CONVERSATIONS
WITH GOD
All Things New: Higher Life
Archived Conversations with God
Day One
Environments
On Sunday we discussed clothing and submission. In the Bible, clothing represents glory and protection, and takes place on different levels like concentric rings around a person. The clothes you wear are one level, and beyond that houses, cities and nations are symbolically clothing because they protect you and give you glory. These different levels of clothing are not abstractions but are embodied in a person that must be submitted to. In the family there is the father, in the city the mayor or chief elder, and in the nation the king. We grow up from being born again into maturity as we submit to these authorities. In a sense, we put them on as clothing. This is why scripture tells us to put on Christ, and to clothe ourselves with Christ. There is a theory in biology that every organism is a microcosm of its environment. Sea creatures have fins and gills, land creatures have legs or other structures to move on solid surfaces. If you were to look at all the physical and behavioral aspects of the creature, you could deduce its environment. I don't know if this theory is true or not but it makes so much sense as to be almost tautological. This means that to be in heaven, we must become heavenly. Our maturing and sanctification are a transformation to be able to exist in the new environment of heaven, where we will be living for eternity. The process of transformation involves submitting at each level, so that we grow up into Christ, clothing ourselves with Him. Our submission to the governing authorities is therefore not optional, but required if we are to attain heaven, which is a thing we become as much as a place we go. This puts our obedience in a different light, and hopefully motivates us toward submission. How can you be more obedient to the governing authorities? How does this help make all things new? Make a start toward this today.
Verses: 1 Peter 3:1-7, Isaiah 61:10, Colossians 3:12-17
Prayer Topics: Hierarchy, Humility, Unity
Day 2
Influence
When most of us think of how to get others to change their behavior, we think of power. Power is a very useful tool, which is why so many people exert so much effort to pursue it. Gyms are full of people straining to achieve greater physical power, and the halls of government are full of those seeking greater political power. This is what makes the second and third chapters of the book of First Peter so hard for us to hear. The idea of submitting runs exactly opposite to our desire for greater power, and seems to leave us vulnerable to the whims of those above us with greater power. In addition, the Bible's exhortation to win over a husband, or any type of superior for that matter, with respectful and pure conduct seems like advice from Pollyanna herself. What should we make of this situation? The Bible is dispensing great wisdom here, and we should pay close attention. While there is a power given to the superior, there is another, more subtle form given to the inferior. Beauty is a very subtle form of influence, but a very effective one. Children are able to influence an entire household to do their bidding, even though they have no power. In fact, when we really begin to understand how God made the world to operate, we understand that it is within everyone's grasp to exercise influence. The world is made to operate on the principle of exchange, and those who engage in exchange are those who have influence. To have power is to have something negative to exchange. I can punish you if I have power. To have beauty is to have something positive to exchange. In the final analysis, it is better to be able to exchange a positive than to threaten to exchange a negative. Remember that an infant can make the strongest, most powerful king do his bidding. Embrace the wisdom of scripture, and serve those above you with your whole heart, as serving the Lord.
Verses: James 4:10, Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:16
Prayer Topics: Influence, Respect, Kindness
Day 3
Influence Part 2
Yesterday I wrote about the difference between the types of influence found in the hierarchy. Power is what most people pursue, but Power is very limited in its usefulness. Beauty is a type of influence that has the ability to harness positive motivation, and is not to be underestimated. The next type of influence to understand is the influence of blood. What do I mean by this? I mean that we care about ourselves, and things that remind us of ourselves tend to be able to exert influence over us. I was recently watching a dove land on the roof of the church. The dove saw me standing on the sidewalk below and decided to keep his attention on me, when another dove suddenly landed behind the first, nearly colliding with him. There was no jump scare or startled response from the first dove, as somehow he knew what just appeared behind him was another dove. Did he know that dove? My guess is that it was probably enough that it was another dove, and that no prior introduction was necessary. We like people who are like us, and this is seen clearly in the love we have for our children. The Bible expects hierarchies to produce copies of themselves, and this gives us influence up the chain of command. The more you resemble the values and behaviors of your superiors, the more influence you have. We are to put on Christ, and scripture tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful. In fact, we are told that whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus will be given to us. That promise does not just mean tacking the name of Jesus to the end of our prayers, but asking things in the will and spirit of Jesus. When we strive to resemble Christ our influence expands to the extent we operate within his will, and as we become like him in character, we become like him in effectiveness. In the ancient world a trusted servant would be given the signet ring of his master, allowing him to enter into contracts as if he was the master, and the master would honor those like his own. Servants are not powerless in hierarchies, but become more powerful as they serve. Clothe yourself with Christ, and see your influence and effectiveness rise.
Verses: Genesis 18:19, Joshua 24:15, 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Prayer Topics: Likeness, Resemblance, Service
Day 4
Hierarchy and Submission
Because God is above all things there is a hierarchy. Because we are not God, we are not at the top of the hierarchy. This means that the choice before us is submission or rebellion. There is a hierarchy of wisdom, and I am not at the top, so the pursuit of wisdom in my life means submitting to God's wisdom rather than pursuing my own thoughts and trying to elevate them to the place of the highest wisdom. The same goes for goodness, beauty and any other attribute one could think of, or pursue. This is why humility is such an important quality, and pride is so destructive. God has made the world in such a way as to reflect the reality of hierarchy, meaning that my success in life comes from my ability to submit to and embody this hierarchy, all things being equal. This means that the more wisdom, beauty, goodness, as well as other qualities, that I can develop, the more joy and success I will find in my life. Conversely, the more I rebel against the hierarchy, the more I pursue my own version or ideal of these qualities insisting that they are the true ideal, the more failure and bitterness I will experience. I was recently doing some study on Karl Marx, and found some interesting facts about his life and views. He was largely a failure, constantly going to his relatives for money, to the point where they had to cut him off. His favorite line from literature seemed to be Mephistopheles line about destroying everything that had been created, and the stated goal of his communist philosophy was the overturning of everything, supporting every rebellion. When put into practice his philosophy would lead to the greatest loss of life the world has ever seen. The choice before us is to submit to God and the governing institutions he has established, or create a kind of hell on earth. Most of the hells created will be small and personal, while a few will be epic in their scope and ability to produce suffering. Submitting to God is the wise choice that brings joy and blessing at the low price of humility. Humble yourself today, and live in the joy God has made for you.
Verses: James 3:17, Ephesians 5:15-17, Proverbs 19:20
Prayer Topics: Peace, Joy, Wisdom
To Be Continued!