First blog of the New Year and I am not goingo make this too long. So much to say, but I do not want to bore you with it all.
Today I was sitting with my brother, his wife and of course my own wife and we were talking about a number of things. Among the subjects came the question of what do we do now that we know what we know? Now that we know that we are not alone in the universe and that there is a Higher Power who is not confined to being experienced in weekly gatherings that revolve around the 45 minute monologue of a man deemed to be the exclusive mouthpiece of that Higher Power.
Well now we have the whole theme of 2012 in a nutshell and that is basically to know and be known by God. I continue to be impressed by what Paul encourages the church in Rome when he says the following.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
I am taken by the last part of the verse. It seems that everything else beforehand, including the previous 11 chapters are centred on that last part of the verse. What remains in the rest of the book is to highlight the last part of this verse. Indeed the Christian journey revolves around the last part of this verse. This, thus makes some things in the journey rather more pivotal than it should.
It’s fair to say that often followers of Christ can be mistaken in what they are following and why they are following. In the conversation with my brother and our wives, we explored what it is to know God and love God. A wonderful point my brother made was that we soemtimes say we love chicken. When actually, what we mean to say is we love ourselves!
True story. We don’t really love the chicken – we don’t tenderley nurture it, we don’t seek to understand its various mannerisms and then compassionately seek its welfare and exult in its wellbeing. Indeed, what we love about the chicken is its demise – its plumping to a prime state and then its death and then culinary arrangement for the pleasure of our delicacies. We don’t love the chicken, we love what the chicken does to ourselves.
Our relationship with God can be somewhat similar. Don’t get me wrong, there are benefits to be found in knowing God, there are pleasures for us to enjoy – there is nowt wrong with that, they are indeed His blessings. The problem arises because often it is only the benefits that motivates our apparent love for God. We don’t follow Him because we love Him, we follow Him because of primarily what He can do for us. We follow Him because of the peace, joy, provision, etc. that He gives to us, and when that is lacking, something is amiss in the relationship. When there is trouble ahead, when the boat is rocking and rolling, all of a sudden the question abounds as to the location of God.
Yet the bigger picture remains – God is not created for our pleasure – we are created for His. Our life’s pursuit should be for Him and Him alone. That pursuit is in itself a life’s pursuit because it calls for so much for us to release – release our control, release our hold to this world, release our love and devotion to ourselves (you can continue eating the chicken, though, leave the bones though). Embracing God remains such a joyous and trying pursuit, and yet whether it’s one year to another, or one moment to the other.
So for all the resolutions I’m sure we’ll make, and for all the plans it is more than noble to devise, it remains ever the point of duty for every one who loves God to devoutly pursue God – and God alone – for all He is and live in the light of that on His terms and conditions.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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