The Love That Knows

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"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense til the day of Christ..." - Philippians 1:9-10

How does my love abound in knowledge and all discernment?

I don't just want a succinct, theological answer. I'm not looking for a catchy slogan or profound motto to become my life catch-phrase. And I'm only remotely interested in what the great theologians of old have laid out as doctrine on the subject. That is not the point. My question is both smaller and bigger than a simple explanation/expounding of the Greek. What do I do, how does my life look different, where do I aim, for my love to abound within these qualifications? What do I say or do with Suzy as a result of having a knowledgeable, discerning love for her? My love has to encapsulate far more than good fellowship and similar tastes, surely. It must constantly be looking beyond the immediate moment and situation, and remembering its origin and purpose - that we both may know our Father more. A love full of knowledge and discernment envisions what a person can become in Christ, and kindly, relentlessly, sharpens and pushes her toward that goal. It involves confrontation - from which I shrink - with tact & sensitivity - which are not my gifts. How do I learn these things??

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But it is more than even this, I think.

To have a love abounding "in knowledge and all discernment" is not merely for the benefit of the person I am to love. A discerning love may well allow me to know when and what to say to Suzy, should the need arise, but it is equally necessary for my relationship with Christ. Suppose Suzy will not be challenged? Suppose she cannot, will not, seek the LORD for all areas of her life? Suppose she refuses to surrender certain likes, tendencies, and dreams? If I love her mindlessly, as it were, ignorant of where such actions lead or unaware of how I ought to respond, I will first accept, then approve, then adopt her way of life. This is the only possible outcome of a mindless love. A love built solely on shared histories, events, tastes, and times. A love with no anchor in morality. A rootless love: it either withers or destroys.

Springing from the LORD, growing constantly in wisdom - it is this caliber of love which enables me to not only see my friend clearly, but also have the vision (eternal eyes) with which to respond to and love her. If Suzy is not willing to rise through the challenges, this love will give me the wisdom of how to interact with her, and that Christ-taught response may be what softens her heart. And if my eyes are on the LORD and how He would have me to love her, I will have the discernment to know where I personally need to draw boundaries in my relationship with her.

So much for the good of wisdom and discernment in loving all those the LORD has placed in my path. My question remains the same: How do I learn to love deeply, with knowledge and discernment? Since this principle comes directly from the Word, I am sure to find the answer there. This, my friends whom I love, is what I have been pondering on lately.

Psalm 24

 The earth is the LORD's,

   and all its fullness,

      The world

        and those who dwell therein.

For He has founded it upon the seas,

And established it upon the waters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?

Or who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

                                                   Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,

                                                                                                                 Nor sworn deceitfully.  

He shall receive blessings from the LORD,

     And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

          This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,

               Who seek Your face.  

Selah

Lift up your heads, O you gates! 

And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!

And the King of glory shall come in.

 Who is the King of glory?

The LORD strong and mighty,

The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates!

Lift up, you everlasting doors!

And the King of glory shall come in.

Who is the King of glory?

The LORD of hosts,

He is the King of glory.

 Selah

This Morning...

"God thunders marvelously with His voice;

He does great things which we cannot comprehend.

For He says to the snow,

'Fall on the earth'..." - Job 37:5-6a

"He gives snow like wool

He scatters the frost like ashes;

He casts out His hail like morsels;

Who can stand before His cold?

He sends out His word and melts them;

He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,

His statutes and His judgments to Israel

...Praise the LORD!" - Psalm 147:16-20

"Like the cold of snow in time of harvest

Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,

For he refreshes the soul of his masters." - Proverbs 25:13

"For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater,

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:10-11

"I watched till thrones were put in place,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;

His garment was white as snow..." - Daniel 7:9

My Father's World

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

          Day unto day utters speech,

          And night unto night reveals knowledge.

 

There is no speech or language

Where their voice is not heard.

              

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world."

 "Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

Praise Him in the heights!

Praise Him, all His angels;

Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;

Praise Him, all you stars of light!

Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

For He commanded and they were created.

He also established them forever and ever;

He made a decree which shall not pass away....

...Let them praise the name of the LORD,

For His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above the earth and heaven.

And He has exalted the horn of His people,

The praise of all His saints -

Of the children of Israel,

A people near to Him.

     

 Praise the LORD!" 

The sunset was absolutely breath-taking tonight...

 -Excerpts from Psalms 19 & 148

Quotes for a Quickie

My laptop currently has other demands on it besides posting...so here are some awesome quotes from this past weekend (I'm sure there will be more by the end of the week)! :)

"What does your imaginary friend smell like?"
"Rotten eggs."
"Ugh! That's terrible!"
"Smell it." - commercial

"The Suzuki method is the commitment to the ideals that the development of the character of the child and the heart of the musician is of equal importance and is the responsibility of the teacher, parent, and child." - Cathy Lee

"I bet the Idaho airport is stinky" *look of disgust* - Anonymous (but whose initials spell Lauren Elizabeth)

"...the Holy Spirit is a real and distinct person, and not an impersonal force..." - RC Sproul (Essential Truths of the Christian Faith)

"He gave me a shoe!" *sniff* - commercial

"When you close your eyes, you're seeing your eyelids!"
"No your not, your eyes roll back into your head and stop working." - little kids in the shuttle on the way "home".

"Who here's from Texas?"
"YEEE-AAAAHHH!" - our new friend, Marissa.

        "And that's all there is, there

isn't

any

more." - ??? I can't remember! :)

Everything

“Walking on water? Please, people, this is the 21^st century. Are we really so immature as to believe a story that blatantly defies all science and logic?”

Snickering. Incredulous head-shakes.

Chansen was warming to his theme. Without a doubt, this was one of his most passionate lectures – and he was good at it. It was in this class that he had effectively shaken the naïve and childish beliefs held by so many sheltered subscribers to the Christian fairytale.

“As to the supposed ‘miracle’ of Jesus’ resurrection, that is the most despicable, horrendous, uneducated story of them all,” he continued, emphasizing each adjective with dramatic pauses. “Dead cells do not come to life again. A body cannot function after being dead for three days. With all our modern science, we still don’t have the technology to bring people back from the dead – and a body certainly couldn’t come to life itself. The science of such a claim is completely impossible. C’mon! Do people even think when they tell these stories? No. It’s all too obvious that they don’t.”

With a snort of disgust, he swiveled on his heel toward the whiteboard, swiping a red dry-erase marker off his desk while he turned. As he spun, he noted several of his “religious” students squirming uncomfortably in their seats, and nodded to himself with smug satisfaction.

“Excuse me, Professor Chansen?” a self-assured voice rang out from the back of the classroom. Half-turning to meet the gaze of the questioner, the professor’s eyes lighted on the bright face of Cathurs, a science-savvy student with not a fleck of religious tarnish in him. With a grin, he pointed to the young man, “Yes, Michael, do you have a question?”

“Well, of course you’re correct in your assertions – I think we all realize the futility of claiming observable science is false – but I’m just wondering: In light of the modern times, what difference does it make whether these first-century stories are true or not?"

Chuckling, Chansen turned again to his whiteboard. “If I didn’t know any better, Michael, I’d think you were trying to get out of hearing my finest lecture.” The class tittered as he smoothly popped the marker’s lid off and began to write. “But it’s a good question. Regardless of whether these tales could be true or not – and I hope you all realize how completely illogical such ideas are – does it even matter? What would change, if they were true?” He paused for a moment, contemplating the pithiest phraseology available for answering such a question. And in that moment, briefly, he wondered.

What would change? What difference would it make if an ignorant fisherman in the first century really did walk on water? What discrepancies would one have to admit to if the Red Sea really parted, allowing thousands of people to pass through without so much as a damp shoelace? What points would have to be conceded if a man – who claimed to be God – actually did come to life after three days of lying in a sealed cave, dead and unpreserved?  If one accepted these alleged “miracles” of the Christian faith as true, then he would also have to accept that there truly was a God. A Being who could not be easily dismissed, this God would not be the “one of many” so many religions revered, or even the “clock-winding” god of the Deists. No, if the “religious fairy tales” of Christianity were true, then there was a God who not only created men, women, and the world for a specific purpose (for anyone, whether man, beast, or Being must needs have a reason for creating), but also created it to be run by observing the laws and lines laid out in His ‘inspired word’. If the miracles recorded in such a book were truly brought about by the power of God, then it would mean that, not only had He created and laid the laws for this world – the laws of science – but also that He could and did break them at His pleasure. If the power of this God could and did superimpose His supernatural will on the laws of the universe then it would undoubtedly be true that He, in the form of a man, did die and somehow, mysteriously, come to life an astounding three days later. And if He truly died and rose again, as the Bible said, then the message proclaimed in such a book was indisputably true: that he, Chansen, could never measure up to the unachievable perfection of an unerring God, and was thus required to throw Himself on the mercy of a Being he could not see, or else wallow in endless death for an eternity.

"What would change, if it were true?" His own words, now thick and oppressive, still hung in the air like smoke, choking him. Suddenly weak and shaken, Chansen’s hand fell to his side as he turned, once more, to face the class. “Everything,” he replied, his mouth sandpaper-dry, “It would change everything.”
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I Can Only Imagine

Have you ever been so amazed by real beauty, that it made you short of breath? Made you feel as though you would burst? Made you feel, somehow, like there was a void deep inside of you that only that beauty could fill, if only you knew how to really embrace it? It’s rare, but when I do have it – whether it has been triggered by a heart-wringing strain of music or a breath-taking glimpse of God’s creation – it is not only beautiful, but it hurts. It makes one inexplicably happy, and senselessly sad; sad in an intense, longing sort of way, not in a sorrowful sense. Does that even make sense? Not really, but it is the case, nonetheless.

Anyway, there is something truly beautiful and mysterious about the book of Revelation. Its pages fill me with a wonder and desire that I cannot understand or explain. Today, reading this passage in church, that feeling over-whelmed me again:

“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Around the throne were twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thundering, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.”  – Revelation 4:3-6

Think of the beauty of the power, and the fear of the power, and the awe of the power of God that we will feel when we see this scene. Think of what it will be like to sing with all creation “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13b) O! Do you get goose bumps just reading those words?

Who can comprehend a beauty so great, it frightens?

Who can understand a sight so breath-taking, it terrifies?

Who can envision a scene so stunning, it petrifies?

How beautiful! How exciting! How amazing! How awesome! If simply reading this passage gives such an indescribable feeling, what will heaven be like?

I can only imagine.

Blessings - What's On the List Today

A few weeks ago, a friend and I started keeping a “blessings” list for two primary reasons: we wanted to cultivate grateful hearts, and we wanted to ‘force’ ourselves to see the blessings in daily challenges. I am still working on the habit of writing down every-day blessings, and as a result my list is still shamefully short – but today I have been blessed multiple times, and remembered to write them down!

1.       Sunrises, music, and siblings (specifically those who make up the string quartet with me)!

This morning three of us got up early – well, it felt like ‘early’ since we’d stayed up so late – in order to practice quartet for an hour before Ben had to leave for work. We set up the chairs, stands, and music.

And waited for our sleepy other member.

We tuned our instruments.

And waited for the now-showering sleepy member.

We practiced some pieces as a trio.

And finally welcomed our now-awake, freshly-showered member.

After making *ahem* him pay penance by running through Pachelbel’s Canon (evil laugh), Rachel and I were struck with a brilliant idea: Who cares about the frost? The sun is rising – we should go play “You Raise Me Up” on the sport court! Emily was not enchanted by this idea, but Ben obligingly lugged his stand outside with us and we played the sun up (I do hope our neighbors didn’t mind!) It was freezing – I couldn’t feel my fingers when we finished – but so fun and beautiful! Music and the outdoors… ahhh

2.       Pretty things 

   I’m so grateful I can afford pretty things, not merely the practical! My hope chest is filled with lovely items, and I got to go through it this morning while getting out my teapot and a couple cups for tea with my friend. Is that incredibly weird to use things in my hope chest before the hoped-for happens? I…hope…not. If, in fifty years, I die a shriveled-up old maid, I’ll be glad I used at least some of the things, rather than letting them sit as dust-bunny dens that whole time.

3.       Tea, Sharpening Friends, and Scripture

As mentioned above, a friend came over today (this is the same blessings-list friend) for Bible study and tea. We’ve been memorizing and studying our way through the book of James (MAJOR conviction!!) and are almost done!  I am so blessed to have friends who challenge, learn, and pray with me!

4.       These Little Twinkles

…who popped into my room while I was writing this, saw the teapot and cup on the table, and rushed to get their teacups and join me for the “tea party”. J

 5. Fun Siblings!

Today we-the-kids are going to see “Tangled” together. Only the littles and I have seen it, and we had long-established that we would all go together during Spring Break (now that it’s finally in the Three-Dollar Theater)!J

Have a blessed day!