Struck this week by a post on JoinTheJourney.com. The topic was the prodigal in Luke 15.
Never noticed this before, but neither son liked their father. Son #2 - I wish you were dead, so that I could have my inheritance and do what I want. Notice the use of the word "I". The father's heart is for his lost son. Son #1 is hostile to this. He is hostile to thinks his father cares about. Son #1 hates the one his father loves.
Luke 16:13 No one can serve two masters. Either he will love the one and hate the other or he will despise the one and love the other. A man cannot serve both God and money.
God created.
The point - to allow us to enjoy relationship with Him. Complete and total relationship that is full and complete. To trust Him completely. To rest in Him. To have faith in Him.
Adam and Eve - Genesis 3. God created the universe (Genesis 1, Isaiah 40:22, Psalms 8) and created the earth with the little garden. He gave Adam something to rule over (Genesis 2). Something to enjoy, to pursue, to do, to be, to server and to rule over. I suspect that they had named the animals and were bored. Clearly Adam had seen it all, in terms of the animal kingdom. The words says "and among the animals a suitable help mate was not found". A&E could have asked God for more to rule over. The whole planet was there and the whole universe for that matter. We know this they took their eyes off of relationship with Father and looked elsewhere for fulfillment. That is the point of failure. The rest is a symptom.
See also Isaiah 14. Oh how you have fallen oh son of the dawn...for you said in your heart, "I will rise to the highest heaven". Another along with 1/3rd of the angels who declared his discontent. Lucifer takes his eyes off of his created purpose and all of earth buckles under the weight.
See also Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14. Eye ball to eye ball with Jesus. Moving to Him. Walking with Him. Focused on the relationship. Trusting. Obedient. Relaxed. Joyful. And then it happened. He took his eyes off. He looked down and around and fear filled him like a typhoon. Instantly sin entered and down he went.
Philippians 4:4-9
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Paul's directives in his letter to the Philippians is not a suggestion. It is a command. Rejoice always...pray constantly...Do not be anxious...THINK ABOUT GOOD THINGS. Trust and obey. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Romans 12 - Renew your mind.
Do we love God for Him or do we love Him for His stuff?
This was the question for the 2 brothers. This was the question satan failed and it is our question.
Are our prayers "me" "I" "my" - relationship, provision, dominion and all of the rest? Or is our heart broken for the things that break God's heart? Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added
Are we so in love with a God that chose us, who chose creation, who chose pain (all the sin for all of history-billions of people and unimaginable brokenness and hurt-He feels every bit), who chose crucifixion (I know the end from the beginning-Isaiah 46:10), in order that we could have eternal relationship with Him? My jaw should be on the floor every moment as I am blown away by God's goodness to us. Me the chief sinner, who has slapped Him and spit on Him so many times that I can't count. The one who has raged and accused. Who has been filled with fear, doubt and depression.
At 82, John Newton said, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior."
When we have those two great truths far apart in our minds (we don't elevate ourselves or attempt to denigrate the Holiness of God), praise comes flowing out of us like a river.
No longer do we have room for "I", "me", "my". We are so overwhelmed with gratitude that we cannot go enough places, tell enough people or surrender our lives any more fully.
The one thing we can't do in heaven, tell people the overwhelming good news and that will be precisely what we most want to do. To somehow say thank you.
Romans 8 - I consider that our present sufferings are not worth being compared with the glory that will be revealed in us.
When you get to heaven, will you find contentment or will your garden grow small and confining? Will you like satan choose self or will you choose Him?
You see this life has pain for a reason. God didn't want the pain. He certainly tried this journey without it. Satan lived in heaven. Adam and Eve in a garden. Sweet accommodations, but it wasn't enough. God needs us to come to the end of ourselves so that are so thoroughly sick of ourselves and this world that we trust Him. So that He doesn't cast us like lightning out of heaven (Luke 10:18).
Joshua 24:15 Choose this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
For me it is a continuous recurring battle. Every morning is another ground hog day. The flood of circumstances and worries come flooding in. I am afraid. Can God be trusted? Do I need to grab and claw or do I trust and obey. Romans 12 - renew your mind. Luke 9:23 - let him deny himself, take up his cross... Ephesians 6 - put on the full armor of God. I must go to war against my mind and my body. There is a war inside, but not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual powers.
God I trust you. I want relationship with you. I trust you. I will go where you go and do what you do and say what you say. I simply want to be conformed to the image of your son (1 John 3:1-3). I want to be holy as you are holy (Matthew 5).
My life is a blank check. What ever you want. Wherever you send me. However painful. However impoverished. However lonely. However hopeless. I am here to make you famous in a world gone mad. I only want to become all things to all people so that by all means I might win some.
Most days I fail. Some days, weeks, months and seasons are filled with doubt fear self-absorption and faithless living. But I press on towards the prize. I surrender. I repent. I weap. I trust a little more and I go again. God please calm the storm that rages in my heart. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light. It is easy when I surrender and allow you take every thought captive. In experience it is a war. That which I want to do, I don't do and that which I don't want to do, I do. Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of sin and death.
