Grams Writes

Beasts of Burden

The oxen strained against the weight of the loaded wagon. Just over the hill water, feed, and rest. But for now, the oxen stepped into the yoke, responding to the lash of the whip as the driver flicked it across their backs. Relentlessly, they plodded on; just a little farther and they’d be home.

Now put yourself in the place of the oxen. You say, “No way.” But consider this:  “These things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. They stoop; they bow down together, they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. ‘Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save’” (Isaiah 46:1a-4 ESV).

God is confronting Israel, once again, through the prophet Isaiah about their propensity to idolatry. It seemed they would never learn. In this Scripture God says the Children of Israel are like weary beasts and the idols are as heavy burdens they struggle to carry. They are weary and miserable, toiling their life through with no relief from the terrible weight they carry. In essence, God says they have become captives to the burdens they bear.

But God comes right back with the assertion that He has carried them from before their birth, from the womb, even into old age. He declares He made them and He will bear them up; He will carry them.

What a contrast! Oh the freedom that is ours if we simply unyoke ourselves from whatever it is that is strapped to our backs and climb up into the arms of the gentle Shepherd. He will carry all who will come to Him.

The stallion stops and sniffs the wind. Turning quickly, he gallops across the plain, his mane glinting in the brightness of the mid-day sun. His mares race after him. No one rides their backs; no one has harnessed them to a wagon or a plow. No toil; no worries; no troubles. Just complete freedom.

Which had you rather be–the ox, a beast of burden, or the stallion enjoying the unbridled freedom of the open range?

Grams

I’m back at work, in my office, thinking. Close friends tell me I do too much of that, and maybe I do, particularly when I’m trying to figure out what God’s doing. Those who care will be happy to know that I do less thinking now than I did last year. It has been an effort like no other I’ve undertaken. You see, it goes against my personality. I call it being realistic, planning, practical, logical, and a myriad of other adjectives I could use to explain this process of thinking too much about too little.

I use the term little because when I compare those things that occupy my mind to the plan God has and is working out in my life, it is too much about too little.

Does God expect us to be organized, logical, practical, etc.? About some things. The rub comes in when we try to apply these processes to God. He can be organized, logical, and practical; creation proves that, but that’s another topic for another day. However, God is often disorganized, illogical, and impractical when it comes to guiding the lives of His children, or so it can seem. And that is what makes faith the only element that will hold it all together.

Am I still a thinker? Do I tend to view life from a logical and practical standpoint? I’m afraid so. But has my faith grown? I’d like to think it has. All I know is that I’m able to put my life as it is now and what it will be next year in the hands of God with complete assurance that He is in control; He loves me like no other ever has; my days are written in the palm of His hand and there I am content to reside.

Grams

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet i will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Lately I’ve been reading the minor prophets, not because I’m such a theologian, but because I was curious. Beginning with Hosea, I’ve just finished Habakkuk. I can’t say I understood everything I read, but I did get enough to understand that regardless of the time period the prophet was writing about, they all seemed to have one thing in common. God was displeased with His chosen people and judgment was soon coming unless they repented. The thing is, if anyone ever got the point, they didn’t hang on to it for very long. The next generation invariably picked up where their parents and grandparents left off. Oh, there might be a momentary sorrow because of the hard times they were in, but nothing lasting, nothing genuine.

It has always intrigued me how closely paralleled the moral decay of western civilization is to that of Rome in its last days. But in reading about the Children of Israel, the parallel continued. My conclusion is that man is inherently evil and if left to his own inclinations will wreak havoc on all around him.

While problems abound because sin abounds; while people search frantically for a way; any way just so there is one, they turn a blind eye to the only solution available to them. Just like Israel did; just like Rome did; just like mankind has done since God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden, man has refused to listen to the God of heaven and earth.

The pat Christian answer is always that we have the answer, and we do. But how do we get people to look our way, to listen to what we have to say? I think I found the answer in the last verses of Habakkuk. He says, basically, that if the fields are bare, if there is nothing to eat, if there is no way to make a living, if all is lost in this life, still he will rejoice in the God of his salvation. What would make a greater impression on the lost world today than God’s people relying totally on Him, on His care, and rejoicing because of Him and His great salvation? And that’s the difference. We may go through the same hard times; we may lose our jobs, our homes, our retirement, but this is not the end. We can rejoice in the God of our salvation!

Grams

Christians have a way of throwing around smart, catchy phrases that sound really spiritual; i.e., God is so good; All you have to do is trust Him; Whatever is His will that is what I’ll do, and the list could go on and on. I’ll admit some of these, if not all, are sound and biblically based. My problem with them is that most of the time it is just talk; a pat answer to someone’s question who has no clue as to what God really wants or purposes. How many times have you actually watched someone put his or her faith into practice? I observed that just today.

One of my dearest friends has recently gone through a terrible ordeal. Even as I write it is not finalized, but there are some positive signs and the end is drawing near. Yesterday she and I talked and she read a Scripture from Mark where Jesus said if you believe you will receive it, it will be done. She told me that tomorrow, which is today, that she fully expected the Lord to do something unusual, even miraculous. I agreed to pray with her, as have scores of others. She would not be denied. She grabbed on to the altar of our Lord, the God of heaven and earth, and she did not let go. Today, God did something unusual, against all odds, humanly speaking.

This lady’s faith is not show or talk; it is real, the genuine article. To say she has had a profound affect upon my life is an understatement. If nothing else, I have witnessed first hand that God does listen to His children; He will move mountains; He does care that we suffer, and He provides a way where there seems to be none.

This kind of faith is the kind I saw lived out in the lives of the older generation, the generation of my father. Those old pioneer saints took God at His word and acted upon it. We don’t see that kind of faith very much in this present generation. I count it a great honor to know someone who asked God for the impossible and He delivered.

Grams

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want” (Proverbs 11:24, ESV).

When I read that verse I had to think about what all it was saying. Certainly it had to encompass more than “getting.” The only way I knew to think about this was to consider what all a person could give.So, here goes.

Of course, the most obvious act of giving that comes to mind is the giving of money. It is said that Americans give more to other causes than any other people. That’s probably because we have the most to give. However, taken in light of this verse (and others), that fact alone may very well be why we have the means to give. But, as time goes on, with the present difficulties with jobs and layoffs, people will inevitably give less to outside causes. One word of caution: never think you can short-change God and still prosper. His Word is very clear. If you honor Him with what He has blessed you with, He will pour out still more blessings, abundantly.

Now think about this a minute–is money the only thing you have to give? I think not. We are more than the balance in our check book. What about giving of your time? If you have a family, that’s a good place to start. God gave the father and mother the responsibility of teaching and training their children to become mature adults who will love God, accept His Son as their Savior, and work to advance the kingdom. You can’t fulfill this responsibility if your mind is somewhere else and your heart is cluttered with unnecessary, worldly pursuits.

Do you need friends? Do you desire a close relationship with someone? The Bible says that if a person would have friends, that person must first be a friend. So, offer your friendship; give of yourself; open your mind, your life up to those around you. So what if there are some who are not willing to respond in like manner? Others will. I had to learn that the hard way, but it works.

Do you want a closer walk with the Lord? Know how to get there? Dive into His Word. Give yourself to studying the deep truths of the Bible. God will respond. He says if you will draw close to Him, He will draw close to you.

Do you feel like no one loves you; no one cares whether or not you live or die? Jesus cares and let me let you in on a little secret. He has other children who loves just like He does. But sometimes these people who would love you are pushed back because you refuse to let them in. It’s up to you to open the door. When you begin to love others, the response of love from others is almost instantaneous.

There may be other ways a person can give, but these are the ones that readily come to my mind. So, you want to have what you need and that in abundance? Then open up; give of your self, your intellect, your emotions, your time, and yes, even your money. God has said you will grow even richer. I believe HIm. It’s amazing how it works.

Grams

I usually start my morning off with reading in Psalms. Today it was Psalm 107. In this psalm, the writer gives examples of troubles and afflictions man gets himself into and when his life is a total wreck, he cries out to God. God, being the good God that He is, hears the cry for help and comes to the rescue. The psalmist urges man to consider God’s steadfast love.

I looked at each example given, compared it to happenings in today’s world, and I realized once again just how much God loves us. You know, the ones who totally ignore Him until our world falls apart and then it’s a scream for help. Often we have the attitude that God owes us; that it’s His job to rescue us from the messes we get ourselves into. But, that is clearly not the case. He does it simply because He loves us.

The psalmist refers to it as His “steadfast love”; love that is unshakable, unmovable, grounded deep in who He is–the great God of heaven and earth. Can I love like that? I’m not sure. I know we’re commanded to love each other, to love the lost world, and to love God, but I never quite seem to get there. At least, not without slipping back every once in awhile. But, it’s a goal I’ve set for myself–to learn to love with a “steadfast love.”

Verse 43 says, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.” Today, consider this.

Grams

My previous blog espoused the theory that organization was the key to productivity and also a promise that I would resume my daily/weekly blog. I checked the dates and as of today it has been 6 weeks since I posted anything at all. So, what happened?

Now I must come up with all kinds of excuses to justify my failure to organize and keep my word. Of course there were the holidays. I spent 2 weeks with my boys and their families. That was a great time. It was a very special time as well. The grandkids are growing up and each trip is an adventure; new things to learn about them, stories about their latest escapades, and lots of hugs, laughter, and fun. Then of course there was the dreaded “crud.” I am beginning my 6th week and the fifth round of antibiotics. Yep, you heard right. So, I guess that explains what happened.

Even though the last few weeks have been kind of tough, physically, the time spent with family and friends made the trip a lot easier and enjoyable. God is a good God. He provides what we need when we need it, even in the midst of the hard times. Just like He did those many years ago in Bethlehem. God provided what we needed in the hard times. Thank you, Lord.

Grams

It’s been almost a month since I posted a blog. I was reminded yesterday that I was behind in this, so I’m making an effort to get back on track. I’m the one who says life is just a progression of events and organization is the key. So, I suppose it’s time I organized the succession of events I call my life.

This week is crammed with extra events. It is the week for the Leadership Conference, boards meet for all the different agencies of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, RHP is hosting snacks/meals at sister agencies, and it is also crunch week. What is that? Crunch week is the last week of the editorial/design production schedule. CLEAR Sunday School curriculum for the spring ‘09 quarter has to be in printing by the end of this week. Will we make it? It looks good so far. I’ve been here almost 12 years and we have never failed to deliver Sunday School curriculum in time for the churches to begin the next quarter of study. I don’t anticipate this being the quarter that breaks that record.

Do I have everything organized? Yes. Am I ready for the rest of the week? Absolutely. Do I have a blog to post. Just finished it.

Grams

“Don’t sweat the details.” I’ve heard that statement made several times and just never paid much attention to it. Why would I or anyone else for that matter be overly concerned with the details? If you organize your life around the principles of God’s Word; if you control your environment, being sure never to let anything in that could disrupt the balance; if you focus on what you do and who you are, striving to be the best everyday of your life, then the details just automatically take care of themselves. Right? Well, no, they don’t and I speak from experience.

There will come a day, early or late, when everything falls away and you’re left only with the details. At that moment those unimportant, minute, bothersome incidents, people, problems, etc. become your whole world. And then, what do you do with it? You find yourself sitting amidst a pile of junk. What  you once thought made sense no longer does. What you thought people expected of you no longer matters. You are like a cork bobbing on the surface of a lake while the wind whips you first one way and then another. Someone or something must reel you in; indeed, they must. But who?

The good thing about this is that you can be grasping for any kind of lifeline, almost about to go under, and your faith still be intact. That may sound contradictory, but faith in God is not the issue here. The issue is lordship. That’s where the details come into play. A person may function for years within an overall structure of faith, goodness, service, and all the other things that appear right, but all the time trying to manage the details. If one is sincere in his or her commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, then at some point God will tear down the main framework in order to get to the details. Once He’s got control of the details, then you finally belong to Him; He is finally Lord of your life.

Today I sit atop my mound of details, much like Job of old, waiting for God to put it all back together. Will He? If I let Him or I can continue to bob across the waves until I go under. God reaches down as I look up and in desperation I take His hand. Gently my heavenly Father whispers, “It’s going to be OK.” And I believe Him.

Grams