I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU!!

2 Kings 2:2 ( ESV )

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²And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

     Today, I was once again struck full force with the idea of my devotion to God. I will often complain or murmur against Him when He does not seem to fulfill my needs or desires. I get lost in the mire of the things of this world and lose focus of what is really important. The Word is my strength though and it has kept me yearning for Him and for a city not made by hands.

     Elisha had been following in the footsteps of Elijah for some time now. He is then told by this one who was like a Father to him that he must be leaving. How it must have broken Elisha’s heart to know that this one who he had watched and followed was now going away.

     Three times Elijah will tell Elisha to stay and go no further. Three times Elisha could have just given up and went back home but he did not. He wanted and had to be around Elijah to the very end of his journey here on earth.

     “I will not leave you.” This was Elijah’s song of devotion to this one who had showed him the way of the Lord. He proved this devotion to the very end in that he would not leave his side. On top of all of this there were others around him who tried to sway him away but Elijah would have no part of it.  He would not heed to the voices but wanted to cling to him.

    

     A few weeks ago I was able to share about Ruth and her devotion to Naomi in a church in Grand Rapids. It was a blast being able to talk about how she was unwilling to go back to what was safe. Yet, what seems safe will be treacherous ground and sinking sand if the Lord is not in it. Ruth knew this and she was wholeheartedly devoted to her mother-in-law and would not leave her side.

   

     I am reminded of Jacob when he wrestled with the Lord. He did this all through the night and he even paid the price physically. I love those words when he shouts out to the Lord. “I will not go until you bless me.” David had a heart after God that would not be quenched. He was like a deer by a water brook with his eyes focused and devoted to Him alone who can satisfy.

   

     How it grieved the hearts of the disciples when they heard that their beloved Jesus was leaving them. Where can we go for you have the Words of life? We will go with you. Yet, they could not go with Him and partake of the cup that He was about to partake of. They, just like us, would flee from Him for a short while. Yet, He would send His blessed Spirit who would draw them close to Him again.

    

     This is the heart that we need. I want a heart that even when all the forces of Hell gather around me that will be consumed with Elisha’s words. “I will not leave you.”

A little bit of Dorian Gray.

     It’s hard to believe that one of my favorite stories of all time was written by a man named Oscar Wilde. People today know more about his scandalous lifestyle than the books that he authored.  I doubt that Wilde wanted to write a book that would challenge me in my Christian walk. Yet, his insights into human nature in the book, “The Portrait of Dorian Gray,” still resonate to me as a believer.

     Why does this book still haunt me as a man who is now middle aged, let alone why do I think that as a believer we need to read this book? Let me give you just a brief synopsis of the book for those who have never read it.

     Dorian is a young man of great beauty. He is a man who has been unmarked by the lines of sin. While a portrait of him is being painted by one of his friends he is introduced to another man who is a hedonist by nature. His whole philosophy of life could be summed up as, “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die.” He appeals to the carnal nature of Dorian.

     Dorian is then frustrated by the issue of how that one day he will lose his looks.  He knows that as the years go by, time will eventually strip him of all of his beauty. He then prays, for lack of a better word, that the canvas his portrait is painted on will carry the marks of his age and his sins. Dorian will see this prayer answered. He will grow older never having a blemish upon his body. The canvas though will be marred by every line and every sin his soul commits or even imagines. His deceptions, greed, lust and every evil will be placed upon his portrait’s face.

     He sees the portrait being marred and takes it to a room upstairs where he tries to hide it from men’s prying eyes.  His sins are thus hidden and kept from the light of day. At the end of the book though, all will be revealed. Dorian will be exposed for who he truly was in life.

     Scriptures talk much about the hidden sins of our lives. No greater example can be found then that of the Pharisees. Jesus would state how that they looked like a beautiful white washed building but on the inside they were filled with dead men’s bones. Their lives looked like a beautiful cup but on the inside of the cup it was filled with dregs. Jesus then tells them all that all will one day be revealed.

     The problem that I have when I am reading these passages is that I catch myself with a certain amount of glee. I shout out to the heavens, “Go get ‘em’ Jesus.”  These guys deserve all that you dish out to them.  Wait a second though.

     How many times have I pretended to be something that I am not? How many times have I tried to continue on in a sin and try to hide it from those who know me?  It will always be easy to see the hypocrisy of others, but what about mine? I might keep my sins hidden from others but my own portrait will never be hidden from the eyes of God. He not only knows what I do on the outside but also the sins that live within my heart. My thoughts, my motives, my actions are all painted before His eyes.

     Father, keep my heart pure. Allow me to live a life that is pleasing before you. Help me to see when I am living in hypocrisy. Give me a heart that has as its main desire to please you rather than my flesh. I want to live a life that is the same as it is in the dark as it is in the light. Wash me from the sin of hypocrisy.  Keep me from falling into the sins of Dorian Gray.

Moving

Moving it is one of the words that I believe that I hate more than any other in the world. My wife though I think hates it even more. (Wait a second, I KNOW she hates it even more.) For months she prepared for the move. Her and Haddy put stuff in packages during that whole time. They held two garages sales and gave away countless things to others. They tapped, wrapped and examined every item. I on the other hand simply packed my things and helped put stuff on the moving van. Still yet, I hate moving.

Moving forces us to do a lot of things that just for lack of a better word makes us feel strange. I don't know how to put it other than that. It has and always will be an awkward time for a family. Maybe a few of the following things might make some sense to what I mean.

1. Moving always forces us to ask, "Do I really need this object?" I am always amazed at my own greed over things that are not needful in my life. When I look at something I feel compelled to buy or logically try to figure out in my head why I need it. It amazes me how much I can't live without it and yet when packing I realize just how seldom I even use it. I get caught up in the world's riches and often forget the things that are more important. Like so many I am reminded that the most important things in this life are things that cannot be bought. My daughter's laughter, my salvation, our relationship with Christ and true friendship. These are the things that I truly need.

2. Moving sometimes involves a stripping away. I hate giving up things that have become important to me. They might not mean much to others but to me they mean the world. Yet, I don't  have to have them to make my journey complete. It's very similar to my Christian walk in that I grow accustomed to my sins or evil desires and   I don't want them taken away from me.They become a part of me and yet, God wants to strip them away so that I can be a better man for His glory.

3. Moving involves a whole lot of good-byes. What a tough time this last move was as we had to say good-bye to so many that we love. At one point I had grown so tired of saying goodbye to others that I simply had to leave the building. You grow to love people, their dreams, their walks with the Lord. You know that you have to leave but it hurts so much. I can't wait until we get to glory where there will be no more farewells. We will forever be with our loved ones who have received Him as savior and what a day that will be. I was able in this move to say like John R. Rice used to say to his fellow brothers and sisters when departing, "I'll see you again."

4. Moving involves closing up things that will not be seen for awhile. You begin to wonder at times when unpacking, "Where is such and such?" Even with marking all of the boxes you feel as though your on Let's Make a Deal with the mystery doors or packages. What a bummer, I want it all to be revealed to me NOW. Not tomorrow or the next day but in the words of Queen, "I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now." Sometimes it feels to much like our lives. Sometimes our lives don't make any sense at all. We question, we wonder why God? I'm sorry Lord but I just can't see the end of the tunnel.

    The Lord knows these emotions that we struggle with. The questions, the confusion and sometimes like the objects packed away in the box. The DARKNESS of it all. He though is not surprised or confused about what is going on in our lives. He will one day reveal us to the light of why it all happened or simply we will no longer even question why?

5. Moving involves a fear of the unknown. What will happen next? What will our new neighbors be like? How will we fit in? How will the new job work out or will there even be employment so I can take care of my family?

    This often is the hardest part of moving because it involves that one simple word that we all struggle with in our walks. TRUST. Do I really trust the Lord to act as the loving God that He is portrayed as in the scriptures? Will He provide? Will He give me strength for the journey ahead? Will He keep my family from all harm? Listen, we may say that we trust Him but it is during these kind of adventures where we find out if our faith is real or not.

     Here is what I do know. He has never failed me yet. He has always loved me. He has always provided. He is the same God who watched out for Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and a host of too many to mention. If He  has done all of these things then surely He will continue to do so.

I love Philippians when Paul says, "He who began a good work in you will continue to do so until the day of Christ Jesus. That is the one moving day that I long for with all of my heart. For we shall see Him face to face.

Attack of the Killer Squirrels. (You can see the evil in his little eye.)