Category: spiritual lessons

Almighty Father

“Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost, eternal and ever blessed gracious God; to me the least of saints, to me allow that I should keep a door in paradise.   That I may keep the smallest door, the furthermost, the darkest, coldest door, the door which is the least used, the stiffest door.  If it so be but in thine house, O God, if so be that I can see thy glory even afar, and hear thy voice, O God, and know that I am with thee, thee O God.”

A Prayer of St. Columba, 521-597 AD

 

Bryan’s Note

We must travel some distance, before something like this will cling to our hearts.  Columba’s journey to the presence of Jesus most certainly gave him a perspective that enabled him to pray with this intensity and this humility.  We cannot dissuade ourselves of his effort and his overwhelming desire to be near Him.  We can only watch, and mark the zeal which took his heart and soul into the burning presence of His presence.  Columba becomes a guide of what is possible and what is to be sought.  We must become (if we are in pursuit) a people radically changed by the reality of His presence.

 

 

The Varieties of Life: A Prayer for Direction

The Varieties of Life

 

“Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world, that in all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit, that my soul may be wholly resigned to your divine will and pleasure, never murmuring at your gentle chastisements and fatherly correction.  Amen.”  —

Jeremy Taylor

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.”
Interlude

Psalm 46:10-11

American Idols, the Next Season

 

“And though they worshiped the Lord, they continued to follow their own gods according to the religious customs of the nations from which they came.” 

2 Kings 17:33, NLT

 

Exclusive worship is not exactly the first choice of an outwardly religious people.  It can be offensive to the spiritual sensitivities of a people wanting an extra edge on blessing and favor.  We like to hedge our bets and cover our bases.  Worshipping Jehovah alone goes against all we feel and believe from a earthly viewpoint.

Idol worship is alive and well in America.  No longer restricted by carvings of stone or wood, we have ascended to worshipping concepts, or ideas.  For example, “materialism” used to be worshipped as a Golden Calf.  Today it is a god that is worshipped by many in a completely re-done format.  Go down to the Financial District of New York or San Francisco and you will see it laid out pretty obvious. Great effort and considerable activity is given to follow this idol.  Actually an idol is anything we love, find security in, look to instead of God.

Sex, power, music, art, politics, education, popularity and sports are open to people who want to worship.  The ritual of this kind of worship is easier and more prevelant then ever.  Christian believers are hardly immune.  People who fear God alone are rare.  We perpetuate attitudes and ideas that we pass on as our “values” to our children.  It is no wonder they rebel.  Often in their innocence they can see right through our hypocrisy.

We are specialists in spiritual syncretism.  It seems we have achieved a level of sophistication that idolatry and true worship have been blended to our tastes, and we swallow it all with minimal discomfort.  Heck, it even tastes good!  And it gives us so much in return (we think).

As we worship other things, we become enured to the truth.  We begin to actually prefer the taste of lies (as long as they are blended well).  Many times I have sampled other things, typically convenient and attractive.  Like a mineral vein in a mine shaft, it runs very deep and hidden.  It typically starts off small, and not hardly noticeable.  But it works its way through our minds and hearts.

When we first start worshipping an idol we have feelings of guilt and shame. Deep down we know it is not right (Isa. 45:16; Psalm 106:36) It is an universal truth that idols, in their mirage-like characteristics, lead us to spiritual poverty and confusion.  Since we become hardened by this false worship, we hardly notice.  When people (or books) speak truth to us, we will typically become angry and defensive.  We are pretty protective of our favorite idol.  Typically, if there is hostility, there you will find an idol.

Idolatry is running rampant through our culture.  It is not something we have “outgrown” as a civilization, rather we have “grown into it”. There now exists a sophistication to idol worship that the ancient Israelites lacked.  We have developed a blend that denies nothing and promises everything.  And any commitment to exclusive truth is regarded as fanaticism, hate and bigotry. 

“Little children, keep yourself from idols.”  1 John 5:21

Salt That is Not Quite Salt

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

–Matthew 5:13, NIV

In the Middle-East, salt has a real impurity problem.  Comparing it to what you have on your table would be foolish.  There is simply no comparison.  The idea of salt degrading to non-salt was expected.  It just didn’t measure up.  Jesus in declaring that His disciples were “salt”, was taking a risk.  Could His followers remain distinctive in a virtual flood of antagonistic hostility?

Salt has a challenging destiny.  It must remain distinct while preserving everything around it.  That is not easily done.  Salt has an inherent savor that makes it very distinctive.  As a Christian there exists a distinction and a uniqueness that differentiates one from the world about him.  I have become different because He has made me distinct.  We dare not think that we are believers simply because we are exceptional.

Jesus warns that we can dilute ourselves into a state of self-imposed obsolescence.  We simply compromise ourselves to the point of losing any distinctiveness.  We just become a non-entity, by choice.  We basically zero ourselves out and allow the World to roll over us, all without a squeak. In this case, compromise is disguised as flexibility.  We betray our Lord with a soothed and bandaged conscience.

Jesus stated that saltless salt would become a non-factor, an anachronism of devastating loss.  It would no longer be able to ally itself as an agent of change, but be as common and as ubiquitous as common dirt.  Lo, how the mighty have fallen! To be regarded as common dirt.

Warned of this outcome, we find ourselves in the unique position of needing to be authentic.  Authenticity however, directs us down the path of irrevocability.  We simply find ourselves in a corner, and we have to come to a decision.  Will it be faithfulness to Christ or compromise to soothe our conscience?  Trust me, it is easy to compromise.

Jesus boldly declares that His real followers will come through.  They will believe in Him to the point-of-death.  We have been given the blessing of both time and space to make our decision.  We, ourselves have been caught in the valley of decision.  Can we be able to make a choice that becomes a real spiritual difference?

PLEASE, do not continue to compromise.  Do not vacillate and attempt to call it enlightenment and adaptability.  You are salt, and you will be different.  Let the world go on without you.  You don’t belong anyway.