Cheerful Obedience

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

I have really enjoyed practicing the expression of giving. It is amazing how clearly God will speak, and I feel like I am reliving the experiences of my book "God Speaks" anew. With each gift I see more clearly that this is more than overcoming materialism, or positioning myself to receive a blessing, but that it in so many ways is learning to love. In fact there is a scripture that keeps coming at me from multiple sources and directions. It is John 13:34 where Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” And so I do… unintentionally, but none the less love others as God would in my obedience to giving. And even more so, for the first time in my life I find the cheerful giving spoken of my Paul.

I have known how to give in obedience. I have known how to give sacrificially (grudgingly). I have known how to give to gain someone’s attention or significance in their eyes. But to give cheerfully, to give loving as God love, with His love is joyous. And so I shared the wonderful things associated with giving to my friend Russell on my commute home yesterday.

He laughed and said something to the effect of, ‘it is so cool how God is showing you to cheerfully obey. It is not just about the giving, but it is about cheerfully obeying all that He asks of us. Jesus went to the cross cheerfully, and there is a place that we accomplish all obedience that way. This is redemption or more specifically sanctification where we learn to cheerfully obey.’

Makes me kind of sad that everyone doesn't have a real relationship with God where they pursue Him with any regularity and have the same encounters. It all makes me wonder if others are oblivious to spiritual matters. (present company excluded) Yet at the same time it makes me realize how people can cheerful give their life to missions and the accompanying hardships so many represent. It helps me understand a little deeper the motivation of my friends like Russell and Jim.

Here’s to cheerful obedience, in whatever form the lessons come. Like going to see my friend Jeff Rice and celebrate the last of his chemotherapy as the tests have shown him to be cancer free. Though I think he got his boots from Robert Franklin's estate.

Now I would like to dedicate this song to Jeff Rice who in Christ has overcome cancer, and to Rich Hartenberg who a couple of days ago went to see Jesus via cancer.

Materialism, Gifts, REDEMPTION

2 Corinthians 5:16, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh…”

Finally it feels that the Holy Spirit is moving inside me to focus on the third of these three words that have been my focus for weeks. Individually any of the words could be a lesson within themselves for any Christian at any level, but for me they are working collectively to teach me brother kindness as depicted in 2 Peter 1. Also knowing that the brotherly kindness Peter spoke of leads to unconditional love; something that I found in short supply within my soul, and what does exist is there for a limited few.

But what is redemption? We know as Christians that it means to be forgiven of sins. It means to be liberated from the eternal consequence of sin, namely spiritual death and its punishment of hell. But for me at this moment the focus of redemption is not the release of debt, or the restoration of relationship it represents but rather the universal and pure nature of it that extends to anyone and everyone who will believe on Jesus the Christ. Redemption as paid for by Christ is blind like justice; it is without prejudice or bias. In fact redemption is perhaps only concerned with the soul of mankind, and completely unconcerned with whatever the flesh can create sinful or otherwise.

As such there is a place, if we are to ultimately walk in agape unconditional love that we to have to view others, to view everyone with redemptive colored glasses, not recognizing one another according to some outwardly trait, or as Paul calls it, “according to the flesh.” And if we cannot see other from the spirit, then at least we (I) need to be constrained by the love of God in our (my) judgments. Of this thought process and scripture T. Austin Sparks writes, “The first and primary thing is the absolute necessity for knowing one another after the Spirit. ‘The love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that one died for all (universality), therefore all died; and He died for all, that they which live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto Him’; ‘Henceforth know we no man after the flesh.’ That means that as far as we can see, we have not made what we are by nature the final basis of our relationships, of our expectations, of our judgments, of our appraisals, of our valuations. It does not mean that we are oblivious of one another’s human nature. It does not mean that what we are in the flesh never strikes us; that we are to be totally insensible to the defects of one another’s nature. No! We shall always be sensitive. It is probably true that the more spiritual we are, the more sensitive we become to what we are by nature and to what others are by nature…”

And as we are in the world, trying desperately to not be of the world, we are constrained by the love of God while heading the direction of viewing and recognizing others by the spirit, and not just the outside.

I do not know what practical experience the Holy Spirit has in store for me as He ingrains this lesson of redemption onto my soul, but I do know that with materialism He has said to me my fist is clinching things that do not matter. Giving unclenches the fist that grabs onto anything but God. Now redemption and it universality is opening up to help me “stop evaluating others from a human point of view” so that I may give to them in brotherly kindness, and eventually love as Christ loved. If this were not enough Henri Nouwen murmurates these thoughts with, “Jesus is given to the world. (those destine for redemption) He was chosen, blessed, and broken to be given.  Jesus' life and death were a life and death for others.  The Beloved Son of God, chosen from all eternity, was broken on the cross so that this one life could multiply and become food for people of all places and all times.

As God's beloved children we have to believe that our little lives, when lived as God's chosen and blessed children, are broken to be given to others.  We too have to become bread for the world.  When we live our brokenness under the blessing, our lives will continue to bear fruit from generation to generation...”

I look forward to the lessons as I know it leads to better understanding of godly brotherly kindness and love. 

Knowing Him

Philippians 3:10, “… that I may know Him and the power of His resurrections and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

On Friday I enjoyed a wonderful peak in my relationship to God as I was by divine design unexpectedly invited to celebrate my friend and mentor Jim Spivey’s birthday. At the end of this celebration which included in its audacity filet mignon, Jim closed with something I had sent him from Oswald Chambers. Concerning the scripture above Oswald wrote:

“A saint is not to take the initiative toward self-realization, but toward knowing Jesus Christ. A spiritually vigorous saint never believes that his circumstances simply happen at random, nor does he ever think of his life as being divided into the secular and the sacred. He sees every situation in which he finds himself as the means of obtaining a greater knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he has an attitude of unrestrained abandon and total surrender about him. The Holy Spirit is determined that we will have the realization of Jesus Christ in every area of our lives, and He will bring us back to the same point over and over again until we do…”

I had sent this to Jim because it reminded me of him, but in Jim’s reading it I realize it was an affirmation from God of what I have been living with Him so intensely these past few weeks.

If you follow this blog, chronologically God has been confronting my materialism (wrongly acquired in perceived lack) with gift giving. And this has been such the rich experience like at Academy Sporting goods. I had gone in to simply buy socks and a pair of jeans when the Holy Spirit told me to get $20 cash back at the register. Walking to my truck I was approached by a man with a handful of flyers. He was a recovering addict panhandling for the ministry that was instrumental in revealing Christ to him. His story was heartwarming, but the look on his face as I told him Jesus has told me to get $20 for him only moments earlier was priceless.

Or how about the thought on the way to work that I should get some breakfast tacos for the people in the office. A thought dismissed for fear of not getting what they might want. Upon sitting down one of the processors asked if I would go to Whataburger and pick her up something because she was too busy to leave. Not only did I do it gladly, but I took orders from the whole office and bought them all breakfast. This was not random circumstance. This is God in my day.

How about the call to a friend in Colorado… I felt I should call right then as he popped into my head. Turns out he was at that very moment meeting with a man despondent at losing a wife after losing millions in a business. A beautiful story, though no doubt he does not see his own beauty and God’s interaction, but his story is a story I have lived, and I pray my words were timely encouragement.

On another day recently I knew that I would see Jim so I stopped at the ATM to get him one of my many $20 blessings. At the ATM God told me to get $60. I thought to myself... good idea, I need $20 for Jim, $20 for Jonathan on Friday, and I guess I can have an extra $20 for lunch. Upon walking in to see Jim and a couple of his friends there was Aaron. My smile must have been seen as I instantly knew who the other $20 was for. Which by the way… my prayer is that my $20’s would soon become $100’s, but that is really irrelevant. The point is obedience. The rewards from this cheerful giving are already manifesting both in reality and in my spirit.

Which brings me full circle to where I began… in living an undivided life where sacred is secular and vice versa I had been inspired by the Holy Spirit to invite my friend Jonathan to lunch. Jonathan is one of the handful of people I believe oozes Christianity even without every saying a word. Unlike me, he seems to instantly obey God, and recently has committed himself and his young family moving to Spain for a mission opportunity there. It was Jonathan that picked Friday. Well one thing leads to another and next thing I know we are meeting Jim on his birthday at a much nicer restaurant than we had originally planned. I will be honest, I was still committed to buying, but the restaurant selection did have me worrying about what the tab might be. How dumb… Filet for everyone, all compliments of another one of Jim’s many friends.

But it was not about the over the top lunch. It was about the over the top hug from heaven. As we celebrated Jim’s birthday, God celebrated each of us in our surrender and abandonment for Him.

:-)

Unsolvable Puzzle – Insurmountable Problem

2 Corinthians 1:9, “indeed, we had a sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust ourselves, but in God who raises the dead”

In continuation of the three words bouncing around in my spirit of materialism, community, and redemption as they relate to prosperity, with prosperity being all sufficiency and abundance for good deeds (2 Cor 9:8) I have to address the unsolvable puzzle.

For me prosperity seems to be the solution to my unsolvable puzzle. And yet prosperity is not THE solution, but rather God and a new enlarged relationship is.

Materialism I have learned is overcome with giving, but what I have also learned is that there is a form of spiritual materialism as well in that materialism is a force drawing anything and everything to the person who is materialistic. In fact, the attraction to material things is no different than the attraction of emotional things or ego driven “things.” Likewise if we as followers of Christ become overly concerned with just ourselves and our individual spiritual “accomplishments” and knowledge then we are spiritual materialistic for lack of a better term. Perhaps a good term might be spiritualcentric. Whatever the term, the spiritual problem is spiritual selfishness and an absence of love. And so God brings us (ME) to this place of having to teach me to focus my spiritual eyes and actions outward in love. To teach me to love by encouraging gift giving to my community. Does this solve my conundrum? No.

So if God is teaching me about prosperity and materialism, community, and redemption, then why as I learn these lessons am I not experiencing the prosperity I honestly seek? Is it because I am more concerned about the prosperity than God? Am I more concerned about the ill effects to my health that the stress causes than knowing God more? Is this some kind of torture or punishment that I am destined to remain in?

In the words of the apostle Paul, may it never be.

God uses the unsolvable puzzles and insurmountable problems in our lives to first and foremost bring us face to face with Him. Throughout biblical history it happens time and time again. With Job, Joseph, David, Moses, the Israelites. Peter and Paul all had their insurmountable problems. But there always is an end. There always is a miracle of God that changes the circumstances, that brings peace, that moves the person to a new place.

Look at Job. He lost possession, family and his own health to what end? Job 42:5, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear (church, books, preachers); but now my eye sees You; (face to face)” All of that was to see the face of God and when he sees the face he repents and prays for his friends. He turns outward to give to his community and the bible says, “The Lord restored the fortunes of Job…” (Job42:10) Job stopped looking in at all He lost but found the face of God which caused him to look out in love and prosperity came. He sought the kingdom of God, and everything else was added.

God allows the unsolvable problem to encounter Him, and so that He can save the day... so that He can move miraculously, so that He can be shown strong in our weakness at the very end of ourselves. The Israelites discovered this leaving Egypt as they had mountains to their right and left, an Egyptian army behind them, and a Red Sea in front. What was between them and their insurmountable problem? God was. He was there as a pillar of fire and smoke desperately wanting relationship with them. They did not die there, but He changed the circumstance in a miraculous way by parting the Red Sea.

Christ had the insurmountable problem of the cross, but the Father redeemed Him with His resurrection. Paul had the messenger of Satan that would not leave but discovered God’s grace was sufficient.

Our unsolvable problems are there so that God can become real in our lives. They are not there for us to sit in them indefinitely twisting and tormenting in the torturous nature of the issue, but rather to grow in a character of Christ out of them.  God is there in the puzzle waiting to be seen, waiting to bring the miracle. But He is also waiting to see our heart. He is waiting to see if we will love in and out of those unsolvable puzzles.

My unsolvable puzzle is the ever present falling short of financial self-sufficiency. As a result of the surface issue I think prosperity is the answer. God says, no Jeff, you want to know about prosperity, then you must learn and understand materialism, community, and redemption first. And so I see with God’s eyes my materialism. I am challenged with God’s prompting to embrace community. And not only embrace but to give to community.

As crazy as it sounds, the unsolvable puzzles, the insurmountable problems, the crises of faith are there for our good to find the end of ourselves and the beginning of God. They are used like Peter said to increase our faith, or moral excellence, or knowledge, or self-control, or perseverance, or godliness, or brotherly kindness, or love… or perhaps all of those traits simultaneously. They are there to show where we are weak and He is strong.

In murmuration I read this from T Austin Sparks, “We shall not be able to raise ourselves any more than we can crucify ourselves, but we must recognize that the Lord’s dealings with us are with that in view. In order to display the power of His resurrection, He will very often have to take the attitude toward us of letting things get well beyond all human power to remedy or save, of allowing things to go so far that there is no other power in all the universe that can do anything whatever to save the situation. He will allow death, disintegration to work, so that nothing, nothing in the universe is of any avail, except the power of His resurrection….And God will allow His Church and its members oft-times to get into such situations as are altogether beyond human help, in order that He may give the display, which is His own display, in which no man has any place to glory.”