Great things

Met up with an old friend from university days today.  He and his wife had their first child last December, and it was very special indeed to see my buddy now a husband and a father, and to have him ask for prayer for wisdom and godliness as he leads this household over which the Lord in his grace has placed him.

We talked and chatted like the old days in Cambridge, mainly to do with different stuff we'd been reading or thinking over while walking with Jesus.  But the thing that stuck with me and directed my thoughts on the drive home was something my friend had said about doing "great things."

He hadn't gone back to collect his MA from Cambridge in person, partly because he didn't want to get into comparing post-graduation achievements with his contemporaries.  Many of them, he said, would no doubt have gone on to do "great things", but he felt his life and situation were comparatively unimpressive.

We decided that perhaps life often feels like that for Christians, who throw their all in with an unimpressive, crucified saviour who to the outside world looks anything but "great".  Praise God that one day he will be seen by all as the truly great king that he is. 

But I want my friend to know that the lot God has given him as head of a family IS "great".  In fact, as I look at him and his wife and son I feel probably not too dissimilar to him as he considers his former Cambridge buddies - a sense that MY life and situation are comparatively unimpressive. 

Which then reminded me of David and Solomon, and the "great thing" of building God's temple.  Solomon did it, achieved this "great thing", but within one chapter of 1 Kings falls dramatically out of the picture thanks to his ungodliness.  David, on the other hand, never got to do this "great thing" he so longed to do, but is commended for his desire to do it (1 Kings 8:18).

So, heeding the warning of Solomon's downfall, how right my friend is to seek prayer for godliness as he leads his family - as he lives in the light of achieving this "great thing" of heading a household by God's grace.  

And how advised I would be, looking to David's example and the divine commendation he received, to make my prayer one for a genuine, wholehearted desire to achieve "great things" for God's glory - even if such achievement is withheld from me my whole life by the only wise God.

The beautiful BUT

Nigel Little, the vicar of my church (St Luke's Willerby), delivered a cracking sermon this morning on Ephesians 2:1-10.  The key was how he painted the pictures of deadness in sin and life in Christ.

We were enslaved to our corrupt nature.  We were objects that were offensive to God.  This is life without Jesus.  Doubly sinful, with our inherited fallenness, and the wilful enjoyment of living in a world without him.  

BUT... the Christian, the truster in Jesus, becomes wrapped in Jesus, is in Christ, with Christ.  And the same power that wrenched Jesus from death and made him not only alive but seated him in glory has raised us, and is now for us.  All by grace, so that a Christian should be full of praise, not boasting.  And that same grace puts us to work for God.  Not in the sense of paying him back, not out of gratitude - but we have been made new, with a new purpose: to do the works God prepared in advance for us to do.

Why is it that words that were once and should always be releasing and joy-giving can become stale and unimpressive?   

The reapings of a sinful heart that doesn't naturally rejoice in what is glorious I guess.  God free me to be astounded by his grace and to praise him as I ought.  

See more

Have been inspired by a post on the desiringgod.org blog to take up blogging once more (this will be my third attempt to produce something meaningful and lasting in cyberspace).  Check out their post on "6 reasons why pastors should blog": 

www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1156_6_reasons_pastors_should_blog

I'm not a pastor, but reason 5 ("to develop an eye for what is meaningful") makes good sense to me and appears to make blogging a fruitful activity for any Christian:

"For good or ill, most committed bloggers live with the constant question in their mind: Is this bloggable?  This could become a neurosis, but I'll put a positive spin on it: It nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.

"If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more of what God has to teach you.  And the more he teaches you, the more you can teach others.  As you begin to be inspired and collect ideas, you will find that the new things you've seen and learned enrich far more of your life than just your blog."

So, here's hoping for third time lucky...