Serving Well: Foundations Matter

Faithfulness where we are is needful. This too, though, is by grace. 

Not despising the day of small things has been so poignant a call. Whatever He has placed us in, we are His to do with as He wills and to be faithful to Him where He calls us. We are not serving ourselves, after all, but the God of all Creation. So, who are we to question His wisdom in allocating to us an humble position? 

Rather, this is needful for most, isn't it? To serve quietly, as not to fester in pride. Or, at least, that seems to be my need. 

Granted, that verse is not necessarily speaking directly to these matters, in context. But there's something of this implied, nonetheless, in terms of the judgment of man exalting itself to dare to question God's providence. Wherever and however this case may be. 

We are studying these concepts in the Word as a body of believers, in my local congregation. These things are needful. 

I have no idea how things will go, if matters at present will culminate in this, but the Lord has been helping me have more clarity in regard to a woman's role in marriage: helpmeet. Not preeminent. 

Serving. 

My own life lately has had that theme, in general: called to serve, not be served. For I still struggle with such selfishness--wanting to be exalted and served. 

But that's not why Christ came, dear friends. And so, as we follow Him, it is our call to follow in His footsteps in these same matters. We are called to submit to Him, in loving deference to His preeminence as our God, our Precious Savior, and our Beloved Elder Brother. That is not burdensome then, is it? 

Whatever He calls us into, He goes before us and accompanies all the while. So we can endure. With grace. 

He has been gentling my heart in such matters as are absolutely needless points of contention--upset over "perceived offenses" so insignificant they are actually shameful to be upset regarding (for how absolutely juvenile they reveal me to be--so selfish and proud). Seeing others likewise upset over same is not justification for behaving or responding alike to them. 

Rather, being called to serve rather than be served means I am to give up self-seeking behaviours in favor of caring for others. This, not forsaking the utmost call to serve God foremost, however. 

We must remain rooted and grounded in truth and reality, or our attempted services become harmful. God has created in such a way as all reality reflects who He is--His preeminence and wisdom are evident in all. And His goodness and purity are as replete. He created, He ordered, He sustains--upholding all by the power of His Word. 

So all which is, is of, from, for, and unto Him. Meaning what is not done in accordance with goodness and righteousness defies Him and is thus disordered, a transgression. 

Acting against pure goodness, acting in defiance of His Infinite Majesty...is fundamentally horrific and atrocious. We deride Him, or would be keenly aware of this. 

Having forsaken that reality, and the actual weight of the wretchedness of transgression, we follow-through by forsaking all awareness of the actual harm wrought per course, however, within creation: sin reaps death when it comes to fruition. 

So, whatever service we might attempt to complete in aiding and loving those near us, to whatever extent the motivation and continuation is not securely founded on true deference to God and His ways, there is transgression against Him and the other. No matter how "kind" the motivations may present themselves as being: The Fount of all Kindness--God, Himself--is the absolute foundation from which we can even know kindness, and anything which calls itself that and which yet defies Him, defies actual kindness to any extent which He has not otherwise constrained.  

For that too is a factor we are so blind toward: In His lovingkindness and longsuffering common grace toward all, He actively restrains sin from being all which could be the case, and restrains the consequences from being what they otherwise would. There is coming a day of judgment, which none will be able to avoid...and until then, He exercises mercy upon whom He will. 

These matters though are ones which are very confused, these days. 

Good is called evil, and evil called good. Seemingly all terms are used as though interchangeable. Love is not known in the world, any longer, but rather selfishness, pride, and lust. These destroy us and destroy one another and destroy societies.

So, we must be diligent to know truth, to be able to discern. We must first know the One who is the Fount of Truth, or we are deceiving ourselves, as well. He is willing to receive all who turn to Him. 

This is very much all-over-the-place. There are a lot of concepts which have been overlapping lately, so again, just fundamentally being convicted of the need to submit graciously and follow Christ--even as He didn't count His own Divinity as something to be publicly flaunted...but submitted Himself to mockery, loneliness, misunderstanding, and tortured death at the hands of mankind...as a service to God the Father and us...securing our salvation.. 

Then how much more should we forsake self, forsake perceived "rights," and submit to God to seek to be good ambassadors of His truth--though we will be reviled all the more for it, as false notions of love and kindness abound all the more. That which calls itself kindness is malice, in the world. We must submit to God and seek to grow in true gentleness and kindness, as we plead with others to be reconciled to Him while there's time. And as we seek to serve in whatever ways He has placed before us. 

As He bids us, then, let us follow--taking up our crosses, denying ourselves, and being led in the way of our Lord. By His Spirit, given grace and wisdom and strength to stand and do exploits in the day of adversity. 

What Is Truth?

 God's Word, it is truth. Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate, He is truth. 

That which is essentially, foundationally in accord with what is actual, which is. 

The world shirks and suppresses truth. We all do, apart from God's interventions, and are thus given over to delusions: we cannot forsake that which is actual without actively embracing that which is not. To forsake truth is to embrace a lie. 

And so, what would would have, then? What would we prefer? 

Except that God intervenes, we divest ourselves of reality. Having forsaken Him, we have fundamentally forsaken reality, regardless. And even the dividing line is become indistinct to us, for so doing. 

Yet, even as mentally and spiritually dull as we have become, we no less are constrained to inhabit reality--the same physical realm which He created prevails, and we are impacted by the same spiritual principles regardless of deference. Sin reaps disease and death in all spheres, and ultimately spiritual judgment as we enter the presence of the Ancient of Days. 

So, here and now, what is it to walk in truth? What is it to submit to the Holy One of Israel? Even as through His Son? The Blessed Redeemer, Messiah--He shelters and guides. 

And delivers into truth, knowledge, understanding, wisdom--the desire and the ability to know and act upon truth, obeying Him. 

Apart from which, there are certainly exalted structures which parallel His own--counterfeits, rather. We counterfeit what we have rejected, each and every time we reject His truth, because innately dwells the knowledge that He is good and what He has created is good (in as much as left unsullied by our sin's decimating influence). We want to reject the Giver but retain the gifts, moreover. Yet, the gifts are unavoidably dependent upon right reception for appropriate and beneficial use and experience and undertaking. Otherwise, the gifts themselves become our agents of self-destruction. 

Does this make sense to you? Do you understand how this works? 

All good gifts do come from the Father of Light in whom is no shadow of turning. Yet, we cannot rightfully enjoy His good gifts apart from right relationship with Him, or we make use of them wrongly and unto our own harm: right and beneficial use is absolutely intertwined with giving appropriate glory to the Giver, or otherwise any use becomes misuse.  

Even so goes wisdom. All the vain philosophies of man are rot and harm, to the extent that the glory of the Creator is abjectly denied. There may remain echoes of His truth, still, or even what seem to be mirrored reflections of the righteous goodness which He ordains is required of all His creatures--if so, the extent to which the heart and intent deviate from His holy purity, there is a dire and extensive corruption of all (except that He restrains).

See this epitomized at times, when the rulers or most highly esteemed fashion for themselves a manner of righteousness which does not absolutely depend upon a sincere love of God and His Word, centrally (which we all are guilty of to varying degrees, at various times): 

The Pharisees were known and revered as the religious leaders of their day. They were esteemed for being more righteous than the common man, for long study of the Word of God, for seeking to honor their understanding of the Word, and for being set apart unto God, in an overt sense. 

Yet they defied God. To the extent that when He came, in the flesh, they resented, envied, and despised Him so vehemently as to have Him slaughtered. Rather than submitting to Him. Rather than embracing Him. They had a form of godliness but denied all God's sovereign power and right. 

Jesus did not argue with them, in a sense. But He was not swayed by their attempts to argue with Him, rather responded with truth and grace and increasingly severe clarity, calling to repentance. He responded according to truth and grace. As the Father gave. 

Their "truth" was not His truth. His truth was real and absolute, being fundamentally sourced in and upon all the consistency of reality which arose from and rested upon His own essential Being and Nature. Theirs went so far along the same lines, but then subverted love and justice and mercy and the like, exalting self as arbiter...exalting self as God's equal, in so doing. We are not ever as God, though He allows us in our delusions of grandeur to believe we are--this, this is essentially what it is to worship (ie, to give worth and weight to) self as doing so is always and intrinsically instead of God. 

The lines are drawn, but can only be seen in walking in submission to God. Truth can only be discerned as embraced upon knowing it, having become accustomed to loving it, for having come to love and exalt the source of all. 

And knowing truth, will we not stand firm? Even as humbly doing so, which is the appropriate and only apt means of responding to the truth of God's preeminence and majesty in all things: We submit to the Truth-giver. Submitting to His sovereign rule and power, then to walk in submission, for having come to know that we only know as we are known, to the extent which He has drawn back that veil from our eyes. By His Spirit's work in and through us, applying the Word of Truth. Even His Gospel, which is power unto salvation. 

We are always to grow in discerning, by practice of doing so (hinging upon knowing Him, which is to submit to Him and be led of Him). Testing all to know what is of truth. Do not be deceived: Trust in Him who can deliver. He is Truth. And He is true, though all men be liars. 

Hills We Shouldn't Die On

 My flesh does not like the present trials, at all. Nor ever does it. 

I have been so ill-tempered at times over the last few months, in the midst of such onslaught. The Lord has blessed me with far more than is even remotely manageable by any earthly means, so there is absolutely nothing except to submit to Him and plead continually, depending on His aid. There is no other help. 

None, except what comes by His hand. 

Ultimately. 

After all, He turns the hearts of kings like water flowing through His hands. There is no resistance to Him, nor when He hardens or allows us further hardening of our own heart. 

Even so, His will will be accomplished. 

The need to testify has proven dire, in terms of one facet of failure continual for my part: there has been continued experience that He does inhabit the praise of His people, He delights in that sacrifice of praise, and of righteousness: to believe Him, to know Him, to take Him at His Word, and as such submit in humble obedience to the real need to wait upon His salvation and deliverance, come the storm or bleakest night or heartiest assault of the enemy.

There have been two things standing out, in the midst of countless many, these past couple months: 

As a consequence of being enlightened to realize quite how immature we are, as peoples and societies (self-seeking, emotionally-charged, other-effacing behaviors and impulses--largely unchecked, moreover, and with avoidance of all forthrightness to avoid discomfort, selfishly--are fleshly, unbecoming, childish ways). God is the standard. And He is long-suffering. He is patient. He is kind. He has wrath upon injustice and unrighteousness, and forestalls hasty judgments always. He is reserving vengeance and punishment for the day allotted. Even so, in Christ Jesus, He has made a way for there to be reconciliation and forgiveness prior to the day that curtain falls. 

He is not rash. He is not unrighteously self-seeking, to the detriment of others. He does not avoid difficult truths for the sake of saving face, nor for the sake of allowing false peace to be retained. He interjects what is right and guides and rebukes according to gracious, loving truth, and all kindness, in His perfect wisdom. And He disciplines instructively, correctively, effectively, those whom He loves. For our good and for His glory. 

So to endure hostility and harsh treatments, being inclined and giving over to likewise matters at times, myself? This is instructive, corrective, and such an opportunity to grow in grace. Jesus, Himself, was despised and abused--even at times much prior to the final onslaught. 

He did not revile as He was reviled. He endured, submitting to the Father's will--in love for Him and for us, He was not moved to grasp after His right to be treated well, He did not move to assert His pre-eminence when He was abased and disrespected (though, as God, He deserves all honor and prerogative as His rightful due), and He did not become embittered nor scornful at being harshly treated and wholly misunderstood by those who were even nearest Him (His family thought Him insane, if you look across the Gospels, and were coming to "collect Him," at one point in His ministry--even His disciples completely misunderstood and mischaracterized Him, His motives, and His intentions, ultimately refraining from even asking Him for clarification because of being stricken by the weight of how inscrutable was His way and thoughts, for them: they dared not ask Him for clarification, at a point).

How alone and unknown and despised was He who lived and died for the Father's glory and to secure our imputed righteousness, forgiveness, and justification.  

So, who are we to take offense when mistreated? Who are we, to ultimately find fault in others, when it's our very hands and voices which mocked Him, through those of our progenitors--our kinfolk in Adam, of His day and age...crying "Crucify!," and even prior, seeking to maul Him with stones. 

If I am more like the Pharisee, thinking that these ones are not mine own ilk, then how dire a position I'm in. 

Rather, to love in the midst of it all. To be unmoved by petty emotion, but driven by love of God and others, to endure in charity even as with strength of conviction as to speak with gracious kindness unwavering words of truth (though reviled and accosted the more, for so doing). 

Upon being led to repent and follow Him, that is--laying down my own stones. 

That's the thing: there's that back and forth, battling the flesh. I find myself continually craving after a sense of equal treatment with others surrounding me, who are able to walk on even ground: Wanting to be treated well, thought well of, respected, and shown kindness. And when such things are withheld, there's a sense of affront, as though they are each my just desserts (rather than God's wrath and the shame which, otherwise, should actually be upon me for just such a matter as having erred against One so holy and right--let alone any others, even). 

So, there's that. Summed: Being driven by emotion, perceiving all matters as imminent personal threat or of a nature which warrants a self-defensive stance (to reduce harm to self/emotional pain)...is not loving, nor exhibits trust in God, but is instead a very immature response to difficulties and uncertainties. 

He knows our needs. Trust Him to fulfill. 

That's all the time for now, here. May He bless you in the knowledge of Himself, of truth.