In The Meantime

The morning after Christmas I was sitting in my living room drinking my coffee, watching the sun rise as my husband and children slept.  I thought about the miracle that we celebrated the day before, the miracle of Christ's birth.  As I watched the sun rise, I imagined Mary the day after Christ's birth.  I imagined her tired and her body sore, lying on a mat on a dirt floor in a stable for animals.  I imagined the baby Jesus crying from hunger and Mary trying to breastfeed Him.  I imagined the searing pain of a baby latching onto a sore nipple.  I imagined the frustration of trying to learn how to breastfeed, to get into the right position, all while a baby is screaming with hunger.  I imagined Joseph, frustrated and full of angst because he desired for his beloved to be in more comfortable conditions.  I imagined what it must have been like for him to look upon the baby that came from his wife, knowing with certainty that it didn't come from him, and choosing to believe in faith that it came from God.

What happens after a miracle?  The next day.

The next day happens.

And then the day after that.

Scripture gives us highlights of glory, but between those glories, between those paragraphs and pages, between Abraham's commission and Isaac's birth, life went on.  Between Jacob's ladder and Judah's reign, the daily grind continued.  We tend to get caught up in the highlights of the narrative and forget about the next day.  God works miracles and gives mankind staggering commissions, but in the meantime, those things are worked out in the mundane.  When God calls us to service, the call might be profound in the long-run, but that call is worked out day by day in the menial and obscure.  Mary gave birth to the Savior of Creation itself, the most glorious task ever given to a human being outside of Christ, but most of her time on this earth was spent doing daily human tasks.  For her-- "noble service" was worked out among "necessary task".  She breastfed her baby and changed His diapers.  She cooked meals for her family and she laundered clothing.  She was a wife to her husband and a mother to her children.  Scripture records the "Magnificat" at Luke Chapter 1:46-55, but is silent on the "meantime".

All ministry to the Lord is this way.  God places a call on our life and that call is worked out little by little, day by day.  We may have the occasional meeting with Him on the mountaintop, but most of our time is spent navigating the rocks on the way up and down.  Tedious, strenuous, methodical.  Times which we will become frustrated and tired.  Times which we may stumble and skin our knee.  Times which we may become discouraged and overwhelmed with the size of the mountain.  And even times which we may become disillusioned with the mountain and try to find a way off.

All too often I have become frustrated when I don't "feel" like I'm doing much for God.  When my service to Him looks like vacuuming the church sanctuary, updating the church registry, working someone's shift in the nursery or picking up the church mail.  We so easily get addicted to emotional highs or powerful moments, that is why ministries which focus on such are so dangerous.  Yes, God can and will reveal Himself to us on the mountaintop in powerful, spectacular ways, but more often than not, there is the mountainside of "in the meantime".  "In the meantime" is where God really does His greatest work in us.  It is where He teaches us patience, perseverance, compassion, understanding, persistence.  "In the meantime" is where God refines our character and burns away the dross. 

Do not get discouraged when you find yourself "in the meantime".  Surrender to God's work in you to create a steadfast spirit.  For it is the steadfast spirit which has the strongest foundation.  The steadfast spirit is well-equipped to weather the storm.  The steadfast spirit digs in deep and is in for the long-haul, regardless of the circumstances.  The steadfast spirit cannot be tempted away by the wiles of the enemy, nor driven away by his fiery darts.  The steadfast spirit follows hard after the Lord, full of the confidence of His presence no matter how much darkness surrounds.  The steadfast spirit has not built its house on the sand of emotional highs or the fleshly appeal of power, but on the steady rock of "in the meantime".

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain within me a willing spirit." (Ps 51:10-12)

"I gave my back to those who strike me and my cheek to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover my face from humiliation and spitting. For the Lord God helps me, therefore I am not disgraced; Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed." (Isaiah 50:6,7)

"On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy. My soul follows hard after You; Your right hand upholds me." (Psalm 63:6-8)

"Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance produces character; and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us." (Rom 5:3-5) 

Feet That Are Wont To Wander

I often get caught up in wrong thinking.  I stray into the mindset that I must do this or that, or pray for so many hours to be worthy enough for God to use me or speak to me.  Like, He will only work through me when I have fulfilled my part.  It is the poisonous mindset that I have to meet God halfway, as if somehow I could work my way into His favor and make myself usable through my own strength and by my own effort.

I stray into this mindset because I know that scripture says that if I will turn away from wickedness and cleanse myself from what is unfit, then He will use me for a special purpose (2 Tim 2:19-21).

I stray into this mindset because I know that scripture says that it is the pure in heart who will see God (Matt 5:8).

I stray into this mindset because I know that scripture says to make every effort to be holy, because without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14).

I stray into this mindset because I know that scripture says God upholds those who follow hard after Him (Ps 63:8) and to seek Him with our whole heart, and only then will He be found (Jer 29:13).

I stray into this mindset because Christ tells us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door because many will try and not be able (Luke 13:24).

I stray into this mindset because God's word to us implies a level of obligation and obedience on our part.  

We are told over and over again in scripture to turn from wickedness, to pursue holiness and that our love for Christ would be evidenced by our obedience (John 14:15-26).

But when it becomes more about my own effort, than about His sustaining grace, I lose my way and veer off the narrow path.  At Luke Chapter 12, Jesus said to seek God's kingdom and He will provide all our needs (12:31).  The parallel account at Matthew 6:33 expounds upon Jesus' meaning of seeking God's kingdom by adding, "..and His righteousness."  As Christians, we should long for righteousness in our heart.  That is an indicator of the genuine presence of the Holy Spirit in a true believer.  As a believer matures, that longing for righteousness will intensify.  And as that longing intensifies, so does that believer's ability to turn away from wickedness and sin.

When Jesus says that God will provide all our needs when we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, we tend to limit those Godly provisions to material needs, but He also meant that God would supply all our spiritual needs as well.  Our longing for righteousness is placed within our heart purely by the grace of God through our faith in Christ.  And we know that it is put there purely by His grace and through no effort of our own because immediately after Jesus instructs His disciples to seek God's kingdom, He tells them, "Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).  As if He already anticipates our frustration at trying to obey His command through our own strength.

My problem is, sometimes I forget this.  Sometimes I forget to actively place my faith in the fact that God is on my side-- that He is rooting for me, not against me.  That He is not placing obstacles in my path, but removing them.  Sometimes I get caught up in seeking His kingdom like I am trying to obtain it through some sort of spiritual obstacle course, and forget that He has already freely given it.  Jesus isn't telling us to work for it like we are trying to earn it or obtain it, but like Matthew's parallel account points out, Jesus is telling us to make it our primary devotion-- to let our lives revolve around the pursuit of righteousness, for God and His holiness to be first in our lives and in the desire of our hearts.  God is after our heart, because it is our heart which will ultimately drive our efforts.  God is after our heart, because it is our heart that leads to the opening of the narrow door (Luke 13:24).

It is a very narrow path between the mindset of trying to earn God's kingdom on the one hand, versus the mindset of "I am covered by His grace, therefore no effort on my part is necessary" on the other.  Both are equally wrong and both are equally spiritually damaging when the pendulum swings too far toward one side or the other.  The only way we can walk such a narrow path is to be in intimate fellowship with our Savior.  Without such intimate fellowship, a believer-- and even the church itself-- falls out of balance, off the narrow path and onto the broad road leading to spiritual deception, and ultimately, spiritual destruction.  Many in the church today are on such a path-- a path on one side of the narrow way or the other-- because of gross neglect of prayer and spiritual intimacy with their Savior.

After Jesus tells the Disciples to seek God's kingdom and that it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, He then tells them, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Luke 12:34).  Therefore, if your heart longs for the narrow way, it is God's great pleasure to enable you to tread it. Thus, it is not about our ability to walk such a path in our own effort, but rather, it is about the longings of our heart.  The longing within us for righteousness and obedience and our surrender to such longing, which will ultimately drive our efforts.  The longing that is placed within us by His grace and a longing that can only be fed through intimate fellowship with Him.  And when I remind myself of that, as I often have to do, my straying feet are once again pointed back in the right direction.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples." (John 15:1-8)

Looking For A Stallion...Finding A Donkey

For almost 15 years I worked in an industry where I witnessed a lot of jockeying for authority, a lot of abuses of power, and a lot of lust for recognition and importance.  A lot of self-righteous superiority and inordinate concern about who was greatest or most in charge.  And although I am describing my experience as a Petroleum Landman in the oil and gas industry, I could just as easily be describing the church.  Just as much now as I did then, do I see many people looking for stallions to ride around on when we should be looking for a donkey.

The church has lost its vision of what true leadership and authority are supposed to look like.  Authority, leadership and headship have become idols in the church because we live in a culture that idolizes power, authority, influence, and recognition.

Zechariah gives a portrait of what righteous leadership looks like according to God:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
     Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
     righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
     on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech 9:9)

Donkeys are beasts of burden.  They are used to carry heavy loads

They are docile and humble. 
They are unassuming-- they are not pretentious and arrogant, but humble and meek. 
They are secure and un-bothered by their status as servant.

They seek out people to serve, not people to follow behind them.

They are essential to get the work done, but they are often overlooked and taken for granted. 

Yet it was a donkey that Jesus rode upon when He entered Jerusalem as king (Mark 11:1-11).

The Apostles argued among themselves as to who was greatest on more than one occasion.  Luke Chapter 9 tells us that when they began to argue, Christ-- knowing what was in their heart-- took a child next to His side and said, "..for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great" (Luke 9:48).  The parallel account at Matthew 18 gives us an additional record of Christ's words, "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:4).

At Luke 22, we are told again that a dispute arose among the Apostles as to which of them would be considered the greatest and Jesus corrected them and said, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant." (Luke 22:25,26).  The word translated as "Benefactors" is the Greek word EUERGETAI (yoo-erg-et-eye), which was a perfunctory title of honor conferred upon someone who was considered to be doing a service, which in this case that "service" was lording authority over a group of people.  It was a title for those seeking a title.  It was a label for someone who coveted importance and recognition.  In Jesus' teaching to the Apostles, He contrasts those who seek authority, recognition, and leadership, with those who are humble and whose service is often obscure and menial. 

When Jesus tells them that "the greatest among you must become like the youngest," He is telling them that they must take the lowest rank.  The culture that Jesus was dealing with ranked authority according to age.  Elders were highly respected and their age-accumulated wisdom was highly valued and honored.  Those who were the least respected or valued and those with the least influence or power, were the youngest.

Jesus goes on at Luke 22:27, "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves."  What Jesus does here is point out worldly assumptions and juxtaposes them against heavenly realities.  He asks them, who do they generally regard as more important, the one who is served or the one who serves?  Then He answers His own question with what is typically assumed according to our worldly reason, and then points out the incorrectness of that worldly assumption by saying, "Yet here I am, the greatest of the great, in the role of a servant and without a superficial title.  What do you make of that?"

When we read of Jesus' life, we read nothing of worldly glory or honor, we read nothing of bravado, machismo, or swagger.  When we read Isaiah's prophecy of the Heavenly King that would come to earth, we read words and phrases like:  no stately form or majesty, despised, forsaken, man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, no esteem, stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, chastened, scourged, oppressed, slaughtered, cut off, anguish, poured out unto death, bearing the sin of many (Isaiah 53:1-12).  This is the picture we are given of authority and leadership in God's kingdom.

Likewise, when we read of Jesus' birth, we read nothing of what the world would consider a grand entrance or dignified procession.  Instead of blaring a royal trumpet, the angel simply says of the Savior of the world, "You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feed trough." (Luke 2:12).  According to heaven, the throne of God looks like a manger.  Do you get what I'm saying here?  The throne that God placed His Son upon was  a wooden trough used to feed animals. 

The embodiment of the glory of heaven and earth, the ultimate in authority and leadership was enthroned in a barn and His reign announced upon the back of a donkey.  Yet, in the church, we far too often emulate the Apostles and their concern about who should be in charge or who should be over whom more than we emulate Christ and His willingness to get on His knees and clean some nasty feet.  Far too often we seek to be greater than our Master (John 13:16).  Far too often we seek a stallion to ride around upon, when we should be looking for a donkey.

If you had asked any of those men that I once worked with in the oil and gas industry if they were humble, every single one of them would have told you, "Yes."  That type of self-deception and self-righteousness is the reality of our wretched condition.  The church is eat up with it.  In the church, we've coined the term "servant leader", but that term isn't given to us in scripture.  I think that term makes us more comfortable because, like the Apostles, we don't wanna let go of our idolatry of leadership, headship, and authority.  So we attach "leadership" to "servant" to make us feel better, but Jesus just left it at servant.  And when we just leave it at servant, it more accurately describes what Jesus was trying to communicate.

"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:14-17)

"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at the table'? Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to cling to, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the Name above all names, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:3-11)

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt 11:29)