A Pattern for Life

For several years I have spent New Year’s Day reading and meditating on Jonathan Edward’s 70 Resolutions that he wrote in 1723 and can be found at: http://www.reformed.org/documents/Edwards/index.html?mainframe=/documents/Edwards/j_edwards_resolutions.html. As with most classic writers, he gets to the heart of what an obedient and surrendered life looks like. Each year a few of his resolutions have highlighted some of my weaknesses and shown me areas that need to change.
This year I was led to read selected writings from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. These portions will be my meditation this week. Maybe they will speak to your heart, as well.
•If the goal is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength, then no other goal—personal, communal, or national—can be allowed to stand in the way…And one’s own will must be put to death so that God’s will may be done.
•Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, except to love God and serve God alone.
•We are raised up from the earth by two wings—simplicity and purity. There must be simplicity in our intention and purity in our desires.
•If you aim at and seek after nothing but the pleasure of God and the welfare of your neighbor, you will enjoy freedom within.
•You will never be devout of heart unless you are thus silent about the affairs of others and pay particular attention to yourself. If you attend wholly to God and yourself, you will be little disturbed by what you see about you.
•Jesus has always many who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who bear his cross.
•For your merits are not measured by many visions or consolations, or by knowledge of the Scriptures, or by your being in a higher position than others, but by the truth of your humility, by your capacity for divine love, by your constancy in seeking purely and entirely the honor of God.
•Christ speaking: Consider whether you act for my honor or for your own advantage. If I am the cause, you will be well content with whatever I ordain.
•Who is more at rest than one who aims at nothing but God?
•What is there that can displease one whose happiness is in God.
•Christ speaking: For I am the judge and discerner of all secrets. I know how all things happened. I know who causes injury and who suffers it. From me that word proceeded, and with my permission it happened.
•Christ speaking: For what is alloyed with self-interest is not pure and perfect. Ask, therefore, not for what is pleasing and convenient to yourself, but for what is acceptable to me and is for my honor.
•Grace seeks nothing in this world nor asks any payment but God alone. It asks for no more of the necessities of this life than will serve to obtain eternity.
•Nature (sin nature) turns all things back to the self. It fights and argues for the self. Grace brings all things back to God in whom they have their source.
•Christ speaking: I do not seek your gift but you. Just as it would not be enough for you to have everything if you did not have me, so whatever you give cannot please me if you do not give yourself.

The Shack by William Young

I’m probably one of the last to jump on The Shack’s bandwagon because I don’t usually read or like fiction. But I loved it, and am still pondering some of its profound illustrations and points. I recommend it to all who haven’t read it yet, and am including some short excerpts to encourage you to get a copy. For those who have read it, I’d love to hear about your favorite parts.

Excerpts I loved:
P 102 “The God who is—the I am who I am—cannot act apart from love!”
p. 120 “It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it (sin).”
p. 122 “We don’t need power over the other because we are always looking out for the best.”
p. 123 “We (God) carefully respect your choices, so we work within your systems even while we seek to free you from them”.
p. 125 “But your choices are also not stronger than my (God) purposes, and I will use every choice you make for the ultimate good and the most loving outcome.”
p. 126 “The real underlying flaw in your life, Mackenzie, is that you don’t think that I am good….everything is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don’t”.
p. 132 “But if I (God) direct you to touch (a poisonous plant), that is different. For any created being, autonomy is lunacy. Freedom involves trust and obedience inside a relationship of love. So, if you are not hearing my voice, it would be wise to take the time to understand the nature of the plant.”
p. 137 “Rights are where survivors go, so that they won’t have to work out relationships.”
p. 137 “He (Jesus) gave up everything, so that by his dependent life he opened a door that would allow you to live free enough to give up your rights.”
p. 142 “do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me (God) there with you?”
p. 145 “To force my will on you,” Jesus replied, “is exactly what love does not do. Genuine relationships are marked by submission even when your choices are not helpful or healthy….Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect.”
p. 159 “Tell me,” she inquired, “if I may ask, by what criteria do you base your judgments?...Judging requires that you think yourself superior over the one you judge.”
p. 181 “You are free to love without an agenda.”
p. 190 “Just because you make horrendous and destructive choices does not mean you deserve less respect for what you inherently are—the pinnacle of my Creation and the center of my affection.”
p. 198 “My ability to communicate is limitless, living and transforming, and it will always be tuned to Papa’s (God the Father) goodness and love.”
p. 206 “To the degree that you resort to expectations and responsibilities, to that degree you neither know me nor trust me.”
p. 248 Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning