April 11, 2008

If we were made to reflect God’s glory, what have you done this week to polish the glass? This is the question posed by Phillip Yancey in his book Rumors of another World. In the chapter on “Paying Attention” he challenges the reader to live with open eyes.

His premise is that God is all around us. We just don’t look for Him very often or very intentionally. I leafed through the book this morning because it was returned to me after a year’s absence. I tuned into his writing because I too have been very interested in perspectives and what we are open to in our lives.

The third chapter closes with these paragraphs. “Biology is destiny, concludes the one who looks down. the prospects are bleak, for according to psychologists our impulses included a natural urge to murder our fathers and mothers, at least an occasional tendency to laziness and idleness, a penchant for cruelty and vulgarity.

“Eternity is destiny, concludes the one who looks up. Our genes may indeed contain predispositions toward bestial instincts, but we hear a call to rise above them. You could stare at an anthill a long time before coming up with this list of qualities: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Yet Paul holds these up as proof of the presence of God in a person’s life, the ‘fruit of the Spirit.’ Where God lives, those qualities flourish.” p.58

I talked recently with a friend who seemed devastated with the evidence of coordinated evil in the world. That there truly is a mastermind called the devil should sober all of us. On the other hand, we do not need to look far to find God’s fruit. They do reflect His glory. Polish the glass.

"For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

With full commitment,
Pastor Steve