Tag Archives: Trust

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Animal Instincts and Obedience School

Learning Submission

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“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Philippians 2:5-8

Two years ago we put down what we thought would be our last pet.  We had decided that we couldn’t take having to say goodbye to another beloved dog; further, the freedom the lack of pets would afford seemed beneficial.  That plan began to erode when our younger daughter’s family rescued a shih tzu last fall.  I liked the dog so much that our grandsons regularly reminded me that Leo was their dog and he had to go home with them.  As a result we adopted Tiffany in December.  She is mostly a sweet and somewhat timid dog, but as she is part terrier, she has an aggressive side as well.  In fact, her outbursts of aggression are the primary reason that she ended up back at the humane society after roughly seven months with another couple.  While she has historically been fine with all others, she has a tendency to snarl at her owners when she doesn’t want to be disturbed.  This is her greatest weakness and the ultimate manifestation of her animal instincts.  The difference in her owners is that the first family quickly gave up, but we have enrolled her in obedience school and are working with her to make her a good companion.  The goal is to teach her to submit to us in all ways for her safety and well-being as well as to provide more peaceful lifestyle for us all.   While none of us likes to be compared to an animal, the fact remains that as Christians we are all like Tiffany in varying degrees.  We have this sinful nature that urges us to follow our “animal instincts” rather than to humbly submit to God.  Left unchecked, it separates us from God.  Consequently, the process of sanctification is in reality obedience school in which we learn to give up control and submit to our Savior, our Master, our Lord and our God.

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Hope Defined

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  (Hebrews 10:23)

Hope is an integral part of our faith, but what is it really?    The world tells us that hope is a feeling or a desire.   That connotation hardly works in this passage.  How can one hold fast to a feeling or a desire?  Just because we have a feeling something will happen or we desire it does not make it a certainty.  The word that Paul uses in this passage is really defined as “favorable and confident expectation”.

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Lesser Things

Living for Eternity

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Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.  Philippians 3:17-19

I love music and listen to it quite a bit.  Sometimes I use it to calm me or rearrange my thoughts, sometimes I listen to get motivated and at other times it’s for the pure enjoyment of it.  My collection is quite varied in both genres and eras as it ranges from the 1930s to the present.  Recently, I was at the gym and the song “Lady Godiva” by Peter and Gordon started playing.  While some may not appreciate the song, I listen to it occasionally as a reminder to not get caught up in “lesser things”.  In case you’re not familiar or haven’t heard the song in the last five decades, the lyrics tell the story of a young and beautiful woman pursues fame and fortune.  In the process, she compromises and forfeits all of the things that made her beautiful, but never achieves the fame that she desires and becomes so poor that she can’t afford her clothes.  God offers us so much, but too often people get off course with respect to godliness and forfeit their faith for lesser things that are useless and meaningless in light of eternity.  Time and time again we are reminded in scripture to pursue God and His truth in various ways and the reasons are clearly explained to us.  However, some reject the concept, some ignore it, while others struggle with it.  Three reasons why it may be difficult are: hope, pride, and fear.

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Lord of Our Dance

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6

My wife and I like to dance.  Considering all of the choices, the waltz is our preferred dance.   I’m not talking about the basic box step, but rather moving down the line of dance with whisks, weaves, turns, etc.  When a couple is dancing, the male leads.  It is his responsibility to employ good technique to move the couple around the dance floor and to lead his partner in the various moves.  It is up to the woman to follow.  Well done, it is very beautiful and graceful.   Poorly executed, it looks clumsy and can be somewhat dangerous. When I contemplate my relationship with God, I often compare it to the waltz.

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Peace of Christmas

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“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

The passage above is a familiar one…especially at this time of year.  I have heard and seen it more than a few times in the past month; have you as well?   As much as you’ve heard it, have you allowed it to pierce your soul and impact your sense of wellbeing?  In other words, is Christ really your Prince of Peace and are you at peace within your soul?  I can honestly say that I have been for the past few days.  Maybe it’s a bit of maturity, maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been dwelling on this topic or maybe it is simply Christ at work…I suspect that it is mostly the latter.  In the past 72 hours I have had a minor fender bender (I tapped our older daughter’s car pulling out of the garage), learned that family circumstances may be changing that will impact our family’s ease in gathering together, endured more severe symptoms of my health issues due to the holiday celebrations and have had a delay in preparing this post, yet my heart is at peace.  Though historically unusual for me, it is not entirely unexpected as I’ve been trying to be intentional in applying the things I learn while writing to my own life.   While it’s easy to glide over these names of Christ, are they not a summary of the source of our peace?

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Thanksgiving Part 3

Thankful for Our Circumstances

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Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Most people are fairly comfortable being thankful for God’s provisions and for the people in their lives.  While we may not feel that our circumstances are quite as perfect as those depicted in Norm Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want”, we can generally muster a fairly strong attitude of thankfulness.  Certainly when we feel that things are going relatively well, we are filled with thankfulness, but what about when the times are tough.  Thanksgiving of 1992 I woke up in the hospital after having an ERCP the previous day.  I was in pain and groggy; I barely remember celebrating the holiday, let alone being thankful. 

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Rest, Respite and Repose

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By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.  Genesis 2:2-4

It is clear in scripture that we are to live our lives to the fullest in service to our Lord and fellow man.  It is how we fulfill our responsibilities as good ambassadors, stewards and children of God.  We are called to run with endurance as one striving to win the prize.  Yet God also understands how He designed us and that part of living well is rest, respite and repose.  In one sense these are all synonyms as reflected by the definitions of rest that I have found.  However, they each carry a slightly different connotation.

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Belonging to God

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The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them.  Psalm 89:11

I spent most of the last two days driving.  It’s not something I do easily, but God was gracious in providing the needed strength and endurance.  Knowing that I would be traveling and my time would be limited, I was considering what I would write about this week.  As I drove, the song “I am Yours” started playing.  It echoed the quote from Charles Spurgeon that I shared earlier in the week and is shown at the top of this post.  The common theme was not lost on me.  Given the calamity due to hurricanes, earth quakes, threats of war, prayer requests, etc., it seemed appropriate to consider the concept that we belong to God and what that means.

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Life Is Like a Pack of Crackers

Guest Post by Shelly Hendricks

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“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” – Proverbs 19:21

A frustrated woman, that’s what I was one day not long ago as I tried diligently to wrap and fold neatly, a pack of crackers. Sounds like a simple task, right? Try it sometime, and really pay attention to what happens. I found a few interesting tidbits that day that I could relate to life.

A pack of crackers, first pulled out of the box, is a beautiful thing, especially for a mind like mine that craves order. The package is crisp and smooth. The crackers are lined up neatly in a row, no breaks or crumbs in sight. The seam opens smoothly and they are crisp in your mouth. Then comes the trouble… how to return the package to a decent-looking state without losing your mind.

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Dry Bones

Revival

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“‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.  I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’”  Ezekiel 37:4-6

Most mornings, the pain in my body wakes me before the alarm goes off.  Laying there a bit irritated that my body has deprived me of sleep, the morning inventory and ponderings begin.  How much pain is there and is it the kind can it be ignored?  How much energy is available and will it improve as I start moving or quickly fade?  How angry is my gut and how well will it cooperate with eating throughout the day?  What is planned for today and will it have to be adjusted due to the responses to the prior queries?  At best, I will encourage my body to get moving and function relatively normally (for me) throughout the day.  At worst, I’ll end up more like a slug accomplishing the bare minimum.  More often than not, it will be somewhere in the middle of the two.  Notice that there is no “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”, nor is there a mental or spiritual inventory.  In those early moments of the day, it’s usually all about the body.  Short sighted, focused and exhausting.  I long for days when I awaken refreshed and alive.  Whether or not one is ill, this life can be wearying.  Trials and illness most certainly sap the strength from us on every level encouraging us to withdraw and become self-focused.  However, jobs, family, relationships and social obligations are just as capable of draining us of physical, emotional and spiritual strength. Without attention to our souls, we become like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision: dried up, hopeless and cut off.  In those times it’s important to remember who we are, where our strength comes from and where or hope lies.

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