The Waiting Game

“Hurry up and wait!” I heard that often enough during my years of military service. Waiting was as difficult as busy work, which was meaningless toil, drudgery, to prevent just sitting around waiting. There are other sorts of waiting, too. School kids “wait” for the bell to ring during last period so they can zip out the door to freedom. A parent waits late into the night for his or her teenager to return home from a date. And there’s the waiting of a Believer, a Follower of Y’shuaJesus, waiting for the Trumpet to call us to be with the Lord.

Waiting’s hard work. While driving truck, after delivering a load I often had to wait for another assignment. It could come at any time, too. Depending where I was, I might be able grab a quick shower at a truck stop that was close to where I delivered. Or perhaps grab a meal, if convenient. More often, I simply parked in the parking lot outside the plant to which I’d delivered and waited. I tried to read, but would find myself looking often and anxious at the Qualcom, the communications system on which I’d get a load assignment. It was hard to relax between loads unless I knew I had a set amount of time. Once, after delivering a load south of Dallas, Texas, I pulled into a dirt lot next to a restaurant, and went in for a meal. Every fifteen minutes I’d go out and check to see if a message arrived on the Qualcom. I was there about a couple of hours when I received a telephone call from the dispatcher asking why I hadn’t responded to the dispatch message. I went immediately out to the truck, but there was nothing there. He had to verbally dispatched me to a steel plant for a load going into Georgia. Not a bad run, but one I almost missed if I hadn’t had a cell phone with me. I took another twenty minutes or so after pulling out of the parking lot to receive the written dispatch on the Qualcom. Perhaps the metal building walls reflected the satellite signals, preventing me from receiving the dispatch. I don’t know.

Waiting is hard work. It is also a dangerous time; it is a time when we can be distracted and wander off in some other direction. There’s a story that Y’shuaJesus told about the maidens that fell asleep, letting their lamps go out. And in Luke chapter 12, after Y’shuaJesus talks about laying up treasure in Heaven, He talks about what to do while playing the waiting game.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Luke 12:35-40

Matthew Henry commented on this scripture that Y’shuaJesus, “charges them to get ready, and to keep in a readiness for Christ’s coming, when all those who have laid up their treasure in heaven shall enter upon the enjoyment of it.” So there are two elements, according to Mr. Henry, in this waiting game. First, get ready; second, stay ready. That means waiting is active. It isn’t just standing around. Sometimes we are likened to servants whose master has gone away. Picture a servant standing by the door awaiting his master, doing nothing, just waiting. Probably not the best way to wait, I’m thinking.

So it seems there is good waiting and poor waiting. I’m on the poor side of waiting a lot of the time, especially when it comes to cooking. Even with a timer set, I’ll often just stand watching, waiting for the timer. In some of my best moments in the kitchen, I’ve put a pot of water on the heat, and while waiting for it to boil, done other things in the kitchen, or in the laundry room next to it. I’ve gotten distracted, too. I’ve left a pot to boil until nearly dry, and once totally ruined a batch of steamed vegetables.

Additionally, playing this waiting game takes balance and awareness. I’m thinking of when Y’shuaJesus went into the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was too busy to sit with Y’shua while Mary did only sit with Him. Y’shua said Mary picked the best of the two extremes. Y’shua hasn’t come into our house physically yet, so perhaps we need to be active while at the same time foster the spiritual communion with our Lord that He desires. But is our activity just busy work. What we do, is it necessary? Or is just something to fill the space between other things? Back to the kitchen. Perhaps when there is two minutes to wait for some vegetables to steam, it’s okay not to always have to be doing something. Perhaps standing in front of the stove is okay, and using that very moment to consider the One for Whom we wait to return. We can offer words of Praise, offering hearts of Worship, and we can offer prayers.

Occupying my waiting time then is a balance of activity that is purposeful, balanced with the spiritually uplifting elements of Praise, Worship, Prayer. And in all this activity, in all that I do, all must be done as to the Lord.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. . .

Colossians 3:23

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Remembrance in Prayer

For the last few days I’ve been reading Paul’s second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy). It is said to be Paul’s last letter, which was done from his second imprisonment in Rome. He’d previously been transported to Rome, and imprisoned, but released only to be captured and imprisoned again. Eventually Paul was executed.

Like so much of Paul’s writing, there’s a whole meal in a few words. For instance, in the first sentence of the second letter to Timothy, Paul refers to himself as “an apostle by the will of God,” upon which Matthew Henry comments that Paul is such “merely by the good pleasure of God, and by his [G-d’s] grace, which he [Paul] professes himself unworthy of. According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, or according to the gospel. The gospel is the promise of life in Christ Jesus; life is the end, and Christ the way, Joh_14:6. The life is put into the promise, and both are sure in Christ Jesus the faithful witness; for all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are yea, and all amen, 2Co_1:20. He calls Timothy his beloved son. Paul felt the warmest affection for him both because he had been an instrument of his conversion and because as a son with his father he had served with him in the gospel. Observe, 1. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; as he did not receive the gospel of man, nor was taught it, but had it by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal_1:12), so his commission to be an apostle was not by the will of man, but of God: in the former epistle he says it was by the commandment of God our Saviour, and here by the will of God. God called him to be an apostle.”

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

2 Timothy 1:1-6

When I came to “that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers. . .,” I gave pause. And I’ve been thinking quite a bit about it. I’ve been thinking about my own remembrance of people who’ve crossed paths with me. For some, it was truly a crossing of paths, while others have been in and out of contact for quite some time. Sometimes my remembrance of some people isn’t a joyful one. Not every person with whom I’ve had contact has been kind to me, or a friend to me. For those people I’ve had to work to not only get over my own disdain, stop complaining about them, but to begin to remember them to G-d in a more positive manner, for their own good, and G-d’s mercy and grace upon them.

There have been people, too, that I’ve hurt. To some I’ve apologized. But not all, I’m sure. I work hard to get over the my own guilt at my remembrance of them. Some times I think about what might have been, or what could have been, if some such thing had not occurred between us as friends. This, too, is futile thought. For perhaps the path a person takes in response to a hurt following my acquaintance is truly G-d’s will for that person. And in parting we each must take responsibility for the way in which we walk. With recognition of fault, of error, with understanding G-d’s forgiveness, can enable me grow and not repeat mistakes, sins.

Paul said, “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers. . .” There have been times in the past that a particular person has entered my thoughts in a strangely burdened way. I’ve known, too, that these people have entered my head through G-d’s will. It happened this way several years ago while I was driving truck. I had not seen nor heard of this person for many years, though had thought joyfully of the times we’d shared together, having been more than friends. For several days, I couldn’t get the person out of my mind. I just had to pray! I didn’t know what to pray. The Spirit of G-d did provide words and prayers. And I remember reaching out in my mind’s eye to the Heaven’s. I remember feeling as if angels were being dispatched to this friend. I never found out what it was about. I did learn that she had been involved in medical missions in the Philippines, in an area particularly hostel to the Gospel of Y’shuaJesus.

There are also times, especially the past few years as I’ve grown older [or grown old, as my kids say] that I remember events and people and just think about them. I believe this, too, is in G-d’s presence. Thinking isn’t what I’d have called prayer a few years ago. A sight, or sound, or smell, reminds me of someone. And I feel myself in G-d’s presence while I’m reminiscing about events that we’d shared in the past–like I’m talking with the Lord saying “Remember when. . .” Occasionally I do actually say it that way! It’s in those times, too, that I feel the joy of those that I’ve known, and convey my gratitude to the Lord for their acquaintance.

Thank You, Lord, for remembrance of all those I’ve met while on this journey with You. Thank You for those that read what has been given to me to write. Have mercy and extend grace to Your people. AMEN.

Passover 2012

And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Exodus 12:11-14

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:7

This Friday, at sunset, begins passover. It is known as פֶּסַח pesach, which comes from “pretermission, that is, exemption; used. . .of the Jewish Passover (the festival of the victim), passover (offering).”

The weeks preceding pesach are spent in much house cleaning in search for bread crumbs. It is quite an activity in which all members of each household are involved—young to old. I hadn’t realized Christians from some denominations also follow this part of the Law, too.

What does leaven symbolize? It has long been thought of as a metaphor for sin. Just as we’ve spoken of, before communion, we search ourselves looking for any sin in our lives. Passover and Resurrection Day are forever linked to communion. Y’shuaJesus is the Lamb of G-d—the Lamb slain whose blood covers us, keeping us from the Angel of Death. We celebrate communion to remember Y’shuaJesus, that His body and blood were given for us. It seems appropriate that we should, before Resurrection Day, which also called by the pagen name of Easter, search for bread crumbs containing leaven, not only in our lives but throughout our homes.

While this is all good, I wonder if there is a deeper meaning to leaven than that of sin only. In Luke 13:21 Y’shuaJesus says of the Kingdom of Heaven: “It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” I read that many reconcile this as being the one time in a hundred where leaven isn’t a metaphor for sin. Yet it just doesn’t seem reasonable to me. Matthew Henry comments on Luke 13:21: “You expect [the Kingdom of Heaven] will make its way by external means, by subduing nations and vanquishing armies, though it shall work like leaven, silently and insensibly, and without any force or violence. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump; so the doctrine of Christ will strangely diffuse its relish into the world of mankind: in this it triumphs, that the savour of the knowledge of it is unaccountably made manifest in every place, beyond what one could have expected, 2Co_2:14. But you must give it time, wait for the issue of the preaching of the gospel to the world, and you will find it does wonders, and alters the property of the souls of men. By degrees the whole will be leavened, even as many as are, like the meal to the leaven, prepared to receive the savour of it.”

So to speak of leaven, one is speaking of something that is silent, working almost mysteriously within—sin does that, doesn’t it? Y’shuaJesus warned of the leaven of the Pharisees. Their doctrines, traditions, interpretations of the Law, and even their hypocris, that would all work within those that adhere to their leadership. Leaven. Y’shuaJesus said to seek first the Kingdom of G-d. It will also work within us, slowly, silently, mysteriously. The Word of G-d, made flesh in Y’shua, made flesh in us.

Yet go back to the woman hiding the leaven in three measures of flour. There’s a view that even here leaven is sin hidden within the ingredients that the loaf is made from. There is a belief that the loaf is symbolic of the church, which is G-d’s Kingdom on Earth, and that the leaven is false beliefs and false doctrine hidden withing the ingredients so that these deceptions are passed on to all who partake of the loaf. An extreme example of the way an entire nation can become captive to a bizzare notion is the propaganda machine developed by Hitler prior to World War II. The leaven of his deception grew slowly, silently, until it permeated most all in the nation of Germany. The German people were mentally poisoned to hate the Jewish people, gypsies, virtually anyone that did not adhere to their Aryan cultural view of themselves. Extreme nationalism gave rise to the Hitler youth movement. No one questioned the authority of the Third Reich, of Hitler, of his agents, until too late. When they did, they were eliminated. The world, it seemed, went crazy. Sixty million people died as a result of Hitler’s leaven. Two atomic explosions rocked Japan.

Could the church of the twenty-first Century become permeated by false beliefs? The Apostle Paul said: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) It’s not that there may be evil lurking in heavenly places, it’s that THERE IS evil lurking. It is leaven in the church. Sin!

Proceeding pesach, we rid the leaven within our homes. We celebrate the feast of passover with the knowledge of Y’shuaJesus as the pesach lamb. On Sunday we celebrate the empty tomb, the resurrected Lord. And we rejoice!

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him

“The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, who hope in His mercy.” (Psalms 147:11 MKJV)

Frequently I marvel at the notion that G-d, the Creator of the universe and all that is within it, takes pleasure in His people, takes pleasure in me. Does He take pleasure in my way upon Earth, in yiur way upon Earth? Does He take pleasure in our journey as we fumble around trying to find Him?

At church (Carbondale AG, Tulsa, OK) Pastor Phil spoke on G-d’s exceeding love of His people and His choosing us. Pastor Phil said that we use the term “accepting Christ” but that in reality it is G-d who accepts us after we repent and believe.

Even in our belief, it is actually a G-d-enabled belief. G-d chooses us. In this love, G-d takes pleasure in us, for He created us.

How far can I take the notion—idea? Can I call it an understanding of G-d’s pleasure in us? At the minimum, the result of G-d’s pleasure and choosing us is that I didn’t earn it, so can’t loose it. There is the freedom in Christ not to fear. Furthermore, I didn’t earn it, so can’t take pride that I merit the relationship as child of G-d. I was chosen not for my merit, not to earn continued favor, but simply through G-d’s infinite mercy, His love.

In the Psalm “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him. . .,” fear is better thought of as awe. G-d is awesome. Yes, Y’shuaJesus is our friend and we are free to speak with Him, to say anything. We are free to bare our soul to Him. Why not tell Him our secrets. He knows them anyway. But Y’shuaJesus is G-d. As such, our souls must leap for joy at His presence while also retreating in awe. Have you ever heard someone say, “When I get to Heaven I’m gonna ask Jesus. . .” this or that. I can assure you, when in the presence of Y’shuaJesus you will have nothing to say. On the contrary, you will place Your crowns at His feet, soul trembling in love and adoration—speechless.

Now given that The LORD, The Creator of the universe, takes pleasure in us, we have our life and significance. I like the word significance. It means I am okay as I am. I have value. Today. I am of value not in what I’ve worked for, not for any position in our society—or lack of it—but simply through being chosen and being a child of G-d.

There is FREEDOM. Thank G-d for His great mercy. Praise the LORD for His love and caring. He continues creating us, taking pleasure in us. He is, after all, the potter. . .

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Created to Worship

“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” Psalm 33:1-5

If we are “true-born believers,” as Matthew Henry calls the Saints of the Lord, then we are also “upright.” If we are upright, then praise is comely for us. Comely? It means that praise becomes us, it is fitting for us. Praise goes hand in hand with rejoicing. We rejoice not in the successes of this Earthly existence, and not despite failures and trials, either. We rejoice in the Lord, as Apostle Paul exhorted us to do. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”(Romans 12:12) It’s an attitude of looking upward, to Heaven, to our Father. We rejoice, not in what G-d gives us, but in Who He is.

When we rejoice in the LORD, when we offer praise for what He has done, we soon must move toward seeing Him and praising Him for who He is. This, then, is worship, true worship. Read Psalm 95:

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Once we rejoice, we offer praise, we worship, and we hear in this psalm the voice of the LORD our G-d.

Lord, help us rejoice in You, praising all you have done, praising You for Who You are; help us worship You. Amen.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .