There is an old story about the Montana farmer who loaned his mule to his neighbor. The farmer told the neighbor, "Old Jerry is a very sensitive mule, he don't take too kindly to discipline, but if you just reason with him, he will do anything you ask."
Well, the neighbor took the mule and after a few days he returned the mule to his friend complaining that he did his best to reason with Ol' Jer, but for some reason, Ol' Jer just seemed to be too stubborn.
The Montana farmer replied, "I don't know what you are talking about, Ol' Jer is really responsive to me." At that the farmer picked up a big stick and smacked Ol' Jer a good one, 'long side the head.
Immediately the friend responded to the farmer, "I thought you said not to discipline the mule, 'cause he is very sensitive and if he gets upset there ain't much you can do with him."
To which the farmer responded, "That swat ain't discipline, I was just getting his attention."
Well, this last week I think this "Ol' Jer took a couple good swats 'side the head hisself." I had been thinking that since we were all beginning to develop at least a little nostalgia for that great State of Montana, perhaps it would be a good time to do a little creation science. After all we have been talking about grasslands, prairies, vast skies, all focusing on the greatness of the Creator, what better opportunity. This is where I came up with an article discussing the concept of one. All creation is based on one and then two, three, up to quad-zillions.
Creation is also after all, just a visual representation of the attributes of God, if you are into Him. If not, nature is just a series of random acts over billions of years, that have no meaning or purpose.
Our main verses from last week (Matthew 6:28-30; Luke 12:27-28) however dealt with the concept of worry, which I tried to present in the context of keeping (or getting) our priorities straight. We need to focus on God and not our own problems and let Him take care of the small stuff.
On Sunday, Pastor Wayne dealt with the whole passage (Matthew 6:24-34), in the context of worry as an end. By the time I went to sleep Sunday night I was resolved to let Monday take care of itself. But the big stick that slapped some sense into me was the fact that it is indeed worry that is the greatest problem facing the church today. Let me see if I can make it a little more clear.
Even though we know better, and in this I include most Christians, when it comes to the application of our spiritual knowledge, out there in the real every day world, Montana, Seattle, and Kirov, we want to hedge our bets, "Just in case God doesn't pull it off!" That is really bad news folks.
Even in the limited context of evangelism, "If we don't walk our talk, nobody is going to take seriously what we have to say." Any stubborn old mule can see, if Christians really want to reach others for Jesus Christ, they need to chill, or better deep freeze, their meddling nature in things relating to a future they cannot control. We must live in the present and let God arrange the circumstances of tomorrow.
So what we are left with in the One series is a number of articles that flow out of God's provision for the one's He has selected to make His children. The first and perhaps the most important is "One - Worry." The one worry is not God's problem, but ours, we worry because we can't measure up to the standards we set for ourselves.
My dad had the actual college degree, but my mom had the brains, and while I don't think she ever attended a real college class, I believed she earned her honorary Doctorate in Worry. From my perspective, that is one of the main reasons she now lives with Alzheimer's Disease in a nursing home in Spokane. For the first time in her life, she doesn't have a real or imaginary worry in this world. While we really don't know just how much of her life she now understands, God does, and I truly believe that one day when her mind is eternally clear, the ailment will give her a better perspective on life, one she lacked for most of her pilgrimage.
Seeing what worry has done to the life of my mother, has made me keenly aware of the problem, but just as with alcoholism, it is a disease that has a tendency to follow in hereditary lines. I can choose not to ever take a drink, I can also choose to never worry, but worry seems to be more deeply rooted in the soul of mankind. Alcohol is a physical dependency that leads to psychological dependency. Worry is a psyciological dependency (trying to adjust, or manipulate the world to our own understanding) which leads to physical dependency.
But worry isn't all self caused, there is the outside oppressive nature of life. Also, some worry is caused by other persons and demonic spirits that can try us well beyond our ability to cope with the stresses of this life. Elijah on the mountain was ask by God, "Elijah what are you doing here?" The prophet's response is that of a worried man. "No body likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms!"
The point is that we are emotional creatures, sometimes our emotions lead us down the wrong road. Many times that road is really not of our own choice, but designed by God to take us from where we normally would be, to begin to move us to Montana. This journey gives us a fresh perspective on the wonder of it all. But again we must always be willing today to pack our gear and move on. Miserable Springs isn't the best camp, but at least we have good company, ourselves. But a few nights, weeks, or months there can teach us the lesson of good community fellowship.Our task is to be ready to move only when the time has come, and we have learned our lessons.
So what is our one worry? It is we can not live up to the standard of being the God of our own life. We are finite and we believe we should be infinite. There in lies the stress, the worry, the source of all our fears. We try to be God, we fail, we worry. Not really the stuff of rocket science. But the solution takes us way beyond rocket science. How about this!
Before the creation of creation, God had one plan that would unfold throughout history, demonstrating not only His glory, but His love and a whole host of Godly attributes. We will look at some of those attributes in more depth as we build upon them one at a time over the next few weeks.
Man's desire to be God is the one first and last sin. Others are really just twists and turns, variations on that theme. We want to truly understand the difference between good and evil and we wish to live forever,all according to our own choices.
Do you know Jesus? Have you ask Jesus into your heart? Notice the focus on self and the lack of historical context. Hence this is not a true representation of reality. Before time began, God's plan for redemption was not only planned but a written historic fact in the unfolding word of God. By making our salvation a transitory aspect of our shallow lives, we forfeit the ability to rest completely on the unchangeable promises of God
Over these last few months I have been as close to depressed as I can remember. I really don't know if it has shown in my writing or not. I suppose, right now, I am afraid to really look at some of it to see, either I am good at faking it, or not. But the journey to Montana helped me greatly to put matters in perspective. I mentioned during that trip, that I was raised in the land of "Swept Away Syndrome." Little did I perceive at the time that SAS is really a land that causes worry, a land that is a transition from one place to another. It never is quite there, anywhere, for the floods may come and wash you away to some place else.
So God is God, and I am not. This is the lesson of life. But the Good News is that God doesn't leave me there. The more I do to understand the One God, that put everything together, the more I learn from my trails and trials. The more I am being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. The temporal becomes more manageable by the grace of God, who set His redemption in place before time began, wrote it down in His book so that I could read it, stand on it, and vaguely see the promise that one day will be real.
Next week we will take another look at that One, when we look at One - Diversity.
Well the job that had been delayed for a few weeks finally materialized. With that work we should be able to get current again on a number of bills. There still needs to be increased cash flow to get some of the previous commitments taken care of, please continue to intercede for this ministry.
Last week at our missions group there was a request for some tracts to reach prostitutes working in Nice, France, who didn't speak English or French. These young women were from Russia, Kosovo, and Bulgaria. I know of Chronicle readers that could provide, or know someone who could provide those tracts. Please send that information or your leads to Mike Dente: mrdente@compuserve.com
Now, I could make those contacts, but I believe that there is something deeper here that the Lord would like this ministry to perform, much more complex than just a few names and places. Anything greater however, and they would quickly overwhelm my ability, but not God's.
One of the great problems in the church is we don't know anything about the rest of the Body of Christ. We are isolated in our various religious cloisters, or ghettos, and really don't know much about, or even know anyone outside our particular group. So I would like to make this section on Ministry Husbandry a regular feature. Therefore at least two things need to develop.
1. There is stuff that every ministry needs, just like the tracts, that are available, but we really don't know who to ask. Much of it costs little or no money, mostly information sources. This will be the place.
2. In order to really be a resource
network (as the world would say) we need to increase the circulation
of this letter, so I would ask you to help increase the circulation
in ways that you think might bring God glory. We now have an automated
sign up and removal system in place so it will be really quite
easy for anyone to subscribe. Just follow the links below.
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