Helping my dad bring in the harvest

On Friday, I got to go help my dad harvest cotton at one of his fields, and I was impressed with some of the spiritual parallels. 

First, my dad asked me if I wanted to go with him to harvest.  I believe that our Heavenly Father invites us to join Him in the harvest.  He isn't demanding, and He doesn't crack a whip. It is an opportunity to enjoy working and fellowshipping with Him.

I rode over to the farm with my dad, and he towed a fuel trailer. Our Heavenly Father provides the way and the fuel for us to join Him in the harvest.

Over the years, my dad has trained me how to drive a tractor, run a module builder, and run a cotton stripper; this time, I learned how to operate a boll buggy.  Our Heavenly Father gives us spiritual gifts, and as we work with Him in using our gifts, He grows us in maturity and proficiency in using our gifts to help build the Church.

I was running the boll buggy and the module builder while my dad was driving the cotton stripper.  Sometimes my dad sends a signal letting me know what to do, like when he slightly raises his basket to indicate that he is ready for the boll buggy.  It was important for me to be paying attention to where my dad was in the field and keeping track of what he was doing.  I think our Heavenly Father regularly communicates to us with signs and signals, and it is important for us to be watching Him intently and anticipating what He will want us to do.  For example, I think God gives us signs and signals through what other people tell us and what He reveals to us in dreams.  We need to be aware and attentive.

But other times I needed to speak directly with my dad, such as in coordinating how many baskets to put on the next-to-last module so that we would have enough baskets to make the last module.  I think our Heavenly Father speaks to us in our spirit when we pray and when we read the Word.  It is so important that we are regularly reading and meditating on the Word, and constantly praying.  I think many times, I think of "praying" as mostly "supplication", but while supplication is an important part of prayer, I have recently felt that the Lord wants me to spend more time simply talking and fellowshipping with Him.

Discussing these ideas with my father-in-law this morning, he added that there is an important aspect of me understanding my dad's plan to finish the field.  As we join our Heavenly Father in the harvest, we get a picture of His vision for every tribe, tongue, and nation to recieve salvation through Jesus Christ.  And participating in the harvest, we focus our lives on eternity with God, which brings us joy and significance, instead of being distracted with temporary worldly things that steal, kill, and destroy.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace.  Thank you for the opportunity to join you in the harvest.  Thank you for your love and fellowship.  Lord, please send out more workers into the harvest.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for Jesus, for the faith that He has given me, for my wife and boys, family and friends, church, and a good job.  A few days ago, I was thinking that I am thankful for the spiritual gifts that He has given me and the opportunity to serve with Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and caring for me.  Thank you for allowing me to be in your family and work in your Kingdom.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Advent: the Lord is coming soon

JAMES 5:7-8 NIV
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

1PET 1:8-9, 13 NIV
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  ... Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

As the Israelites waited patiently for the Messiah to come,  so we wait expectantly for Christ to return.  As the advent season approaches, I want to celebrate Jesus's birth, life, death, and resurrection, and I want to keep an attitude of hope and expectation of His return.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise of Christ's return, and thank you for the hope and joy of our salvation.  Lord, may I be alert, and may my attitude in expecting Christ be pleasing to you.  I love you, though I have not seen you.  It will be so good to see you when you return. Holy Spirit, thank you for your sanctifying work; please help me desire to be holy as you are holy. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Tough words for the wealthy

JAMES 5:1-5 NIV
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 

Sounds like this passage could apply to most Americans. So much opportunity to help people around the world, but we mostly spend it on ourselves.  I wonder when we get to Heaven, how ashamed will we be at the level of comfort and luxury in which we have indulged ourselves?

Heavenly Father, please help me live in a humble, generous, and sacrificial way.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Faith in my academic context

Hebrews 11:1, 6, 16 NIV
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ... And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. ...  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith, Abraham left his family and culture.  By faith, one person after another chose to obey God and reject the social status quo.

In the academic context, it is my observation that the tenure-track culture expects 65-75 hours per week.  I have recently been reflecting on the underlying motivation for such a large fraction of professors to work so insessantly. (And most, I have found, are fully aware   I assume that some are driven directly by the desire for prestige, while others cloak that desire behind a false pretense of gaining more opportunities to "help people".

It seems to me that the main function of professors is mentorship through an integration of teaching, research, and service.  Certainly, more can be accomplished by working more hours, and certainly there should be a minimum number of hours committed per week for effectiveness, but I am beginning to question why I am so captivated by this perverse, workaholic culture.

"Don't envy the rat for the cheese in his trap." - Lecrae

I think, instead of faith, it comes down to my own efforts to establish my own value.  If my value is not determined by any or all of the quantitative metrics for research productivity, then what is my value?  Well, God established my value in the death of Jesus.  But the world rejects that priceless worth and replaces it with something proportional to labor or productivity so that it effectively makes us like Matrix energy generators, and the objective of the world is to maximize the extraction of energy from us.

Drawing from the perspective of The Gospel Coalition, Academia must be redeemed, including the professorship.

Practically, then, I must learn to strategically limit my commitments to what sums to less than what I am used to.  I have to decrease my obligations.  By faith, I must trust that my value is not determined by what I produce, but by Christ.  By faith, I must follow Christ in building His Kingdom, not mine.  I am beginning to see that a very important part of my participation in building that Kingdom is making disciples of my own family, and I need to strategically limit my work time so that I can invest sufficiently in time with my family.

Heavenly Father, thank you for these examples of faith.  Lord Jesus, thank you for proving my worth.  Holy Spirit, may I keep in step with you and walk in obedience as we honor Christ.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Lean in

HEB 10:39 NIV
But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Greg uses the phrase "lean in" to describe a predetermined attitude of choosing to draw closer to the Lord in spite of suffering or apathy.

But how do you actually will yourself to lean in? 

Perhaps these preceeding verses are applicable:

HEB 10:24-25, 36 NIV
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ...  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

I think that the group of people with whom you spend significant time is the most significant spiritual influence in your life.  If the group is really devoted to growing in the Lord (not just cruise control), then it will incubate a spirit of pursuit.  Brandi and I are in a group like that now.  It is very encouraging.

Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting us to pursue you.  And thank you for the spiritual group that you have given us.  May we go on to greater heights with you.   I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Holiness is painful

HEB 10:10, 14 NIV
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  ... For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Holiness hurts. My flesh doesn't want it.  But my spirit wants it.

Done.  Finished.  Completed.  But still working on it.  Sometimes it's hard to imagine the finished product.  But we have to persevere.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus which made us holy.  Lord Jesus,  thank you for enduring the pain so that I can endure the pain.  Holy Spirit, thank you for sanctifying me.  I love you, and I want to want to be holy.  I pray in the name of Jesus.

Substitutionary atonement

HEB 9:22, 24-28 NIV

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  ... For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

We talked about sin, sacrifice, and substitutionary punishment at the dinner table with Beau this evening.  Then I read him these verses.  I think he is getting close to believing and putting his faith in Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Christ to bear the full measure of your wrath.  Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me and taking the punishment for my sin, once and for all.  Holy Spirit, please fill me with joy in knowing that I am redeemed.  And please lead my sons to faith in Christ at an early age.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Knowing the Lord

HEB 8:10-11 NIV
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.   No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

For the past several weeks in our home group, we have been discussing how we hear from God.  It has been very encouraging to me to hear how the Lord is speaking to and through the folks in our group.  He speaks through Scriptures, music, dreams, thoughts, impressions, and other people. We need to be open to hear, and we also need to ask Him to speak to us.

I need to be consistent in meditating on Scripture and journaling daily.  Not just reading, but meditating.  Soaking on it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your new covenant of knowing you.  Thank you for writing your law on my mind and in my heart.  Thank you for allowing us to know you.  Please help me be consistent in pursuing you.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Knowing the Lord

HEB 8:10-11 NIV
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.   No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

For the past several weeks in our home group, we have been discussing how we hear from God.  It has been very encouraging to me to hear how the Lord is speaking to and through the folks in our group.  He speaks through Scriptures, music, dreams, thoughts, impressions, and other people. We need to be open to hear, and we also need to ask Him to speak to us.

I need to be consistent in meditating on Scripture and journaling daily.  Not just reading, but meditating.  Soaking on it.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your new covenant of knowing you.  Thank you for writing your law on my mind and in my heart.  Thank you for allowing us to know you.  Please help me be consistent in pursuing you.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Hope in Christ

Hebrews 6:19-20 NIV
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Our hearts take hope and find encouragement in knowing that Christ is our forerunner in communion with God.  Christ is the mediator between God and man.

Heavenly Father,  thank you for Jesus making the way for us to be reconciled to you.  Thank you for your eternal promises.  Thank you for the hope and encouragement we have in Jesus.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Priesthood; obedience through suffering

Jesus was appointed by God as a high priest.  And his priesthood transcended the Levitical and Aaronic types to the order of Melchizedek (priest and king).

Hebrews 2:10 NIV
In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 5:5, 8-10 NIV
In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."    ... Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

I don't think Jesus's moral character was purified through suffering, because He had no sinfulness.  I'm just speculating, here, but perhaps the human body retains an unsinful instinct to avoid death (self preservation), and Jesus learned to obey God by setting His mind on the Spirit in the midst of pain.  In my opinion, this is an essential experience which allows Jesus to empathize with us in our weakness and to sympathize with us in our obedience in the midst of pain.  Thus, it seems to me that the "perfection" in these passages speaks more to completion of the subjective/experiential process.

Of course, God also led Christ to obedience through suffering as an example for us, and He promises that we will have similar opportunities to choose to obey when it hurts.  Perhaps there is even a cascade of priesthood associated with our experience of obedience in suffering, coupled with our joining Christ in His ministry of reconciliation.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Christ as our high priest.  Lord Jesus, thank you for persevering through suffering and for setting the example of righteousness. Holy Spirit, may I be faithful in setting my mind on you in the midst of pain, and may I be filled with joy in knowing that you are always with me and empowering me to live the life of Christ.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our high priest forever.

Grace

Beau and Jude went with me on my walk this morning.  (I used to look forward to fall time change, but now it just means that your kids wake up an hour earlier.)  Beau asked some good questions, like why God made evil.

Titus 2:11-14 NIV
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Has it appeared to all people, or is it offered to all people.  I think it is the latter, but I wish it was the former.

Heavenly Father, please help me receive your grace and extend your grace.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.

Growing up fast

Beau celebrated his fifth birthday.  And lost a tooth.

He likes sword fighting, pizza, and spaghetti.

We had a good discussion this evening about why Jesus had to die.  I think he is getting close.

Heavenly Father, please help me make disciples of my children. Help me be intentional about spending time with them. Please help Brandi and me guide them to discover their gifts and use them.  I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.