Thursday, August 28, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Imitation
Both of my girls are really into Star Wars right now. It's all they really want to watch. Each of the six movies is their favorite. Now with that comes the imitation. Isabella runs around with a light saber pretending to be Luke Skywalker (much in the same way as I did as a little boy, except I didn't have a light saber, just a flash light). Sophia pretends to be Leia. Together they run around the house and the yard saving the galaxy from Darth Vader and the Empire.
Malachi is also learning the fine art of imitation. Just yesterday I was holding him outside, and the neighbor's cow went, "Moooooooo!" Right after the cow said it, Malachi mimicked it by saying, "Mooo!"
Malachi is also imitating his father. We were together at the kitchen table, and the cat jumped up into the outside window ledge (I guess it was curious about what goes on inside). On a whim, I hissed at the cat. Likewise, Malachi did the same. I did it again, and he copied. This continued for a little bit, and we both had a good laugh.
Now consider the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Ephesians 5:1 NASB).
If we are the children of God, it only makes sense that we also imitate our Father. What kind of characteristics does God reveal about Himself? Imitate that. Of course, to get an accurate picture of our Father, we must know His Word.
On the other hand, if we refuse to walk in the ways of our Heavenly Father, then there is good biblical reason to wonder who our father really is. 1 John 3:1 says, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (NASB).
Malachi is also learning the fine art of imitation. Just yesterday I was holding him outside, and the neighbor's cow went, "Moooooooo!" Right after the cow said it, Malachi mimicked it by saying, "Mooo!"
Malachi is also imitating his father. We were together at the kitchen table, and the cat jumped up into the outside window ledge (I guess it was curious about what goes on inside). On a whim, I hissed at the cat. Likewise, Malachi did the same. I did it again, and he copied. This continued for a little bit, and we both had a good laugh.
Now consider the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Ephesians 5:1 NASB).
If we are the children of God, it only makes sense that we also imitate our Father. What kind of characteristics does God reveal about Himself? Imitate that. Of course, to get an accurate picture of our Father, we must know His Word.
On the other hand, if we refuse to walk in the ways of our Heavenly Father, then there is good biblical reason to wonder who our father really is. 1 John 3:1 says, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (NASB).
Friday, August 08, 2014
Say Grace
"You say grace before meals
All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and the pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink."
--G. K. Chesterton
Chesterton had it right.
Of course, what he referred to as saying "grace" is what we might call "saying the blessing" or "asking the blessing."
Of course, we may have to define that a little bit, too.
What we are actually doing is asking God, the Creator and Father, to give His blessing on something, whether it be our food or journey or something else.
It is asking God to "grace" us with His good and bountiful blessing.
Grace is a gift. It is freely given. Even when we ask God to bless our food, or our home, or our business, we need to understand that even those things are not "ours", but a gift (grace) from God.
So, when we ask the blessing, we are to be thankful to God as well. Sometimes it is even put as "returning thanks."
Now back to Chesterton's poem.
Life should be lived to the fullest. And if we are going to do that, by necessity, God has to have a grand role in it. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). (That is also a great grace in that Jesus came to us.)
If we are to live life abundantly with God in an attitude of thankfulness to Him, then we are going to do exactly what Chesterton wrote about doing.
We won't simply pray just before, or even a few bites into, our meal; we will pray asking God's blessing in everything we do.
If we ask God for His blessing in everything we do, that will also keep us from doing some things that we know that God certainly will not bless.
Say grace before your next party.
Say grace at the grocery store.
Say grace before you enjoy your next latte or mocha.
Say grace before you play tennis or golf (especially if you play as badly as I do).
Say grace at the game.
Say grace before you wash the dishes at home.
Say grace before you go to work.
Say grace at the recital (sometimes it is a grace to get through it).
And, for heaven's sake, say grace before you go to church.
The point is, whatever you find yourself doing, ask God to give His blessing, His grace upon grace.
"Rejoice always;
Pray without ceasing;
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and the pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink."
--G. K. Chesterton
Chesterton had it right.
Of course, what he referred to as saying "grace" is what we might call "saying the blessing" or "asking the blessing."
Of course, we may have to define that a little bit, too.
What we are actually doing is asking God, the Creator and Father, to give His blessing on something, whether it be our food or journey or something else.
It is asking God to "grace" us with His good and bountiful blessing.
Grace is a gift. It is freely given. Even when we ask God to bless our food, or our home, or our business, we need to understand that even those things are not "ours", but a gift (grace) from God.
So, when we ask the blessing, we are to be thankful to God as well. Sometimes it is even put as "returning thanks."
Now back to Chesterton's poem.
Life should be lived to the fullest. And if we are going to do that, by necessity, God has to have a grand role in it. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). (That is also a great grace in that Jesus came to us.)
If we are to live life abundantly with God in an attitude of thankfulness to Him, then we are going to do exactly what Chesterton wrote about doing.
We won't simply pray just before, or even a few bites into, our meal; we will pray asking God's blessing in everything we do.
If we ask God for His blessing in everything we do, that will also keep us from doing some things that we know that God certainly will not bless.
Say grace before your next party.
Say grace at the grocery store.
Say grace before you enjoy your next latte or mocha.
Say grace before you play tennis or golf (especially if you play as badly as I do).
Say grace at the game.
Say grace before you wash the dishes at home.
Say grace before you go to work.
Say grace at the recital (sometimes it is a grace to get through it).
And, for heaven's sake, say grace before you go to church.
The point is, whatever you find yourself doing, ask God to give His blessing, His grace upon grace.
"Rejoice always;
Pray without ceasing;
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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