Handle Your Business

I woke up early today, meditated and left home at first light to drop off a key for a property we're trying to sell. My sons' schools have been delayed all week because of the snow. My youngest has been out of school for two weeks, and has become quite proficient on thomasandfriends.com. I've enjoyed the break, but I'll be glad to get back to the normal routine.

At my church the theme for Lent is, '40 Days of Healing'. The congregation is in a season of transition. Plans for a new sanctuary have stalled due to the economy, and we're worshipping in a temporary location. Individually many are feeling the effects of the economy. Financial pressures have place added strain on many marriages and families. I'd be lying if I denied the impact that challenging times have had even in my own household. But we know that God blesses struggle. It's in vogue to come off so hyperspiritual that the realities of the world we have to live in have no impact on the life of a 'true' beliver. A 'King's Kid' should have everything fall into her lap with a shout and a dance. A product of the biblically unsustainable prosperity 'theology'. All i have to say to that is, 'Get real!' Even if you're not being impacted personally, where's your sense of compassion for those who are going through?

Anyway, the theme is '40 Days of Healing.' We're studying the book Life's Healing Choices by John Baker. Truly there is a need for healing in the Body. I certainly see the need in my life. As I go through the daily devotions, there's a theme of 'we are powerless over our lives'. It leads me to think about the balance between the call to submission and the call to personal agency. In other words, God wants us to surrender and rely on Him, but God also wants us to handle our business! Even while we look to God to meet our every need, we also ask for strength to be productive, to His ultimate glory.

That said, if you're seeking healing, deliverance, growth, etc, you have to be an active participant in the process. What's going on in your inner being that YOU need to address? How do you respond to God's invitation to be a co-laborer as you 'work out your soul salvation...'? Self reliance can be (and often is) taken to an ungodly extreme, but you've still got to be willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty if you want God to work a change in your life. Pray for discernment to know what is your responsibility, and what is God's.

The Song of Songs

I played a Valentine's Day dinner at a local church. After dinner the pastor delivered a sermonette from Song of Solomon. While I'm familiar with the book and have even studied it a bit, he broke the text down in a way I've never experienced before. He pointedly illustrated the raw sensuality and power in the text, and kept it light enough to encourage some laughter. By his own admission it was not a 'Sunday morning sermon'. He very effectively made the point that this was an illustration of God's design for marital intimacy. Despite puritanical efforts to recast the Song of Solomon as a metaphor for the relationship between Christ and the church, this poem was originally written about a man and his bride, gettin it on! In ancient times, Hebrew scholars weren't even allowed to read it until they had reached a certain level of maturity.

So often in this culture we get the message that sex in marriage is boring, mundane, even a chore. If you're keeping your vows, you're missing out on something. In reality, the way God designed it, married folks should be getting the best of it. The physical as well as a deep emotional and spiritual bonding that can't be replicated elsewhere. That stayed with me. Even though it seems so obvious, it's good to get a reminder now and then. I will never look at Song of Solomon the same. Happy belated Valentines Day.