20 January 2011

20 January 2011

Psalm 37:1-18; Isa. 45:5-17; Eph. 5:15-33; Mark 4:21-34

In our culture we speak of self-made men as though that were something to be admired. The image of one man struggling along to make something of himself in the world is one that is compelling in fact and fiction for it gives us all inspiration and hope and yet in the end does it mean anything at all? If our story is simply our story does it endure and is it truly meaningful? Would we not rather connect our story to the story of creation, redemption and eternity? I spent a portion of my life striving with God, denying His will for my life, and what I have found is that peace and contentment were never there in my business life in ways that they are in Him. When I chose to read the Bible again I began in the Old Testament because I didn’t want to have to deal with Jesus right away but what happened was that I ran into God at the mountain with Moses in the phrase, “I AM.” That revelation, the claims God makes here in this passage, stopped me in my tracks as I realized first the futility of my struggle against Him and second that He loved me enough to have a plan for me. He is my salvation not my adversary.

Jesus tells parables of the kingdom that seem counterintuitive. He obscures His teachings in parables by design yet tells us to make things plain and visible. He puts them on the top shelf and then commands us to put them on the lower ones. At the same time, faith is required no matter which shelf we put them on in order to have true understanding. He goes on to speak of the kingdom as a tiny, insignificant thing, a mustard seed, but that it is growing and we only see it through that growth. We live in a world that wants results, measurable results, now when Jesus speaks as though these things are not immediately apparent. The kingdom began with 11 men to which the Lord added Paul and in the past 2000 years it has grown to billions all over the world. Let us be patient and remember that God gives the growth but we must do our part in not hiding it under a bushel basket in our lives.

Our lives are meant to reveal the kingdom of God. The way we conduct ourselves in all aspects of our lives tells everyone something about the kingdom of our God. That is a humbling thing to consider and I must ask myself what have I taught others about the kingdom when they observe my life, hear my words, and encounter me in public. What have I taught my kids when they see me at home in all that I do and say? What have I shown my wife today about the love of Christ in the way I relate to her? What does our marriage say to others about the kingdom? In our worship we pray, “Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops and other ministers, that they may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth thy true and lively Word.” We also recognize that all of us are ministers. I need to pray that for myself each day if I am to walk well, I need all the grace I can get to do that work.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.