Evil Inclinations

So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them." ~Moses

I've been thinking about what would grieve the Lord and fill him with so much pain that he would want to set the earth on fire and watch it burn. The only example of this dirtball of a planet being cleansed is given in Genesis. He soaked it for a year and half like I would a grimy frying pan. When I read the account of the flood in chapter six, I'm told that God's pain began with the way that men were treating women. The Holy Spirit would not contend with it.

Man immediately took a nosedive into evil. Every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil all the time. The world was full of violence and all the people were corrupt. God was sorry he made us humans. Love was filled with pain and opened the floodgates of heaven. Only eight people survived to tell the story to their children. Sin survived with them.

I understand God's grief when I read the newspaper or watch a violent movie. People can be corrupt, arrogant and shockingly violent. The way they treat each other is appalling and labelling it "love" is a slap to the One who IS love. "I would kill for you" is a love song when "I would die for you" is silenced.

I asked the Lord to show me if the inclination of my thoughts are evil. He revealed that they were but not in the way that I had always thought was true evil. I had told myself that if I was thinking of doing evil or having wicked thoughts that those were the inclinations of my heart. I was semi-appalled but not real surprised to find that my thoughts had become entrenched with evil being done to me and the evil thoughts of others. I had stopped looking at the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy things in others and was dwelling on the evil permeating the world and the violence. I had forgotten that I am not of this world! 

"That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness." ~Peter 

Overlooking Offenses

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." ~Solomon

Wisdom gives me patience. When I find myself getting irrationally irritated, I remind myself of this verse in Proverbs. There have been times when I've been behind someone at the supermarket checkout line and had to remind myself that it is to my glory to overlook the fact that they have more than fifteen items. Wisdom tells me that it won't take all that long and what I'm really losing is patience. I've had to recall this verse when the person behind me is clinging to my elbow too. I have to resist the urge to stomp on their toes or growl a nasty, "BACK OFF".  These are such minor offenses but I find that they give me practice at how to deal with the bigger ones in life that come along.

There are those that strive to offend others. I find that most the time, I have no idea when I've offended another. When someone gives me grace and overlooks an offense, I'm so blessed by their patience. I see the truth of this verse from the opposite angle. I'm given an example of what true glory is. It's not all pomp and circumstance, lights and powerful displays of might. It's a quiet patience that  forgives and loves without bounds regardless of the worthiness of the recipient. It's the self-control of wisdom.

"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions." ~Solomon

Joyful Thanks

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." ~John

I'm so grateful for God's grace. Because of it, I won't get what I deserve. I've receive one blessing after another. I'm so blessed that sometimes I'm almost embarrassed. Almost. When I begin to thank my creator for all the blessings he's showered me with, I can't help but want to bless him in return. I have a deep need to share the love poured into me. My desire for more of God's Spirit becomes a thirst. My soul longs for the living God and not for the things of this world. My peace comes from snuggling into the fullness of his grace. Joy comes from the hope that springs from faith. My spirit sings out, "Keep blessing me, Lord! Don't ever stop!"

While getting to know Jesus, God revealed how I can bless him. I bless him by loving others. When I'm patient and kind to people and give them grace, my God is honored. He knows when I'm exercising self-control. The Holy Spirit can flow in and through me when I choose what is pleasing to God.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  ~Paul

Selfish Love Song

"My lover spoke and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.'" ~Solomon

I always get swept off my feet when I read the Song of Songs. It's such a romantic and provocative poem. The story is rich with pleasure for all the senses. It's a frolic with a lover and a yearning of a beloved for thier lover. I find myself immersed in the sheer playfulness of this couple. They are captivated by love. All they talk about with thier friends has to do with thier love. They sneak off to the vineyard to be together and gush over how handsome and beautiful they are. The typical love song!

There's so much talk about the end of the world. Fear of everything ending at once has replaced the fear of individual death. I was pondering this and thinking about the teaching of a "rapture". When I realized that I wanted Jesus to come just for me. I mean, if I'm to go with everyone else, I won't complain but I'd rather he come just for me and sing something romantic like, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me." Then, I felt guilty and wondered if that was a selfish prayer.

It wasn't long before I was given the oppurtunity to ask a seasoned saint about whether or not my prayer was selfish. As is my custom, I laid out my desire in dramatic fashion to this dear woman in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Complete with a recital of verses from the Song of Songs and quotes from Jesus, I gushed on with the enthusiasm of a shakepearean actress. June sat with a smile on her face and nodded her head until I was done. Then she began to laugh and said, "I don't know if it's selfish or not but if I were you, I'd drive reeeeal safe on the way home or you just may get your wish!"

"You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!" ~Solomon

Sunlit Mist

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." ~James

I'm taken by the imagery in this verse. When I meditate on my life being a mist I'm intrigued by the implications and astounded by the simplistic truth of it. I'm one small vapor in a vast and colorful universe. A little puff of air and water drifting through this reality, slowly dissipating in whirling motion. Life is so fragile and fleeting. It can't be grasped, it will vanish like a mist into eternity.

I've noticed that mist sparkles brilliant colors and tosses tiny rainbows when the sun is shining through it. The drops of water soften harsh lines and create mystery. Yes, my life is a mist that will vanish but while I have it, I want God's love to shine through it. I want my life to sparkle with the vibrant colors of light. I want it to toss those tiny bows of promise into this darkening world!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" ~John

Comforting Grief

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." ~David

When someone I know and love passes through the thin veil of this reality and into the eternal, it always weighs heavily on me. My mourning often consists of chastising myself with "I should have done this, said that, shown more." Before I know it, I'm swirling around in the muddy puddle of self-recrimination. It's always depressing to dwell on ones' own shortcomings. It's also selfish and unproductive. Family members, friends and people in general are not comforted by what I should have done. They are not even comforted by what I did do. In fact, when people are mourning, they don't want to hear about me at all! Sheesh!

The Lord is used to my self-inflicted pity parties. He quietly and sternly guides my spirit back to the comfort that Jesus provides in the Bible. He doesn't berate me but reminds me that the good works I do have been prepared for me to do since before the earth was formed. None of them will be left undone. They're laid out before God already and no amount of wishful thinking is going to alter eternity one iota. He wipes my tears with the reminder that the death of one of his children is precious in His sight. He gets to show them His glory. What a day of rejoicing for them! My joy is restored by thoughts of  them walking on the streets of gold beside the crystal sea with love himself.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." ~David 

Choice of Chores

"Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house." ~Solomon

Everything about growing vegetables and having a garden is a joy to me. The smell of the soil and the sight of a seed has the magic to carry my thoughts all the way back to the garden of Eden. Once I plant that first seed or pull that first weed, time ceases to exist for me. Hours feel like minutes as I enter into the process that generations of humans have performed for food. It's an eternal and peaceful place.

Since gardening is such a joy for me, for the longest time I would use it as a reward for getting my less joyful work done. I would tell myself that only after the bathroom was clean should I go out and work on the veggies. The house came first. Dishes, vaccuuming, housework, laundry and the countless other household chores could not be left undone. It didn't take long for the immediate chores to poison my time in that peaceful place. It became hard to shrug the guilt of a dirty floor and enter the peace of repetitive tending. Soon I found myself longing for the garden when I was scrubbing and wishing I had finished one more chore in the house while I was gardening. I no longer had joy in either place.

It was into this time in my life that the Holy Spirit smacked me with this verse. I felt like I had been given permission by God himself to do the thing I loved the most first. Do your outside work and THEN your housework. I had gotten those things backward. Both were jobs that needed to be done so switching the order shouldn't have made a difference, but it did. When I work in the garden and enter that timeless place with the eternal God, the housework somehow takes less time. It all gets done with joy instead of a sense of bondage and I went from singing the blues to singing praises!

"But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it." ~Jesus