Meditation of Mark 6:1-6

Pure Spirit, broken heart
Stranger’s love, neighbor’s betrayal

Your pride has blinded you from my Glory
You’ve missed far beyond the forest for the trees
You see only yourself, and none of me

Man Pleasing

"Their happiness will be to lie in hell, and remember that they were well spoken of on earth!"
- from Richard Baxter's Directions Against Inordinate Man-pleasing

Dang! Yeah seriously. This paper by Baxter is uber helpful to me. One of the things I love about the puritans is how systematic they are - and long winded! In this paper Baxter covers the appropriate regard for man and the correct place of God in a believer's life. And, in typical puritan fashion, he leaves you encouraged by discussing the benefits of pleasing God as well as practical indicators to see where you are on the path. And what does he list as the #1 sign of living to please God? "You will be most careful to understand the Scripture, to know what doth please and displease God" - yeah - exactly. This, right here, is why I am in seminary. The ability to understand God's Word should be the highest priority in the life of a believer. Shortly thereafter comes the appropriate way to live that out.

Of course another reason I love the puritans is their timeless application. Sometimes when I read their stuff it's as if they are living in our modern world - just with cute words like "methinks" :) The bottom line - I am a man pleaser. I can see it in my relationships with certain people. I have also been blessed lately with some outside perspective of how man pleasing has penetrated my personal theology.

Anyway - I found this helpful, you might find it cool too. Who knows? You might even be inclined to comment ;)

Smiles,
ames

Scenic Route

When I get the opportunity to share my testimony, I oftentimes describe it as a scenic route to Jesus. Certainly I don't mean this irreverently at all - but simply that I tried and saw a lot of things before I came to know the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Like many women of my generation my relationship with my father was not optimal. I have also been flooded with options (thanks feminism...) from day one as to what I can do and where I can go. Sadly, like many of my generation the only place I want to be is in the arms of a loving father.
It gets a tad pathetic when you realize that you fit a stereotype. I look at everything from my old friends, to young girls at my church, to movies and music - "looking for love in all the wrong places" penetrates my soul. And like many of my peers - I tried it all. My parents shared the notion that "less is more" whne it comes to parenting. Due to this I had the opportunity to spread my wings at a very young age and experience life (to what I considered) the fullest.
It is encouraging however, to realize this is how God works. It still amazes me that God allows for (and even desires) for us to know Him at all. It is overwhelming that our God is both so infinite and intimate. Part of what we know from the scriptures is God's consistency. "If A, then B" is a common structure of the OT as well as all over our lives. If you obey, God will bless you (either in this life or the next) If you remember God, He will remember you and so on. The bottom line for me - as I am sure many others - is that God is not manipulative. Imagine a parent or a friend who lays all the cards out - and never changes their position, never shies away from their commitment to you. This is unconditional love - love we can only know through our Gracious Heavenly Father.
Anyway, I say all that to say that my "testimony" has changed a little in the last few months. I have been encouraged by people to redefine where I am on a variety of issues. God has stretched me and I have been reaching for even higher goals. I guess what I want to say is - I am still on the scenic route. I am still trying and seeing a lot of things. My road didn't end with Jesus - it is Jesus. Instead of looking for love - I am looking through love.

*again, no irreverance intended :)