A song in my heart

Christians live in the time/space of two overlapping kingdoms; the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. We experience both at the same time. This is expressed in the words of Jesus…

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Jesus says His people will have tribulation and peace, not one after the other but both at the same time. This means that the peace He gives is not freedom from trouble or conflict. Nor is it an escape from lies, persecution or mistreatment, or being misunderstood. Instead, it is a joy of heart that rises above these things and carries us to a bliss that is unknown to those who do not know Him.

We live in these two kingdoms, two worlds, where one is filled with distraction, cares, deprivations, and miseries and the other realm where tears are wiped away and there is no more death, sorrow and pain. In this second place, we know the presence of God, our Father who loves us unconditionally and whose peace transcends all understanding. We know the Holy Spirit who grants to us love, joy and peace, no matter what that first world is doing to us.

In my personal history, the overlap began with my salvation, but in actual history it began with the cross and resurrection. Jesus came, lived and died, then conquered death and brought into this world the option of eternal life. All who embrace that option are ushered into the kingdom of light where we begin to learn what it means to be “seated in heavenly places” and fully reconciled to God. We discover His amazing peace, amazing because it is so rich it cannot help but overflow from His glorious kingdom into that other one that is not so glorious.

I woke up this morning singing, “Glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name, glorify Thy name in all the earth…” thankful to be alive and thankful that even here, where wickedness seems to prevail over righteousness and justice, the power of God can still bring the delights of heaven to my heart. He gives me rest from spiritual battles and rest from my work. I know wars in my soul, but also respite from those wars and the delights of being satisfied. I know trouble and sorrow, but also “peace that surpasses understanding” and the unending joy of Jesus Christ.

Most of all, I know freedom from fear, that I will not face the wrath of God because of the loving sacrifice of His Son. Whatever else this world might stir up in the form of tribulation loses its sting because Jesus overcame it all by dying for my sin and giving me eternal life.

He has delivered (me) from the domain of darkness and transferred (me) to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13)

For in this way there will be richly provided for (me) an entrance into the eternal kingdom of (my) Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:11)

One day, I will take flight from the kingdom of this world and not miss it at all, and that is the reason that I sing...!

Filling that empty heart

Blaise Pascal is reported to have said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” This is actually an edited version. Apparently the entire quote goes like this:

What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself. (“Pensees” by Blaise Pascal, Penguin Books, 1966. Pg. 75.)

The Creator is the object of our deepest desire because this is what He intended. Solomon briefly explains that we long after God because…

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Can I verify this void and that it can be satisfied only with God? For myself, certainly. Even though the Lord is in my life, there are occasions where I long for Him and want to leave here to be physically present with Him. I can say with the psalmist,

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. (Psalm 42:1)

Today’s devotional says that even though we who believe in Jesus Christ speak of heaven as our home, it is only because God is there. Just as Isaac Watts wrote in his hymn, God is the true home of the human soul.

O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home.

I look around me. I have all that I need and more, yet feel this thirst for God. I look at children and color, all lovely created things. I hear music and laughter, enjoy so much, yet that craving remains. If I did not know who I am longing for, I might try to fill that empty space with other stuff, but as the psalmist says, behind the craving is a deep homesickness. I crave God because He is my home.

Some say this homesickness is a powerful argument for the existence of God. It is built into the human heart because God put eternity there. Yet so many push it away or try to fill it with common and useless pursuits. People may not feel this longing until they allow themselves to, or unless they are weary and weak of trying to be satisfied with mere stuff. But when we acknowledge our helpless estate, the hunger is there, motivating us toward home. 

As the prodigal said, “I will arise and go to my Father.” He needed no money for that journey, only the humility to realize his soul’s bankruptcy and the wisdom to recognize that going home was his only satisfaction. 

That longing to go home

The devotional writer says, “God has put in the heart… a longing for himself. The mass of humanity does not understand it. People just know that there are times when they want to be quiet, times when they want to be alone, times when the calendar or the stars or death speaks to them. They hunger and they thirst—but for what?”

Being alone for several days brings out this longing. So do horrible stories in the news, funerals, and sometimes fatigue. It is what some call a homing instinct, a deep and profound sense of wanting to “go home.”

I notice it when life is not satisfying, or when I’m sad for no reason, or even happy for no reason, but sometimes this longing for home hits me at odd moments. I might be driving, or pushing a grocery cart when it sweeps over me and automatically I say, sometimes aloud, that I want to go home.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6–8)

While God blesses my life, I know that this world will never satisfy me completely. No matter what I have or gain, God “put eternity in my heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and it is eternity that I long for, not more stuff or more of anything else, or even to have life totally the way that I want it to be. The ache for eternity, that homesickness for heaven cannot be satisfied by anything less than being with Jesus.

Yet I am here. God wants me to make the best of where I am and do whatever He gives me to do. Paul had that same longing for home, yet knew that God had reasons for him to stay, at least for a few more years…

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Philippians 1:23–24)

Paul’s reason for staying was the reason God gives every Christian. We are not in heaven yet because He has a task for us here. Part of that task is making clear to ourselves and to others the meaning of this hunger in our hearts, this longing that is sometime vague, illusive, and even an unwanted intrusion.

The devotional writer says that Christians know this hunger yet at times may lose our way. He says we must never lose our address. That is, don’t deny the hunger or even offer a nod to satisfaction with this life. This homesickness for God is a divine gift and precious, a continual reminder that my dwelling here is a mere tent and at any time the Lord “may come to draw the pegs.”

If I feel like that, how about those who have not yet identified this deep desire and do not know what is pulling on their hearts? This is God’s reason for His “not yet” to me. I have an obligation to expose the mystery of this longing.

For now, I am a stranger and a pilgrim here, filled with a sense of not belonging yet knowing this is where God wants me to be. He gives me zeal to do His will, yet because of that deep longing to go home, part of that zeal is being able to see by faith that being here is temporary. No matter how much He blesses this life, this life is not all there is.

To keep from drowning…

An unverified account says that flies will bathe in a stream. However, when they plunge their bodies into the water, they keep their wings high out of the water. After swimming a short while, they fly away. Had they not kept their wings dry, they would not be able to get off the ground.
 

This story was used to illustrate how to obey the following verses…

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15–17)

Christians live in the world, yet we are “citizens of heaven” and ambassadors here. We are not supposed to let the desires of our own sinful nature give into the appeal of things in the world. This can be obvious sin like physical indulgences or greed, but it can also affect our motivations. For example, Christian service is ideally selfless and for the glory of God. If my heart begins to lift itself in pride about serving others, or I begin thinking I am better than other Christians who are not doing anything for God or their neighbors, then I have fallen to the allure of the world. 

To avoid that, I’m to learn the lesson of the flies and keep my spirit out of the world that the rest of me lives in. While this illustration is not perfect, I can see how it is practical and applies to everyday life. To make that application, I first need to identify the “things in the world” that have potential to draw my love away from God and put themselves on the throne of my heart. Of course, they get there because I agree to let them rule my life.

Being a Christian calls for alert self-discipline. In fact, this is included in the Bible’s description of fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in the lives of those who yield to and are filled by Him…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24)

Just as the self-control required for dieting is near impossible without outside help, so also is the self-control needed to say no to fleshy desires and pride. I cannot do it in my own strength. Instead, I must rely on the Spirit’s presence and input into my life. He gladly gives it, but on condition. I must recognize and confess all those desires and instances of pride and admit my need. Self-control is gained not by trying harder, but by asking for His help. 

Yesterday, I worked on two major projects. One was the review and critique of entries in a writing contest. The love of the world could creep into that activity very easily. If the writing is good, I could be jealous. If it is not so good, I could fill up with pride, and have a sense of “I’m better than you are” as I make my comments. This is me-centered whereas the love of God would be focused on doing all I can to encourage and build up those who write the entries. This is keeping my wings dry.

My second project was a quilt. Pride can also rear its ugliness into that process. How do I keep away sinful and selfish thoughts? One way that works for me is praying while I’m sewing. Instead of thinking about the patterns unfolding before me, I’m thinking about others and their needs, and about God who cares and asks me to bring those needs to His throne. By doing this, I’m keeping my wings dry.

The idea of wings could be related to the human spirit made alive in Christ. That spirit is the inner part of me that can communicate with God and that feels conviction of sin. It is my link to our holy God and the core of spiritual life. This inner part cannot be touched by “water” or anything else, but it can be ignored.

On the other hand, my soul is the center of my mind or intellect, my emotions, and my will. When I let those rule my life, then I’m starting to dip into that watery world. If these govern instead of the Holy Spirit, I become prone to let my body, with its desires for comfort and pleasure, tell me what is best for me. Pride and all other sin work in this realm.

Key to obeying “do not love the world…” is paying attention to the spirit, noticing when my heart is straying, praying to God, listening to His rebukes, quickly confessing sin, and relying on the Holy Spirit for all things, even for wisdom to mark contest entries and for creative ideas to stitch a quilt.

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Lord, life with You covers all the bases. You are here to give whatever I need so I can live the way You want me to live. From baking bread to answering the phone, from cleaning the mudroom to sorting laundry, I can draw near to You and away from the world, even while being very much engaged in the responsibilities of living here. And to keep all this from being “no fun at all” Your Spirit also fills me with joy and peace! You are a wonder and a delight, and for that, I love and worship You.

Uncompromising

Never tell your child before his first visit to the dentist that it won’t hurt. The truth might be fearful, but anything less will have far worse consequences. This makes sense. If a child is promised it will not hurt and it does, then you have betrayed them and trust is broken.

Jesus knew this principle works. He told the disciples that their joy would turn to sorrow (and back to joy), and that they would be scattered and alone because of their faith in Him. He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)

Christianity is not a Pollyanna religion. It is not “pie in the sky” for those who wish to absent themselves from the concerns of life. Rather, living for Jesus can be filled with lonely and tumultuous experiences, tribulation in a world that is at best blase about faith in Christ and at worst, hateful. Jesus never promised the proverbial rose garden.

I live in a country whose laws protect God’s people from open persecution, at least for now, but there are places in the world where Christians are daily murdered simply because they believe in Jesus. How can His words be practical for me when my world is relatively peaceful? How can they be practical for those whose world is filled with horrors?

The author of today’s devotional reading says that serving the Lord and staying true to Him can be more difficult in a world like mine than in a place where persecution is open. He once asked a Russian pastor, “Is it difficult to pastor a church in your country?” The pastor responded, “No, it’s easy because I know where everyone stands. But how can someone pastor a church in America, where compromise is so common and subtle?”

Here in North America many people who call themselves Christians still want to fit into this comfortable world around us. Acceptance becomes more important than truth or taking a stand on spiritual matters. Instead of saying that we believe in Jesus, we will say we believe in God. The difference may not seem like much, but believers in God are common. Name the name of Jesus Christ and things change.

We will talk about doing church work rather than serving Christ. We will tell others that God loves them, but shrink back when it comes to saying that Jesus died for them. We know what Jesus said — in the world we will have tribulation, but then ignore that He also will give us what we need to overcome the world. Instead, we do our best to fit into it so we can avoid the opposition of its people.

When we do that, the oddest thing happens. Once the people of the world realize that we are Christians yet see us trying to be like them, instead of acceptance, they reject our “faith” and call us hypocrites.

There is only one way to overcome the world. It is by accepting the tribulation Jesus predicted and embracing His power and grace to live in this world — loving them as Jesus did, but without back-peddling or compromising the truth.

Practical Grace

As I read through the Bible each year, I’m amazed how several different authors writing over a period of hundreds of years arrived at such harmony. The understanding of God’s people, while incomplete at times still hangs together when looked at in total. The thinking about faith and walking in faith does not vary that much between the Old and New Testaments.

For instance, 1 Chronicles 29:15 says, “For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope.”

The writer expresses how the people of God are not at home in this world. Then and now, those who know the Lord know this sense of feeling like strangers here. Our real home is in heaven; we are simply passing through this one. My devotional reading (edited a bit) explains this sense of being an alien here is the result of grace.

If you possess the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you, like them, confess that you are a stranger; and your confession springs out of a believing heart and a feeling experience. You feel yourself a stranger in this ungodly world; it is not your element, it is not your home. You are in it during God’s appointed time, but you wander up and down this world a stranger to its company, a stranger to its maxims, a stranger to its fashions, a stranger to its principles, a stranger to its motives, a stranger to its lusts, its inclinations, and all in which this world moves as in its native element. Grace has separated you by God’s distinguishing power; though you are in the world, you are not of it.

This author goes on to say that anyone who feels at home in the world and feels as if this is their element, and feels akin to the world’s maxims, fashions, and principles, it is because grace has not reached their heart and the faith of God’s elect does not dwell in them.

As he says, the first effect of grace is to separate. Abraham, who is called the father of faith, was called by grace to leave the land of his fathers and go to a land that God would show him. It is the same for God’s people now. 2 Corinthians 6:17 says, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty.”

Separation from the world is the distinguishing mark of true godliness. This is not a mere separation of body (“I don’t smoke, drink or chew, nor do I run with the girls who do”) but a separation of heart. When grace touches a sinners heart, values change and the things that appeal to me change. I no longer am interested in bigger, better, more, or impressing people with what I have or do. This didn’t happen overnight, but grace is persistent. God, in His loving way, grabs hold of me every day and shows me that I am His, that my real home is not here but in heaven, and that this feeling of being an alien is completely normal for His children.

How is this practical? Yesterday, I wrote about not envying those whose lives are taken up with bigger, better and more. Today God reminds me again that grace changes those values and removes me from that realm.

As we listen to news about the current financial crisis in Wall Street and how those whose roots are in this world are fearful of losing their lifestyle, it is obvious that their sense of security is being shaken. While I care about what happens to those who are poor, grace gives me a reliable sense of security and takes away any concerns I might have for myself. My stay is temporary and I know that I am under the care of my heavenly Father. He is responsible for my well-being. Because of that, whatever happens to what I own or don’t own, or to a failing stock market is not a concern. Living without fear in days like these is extremely practical!