Content With Each Good Day

The main characters in the Lord of the Rings had no idea what their futures held.  They could be sure of trial, pain, and suffering, but could be confident of little else.  The outcome of their upcoming journey was completely unknown.  Failure was the likely result.  Yet during a brief time of refreshment before the storm, their attitudes surprised me greatly, and made me feel disappointment over my own responses in better situations.

"The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present.  Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came..." - J.R.R. Tolkien

Life is hard when your future seems very uncertain.  I have a real problem with letting the unknowns of my life kill any enjoyment I can find in today.  I am continually tested in this area, because I have so many unanswered questions about what I should be doing, what my life will look like down the road, or if the things I have hoped and prayed for are just not going to happen.  Hope shrinks easily in my heart, and I can give in to fear.  But God has promised grace for whatever path He is calling me to walk.  I love this quote by Elizabeth Elliott:

"God shields us from most of the things we fear, but when He chooses not to shield us, He unfailingly allotts grace in the measure needed.  It is for us to choose to receive or refuse it.  Our joy or our misery will depend upon that choice."

This is one of my new favorite promises from the Bible:

"Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.  There is none like unto the God...who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them."  Deuteronomy 33:25-27

Before I read this, I had just been telling God that I really couldn't continue on with these questions and trials anymore.  I couldn't pick my feet up anymore.  He needed to come in and fix my problems, because I just couldn't stand the test anymore.  But this promise came instead, an answer to my prayer I didn't think I needed.  

But let me go back to the story.  When I compare the Hobbits' situation with mine, I find that mine is far better than theirs:

 - They didn't know what the final outcome would be, but I know that the final page in my story will find me in the presence of God, no latter what else lies in between.  Nothing can change that. 

 - The had no assurance that their needs would be met along the way.  I know that my God shall supply all my needs. 

 - They didn't know who would make it to the end, or whether or not any of them would one day find themselves alone with no one to share the burden of their task.  No matter what earthly people leave me, I know that I will never be alone, for Jesus has promised to bear my burden and guide me all the way.   

 - In reality, they had very little reason to hope.  I have every reason to hope, and my hope is certain because God controls everything from beginning to end.

So, my response to trials and fears should be equal to the Hobbits, if not better.  God has given me so many blessings to bring me joy, and so many graces to renew my hope.  I can't let the unknown path ahead ruin that.  I have to choose live in the grace God has given me.  My joy or my misery will depend upon that choice.

The Time That is Given Them

In this first post on lessons from The Lord of the Rings, I want to begin with something Gandalf (the wise, older mentor for the other characters) said early on in the story:

Photograph: Warner Bros/AFP/Getty Images 

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

For followers of Jesus Christ,  it is of critical importance that we make wise choices on how we will spend the time God has given us.  Our Enemy, the Devil, knows this better than we do, and does everything he can to keep us from honoring God with the short life He has for us on Earth.  Not only that, but the pressures from a Godless culture and the trials of living in a world under the Curse can weigh us down, discourage us, and leave us feeling weary to the point of wanting to just sit down and give up the fight.

"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light....put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." Romans 13:11-14 

If you are a believer in Christ, I encourage you to decide today what you are going to do with the time you have been given.  None of us know how long we have to walk on the face of this Earth, but I can promise you that it is short in light of eternity.  The only reason you are sitting there reading this post and still drawing breath is because God has work for you to do here as His ambassador.  We are to continue in the ministry of Jesus our Lord, spreading His glory and making Him known in every corner of the world.  We can't let ourselves get distracted by chasing after things that really don't matter, spending the lion's share of our precious time on things that won't count for eternity.  Believe me, I am preaching to myself here.  

Sit down and spend some time in prayer, asking God to show you what it is He would have you to do right now, today.  Usually, that answer is fairly obvious, but we don't always recognize it (I'm a textbook example of this!)    

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

― Jim Elliot

Where does God have you right now?

What can you do in that situation to bring Him glory and honor?

How can you be faithful where you are? 

Whatever the answer to those questions may be, make this your motto:

"ALL at it — and ALWAYS at it!" 

"This was what John Wesley endeavored to impress upon all his followers — and this is what we would like to see impressed upon the mind of every Christian. We have much to do — and we have little time to do it in. We had need therefore, to be up and at it! Let us all go at it, and let us be always at it — until we hear the Master's voice calling unto us and saying, "Well done, good and faithful servants, enter into the joy of your Lord!" 

~ James Smith

One more thing... never let your present circumstances or the seeming lack of results be your indicator of success.  You may never see the fruits of you labor on this side of eternity.  You will struggle with feelings of insignificance, and you will have times when you grow weary doing good.  Don't lose heart!

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Keep up your courage, fellow believers!  Let the joy of the LORD be your continual source of strength, keep your eyes on the Savior Who is leading you, and let His love for you be the driving force behind the work that you do.

"I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live" 

Ecclesiastes 3:12

Returning from Middle Earth

What do you think makes a good story?  For me, a good story is one that draws you in for the adventure and pulls you into the lives of the characters. What about the best stories, the ones that leave a permanent mark on your heart, that you are sad to see come to an end, and fill you with a special kind of wonder?  These special tales don’t come around very often it seems, but when they do you really aren’t the same once you have closed the book and said goodbye to the people in them. What makes these particular stories so unforgettable?  There are certainly many qualities to be noted.  They have a way of fleshing out themes from Scripture by bringing them to life in the characters. They enamor us with the beauty of Biblical truth. They affirm the honor and nobility of doing what is right.  They inspire courage in our hearts to fight the darkness of this world, no matter what it costs us.  In short, they awaken something in our hearts, a longing desire to live our own stories, even the mundane parts, for something bigger than ourselves… for the glory of God. 

I have recently turned the last page of just such an epic story.  For the first time ever, I have taken a journey through the masterpiece tale by J.R.R Tolkien, namely The Lord of the Rings.  No one could have prepared me for the gamut of emotions I went through in reading it, nor could they have warned me how much I would love every page of this book!  I feel as if I’ve lived the story, grieving and rejoicing and learning and growing right alongside the characters.  Certain passages and lines hit me right between the eyes, showing me hidden faults and giving me encouragement for my journey in life.  Tolkien had a marvelous gift for making spiritual truths become larger than life so that those with eyes to see would in fact see and understand how life is to be lived.  I have a whole list of treasures that I took away from the book, but I have narrowed it down to a few of the most important ones for me that I want to share with you.  I'll highlight a different one in a series of several posts.  Don’t worry… I won’t give away any surprises from the story!

To Be Holy

Glorify His name forever.

It is for this reason we have been made.

In the Westminster Confession of Faith the very first question and answer reads "Q: What is the chief end of man?   A: Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  How often to we really think about this?  Do we wake up in the morning and think about how we can fulfill our purpose, and at each day's close do we reflect how well we have pursued our chief end?  I confess that the first thing that usually comes to my mind is what my tasks are for the day.  I fail to see the big picture, and I don't always look at each new day as another day in which to bring glory to my God.

How do we glorify God?  We do that by reflecting His character.  In short, by living a holy life.  When man was created in the image of God, we were made to reflect or mirror His character.  By pursuing Christ-likeness, we fulfill our purpose.  When God saved us, He saved us to make us holy, to make us like Him.  We will never reach that point in this life.  Only when we are ushered into eternity will our sanctification be complete.  But the reward will be worth it all.

Prayer meetings...

Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the church. ... C. H. Spurgeon

From Susannah Spurgeon

The master-key which fits the locks!
(Susannah Spurgeon, "Words of Cheer and Comfort for Sick and Sorrowful Souls!" 1898)
"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loved you!" Deuteronomy 7:7-8

My gracious God, there is a honeycomb of delight and sweetness in these words! Will You put the rod of faith into my hand, this morning, and enable me to dip the end thereof into this rich provision, that my soul may eat and be satisfied, and that the eyes of my understanding may be enlightened?
"Because the Lord loved you!" This is His great "reason" for all of God's dealings with His redeemed people. It is a full and convincing answer to all the doubts and questionings with which Satan can perplex and distress the Lord's timid ones. The enemy of souls has, alas! a powerful confederate in the wicked unbelief which lurks within us; but they will both be vanquished when we have learned to use this weapon of war against them.
Come, my heart, try its blessed force and quality at this moment! The foe says, "Why does God send you affliction, and sorrow, and suffering--when those who do not fear His Name have continual quietness and abounding prosperity?"
If you can boldly answer, "It is because the Lord loves me!" then you will have given him such a sword-thrust as will free you, for a time, at least, from his cunning devices and fierce onslaughts.
Or, look at the text as a shaft of sunlight, piercing through a chink in the shuttered window of some dark experience. Bring your fears and forebodings out of their dusky corners, and place them within the radiance of this light of love--you will be amazed to see them transformed into confident trusts--your doubts will vanish as if they had never been, and the evil and bitter things of life will all be transformed into blessings in a moment.

"Because the Lord loved you!" is the master-key which fits the locks of the hardest question, and opens the mysteries of the deepest problem! It is a charm of wondrous efficacy, and every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ may not only rejoice in its possession--but use it constantly to obtain all the desire of his heart in spiritual things.
What ails you, poor soul? Is it loss of health, or friends, or means? Has God taken from you some dearly-loved one, and left you alone on this sad earth? Is He trying and proving you, by many and varied tests and troubles, "to know what was in your heart"? Whatever may be your immediate and peculiar sorrow, if you have grace and faith enough to say, "This is because the Lord loves me!"--then I dare to promise you that all the bitterness of the affliction will melt away--and the peace of God will fill you with a sweet contentment which surpasses understanding. No distress can withstand such Divine solace, no anguish can refuse the relief of this balm of Gilead. If all that happens to you can be traced directly or indirectly to the hand of your loving Lord--then how gladly should you bear life's burdens, and how perfect should be the rest in which heart and mind should dwell!
O gracious Master, looking back over the years that are gone--the interminglings of grief and gladness, pass before my eyes as the clouds sail by on an April day. And though the memories of great affliction andsore bereavement cast deep shadows across the scene, and seem for a time to blot out all the brightness--yet, above and beyond those changeful skies--the sun has never ceased shining, and darkness as well as day has proclaimed the immutability of Your love. When the ears of my soul are attuned to catch the soft whisper of Your voice, I hear You saying: "All this, My child, was because I loved you! Left to yourself; you would have destroyed yourself; but in Me was your help found. All the tribulations you have endured, were but My servants to whom I entrusted the necessary discipline of your earthly life. Do not forget those words of Mine: As many as I love--I rebuke and chasten!"

I read this devotion this morning.   I want to get this to really sink into my heart and mind... because the Lord loves me... this is my strength and my joy.  No matter what storms may come or darkness falls, this beam of truth gives me hope and comfort, but I must cling to it.

The fact that God loves me should never cease to strike me with the force of it's incredibility.  I am loved be God, though I am

• quick to doubt, rather than quick to trust
• prone to drift, rather than faithful to cling
• an idolater that tries to find satisfaction in things, rather than find my all in God
• one who looks around me at my circumstances and loses heart, rather than one who fixes my eyes on Jesus and presses on with joy

One of my favorite hymns is "And Can it Be?"  The refrain "Amazing love, how can it be?" never fails to make me wonder at this love of God.  We must run back to the cross, run back to it continually and there find all we need to dispel our fears, shred our doubts, comfort our brokenness, cleanse our dirty hearts.  At the cross, that graphic display of the powerful love of God and His righteous hatred of sin, there we find our answers... I know He loves me, and whatever it is He has asked me to walk through, whatever cup He has asked me to drink, I will do it finding strength in His love.  I will do it with a joy amidst sorrow.

The Heart that Accepts...