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We are fighting but we are limited. And angry. And tangential. Have you ever wished for more tactics? More weapons? Wanted a more straightforward fight? Wished that nothing was off limits? No holds barred? It feels like we are fighting on so many fronts, that we are spread too thin and that we are fighting a losing battle.
It does. But we need to get a grip on reality: God is unlimited. And He has won, is winning, and will win. Regardless of our feelings, our anger never produces His righteousness and our frenzied panic never results in His glory. The Devil and his minions have arrayed themselves against God and against us. Our fight is not against flesh or blood, but make no mistake, we fight. And not as those who beat the air, but we wage war in the power of the Holy Spirit. The goal is not to triumph – God has already claimed victory. The goal is not to prove superiority – God is by definition. The goal is not an easy life – that’s not going to happen. The goal is not even to end the fight – Jesus ends this one when He comes again. The goal is men. This battle is for their souls. And to this end we pray, we share, we live, and we stand fast in the faith, brave and strong.  My dad went because he wanted to attend the conference. My mom went to enjoy time with the family. I went to explore the Boundary Waters. And my brother went for everything: the adventure, the conference, the canoeing, the family, the friends, the food, the hiking, the outdoors, the leaving-the-stating, and (I am sure) other things I forgot to mention.
Four of us went road-tripping. We went the same places. We did the same things. But our goals were different. On a road-trip that is not a problem, but it did make me wonder. In life, how often is what I want clashing with Christ’s design? How much of my laziness, surliness, and distractedness is a byproduct of fighting God to chase another goal? Probably quite a bit, and that being the case: What do I do about it? When I was a kid – candy was where it was at. My goal was to eat as much as possible, and my mom’s goal was to keep me from eating too much. Her goal was better – for her, for me and for my teeth. God’s goals are better too. I am safe giving up my goals and taking up His because God’s goals are better for me, for His kingdom, and for eternity. (But it is still tough saying no to “candy”.) "...the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." -- 1 John 2:17 Following Jesus in life is NOT like having God as your pilot (or GPS)…let alone co-pilot.
The education of the pilot and a co-pilot are the same. As the source of all truth, God is the fount of all true knowledge. I am just benefiting from His instruction. A pilot and a co-pilot look out the same windshield and see the same things. I do not see what God sees. God sees all things. I see a few fragments and often, mess up the ones I can see. Just a fact of life. Both pilots use the same instruments. God uses instruments beyond my comprehension and way out of my purview. I don’t even know what they all are. Frankly, I don’t even know what all of my instruments are, and half the time I can’t find the ones I am aware of! But God uses all my instruments and all of His, flawlessly. Following Jesus is like falling into the everlasting arms of God Who is clearing the way for us to fulfill our purposes for God (Deuteronomy 33:26-28). “I’m headed into downtown Minneapolis! Why?” I took a quick glance at my navigator for our family vacation. Mom shrugged. “It’s the way my phone said to go.” “I thought we were trying to avoid downtown.” I was unhappy, and my mom knew it. “Can’t you fix this?” But at that late juncture, there was nothing to be done. As we rolled through high rises of made chrome and glass, I started thinking. I could argue with my mother about the best navigation strategy because:
Praise God – I lose all my arguments with Him.  Economics teaches us the concept of opportunity cost. If you spend your money on comic books, you cannot use it for candy, and if you buy candy, you can forget about the cotton candy. Life speaks to another application of opportunity cost. All around us we see people trading in their lives for cheap thrills. We all trade our time for something. What goal are we trading for? Is it just to have fun or gain fame? Get money, love or avoid pain? We all spend our days on something, and a life is made up of days. What will we have to show our Savior, our God, and our Friend? How will we spend our lives? I chose to spend my life of the things of Christ.  |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
December 2021
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