SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #207 ---- 12/17/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
A personal letter of encouragement to you, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down".
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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #207 ---- 12/17/01
TITLE: "Is It Time Yet?"
Dear Friend and Partner in Victory's Battles:
It was four years ago this month on December 23, 1997 that I wrote my first "Shoulder To Shoulder" letter to a group of about fifty pastor friends. I had no idea at the time that the letter would continue, would become so widespread, and would still be written . . . . I just wanted to encourage some guys whom I had come to love and appreciate. The responses I received made such an impact on me that I realized just how lonely, unthanked, and discouraged many pastors and others in ministry must be.
Since that time it has been my privilege and joy to pray for and share with hundreds who have taken time to write and share their hearts. I have been so blessed and encouraged by those letters. Even though this letter is officially #207, it has been my joy to write some 250 letters designed to "lift up hands that hang down" (Heb 12:12). I've written about many subjects, some highly controversial. During these years I've been forced to make "course corrections" that bring me back to the primary purpose of my letters . . . . to stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters in ministry, to encourage them and, at least in some small way, help carry the load they may be enduring.
I really have only two regrets over these past four years. One is that my letters always seem to be longer than I want them to be; but, I guess that's part of the cost of remaining conversational rather than scholarly. The other is that, upon occasions of extreme weariness, I have let some letters slip through with horrible grammatical errors or with thoughts that were not clear and precise.
But . . . . no matter those regrets, I still wouldn't trade places with anyone for this privilege of writing to you each week. I pray you are blessed at least occasionally in reading them.
In recent months, times and events have become more significant to us. Few people in America have not thought at least once about the significance of September 11 to spiritual things; even the most skeptical have considered it. I'm sure that millions worldwide have done the same. And, it is nigh impossible to think of Christmas this year without seeing it against the backdrop of that infamous day when lives were changed forever.
Throughout Christian history there have been occasions when it seemed as if all of mankind was called back to focus attention on a sovereign God. The year 2001 has turned out to be another of those occasions. Frankly, we neither anticipated, expected, nor desired such an occasion. But we got one.
What have we done with it thus far? Frankly, it seems not a whole lot. But, as I said last letter, it isn't too late.
With that in mind, I'd like to pose a question, such as this one . . . . .
IS IT TIME YET?
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
He stood there . . . . watching sadly, as the young couple fled the only home they'd ever known. It had been as close to utopia as anything could be . . . . everything had been perfect ---- the setting, the decor, the incredible wild life around them, scenery beyond description, plenty of food, unbelievable vistas of trees and flowers. And, unobstructed, unabated friendship and fellowship.
But now they were leaving . . . . evicted with little notice.
Why? They had violated the terms of occupancy, and now they were on the streets, so to speak . . . . no longer under the beneficent grace and blessing of the owner.
When you break the agreement, you pay the price.
What made it even worse was the fact that they knew he was right, and they were wrong. And, they couldn't undo what was done; they couldn't repair what had been broken. Innocence could never be restored.
To the owner the Onlooker asked, "Is it time yet? Can we let them come back?"
The owner said, "No . . . . not yet. They've got to learn that it is impossible to live independently from others. Self-serving independence has its consequences. Man was not designed for independence; that wasn't part of the plan."
He stood there . . . . the two brothers were so unlike each other. One was a quiet man of faith; the other was driven by performance. Just the opposite of the traditional "first born-second born" theory. One was content in knowing he was accepted; the other was tormented by always wondering, and always trying to gain acceptance by what he did rather than for who he was. Maybe it was because the first born may have been conceived while the young couple was on the move, having been kicked out of their residence.
Both, though, searched for meaning . . . . purpose . . . . reclaimed innocence. Both remembered hearing their parents talk longingly of days gone by when everythng was wonderful. One found it while the other sought it. One found it in simple obedient trust, while the other sought it through self-serving effort and success.
Finally, in a fit of resentful and jealous rage, the older of the two exposed the "drivenness" he had inherited, and killed his younger sibling.
The Onlooker turned again and asked, "Is it time yet?"
The answer was the same as last time . . . . "No . . . not yet. They've got to learn that acceptance and approval do not come by performance and accomplishment. Self effort carries no valuable benefits, but only horrible and painful consequences."
He stood there . . . . the destruction had been massive. Vast territories and all its inhabitants had perished as streams and rivers swelled beyond their banks and broke through man made barriers. The downpour had come in torrents . . . . day after day, seemingly unending.
When it did end, everything was dead . . . . save one family of eight. As the flood slowly receded, dead carcasses lay strewn everywhere. Bloated sometimes beyond recognition, it was hard to distinguish between animal and human. The foul odor grew so intense it was unbearable. The vegetation was drowned out save a few hardy plants that withstood more than a month of soaking in water, mud, and slime.
As the old patriarch, wiser than those who had died, looked around, he knew it was time to give thanks. He built an alter and began to worship.
The Onlooker turned and said, "Surely, now it's time!"
Like a broken record, the answer was the same . . . . "No . . . not yet. He still has much to learn. He's going to try many more tactics before he comes to the end of himself. He's got to learn that self righteousness, though honorable, still is not what I want from him. His children have to realize that they cannot receive what they desire by depending on their ancestors. However, . . . . I will promise to never do it like this again."
He stood there . . . . gazing at massive structures dotting the horizon, now being abandoned in confusion. Those gathered at the base of one giant obelisk discovered in shock that they no longer could sufficiently communicate with each other. For generations they had been taught to do things by their own energy, gather possessions for their own gratification, and become somebody as a means of immortality.
It had all backfired. That which they had spent lifetimes trying to create had come apart at the seams by one simple thing . . . . an unanticipated inability to communicate with each other.
As the Onlooker watched and thought to Himself, "I can bring them together", He said, "I know it must be time, now!"
But, the answer remained the same. "No . . . . not yet. They've got to realize that human government, successes, and possessions never satisfy the inner craving of the soul, and neither will they satisfy the requirements of reconciliation. They have more yet to learn." It was going to be a long lesson.
He stood there . . . . again. He'd been there so many times, watching from a distance . . . . ready to go in an instant, but unwilling to go prematurely.
He watched a man lying prostrate on his face. After days, the man got up, picked up two slabs of stone with writing on them, and started down the hill toward a huge encampment of people. While there was anger and disbelief on his face, there was pleasure and celebration on those below him.
The Onlooker thought, . . . ."There is still more yet to learn."
He turned, and asked again . . . . "Is it time yet?", anticipating the familiar response.
And, He was right . "No . . . . not yet. Now that they've tried all the options, I'm giving them another lesson. They've got to learn to do it My way, and that only then will they be accepted. Before they will believe Me, they will try every means available . . . . and they will fail completely. Futility must precede faith."
The people struggled on . . . . generation after generation, century after century. The results were the same . . . . all attempts to satisfy God were met with failure. Some of their great writers breathed words of fire and condemnation, while others spoke of a promised liberator and redeemer . . . . one to come. Some longed for his coming; others ignored it.
He stood there once again. To those laws on tablets of stone had been added hundreds more by the hands of learned but ignorant men. Each addition was designed to either explain, simplify, or lower the standards so divine in origin. All attempts to make it easier instead made it more demanding and impossible.
Faith was replaced by fatalism. Sincerity was smothered by futility. Relationship degenerated into ritual. Hope was subjugated by spiritual darkness. Life had become so "daily", and religion so lifeless.
He turned, and asked . . . . "Is it time yet?"
And God said, . . . . "Yes!"
And, far below, a young woman, still a teenager, groaned in pain, a father gasped in wonder . . . . and a newborn baby cried.
And angels sang.
"And when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the [curse of] the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)
"While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:6-7)
And they called Him " . . . Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." (Luke 1:31)
THE FULLNESS OF TIME HAS COME:
Galatians 4:4-5 are two of my most favorite "Christmas" verses, for they speak of God's patient waiting, predetermined purpose, and life-changing act of restoring man back to his intended purpose. . . . "And when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, burn under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the [curse of] the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." Those words touch my heart, build my spirit, give me hope, fill me with joy, and motivate me to holiness and service.
After some thirty years, Jesus began to reveal His intended purpose. " . . . although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-12)
Some three and one-half years later as He and His disciples sat outside the city walls of Jerusalem, they asked a familiar question:
"Is it time yet?"
And, no longer the Onlooker, He said, . . .
"No . . . not yet . . . . but soon!"
May we not only be filled with wonder over the advent of our Redeemer and with hope over the ascension of our Savior, but also with confidence over the return of our King. The true message of Christmas is found neither in the cross, nor the cradle, but ultimately in the crown.
Have a wonderful Christmas season . . . . all year long!
In His Bond of Mercy and Grace,
Bob Tolliver -- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright December, 2001
Life Unlimited Ministries
[email protected]
Do You Get "Shoulder To Shoulder"?
"Those that are bound for heaven, must be willing to swim against the stream, and must not do as the most do, but as the Best do." (Matthew Henry).
If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish.