Monday, October 3, 2016

Deep and Wide

It's not exactly a theophany, but God spoke to me this morning in an unusual way.  I was reading my morning devotions -- as usual -- using the books and web sites I visit each day.  But my first web site grabbed me in an unusual way.

My initial reaction was negative:  "Oh, no.  I can't get away from politics, even during my devotions."    That was because the writer began with the Affordable Care Act and a paper she had read.

"Oh, great!" I said to myself.  This devotional reading is based on an academic paper, not on the Scriptures.

But habits being what they are (and being compelled to finish any reading I begin because of my OCD), I read the entire piece.  And God spoke to me, humbling me as He said, "I can use any means to speak, but you've got to be open to listening."  Maybe I was more sensitive to this message today because in my Corps Officer's sermon yesterday, she said "In order to hear God, you've got to be open to listen to whatever He says and however he says it."

If you've read this far, you may be wondering what He said to me.  Here's the gist, based on the Great Commandment and the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:  Christians are accountable not just to God and to the Christian community, but to the broader community as well.  The writer asks this question:  "How can we focus our faith on being more accountable in doing the work of this world?  I think the readings today point out that in seeking to be accountable to the Gospel, we need to keep focused on the truths revealed through Jesus Christ.  That means being accountable to our neighbors.  Accountability means demonstrating love in seeking truth and equity."  (Barbara Dilly, Creighton U Daily Reflections)

Here I was engaged in a pietistic discipline of daily Scripture and devotional reading with prayers, and I'm being challenged that my holiness cannot go deeper unless it spreads wider.  

I got the same message from Stuart Briscoe ("Devotions for Men") on Thursday.  He was commenting on the Levitical command to leave part of the harvest for gleaning by the poor and said, "you see, there is a very definite link between being holy and picking grapes.  There is also a link between holiness and opening doors for old people, picking up beer cans left in the countryside, caring for AIDS patients, reviewing the way you pay your employees, treating a baggage handler with courtesy, and showing respect to a waiter.  In some ways holiness is not easy.  But in our culture so many people behave so badly that it is not very difficult to stand out, to be separate, to be holy – simply by treating people properly!”

My last post was about how to be a Christian voter in the current climate of acrimonious political interaction.  Dilly spoke to that in this way:  "Defining a shared set of values and a coherent vision for the future is very difficult.   One thing does seem to be certain, and that is the vision must include the value of accountability to society for every American."

Part of my frustration in this political climate is the sense of powerlessness to influence the culture more broadly.  I have seen many posts on Facebook that promise (as I have done) to pray for our country; it sometimes seems as if that is all Christians can do.  But I was challenged by my devotions again this morning to do all that I can to emphasize Kingdom values in my daily interactions with my neighbors and to do all that I can to help our country's leaders arrive at a coherent vision that is rooted in God's Word.

Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me again today.

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