Male Costa’s Displaying His Glory

It’s easy, isn’t it, to give when you know you will be recompensed? The reward may not be tangible, like money, gifts, or even a thank you card, but something much more subtle, such as a compliment, a quick, “Thank you,” or even just a sense of respect and esteem. Perhaps just a little glory gleaned? That is not to infer that your gifts are disingenuous, or not given with a generous intent, but perhaps a subtle motivation may be lurking quietly behind those earnest emotions.

God gently convicted me about this very issue recently, and despite His tenderness, still it hurt. Not because He was cruel or harsh, but because it is true. I’m not convinced that it is necessarily inherently sinful, but perhaps a natural limitation due to our sinful nature. I mean, who is it that does not respond to positive reinforcement? A whole science is dedicated to studying it, and devising ways to employ it successfully with everyone, from infant to elderly, rich to poor, genius to mentally-impaired.

Think about it, you each must have encountered that person that makes it disheartening and unrewarding to give. You know, the one that is seldom grateful, complains that you don’t give more, and rarely reciprocates. You each must have also encountered that person that hugs you fervently, lavishes you with gratitude, and is anxious for the opportunity to reciprocate. Tell the truth, to which do you give more generously, more frequently and with a gladder heart? I admit my weakness, of course I prefer the person who will acknowledge my sacrifice, and shower me with gratitude and approval. However, Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” Luke 6:27, 28

I have discovered latent glory-gleaning motives regarding my blog, too. For the last five or six months, I have invested an abundance of time and effort (writing is difficult for me) into developing discipline to post regularly, formulating themes and ideas (not easy for a totally non-creative person), growing an audience, and producing a repository of posts. I have experimented with different types of posts, observed the responses, gauged audience preferences, and sought to satisfy. Again, not sinful, of course, and if this were a purely commercial site, would in fact, be wise and profitable. But…as a Christian, I am called to a higher purpose, and a higher standard. (From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48) Much more dangerous, at least for me, is that I have made it personal, and have begun to covet positive feedback. When days pass…and days pass…and days pass…and I see no interest in a post, I feel that I’ve failed, and am driven to strive harder to earn approbation the next time. Or if I do happen to receive a comment or compliment, I am high for days. Again, not necessarily inherently sinful, but the danger is that the praise and admiration of others usurps the rightful place of Jesus as Head in my heart. And just as crucial, I steal a bit of glory that belongs to Jesus. He made me. He gave me the mind, the skill, the idea, the means. What glory is mine to claim? That I obeyed His urging? Perhaps. I lament, however, for I tend to claim more of His glory for myself. Read the rest of this entry »

Morning and Evening Devotional by Charles H. Spurgeon

This is a tough lesson for any of us that want to be doers rather than waiters, but I find it tremendously encouraging during those times that God forces me to be still. Perhaps you will find it so, too.
—AdL
August 30

“Wait for the Lord.” —Psalm 27:14

It may seem like an easy thing to wait, but it is rather a discipline learned by a Christian soldier over years of teaching. Marching and even quick-marching is much easier to God’s warriors than standing still. There are seasons of perplexity when the most willing spirit anxiously desires to serve the Lord, but simply doesn’t know what he should do. Should he torment himself in despair, turn away in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No. He should but simply wait.

He should wait, first of all, in prayer. Call upon God, and spread the case before Him. Tell Him your difficulty, and plead with Him to fulfill His promise of aid. It is sweet to wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is good for us to feel and know our own foolishness and to be willingly guided by Him.

We must also wait in faith, expressing our unstaggering confidence in Him. After all, unfaithful, untrusting waiting is an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you waiting even until midnight He will still come at the right time.

Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling under the affliction but blessing your God for it. Never complain about your circumstances as the children of Israel did; never wish to go back to the world again, but accept your situation as it is, putting it into the hand of your covenant God. Say, “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I don’t know what to do; I have come to the very edge, but my heart is fixed on You alone, O God. You will yet be my joy, my salvation, my refuge, and my strong tower.”

Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

I love whales, ever since third grade when I first learned about them, and have even adopted a couple of humpback whales over the years. Alas, I have never had the privilege to view any in the wild, although I did spend nearly a day with J.J. (a young Gray whale) that Sea World rescued on January 11, 1997, when she was found beached as a newborn. She was dehydrated and weak, but was successfully stabilized, rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

When I was in San Diego in April of 1997, she was successfully nursing six times a day on five gallons of “whale formula” made of fish, milk powder and vitamins blended with heavy cream. (Yum.) At that point, she was gaining more than 30 pounds and half an inch in length a day! I had the exciting opportunity to film her as she nursed (well, sucked smelly goo through a plastic hose from two five gallon utility buckets, actually) only four feet away. It was all over in less than five minutes, but what a glorious five minutes! Less than a year later, she was sadly (and joyfully!) released into the Pacific Ocean on March 31, 1998. It was amazing to be even a five minute part of such an incredible story.

This is another remarkable rescue story, and I can definitely relate to their elation once the whale was free. Even more heart-warming is watching the obvious delight and exhilaration of the rescued whale. My heart leaps with hers in joyful recognition of a small reflection of how Jesus rescued us!

—AdL

A Sonoran Desert Sunset

For P.—I miss you, and love you always!

Death. It touches us all. It comes to us all. It comes for us all. And it came to me—unexpectedly, unfairly, uninvited, unwanted. It came for my beloved brother, Pete—unidentified, unnamed, unforeseen, unavoidable. It had been over a year since Pete died an excruciating death, and since I suffered that agony with him. The difference between us is that Pete is Home, free from the suffering, that painful event in his past, but I, left behind, still resided in those last tragic moments, reliving the agony ceaselessly. I kept trying to extirpate myself from the emotional hole, but with rather indifferent results.

Each time thoughts of Pete came to my mind, I appropriated that favorite and oft repeated phrase exploited by Scarlett O’Hara in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, “I can’t think about that right now. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” That became my mantra of late, as a desperate plea for reprieve from the demons who shadowed me since that dreadful night that I received “the call.” Ever, I was haunted by regret, anguish, pity, sorrow, and the unrelenting questions that come with unexpected death. And still, Pete’s death was worse, almost verging on suicide of a sort. He knew. He knew. He must have known. He knew something was desperately wrong, and yet he sought no medical care, and he told no one, at least not enough for anyone to discern how seriously ill he was. Why? Why! It had been fourteen months, and still that answer eluded me, and I thought, perhaps it always will. Read the rest of this entry »

Lost, truly lost. Amidst the tumult of a prosaic life, the poetry of God’s deathless Love stole in, and what was lost was found.

Where is that doggone disk? I stormed around the room. “Darn it,” I yelled aloud in my frustration, and began flinging things heedlessly. “There. There it is, thank God!” I mumbled under my breath, as I scrambled out the door. I had already locked the door when I remembered, Rats! I forgot my water. I can’t go out in this heat without water. I reentered the apartment, snatched the bottle, and flung the strap over my shoulder. Thump! It tangled with my bag and briefcase, and the whole mess fell to the floor. “Darn it!” My patience had defected with my previously aborted departure, and I suffered the current vexation minus the traitor.

I was late, laden with the necessities for summertime travel in the crowded Sonoran Desert streets, and my temper was burning ere I even hit the 110° desert incinerator. I relocked the door, and stalked toward the parking lot, impatiently ceding right-of-way to a woman carting laundry to the on-grounds Laundromat. My obligatory smile was hollow; she was in my way, and I was in a hurry. Read the rest of this entry »

Who wants to lose, right, much less be happy to lose? But if you consider for just a minute, it may become apparent that there can be situations in which some of us might even be happy to lose. I would be thrilled to lose weight, lose the persistent pain in my left hand, lose my next summons to jury duty, lose the cacophony of vehicles hurdling past my house each day, lose this nagging sense of inferiority, and lose my penchant for chocolate chip cookies. How about that income tax? I would be happy to lose that any old time. What about you? Read the rest of this entry »