A strange kind of relief

About 6 weeks ago, I learned that there was some abnormality in my body that needed further exploration. Yesterday the doctor told me that my biopsy results were all good, no cancer. I am deeply grateful, praising God. I should be elated, and in a sense I am. But in another part of my mind, I am dealing with a new sense of the inevitability of aging and illness, with this episode being a clear reminder that no day of the rest of my life should be wasted. Is it fear that is creating this urgency? Is it a normal reaction to what I perceive as a kind of ‘near miss’ with serious illness? I don’t really know.

Like many of us who have to keep up with life and responsibilities while we deal with our personal crises, I shelved my emotions. After learning the good news, I thought I could just go merrily on my way. An hour after hearing the doctor’s verdict, an emotional tidal wave hit, from which I am still trying to recover. Have you ever had a nightmare in which tragedy overtakes you, your family perishes or something equally horrible happens? Then, you wake up, and shaking off sleep, you feel a mixture of lingering fear and tremendous relief that it was only a dream! That is my state of mind today.

Why did the Lord allow me to walk this road? To claim to know all of His mind would be wrong, but I know this: He is reminding me to be about the business of the Kingdom of Heaven now. This is not the time to slack off, to get distracted with the temporal things of life. This is His Word to me and my prayer is that it will be renewed to you as well. “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." (Ephesians 5:14-17, NIV)
Thank you for praying for me in this time. CoffeeBreak will be back next Monday.

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May the Lord’s Presence be part of your Thanksgiving.

"Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Hallelujah!"

(Psalm 150, The Message)

God on the margins

Connie Schultz writes a column that appears in my local newspaper. She is a persuasive and provocative feminist. Today, she loosed her verbs on members of Congress who wish to restrict the use tax dollars to fund abortion. Schultz adopts the argument that respect for life is rooted in religion and therefore has no place in public policy. In so many words she says that God is irrelevant to the world in which we live, that belief is a hobby for fools and the self-deluded. We are a nation now governed by an elite that sides with the likes of Schultz. Most of our legislators, judges, and intellectuals continue to profess religious belief. They do so, however, as a sentimental custom, not as a life-shaping commitment. God, if He exists at all, is relegated to the margins of life. Of course, that kind of God is no god at all!

I cannot do much about Connie Schultz’s opinions, but I can examine my own life for the same kind of thinking.

Am I pushing God to the edges of my life, refusing His will or wisdom in favor of my own convenience?

Am I living on my own terms even though they contradict what the Scripture reveals to be the mind of God in the matter?

How can we claim to love and serve God if we try to wall off parts of our lives from Him? Jesus confronts us with this question: "Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46, NIV) Perfectly aligning life with God’s will is the true disciple’s desire. Yes, I have inconsistencies in my life that anyone will find should they delve into my actions. I do not perfectly practice what I preach. I confess that with sorrow and with the hope that I am not a rebel, just ignorant! It is one thing to not know the will of God and thus to fail to do it. It is quite another to know what He commands and yet to ignore Him. The Bible reminds us that we sin as much by omission as we do by commission. "You are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil." (James 4:16-17, The Message)

Ms. Schultz probably does not realize that when she shakes her fist at moral absolutes, she is breaking the first of the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3, NIV) That does not simply prohibit worshipping a small clay idol, or adopting the gods of a foreign religion! It is a call to humility of Self, to submission of our minds and hearts to the One True God. The stark and simple fact is that unless one has settled the issue of the primacy of God in all things, life will be disordered and increasing chaos will result. “Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.” - St. Augustine

Disciple, I urge you to place yourself – every attitude, every assumption, every value – at the Throne of God. Invite the Holy Spirit to make known to you any part of you that is not yielded to His mastery. Pray that prayer which David prayed in humble confession; "What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. … Going through the motions doesn’t please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you." (Psalm 51:6, 16, The Message)

___________
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me Jesus take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me Savior wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord I give myself to Thee.
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessings fall on me.

I surrender all,
I surrender all.
All to Thee my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

I Surrender All
Van De Venter, Judson / Weeden, Winfield S.
© Public Domain

God, vindicate me!

The vise of government bureaucracy tightened around the little family. False accusations, broken promises, and abused power destroyed their home, brought financial ruin, driving them to the edge of sanity. As we talked the woman asked, “Why would people do this to us? Is there any justice?” Their story of abuse at the hands of the powerful is not unique. It’s been repeatedly billions of times in history!

David, the shepherd boy from Bethlehem, was called into the service of King Saul. He did his best, serving the king with skill and faithfulness. The people came to love the young man for his leadership and praised him in the streets singing of his exploits. Jealousy took root in Saul’s heart and gradually drove the old king into madness. Again and again, he attempted to kill David. There was no justice, no reason for Saul’s fears. In one of the dramatic stories of the Bible, we learn that David had an opportunity to settle the score. Take a look.

"Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave! “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’ ” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe." (1 Samuel 24:2-4, NLT)
With that piece of the king’s robe in his hand, David waited until Saul had started to move on, then he stepped out and challenged the king saying, "This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’" (1 Samuel 24:10, NLT)
It’s is David’s prayer that we need to memorize for it reveals a heart fully trusting in God’s appointed time of justice. "Let’s decide which of us is in the right. God may avenge me, but it is in his hands, not mine. ….God is our judge. He’ll decide who is right. Oh, that he would look down right now, decide right now—and set me free of you!” (1 Samuel 24:15,The Message)
Are you waiting for justice?
Has some cruel person made your life a nightmare, visiting their crazy worldview on you, trying to destroy you without cause?

Cry out to your Advocate! Plead with Him for justice!
But, be careful about taking matters into your own hands. Our hearts are prone to sin and even though we may feel justified in settling the score, we risk sinning ourselves if we let ourselves go down that road. Better to let God judge! When He decided, it is perfect justice. Until then, we must be guided by our Lord’s instructions.“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. … But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike." (Matthew 5:44-45, NLT)
Waiting for God’s justice gives us great freedom. It allows us to live without fear, trusting the One who knows for our security and vindication. Will you choose to live in faith today?