My nature

This is copied from a daily email devotional I get from Homeword.com

"The story has been told of a man who while hiking in a desert, stumbled upon a rattlesnake that had become hopelessly wedged between a boulder and some limbs from a fallen tree. The man decided to save the rattlesnake, but in the process the snake tried to bite him. The man tried to free the snake a second time. Again, the snake tried to bite the man. Finally, on the third attempt the man succeeded in freeing the snake. And still, the snake coiled and attempted to strike its liberator. The man’s companion, who had observed from a safe distance, asked the man why he continued to risk himself to free the snake. The man responded, “The snake was attempting to strike because that is its nature. My nature is to love. Should I cease to love because the snake attempts to strike?”

The metaphor is easy. The self-inspection is not so easy. What is my nature?

Sometimes it's the snake. Sad but true...and tempting to delete what i just wrote.

Sometimes it's 'the man', the rescuer as it were.

Why it does it switch? Can I control which nature shows up?

Paul answers this better than I can in the 8th chapter of Romans. Here's my paraphrase summary of a section of that chapter: If I give up control of my corrupt nature, which reeks of death and decay, to the Spirit of God, He lives in me and gives me a new attitude and life that is alive and at peace with God.

So I CAN control.... by giving up control. Counterintuitive but so like God. His 'foolishness' confounding my 'wisdom'. I wouldn't want it any other way :)

3 words for 2010

I've been all over the map in recent years with New Years Resolutions/Goals/ect. and this year I started thinking in terms of key words. The first two came to me in December: Perspective and Shalom. I was hoping the third would come before the first (for some reason I thought I "needed" three). Since it wasn't making itself known I had thoughts of just going with two. After all, these two are meta-theme type words that are very all encompassing so the third, if it were forced, may seem like a afterthought; the runt of the litter that would die an early death. I decided I would wait for the third but I grew impatient and tried to force it. Some of my forced ideas were "smile" and "action"- wow...

This morning we were meeting with our faith community and the message gave me my third word. I knew it the second I heard it! Incarnation. Another word pregnant (pardon the near pun) with meaning. Perfect and powerful! More on each next post....

Promises

In with the new year, and decade. A traditional time for resolutions, or promises. This is from Kit Pharo at Kit@PharoCattle.com who sends a weekly email. There's more to it but these are the words from a hymn that I grew up signing and I can still picture Tallin Church. My mental picture always comes from the left side of the aisle and some key people who were actually very good singers, are part of my mental picture. If the picture comes from recent years, then Gene is at the helm with story, scripture, and song weaving the message of faith to 50 or so of us midwest farmer/ranchers. Here's the song, Standing on the Promises: (note the verbs)

Verse 1:
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring;
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus (sung after each verse):
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Verse 2:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Verse 3:
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Verse 4:

Standing on the promises, I cannot fall,

Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,

Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

And scripture at the bottom by Kit:

…he (God) has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4

So through the promises (standing, overcoming, listening, resting) I can participate in the divine nature (Christ in me, me in Christ) and escape the dysfunctional stories that surround me. Sounds like a great way to start the year!