WATCHWORD:
“And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished…And they understood none of these things”. Luke 18:31, 34
“You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” 2 Samuel 22:29
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. John 15:13
3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. John 13:3-5
Meditation:
Baffling Call of God
I wonder if we understand even the basic meaning of words and phrases coming from God? I wonder if we have read too much into some of those phrases that we rely on, and, yet, we understand “none of these things”? Phrases like; “Pray without ceasing”, or “Lay down your life for your friend”, or perhaps a simple phrase like “Good works”. What is God telling us, really?
God called Jesus Christ to what seemed unmitigated disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death. He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. We may not fully understand the meaning of the Resurrection, yet, God’s purpose is never man’s purpose. Do we need to understand all things? Or, do we simply need to worship Him?
Oswald Chambers in the original edition of My Utmost for His Highest makes this statement: “There comes the baffling call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never be stated explicitly; it is implicit. The call of God is like the call of the sea, no one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him. It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in comradeship with Himself for His own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what He is after.”
We open our Bibles or maybe our devotionals, and we read his Word. Maybe we struggle to understand. So, we turned to the great theological minds our age, the ones that write the commentaries. Maybe they shed some light into the meaning of the Word, but most likely, even that meaning is incomplete. And we come away struggling to understand how that applies to our everyday lives.
For me, the phrase “good works” is an example of mixed messages. I grew up in a home where that phrase meant something as out of reach for a child as missionary work in China. It was mostly associated with spiritual adventures, third world countries, or, closer to home, spending countless hours in church, preparing community meals, visiting the sick, etc. It never seemed to have the meaning of I’m playing with your son or daughter. Looking back, I can see that such good works for service, accomplished a good, and it certainly was work, but I wonder if the good works was a kind of idol worship. Was it worshiping God in all that was done?
We who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, should know that works that glorify Jesus Christ occurs in whatever you’re doing, whether eating your meals, doing the laundry, the everyday tasks of living, as long as it is done to the glory of God. Amazingly, when that is the focus, you find yourself “praying without ceasing”.
In today’s reading in the updated edition of My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers makes this statement: “Every phase of our life has its counterpart in the life of Jesus. Our Lord realized His relationship to the Father even in the most menial task.”
So, what, fellow Child of God? A Christian is one who trusts the wisdom of God, and not his own. If we have a purpose of our own, what does it do to the simplicity and the welcoming nature which ought to characterize our relationship to God?
That hymn stanza I cited yesterday contained the line–’Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His—At any cost, dear Lord, by any road. Our task, from the first breath in the morning to when our eyes close in sleep, is to praise Him. Amen.
Morning Prayer:
In the composition by Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith:
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
When I feel afraid. Think I’ve lost my way
Still you’re there right beside me
And nothing will I fear, as long as you are near
Please be near me to the end
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
I will not forget, your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus be my guide. And hold me to your side
I will love you to the end
Nothing will I fear as long as you are near
Please be near me to the end.
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
And a light unto my path
You’re the light unto my path. Amen.
