“Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” 1 Corinthians 9:26

It was a BEUUUUTIFUL spring morning. The sun was beaming down and all creation was singing the glory and wonders of Earth and sky…seemingly. I was doing what I like to do most, by silently sitting there taking it all in and then talking to and thanking God for all His blessings. For me, it doesn’t get much better than that. Then I saw HIM…running up the road…beating the air like it was his archenemy!

It’s not that I am condemning or judging. It’s just that there couldn’t be 2 more polarizing opposites under heaven! I was sitting there, relaxed, at peace with God and full of joy. This guy was all tensed up, angrily running nowhere in particular! His fists pounded the air as if landing blows upon a foe attempting to punch HIS ticket! As sweat poured from his body and soaked his shirt, I thought…”that’s FAR too much work for me!” So I smiled, waved and then turned around to face the opposite direction!

Lately I have been seen with my wife pushing heavy stuff around a gym. SHE decided that we had better get in better shape in our older age so we won’t end up living like invalids…a burden on family and society. My Doctor gave me just enough encouragement, after a physical, to make her crazy words seem logical. So we go. But I don’t like it! Even though new friends at the gym encourage and cheer me on, I have to admit that I only go there because I HATE the thought of my life actually becoming ‘in-valid!’

I know a guy named Paul who, during his lifetime, felt the same way I do. Though he’s a LOT more famous than me, we still share the same best friend named Jesus! Paul and I also share a favorite pastime together, setting alone while talking to God and pondering the REAL meanings of life! He liked to write too! Though much of his work was done in a prison and often in chains (showoff!). He actually wrote much of the New Testament! The Bible verse today is HIS quote!

I wasn’t looking for a metaphor for 2 differing kinds of lifestyles when I saw that shadowboxing jogger. But I did see him. At the time, the ‘high-five’ nudge from my best friend was kind of like looking at a scale, after watching what I eat and pushing some weight around! After the wonder comes the actual realization that, “Hey!!! This really works!”

I STILL don’t put much stock in bodily exercise. Because my friend Paul ALSO wrote, “for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 NASB. I may not look like an Olympian on the outside. But inside my heart, with my best friend showing me how, I am contentedly and joyfully magnificent!

How do YOU see things?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

Ever see a car with a curious bumper sticker that you couldn’t read? One that grabbed your attention and had you asking…”what’s that say?” It happened to me the other day. Luckily for me, up ahead the light turned from green…to yellow…to red! So I had a chance to get up real close to read.  You’re looking at a version of it!

I hate red lights! But THIS time, interest grabbed me and I had a chance to really think and ponder what that sticker meant. Thus distracted, God and I had a little conversation. If you want to call it that! You see, I know what the Bible says. I ALSO know the Author! So…going to Him I asked Him if that sticker was OK!

When I talk to God, I use words. When He talks to me, He uses practically everything BUT! Which doesn’t bother me. I have to admit that it took time for me to learn His language and to know when it is Him speaking. You see, God’s arch enemy ALSO tries to speak to me as well…with a goal of confusion and distraction! But I knew in my spirit God was talking when I broke out in a smile!

God even wrote it Himself…right there in Genesis!! Before He spoke, all was empty, formless and DARK. Kind of like a painters canvas…only black! And while you and I have absolutely NO power to CREATE ANYTHING, God created, simply with WORDS! LET THERE BE!!!!” And just like that…it was so!

One of the proofs of God’s existence is Creation. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Simply looking at the beauty and complexity of creation SCREAMS GOD! The Universe literally has His fingerprints all over it!

As I sat at the light and talked with Him, I finally got around to asking the obvious question! His answer came in the beauty of His silence when the thought came…”Sure…you can call me that!” So I did:

“Dear Art: Thank you for bringing beauty, imagination and wonder into my life. I really appreciate and LOVE you and your work! I’d like to see more please!” And just like that…the light turned green!

How do YOU see the universe?

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” Ephesians 5:25-26

It was time to face the inevitable. The Oven at the church had gotten so dirty over the years, it puffed smoke like the magic dragon every time it was turned on! My approach to cleaning an oven is the same as my doing my own dental work…I don’t! But it was time and I was free so…

Before I go too far, I need to explain that the attached picture is NOT of our church oven. Ours was bad…but not THAT bad. Which is funny in itself! Why do I feel like I have to make up a disclaimer about an oven because…like…who cares? I mean, never once has anyone used the condition of my oven as a prerequisite to friendship! But after doing some research, maybe I lack quality friends!

I invite you to Google ‘Oven Cleaning’ and see for yourself just how many products, methods and experts there are on the subject. There are soooo many, it’s humorous! Who thought it was so important! I didn’t care to go NATURAL…using baking soda and vinegar as encouraged by apparent conservationists. I went the cheap and powerful chemical method! Now that I am an expert, I can’t imagine taking the time and energy to do it any other way! My method?

After turning on the oven to 200, I sprayed the heck out of the inside until it was all white and foamy. After 20 minutes, I took a huge bucket of water and towel and wiped out the goo! It was both easy AND disgusting! The chemical did what it was supposed to do, and when I was done, I felt like a doggone hero! I even showed it off to a couple ladies at church last night. All I got was…”That’s nice! Do mine next?” Typical!

Now that I am an expert oven cleaner, having taken the time to become one, I felt compelled to write about it. MOSTLY because I was out of ideas! But I couldn’t help but remember this Bible verse and throw it out there too! Because, after all, I’m stretching! ‘The Bible is like Oven Cleaner…use liberally and let it do it’s job!’ Haaaa yup! I just said that!

It may surprise you to learn that the above verse is actually part of a bigger one. The ACTUAL verse starts off with, “HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES LIKE…!” And UH-OH!!! Just like that! It’s turned to meddlin’! With that, I think I’ll sashay to a conclusion! How does this sound for a symbolic metaphor? Husbanding is like oven cleaning! Liberally use the Bible like a can of oven cleaner…and let it do its job! After all…you’ve got time…and you’re free!

You’re welcome!  

“some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” John 16:17

AHA!!!!! I finally got it! But what I got really isn’t what I really wanted!

For YEARS I have pondered a spiritual question that seemed to have no real solid answer. And by that I mean, an answer that ‘I’ was satisfied with! As so often happens, when I have one of these ongoing research questions, the answer seems to come when I am not immediately looking for it! Now that it is here, I don’t know what to DO about it! “Is God an ‘IMMEDIATE Gratification,’ or a ‘DELAYED Gratification’ kind of person?”

My personality is kind of simple. I want it all and I want it NOW! If I have to WAIT for it, I’m really not that interested…patience not being my strong suit! Stick-to-itivness, focus and perseverance are not naturally arrows in my quiver. I’ve long since traded them for a candy bar! Now that I have need for that arrow, I’m stuck here calling out for God’s help! It seems…He’s been waiting for me to catch up!!!!

I’ve known lots of folks who were savers. My brother was one. When we got our allowance as kids, he immediately put his in a piggy bank. I immediately ran to the candy store. He was usually right there with me… asking if he could borrow a nickel! Not that that was bad. After all, when it came down to it, he HAD money. I didn’t! It was no surprise he went into the area of banking and finance!

Maybe it’s the time change this year! At 65 I don’t recover as fast as I did at 18. I’m still playing catch-up! Maybe it’s that I have so much to do? The clock is ticking on the Easter Holy Week and taxes are due soon as well. I’ve put off the taxes until I have time! Which is exactly what I do EVERY year! This only proves that ‘I’ AM an ‘instant gratification’ guy. Who has just realized that…God is not!

As a believer in Christ, I am ALWAYS moving forward, TOWARDS something I do not yet have. A stronger or better life in Him, a spiritual treasure yet unopened, more fruit of the Spirit and ultimately…HEAVEN! All things coming ‘in a little while!’ Which means that I am, I guess, always supposed to be MOVING FORWARD! I guess! But how do I do that when I’m pretty worn out?

I’d LOVE to spend more time on this, but I have someplace to be and I’m outta time! 

 So….what do YOU think?

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (within you). “

Driving my 265 horsepower truck yesterday, I had things to do and places to be! I came up on a vehicle doing 10 mph slower than the speed limit. Moving over into the passing lane, I came up on a Ford Mustang doing exactly the same thing! Once I passed the first car, I moved over into the middle lane to pass the second. But the angry Mustang would have none of it! It sped up, using it’s 310 horsepower, then slowed down to 15 MPH below when I got behind it! It kicked ME…so I murdered it by getting angry (Mt. 5:22)! Then I felt bad!

It ain’t easy being me! I don’t run around looking for trouble, but it seems to find me when there is no reason for it! Apparently…Mustang’s goal was to be FIRST no matter what! Possibly because it COULD! Me? I just wanted to get where I was going to do the job I needed to do. My anger subsided and was replaced with a smile when God reminded me that I was wearing a hat with a big Cross on it!!! I don’t know the HorsePower of ‘conviction,’ but I DO know…it FLIES!!!

When Jesus said today’s words, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” He was speaking to everyone. Pharisees and unbelievers included! The power of His Kingdom of Truth lies within ME. But it also lay within ‘Mustang’ as well. We BOTH had a choice to allow THAT Kingdom to rise, or to rebel against it. Having often rebelled against God’s kingdom in times past, I have learned that fighting Him is of no use! Because He ALWAYS wins in the end! Which leads to a question!!

Does God want, demand, desire and command that we put Him first because He CAN? Is God foolishly arrogant and just WANT to be ‘top horse?’ If so, then God is no better than Mustang in His demanding and requiring ANYTHING that puts Him first! Even if it is unreasonable and selfish! Or is God First because He is PERFECT…therefore unable to be surpassed? My smile and conviction was proof enough that the latter is true. Evil, unjust selfishness may be in front of me for now, but God’s Kingdom is a marathon…not a sprint!

Soon we will celebrate the ultimate challenge between an angry mustang and the Godly Human…Jesus Christ. Easter is when He voluntarily laid aside His rights and allowed Himself to suffer and die in the place of under-horses…like me! His Kingdom comes with an invitation, at His own request, to join Him on the journey to His perfection! His only requirement is that I give up my own kicking rights!

What’s inside of YOU making YOU run? 

“Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” Job 38:33

I’ve known where I was going to be, this last weekend, for over a year. It was back then that I was asked by my niece if I would marry her. Which really ISN’T strange, since I’m a preacher, and her request was to officiate her wedding to her fiancé. The wedding was in North Carolina, which makes me wonder if she really KNEW what she was asking?

When asked, I didn’t hesitate. I simply asked them if they wanted Jesus at their wedding! When they said, “yes,” everything just fell into place. Time, money and resources converged to make her 1 sentence request, and my 1 word answer, a reality. Thursday, ten of my family members packed up our rented vehicles and drove the 11 hours to make it to ‘The Wedding.’ It’s Monday…and for us, the wedding is over. But for them…it’s only just begun!

George Moore, a long dead Irish novelist, said that, “The difficulty in life is the Choice.” I love that line because ‘I’ have discovered it to be TRUE. As George discovered, THAT is the way things ARE! Years later, Christian Missionary, E. Stanley Jones said, “In this moral universe, we are free to choose, but NOT free to choose the results of our choosing – they are in hands other than ours.” A scary fact that ought to make every thoughtful person…cringe!

I realize man is NOT a creator. At best, we are puzzlers…taking pieces and parts of the universe and assembling them into…something. We are DISCOVERERS…capable of evaluation and decision…but not in control of consequence. Which is NOT a funny matter. God created the systems of sowing and reaping… of reason, choice and judgment! He even takes HIS loving time to WARN us in advance. It is often unheeded!

I love to write about fun, and funny, stuff. But after spending so much time and money these last 4 days, over an event that OFFICIALLY lasted less than 30 minutes, I am compelled to look at MY own life’s decisions and wonder, “what am ‘I’ going to reap after all my years of sowing?” This last weekend, after seeing my wife and family through the lens of other people’s ‘choices, and KNOWING what God has taught me these many years…I smiled! ‘Thank you God for EVERYTHING!’

What say YOU?

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.“ Jeremiah 29:13

My wife was passing a TV in a restaurant when she saw a notice that the International Space Station would be visible last night in Florida. Making note of the time, she set the alarm on her phone. Having seen the ISS SEVERAL times this last year, it was going to be a revisit with a wave and a goodbye. It happens that FAST. Or…it’s SUPPOSED to!

At precisely the right time, she fired up her phone and held it in the direction the cellphone compass had stated. As we looked to the southwest, her concern grew. I heard her say, “No Space Station? Where did it GO?” Her tone changed when she looked at another app. “OH NO…WE MISSED IT!” It had already descended below the horizon in the northeastern sky! We were looking…180 degrees in the WRONG DIRECTION!

Until tonight, I would have voted her “Space Station Groupie of the Year! Not now! Which led me to think about the Bible verse today and the Easter season approaching. What if God would have set a star in the sky for the ordeal of Christ’s Resurrection with the message…”HE’S OVER HERE!!!?” I wonder how many people would have bothered to go look? Well…actually, I don’t have to wonder at all!

The Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah took a memo from God in Chapter 29. You can read the whole thing yourself. Written in the 7^th Century BC, it’s pages have been around for a LONG time. In it, God sets the standard for those who truly want to find Him. It’s not really a SEARCH as much as it is RESEARCH! It’s not like He’s HIDING. It’s more like He wants to be WANTED enough to be DISCOVERED! It isn’t HARD. It just takes heart!

I met a young man the other night and asked Him if he KNEW God and if he knew for CERTAIN that he would go to heaven when he died? He was uncertain and started making up religious sayings, presumably to convince me that he really wasn’t THAT uncertain. I suggested he relax and that if he really WANTED to know, I could point him in the right direction toward discovery! As he left, I think he thought I was a wacko! God was more disappointed than me!

ALL people know they are sinners…and that perfect heaven is OUT of the question for ‘they’ like ‘we!’ What we DON’T know or understand is just HOW much God loves and wants us TO BE with Him. But the price of imperfection is FAR too high for us to pay. So He sent His son and paid it Himself…then made an offer! “It’s all yours FREE…just come find me and ask! I’ll prove it to YOU!” Sad thing is…most people are looking at something else…180 degrees opposite of the greatest treasure in the Universe!

What are YOU lookin’ at? 

“For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16

A friend called to ask help with an electrical issue in his home. Grabbing tools, I went to help him replace, and run power to, a current outdoor light fixture. He had lived his long life without having to learn the principles and how-to’s of home electrical wiring. A fact I discovered when we got closer to the black and white wires. He was genuinely nervous!

After setting up the ladder, I reached up to start working on the old light. Suddenly he let out a holler, ”WAIT WAIT WAIT…I gotta turn the power off first!” His words were comforting, as they proved he cared about my welfare. I also found them intriguing because his fear was far more than was necessary. I had an inductive electrical tester in my hand at the time!

After he got back from the electrical panel, I was going to show him how an inductive electrical tester worked. When I asked where a live electrical outlet might be he said, “I shut the power off!” “To the WHOLE HOUSE?” I asked. “Yup, I ain’t takin’ any chances!…” he said that to ME, up on the ladder, MY hands near the wires! My friend is a funny man!

Having done electrical work many times in my life I have learned, often the hard way, how to handle it’s power! I have a healthy respect of what it can do and have been shocked numerous times. One old timer even told me years ago, “it’s good for ya!” And power IS! Without it, we wouldn’t enjoy lamps, stoves, air conditioning or indoor plumbing! Of course I’m kidding on that last one…KIND of!

The most POWERFUL source of power in the universe is God! He shares that power with both His Son Jesus and with the Holy Spirit…AND ME!  If you have been anywhere NEAR a REAL Christian believer you can, and should, get an inductive sense that there is a power there that is unusual and intriguing. A power that either calls to come closer…or repels in fear.

I am a friend of God! I know Him. I have learned, sometimes the hard way, about His intentions and how He works. I LOVE learning more about Him and drawing closer to Him. I have a healthy respect for Him and know that He has power that He wants to share with me in the form of Love, Trust, real Hope and Joy! His power genuinely blesses me when I genuinely get closer to Him. And…just like my inductive electrical tester…I CAN tell when He’s close!

Can you?  

This Article was so well written, I had to share.  I hope you enjoy it as well.  And Be careful!!!  Eternity is FOREVER!!!

Article by Greg Morse Staff writer, desiringGod.org

My dear Globdrop,

I have received your perspective concerning your man’s most recent incident. He drew swords with his atheist classmate and succeeded, did he? He made the Enemy and the hope of a hereafter seem almost “reasonable”? In those ten minutes, the clouds pulled back and heaven appeared to triumph over hell, did it? You call it “a true embarrassment . . . a humiliating defeat.” You repeatedly assure me that you “take full responsibility.”

O my dear nephew, what’s next? Did you, borrowing a human expression, require a shoulder to cry on? A nodding head and listening ear? Words of affirmation? Stand upright, soldier. Yours is not the only name to be pulled down into disgrace.

All is far from lost. Though you slouch in shame with your talons curled, consider that mere “reasoning” does not frighten us (though we do not encourage it). A “reasonable” God, a “reasonable” eternity, and a “reasonable” heaven are still no God, no eternity, and no heaven — so long as “reasonable” goes unaccompanied with “desirable.” A God and a heaven no one wants are the only kind we will approve.

Just a Few More Hours

This unwelcomed eternity is, from all indications, your man’s current conception. The heaven he hotly debates is not the heaven he really wants. He is not one to strive to enter the narrow gate. He is “a few more hours” kind of man.

I remember that splendid night like it was yesterday. One of their comedians took the stage to joke that he feared the Enemy would return on his wedding night. How would he respond when his “Lord” came to meet him? “Give me a few more hours.” The audience bellowed uproarious laughter. This, Globdrop, is comedy! Dark, damning, delicious.

What this man said captures the subtitles of their lives: “Lord, give me a few more hours to make my mark on the world!” “Give me a little longer to get married and have children!” “Lord, let me grow old and spent. Then return!” Not yet, Lord — give me just a few more hours!

For all the “Christian” talk (or debating), great masses of them still consider heaven an intrusion, a cloud moving over their day at the beach, a mere shadow interrupting the earthly substance. Their decaying bodies, grey hairs, and slowing minds trigger fear, not anticipation, for what lies ahead.

These are runners who slow near the finish line, soldiers who do not want the war to end, farmers who groan at the first signs of harvest, prodigals looking back longingly at the city they can no longer afford. Their hearts are here; their heaven is earth. If not forced over the cliff by death, many would say, “a few more hours” for all eternity.

Demon’s History of Heaven

The secret, then, is this: we do not need to waste time trying to make atheists of those who stubbornly believe that the Enemy or heaven is real; we need only convince them that it’s nothing to leave earth for. And thankfully, we do not need to deceive them on this point.

I was just a young devil during the Rebellion. The humans scratch their furry heads, perplexed how we could have ever sinned; they gaze up at the stars, wondering how perfect creatures could ever fall. They never consider that our Father Below “fell like lightning from heaven” in a grand escape from their precious heaven. Sure, the Enemy was well at hand to twist the story, labeling it as our being cast out in defeat, but what he calls an insurrection, we know as emancipation.

We could not linger for one more millennium locked in that kennel he calls heaven. Our Father discovered (almost too late) that the Enemy allows only spaniels in that place, puppies wagging their peppy tails, yapping incessant praises, jumping up and down for that eternal belly scratch he calls joy. Our Dark Lord Lucifer, deciding then that he would not allow us to be of the servile breed, snapped the leash from such a place.

Here again, the thinkers of men scratch their heads wondering why they — and not we demons — were sent “redemption.” As their preachers drool with self-congratulation, they would be shocked to discover the truth: we wouldn’t want it if he offered it. We know what “heaven” on his terms means. Were the door to swing open to us, we would slam it once again. We’ve had enough of his ball-fetching.

Danger of Desire

Yet the vermin actually applaud when he takes them for slaves. He, of course, gives each chain a pretty name — joy, peace, goodness, love, and the rest. What effective propaganda that he even goes so far as to move the Warden of his own presence into them to ensure they live as he demands, all the while convincing them that this is some precious gift.

It is when they begin to see things in this concussed way — God, heaven, holiness as a treasure — that things get dangerous. Humans in this condition have been known to do more damage to our Father’s kingdom than ten thousand of those who, for all their talk, just want a few more hours. Men have sung on their way to the gallows. Women have crossed oceans to tell news of the Enemy to subjects we thought firmly in our grasp. Young children even, giving up a life unlived because of this infection. The hope of heaven to them has been a shield against our most reliable weapons: suffering, grief, sickness, and pain.

The servitude that they mistake for freedom would almost make us laugh — if it did not rob us of our supper.

Floating Clouds, Plucking Harps

Heaven must remain — if it must remain — as merely the next best thing when they are evicted from this earth. Keep heaven in the peripheral: a blinding blur; the butt of a joke; a hazy, undesirable existence of floating in clouds and plucking harps. Let them think they are praying “on earth as it is in heaven” when they really mean “in heaven as it is on earth.”

Far from fainting at such a belief, we see in it the opportunity to glorify our Father Below. When they refuse the Enemy’s feast to check on the fields and oxen they bought, or when they excuse themselves because they just got married and need a few more hours, all see the truth. How those howls shook hell when that young rich man — and every rich man since — finally turned away dejected.

So yes, dear Globdrop, allow heaven to be “reasonable” to your man, at least for now. But never allow it to be more. Let him contest for the idea of heaven and drop the thought once he sits down to eat lunch, scrolls mindlessly through his phone, or watches a movie with his girlfriend — send him immediately back to our world. The only heaven we can endure — and the only heaven that will deliver your patient safely to us — is the heaven for which no one really wants to leave earth.

Your unamused uncle,

Wormwood

In The Globdrop Letters, a senior demon (Wormwood) corresponds with a junior demon (Globdrop) to advise him in the evil art of subtle deception. The series follows in the large footsteps of C.S. Lewis in his classic work, The Screwtape Letters.

Greg Morse is a staff writer for desiringGod.org and graduate of Bethlehem College & Seminary. He and his wife, Abigail, live in St. Paul with their daughter.