euphemos

My wife reminded me… “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1 NLT)

Funny enough, I was thinking about that this morning while I brushed my teeth. Even though I know that my doubts about an upcoming step were clearly addressed a few weeks ago, they creep back. Only remembering that He put doubt to rest at that time remains to keep me from doubting now. The feeling of reassurance fades, but the certainty that it was given remains and is sufficient.

I am having a difficult time reconciling the concept of desolation as a tool in God’s hands and the promise of Jesus that we will never thirst. On the one hand, experience and the word of people who testify in words and in love that they are disciples of Jesus Christ speak of desolation as a valuable, and perhaps necessary, experience. On the other hand, the testimony of this same Jesus.

I know that the classical writers (John of the Cross), experienced periods of desolation and describe them as part of the maturation process.  Zaleski reference Mother Teresa’s fifty years of spiritual darkness. Teresa of Avila says that dryness and desolation of spirit may be better signs of progress than sweetness. Therese of Lisieux wrote “Do not believe I am swimming in consolations…my consolation is to have none on earth.” Jesus himself cried out in anguish at having been forsaken by His Father.

But Jesus said “…whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst…” (John 4:14) and “…he who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35). Furthermore, Jesus says “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7).

I do not know how to reconcile this. Perhaps I misunderstand either the words of Jesus or of His followers (hrm… could be a translation issue… maybe suffer from thirst versus feeling thirsty?). Perhaps those who speak of desolation neglected to seek His presence or grieved His spirit in some way. Or, perhaps, having been in intimate contact with the the unbearable glory of God, everything else pales to such a degree that it can only be comprehended as darkness.

I need to read more about this (starting Ascent of Mount Carmel now) and welcome comments.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourself (Mark 12:31) and to love one another the way He loved us (John 13:34). How did He love us? More than Himself.

Jesus declares that our neighbor is not only those who share our faith, race, or class, but also as everyone who needs our help. This command to love one another as ourself is not merely a philosophical ideal. When the crowd asked John the Baptist what they should do, he gave very practical advice: if we have food or more clothes than we can wear at one time, we should share that with someone who has none. Our command is not only that we avoid cause harm, but also that we treat others as we would like to be treated. This is not merely one of the “cause no harm” standards that are so popular in our selfish culture; this is a “do good” standard, and it applies to everyone we touch.

Love between believers is so important that Jesus declares that it is the identifying characteristic of His disciples. Not our words, even when they are good, and not prophetic utterances or miracles in His name, but our love for the body of Christ. Paul encourages us to not only look out for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. That is a good starting point, but only takes us to the point of loving others as much as ourself. In Jesus, we see an example of loving more. I love how the New Living Translation captures this so well… “He made himself nothing“. By both word and action, Jesus taught that there is no greater love than to lay down our life for our friends. Paul punctuates the point when he instructs the Philippians to consider each other more important than themselves.

Jesus declared that we are his friends if we obey his commandments. If we are obeying His commandments then we are loving our neighbor as much as ourself. If we identify so closely with Jesus that His friends are our friends then we are laying down our life for the body of Christ. How serious are we about loving when it isn’t convenient, and when it is perhaps even painful?

Priorities Index

God has not spoken to me much the past few days, and I hate it.

I was depressed yesterday and could not bear the thought of praying. I have recognized that tendency in myself before. Instead of pleading for his presence, I withdraw. There could hardly be a more foolish response. I do not watch much TV, but I sat down last night with my love and we watched “America’s Next Top Model” and “American Idol” together. One of the wannabe models was released because she just didn’t have passion. Bo was low in the Idol vote count, and I was disappointed that he was too cool to care. It wasn’t until this morning that I realized that I am having the same problem.

I realized this morning that it is not primarily His guidance I miss, but His presence. His word promises that He will give guidance, and He has been faithful to do so. God rarely gives instructions in a time and manner of my choosing, but, in retrospect, His timing is always perfect. Jesus is my Lord, and he directs my steps, but it is my friend Jesus that I miss. I miss His warmth, His comfort, His whispered “peace, be still”, and His occasional “Rock on Brother!” The sad thing is that I miss it only because I have failed to ask for it.

We value most those things we have lacked. For the family who has lost a child, the promise that “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days” rings loudly. Of the promises in Isaiah 65, one is dearest to my heart: “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” The Lord has taught me to thirst for Him. When I stop thirsting, He is kind enough to withdraw His presence until I draw near to Him again with my heart.

God has not spoken to me much the past few days, and it has been a blessing.

A lot of priorities are easy to set and hard to keep. Putting Jesus ahead of family is challenging to contemplate, excruciating to execute, and rewarding in retrospect.

The bad news is that Jesus says what he means. Luke (Luke 14:26 NASB) quotes Jesus as saying “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate(1) his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Matthew (Matthew 10:37 NASB) recalls it as “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

The good news is that Jesus means what he says. Jesus tells us “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29 NASB) When Jesus is first, we don’t suffer, we gain. The lad in John 6:1-14, had a few loaves and fishes to feed himself and his family. When he gave that to Jesus, he was filled, the multitude was filled, and the crumbs remaining were greater than the whole had been. When Jesus is first, our families do not suffer, they gain.

Do we value God enough to put Him above our family? He valued us that much.

Priorities Index

(1) See http://www.tektonics.org/gk/jesussayshate.html for comments on the word “hate” in this context. The summary version is that Semitic peoples tended to speak in hyperbole and to choose black-and-white language. Matthew has the right sense of the thing.