19 January 2011

19 January 2011

Psalm 38; Isa. 44:24-45:7; Eph. 5:1-14; Mark 4:1-20

The sovereignty of God is over all things and all peoples. Do we have free will in the sense that we can direct all our lives? Is the course of our life determined by God so that we are automatons? Those two ideas are laid side by side in a false dichotomy. The Lord says that He has anointed and chosen Cyrus, the Persian king, as the instrument by which He will once again redeem His people. He also says, “I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me.” The Lord will use one who does not know Him to do His bidding so does that mean that we are not in control of anything? The Lord will use Cyrus’ natural inclinations to do His will for the sake of His people. Cyrus has no motive other than a selfish one for His actions and yet the Lord will use them for His glory and for the sake and benefit of His people. He knows all things before they happen and His plan includes even those things that are intended for evil. Can we rest in that knowledge?

Wouldn’t we rather Jesus teach in plain illustrations and explain the illustrations directly? When He teaches in parables, indirectly, it makes it difficult, we have to work at understanding. He calls us to come and examine the teaching, think it through, immerse ourselves in the parable to get at His meaning. At this time, crowds are great and hanging on every word yet He tells the disciples that most won’t understand, they aren’t coming to truly know and understand. The mystery requires help to reveal, we must trust Him for the interpretation and we must come to Him seeking to understand. He knows what is in the hearts of most, a desire for cheap grace and cheap thrills, a desire for information now wisdom and understanding. He knows us and yet He continues to offer us Himself in ways that call us out of ourselves, deeper into the mystery.

Be imitators of God, walk in love, walk as children of the light, all these Paul commands as though it were possible for us to obey. When Moses gave his final address to the people in Deuteronomy, he said that he set before them two options, life and death, blessing and curse and called them to choose life. As we are led by the Spirit are we set free from the bondage of our will by sin? Do we become more capable of real choice by the power of the Spirit of God? It is indeed more liberating to surrender to God’s will than to continue to live under the power of the sin nature. His service is indeed perfect freedom. Jesus invited us to come out from under one yoke to accept His because in comparison His yoke was easy and the burden light. Would we rather serve Him, cooperating with His will and rejoice that it is done in and through us or fail to recognize that His will is being done?

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.