Another entry on living "upside down" this week.
"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." (Psalm 27:4, NIV)
"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NRSV, italics mine).
Surely transformation can't be as simple as this, can it? Don't we need lots of effort and "oughts and shoulds" to be transformed? YES, dear ones, it is this simple! And, NO, dear friends, we don't need "oughts and shoulds." Human effort only makes deep transformation impossible because it puts the emphasis upon us. Recently I ran across a hymn by a rather obscure 19th century lover of Jesus, Ora Rowan (1834-1879), that encouraged me to the point of tears: God has always had people who understand that gazing at Him, really getting to know Him, is the key to transformation. I quote part of this remarkable hymn below, defining some words for clarity (in parentheses).
Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
Is not thine a captured heart?
Chief among ten thousand own Him,
Joyful choose the better part.
Idols once they won thee, charmed thee,
Lovely things of time and sense;
Gilded thus does sin disarm thee,
Honeyed lest thou turn thee thence.
What has stripped the seeming beauty
From the idols of the earth?
Not a sense of right or duty,
But the sight of peerless (matchless) worth.
Not the crushing of those idols,
With its bitter void (emptiness) and smart (pain);
But the beaming of His beauty,
The unveiling of His heart.
Who extinguishes their taper
Till they hail the rising sun?
Who discards the garb of winter
Till the summer has begun?
'Tis the look that melted Peter,
'Tis the face that Stephen saw,
'Tis the heart that wept with Mary,
Can alone from idols draw:
Draw and win and fill completely,
Till the cup o'erflow the brim;
What have we to do with idols
Who have companied with Him?
It's hard for me to describe what the words of this hymn (its title is the first line of the hymn), did to me as I read them! I hope you see what I see! I trust that you especially catch the lines that remind us that "duty" or attempts to crush "idols" don't lead to transformation, but rather what leads to it is the radiant "beaming of His beauty" and "the unveiling of His heart." Who can know Him, really encounter Him in experienced love and power, in an ongoing manner and not be transformed?
Ah, but so many well-meaning Christians would tell us we need to try harder! Surely something as simple as the deep surrender that comes through gazing at Him doesn't work, does it? Oh yes, dear ones! You cannot hear Him, see Him and know Him and not become ever more like Him.
Gazing ever more intently,
Tom, one of Abba's little boys
1 comment:
Hi, Tom,
Thought I better not comment because it would have been to lengthy 790 words and just began to scratch the suface. However, it seems I mentioned something along those lines in my comment on "Invitation or Confrontation"
"The bottom line is my personal walk is in no way dependent on anyone else. I have one desire that I seek and that is to dwell in the presence of God, to seek His face and abide under the shadow of His wings." This covers Ps. 27:4, and Ps.91:1
"Holy Spirit led discipleship cannot be lived out apart from the Spirit it is His work. Nothing we can work up, we just need to surrender to Him, yield and obey by the power of this grace which is His divine influence upon our heart." This covers 2Cor. 3:18.
I read your most recent blog and Wayne Jacobsen article also. I noticed we use simular terms. The best line to me was "The life of Christian community isn't found by sharing religion together, but by embracing a journey of growing of growing relationship with him that transforms us by his grace and power." I believe I said this in my latter comment.
What I term as Spirit led discipleship, is learning to be led by the Spirit in your relationship with the Lord, what is He speaking, revealing, showing us in our relationship with Him and to principles, rituals, and traditions made by man. John 16:13
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." Also, 1 John 2:27.
In a word it is based on "relationship" the Holy Spirit teach and guide us into all truth and tell us or speak to us about things to come. By being Holy Spirit led we will walk in truth naturally and not fall into the trappings of religion, ritual, traditions, and error.
Enough for now. Did you get my last email? Let me know so I can resend it if I need to do so. Thanks.
Grace and peace to you and yours,
His nothing,
Jeff
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