Plague of the Puzzle Master

Growing up, I was in gifted classes. What does this mean? Well, it means that year after year I was removed from the memorization of normal school work and placed into programs that trained children to use logic. I remember those daily practices of training my mind to see patterns, and to then apply that pattern to what the answer should be. This stuff is fun. These are the things that puzzles are solved by. Here's the problem though:

The way God wants me to live goes against that process. God wants me to be fluid. God wants me to constantly be looking to Him to find out what to do next, not to look at what I've done already and logically process what the next linear event should be. Cool? Alright, now that that matter is resolved...

Or is it? I find myself often going through this refining process where I am broken, and then in my brokenness, am sifted through and made stronger and more pure. That run on sentence sums up a very complex and long process, but you get the idea. The end of each cycle of this process is the part where I am able to see all of the amazing stuff that God has been doing while I was crying. At this point I feel incredible. I feel so in touch with the Holy spirit and what the Lord is showing me that it is just pure strength and joy. And then I wake up the next morning, remembering how I felt the day before... and I want to continue that. So, rather than continue the posture that allowed me to be in acceptance of whatever the Lord wanted me to do or feel, I do something else. My logical, pattern oriented side comes out and I begin to attempt to recreate the ACTIONS that I did the previous day.

Lesson:

When God calls you to do something and you respond by willingly doing it, the incredible things that happen will take your breath away.

So often we want to be used by God, and instead of looking for what He calls us to do in that moment, we go to do the same sort of thing that He called us to do last time... and guess what? Nothing happens.

Think about that with intensity. Examples. Memories. It's valid.

Lawn and Order

This afternoon I mowed the backyard at this house that I'm watching. The backyard had not been mowed in a month or so and was exceptionally tall and thick. This is what I discovered as I began my journey of lawn care:

• When the lawn is that overgrown, you have to be careful not to allow the grass to clog the mower.
• you have to mow over most of the lawn at least a couple of times just to get it to look relatively cut.
• while this initial mowing is laborious, it is vital to allowing for the easy and necessary upkeep in the future that will allow you to enjoy this lovely lovely lawn.

and here's how that relates to the journey of sanctification:

• When your life has been sloppy, you have to be careful not to allow your habits to overwhelm your motivation for change.
• you have to overcome the same habits and sins multiple times before they can become areas that resemble the other parts of your life.
• while the intensity of the beginning steps of this process makes it strenuous, it is vital to strengthen and prepare you for the necessary upkeep and forward movement that will allow you to enjoy this lovely life.

etc.

Then David Got Up From The Ground... PART 2

The story of David and Bathsheba doesn't end with a fall. The story ends with the resurrection of the fallen. 

As David finally confesses his sins, he is met by God's forgiveness. Forgiveness does not mean a lack of consequences though. Forgiveness means that David doesn't die right then. Forgiveness means that he is welcomed back to continue his journey of serving the Lord. 

As part of the just consequence that David receives, his new baby will get sick and die. David reacts to this the way that I do. He started out saying that he was so sorry and felt so bad... but when God gives him punishment, David tries not to accept it... and pleads with the Lord to take it away. David ends up fasting on the floor, begging and pleading for the child to live. Here comes another awesome development...

The servants are so disturbed by seeing their king acting crazy on the ground that they are afraid to tell him that the baby has died. They think, 'if he acted like this while the child was living, what will he do when he finds out it is dead?!?!?!' What will he do? He will respond in a way that is an example to christians throughout the ages. When David learned of the child's death it says:

 "David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate." 

Recap:

1. David stood up
2. David got clean
3. David worshiped the Lord
4. David continued living the life that he was intended to live
   

I feel like there is a period of limbo that our culture inflicts on us where we are "forgiven" but still shamed. Where we are pressured to NOT serve the Lord in the way that we are called, but instead sit in the corner obsessing over our sin. This is what the world tells us... this is the guilt that the enemy tries to drag us down with... and it is not right.

David shows us what life is like with an intimate understanding of what God wants from us. His actions, his words, his confessions, all speak of God's character and desire for intimacy. God calls us to get up from the ground and to not remain with the sin that He has forgiven. He desires us to be His servants and be in fellowship with Him... not to be His prisoners, separated from Him in exile. 1John1:9 tells us: "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Stand up and be cleansed. Do not carry the guilt and shame of your sins with you. Practice discipline and strengthen yourself in the ways that the Lord calls you to be strong. Serve no other gods (computer, phone, girl, boy, money). Serve God in every way you can. Go where He calls you and NEVER be ruled by fear or sin.

Be loved and forgiven. 

Then David Got Up From The Ground...

It's interesting how self discipline works. If you take a break from it..... well, you stop having it altogether. I've been thinking about this since I noticed that there seemed to be a division between God and I that I used to accept, but can no longer stand. 

Here's the deal: in the same way that if you stay in bed for a year you will not have the strength to run a marathon, if you don't practice self discipline in the simple matters you will not have the strength to practice them in the big matters.

Let's look at David

In case you haven't heard, King David got lustful, slept with the wife of one of his soldiers, and then had the husband murdered. I love the subtle way that this story starts out in 2 Samuel 11: "In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight... However, David stayed behind." So, at the beginning we see that David has forgone his normal disciplines to stay behind and.... take a nap. That's all that the bible let's us know about his activities at home. That too is significant. How often do we do that? We're called into battle and we decide to stay home and sleep. 

Next we see the story of corruption unfold. David sleeps with another man's wife and then tries desperately to hide it (2Sam.11:6). I hate that part. 

It's so painful to have to watch as the best of the best... the man that conquered a Giant out of faith... the man that lived so in line with how God wanted him to... to watch him fall. To watch him disappoint.                                       

... but the story doesn't end there...