I Want It All!

It's been a very interesting couple of days here at Skipstone. Our lake was overflowing it's banks on Saturday from all of the rain, and then we experienced a snow storm yesterday unlike one I can remember here in recent history. I'm looking out my window now at a mixture of frozen mud, beautiful snow, and clear blue skies.

We had to cancel school today, so I spent a little extra time in "the word" at home this morning. For those of you who don't know me well, I named my bed "the word" back in my youth ministry days, so that when I was late to work, I could tell the Pastor "I'm sorry... I just got carried away and spent too much time in the word this morning!". I know..... it's terrible, almost as bad as the fishing boat I named "visitation".... "sorry I can't be at the work day this Saturday, I'm taking some friends out on visitation". I wish I could tell you I was kidding, but we all start somewhere in our walk, and mine wasn't too pretty in the early days!

As we come to the phrase "on earth as it is in heaven", I will readily admit that I had to do a lot of homework to even begin understanding this. I read numerous commentaries, and honestly didn't find a lot that was agreeing with what I felt God was saying to me. I think it's important to emphasize that what I share on here each morning is just a journal my personal thoughts and the things that I feel God is showing me and "working out" in my own heart. I probably miss it from time to time when it comes to defining the "theology" of some of this!

Nevertheless, here we go... what does it mean to pray "on earth as it is in heaven"? It's not easy for me to explain my thoughts here, but I'll use an example that I've used many times over the years, both with my own four kids and with the students I have served. When I was a young man (long, long ago!), one of my jobs in the house was to carry out the garbage. I didn't want to take it out, I didn't enjoy taking it out, and I can't count the number of times that I was chastised and disciplined for my failure to take it out! I really don't know why it was such a big deal for me. After all, there are worse jobs to have in the house...laundry, dishes,and vacuuming (which were all designed by the devil himself)come to mind.

It was my parent's WILL for me to take out the garbage. I was disobedient many times because I didn't take it out. I was also punished, forgiven, and then given another chance to take out the trash (I had such forgiving parents...thanks for a another chance to take out the garbage!) After many times through this cycle, my parents took things to a whole new level. I had finally learned to take out the garbage, just to keep them off my butt (this is not a metaphor, my parent's favorite verse was "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the ROD of correction will drive it FAR from him"). That was one the first verses I ever memorized!

The next step was to learn that obedience meant doing WHAT I told to do, WHEN I was told to do it, with the right ATTITUDE. Now I'm sure that none of you have ever been sarcastic or made a big scene with your parents, but I can remember taking out the garbage while mumbling under my breath, making snide comments, stomping out the door, slamming the door, and acting is if the bag weighed 300lbs and that they were abusing me by making such a small child (I was never really small) do such a big chore. I did everything in my power to create as much drama as possible, while making sure that I followed their "WILL" for me to take out the garbage so I could avoid the unpleasant punishment that was certain to come if I didn't.

As I pondered the words "on earth as it is in heaven", in light of what we have already studied about "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done", I believe that this could be referring to the posture or attitude of our hearts as it relates to God's will. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we can do God's will, but still miss the blessing of doing it with the right spirit. It may be that it's not so much what we do concerning God's will, but how and with what attitude we do it.

Philippians 2:10-11 says "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." I know that is true, but I think our reverence for the name of Jesus should look more like that of the angels in heaven than of those "on earth and under the earth"! Throughout scripture, God is painted as a ruler, and we must submit to Him as His people, as servants. Wouldn't we look more like Jesus though if we willingly submitted our lives to Him, as one with no rights, personal agenda, or will of our own?

In the Greek, there are two words used to distinguish the will of God. One is used to describe doing God's will with little, if any regard to how we do it. The other is used to describe doing His will as He requires, with the result being "His good pleasure". For example, God's will was done when the people sacrificed an animal in the Old Testament, but if they chose the most fit, best sacrifice, it was more acceptable to God.

To me, this sounds like the difference between the perfect will of God, and the permissive will of God. As we pray, we are to ask "Our Father" for His will to be done "on earth as it is in Heaven". In other words, "I want to be in your perfect will, willingly surrendering my life to you as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in your sight".

Have a great day and live for Jesus!

Whatever It Takes,
Chip