Note to Flock

”Fear not, little flock, it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” —Luke 12:32

I have loved this verse since I was a child. Delighted to follow Jesus’ exhortation thrice recorded in the Gospels, *  I love being His little lamb, no matter how arthritic my limbs and wrinkled my face. And now, as I follow the trail of what gives Him pleasure in Scripture, I’ve run smack into this image once again. He not only cares tenderly for us daily, but He rejoices in giving us entrance into all the delights of His Kingdom (which are more than we can possibly imagine*). Not just eventually, one day in Heaven, but right now, as we choose daily  to look to Him as Shepherd and King.

We’re living in a different kingdom than many of those around us, as we walk this earth as His grateful, affectionate subjects. Every choice we make to please Him, to see the crinkles fan out from His spirit eyes, is a source of joy to Him. Foregoing the world's way of seeking pleasure, we seek His,  and thereby find our own.

“...Steep yourselves in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday, human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! Your Father wants to give you the very Kingdom itself!”  —Luke 12:32 The Message
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*“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God [with faith and humility like a child] will not enter it at all. “ Luke 18:17  (See also Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15)
**”But, as it is written, ‘Things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him and who gratefully recognize the benefits He has bestowed.’].“ 1 Corinthians 2:9. (Isaiah 64:4)

The Pleasure of a Parent

   In my continued search for what pleases God (what makes Him happy, what brings a smile to His face), I was struck this morning by the parallel with our own parenting. (So many of these blog posts have come out of such insights.) Doesn’t it please your tender parent’s heart when your child trusts in and relies on you...when he or she looks to you for advice or comfort, knowing how greatly you care for them?

   Always we must ultimately direct them to their perfect Father in Heaven. However, He has allowed us the privilege of being His representative ‘with skin on.’ here on earth. Whether you remember these times from the distant past or are currently raising little ones, you can feel the consuming love and tenderness in your heart as those small arms reach out to you with trust and dependence. They know your heart toward them, never questioning your desire to be all they need at that moment. This heart of ours toward our children never changes, no matter their age.

   I believe God feels the same way about us. It pleases Him when we turn to and rely on Him for even the smallest of circumstances. No matter how youthful or grey our hair, our outstretched arms bring Him joy. His parent’s heart overflows toward us.

   Sometimes I think we’re reluctant to reach out to Him because we feel somehow we’re ‘bothering Him’ with insignificant concerns. But when we truly understand that it pleases Him when we trust in and rely on Him, praying without ceasing’ throughout our days, we can come to Him happily without restraint or reluctance.

   My mother rarely had the opportunity to go out to eat. In the days of my childhood, going out to eat was a rarity for most people. One time she was able to attend a special dinner with my father, who was a history teacher. Every summer he had to work at a second job to make ends meet. So this was a special evening for both of them as they attended a prepaid event.  The menu options were abundant, and it was rather like a cruise, in that you could have as many different items as you wished.  My mother, however, was reluctant to order more food because she didn’t want to keep bothering the waiter. She found out later, however, that the waiter was paid extra every time he had to go back to the kitchen for a customer!

   By no means am I comparing our Creator to a waiter, but the parallel still speaks truth to us:  Sometimes the bother in our eyes is, instead, a blessing to the Giver.

The Search for Pleasure, Part III

   In the last post we discovered that it gives God pleasure  when people come to know, believe in, and trust in Him. They then become His children. He loves the whole world, but the whole world is not comprised of His children. (John 1:12) It is we, His children, who give Him pleasure by our very existence.

  Today we stop on our journey and ponder Ephesians 5:9-10 (Amp)
“...for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation.]”*

   So it seems that our journey, itself, is scriptural. That makes me happy. We must be moving in the right direction! Here’s another verse, from Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.”

   Giving ourselves completely over to Him pleases Him, including those areas we’ve been holding back.  At first, many of us are afraid of what He’ll ask of us.  However, we’re not entrusting our whole selves ( body, soul, and spirit) to another human. [Jesus knew better than to do that (John 2:24-25).] We’re entrusting ourselves to the One Who created us and loves us best, the one who knows every thought we have, every word we think, every fear we try to hide, and every desire of our heart. As I stated in “Used,” we are never expendable in His eyes. Our fears of what He’ll call us to are ungrounded. He understands them, but it makes Him happy when we overcome them with His help. “Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

   Let’s agree together to cast off those fears of offering ourselves completely to Him, through a greater trust in Him. Based on the Scriptures we’ve addressed so far, we’ll make Him doubly happy. Shall we go for triple in the days ahead?

   
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*In case you’re not familiar with the Amplified Bible, additions in parentheses are an expansion of the meaning of the original word in the Greek, like using synnyms to better understand the meaning. Sections in brackets are the tranlator’s ‘justified, clarifying’ additions as best understood by both the vocabulary and the larger context.

The Search Continues

If you didn’t read the previous blog post from Nov. 8 on Pleasing God, go back and read that first.  We are on a journey through the Scriptures searching for what makes God happy, since we love Him so very much.
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Psalm 149:4-5 Amp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds.

I love this first Scripture in our search.  To please God, we just have to humbly be who we are! He takes pleasure in those who have responded to His love and good news, His evangel. I don’t believe the discovery of this as our first verse is a coincidence. We should be grounded first in the assurance that He takes delight in our very existence.  We should ‘sing for joy upon our beds’ as we ponder this wonderful truth.

Giving God Pleasure

    When We talk about pleasing God, we often picture ourselves making a right choice. We might even picture Him saying, “Right. (Smile) Good job. Check. You’re hitting 85% here. Keep up the good work.  Next?”    Through the years, however, I have come to see God not at a distance with His clipboard, but ‘close up and personal,’ as the saying goes.

   As often happens, I was recently struck in a new way by a Scripture from Psalm 147. . It begins with “The Lord takes pleasure in...”.  I have long considered my desire not just to dutifully obey God, but to make Him happy...to cause Him to smile tenderly and with intimate joy, maybe even to cause Him to throw His Head back amd laugh.  It seems rather like watching someone open and excitedly rejoice in a gift you’ve given him. The recipient’s face lights and the crinkles around his eyes show far beyond a simple thank you that you have hit the mark in blessing him.

   Sometimes, though, I realize that I have pushed Him back into His clipboard stance, where I’m again just trying to do things right and not upset Him. I find myself there without quite realizing how I got there.  He certainly wasn’t the one who moved away. I know that. Our goal should certainly be to not offend or grieve His Spirit. Absolutely. But going beyond obedience to overtly pursuing creative ways to bless Him, to cause His his eyes to light up in pure delight...priceless.
 
   This has prompted me this morning to pursue every Scripture which refers to pleasing God. Certainly I have read and noted them here and there. However, I’ve never searched for them all at once.  Andrew Wommack has been teaching on Lessoms from David, which include much about his pleasing God, but also about his greatly displeasing Him. We tend to think of our actions pleasing and displeasing God, but always God brings us back to the heart behind our actions, as well.

   At any rate, I am putting on my Sherlock hat and going in search of all the ways to make God smile. I hope you’ll join me. You can add your comments to the post and help us mine the depths of the treasure that is God’s inspired Word to us...God-breathed and life-giving.  And let’s see how many full-bore smiles we get to see along the way.
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[By the way, if you use a computer, versus a phone, to open this blog at www.TennyandI.blogspot.com, you can see the archives of the other 3 years of posts, the navigation tools, and places to follow the blog, if you’re interested. Some have asked me how, since my posts don’t always show up on their Facebook feed.]. Julie

Used

   An acquaintance once said, “ We should never speak of God using people. God doesn’t use people.” I understood what she was saying, at least for one connotation of the word. In common parlance, to be ‘used’ by someone carries a negative connotation:  used and discarded, thrown away, a selfish consumption without thought or care for the one ‘used.’  Left behind in a sorrowful heap, expendable. Perhaps even ‘used’ for a higher purpose...the sad but necessary expending of the one to save many.

   However, God’s ‘use’ of us never takes away value; it always adds it.  When we are willing to be ‘used’ by God, we find ourselves the recipient of great blessing.  When God blesses others through us, especially when sacrifice is involved, He brings increase to us in a myriad of ways.

   As with so many of God’s truths, His  economy is upside down from the world’s. When we’re used by God to bless others and expand His Kingdom, we come out with more, not less. He never ‘spends’ one person for another...or the one for the good of the many as if the one were expendable. He only spends us for great gain for both parties. The only exception is when He did so to Himself...the complete and utter sacrifice of Himself for our gain out of pure, unadulterated love.

   Perhaps being used by God would be better expressed: “Make me a blessing to others, Lord.”  Now this prayer might sometimes be answered in an uncomfortable way. Or it might take place in a way we barely know it’s happening. (Since I'm not big on suffering, those are definitely my preference.)

   Sometimes our gain is overtly seen in multiplied provision and favor.  Other times we see it in the growth and maturation of our character, in our strength and ability to choose what is right and kind and good the next time around. Sometimes we reap the harvest in previously strained relationships or in an inexplicable peace for which we've been searching.

   We often reap a greater trust in the orchestrator of our lives.  As conductor, He raises His arms and calls us to lay down our lives for our brother or sister. When that brother or sister has been a source of pain to us, the call to be a blessing gets dicey.  We have to slog through thick mud to do what He's asking. It reminds me of those nightmares where we're trying to save someone but can't make any progress towards him.  If we break free of that bog of self-justification, however, He blesses us for remembering that the roles of Vindicator and Judge are His and His alone. 

   Recently I had occasion to live this out when I was tempted to 'take my dolls and go home,' as the saying goes.  I wanted to withdraw my usual efforts at helping in a particular situation, letting the person who had 'misused' me flounder and feel the effects of my absence.  However, God would have none of it.  The withdrawal of helpfulness was not on His agenda for me at all. I felt quite justified in leaving this person to her own devices.  However, God reminded me that I was neither justifier nor vindicator.  I had given myself to Him as His Servant and Child, both of which involved obedience.  Being a blessing is so much easier when you like the people you're blessing, isn't it? But since I love Him and want to make Him happy, I slogged through the swamp.

   Regardless of whether or not we see our side of God's creative blessing in this life, we are promised that in Heaven we will indeed experience His reward.  If we're more focused on being a blessing than receiving one, the thought of 'being used' will delight us. We'll be continually excited about opportunities to bless. Especially so when we can partner with Him to lead people to the lighted window of His Home.

   To be used by God is to sometimes be carried along in the river of the of His Holy Spirit and sometimes be stuck in a few eddies, yet always knowing He is Trustworthy, Faithful and True and that we are precious in His sight. Never expendable. Never less valued than another. Never wasted or forsaken. Never broken without His keeping sight of every single shard of our soul, which His Potter hands will make into a work of art more wondrously beautiful than before.
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Matthew 5, 1John 3:16, Luke 14:14, James 1:12

Post-script:  Although we are not to 'strive,' in one sense, in another the term fits, as we set our hearts to swim upstream against the tide of our natural inclinations.  This morning I read the following in my Tozer devotional:
"The true believer is in a state of progression.  He seeks and strives, he wrestles and fights.  He is ever aiming at the prize....His obedience, though not perfect, is habitual."  --AW Tozer