Thursday Theological Thinking

I've mentioned a few times that I sell Mary Kay as a side business. I'm probably never going to be one of the Mary Kay ladies you read about in the paper and you may never see me toodle around in a Cadillac. Part of this is because I really only do it for two reasons: I love the products and wanted to save some money and when I do interact with customers I have a really fun time and just enjoy playing with makeup and seeing what looks good (or bad) on other gals. Don't get me wrong, however, I would love to do more with this business, but for now I don't have the time and, when I sit and seriously think about it, I'm pretty sure I don't have the personality to ever do really, really, really well.

Anyway, one of the big things that MK teaches/pushes/encourages is the "power of positive thinking". We have all these little mantras of "If you think you can, You can! If you think you can't, you're right." and other sayings along those lines. And more and more, I start to see this type of thinking popping up in church. Where did the Prayer of Jabez and all the associated products come from if not from the idea that if you think it you can have it - and Mr. Osteen and his best life now, funded by you looking desperately for your best life now. And there are many, many others.

I don't recall ever being promised that life would be easy or full of everything I could ever desire. I do remember God promising that He would be with me whereever I go, but beyond that, we're not promised riches and easy roads, we're simply instructed to be faithful. Our Sunday school class just finished a study of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi and one of the focuses of the study was how to "open the windows of blessing" - and at the end of the study it was clear that the way to receive God's blessings was not positive thinking, it was not demanding riches and expanded territory from God, it was obedience.

And obedience is work. Hard work. Hard, ongoing work. Seeking to be obedient to God has never been a popular undertaking full of reward from others - and we've been failing at it since the garden. Yet it's still all that's required of us and it's still the way to live under the constant blessing of God's hand.

I want to be sure that people understand that this has nothing to do with salvation. Salvation is through grace alone by a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and an acknowledgement that He died on the cross for your sins. Salvation, however, should begin a transforming work in your life - and part of that transforming work is obedience to God's commands - but please let me be clear that salvation is not based on obedience or works or good deeds or anything else other than grace.

I also think we need to explore what living under the blessing of God's hand really means, because I think many people (myself included on days when I am stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated and/or depressed) confuse God's blessing with prosperity and good health. While certainly prosperity and good health can be some of the blessings God brings, they're not promised to us. What is promised is the strength to get through any circumstance that arises and a promise that all things will work together for good (and again, good is like blessing in that it may not translate to specifically what we want it to translate into) - without a specific timeframe on that last one.

Some of you may be all riled up and ready to quote Psalm 37:4 at me ("Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.") but I think it makes my case more than yours. Because you see, we're to delight ourselves in the Lord first - and this surpasses even obedience. When we are delighting ourselves in the Lord, I don't think the desires of our hearts are not going to be for a new car, or a new house, or a new boat or any of those "hearts desires" that we're currently beseeching God for as if He was an eternal Santa Claus.

So what is it to live in God's blessing? I think it's different for each of God's children and I will definitely say that I know I experience it. I was born in a country where I am free to worship Him without any fear of repercussion. I have a loving, faithful husband and a caring extended family on both sides (even if sometimes they drive me nuts). I have a good job, as does Tim. We're more than able to put a roof over our heads and food in our mouths. But if all of that was taken away from me, I hope and pray that I would still be strong enough and faithful enough to say that I still knew that I lived in God's blessing, because I have been redeemed and that can never be taken away.

However, I still have a conundrum. Because on one hand, I disagree heartily with those who camp on the "name it and claim it" doorstep, but I also have issues with those who camp on the "if we wait and pray, God will deliver it into our hands" doorstep, and never step out in faith to make things happen. The promised land was not simply delivered to the Israelites - people didn't up and move out leaving an empty, barren land for them to move in and take over. They had to go in and fight for it. In battles where some of their own were lost. And while certainly God promises to provide all our needs - isn't some of that provision in the form of the intelligence and capabilities He gave us when we were born? Certainly there's a risk of becoming too dependent on self and unwilling to depend on God for anything if you take that thought too far, but how far is too far?

I know this was rambly and a little disorganized, but I'd love your thoughts on any or all.