It’s hard to believe that we were together at Wintergreen just last month.  With the Olympics now in full swing, it calls to mind the story Gary shared about the eagle and the 1984 Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles.  None of us want to be that eagle—to live a fat and coddled life such that, when called upon to be the man God created us to be, we fall short.  What is our view of God the Father?  If we believe the lie that He is distant and disappointed in us then we will almost certainly misinterpret any tough circumstance as the barometer of His heart towards us.  “Man, if I could just ___________, then maybe God would 'fix' my circumstances.”

Oswald Chambers said, “God gives us a vision and then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way.”  Wouldn’t it change everything if we saw with the eyes of our heart?  What if God is passionately for us and has a crucial role that we were created to play in His grand adventure?  Doesn’t something deep inside our heart long to be trained so that we have the character to fulfill that role?  To be fathered by the One who knows each of us intimately and is for us without reservation?

So how do we “…live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received,” as Ephesians 4:1-2 tells us?  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Humility. Don’t we so often confuse this with shame (“I have nothing to offer”)?  Phillips Brooks said, “The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.”  Remember, to be humble is to exercise “sober judgment” (Romans 12:3).  And we desperately need the Lord and true friendships with trusted men to help us see and interpret our life more clearly…

Gentleness. Without humility, there is no gentleness.  If we know who we are in Christ, we are able to offer mercy, grace and hope to others...especially in areas in which we have experienced suffering.  As Oswald Chambers said, "Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness."  In Romans 5, we are called to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."  If we ask for eyes to see what He is up to in the midst of suffering, it puts us in a place where He can train us..molding our character into the men He created us to be.

Patience. Without gentleness, there is no patience.  God does not want us to grind it out and be resigned that things will be hard until we die--only then to experience freedom and life.  If we trust the heart of our Good Guide, it allows us to be patient...to rest...to hope.

May the Lord gives us eyes to see what he is up to.  And may we give him permission to train us up to be men characterized by humility, gentleness and patience.

Questions we are exploring this week:

1)  What is God developing in you right now?  Is it possible that God has you in a "training circle"?

2)  What does it look like for you to exercise “sober judgment?” (Romans 12:3)  In what areas of your life are you under the influence of fear, anger, lust or arrogance?  How does it sit with you that failing to recognize and exercise the gifts He has given you results in living in the counterfeits (shame, fear and resignation)?  Why are we afraid to let His glory shine through us?

3)  Do you have another man in your life who has total freedom to speak truth in love to you?  Are you willing to take the risk to share your life stories so that you can help each other see your lives more clearly?

Here’s to believing that God knows what He is after,
 
 
 
The Piercing the Veil Team
 


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