Looking in a Mirror

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It has been my observation while skittering through the book of Isaiah looking for a reference on Jesus, there is a beautiful description of God in the throne room in chapter 6. I became extremely aware of my own shortcomings as I reviewed Isaiah’s verbal brush strokes concerning the holiness of God.

Isaiah says — woe to me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people with unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:5).

Isaiah expresses the feeling of every person who encounters the holiness of God magnified in the purity and blazing presence of God. We can see Isaiah in awe with his glimpse of God in the throne room.

Using God’s holiness as a mirror, we see ourselves as God sees us. As I read Isaiah 6:5, I was humbled by the contrast between Isaiah and the brilliance of God. We walk with God, but we are comfortable in the surroundings that we live today. We look upon the lack of holiness in humans as a normal part of life. We are not surprised when we do not find politicians truthful. We are not totally dismayed by faithless leaders; we have come to expect less than honest activities from people we do business with. Life goes on, yet –the mirror of Isaiah 6:5 hangs there, quietly, unassumingly, revealing ourselves as God sees us.

Hebrews says – For the Law, being only a reflection of the blessings to come and not their substance, can never make perfect those who come near by the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. Otherwise, would they not have stopped offering them, because the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer be aware of any sins? Instead, through those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Hebrews 10:1-4).

I am unable to properly define the holiness of God. Try I am, but it is impossible. Why? God is incomparable, incomprehensible, and his level of holiness is undefinable with the language of mere humans. Holy is the way God is. He is not conforming to a higher standard of holiness; He is the standard. His incomprehensible purity pushes out any thoughts that suggest he is other than what he says. To keep us safe we only see his glory in part; yet His majesty and power envelops us; we who walk with him are given tools and grace to resist irreparable moral collapse (Hebrews 1:3-4 paraphrased). Every time we can detect his judgment in history, his action has been an act of holy preservation.

David said — On the glorious splendor … of Your wonderful works, I will meditate. (Psalms 145:5)

So, what do we do? We must, like Moses, cover ourselves with faith and humility before we take an ever so brief look at the God who no man can see and live. Once again, I think of Isaiah’s observation at the top of this essay (Isaiah 6:5). God is a perfect mirror to help us see our imperfections.

God says – I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen (Exodus 33:19-23 paraphrased).

God’s holiness is like a mirror, the mirror hangs there, gently, unostentatiously revealing our nature through God’s eyes. We see ourselves, we shudder, and then we head north in humility to walk with him. It is that simple. In our walk, we respect the things of God. His mirror keeps us in a safe harbor.

I choose Jesus.

Time To Rise Up

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It has been my observation that meditation comes in many formats, the common thread for them is –focus on a single point in scripture, focus on God, and exclude all other thoughts. My personal journey with meditation for the last year or so has been the formation of written thoughts that fit on one page.

When I am gathering my information, I look at many sources, I read many people on the subject. Then I check-in with my favorite commentators — RCH Lenski, John Walvoord, Henry Thiessen, and Mathew Henry. Once I have the basics then I start meditation and scribbling. I ask the basic questions, who, where, what, when, and why. I slip deeper into thought. I get really quiet. I search for the cadence on the subject, building sentences and ideas, finding the path through the data until I get to the essence. I want each sentence in the essay to connect with the previous. During this process I am focused on God’s Word (only a few verses), and I am discovering the things I need to understand and act upon.

Psalm 77, a psalm of Asaph, provides a grand perspective of meditation. It defines the journey of his deep thinking and provides an insightful view of pondering on the things of God. Asaph links his thinking with the creation of a written document – this guy created songs (wrote stuff down) from his meditation. Then used the songs to expand and enhance his subsequent meditation events.

Asaph said – I remembered you (my God), and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I was not able to find the words. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: Has God forgotten to be merciful? Where is he? Did he take the day off? Has he, in anger, withheld his compassion? Am I now an outsider? Then I thought – I will turn my focus upon the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand with mercy towards me. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. These memories will bring me peace (implied in Psalms 77:3-6, Psalms 77:9-12).

Take note of the line of reasoning Asaph builds. He groans from the weight. He is full of trouble, he is struggling to focus, but he keeps at it. His mind is racing, it is too troubled to even sleep. We have all been there. Then he remembers God. He remembers the old days; he recalled his previous songs and the circumstances that caused their creation. He can hear the songs and it brings him some respite. He drifts deeper into his meditation, his head cleared of the noise. He is finding the cadence of thought, his rhythm. He forms an appeal for peace – Asaph gets really focused. Now he is cruising. His heart is calm, he is resting in the hand of God. He remembers the deeds, the good stuff that God has done. He remembers the miracles of long ago. They still are true, they still testify to the glory and power of God, and they are relevant to his current situation. he ponders on the mighty deeds of God.

Now, let us pay attention to the change in Psalm 77. Asaph said — The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. our path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. (Psalm 77:16-19).

Asaph is extremely focused, he thunders out the majesty of God, this is not empty thinking, this is meditation that leads to a call to action. Asaph is a warrior. God is on the move, thunder and lightning abound. Meditation over. The warrior is ready to act. It is time to rise up. God is on the move! Selah!

I choose Jesus.

Hollywood and the Camp Cook.

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Long before Hollywood met Miss Tillie, the camp cook was the main focus of his energy in the afternoons. There was only one thing more important than telling tall tales in the evening to his friends – that most important thing was — a full tummy.

Well, I remember once when Hollywood was working on the Box Elder Ranch and he was out there all by himself with a big old wagon full of barbed wire, fence posts, shovels, and all kinds of things that he needed to repair or install fences. All day long he would roll that big old wagon up close to a fence, then pull out a fence post, dig a hole, and drive a new fence post into the ground. Then he moved that old wagon about 15 feet, pulled the old fence post out of the ground, dug a new hole in the ground, and put another fence post into that new hole. Hollywood continued this process, he would go along the trail, replacing about 20 or 25 fence posts at a time.

He would circle the wagon back around to the beginning point, hook up a single lead of wire, and stretch it from the first post all the way to the last post. After he loosely tacked the wire to each post, he stretched that wire real tight. Then, from there, he would string two more runs of wire on the set of new posts and he would have himself a new segment of fence. Finally, he would go a little bit further down and start all over, put in about 20 or 25 posts and then string the three wires across the posts. Some days, this was all he would do, replacing fence from sunup to sundown.   So, you can imagine he was pretty hungry by the end of the day.

On one of those fence days, he returned to camp after a difficult day of stringing fence in the foothills. The camp cook was not done with dinner like he usually was. Goodness, his tummy was grumbling, grumbling, and grumbling. He worked really hard to keep his mouth shut because he did not want to rile up that cook and make him work even slower than he already was. He began to think on scripture about patience and he was reminded of a song that his mother used to sing. He could hear her voice right now. Here is what she would sing —

I was working on the Box Elder, stringing fence wire like thread.

Spent a long time in Dakota, when drifting was part of the day.

Nothing was too good for the cowboys, least that was what the boss would say.

I think he was an old-time rancher, known for how well he kept his crew fed.

Well, you know, Hollywood knew his boss was a good man and he had hired the best cook in the county. But today it has been a hard day and Hollywood was very, very hungry. So Hollywood was trying hard to be patient, but it was not easy. He could smell the vittles cooking slowly. He could hear the noise they make as they are gradually becoming crispy. The aroma was delectably tasty. But the cook said not yet — we are not ready to eat.

Hollywood was working hard to be patient, but it was not going well. He had to leave the kitchen area. He walked out where the cattle were. They were at peace. Hollywood knew trouble was brewing in his mind. He needed to get control. Goodness, it took a while to tell Lucifer to leave, the negative thoughts from Lucifer were not helping.  Hollywood was not willing to give into his temper, he told Lucifer to get lost – Hollywood was clear in his thoughts as he prayed – I am resisting you Lucifer, God tells me you must flee. Hollywood knew if he got mad, Cookie would move even slower than he already was. So, Hollywood put Lucifer on notice, God was not going to tolerate the noise from Lucifer.

Hollywood stayed patient and he stayed quiet. The time passed, his mind was still. God had pushed Lucifer away, and then you know what happened?

He finally heard what he wanted to hear. Hollywood could hear that clanging iron… He heard that triangle sing out with that beautiful ring, calling all of the cattle hands in to the kitchen to pick up their plate and come get some food so they could eat.

But Hollywood’s struggle was not over, by the time Hollywood got there, the line was pretty long. You know, Hollywood went too far away with his wandering while he was trying to hold his temper. And now, there he was, at the end of the line. Wait, and wait, and more waiting. But Hollywood knew God would leave enough food for him. There was always going to be enough food for every person on the crew because that is the kind of boss that he worked for. So, he just started praying about the good things that God gives you. And gradually, bit by bit, the line moved. Hollywood was able to get his meal and sit down. And once again he heard words from his mother. She sang this beautiful song. It seemed like she had written this song just for today. And here is what she had to say —

Fried potatoes, soft beans, flapjacks; good ole bread made of sour dough,

Maple syrup, Jam, and Jelly all over the place, Mountain Oysters cooked just so.

Hollywood reached for that cup of coffee that Cookie gave him, sat down, sipped on that coffee, and started working on his plate. He looked over and noted Cookie’s face. Cookie was beaming.

Cookie says direct to Hollywood – You know, you were the last guy in line. So, guess what! You are the first one to get seconds. Why don’t you come on up here and fill your plate up a second time because you look really hungry. Besides, I know I was late. I am deeply sorry, my friend. I had to find those potatoes. I had to go all the way back into the city. I did not have any. I needed to get potatoes and that pushed all of the meal preparation back. When I finally got back with the potatoes, I knew that I was going to have a lot of men waiting. Hollywood, I saw your patience. I knew you were hungry, but you were patient and you did not say a word. You just waited. You made my day, Hollywood. You made my day. Thank you.

And once again, Hollywood heard his mother singing in his mind. She sang to him —

It seemed they knew our tummy; they knew how to keep us at work.

Thus, when the going got really tough, not one of us was ever called a shirk.

Hollywood finished that second plate of food and his tummy was full. He drifted off to the bunkhouse to sit with all of his friends and tell tall tales as the sun disappeared over the horizon. He could hear the cattle in the background calling, and later that evening Hollywood went out on watch and started singing to the cattle. He sang his mother’s songs over and over and over again as the evening passed, and the cattle were quiet — at peace. Everything was at peace for Hollywood in the Wyoming foothills of the Wind River Range.

Ephesians 4:2 — Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love

Please note: In 1956 a cowboy poet, Jim Jennings, published a short book about his experience working at ‘dude’ ranches in the west. My Great grandmother, Goldie Livingston, obtained a first edition copy of Jim’s self-published book in the fall of 1956. The poetry in this story is adapted from Jim’s book.

Looking In A Mirror

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It has been my observation while skittering through the book of Isaiah looking for a reference on Jesus, there is a beautiful description of God in the throne room in chapter 6. I became extremely aware of my own shortcomings as I reviewed Isaiah’s verbal brush strokes concerning the holiness of God.

Isaiah says — woe to me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people with unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:5).

Isaiah expresses the feeling of every person who encounters the holiness of God magnified in the purity and blazing presence of God. We can see Isaiah in awe with his glimpse of God in the throne room.

Using God’s holiness as a mirror, we see ourselves as God sees us. As I read Isaiah 6:5, I was humbled by the contrast between Isaiah and the brilliance of God. We walk with God, but we are comfortable in the surroundings that we live today. We look upon the lack of holiness in humans as a normal part of life. We are not surprised when we do not find politicians truthful. We are not totally dismayed by faithless leaders; we have come to expect less than honest activities from people we do business with. Life goes on, yet –the mirror of Isaiah 6:5 hangs there, quietly, unassumingly, revealing ourselves as God sees us.

Hebrews says – For the Law, being only a reflection of the blessings to come and not their substance, can never make perfect those who come near by the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. Otherwise, would they not have stopped offering them, because the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer be aware of any sins? Instead, through those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Hebrews 10:1-4).

I am unable to properly define the holiness of God. Try I am, but it is impossible. Why? God is incomparable, incomprehensible, and his level of holiness is undefinable with the language of mere humans. Holy is the way God is. He is not conforming to a higher standard of holiness; He is the standard. His incomprehensible purity pushes out any thoughts that suggest he is other than what he says. To keep us safe we only see his glory in part; yet His majesty and power envelops us; we who walk with him are given tools and grace to resist irreparable moral collapse (Hebrews 1:3-4 paraphrased). Every time we can detect his judgment in history, his action has been an act of holy preservation.

David said — On the glorious splendor … of Your wonderful works, I will meditate. (Psalms 145:5)

So, what do we do? We must, like Moses, cover ourselves with faith and humility before we take an ever so brief look at the God who no man can see and live. Once again, I think of Isaiah’s observation at the top of this essay (Isaiah 6:5). God is a perfect mirror to help us see our imperfections.

God says – I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen (Exodus 33:19-23 paraphrased).

God’s holiness is like a mirror, the mirror hangs there, gently, unostentatiously revealing our nature through God’s eyes. We see ourselves, we shudder, and then we head north in humility to walk with him. It is that simple. In our walk, we respect the things of God. His mirror keeps us in a safe harbor.

I choose Jesus.

Communion with God

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It was my observation in the Old Testament, two Hebrew words are translated “meditate.” One of the words hints about a quiet muttering sound; the other suggests an idea to be taken up or absorbed. Taken together, we get the idea of someone pondering a biblical text, quietly vocalizing the meaning.

David writes — I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways (Psalms 119:15)

JI Packer said — Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God… It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.

If our focus of meditation is on God, his word, his holiness, his ways, his creation, then we are moving in the right direction. We are putting the makers mark on our heart. We are infusing scripture into the very place where it can do the most good to shape our inner life and outer actions…

CS Lewis says — meditation is a devotional practice that we engage in with God’s help to know Him better, love Him more, experience closer communion with Him, and live for His glory.

Read this slowly — But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night (Psalms 1:1-2); I meditate on You in the night watches (Psalms 63:6); My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long (Psalms 71:24); Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight (Psalms 19:14); My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding (Psalms 49:3); I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways (Psalms 119:15); My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes (Psalms 119:48); Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation (Psalms 119:97, 99). Are you feeling it?? If not read it again.

When God asked Joshua to lead the Hebrew nation into the promised land, He said — This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). To accomplish this task, the thing that God called him to accomplish, Joshua needed to infuse himself with God’s message, breathe it into the other people around him, and move the nation forward.

When you start to crawl into the life of Paul you get the feeling that he was far beyond just carrying a box of scripture around, with file tabs and handy little bookmarks to make it easy to find stuff. They were so closely tied (meditation) to the message he simply allowed streaming thought to prevail. Paul walked and talked about this stuff all the time.

Yet, Paul was the first to say – I struggle with this thing. I know what is right, but fail, I want to do right and I fail, I could just sit in the road and pout. But thanks be to the Jesus I serve — He knows my weaknesses and lifts me up. Not by me, but by the grace of Jesus I live (paraphrased from Romans 7). This infusion of the Word on his heart was amazing. He moves back and forth between the old covenant and the new, using the old to explain the new — never missing a beat, he hears from God, he understands, and he moves forward. No fear.

This solid grasp of God’s intent, empowered by the Spirit of God infusing us with the Word, is what we need. All of us. How else can we successfully navigate the daily drama of a fallen world? This is how God whoops Lucifer. Jesus scores. Lucifer is down.

I choose Jesus.