Space Heater

Romans 7:14-20, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”

Jim Spivey wrote a post the other day that has played in my mind since reading it. He titled it “Be a Thermostat.” It was in reference to not being merely a thermometer to which he offered this quote. “The thermometer merely registering the temperature of its surroundings; the thermostat changing the temperature to what it desires.”

My initial self-assessment as to whether I am more thermometer or thermostat is that I am neither. I am the space heater stuck on high in the middle of the summer time, neither registering nor changing my surroundings to something more desirable. I, like Paul in the scripture above, agree with God. I would love to be permanently reflecting Christ and part of constantly adjusting others and myself into the temperature of the kingdom, but here lately my very weak flesh is ruling the day and my attitude.

Let’s face it. Outside of the truth, but often religious answer, we need first and foremost God, and to be in relationship with Him. But after that, what is the second (more often primary) need? I believe that answer for what we need second most is to survive. Even Christ understood this after 40 days of fasting. It was time to survive or die. He had to break the fast.

And so here I am, working in a commission only job. I don’t have an offering plate to pass. I don’t have a salary that I can count on. I have to kill to eat, or both I and my family suffer the proverbial hunger pains. No big deal right? After all the birds don’t have to worry about eating because our Father feeds them even without work.

But it is a big deal when the commission does not materialize. It is a big deal because my body… my flesh begins a complete sub-conscious (or is it unconscious) reaction. Upon the first sign of shortage all the faith and trust in God that I can mustard plus prescription medicine does not stop my blood pressure from rising. The heat in my skin is uncontrollable. The shortness of breath is inexplicable. And the irritability… or the irritability is unavoidable. The shortfall is literally killing me.  It is the number one cause of heart attacks and strokes and it is very much alive in me during these times… It is the American demon… it is stress.

Does God intend to kill me with stress? May it never be.

Does God intend to alleviate the stress? No amount of prayer has done it to this point, but I still have faith this is so.

My flesh is weak, and as much as I love Christ, as much as I want to be like Him, as much as I agree with the Law my flesh still wins from time to time and stress induced irritability becomes the space heater running wild on the hottest of summer days.

And even still this is no excuse. Reality is that God very much intends for me to not be a space heater or even a thermometer. He is transitioning me to a thermostat, and using the same thing He has used for the past 11 years to get me there. He is using finances.

Before now, finances were used for me to turn inward and work on myself, confront those things about me that are ungodly. Now the focus is to turn outward, to be that reflection of Christ I talk about more than I am. Spiritual thermostats adjust the temperature with brotherly kindness and love. And as rotten as I can feel physically and emotionally, I know clearly in my spirit that this is where He is bringing me.

Do you feel the stress in your life? What is God using it for in you?

Deeper Levels & Understanding

Ephesians 3:16-19, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Jim Spivey’s post today caused me pause, and inspired me to step back and take a different look at my current transformation. He quoted E. Stanley Jones’ Abundant Living where it was said, “In Texas, surface oil was used for a long time, and then the supply became meager.  Finally, someone dared to go down 5,000 feet and struck new levels of oil, which brought forth gushers.  Now, almost all the oil is tapped way below those low levels.  When we go down to deeper levels within us and tap resources that have been 'laid up' for us in Divine Providence, then we shall be artesian and overflowing - gushers of God's wisdom, power, and grace.  Then we, like Melva, will be ready for anything. . . .

Often we try to do things that are way beyond our surface-level resources, hence we worry, strain, and overwork the problem.  We must tap new (but ever-present) resources at much deeper levels to experience breakthroughs."

If you are one of the few who keep up with the posts here on a daily basis and see the chronological conformity to Christ' image that is occurring in my life, then you know that I continue in the same financial challenges (thought to a lesser degree) that I have for the past eleven years. Nothing more seems to spur me into prayer, reflection, and relationship with God as financial need. And for that reason my spirit rejoices in it, though a big part of me kicks and screams at the seemingly torture. All said God is currently speaking three terms as it relates to prosperity. They are materialism (overcoming it), community (loving, appreciating, and genuine concern for those around me), and redemption.

Now as much as Rabbi Lapin says money is spiritual, and as much as I want to make my issues earth shattering, the truth is that the need is physical and therefore primarily an issue of what the Bible calls the flesh. So I have to ask myself in light of the oil well analogy, am I looking deep enough? Are finances simply once again the oil well, the mechanism, which causes me to drill deeper to the resource that is Christ?

The answer to that is simply yes. Finances are the oil well. Materialism restrained, community, and redemption are the pipe that will carry me to the deeper level of truly knowing Christ. And it all is God continuing to grow me.

I have a third book that I am writing. It is called Growing in Christ and is based on the first chapter of 2 Peter. There Peter describes the stages of spiritual growth. Interestingly enough the stages begin with knowing Christ (objectively) and end with knowing Christ (subjectively). Along the way as we approach the stage of agape love a person discovers and grows in godliness which is really where I was when this blog began. Godliness being very closing associated with kingdom awareness and kingdom mindedness. But between godliness and love is brotherly kindness.

This is where I am today. This is the oil God is having me drill to tap into. Can you see that? Where would brotherly kindness be exhibited? In community? What would be a great example of brotherly kindness? Gifts? What would prevent brotherly kindness? Selfishness and materialism? What does all the body of Christ share in common besides Jesus? Redemption perhaps?

And so all deeper levels and understanding begin on the surface. The well, the pipe, the people all work in concert to get deep to God. Wouldn't it be nice to just have oil bubble to the surface and so much effort be spent indulging pleasures? But God never intended it to be that way. He allows those oil wells of financial trouble, relationship issues, and health problems to compel us to go deeper. To compel us to “… comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…”

Community

Romans 12:5, “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

Community is one of three key terms the Holy Spirit is illuminating to me in Him revealing Christ’s perspective on prosperity. Where prosperity is defined by me using scripture as sufficiency in all things and an abundance for good deeds. The other key terms that I am presented with being materialism and redemption.

There are a lot of things that can be considered a community. The neighborhood I live in is a community bonded together by a love of acreage, woods, and wildlife. In fact it’s also a community of people who really don’t like to participate in community, but want enough space between one another that there is no need to be part of someone else’s life.

The Church I attend is a community. Literally it is called Community of Faith, and it is a place that we gather together and celebrate our common bond of faith in Christ, and are common taste in worship and ministry. Oddly enough one of the primary reasons I love it is because it is big enough to get lost in. In other words if you just want to be come and be left alone there are enough people there to hide behind. At the same time you can participate in the community as deeply as you choose as there are limitless opportunities. 

Jim Spivey’s groups Iwo Jim and Love Machine are communities, that like all communities cause people to congregate behind a common idea or desire.

The examples are endless, like the dog club I belong to, or the macro-community of the township I live in. But what is it that God is trying to show me about community? Why is community coming into my heart simultaneously with materialism and redemption as they relate to prosperity?

Rabbi Lapin says prosperous people share a common trait of connective-ness. He further says to increase prosperity you have to increase the number of people you know. I cannot say that I buy into that argument because it sounds an awful lot like some sales training I have received. Lapin says prosperity in part comes from people “knowing you, liking you, and trusting you.” In sales class I was taught to be successful people have to “know you, like you, and you make them money.” But mainly this idea of increased connective-ness irritates my soul because I am generally speaking a loner of sorts.

Lapin says God created a world of binding and connection. Like salt, when there is no connection between the Sodium and Chlorine the individual components are toxic. But connected to gather they form sodium chloride and bring taste to a bland meal, and keeps us from sweating to death.

The apostle Paul talks about the connection of us being one body, “individually members of one another.” I am very comfortable as an individual, but I am very uncomfortable as a “member of one another.” Can’t I just be a toenail in the body of Christ? Someone way out on the extreme with minimal contact or relationship with the rest?

Apparently for me the status quo is no longer quo, and I am a status in transition.

On the surface my disdain for “community” is pretty obvious to me. First and foremost I am not a well-liked person. For sure the people that know me like me, but in general I for some reason offend people. It’s been said my brain does not have a pause button, and that I speak too freely what is on my mind… good, bad, or indifferent. Growing up I was smaller and younger than my classmates. Until I caught up in stature my senior year of High school I was bullied… only to become one myself. For most of my career I was the boss, so no real need to be liked there. Now that I am an Indian and not the Chief I don’t see many lining up to enjoy my loveableness. And in reality I am ok with that. I really don’t need to be liked. And I do not believe God needs me to be liked either. He likes me. My family likes me. And that is probably enough.

So once again I ask myself, why community?

I know that isolation can spiritually kill us when trying to face severe spiritual crisis alone. To have self-imposed seclusion can lead to endless loops of thinking or in extreme cases suicide. From this perspective I see clearly the need for community to experience the murmuration of God and the refreshing of our souls as we see Him work in and through others... even in and through oursleves.

Jim Spivey as a minister can make a plea to a community when he is in need. As well as most of us can do the same whether it be a plea for prayers or help. But other than the beggar and the minister how many can reach out beyond their family into their community to make a plea for financial help? And if you do reach out, how many will run their community off simply by asking or even letting them know your problems? After all… if you are not prosperous then there is a financial and spiritual problem… or is there?

What about a proper perspective on community might cause God’s prosperity to come to the individual? And again I reiterate that this “prosperity” is sufficiency in all things and an abundance for good deeds.

All of which is simply mind games and my attempt to understand “community” for the purpose of achieving prosperity while God is saying this:

In order to realize God’s prosperity materialism must be address, and it is best addressed with giving gifts. However, in order to give gifts one has to also be a member of a “community.” And not just a member, but pay attention to the other members to see what they may need or like in terms of those gifts. If you want the benefit of living in the kingdom of God there is some mysterious need to participate in the kingdom of God, to recognize and be a member of the body of Christ that the Father and His Son love so much collectively and not just the individual parts. 

The short version is as Christians we are all part of the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is saying to me that I am not an individual, but rather “individually a member of one another.”

As much as I would like to isolate myself from the world for all manner of reasons, God’s prosperity (for that matter God’s will) is found in the selfless membership to one another. Oh dear... I feel more surrender coming on. 

Cheerful Giver

2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must do just as he as purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Continuing in this idea of God teaching, even calling me to learn to speak the love language of giving I fully understand that I am not void of giving. I am certainly able to give religiously, and out of religious obligation. I am able to give in obedience when God says to give money to someone in need. I am able to give out of obligation for things like birthdays, Christmas, and other special events. I am even able to give out of compassion. What I don’t do is have a purpose in my heart to give.

What does not come naturally to me is the art of giving “gifts.” For example money can be a gift, but money is not the “gift” that I hear God trying to teach me about.

My boss is a very naturally giving man. He knows that I like Absolute Zero Monsters and not long ago he brought me a case from Sam’s just as a gesture of friendship. He also knows I like sunflower seeds, but that the salt is bad for me so just the other day he brought me a giant bag of unsalted sunflower seeds. But here is where he and I are different.

There are too many kinds of Monster to name, and yet somehow my boss paid enough attention to know the exact flavor I drink. Likewise on the sunflower seeds; I quit eating them because of the salt, and for him to see some without salt and to think of me in a moment of shopping is also something that never occurs to me.

In fact to even buy someone a gift is exhausting to me. It takes all of the limited creative energy I have to come up with gifts for any occasion. More often my family can testify I will write them something of what they mean to me. Why? Because I naturally love through words of affirmation and not gifts.

And so God brings me too this place; first a place of discovering where Christ differs from me, and then to the place of teaching, expanding, prodding, and leading to a heart that is “just… purposed” to giving.

Money is easy, but I want to be like my boss, or my Dad, or my wife and see things that belong in the hands of those I know and love, and to deliver them to them. Sounds simple, but for me the first task is going to be to pay enough attention to others to even have an inkling of what they may need or like. Wow… that is quite the challenge. To pay attention to others, like God pays attention to others.

Here goes nothing…