For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth,, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him Colossians 1:16 ESV
Thermo: heat
Dynamics: Physics. The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion and equilibrium of systems under the action of forces, usually from outside the system
Please
do not assume that I am suggesting that it is virtuous to give for
the purpose of being blessed. Too many others are (wrongly)
espousing that idea. That is equivalent to the Pharisaical practice
of broadcasting their alms-giving for recognition. By pouring out I
imply more of a sacrificial act, something that, on our human side,
is difficult, sometimes painful. Yet in our spiritual nature this
kind of giving is joyous, and it results in blessings both inward and
outward. Still, our humanness is relentless in its pursuit of
happiness. At the core, the striving for happiness is self-centered,
dependent upon getting something from the world that creates an
emotion. This is an exchange of sorts. “What can I engage in to
feel happy?”
Some
give their bodies for immoral or addictive pleasures. On the lighter
side we will engage in anything else that might be pursued to
maintain a feeling of happiness. Most of which are not effective.
It is cliché to list them – things such as fortune, fame,
achievement, philanthropy. The hope of gain from experiences.
Happiness
comes from gain, Joy comes from loss
“What
in the world are you talking about?” There was a saying I once
heard regarding pastoral ministry which went something like “Lord,
you keep him holy, we'll keep him poor.” It has been thought over
the centuries by some, that poverty and lack made one more holy and
fit for service. Okay, not loving
the world or the things that are in the world
is certainly virtuous. However, giving away everything to gain one
ounce of holiness will not work. Holiness is a result of God in us
living through us.
I
briefly explored the concept of joy in another blog
www.missjanetm.wordpress.com,
in a post entitled A Cup of Joy? Happiness is a noun, something
passive, dependent on receiving something. Joy is a noun as well.
The conclusion was that joy as referenced Biblically is a word (Gr:
chara)
that is better translated rejoice.
Rejoice is a verb, an
action. What does anyone have to rejoice about? The one who is
surrendered to God has much, and it has to do with living in a
perpetual state of grace.
Can
you see how joy comes from an exchange?
First
we exchange our insistence of running our own life, and living with
many failures due to our nature as humans, for falling upon the
eternal strength of God who created us and seeking to do his will
above ours. Literally exchanging our life for his. Jesus
demonstrated this to us on the eve of his barbaric murder when he
said (as a man) “Father, if you are willing please take this cup of
suffering away from me” and then (as a man submitted to God) “Yet
I want your will to be done, not mine.”
After
that initial exchange, life becomes a series
of exchanges. Loss is
not really loss in God's economy.
Loss: detriment,
or deprivation from failure to keep, have, or get.
We
expend so much energy in striving to get, have, and keep in order to
be happy. Then loss comes and deprives us.
What
if we are always prepared to lose for the sake of bowing to God, and
to obtain joy in exchange? Are we able to welcome loss, knowing
that the exchange is so superior to the loss, that we will rejoice
in spite of pain? That is a secret of which many are unaware,
including those who follow Him. That is what prevents us from
wailing “why, God?”
Pouring Out
We
do not easily give up. It is in our nature to fight for our lives,
defend our own, and cling to that which is in our possession. But
our new nature, His nature, is to give, give up, pour out. And we
can practice this new virtue if we welcome the small opportunities.
Giving to others in need, while yet in need ourselves is one example
of pouring out.
See
the widow at Zarephath.
...there
was no rainfall anywhere in the land. Then the Lord said to Elijah,
“Go and live in the village of Zaraphath, near the city of Sidon.
I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
So
he went to Zaraphath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he
saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please
bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he
called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
But
she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don't have a single
piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left
in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was
just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son
and I will die.”
But
Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what
you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's
left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what
the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and
olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends
rain and the crops grow again!”
So
she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued
to eat for many days.
There
was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as
the Lord had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:7-16 NLT
Joy
is resting in the assurance that whatever loss we suffer, God will
fill the void, salve the pain, bring forth good in our lives and
others', and sometimes enlighten us to a greater purpose behind the
loss.
King
David, while in the wilderness, in the midst of battle with the
detachment occupying the town of Bethlehem, rashly longed for the
good water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem. His men, eager
to please their beloved leader, forced their way through and brought
some of that water back to him. As he often did, David realized his
foolishness.
But
he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to
the Lord. “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he
exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men
who risked their lives to bring it to me.” 2 Samuel 23:16-17 NLT
What
is your experience? Has God ever asked you to do the “impossible”?
Did you stiff-arm him? Or did you yield, only to be surprised at
how it all turned out? May I challenge you to pour out an offering
to the Lord?
God
is Light
I
have loosely applied the concept of the first law of thermodynamics,
and the equation of relativity to the human spiritual experience
when the relationship with God asks us to let go. Remember that
speed of light squared in the equation? The energy is equal to
the mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. Literally, the
speed of light squared makes it possible to turn energy to mass or
mass to energy. God is that very light. It is he who created, and
nothing more can be created, only converted or exchanged. Leave your
losses with him; he will convert them to good.
Jesus
said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My
sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred
times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in
the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10: 29-30 NASB
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