but this group tried to slip things by me.

One student talk radio production, ala Howard Stern, executed admirably as far as technical merit was concerned, didn’t see the light of day. After pre-viewing it, I gave them the option of cleaning up the crude language, but I couldn’t tell what had changed in revision. I then told them they could have their parents pick up the tape, but they declined. As you can imagine, I wasn’t very popular with these sophisticated seniors from that point on.

While weighing my course of action, I remembered this passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It was my gauge for decency and personal goal for the rest of the year in mass media, though I taught in public school. I took a hard line, as far as some students were concerned, but never regretted standing on that principle.

Lead Me

If you’re finding yourself troubled when attempting to enjoy entertainment in our post-modern culture, pray with these verses in mind:  “Lord, help me discover those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise. Lead me to them for my own peace of mind. I want to practice what I’ve read in Your Word which contributes to the Still Life. Help me to dwell here, as I make choices. Amen.”

Choose “Whatever is…” and eliminate the others, despite advertising deceptions and peer pressure. If you get fooled, as I have a few times, learn from those experiences and forge ahead. It’s worth it to discern the worthy and true from the gross and foolish. There are always substitutes, though you may find yourself spending less time with commercial TV or the usual Friday night flick. I’ve had to scan the library catalog often to search out enjoyable fare. That’s okay, because the alternative is in my best interest. I prize peace and excellence above all else.

Worthy

Thank you for the cross, Lord
Thank you for the price You paid.
Bearing all my sin and shame;
In love You came,
And gave amazing grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord
Thank you for your nail-pierced hands.
Washed me in Your cleansing flow,
Now all I know,
Your forgiveness and embrace.

Worthy is the Lamb,
Seated on the throne;
Crown You now with many crowns,
You reign victorious.

High and lifted up,
Jesus, Son of God;
Darling of Heaven crucified,
Worthy is the Lamb,
Worthy is the Lamb.

Happy Easter, He is risen!

Worry or Worship?

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forebearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

When I’m commanded in Scripture to “rejoice,” something in me wants to resist. “Really?” I’ll think, “always? Who can do that?” How can I show my forebearance if I don’t care what others see in me when I have a right to be upset? Anybody else tracking with me?

But what follows here begins to soften my stance. If I can tell God what I feel in my gut and thank Him that He’ll listen, all of a sudden I’m aware that He’s near. It’s plain for anyone to observe when I incorporate His offer of peace. We can’t fake that kind of  confident calm. Having peace in the midst of turmoil and trial defies explanation and human logic.

The part that nails it for me, though, is how Jesus, Himself, will garrison my heart and mind when I put myself and my need before the Father. We are in relationship, and He cares enough to help every time I’m anxious. No excuse. No wallowing or self-indulgent drama. Handing over my problems, I take on His gracious spirit of patient endurance.

Sounds simple, but it takes a lifetime of practice. Forebearance isn’t natural. It says, “Just leave it alone…When provoked, resist overreacting. My God is near, and that’s all I have to know.” We’re not holding it in. We pray in intimate communion, knowing He will not only listen, but will give His power to have self-control, content with whatever current lot I’m living. That makes for a gladdened heart, and I rejoice.

Rejoicing doesn’t come first, however. First we acknowledge His presence and concern for anything that touches us. We trust we’ll be accepted and can reveal our sensitive longings and frustrations. Only a special friend can do that for us. “Thank You, Lord!”  Yet there’s even more. The sense that all will be well comes when we exercise our faith. In my mind and in my heart I know, despite the actual circumstances at the moment, He is adequate. Every time. And I rejoice.

So what can you unburden yourself with? In what area do you need quiet, security, order? Where do you want freedom? Can you give up emotions that disturb? He is near. He is able to bring tranquility where there’s agitation. He’ll take it, if we can give it up. And maybe others in your life will learn to do this when they see how it works. “Again, I say, rejoice!”

No Resistance

Lord, who knows me inside out, help my tendency to resist You. Open my eyes to my options when my mind is closed and my heart is hard. Don’t let me prolong the anxiety. Don’t let me keep hold of unnecessary weights that drag my spirit in the dust. Angry, hurt, disappointed, despairing. Lift my head and open my mouth to tell You how it is. As a habit, not as a last resort. Train me to be thankful that You are near, and I can ask for Your help. Always, without exception, because Jesus is alive.

My God is not distant or distracted. He doesn’t avoid me or my concerns. He doesn’t keep a record of my requests and tell me I’ve reached my quota. In Christ Jesus, I have unlimited access to His heart. I’m loved in my weakness, not rejected. I rejoice and shout out Your praise! Oh my deliverer, amen.

In the Middle of the Struggle

“Don’t let your heart be troubled, or let it be afraid;

For the peace He gives to you, the world can’t take away…

In the middle of the struggle there’s a quiet place you can go.

Be still and know that He is God, be still and know—

Right in your heart there is a temple; Come and bow before the throne.

Be still and know that He is God, be still and know—

He sees all of your troubles and knows every care,

His peace will guard your heart, your mind through His Son, Jesus Christ.

No greater hope is known, no greater love is shown…

Be still and know that He is God, be still and know.”

-Kim Hill

Above Reproach

“Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and the living God. Carry the light-giving message out into the night…” (Philippians 2:14-15 MSG).

Who are your role models? According to media reports, one has to look far and wide to hold up examples worth emulating. Next time you’re in the library with an hour to spare, look in the Biography section and notice the subjects from our current generation. What character qualities would you attach to that sampling? The last time I did this, more times than I cared to count, at least of hint of scandal is what created interest in these men and women. Some were outright scoundrels. We want to know more about the gossip, it seems, than how to make note of their heroic tendencies.

The apostle Paul, writing from prison for standing up for truth in a corrupt society, had time to reflect on right living. After describing Jesus’ humility and obedience, he turns to mere mortals to encourage us to “work out our own salvation” with more than a nod to accountability. He says, though he is not with them at present, they should act to please God, who is at work in them giving them the power and the desire to live holy lives. “Keep at it,” I hear him say between the lines. “Perform what I’ve taught you, so my time with you hasn’t been wasted.”

Isn’t that what all of us parents what from our own children? Don’t we want to know what we’ve taught them, directly or by example, made a difference in their choices and the quality of their adult lives? When they were living at home we expected obedience, in order to practice wise living, with a view that when they were on their own, it was second-nature. That was our hope.

“…redouble your efforts [now that I’m absent from you, Philippians]. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you. God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure” (v. 13).

That’s the call to grace. It’s when we aren’t merely marking things off a list or looking over our shoulders to see who’s checking up on us, but following our Godly impulse to act in accordance with everlasting truth. Today’s truth is no different from yesterday’s, in contrast to all we hear in our culture. I want to be a “breath of fresh air” and show glimpses of my God by my positive, still approach to life, practicing what I’ve been taught in the pages of His Word. I want to feel the pleasure of my Heavenly Father. The night is almost over.

Just Because

Everlasting Father, Lord of all truth, much wiser than I can know. Daily, let me respond to that God-energy deep within so I might please You, above all. Help me work out this gift of salvation Christ gave me, with reverence and a sensitive will. Let me do this readily, with no self-conscious second-guessing. May the sweet bouquet of Your life be imparted wherever You send me. And when I fail, help me up. And tell me again, how You love me. Just because.  

Who Am I?

…Who am I that the bright and morning star would choose to light my way?

Not because of who I am…or because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are.

I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean…

Still…Lord, You catch me when I’m falling,

And You’ve told me who I am.

I am Yours.

Grasping

Don’t you think conflict often arises from competition? “I’m better… I know more…and I’ll prove it.” Paul’s writings put the brakes on that kind of comparison.

“If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit…make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself (or herself)…Have this attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:1-7 emphasis mine).

That’s, as they say, a reality check! How many of us would fight and wrangle with each other if we had this reminder weekly, if not daily? I’m not to compare myself with you or anyone else, but to Christ, Himself. He came to be a “bond-servant.” His suffering was for me and others like me, so that I can have oneness with Him and with those who accept Him by faith. This week I had to practice just that.

Feeling wronged and misunderstood, I tried to work it out. But was met with more misunderstanding. The only way this relationship made any progress that time was when humility came to the fore. No competition or proving who’s better… knows more… is in the right. Just humbling with the Spirit’s help. He’ll sort the rest out later.

How many divorces would take place in our culture if husbands and wives took these words to heart? How offended would each of us be if we had regard for the other above our own empty conceit? Selfishness sinks relationships, whether it’s between those united in marriage, parent and child, sister and brother, or friend to friend. With the Holy Spirit’s help, I know I’ve been humbled again and again in relationships—even those with difficult people, those who don’t deserve my humility.

Christ’s Spirit stills my churning heart, smoothes my ruffled feathers, and puts me in my place, with Him. “Let it go, dear one. Don’t grasp at superiority or even equality. I know how it feels and am right here.” That, I believe, is my consolation of love and fellowship of the Spirit. As I choose the high road, the righteous path, I feel His joy washing over me. My one purpose is to follow my Lord and let Him unite my Spirit with Him and others, as much as I’m able. And I’m able only because He is.

If He can empty Himself of deity and take on human flesh, I can empty myself of fleshly ways (selfishness) and take on His divine Spirit (sacrifice). It’s really better in the long run. By His grace, I’ll keep choosing humility of mind and expression, rather than grasping.

Dirty Feet

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, complete this work in and through us. It’s really never finished this side of heaven. I lay my lie at your feet, because of the cross you bore for me. Take my selfish drives each time they assert themselves and replace them with servant-hood. Let me also wash feet, both of those I dearly love and those of my enemies. You hold the basin and towel, and I kneel down to touch dirty feet. I have dirty feet, too. In Your gracious name, Amen.

Amazing Love

I’m forgiven, because You were forsaken,

I’m accepted; You were condemned.

I’m alive and, well, Your Spirit lives within me,

Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love, how can it be

That You, my King, would die for me?

Amazing love, I know it’s true

It’s my joy to honor You.

In all I do, I honor You.