OK, follow me on two trains of thought for a moment:
Sidewalk Prophets has a song that is called "You can have me." Part of the lyrics are, "When did love become unmoving. When did love become unconsuming?" (It's a good question.)
Then, I was reading in Philippians in the last couple days looking for some "life lessons" and I got stuck. I got stuck in chapter 2 verse 13. "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (ESV)
So, let's combine those. The song is a confession that my "love" for God is not a love that causes me to move and that is not consuming. It is NOT something that encompasses my whole being. it does not cause me to get up and do things.....to "work." Then, the verse says that it is God who causes the will (desire, choice, willingness, consent) and the work (the actual doing of things) for his good pleasure.
.....I'm thinking that these two things just don't go together. So, I'm thinking there must be a reason. I trust the Bible to be honest with me and tell me the truth. That's a decision I have made and it should change my life. Right? So, what gives?
One option is that the Bible did lie, but I don't accept that option.
Another option is that I am the one exception to that verse that God didn't want to take the time to write in... "...for it is God who works in you (except Nate Maxwell), both to...." Nope. That doesn't make sense.
So, the only option that makes sense to me is that God has given me free will and I'm abusing it again. In I Thess 5, as Paul is wrapping up he gives a bunch of little instructions and verse 19 has "Do not quench the Spirit." So, when the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention, we have the free will to ignore him. I would argue that this becomes a really bad habit in fact and once we start, it gets easier and easier to do it and we may even start doing it without noticing.
So, the only way that the Bible can still be true, and that God is working in me to will and to work for his good pleasure, and yet I am not functionally loving him is for me to be quenching the Holy Spirit so that God's work in me isn't being accomplished. Not because he isn't trying to work in me or because he doesn't have a plan for me, but because I am getting in the way again. [I hate it when that happens!]
The song I mentioned above starts with, "If I saw you on the street, and you said 'come and follow me,' but I had to give up everything: all I once held dear and all of my dreams."
"God, now that I see the problem, I want to fix it. Lord, I don't want to get in the way of your work in my life. I know that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I don't know what tonight is going to bring, much less tomorrow. I don't know who you will bring into my life or who you will take out of my life forever. I don't know what lessons I'm going to have to learn the hard way and which ones I'll get to learn more easily. God, I want to be who you want me to be in every moment that you want me to be in. Help me not to hold on to this life so hard that I make a fool of you when it's time for me to leave. God, you don't need me, but, if you don't mind, would you be willing to use me? Would you use me to affect my family, my loved ones, and the world that you have placed me in? God. Would you work in me, both to will and to work, for your good pleasure...and please help me to get out of your way since I don't know your plans or thoughts. God, please have mercy on me. Amen [let it be so].
Sidewalk Prophets has a song that is called "You can have me." Part of the lyrics are, "When did love become unmoving. When did love become unconsuming?" (It's a good question.)
Then, I was reading in Philippians in the last couple days looking for some "life lessons" and I got stuck. I got stuck in chapter 2 verse 13. "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (ESV)
So, let's combine those. The song is a confession that my "love" for God is not a love that causes me to move and that is not consuming. It is NOT something that encompasses my whole being. it does not cause me to get up and do things.....to "work." Then, the verse says that it is God who causes the will (desire, choice, willingness, consent) and the work (the actual doing of things) for his good pleasure.
.....I'm thinking that these two things just don't go together. So, I'm thinking there must be a reason. I trust the Bible to be honest with me and tell me the truth. That's a decision I have made and it should change my life. Right? So, what gives?
One option is that the Bible did lie, but I don't accept that option.
Another option is that I am the one exception to that verse that God didn't want to take the time to write in... "...for it is God who works in you (except Nate Maxwell), both to...." Nope. That doesn't make sense.
So, the only option that makes sense to me is that God has given me free will and I'm abusing it again. In I Thess 5, as Paul is wrapping up he gives a bunch of little instructions and verse 19 has "Do not quench the Spirit." So, when the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention, we have the free will to ignore him. I would argue that this becomes a really bad habit in fact and once we start, it gets easier and easier to do it and we may even start doing it without noticing.
So, the only way that the Bible can still be true, and that God is working in me to will and to work for his good pleasure, and yet I am not functionally loving him is for me to be quenching the Holy Spirit so that God's work in me isn't being accomplished. Not because he isn't trying to work in me or because he doesn't have a plan for me, but because I am getting in the way again. [I hate it when that happens!]
The song I mentioned above starts with, "If I saw you on the street, and you said 'come and follow me,' but I had to give up everything: all I once held dear and all of my dreams."
"God, now that I see the problem, I want to fix it. Lord, I don't want to get in the way of your work in my life. I know that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are higher than our thoughts. I don't know what tonight is going to bring, much less tomorrow. I don't know who you will bring into my life or who you will take out of my life forever. I don't know what lessons I'm going to have to learn the hard way and which ones I'll get to learn more easily. God, I want to be who you want me to be in every moment that you want me to be in. Help me not to hold on to this life so hard that I make a fool of you when it's time for me to leave. God, you don't need me, but, if you don't mind, would you be willing to use me? Would you use me to affect my family, my loved ones, and the world that you have placed me in? God. Would you work in me, both to will and to work, for your good pleasure...and please help me to get out of your way since I don't know your plans or thoughts. God, please have mercy on me. Amen [let it be so].
No comments:
Post a Comment