Something Better

All morning I've been thinking about a song by The Desperation Band called "Pleasing to You". Great song, but as I'm facing some newly exposed (by God) areas in my life that are very uncomfortable and painful to look at, and cause me to feel like I've regressed spiritually and emotionally about 8-25 years, I started questioning, "Why would I want to be pleasing to God if this is the result!?"

I wonder if that's a question that gets asked silently much more than I realize. I wonder if that's why believers fall away...and those who once claimed to embrace Jesus turn back to themselves and self-sufficiency. I wonder if they've been disillusioned with a "prosperity gospel"...I wonder how many of us don't see truth, when it's the truth that will set us free.

Pleasing to God.... The song says, "Sanctify me. Clean out my closet. Take away anything that is not pleasing to You. Purify me. Destroy all my anger. Wash away everything that is not pleasing to You. ...Taking my cross, I will follow...."

WHY would we do that?? It certainly seems safer and more comfortable NOT to.

God put it in perspective for me as He reminded me of Hebrews 11.40, "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (NIV)

I can only experience the "something better" when I cooperate with His plan. His plan is good (Jeremiah 29.11) and will bring us freedom (Galatians 5.1). Listen to what Romans 8.21 says in the Amplified Bible: "That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children."

I want that "glorious freedom". I don't want "bondage to decay and corruption". But freedom always has a price. Jesus, not even being subject to that bondage, chose to pay the high price to give us opportunity for freedom. The price for us is to let go of our bondage. Sometimes letting go feels like a crucifixion. In one sense, it is. It is the choice to allow any impurities in us to be crucified and destroyed. Our impurities are often things we put our hope in to satisfy us or bring us security because we can't see another way to be secure or satisfied. The crazy part of it is that those things we're holding onto really aren't making us secure enough or satisfied enough. But when we can't comprehend another way, it's hard to let go. Depending on how long and how tightly we've held onto these impurities, crucifixion of them may involve blood, sweat, tears, pain, sacrifice, release.

However, we have the hope of resurrection. God resurrects to freedom, renewal, holiness, beauty. I want what God will provide in resurrection. "Resurrection comes only because there is first a crucifixion." (Gene Edwards, Exquisite Agony) We have hope of "something better": "glorious freedom"...no more bondage...peace and joy that come only from trusting God for our satisfaction and security.

This "crucifixion" can feel overwhelming...a heavy burden to bear. But, again, God doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves. He provides a way out from the weight of the burden: "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (Psalm 55.22, NASB) The Amplified Bible says, "Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you". We can release the weight of it. What a comfort to have Someone who is capable of sustaining me...and WILL. I want to be "pleasing to [Him]". What about you?

Modern Relationship - my two cents

As I think about modern views of relationship, I'm disappointed. The movie Julie and Julia, although entertaining, was another example of this for me.

I think it's wonderful that Julie found direction in her life. However, she gave the credit for her life's meaning to another woman who had no interest in knowing her. How sad. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be directed in your life's meaning and purpose by someone who knows you very well AND is thrilled over relationship with you?

God says this: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jer. 29.11, NIV)

And He also says, "'For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.'" (Zeph. 3.17, NLT)

I want to seek my life's direction from THAT relationship.

Along similar relational lines, I find it interesting how connected we can feel to each other on facebook, and how deceptive that connection can really be. We can be lulled into feeling like we know our facebook friends, but what does it really mean when someone's having a bad day? For one person, it means that he overslept, hit every stoplight on the way to work, traffic was heavy and he had to work through lunch. For another, a bad day means he's devastated because his wife left him.

Do we know the difference? For so many, facebook and the internet are their source of building and maintaining relationship, but you cannot 'know' someone that way. You need face time (not just face 'book' time) with some friends that you'll pursue more depth with. We have to know, at least for a few friends, what exactly it means when they're having a 'bad day'.

Don't allow the internet to deceive you with an intimacy facade. Nothing can substitute for non-verbal communication...touch, tone, a look, and ultimately sharing and exploring the depths of one's heart.