The Journey of Ten-thousand miles

"Children, draw near to your Father, and He will embrace you in the arms of love! Come, ye poor, stray, wandering sheep, return to your Shepherd! Come, sinners, to your Saviour! Come, ye dull, ignorant, and illiterate, ye who think yourselves the most incapable of prayer! ye are more peculiarly called and adapted thereto. Let all without exception come, for Jesus Christ hath called all."

This dovetails in with what I remember from Watchman Nee. My current standing with God does not rely on my current actions, or lack of them. I can pray anytime.

This is important to me now because its been so long since I really prayed. I've got lots of excuses. The biggest ones being children. They throw a wrench into anyones schedule. Then there is work. Being at work at 6:30 in the morning makes it real hard to get up any earlier than I am. And going to bed earlier is just as hard.

The point being, how can I just show up? I feel like someone who stood up his date, and now needs to make up. Do I bring flowers, chocolate, both, a real expensive dinner? Or do I just give up and hope to find love with someone else? Except, with God, He is the only one out there. No more millions of fishes in the ocean.

How do I come back? With boldness, because Jesus is there. Its not my actions, attentiveness, or anything else. I represent Jesus. Jesus is always welcome.

So, I don't need to feel guilty about my laxness. I can still come into his presence.

Thank God for that.

The 65th Commandment

When you've found the best move there is, look for a better one.

I was given this list of chess "commandments" while on the high school chess team. I remember such things as "knights on the rim are grim" and no doubled pawns. Don't bring your queen out too early. Things like that.

Somebody had sribbled a 65th commandment on the bottom of the photocopied sheet I had. "Always look for a better move." You know what, it helped out.

Pastor Joe was talking about that today in church. Looking for a better way to love. I love my wife and children. How do I show them my love? Can a find a better way? Probably. God did.

Our Father put us in the Garden. Then, promised a way back to paradise. He gave us rules, laws, proverbs, examples. Finally, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so we could see what He was like. Then sacrificed Jesus so our debts could be met, paid for in full. Jesus died for us.

Dave Roever lay at the bottom of a river in Viet Nam, dying because a phosphorus grenade blew up in his face. He remembered the verse "to die is gain." Although dying hurt, death held no fear for him. Death is only a door to new life. He was ready to embrace Eternity.

But God interceded, reminding Dave of the first part of this verse. "To live is Christ." Dying would have been the easy way out. Life was much harder. Life is much harder.

Life always is harder. Maybe that is why suicide is called the easy way out. Ask any man, and he will tell you he is willing to die for his family. Moving bus? No problem, I'll jump in front of it. Armed burglar? Just my underwear and the light switch, maybe a baseball bat.

But don't ask me to fold the clothes, or wash dishes. And certainly don't ask me to watch the kids for the evening, or get up at 4 in the morning to get a glass of water. That is just too much.

I though I only had to go the extra mile for strangers and enemies, not family. And how do I show love for them in this way?

I need to remember the 65th Commandment. Especially as it relates to my family.

The Good Course

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.

This puts me in mind of James 1.5. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. (Yes, I know there is more to the verse, but this is the part it makes me think of.)

The first four or five chapters of Proverbs reiterate over and over the seeking of wisdom. It also talks of knowledge and understanding, and the fear of the Lord. So, what is the difference between all these things?

I'm not sure I really know, but this is my understanding of things now. Ask me in five or ten years, and you'll probably get a different answer.

Knowledge concerns facts. Like Trivial Pursuit, just knowing about everything. How tall is this thing? How much does it weigh? How fast does it go? What does the law say about something else? Laws of Thermodynamics. Scripture memorization. Quotes of famous people. Engines in vehicles. Year, make, model. Policies procedures. Information.

Understanding concerns how these different facts interrelate to one another. How does the law of thermodynamics affect the engine in my car? If something weighs so much, can I lift it to put it away? What does the Bible have to say about the law that were passed last year, or the ones in the legislature now?

Wisdom, as I understand it, is knowing what to do about a certain situation based on the facts. My car is having problems, so I should ... do this or that to remedy the situation. Okay, not a big problem. I have a relationship that needs fixing. Oh boy. Wisdom is very important here. And wisdom comes from God. I need God's direction here pointing me in the right way. What do I do? What do I say? How? When?

I like Proverbs 2.9. You will discern ... every good course. That is important for me. I tend to be a perfectionist. I also don't believe any one person has all the facts concerning any situation. So, how do you make the right decision? When I lack complete knowledge, my understanding is also faulty, and my wisdom is ...?

I hate working for bosses who tell me that everything is important and everything is a priority. So, if I have two projects to complete, and time enough for one, which one do I do? "Get them both done" isn't really an option, even if its what my manager wants.

Its good to know God gives me wisdom, and shows me which way to go.