A message to politicians

 

As I listen to accolades to Mandela – the common observation is that he was humble, and worked for the good of his people.  He did not seek to make himself wealthy (unlike Mugabe), he compromised where it was good for the country (unlike extremists on both sides of the US congress), and he listened to people (unlike all US congressmen). 

 

It was not about him – and that is an unusual attitude in our culture.

So leaders of the future – is your legacy going to be like his or “They shut down government because they were stubborn and self-opinionated”?

 

Pessimism, Optimism or Panic…

A new day

Coming up today – travel to a new place, some tight connections and tighter deadlines, people letting me down, a critical presentation, my car is making funny noises, and a friend needs help.

It’s all a bit too much.

So how do we react?

The pessimist

It’s all going to go bad, life can’t get any worse, why should I even get up. I hate my life. I deserve better than this. I need a break. It’s all their fault.

The optimist

It’s all going to be fine – isn’t the sky pretty?

The “Believer”

I can do this – whether it is good or bad. If I believe in myself hard enough I will be fine. I am male, strong, smart, and handsome – we are all good (with gritted teeth).

The Bible

It is too much for me. I can do some of it, but a lot is beyond my control. Some will be wonderful, some will be terrifying. In all of it, God is with me, and it’s all part of his good, loving plan. Let’s go!

Which choice leads to joy?

The Good Things in Life

Good things

God has given us good things to enjoy including food, music, beauty, adrenalin and sex. Their purpose is to reflect him and to direct us toward him. We need Him, and Him only, while the rest is bonus.

In theory then, our highest highs are still only a fraction of Him. However, our sin nature makes it hard for us to hear him or to tap into that joy He provides.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We instead make the “good things” the end, not the means, and so they can become bad – addictive and distracting.

God’s Point of View

God:

• Is very concerned that we worship him alone Deut 8:19
• Is keen for us to be completely fulfilled and joyful
• Requires that we put aside the “good things” if they threaten to distract us from him

There is an element of sacrifice – we demonstrate our love and need for Him by letting go of the things we like, in order to obtain what we need.

Our Point of View

But:

• The craving for these things is strong
• They are in our faces, while God is more out of sight
• Our culture tells us that they are the be all and end all

So

What do I do, minute by minute?

• Seek Him
• Jeremiah 29:13-14 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. If anyone seeks my face, I will be found by you, declares the Lord
• James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him
• Matthew 28:20 “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• You can’t change you – He can
• Seek joy
• Fight for it (Bible reading, prayer, repentance)
• Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
• Worship Him Psalm 21:6 .You make him glad with the joy of your presence.
• Hebrews 12:2
• Be a living sacrifice
• Put aside
• The cravings
• The “yes buts”
• The rights, “I deserve better than this…"
• Comfort
• Enjoy the good things
• In submission (to Him)
• In context (of their purpose)
• In thankfulness (to Him)
• In service (of His glory)

As I ponder this, I think I am onto something new and life changing. However, as I write it down, it simply seems to be a repeat of things I have read (Piper, White, C.S. Lewis), but obviously never grasped.

Duh

Matthew 6:³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

The President is Following Me

I travel around the US quite a lot on business.   Part of the joys of travel are being delayed at airports – mostly by the weather or due to broken airplanes.  You try to learn to live with them.  For me a disturbingly common cause of delays is that the city or airport I am in is shut down because the President is also in town, and when Air Force One is moving or about to move – no one else does.  I reached a stage last year when I was wondering why the President was following me everywhere and I wished he would stop.  I have whined about this in a previous blog.

This week I am in a sleepy little village near the southern tip of Africa hoping to get away from it all for a few weeks.  So imagine my delight when today’s church service was cut short and we were encouraged to leave because … Marine One was due to land in the fields across the street.  There is no escaping him, even on the other side of the planet!

This thought leads to Psalm 139.

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You them me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O omen of blood, depart from me!

20 They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies take your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them with complete hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting

 

God is there, wherever we go, and that is one of the fantastic promises made to all believers.  His presence is what sustains (as opposed to delays) us. 

Unlike the President, God does not hide behind bulletproof glass. God as the true Sovereign does not need protection, indeed He is the protector. 

Also, unlike the President, God knows each one of us, intimately – talk about name dropping!  Our response then is to worship and be thankful and to seek to know Him better.  Therein lies the path to satisfaction and salvation.