Having "All Things" in Christ and a Flat Screen TV Too!

Yesterday I was driving through our neighborhood and saw a rooftop TV antenna, bringing to mind the days when we had little TV sets with rabbit ears and 3 channels. When we got rooftop antennas with more reception, we were ecstatic. And then, color TV. I remember feeling deprived that we still had a black-and-white when others had color. Imagine that; I thought a color TV would make me happy.

But it did not take me long to realize the fleeting pleasure of “things.” A very wealthy and wise King Solomon said, “Human desire is never satisfied” (Prov. 27:20). And who better to attest to the vanity of “things.” He had every “thing” (Eccl. 1:8). If he were alive today, no doubt he would have a humongous home theater!

Jesus warned of vainly pursuing “things” (Matt. 6:32); yet promised to give us “all things:” every “thing” we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), the spiritual, psychological, and physical resources required to accomplish the “things” He created us to do.  (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-14). But in order to take full possession of “all things,” we must let go of our “things.” And there isn't any “thing” worth more than that (Matt. 16:26)!

Personal Milestones

In yesterday's post, I wrote of historical milestones of 2 monumental men. The word “milestone” is a clever word picture. First used by the Romans to help travelers know how far they had come on their journey, today it means significant life-changing events that mark psychological and spiritual growth. “Milestones” are personal; and sometimes very private. Looking back on our milestones gives us perspective. Yet, while they reveal where we’ve been, they do not tell us where we are going. In fact, Solomon says God does not show us “the beginning from the end” (Ecc 3:11) of our journey.

We can take comfort from Abraham whose milestones—some of success and some of failure—were a testament to his patience. And though Abraham could look at his milestones and ‘see’ where he’d been, he could only ‘see’ by faith where he was going (Heb. 11:8). It is in the uncertainty of the next milestone that faith is forged. Paul understood this: “forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead... we walk by faith, not by sight” (Phil. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:7). And by faith we can say, ‘the best milestones are yet to come.’

"Lord, what are you planning to do with me"

Any regular reader of this blog knows there has been a “frequency failure.”  Extraordinary life circumstances over the last 6 months have resulted in an energy consumption that limited my capacity to write and research.  And, looking ahead, I foresee more energy leaks that will reduce my rate of writ.  Despite this, I do have plans: to have a total of 1,000 posts by year's end (today's post is my 926th), and then to index them all by subject.

Woody Allen is credited with saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Is it really wrong to makes plans? Evidently not. Solomon, somewhat wiser than Woody Allen, said “we can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Prov. 16:9). To me, this simply means, “Make your plans; pray your plans, but don’t brand your plans.” Why? 

Solomon says: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death… [Hence] the sensible man considers his steps” (Prov. 16:12, 19, NLT).  In other words, no matter how well-intentioned, man-made plans will ‘die on the vine,’ “but the LORD's plans stand firm forever” (Ps. 33:11). Thus, my prayer is, Lord, what are You planning to do with me? And that's no laughing matter.

Watch Out When You're Tired

“In the spring when kings go to war, David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). Since the Bible doesn't tell us why David chose to stay home instead of leading his men in battle, it leave us some room to wonder. Was he exhausted from years of warfare? Did he need R&R (rest and recuperation)? But whatever the reason, consider this: David had been saved from death on the battlefields only to lose miserably on the home front. And if David, a man who loved God with all his heart, could end up doing something he would regret for the rest of his life (remember Bathsheba?)…well, we’d better pay attention.

I think it shows how vulnerable we are when we’re tired (especially, after we've been doing warfare). Weariness can predispose us to a fall. Alcoholics Anonymous has an acronym they use to help people remember these vulnerabilities—it is "HALT" : Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. When you are anyone of these things, you are open to temptation. I doubt if David was hungry, but was he angry? Was he tired?  And was he paying attention to his heart?

No wonder David’s son Solomon warned: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Prov. 4:23 NLT) The idea is summed up by Paul: “we must pay much closer attention…so that we do not drift away...” (Heb. 2:1)

"Someone You Don't Know" wants to be friends with you on Facebook

Not a week goes by that I don’t get one of these ‘friend’ requests. There’s even a new word born out of this phenomenon: It’s called “friending”—meaning that connecting is only a click away! Through social connectivity, it is possible to have many acquaintances, but not one person with whom you are truly intimate. This 21st century 'friendship' paradigm should prompt us to examine what the Bible says.

Following are a few statements I took off an Internet site in which people offered their definition of a friend: 1) someone we care about and is ready to help us during times of distress; 2) a person with whom we share most of our thoughts; 3) someone we can always count upon our during an emergency. (One of my favorites was this one: a friend is someone who helps you move!) While all these statements contain truth, there is something missing: a friend is committed to helping you become a better person.

Solomon says: The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend. (Proverbs 27:9, 17) A friend who is willing to tell you the “truth”—speaking the truth in love—is one who ‘makes’ you better. These are not ‘easy’ relationships. They are often messy and inconvenient. Don’t get so caught up in ‘friending’ you forget the meaning of true friendship. And I am quite sure you won't find it on Facebook.