Losing the Precious

Funny what is precious to you when you are nine. My black and white plastic Rat Fink out of a gumball machine was precious. Everybody had at least one, but no one had one like mine. (We all had those little trolls with the big hair, too.) It was that uniqueness that made my RF precious. And I lost my Rat Fink. I was crushed, but there was no one I could tell.

In the Tolkien stories, Gollum calls The Ring his Precious. Of course, it is unique, something like my RF. Irreplacable.

It is no surprise then, to hear Jesus tell the story of the Pearl of Great Price. The idea of a Precious, unique, astounding thing that is worthy of struggle and sacrifice is a story line that runs through human experience. O. Henry wrote the same story in "The Gift of The Magi." Look around for this theme. Tell me what else you find.

It is written about because it is hardwired in us. There is something worth sacrificing for, worth living in a remarkable way for. There are so many hardwired themes.

All Jesus was saying is that The Kingdom is that thing which we were hardwired to seek. The Kingdom of God is The Precious.

But the best thing, the thing that sets The Kingdom apart from every other answer to the question, is that The Precious Kingdom of God CAN NOT BE LOST.

That is the Greatest Story Ever Told. Thank you for giving me a suitable replacement for my plastic rat, Father.

Boy Full of Faith

My boy is uncomfortable in his momentary circumstances. At the same time, he knows he is going to be fine. He is okay. He has and is exercising faith. He will come out well on the other side of it.

Social discomfort is familiar to me. At the same time I realize how very much the Holy Spirit has balmed my wee soul. I know that there is a balm for the heart of the believer, and that there is more there than comfort. The healing is remarkable. Both worth talking about and worth giving thanks for.

There are still situations where I am lacking in grace. But...there is no lack of grace, and I am learning to access it.

How glorious is the mercy of our Father. To ponder my life of acts, and know that He will not turn from me. I look like His Son, sound like Him, smell like Him, when He puts His hands on me and pulls me close. The skin of a sacrifice has been placed on my neck and arms, so I feel like His Son. The clothing of His Son has been placed upon me, so that I smell right, just like the Son of His favor.

Father made it work out this way. He knows my frame, but he is distracted from His wrath by the Holy Perfection of His Son, in Whom He has hidden me.

Thank You, Father, for making a way for us to draw near and receive Your blessing.

Worshipful Devotion

I heard a man say today that his cause had to become everything to him. He said that his cause had to become the reason he slept and the reason he rose from sleep. He said that for his cause to prevail, it must also become the center of the lives of his listeners. He was calling for devotion to the cause.

The world is unbalanced without the success of his cause, so it is reasonable to live an unbalanced life to help bring the world back into equilibrium. He said that he expects his resolve in this great enterprise to significantly increase the chance of his being jailed or assassinated, so great is the power of the of the evil which he opposes.

and this man's cause is not the cause of Christ.

I met a man many years ago who had been a citizen of a country fundamentally opposed to the Gospel of Christ. As this man was personally committed to the cause of Christ, and particularly the cause of Christ for that country, his country was fundamentally opposed to him. Indeed, his country considered him insane and treated him as such, by institutionalizing him.

What is important enough to sacrifice for? Moreso, how is life worth living without something to sacrifice for. The sacrifice makes us different. Sacrifice invites transforming power. Like nothing else is able to.

We so easily aim our selves at the wrong target. Father, help your church stay full of holy oil, staying very near, able to stay lit and illuminating the target for each other and all.

A life sacrificed for a good cause is such a tremendous waste.