Yes, but I’ve been under such conviction to finish what I started yesterday. Actually,I’d written the last seven paragraphs last evening after proofreading yesterday’s post, but then I accidentally erased them and it was too late and I was too tired so I sent it out without my concluding remarks. This morning being a new day, I was compelled to reconstruct them, and get this, first I erased them last night, and then today, immediately after rewriting my seven paragraphs at the bottom, I closed the computer and picked up David Jeremiah’s 2012 devotional Discovery: Experiencing God’s Word Day By Day and read the July 17 reading titled “Know Thyself”, and immediately wanted to throw up! Give me a break Satan! I really do believe someone out there besides me, needs to read these words, and I will not be deterred, even though during most of my life I would have flushed it and sought shade like Jonah.
As much as it is humanly and spiritually possible, everything I write is always to myself first. Perhaps that is why I’m so attracted to Dr. Henry Cloud’s books in that he addresses frequently my being over-introspective on one hand, and too quick too critical, on the other, causing me to often withdraw and so, I say nothing. Too often, I possess a nonconfrontive compliant spirit. You know, it IS humanly safer living that way today, like an ostrich! But God expectantly designed us for engagement, and even empowers us with the needed strength and resources to accomplish our Kingdom responsibilities. And therein lies the risk to lose our very own Kingdom rewards! The David Jeremiah reading I encountered is verbatim below:
Know Thyself. Psalm 139: 3
The ancient philosopher said, “Know thyself,” but that’s hard to do. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” The apostle Paul cautioned us against being too quick to approve ourselves or condemn others, saying, “I care very little if I am judged by you … indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” (I Corinthians 4: 3-4, NIV).
We must be careful about being overly self-introspective, and about being too quick to criticize others. As fallen creatures, we’re capable of wounding ourselves and others with our misguided judgements.
Yes, be discerning about right and wrong, and be willing to properly admonish someone when the Spirit leads; but remember there’s only One who can actually read the heart. How much better to say with the psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me into the way everlasting.”
The best of (us) are too apt to judge rashly, and harshly, and unjustly; but (God’s) judgement is always according to truth. Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
Merlin now writing. Two other notable quotes of his are; “It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day,” and, “The three qualifications of a good surgeon (imagine this in his era as opposed to today?) are requisite in a re-prover: He should have an eagle’s eye, a lion’s heart, and a ladies hand; in short, he should be endued with wisdom courage and meekness.”
Now here are my seven paragraphs that I was retroactively spazzing out about without any edits. I am really trying to be transparent with you.
While I myself was reflecting throughout Thursday on the last post, I keep being reminded of the in-our-face example of the ever-engaging apostle for Christ, Paul, from the Mars Hill account in Acts 17: 22-31. My question is where TODAY are the either publicly engaging persons, such as Paul (perhaps someday even Tucker?), or even some undercover ambassadors such as John Rich for Christ warriors, who were dealt a hot potato download from God that he took all the way to the mat, as he defined it?
And also, I am continually reminded, so I’ll ask you as well, do you recall the impetus behind the explosion of the early church in its first century, besides such as the whole book of Acts including Peter’s explosive preaching and Paul’s three missionary journey’s? And then again, what so moved our forefathers during & following the Reformation? Wasn’t it indeed also the waves of persecutions that scattered the early Christians throughout the then known world during the first century and then again in the centuries since Martin Luther, such as transplanting our very forefathers about Europe and America? And so I ask, what perhaps is God preparing us for now during these latter day rains, except to be scattered anew in ways we can’t even begin to fathom, or for sure, perhaps are choosing not to comprehend, preferring our seclusion as being the quiet in the land, when God is actually desiring to both tell and lead us to “go & do now” as in Wendell Martin’s recent vibrant book, Go Now.
Again, to me it seems too often we are weak anemic Kingdom specimens floundering about like the ten foolish virgins waiting ill-prepared to piggy back or sponge off the virtuous ten wise prepared virgins, being so deceived that while we’re anticipating and awaiting the approaching celebration, when actually, we may well be the tares, being allowed to live until the harvest. See Matthew 13:30 if not familiar with their plight!
Again, it seems to me, we are experiencing such a waste of potential engagers in these possibly concluding moments of history that we’re all so privileged to witness first hand, and especially so, when we’ve got access to such engaging Kingdom building tools that again, it seems to me, that we are just so often ignoring; and how can we view it otherwise? We, as His children, do have or will be empoweringly Spirit driven, with the necessary TIME, MONEY, MATERIALS and most importantly, the “HIS MOTIVE” as were the Christ- Follower’s during the first century and again during and after the Reformation.
Yes, indeed, our lives are all about and likely far beyond what we can even imagine, just I (we) are daily Connecting, Healing, & Growing as admonished in Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, CONTINUE to LIVE (not merely exist) your lives in Him, ROOTED and BUILT UP in Him, STRENGTHENED in the FAITH as you were TAUGHT (who am I (we) now teaching, or encouraging?), and OVERFLOWING with THANKFULNESS! (Ouch, not so sure I’m doing much of that while I’m deflecting with His shields’ all this consuming negative chaos?)
A rather tall order given the Colossians and us! Perhaps we might just need to get out of our routine evening recliners while being nightly mesmerized by all our screens, AND INSTEAD, CHOOSING to RISE UP and Go & Do Now!
HOW EXCELLENT IS HIS NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!! Psalm 8:9
I really like the quote from Matthew Henry; about “it oughta be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.” And many of you, like me, know full well our last days are coming fast, and hasn’t God been so gracious in preparing us oldsters for these transitions; and the many opportunities He gives us YET to continue to LIVE & OVERFLOW WITH THANKFULNESS!!