Dog's Life

This post is in response to a one word at a time blog carnival by Peter Pollock entitled Pets. For me that could easily have been Dogs. I am an unashamed dog person. We had a cat once. (It wasn't just my first cat, it was my last cat). But we are dog people. The two in the picture are the current generation: the Shepard was put to sleep last November at nearly 13; the Shepard/Retriever/Who knows what else mix is still with us at 15. Hard of hearing, shaky on her feet, a gimpy leg and possibly the onset of doggie dementia, but still with us. With her breeds and size, a human equivalent age that one normally only sees in the Book of Genesis anymore, but still with us.

The thing about dogs is they exhibit many of the qualities one would love to see in people; unconditional love, unswerving loyalty, and unabashed happiness when they enter your presence. The way we should be in the presence of the Lord, but are most often not.

I think that is why we grow so attached to them: the qualities they exhibit we know we should as well, yet they do not call us to task for it nor do they rub it in our faces (they are more likely to roll around on their backs in the grass than do that).

Dogs would make pretty darn fine people, but we would probably make miserable dogs.

Happy Valentine’s Day

I am writing this to the one person who probably will never see it. My partner for life, my closest friend, my wife. She will not see it because she isn’t into the whole internet and social media thing (a friend opened her facebook account for her. In about two years, she has never been on it herself).

But that doesn’t make her any less special to me, that doesn't change how I feel about her.

That is what makes her my wife.

Lu, this is for you.

I couldn’t love you more if I tried; I cannot be made to love you less.

Is He Ashamed of You?

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. 

Hebrews 11:16 (English Standard Version)

Is God ashamed of you? Is He ashamed of me? I find that a very disturbing thought, probably because I have often given Him a good reason to be ashamed of me. Reading this verse as part of my morning prayer and reflection brought some tears to my eyes, as I thought about all He has done for me, and how I often give Him a reason to be ashamed.

And it brought even more tears when I thought that it is love and patience that He shows to me; not anger, not dismay, not frustration at how I behave.

Today I will think a lot about the city He has prepared for me, I will think about how I live and how I need to try to make Him have so much less opportunity to feel ashamed.

Love of Righteousness

Now this Scriptural instruction of which we speak has two main aspects. The first is that the love of righteousness, to which we are otherwise not at all inclined by nature, may be instilled and established in our hearts; the second, that a rule be set forth for us that does not let us wander about in our zeal for righteousness.
John Calvin - Institutes of The Christian Religion: 3.6.2

I do not insist that the moral life of a Christian man breathe nothing but the very gospel, yet this ought to be desired, and we must strive toward it. But I do not so strictly demand evangelical perfection that I would not acknowledge as a Christian one who has not yet attained it. For thus all would be excluded from the church, since no one is found who is not far removed from it, while many have advanced a little toward it whom it would nevertheless be unjust to cast away.
John Calvin - Institutes of The Christian Religion: 3.6.5

Calvin is talking here of righteousness, being acceptable in the eyes of God. He is not talking about self-righteousness, which is being smug and acceptable only to yourself. Calvin is also not calling for perfection, he is calling for a love of God and the righteousness of God:

⁷For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
Psalm 11:7 (NASB)

The call to righteousness is because of His love for it and for us. It is in His never changing character to be righteous, one of His attributes:

²⁴"But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:24 (NASB)

We are called to it because He is holy and just and righteous. Love righteousness but know you will never perfect it, seek righteousness but know you will never have it fully embrace you in this world. For you and I are works in progess in this world:

⁶For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until ^(A)the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

In God We Trust

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." 2 Samuel 24:14 (NASB)

King David was a wise man. Even in times of trouble,even if you feel God is angry with you, the best place to be is in God's hands. That comes from having faith in, from being able to trust a just, perfect, merciful, gracious and loving God.

Pretty sure there is nothing more I can or want to say about that.

Your Cost

"...it cost Him but a word to create the worlds, but to redeem a sinner's soul cost Him all that He had..."
Marcus Rainsford - Our Lord Prays For His Own

A simple set of words, not even a complete sentence in the book, but they hit me hard. It took more on God's part to redeem me than to create everything. And yet He loves me enough to do it.

It took more to redeem me as a sinner than to create everything that has ever been created. I can only licve with that because He has forgiven me and brings me into His rest, His joy.

If you ever think yourself worthy of God's redeeming grace, just think about the cost, greater than the universe, for Him to give it to you.

If you ever think yourself unworthy of God's redeeming grace, just think of His love, which measures even greater than the cost to do so.

A Living God

Several years ago I was president of a subsidiary of a major company. I had a very talented staff that was a challenge to manage on a day in, day out basis. They all had one thing in common. They all felt they could do a better job than me in running the company. The higher ups in the corporation must have felt differently since I was running it. Some of my decisions they were OK with, some made them less than happy. Those are the ones people seem to remember.

When I was reassigned someone else took over and a funny thing happened. All of a sudden my presidency was viewed as not that bad a situation. Some measure of the "good old days" were assigned the AndyC era. My take on it when I was tlod about it: presidents, like artists, seem to grow in popularity after they have been dead a while.

There are some things some people prefer dead. Like artists and presidents. And many prefer a dead god. One they can control, one that pretty much has to do what he or she is told, because after all, a dead god is really a figment of someone's wishful thinking or imagination.

The thought of a living God terrifies them. They will reject it out of hand.

I like the fact that I serve a living God. It is the thought of an angry One that terrifies me. I am thankful He is loving and gracious, merciful but just. The fact that He is just is going to cause a lot of people a lot of heartburn one day (and body and soul burn as well).

I serve a living God and He blesses me every day. What a gift He has given me.

The Wrath of God

Yesterday I talked a bit about the signs of God. Today I want to talk about His wrath. Not a popular topic these days. Not sure there ever was a time in human history when people wanted to hear about the wrath of God. It is often used by people to deny God's existence or the fact that He is perfectly just and compassionate. We have all heard someone say "How could a loving God allow..." or something that starts out like that when we speak about our faith in Jesus.

J I Packer in Knowing God sums it up nicely. He speaks of God's wrath being judicial, God giving what someone deserves. Not to cruel but just. Not to visit pain but administer justice. Packer also mentions that the wrath of God is what people choose; by retreating from His light or turning from His path. Adam was not cast out of the garden until after he chose to try to hide from God after Eve and he ate what was forbidden by God. You wonder would things have been very different if Adam had faced God and willingly confessed his sin and disobedience.

What it comes down to when someone is angry at God because of the pain and suffering in the world is that we are getting what we asked for in light of our sin and disobedience. It doe not make God's wrath easier to bear, but it is a just action by a loving and compassionate God, no matter what we may think.

No One Comes Late, No One Leaves Early

I was half listening to a radio program yesterday as I was headed out the door to run some errands. The speaker made reference to those magazine articles that seem to come out every late December, the ones that review some aspect of the year just about over. The one he was referencing was an article talking about people who left us, of lives viewed as cut short. That's all I heard as I left, so I do not know the point he was making, nor the specific people he may have been talking about. However, the concept of a life cut short got me to thinking.

Is a life cut short really possible? It implies that God is not in control.

We all live a lifespan that fits His plan, not ours. We may not understand why people die when they do, but He does.

I have seminary professors, teaching well into their 80's and 90's, I have friends who have lost babies in pregnancy. I cannot tell you why either happens, but He could.

A good part of faith is accepting God, and accepting that His plan is not always something our finite comprehension can get our minds around. When that happens, and you do not have faith, you usually here a statement that begins with something like "How can a loving God.." or "How can you believe in a God who...".

I never try to answer that other than to say I believe in the God of the Bible, I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

A large part of faith is accepting that He loves us, that His plan and timing are perfect. A large part of faith is accepting that both of these facts are true, whether we understand the particular circumstances in our lives or the lives of others.

No one comes late, or leaves early, we are here for just the amount of time he wants us to fulfill His purposes. Will I ask Him all the "whys" of my life when I come face to face with the divine presence for eternity? I tend to think not, because in the joyous presence of deity, it will not matter.

And if it will not matter then, what does it matter now, other than the faith in Him, and the love He has shown us?