Month: August 2012

Far below I spied an old dock slowly crumbling, its disintegrating fragments carried away one wave at a time. High up on outcroppings overlooking the bay many fortresses made of concrete, iron and wood were decaying. All of these things built by men were returning to their natural states; elemental blocks of minerals, rocks and trees.

I stood in the strong winds looking at the signatures in paint upon each of these disappearing structures; each layer bleeding into the next one. Looking at the tagging I was struck by irony. Those who built this place wanted to build a structure that would stand for ages. Those who brought their paint cans to write on these structures wanted to make their mark on the ages.

Turning my eyes to look at the vastness of where the ocean met the sky, I stood in this place of recognition. Only Jesus could be a foundation that would never crumble and only He could add my signature so it would never fade.

A servant by definition is “a person employed by another, a person in the service of another”. Essentially they act on behalf of the one they are serving. I can become quite enamored with these kind of hearts. Not because of how they bless me with their service, it’s something larger I can sense. These are people who walk with incredible authority but they are so humble as to never point to it. They don’t announce their titles, they don’t boast of who they are; they don’t do a thing to point to themselves. All they ever do is serve Jesus. They recognize the value and worth of serving the King.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I sit in the back seat surrounded by friends I love and enjoy. Drifting in and out of conversation I feel no pressure to say a thing. Looking out the window I think about the One who has given me this life. The invitation extended this very night was offered because He loved me enough to want me included. The drive leads up into the hills. Roads twist and turn, winding ever higher; with every curve I feel more anticipation. Oh to meet You again Lord, face to face. A song of old permeates my thoughts, as fresh today as when first sung…”You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain—the place, O Lord, reserved for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that Your hands have established.”*

* Exo 15:17

 

With eyes closed I begin rubbing my eyebrow, praying again for wisdom. I find my finger following the contours of my eyes and my desire is to see as You see. I feel my nose and I long for Your scent, to smell the aroma of Your nearness. Feeling my lips, I open my mouth to touch my tongue. How I long to only speak what You say, to taste the fruits of Your words. My hands touch my vocal chords but finally come to rest upon my heart. Without Your love in my heart none of my senses are of any worth. Come fill me again my Lord.

A childhood rhyme talked about Humpty Dumpty and he has been long represented as a character to be fragile as an egg. I hadn’t thought about this character in years. Thinking about it today seemed both odd but enlightening. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.” If we put ourselves into the shell of Humpty, the lesson begins to be revealed. We sit atop our own ideas and what we think will give us security in the walls we have built as a fortress for our lives. When adversity comes we fall from our lofty positions and find ourselves broken completely.

The telling line written for us children teaches us the most, “and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again”. Relying on ourselves or others to be our strength leads us into a position of false security. When the day of our brokenness arrives, there is none on this earth who can come to our aid. Only the name of Jesus can restore us.

Psalm 20:7 Some people trust the power of chariots or horses, but we trust you, LORD God.

“I am a good person”…I’ve heard this so many times. What is the standard for a ‘good person’? Is it what they do to help people, or maybe what they don’t do to hurt people? When we rate ourselves according to the world, it seems easy to think we are ‘good’. After all if we don’t rape, pillage or plunder, doesn’t that make us ‘good people’? When we are pillars in society to offer our time and money to help community needs, doesn’t that make us ‘good people’?

An important man asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good.” *

This answer is a clear definition for how imperfect our own ‘goodness’ really is. It wasn’t meant to discourage us though. It only points us to the one who is good enough to give us eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. *

God in ‘His goodness’ really made us to be ‘good people’ as we receive and believe Jesus Christ died for our sins and to give us eternity. Now we can wear Jesus’ robes of righteousness. With these clean clothes, our instructions for what it means to be good people are now made easy…”He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. “*

*Scriptures are from Luke 18:18-19, John 3:16, Mic 6:8

Will you come talk with Me? Will you yourself speak with Me? You don’t need to ask another to speak for you. I tore the veil so you yourself could talk with Me personally. You are welcome to meet Me face to face. Come talk with Me. I want to hear your thoughts, whatever they may be, in whatever language you can speak in your emotions. If you are angry, come talk with Me. If you are sick, please come talk with Me. If you need help, come talk with Me. Are you lonely? Come talk with Me. If you want to share your happiness, please come talk with Me.

I know you, all of you, I know your inward parts, your very heart. I know your disappointments, your hurts, your wounds, your hopes, your desires, your dreams. No good thing will I withhold from you. Walk with Me and let Me hold your hand and be your Father? Let’s have a conversation. Come now, and let us reason together.

All I ask is that you please come talk with Me…

I am but a grain of sand in a sea of people, yet the God of the universe wants to speak to me? In the solitude, when all the noise stops distracting my senses, I hear His voice. He tells me how much He wants to be wanted by me; to come and meet with Him. In this place my heart vibrates. Who wouldn’t want to hear the voice of God? Who wouldn’t make the time sit at His feet?

When I again think about how I am but a grain of sand in a sea of people, He reminds me from His word how often He thinks of me. “I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find You nearby.” *

*Psa 139:18

I can still hear the winds in my ears and the waves relentless in their repeating message. I smell the freshest of air and taste the salt in the breeze. My fingers roll the grains of sand back and forth upon my fingertips. Looking out at the sea I enjoy the endless show of power. All of my senses are engaged. Now I close my eyes to say a prayer of thanks for such incredible beauty.

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

I put my hands on the pages, tenderly turning each one slowly while I beheld their beauty; my heart aching as I read the love letter written for me. Tears dropped onto the pages but I didn’t bother trying to stop them. It seemed appropriate to add them as notes alongside other passages written in the margins.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God.