155 Advent and the Miraculous Beyond

Meaning: “conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

Gentle Reader, one important reason to read Scripture, including both Old and New Testament, is that Scripture includes multiple images of God’s restorative work. These images address the deepest yearnings of the human heart for help and hope and powerfully evoke the most meaningful understanding and blessing to come out of the Holy Bible and threaded throughout it—God’s restorative adventure in Christ Jesus.

With the approach of Advent (http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html ), the time of celebration of the babe born in Bethlehem, recognized at the season of Advent as both the coming of God and God’s greatest gift to humankind, Christ Jesus is celebrated with adoring praise by fortunate believers year after year, generation after generation and century after century. To believers, this babe is the fulfillment of their yearning for help and hope (Matthew 1: 21, NKJV).

To ignore or miss this finding would certainly be a great loss for both the individual and humankind and most certainly for me.

Therefore, being that this is the first week of Advent (this Sunday is the 1^st Sunday of Advent), there appears to me no finer time to embark upon the subject of what I call the miraculous beyond. You see, having explored the parameters of God’s restorative adventure elaborated in Scripture, I have become certain of yet another great thing—there is a realm of the miraculous beyond in the ordinary, at all times, Gentle Reader!

Life appears ordinary. But it is not.

A table appears stationary and ordinary, but its molecular components are in furious motion.

People live in dependence upon multitudes of simple-seeming gadgets, but technology is not by any means simple.

The world accepts its existence as sun, sea, land, air and sky, but now there is cyberspace to reckon with, too.

Scientists testify to countless dazzling phenomena involved in the ordinary supply of existence.

Christians celebrate the miraculous beyond with the coming of Immanuel, God with Us (Matthew 1:20-23, NKJV).

Meaning beyond the obvious—that’s what I see happening everywhere in life. And it is what Scripture promises is real Gentle Reader.

Amazing, is it not? In everything there is meaning beyond the obvious. It is a profound and established tenet of this life we share. Existence is full of the miraculous. It is full of mystery. It is full of wonder. It is full of adventure—the adventure of relating, exploring and discovery. And God is the Author, Master and Provider of it all.

Advent to me is the call to recognize and remember the miraculous beyond. And, to me, there is no more perfect figure to symbolize and embody this truth than the Son of God the Father—The Lord Jesus Christ, God with us by the power and presence of Holy Spirit.

The concept, the reality of a miraculous beyond is one of God’s finest gifts of understanding, Gentle Reader, given outstanding recognition in the Season of Advent. It is a gift He offers to each of us. Jesus as the embodiment and epitome of the reality of the miraculous beyond is without doubt the finest gift ever freely offered to one and all.

To be continued . . .

154 On Thanksgiving: The Big Picture!

Meaning: “conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

It is not extravagant for me to say, Thoughtful Reader, that God’s restoration, the good that comes out of relationship with Him, is a magnificent tapestry woven of God’s glorious work, promises and rewards. His intention to supply all our need (Philippians 4:19, NKJV) was formed even before time began. Knowing the drama of the fall that would wreck Creation and humanity, God, with total commitment, purposed upon a campaign of restoration intended to culminate in remaking the world and humankind for life eternal in a perfect city, in a perfect world, as perfect citizens.

This purpose is truly a sublime adventure and when I pause long enough to see the forest for the trees, so to speak, in my sublime adventure with God, this is what I see. Only by becoming greatly familiar with Scripture and embracing what I find there have I been able to allow all this exploring to bring me to a great awakening to God’s plans and purposes for the believer in the great adventure of restoration.

Do you see what I am saying?

Believers (new creatures in Christ Jesus) are destined for citizenship in the new Creation under Jesus as the Commander-in-Chief.

This is the big picture!

I frequently ask myself, how anyone could want to decline participation in this most sublime of all adventures—God’s restorative adventure— at work even now? This meaningful adventure has captured my imagination, demands my respect and is worthy in return from me no less than total personal commitment.

By Scripture’s standards (and therefore mine), God’s restorative adventure, all made possible by the work of Jesus Christ, is the best and most beautiful significance that is not directly expressed (meaning) in life available to humanity. This restorative adventure means, Gentle Reader, ongoing life and relationships as they were always meant to be, with God and each other. How I thank God for this understanding!

And, in truth, what better time than now, Thanksgiving 2010, to thank and bless the Lord and His Holy Name and “forget not all His benefits (Psalm 103:1-2, NKJV)”?

On this joyful feast day in 1621, Christian Pilgrims gave thanks to God after their first harvest for bringing them safely through their year in America, the New World.

And on this joyful feast day of November 25, 2010, today’s Christian Pilgrims, me-and-mine and you-and-yours, Gentle Reader, can at the very least also give thanks to God at this time of harvest for bringing us safely through another year in America, the New World.

I’m sure Thanksgiving then was no more perfect than now, Thoughtful Reader. People were exhausted with preparations, there was a huge crowd to feed and please. It was hectic. But then as now it was also a precious time, a time made awesome by remembering the big picture—remembering the sprawling masterpiece of unending adventure that has Jesus at the very heart of it—and celebrating that we have God's great blessings for which to be thankful!

So I wish you the Happiest of Thanksgivings, Gentle Reader, and may God’s blessings always enrich your life.

To be continued . . .

153 Good Out of Bad

Meaning: “conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

God always brings good out of bad! Think of that! What a guarantee, Gentle Reader! And I always-but-always repeat this one to myself every time things get rough!

In Scripture, this guarantee is called “restoration,” meaning the “return of something removed (Encarta).” In The Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, © 1991, p.2012, James Robison says, “When something is restored in the Scriptures . . . it is always increased, multiplied or improved so that its latter state is significantly better than its original state (see Joel 2:21-26).”

Hard times can remove many things, Gentle Reader—comfort, security, peace, wealth, position, health and more. But here, to me, is the beauty of God’s acts of restoration: God always returns the removed better than it was before! (Reminds me of being a Girl Scout where we were taught to always leave things in better condition than when we found them!)

For example, from Genesis and Revelation: the glory of Eden lost will be a greater glory when paradise is regained and the New Jerusalem occupied by the Saints (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jerusalem ).

From Job 42:10-12: Job is stripped of all he holds dear then restored better than ever.

From 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, NKJV): as with Jesus, so with believers—this mortal life shed will be replaced with immortal life. I’m sure once you think about it you could add your own examples to mine. This is a major theme throughout the Scriptures!

But for anyone abstaining from reliance on God, there is no Scriptural reassurance, Thoughtful Reader. The only result that poor unfortunate can expect is the wrath of God (Romans 1:18-22, NKJV). In fact there is no other guarantee from any other source available to the abstainer that begins to compare with the bounty of good guarantees in Scripture our merciful God offers believers. For abstainers, there is no anchor that holds, no lighthouse in the storm, steadily guiding them home, no glorious restoration from loss, no comfort, no solace. Only for the Christian believer are the lighthouse and the anchor enduring symbols of help and restoration in the storms of life.

How clear it is to me now as I keep sorting things out—God’s policy of restoration should never be overlooked in any study of meaning, Gentle Reader. It is one of those meanings that is right up there among a select few of meanings-above-all-meanings. And I am so grateful I realize and appreciate God’s restoration for what it is— the believer’s great and legitimate hope and future and a meaning in life not to be missed.

To be continued . . .

152 Storms, Anchors and Lighthouses

Meaning: “conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

It amazes me, Gentle Reader, where this sort-out takes me and the things I find there. Last blog I explored adventuring of the purely positive kind—daily enjoyment in adventure with the Lord (which is what “delighting in the Lord” means to me). In the blog prior to that one, adventuring of the purely negative kind was recommended as best avoided. But now I’m wondering, what about adventure of the mixed kind—the way life seems to be all too often if not every day?

To me, times of mixed adventure are those we people tend to call “bad” or “hard” times. Could it be we are wrong? We have seen that there are sublime adventures with God in good times but what about bad times? Can the adventure still be called sublime?

First let me declare to you that at this point in my life it has become my firm conviction that adventure not only can be sublime in bad times, but is! And here’s why. With only modest modifications, the formula for good times—God + enjoyment + intellectual curiosity + choice = sublime adventure—still works in hard times. Change it to God + rejoicing in the Lord + trusting in the Lord + abiding in the Lord + choice = sublime adventure and one arrives at a sublime formula for navigating the storms of life (1 Peter 1:6, NKJV).

This new formula means great things to the believer. It means anchors that hold in the fiercest of storms and beckoning lighthouses, promising safety. It means a doable adventure (adventure does not always mean just fun, Gentle Reader, to say the least) and explains why storms, anchors and lighthouses are such well-loved symbols of the Christians relationship with Christ. All believers, from all generations, have experienced these treasured aspects of an intimate relationship with Jesus.

I say this because in bad times there is a sure guarantee easily observable again and again in Scripture (And we all know how much I rely on Scripture) and that is that God always brings good out of bad (1 Peter 1:7-12), even out of bad times. That means (to me) that anyone (including me) hanging all one’s hopes on God in bad times has made a smart move. That one will be anchored in Jesus and guided, protected and rescued by the light of His person, His love and His faithfulness.

As Dr. Charles Stanley of Atlanta says in In Touch Magazine, Early Light, November 3, 2010:

“As we realize God brings benefit from our adversities, we’ll begin to face challenging times with confidence that He always has our best interest in mind. This leads to joy, because we know He is building our endurance, purifying our hearts, and making us people with unshakeable trust in Him.”

To be continued:

151 The Sublime Adventure

Meaning: “conveying a significance that is not directly expressed . . .”

Gentle Reader, this exploration of my Significant Truth #2: Meaning has so far produced quite a select stack of findings on both the influence of meaning-making on thinking and behavior and the challenges, complexities and now adventure involved in becoming a meaning-maker! Obviously, I’m trying to be thorough in my sort-out! Wouldn’t you agree?

And after last blog, on adventure, I think it timely at this point to acquire yet another “keeper” from the profusion of possibilities I set aside in times past in anticipation of a someday sort-out just like this one. My choice? A right application of adventuring! Of all possible right applications of adventuring I have gathered over time, I find this one most relevant and, therefore, have decided to keep it: Adventure-seeking achieves its pinnacle of performance and satisfaction in a right relationship with the Triune God. Oh, to think I might have missed this one!

But I know you are wondering why this one above all others? Because. Because it is becoming progressively clear to me that adventure-seeking in the company of God is, and always will be, the most valid, desirable, and necessary outgrowth of right meaning-seeking possible. And I’ll share these 3 reasons for my thinking:

Reason one, according to Scripture our Triune God is the original Meaning-Maker! Well, I could rest my case right there . . . but to continue! He initiated this whole adventure of Creation and life, found it good (Genesis 1 – 3), and in spite of the fall, which He allowed for His own good reasons, means ultimately to take both Creation and life to a greater fullness of good (Revelation). In other words, His adventure with us has just begun and that’s one adventure I definitely don’t want to miss.

Reason two, it is written in Scripture, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Always a good reason for a joint venture with anyone, don’t you think? Think of it this way, a suitor says to you, “If you delight in our relationship as much as I do, then marry me and I will treasure you forever.” Wow! Talk about a persuasive offer!

And reason three, it is written in Scripture, “Seek the Lord while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6).” This is the real cincher. I am realistic enough to know when I need help. So while His invitation is open, I’m accepting.

I ask you to recall that in last blog I proposed that adventure-seeking can, in general, be enjoyable and a valuable use of mental powers. Now I ask you to combine this observation with all the thinking above and look, Gentle Reader! Do you see what I see? A remarkable thing emerges: yet another simple yet divine formula for my now growing collection appears—a formula for perfect application of meaning—God + enjoyment + intellectual curiosity + choice = sublime adventure!

Perfect application of meaning can be as simple as that you know, Thoughtful Reader—apply a little enjoyment and curiosity, and choose to embark hand-in-hand with God on adventure on His own terms, and one can be off on a grand adventure packed full of endless possibilities!

And I do believe there are many who, like me, cherish an allegiance to both that conviction and formula.

Be that as it may, the best of all to me is that this formula is the essence of what adventuring of the positive kind means — it is a formula for delight! And when I make it a regular delight to adventure in the Lord in good times (or in bad), and when I adventure with the Lord full of enjoyment and curiosity, sublime adventure is my experience and, I assure you, an experience we all are meant to share!

To be continued . . .