We live in a dark time in which many people no longer stand in awe before God (fear of the Lord). We're so busy getting on with gathering power and resources to ourselves that we forget Him, we forget to give him thanks for all his goodness and blessings. We're so consumed with our own agendas that we hardly even think about God. These days the fastest growing spiritual group of people are the so called "nones", like the stoics they believe in a power source (higher power) but not specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. Mainly they live and breathe in the spirits of virtues, logic, and success. They are farmers and warriors depending upon the situation. Seeking salvation in the outcome. Gain is the god.
Jesus shared a story about that reality in the parable of the lepers. Luke 17:11-19
He tells of the ten lepers who were healed with just a word and sent on there way to present themselves to the temple authorities to be seen as being healed (cleansed). As these ten ran off towards the temple they became healed, but only one turned back and returned to Christ to give him thanks first. All ten were healed. No one did anything wrong. It's just notable that only one was moved to give thanks to the one who healed him.
Previously I wrote that we are in dark times. Times of wars and times of peace. Times to gather unto ourselves cultivating and growing, and times to spend everything we have to give on war.
War is about resources. We farm and gather resources to gain strength and cultivate power. And a time comes when we must beat our plows into swords and go to war for more territory and more resources so we can farm more and have access to more gathering. So at the end of the day everyone is at war and everyone is a farmer. This is the human condition, to live and breathe, daily bearing fruit in every good work, and from time to time this harvest must yield to war and the destruction of those resources. Resources are built and gathered only to be spent on fighting. How we choose to gather and spend is reflective of our character. Why we farm and why we go to war determines who we are. We can be wise in war and wise in peace. We need wisdom in each. Time for wisdom is the eternal thing.
What is that wisdom?
There is a time for everything. God has made everything beautiful in its own time. And God has also put eternity into man’s heart, even though man alone cannot find out how God has done this from the beginning to the end. But what we do know, and give testimony of, is that God gave his one and only son. And his son Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me." (John 10:28) our resources will perish, either in war or in rust. So we don't know everything about how God does it, or even why. However we do know who God is. And we know our healing is in Jesus, we know our eternal resource is Jesus. We know our Lord is Jesus. Come hell or high water Jesus is the same today and every day. He is the Lord of everyone's life whether they accept him or not. He may not have Lordship over our life because we've rejected him, but just the same when all our resources have been spent, only Jesus will have the healing we truly need.
Friends,
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And giving him thanks, remembering him and who he is must become the most important resource we farm in our life. All else will fade away, or dies in times of war. All else will be asked of you when your final breath has left your body. And only the Lord's mark upon you heart will remain to bring you home. This is the difference between knowing about who Jesus is, and being transformed by him. Thanksgiving for everything God has done for us is the difference. Thanksgiving for the salvation that Jesus gave to us is that wisdom. Giving our time and resources to him in our praise and thanksgiving is reflective of our wisdom in him. The beginning and end of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Love that springs from gratitude is the essence of faith. We're not called to do the easy things in life, but we are called to do the right things and the right thing is for us to consistently be thankful. Whether it's while we are gathering unto ourselves, or fighting in a war, in everything give thanks.