The Sylvr Pen

In pursuing my “One Word” (for both this year and last)—CLOSER—I’ve arrived at the O-for-Obey. A concept so easy to get stuck on…

“Hurry, hurry!” I urged, “Get in quick—and shut the door fast!”

Instead she froze, one little foot over the threshold, one small hand holding the door wide, eyes gazing at me, mouth gaping—while swarming mosquitoes danced their merry way inside.

Her three-foot-something frame stood statue-still, but you could tell, her mind was at work: considering… weighing… deciding… Instead of obeying!

Maybe she hadn’t spent enough time with Gramma? Obviously, she didn’t trust my counsel enough to just follow it… quick like a bunny! Just as I said! And that boils down to… she didn’t trust me.

When the instructions come from a human, such hesitation can be wise, especially with the ethically questionable. I see too many professed Christians who want some mortal-on-a-pedestal to tell them what to think, believe, and do, down to which shoes to wear on Tuesdays.

But why do we hesitate so to obey God? I mean clear-cut instructions He gives in His word. Why do we too often sit around deciding whether to obey Him or not—or debating whether He really meant what He said—instead of just following it? Ultimately, isn’t it because we. don’t. trust. Him? Don’t trust His wisdom, His counsel?

Classic scripture examples come to mind…

The Israelites balked at crossing Jordan and taking the land, as God had commanded… because those people on the other side were mighty big and scary… (Numbers 13,14).

Saul jumped ahead when, in respect for God and His commandments, He was to wait till Samuel showed up to consecrate the meat before it was offered up. He feared losing his following, and… disobeyed (1 Sa 13:7-14).

We fear. People—or loss: of our following… or income… or possessions… or positions… or security… or esteem… whatever. Instead of God. Or we just don’t think He has the best wisdom on the subject. And so we don’t always do. as. He. says.

On the other hand, if we trust Him, that trust(/faith) will manifest itself in… yes, obedience. Isn’t that exactly what James 2:17-18 means?

Look at the “Hall of Faith” chapter, Hebrews 11. Look at Abel (Heb 11:4), Noah (Heb 11:7), Abraham (Heb 11:8,17-19)… Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon… and so on. How do we know they had faith (i.e., trust in God)? Because they did what He said even when worldly wisdom pronounced it foolish.

How do I grow in obedience?

1) Pay attention to what He says. “He who has ears, let him hear!” 

2) Then, just. obey. it. Whether He says to act or not act.

But what about when fear or doubt (or selfish self!) takes over? How do I overcome them? Maybe I can’t, in myself. But through Him I can do all things He desires…

That takes me back to the C and the L in CLOSER: Call on Him, and Look to Him—and at Him. When I really see all He is, why should I not trust Him? 

Maybe I haven’t spent enough time with Him? Maybe I’ve been relying on myself or other people for my cues (or equipping), so His instruction seems just foolish (or impossible)?

Trust-and-obey. Almost a compound word. Trust in Him manifests itself in obedience to Him. Disobedience means I’m not trusting Him. “Oh for grace to trust [-and-obey] Him more!”

More in later posts on…

who we can trust — and not trust

ways to strengthen our trust in God

why intimacy with God requires obedience.

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Like new snowfall, covering all that’s sooty and rough and ugly and bleak, His mercies fall fresh. 

Like fresh buds of promise in the plant window, they blossom anew. Every morning.

I sit in my sheltered, snow-blest nest this morning and read, and Psalm 36 soothes my heart with ever-new truths about His mercies, more reasons to praise Him:

• His mercy is high mercy, high as heaven

• His faithfulness reaches to the clouds

• His righteousness is like the great mountains

• His judgments are a great deep.

• He preserves both man and beast.

• His lovingkindness (also translated mercy) is so precious!

• Because of it the children of men can put their trust under the shadow of His wings.

• Abundant satisfaction comes from the fullness of His house.

• He gives to drink from the river of His pleasures

• For with Him is the fountain of life!

• And in His light we see light.

(Reasons #636-646)

…

I can’t stop there. Ahead beams one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 37. Look at the reasons to praise Him it contains, these truths about Who He is:

• He gives to those who delight in Him the desire of their hearts

• He will bring forth, like the light, the righteousness of those who commit their way to Him and trust in Him

• He will bring forth their justice/vindication as the noonday.

• He will cause those who wait on Him to inherit the earth.

• He laughs with derision at the foolish plots of the wicked against the just.

• He sees their day is coming, that their bows will be broken and their swords will enter their own hearts.

• He upholds the righteous.

• He knows the days of the upright, and gives them a forever inheritance.

• Those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him will be destroyed.

• He orders the steps of a good man, and delights in his way.

• Though the righteous may fall, he will not be utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him with His hand.

• He loves justice.

• He does not forsake His saints, but preserves them forever.

• He does not leave the righteous in the hand of the wicked, nor will He condemn him when he is judged.

• The salvation of the righteous is from Him.

• He is their strength in time of trouble.

• He will help them and deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in Him.

(Reasons 647-663)

Did you notice the theme of the underlined words? Trust in Him. Trust is key.

(More about trust coming soon.)

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The globe is pretty (I think). The world is ugly.

The earth is beautiful. The world, beneath its mask, is hideous…

And growing worse. At least it seems so to me…

And “the world is too much with us” — with us who ought to be without it, within.

It weighed heavy on me last evening. I read too much news, heard too much nasty, learned about too much tragedy of depravity, and it was all a fearsome thing too close to home. Almost overwhelming.

But then, I’d also neglected my prayer times, my morning psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, my own immersion in God’s good Word.

So I played catch-up by night. And grace got me back on track—then, and also this morning. In the songs, and in the psalms, and in the Light that shows me light I found myself back again on the sweet ascending path, path of purity and peace, path of freedom from the world it helps us navigate around, amid its poison, without getting interlaced with it.

We can’t pretend it isn’t there, the world and its growing ugliness. We must not! But we can rise above it, when we walk in Him.

Thanks be to God, in Whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. Thanks to the Prince of Peace, in Whom is peace the world can’t even clue in on. Thanks be to Him, the Fount of every blessing.

Thank You, Lord, Immanuel, God with us. Even in this world…

All my springs are in Thee.

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“Why not?” I thought. “At least for January.”

She decided to take Anne’s “Joy Dare” all over again, count another thousand. So maybe I will, too.

I’m not one for fitting myself slavishly into someone else’s format, but it might be fun, at least for one month. And I do like to keep up on counting my blessings and giving thanks, actually five a day. (This goes way back in years.) So the Dare will give me fresh focuses, and my thankses typed into my computer to share will leave more room in my personal (handwritten) journal.

So… I’m getting started (late) on these—and I’ve only done the “first seven days’ worth.” (More, I think, would get too lengthy.)

And they all encompass one weekend (through this morning). One lovely, blessed weekend…

– – –

I heard three gifts from God this morning:

            ~muffled all-night roar of swollen creek across the road

            ~drum of rain upon the roof

            ~swish of passing tires on blacktop past the house

all speaking of

~weather warmed

~and the “Christmas” visit that finally happened on the weekend just past, after times of snow and sickness

– – –

Gifts by night, on Friday:

~sound outside, of driveway gravel crunching under tires

~sight of that familiar car pulled in (at last!) behind the house

~smiling faces entered inside, part of this home for awhile again

~laughter of Gramma-carried child (to keep pretty sneakers from the mud), child found suddenly a bit too tall to carry easy anymore

~and on a plate, leftover pizza, manna to a man delayed two extra hours in traffic, then skipping dinner while wee (oops, growing) one slept.

– – –

Graces overheard…

            Spoken:

                       ~ “It’s beautiful!”

                        ~“You do a commendable job as a father.”

                        ~“She always looks forward to coming up here.”

            ~Sung: Hymn softly poured out in child-sweet voice

            ~And whistled: tune announcing contentment.

Graces…

            ~Old: the tradition, oft repeated but not worn-out

            ~New: belated Christmas gifts

 ~Blue: patch of sky under which to build the snowgirl with the hay hair, from snow still left from melting

~In my (gift) bag: present picked out by Little’s own choice

~In the fridge: grass-fed beef rib roast long saved in freezer, much too big for two

~In my heart: singing joy

Three graces from these loved ones:

~A Thank you spoken.

~A message written (by kindergartener whose gifted teacher shows his students how to “chop words” into sounds to spell them — already!)

~A big warm hug from a big warm son

~A gift sweet: hot and fragrant cinnamon-bread toasted on a winter morning,

~sour (well, sweet-sour) – quickly devoured at dinner: “Four-Day Sweet Pickles,” husband-homemade

and just right timing:

~the “after-Christmas cactus,” which didn’t bloom at Christmastime, but waited till our belated one, and then burst forth to celebrate! (We don’t always do things by man’s calendar—and neither do our houseplants! Out of sync = in sync!)

(Numbers 1-27 for 2013)

Last post explored two ways we’re drawn away from God: Through pride and our deceiving heart’s desires.

Sometimes, though, the reasons might not run so deep, at least at first. Sometimes, drift begins because we’re just distracted.

Not necessarily even attracted.

Of the thousand things that scream daily for our attention, some appeal to our conscience, our regret at failings, our desire not to waste our time in idle nothingness, but instead do beautiful things somehow for God. Or people seem to need us, and clamor for our attention. Or maybe it’s just noise and disorder and clutter and trivial distractions.

The trouble with all of that? It’s earthy. So it pulls our view down from heavenward to the ground. And there it often stays, all weighed down.

Meanwhile, Christ is seated above, at the right hand of God. Above, where Colossians 3 tells us to set our minds and hearts. But the distractions alone, trivial though they may be, yank us away from these blessed instructions.

What to do?

Seems to me some purposeful looking up each day in praise, for even a mere five minutes, would do a lot to remind us that life is not about earth stuff.

The earth thing, that’s just life’s preface. Our life, says Colossians, is now hidden with Christ in God. Up there beyond the blue (or gray) where we forget to look… in our distraction.

So, here are some upward thoughts, in more reasons for us to praise Him— from, you guessed it, Colossians.

Chin up! Mind up! Heart up! Things are looking up!

Because …

• In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (a repeat from past listing, so not counted here)
• Because it’s in Him that we can walk
• it’s in Him that we are established in the faith
• Because in Him, Christ, dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily
• Because in Him we who believe were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, the putting off of the body of sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.
• Because, though we were dead in our trespasses, through the cross He has forgiven the trespasses of all us who are in Christ.
• Because he has disarmed principalities and powers, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross
• Because, having triumphed, He, Christ, is now seated at the right hand of God.
• Because He is the Head from Whom all the body of believers is nourished.
• … the Head from Whom all the body of believers is knit together
• … the Head from Whom all the body of believers grows.
• Because our increase is from Him.
• Because His peace can rule in our hearts if we let it.
• Because whatever we do we should (and can) do in His name/character essence.
• Because it is through Him that we can/should/do give thanks.
• Because the new person we have put on is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (i.e., the image of God).
• Because in Christ there is no difference between Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, salve or free, but Christ is all, and in all.
• Because there is no partiality with Him.
• Because whatever we do should be done as to Him and not just to people.
• Because He is our Master in heaven.

Last Will and Testament

What’s Next?

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